Clothes I'm wearing right now
Buying a Stone Island grail, how I found a pair of the most comfortable loafers for $10, a pair of very special Levi's, and more purchases I can't wait to wear this spring.
We are so close to spring, I can taste it. Winter in Montreal this year was not a joke, and I’ve pretty much had it up to here with it—it was cold consistently to the point where fashion was out the window, and the means for survival were the main focus of any outfit I put together.
Alas, the temperature is getting better, and I’ve picked up some new clothes that I’m excited to wear.
In today’s letter:
Pulling the trigger on a Stone Island grail
A unique pair of Levi’s I can’t stop wearing
Finding what might be the perfect plain hoodie
Why luxury versions of workwear classics is actually worth the money
Where I got the most comfortable pair of loafers for $10
and some other great pickups I’m excited to start wearing this spring
I FINALLY DID IT
Having an archive Stone Island item in the wardrobe was something I’ve wanted for a very long time. As a self-proclaimed fashion enthusiast, it would be wrong not to experience a garment from the Massimo Osti era.
An item like this isn’t going to be cheap, so I knew if I was going to be making a purchase this big, it had to fit me perfectly. During my last trip to Paris I stopped by Metallic Certain, a shop that specializes in archival Stone Island, C.P. Company and other adjacent brands, where I ended up finding this jacket:
It’s a Stone Island Raso Gommato from the early 90s—I believe it’s from AW92, but I’m not entirely certain, so I’ll have to confirm.
They just don’t make stuff like this anymore is a phrase that has become pretty common to use these days, but I think that’s very true with this particular jacket. The Raso Gommato comes with a built in duck down puffer that’s held up by a rope system. Additional rope details can be found at the cuff and the waist for additional fit adjusting.
What makes older Stone Island so appealing are fabrics, obviously, but most of the jackets in this era tend to have multiple ways to style them on the go. For this one you’re free to rock both jackets at the same time, but can remove and wear each individually if you want. Collar can be worn several different ways, which gives you an easy way to adjust your look on the fly.
The cotton outer shell takes on different shades of white under different lighting. It’s mostly white with hints of natural fading that sometimes come out in a more cream color—in the case above, the red sweater messed with the colors in my photo which gave the jacket an almost coffee like shade.
To be frank this purchase wasn’t cheap at all, but I believe that money comes and goes but swag is forever.
Related reading:
A SPECIAL PAIR OF LEVI’S
A few months ago I wrote about Engineered Jeans by Levi’s and how they were created to reclaim the attention of the youth in the early 2000s—give it a read if you haven’t already, it will bring you up to speed on the importance of the Engineered Levi’s and what it did to the culture around that time.
As I was writing this article I was actively trying to find a pair for myself. Because these jeans are unique to each other, it took a while to find the exact wash and fit I wanted.
After extensive research I ended up taking a gamble and bought a pair off eBay, and they ended up fitting me perfectly.
VINTAGE FINDS WORTH GETTING EXCITED ABOUT
The real heat is found at estate sales. That’s all I’ll say on that matter for now.
One of my last best finds at one of these estate sales was a pair of San Antonio Shoemakers loafers in my size. They were $10. Probably the most comfortable loafers I’ve ever owned. It’s kind of insane. They are very lowkey, built well, and look great on foot.
Highly recommend doing some digging yourself to see if you can find vintage pairs on eBay. Doing a quick SAS search myself has revealed some very interesting results that are extremely cheap.
IS THIS THE NEW BEST FITTING HOODIE?
When I look at a hoodie I’m looking for a proper fit at the waist, comes with good hardware and a zipper that doesn’t bulge out, but most importantly, it has a hood that sits on your shoulders just right—I hate when hoods are too big.
Believe it or not, it’s pretty difficult to find a hoodie that has it all and doesn’t cost $500, but I think I just found one that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, is insanely comfortable, and fits just how I need it to.
