We’ve got a few different pieces of content for you, from a recap of some of our bonus pod episodes to streams on creating outfits.

Spoiler alert: my “outfit composing process” is weird and certainly worth a listen. You must tell me if I’m not the only one who does it that way!

Bonus Pods

For those of you who don’t know, the podcast has a Patreon, where friendly listeners can contribute in exchange for access to our exclusive Discord community and listen to monthly bonus episodes. This is the latter!

While we have done bonus pods on film style, we have since moved to a roundtable discussion featuring our beloved producers MJ and Matt. The first one in this series (for October) provides an introduction to these “new” voices and delves into a bit of a conversation about the utility of menswear.

The next bonus episode (Nov 2020) is a candid discussion on Drake’s. We’ve done a short talk on the brand before, focusing on how we aren’t the biggest fans of it’s current direction, but this one is much more open. I recall how I first saw pictures (taken by Jamie Ferguson) on tumblr and how it was eye-opening to see classic style done so casual and modern.

It’s a great little listen that is certainly worth a Patreon subscription to hear the full version.

Kizer Quarterly

In terms of other updates, I was recently asked by Immanuel to write a little ditty for Kizer Quarterly, a new men’s style publication. The topic was the Fall Edit, focusing on rugby shirts, western shirts, balmacaans, and raw denim jeans. You guys know that I’m looking forward to exploring my f/w style, so I definitely took the opportunity to make some looks that were a bit different than what I’ve done before.

I was also very excited to work with Felton Kizer, the founder of the magazine and an amazing photographer. It certainly was much better than lugging my tripod around in public. I’ll be sharing some of the photographs on my IG, but definitely check out the publication! I’m excited to see what comes next- we definitely need more POC voices in menswear.

Stream Recaps

Here’s what you missed on the most recent Style & Direction bi-weekly stream which features: Ethan, Spencer, MJ, Matthew, Kiyoshi, and Jason.

More Discussion on Denim

There unfortunately hasn’t been an article or a pod specifically about denim yet (other than raw hems and the Teen-aged) but it has been brought up on stream!

In this clip we introduce Jason to the concept of “shrink-to-fit” and repeat how washing denim can help them fit you better. Washing also has the benefit of losing the stiff, starchy feeling you get from new (or raw) denim. Fades are something to embrace, especially with regular wear! We aren’t denim heads, but we do like wearing some raw selvedge denim across our outfits.

Maybe this just means that we need to finally have content dedicated to denim, though I’m not sure how much we could add to this well-exhausted topic.

Reflections on Our Dapper Day Expo Presentation

I almost forgot that around three years ago, when we first started the podcast, we actually had our first ever live “show”. It was a Presentation on Vintage Menswear given for the 2017 Fall Dapper Day Expo. There isn’t much to this clip, but it’s fun to see us discuss our history with Dapper Day, especially since it ties into Old Ethan.

What’s More Important When Making An Outfit: Weather or Activity?

Ivan brought us this topic, which spurred a lot of great tangents. He asks what we think is more important when crafting our outfits: weather or the occasion? As you probably expected (especially since we had a discussion on versatile shoes), our friends who live in a non-LA location tend to dress for the weather- coats, scarves, and headwear are all necessary to brave the rain or snow. It’s not like Spencer and I don’t consider the weather, though for us, it’s more about how hot it is. More often than not, we tend to dress a bit heavy for the weather. Activities matter, but because of our interests, we’re going to be the most “overdressed” anyway.

What this conversation does include is a fun insight into how I approach creating outfits. I’ve stated repeatedly that I don’t have a uniform nor do I like “defaulting” to an outfit, so how do I make my attire? Easy, it treat it like composing.

It shouldn’t surprise you that I’m constantly thinking about menswear and looking at inspo. As a result, I often get ideas on potential outfits and since I’m at home, I immediately get to work and plan out the pieces. I know all my garments well, so I don’t have to try it on to see if it will work or not. Some days, I even make outfits for the entire week and put them out, almost like an assembly line waiting to be worn.

This relates back to weather and why I dislike the rain, since LA precipitation can be unpredictable: it may come up randomly and ruin the backlog I’ve developed or my rain outfits will go unworn since the rain didn’t last long as the original meteorology report stated.

How We Incorporate New Pieces Into Our Wardrobe

The last half of that stream was about how we incorporate new pieces and purchases into our wardrobe. We had already talked about how we decide if a style/trend is right for us, but this takes it a step further and focuses more on the impulsive buys. Do we ever think we waste money? Do we keep it and figure it out later? Or is every purchase carefully thought out in order to remove the potential regret?

The answers were quite varied, as MJ and Matt (and Ivan in the chat) prefer to keep it safe while Kiyoshi and Spencer are certainly more open to experimenting and taking a chance. I think that this points to how these guys are in different stages of their menswear journey. Both are valid methods and simply depends on your personality and what you want out of your clothes.

Personally, I think I have spades of both. You guys know that I experiment quite a bit. I would say that while I don’t dwell on a purchase, I don’t actually consider obtaining a new/trendy garment without knowing that it’s going to work within my wardrobe. This process might be microseconds, but it really just comes down to how well I know myself and my clothing.

This means that when the opportunity presents itself, whether it’s at a flea market, a sale, or simply being at the right place at the right time, I can be a bit impulsive and buy it. It’s usually cheap (as I don’t really buy designer things like Evan Kinori or 18 East despite my interest in them), but it accomplishes my experimentation, especially since I’ve had access to some weird pieces by second-hand or vintage.

None of them seem “bricked” to me, even when it’s been “weird” pieces like a WWII HBT jumpsuit or a Japanese happi coat. They might be odd when compared to the traditional tailoring I’m known for, but to me, they feel extremely cohesive. It’s my hope that others are able to get to that stage, as you can only be in the cost-benefit analysis of clothing for so long! It definitely helps when you’re as obsessed with menswear as I am.

And yes, that was VR Chat. MJ and Spencer had fun flying jets and taking a trip to a Galaxy Far Far away.

Don’t forget to support us on Patreon to get some extra content and access to our exclusive Discord. Catch us streaming on Twitch every Wednesday and Saturday or watch the clips on Youtube.

Oh and don’t forget, we do a podcast every two weeks!

Buh-bye!

StyleandDirection | EthanMWong | SpencerDSO

The Podcast is produced by MJ and Matthew.

Big thank you to our top tier Patrons (the SaDCast Fanatics): Seth Peterson, Eric Hall, Philip Gregard, Shane Curry, and Audrey Jessica