Time for a wholesome evening with the Best Boys in some great fall attire!  And gratuitous amounts of food and silly pictures.

Not everything we do is a menswear event, like Dapper Day or a party at The Bloke (though I’m sure certain occasions do draw out certain outfits choices).    Most of the time, we’re all just a bunch of dudes who like to hang out and happen to be well dressed! That’s especially the case during Friendsgiving, which has been an annual tradition for nearly the life of this blog.  Hosted by Spencer and our friend Jay, it’s just a get together where we’re able to have a potluck style hang with some of our friends, which have gotten more numerous with each iteration!

I always find Friendsgiving interesting because it almost serves as a checkpoint for personal style.  Since it’s almost always the day after Thanksgiving, fall weather is in full swing in Los Angeles, which allows us much more freedom in our outfit choices. One year, I started wearing cords; last year I wore the Turtleneck Base Layer under a sweater!  Each dinner is a culmination of our favorite style moves from throughout the year, of which I’m excited to share with you guys today!

This isn’t a long blog post, but hopefully you’ll get that menswear (and men’s style in general) is something that we genuinely enjoy in our regular, silly life. Like most things, it ends up being a bit of a lookbook in itself with the “product” being good fall/winter style inspiration and how those outfits work in a regular environment.

As the host of the festivities, Jay is perhaps the most formally dressed out of all of us thanks to the use of a full suit.  If it looks familiar, that’s because it is; it’s my brown fleck flannel SuitSupply suit that was my trusty “brown suit” that was later replaced with my vintage Brooks or my Atelier Fugue cotton one.  It was a good one for its time, but it wasn’t 3-roll-2 or had pleats, so it went off to Jay, who loves and wears it well!

Instead of a shirt and tie (which have been lacking in recent Friendsgivings), he has a turtleneck worn the traditional way.  I love the use of the white/cream since it evokes the feelings of a crisp white dress shirt despite being an alternative. Instead of a necktie, Jay instead goes with a jaunty scarf in a brown geometric pattern, echoing my favorite type of ties.  Overall, it’s a very good look, fitting for an emcee of hungry young people in their twenties.

This was MJ’s first friendsgiving with Jay and took the opportunity of the “event” and the cold weather to go full fall.  It wouldn’t be a true MJ fit without some pleated uniqlo chinos and boots (Doc Martens were chosen if it rained).  The chambray workshirt and turtleneck base layer are an inspired choice (of which I am proud) and fit into MJ’s lifestyle perfectly, as he isn’t trying to be formal or suited all the time.

He originally came in with a hopsack sportcoat but the weather dictated a change to this Mackinaw, which you’ve definitely seen before.  Like my brown suit, it was a piece that I didn’t really wear anymore and is better served in the hands of someone who will use it; it actually serves as MJ’s first piece of real outerwear. The length isn’t as long as a coat, but its certainly different than a shortjacket.  With the chambray, it makes for a fun Americana/workwear-adjacent look!

Ooo baby, I loved this outfit.  It’s inspired from elements from the biggest articles of this year: “dark” menswear and Casual Style.  It’s definitely a “jacket and trouser” look but it’s not polished as my usual ivy looks.  Instead of loafers, I went with chelsea boots for a sleek look that almost has a 70’s vibe due to it’s interaction with the caramel corduroy trousers; the straight-wide leg (instead of flares) keeps it grounded in classic menswear.

The uniqlo unstructured tweed jacket (my go-to beater jacket) makes a return as a “classy” finishing layer, but the real star is the use of the Turtleneck Base Layer under my black western shirt, which has been one of my favorite shirts to wear ever since I bought it during my trip to Japan.  The western shirt and the turtleneck makes for a particularly edgy look that exudes a bit of an eboy look, but done in a menswear context.

The result is an easy look that is casual, has a touch of formality (due to the dark colors), and is perfectly comfy to lounge in!  I loved this look so much that I just may have to try variations of it while it’s still cold!

Lastly, we have our Spence-dog who unfortunately didn’t have a chance to get a proper fit pic since he was helping set up for dinner.  He’s actually a bit dressed-up compared to previous blog posts, going for a rugged ivy look that’s absolutely killer. A dark brown corduroy sack-jacket (more on cord later) is the perfect topper for a plaid workshirt, vintage tennis sweater, and olive military trousers.  It’s an outfit that exudes ivy without looking like a stuffy WASP; fitting for a 22 year old guy with a penchant for comedy and Scorsese films.

This really makes me want to invest in checked shirts (of which I have only one) and a tennis sweater.  I already have olive military trousers, so I’m good on that front!

Snapshots

Enjoy some dumb pictures.  And big ups to MJ for taking the pictures of me, as per usual! If only I could be on both sides of the camera….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honestly, I’m very thankful for all my friends, both photographed here and those who have been on other pages on this blog.  It honestly has been one of the toughest years of my life and being able to write about anything I want (like a random evening with these dorks) is still one of the highlights.  More on that some other time.

I hope you got a good amount of fall inspiration with this blog post and that you had a great Thanksgiving with your friends and family!

Always a pleasure,

@EthanMWong