It’s been way too long since I’ve had an “editorial” post where I’ve been able to photograph my friends and write about their outfits. Well, even if it just involves Spencer and one other person, I’ll take the opportunity.

Before we start, I want to mention that there is a new episode of the podcast out today! It covers an old topic, but its there if you want to listen and get some nuance (like Spencer’s thoughts instead of just my own). 

Introduction

It’s been an interesting quarantine. Obviously we’re still living in a pandemic world where there is no indoor dining, there aren’t any arcades, and there certainly isn’t a trunk show or a flea market to be found. However, it hasn’t been too boring! You guys know that I’ve been keeping busy, pushing out my characteristically long essays and a podcast every two weeks; I’ve even been streaming and chatting about menswear casually!

The one thing I do miss is seeing my friends and luckily, I still get to do that, as rare as it may be. It hasn’t been the same and definitely doesn’t involve as many people as it used to, but I’ll take what I can get, especially if it involves any of the SaDBois. Not every hang out with friends is for menswear/blogging purposes but you should know by now that it tends to turn into an “editorial” due to their inherent style and the fact that I bring my camera everywhere.

So what follows is a brief write up and a few shots of one of the few hangs I’ve been able to do with my menswear friends! A few weeks ago our pal Yung Chomsky, podcaster and communist extraordinaire (and famed guest of the podcast), was visiting LA and he had sometime on a Saturday to catch up. Spencer and I decided to meet him for brunch near his Silver Lake AirBNB (it was at LAMILL if you were curious).

It was a great little hang! As you heard on the pod, YC had recently transitioned from working at a tech company to becoming a podcaster fulltime. So, as you could expect, a lot of our conversation was about podcasting and a bit about what the next steps are to make #theSaDCast even better. We’re obviously a long way from TrueAnon, but with our 25~ patrons and bustling little Discord community, we’re enjoying a modest success that at least pays for the hosting of our pod!

And yes, we did talk about menswear too, ranging from YC’s custom tailoring from Tailor’s Keep to advice on how to take fit pics with a film camera.

Attire

You guys know that YC has always had great style. Taking advantage of LA’s late September heat (which I can’t stand), he wears something that is quite familiar to the blog: an rayon aloha shirt, khaki gurkha shorts, and suede tassel loafers. It’s simple and breezy, with the combination being a welcome alternative to 90s dad looks (utilizing an aloha with lightwash denim), which I see far too much of here in LA.

The combination is something I’ve definitely done a lot of in the past, especially around 2018, but I’ve since moved to doing more subversive outfits with shorts.

Spencer is Spencer and as you could expect, he does a rugged ivy look that melds together Americana and milsurp all in one. The vintage olive jungle jacket and flat front khaki chinos are a classic combo, but the real star to me is his plaid sawtooth western shirt. It might have been too expected worn a ratty OCBD or even a sportshirt, which is why he went with the westerner. It’s just the right amount of rebellion, even though the only difference between it and a regular shirt is the yolk and pocket treatment.

Don’t forget to take a look at his new kicks: suede penny loafers from Grant Stone. In a surprising move, this is Spencer’s first pair of new footwear, as his Alden indy boots and tassels were bought second hand on eBay. It’s use here provides a bit of a refined take against the other rugged pieces, though I’m sure that vibe will change once the suede breaks in and garners some character.

Lastly, we have me, being as extra as ever. It’s funny- despite getting futher into my casual style this year and experimenting way more, I find myself dressing up (with a tie) equally as often. It’s probably just a testament that I will always love being tailored and no pandemic is going to stop me, even if I only get to dress up on weekends (since it’s still too hot to dress up inside my house).

As you can see, I’m wearing my delightfully wrinkly cotton suit from Atelier Fugue which boasts a fun brown color. Because of it’s light stretch, it isn’t always great to wear in the heat (as synthetics trap heat), but I really wanted to wear a suit, and blue was too normie and white would be too bold; I typically wear separates on weekends, so it was out of the picture.

With the suit, I wore my pink plaid sawtooth shirt, which is from the 1950’s and is made from poplin. It’s a bold piece, which is why I paired it with a solid navy tie. It’s a bit boring, especially since I typically wear multiple patterns at once, but it’s nice to be a bit restrained and rock some solids in the tie and jacket. When I took off the tie, the bold western shirt and brown suit (along with black footwer) definitely give the outfit a subtle 70s vibe.

Snapshots

I couldn’t resist taking snapping some pics with my digital and film cameras. Who knows when I’d have the opportunity to do it again!

Hopefully I’ll be able to do this a bit more often, with the proper precautions of course. I’m not lying when I say that it gave me a lot of serotonin not only to when I was shooting my boys but also when I was recapping the attire for this post. I still love writing my long essays, deep diving into topics that I’m obsessed with, but being able to share experiences with my friends and what they wear was and still is a big part of this blog.

Also this is the first blog post where I am no longer directly involved in the menswear industry (apart from a small consulting part time job). This site (and my attire) is proof that I’m never going to leave it behind.

Stay safe everyone!

Always a pleasure,

Ethan M. Wong