Check out my shopping guide to Japan here. Featuring my favorite spots for vintage, restaurants, and places to hang out.
An essay on how to stop overthinking your style development.
My guide on the brands making good basics right now can be read here.
Welcome back to another edition of What To Buy; your one stop for the latest info on drops happening this week, and gear I’m enjoying that I think you should buy before it sells out.
In today’s letter:
Exclusive subscriber-only release date info for the Hartcopy + Adidas BW Army in North America.
Two pairs of pants built for the summer heat.
A new shoe from New Balance I can’t stop wearing right now.
A Canadian-made brand making high-quality menswear is back in the US.
and other great releases and new collections you don’t want to miss this week.
I just secured my plans to go back to Japan this fall to continue to explore the land of great garms, food, and everything in between. If you’re traveling there soon and need recommendations, check out my comprehensive guide for shopping in Tokyo, featuring my favorite shops, areas for the best vintage, and more that are all organized by area.
PANTS IN THE SUMMER
I understand that it’s shorts season and we are letting the dogs out. That’s great, but as a true lover of pants, I participate in WMPAYL: Wearing My Pants All Year Long. It’s doable in the summer to an extent, and it really comes down to leaning into fabrics that maximize breathability.
When we’re talking about pants in the summer, I’m looking at options that are made using thin cottons, linen, or hemp fabric construction. They need to be lightweight enough to the point where I don’t even feel like I’m wearing pants.
For this summer, I have two pairs of pants that do just that.
Let’s go from top to bottom:
Lost & Found + Beams Plus Pleated Trousers: Just got these in the mail, and wow, what a pair pants. The Cotton/Linen blend makes these exceptionally soft, lightweight, and gives you a good amount of breathability that makes these comfortable to wear in the summer. What I like about them is their taper at the leg opening, which helps create natural fabric stacking around the shoes. They just fall into place instantly.
I got the black pair but they have two more additional colors on at their shop here.Lemaire Relaxed Pant: it’s going to be difficult to find these exact pants, but Lemaire makes plenty of similar options that you can try out yourself — these Pyjama Pants are pretty similar and are currently on sale for 50% off. The cotton/hemp construction of the Relaxed Pant creates a weave unlike anything else I have in my closet. Not only are they the thinnest pants I own, these somehow are wrinkle resistant, which I absolutely love.
Although the fabric is slightly different on James Coward’s Carry On Pants, the mission feels more or less the same: lightweight flowiness that focuses on comfort through each step. Good alternative and has a cut that feels slightly roomier in the legs in comparison to Lemaire’s options.
NEW BALANCE’S LATEST HIT
The 1890 Abzorb deserves all of our attention. It has to be one of my current favorite New Balance models right now. The vision clicked for me when I got a pair of the JJJJound + New Balance 1890s, and have been obsessed with them ever since.
Amazing level of comfort for those that enjoy a more narrow toe box, looks great with all pants or sockless with the shorts, all of the general release colorways are great, and they come in abundant sizes directly on the New Balance website.
Go with your true size on these.
It’s always good to have a sneaker that can do everything in: go to the gym, run quick errands, walk your dog, or whatever. You will not be disappointed having these in your rotation.
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HARTCOPY + ADIDAS BW ARMY
So you come to me on the day of my daughter’s wedding to ask me when the next Hartcopy + Adidas collab is dropping in North America? I see. Hartcopy is back with new colorways of the BW Army, this time giving us a White and Halo Gold colorways to enjoy right as we close down the summer.
The initial drop in Europe is already live, but I have the exclusive release date information for those looking to secure a pair in North America — Europe folks don’t sleep on the Halo Gold colorway! I’m telling you.
