Due to the big topics on the latest podcast (Getting Inspired From Yourself and Going Private), I didn’t have time to talk about some fun, menswear-related things that happened to me as of late. I simply can’t let those fits, thoughts, and photos go to waste! But speaking seriously, I didn’t expect actually to write all about this stuff, but I’m feeling sentimental, likely bought on by the heavier-topic blog posts I tagged above. None of these recaps warrant a separate blog post (though my amount of writing would likely convince you otherwise), so here we are! Scroll through and enjoy some of my clothing shenanigans! 

One major thing is that I had another DIY dyeing project! This was my second time doing it, as the first was when I dyed a pair of blue USN dungarees to black. I had never done it before, but the process seemed easy. I simply followed the instructions on the Rit Dye website, soaking the jeans in a steaming soup of black and orange dye (suggested by someone on Reddit to help “counteract” the jeans’ inherent indigo); I also used ColorStay Dye Fixative. Despite the hot water, the dungarees did not shrink! I actually had them hemmed after being machine-laundered/dried. I ended up with an awesome pair of black, flared jeans, which are probably my favorite pants out of the casual portion of my wardrobe.

I was ready for the next one, which came in the form of the vintage white Maharishi kimono-parka that I picked up from Paul at Alfargo’s last year. It’s a fun, unique piece of Safincore-coded outerwear that I definitely wore with some fits last F/W season, but after a bit, I noticed that I wasn’t reaching for it because of its white color. I do like the “snow camo/soldier” effect, but because the coat is quite long, it started to come across as a bit too “lab coat”; I also felt like it contrasted too much with the darker colors that I typically wear, looking slightly out of place. If this coat were my way of doing a militaristic take on the Drama of Safincore, then the garment should be military green. After all, Safin himself wears an olive kimono jacket in the actual film!

And so, back to my local craft store I went to get the dyes. Rit actually has a helpful color chart that tells you what dyes you need to achieve a certain shade. You’ll note that Olive Green says to use Apple Green with Taupe and Yellow, but I decided to go off-book and eyeball it. Feeling that their olive was slightly too green/yellow, I opted for Kelly Green and Taupe. This was my hubris. As soon as I started the soup, I knew I fucked up. Maybe I put in too much Kelly Green and not enough Taupe, but the result was a light, if not slightly faded, Sage Green. The fact that the original garment was white probably played a factor in the result as well. It is indeed a nice shade, one that I’ve certainly seen on vintage milsurp, but it wasn’t what I was looking for, especially from a piece of outerwear. 

When I lamented my problem to Serhan, he told me that he saw Olive Drab was an option on the Rit website. I felt so stupid. I returned to the craft store and decided to follow the instructions to the letter, adding in Camel and Dark Brown to the remainder of my Kelly Green (I didn’t even use all of it). As soon as I saw the soup, I knew I had done it. The result was a glorious dark olive that really transformed the kimono-parka. It feels completely different from when it was white.

Even though I have a lot of “green-ish” outerwear, the Barbour Gamefair and my Cohérence trench (not to mention my jungle jacket), I think that the uniqued design details really help make its use different from the others. The lack of lapels gives it a relaxed shawl/robe attitude, while the plethora of pockets and sashiko patches (inherent to the jacket) provide a “hard” vibe, making for an interesting aesthetic. In essence, it’s quite a “fashion-y” piece, being something I’d wear when I want to lean even further into being “artsy”. It’s not that I couldn’t do it when it was white, but that it feels more “Ethan” now that it’s olive green. 

As before, the kimono-parka works best with “closed up” combinations (think fastened neck scarves and roll necks) rather than sartorial/trad outfits, as I find leaning into the Star Wars-esque adventurer/refined Bond Villain look quite compelling and easy, especially when I get to wear it with riding boots.  The olive green color helps to calm it down, making it look like any other piece of milsurp outerwear– until you get a close look.

With two dyeing projects under my belt, I am curious what I will transform next…

Now it’s time to talk about some recent Occasions that have warranted some cool outfits. Indeed, I do “dress up” every day, but it’s still nice when you have something to wear them to, whether it’s internally or externally motivated. 

And speaking of riding boots and Star Wars, I’ve got a good Occasion. My new friend Erika invited me to see the Twenty Sided Tavern, a live D&D show that involves improv and a revolving cast of performers, which that evening, included Neil Newbon of Baldur’s Gate 3! While I haven’t done a full game of D&D, I have done a fair bit of one-shot TTRPGs with my friends, so this show was right up my alley. Obviously, I had to dress up on-theme for the show! 

You can tell that I’ve been enjoying delving into fantasy-cosplay-ish type outfits, which have all come a long way from even the first Ren Faire I covered on the blog. Owning proper Riding Boots, as well as a cape/cloak (a recent purchase from Fair & Fell), really makes a difference! I just have a thirst to wear them more, which thankfully has been gradually quenched with a sprinkling of events, like the Pirate Dinner Show or a local “Ren Faire Day”— now, I have the Twenty-Sided Tavern! I simply can’t wait until April-May, when the LA Ren Faire occurs, to wear a fun adventurer outfit!

This time I wanted to lean a bit more Star Wars-y, which called for more of a tunic look instead of the “puffy shirt and waistcoat”.  I opted for my jinbei top (which is homewear, but fuck it, let’s wear it outside) and added a navy cotton turtleneck as a base layer, tucking both into my black riding boots. The pants were cinched with a black western belt (the only type of black belt I own), but I covered my waist with a long black scarf, much like what I did for the Pirate show. I loved the effect of the whole outfit. It was definitely pointed in that fantasy attitude, but still felt “wearable” as a fit, as it could be mistaken for a “high fashion” or designer-adjacent look. That vibe ended up being appropriate because earlier that day, I went to Silvia’s closet sale, which, if you’re familiar with her, you’ll know that she exclusively wears artisan designer clothing (more on the sale in the photo dump after the words). I ended up wearing my olive kimono-parka for her sale and to read at a cafe before swapping it for my brown linen cape for the show. 

Boy, was the show fun. So many people were dressed up; it always warms my heart to see people Full Send and get in on a theme (though considering the D&D audience, this made sense). I’m also glad I dressed up because my seat ended up being chosen to come on-stage and perform one half of a two-headed wizard spirit that warned the heroes of the upcoming final battle with his begrudged apprentice. Always Full Send your outfits, no matter what– you’ll never know what will happen!

Going Out and Drinking Again

Of course, there are the evenings where I do know what will happen– mainly due to the fact that I like instigating nights out! And what makes these following nights special isn’t just because I decided to do them, but because these were some of my first few nights drinking after that gout flare-up a few months ago. Well, after the Cosmus Banquet, of course (which thankfully didn’t trigger anything). 

The main one was Ethan-coded, in that they were all about Jazz. One evening was a night out in the heart of Little Tokyo at the Japanese Cultural & Community Center, which, in collaboration with In Sheeps Clothing, hosted a vinyl listening party. The theme was “Afro-Mingei”- Japanese folk mixed with soul and jazz, and featured vintage selections from Ryo Fukui, Hiroshi Suzuki, Kimiko Kasai, and others. Despite being a new and voracious vinyl collector, I had never been to a listening party, so I was very keen to attend. 

It was a very cool night, both in terms of vibes and the weather– True Fall/Winter had arrived. The midcentury architecture and interior design of the JCCC were quite fitting to listen to 70s-80s jazz. The bar served delicious Japanese whiskey, which was quite a way for me to return to alcoholic libations after my forced interlude. And even though it was a bit cold, the center had opened up the back patio, which led into an intimate garden, where numerous guests could enjoy a break from the music and stroll while enjoying drinks and conversation.  Unfortunately, Afro-Mingei was their last show of the year, but you can bet your ass that I will be going to the next one, or at least ones like it! After all, I am a basic menswear asshole who enjoys an evening of vinyl jazz and a potent potable. 

My chosen attire was definitely midcentury in attitude, being intentionally on theme and certainly inspired by my recently started rewatch of Mad Men. I also wanted it to be a bit “darker/tonal” while also being decidedly Fall/Winter. And so, I went less Ivy-trad and more Ivy-mod; I guess French-Ivy was still on my mind after Jay’s Parisian Friendsgiving. This meant the use of semi-flared grey trousers, black heeled boots, and a thin-ish black satin tie (I’ve owned it since junior high). I debated on the use of a blazer (either navy or my DB red one) but opted for the Fall/Winter choice of a flecked three-button number. It’s 90s but also feels a bit 50s and even 30s, all depending on how you style it. Its use against the relatively slimmer trouser and black heeled boots helped make it quite mid to late 60s; I even opted to fasten the top two buttons to emphasize that mid-century attitude. But of course, I still had one decidedly Ivy choice, a chambray tab collar, which served to soften the “severe” look while also keeping things vintage and a tad dandy. I really loved it.

Jazz was also present at another night out, this time at Cafe Tondo. Tondo is the latest trendy place in LA, gaining fame on the internet for its dedication to regular programming: Chess on Tuesday, Bolero on Wednesday, and live Jazz on Sunday nights. It was the latter I’ve been most taken with as it can be tough to find something chill-yet-interesting to do on a Sunday evening. 

It used to be quite busy at the end of the week, but the hype has definitely died down, making it quite easy to wrangle up some friends together for a bottle of wine or Coke. While the inside is nice (and very midcentury, as a lot of trendy 2020s bars are), it’s best to sit outside, especially when the weather is cold; I find it invigorating! The four (or was it five?) glasses of wine also help. 

There isn’t exactly a “theme” dress for at Tondo, so I gave one for myself, opting for the “French cyclist” look that I enjoy when F/W is a bit mild. It’s always quite simple: open shirt, sweater vest, riding boots, a beret, and a short casual jacket. The aesthetic is quite specific, so I’m not surprised people said I looked like a “movie director”. Again, F/W is a fun excuse to be casual without simply wearing workwear or milsurp! 
I’m sure that I will be back at Tondo as well as Cafe Triste, Chinatown’s other preeminent and majority-outdoor wine bar. It’s just a great place to have friends easily drop in and out as their availability allows– as well as give you an opportunity, dare I say Occasion, to dress in dynamic Fall/Winter attire.  

Another fun place I’ve frequented in the past few weeks has been Spirit House, a quaint bar inside Sticky Rice (a local Thai chain) that sells, you guessed it, Asian-inspired cocktails. It is decidedly not al fresco, as it shares the restaurant seating until 10PM, but sometimes you just want to change it up (and not have an excuse to smoke cigs). It definitely helps that Spirit House, at least when I’ve been, has been on the quiet side, making it much more manageable than the “insides” of the other bars we frequent.

Funnily enough, the last time I was there, I was in a cool F/W outerwear fit, being another early outing for my kimono-parka. I guess that it loosely fits the vibe, with the infusion of Asian-esque elements with Western menswear being one of the points of Safincore. The bundled shawl/tunic layers were also a practical choice as I was outdoors at Tondo earlier that evening, not for jazz, but for a reception for the new oil paintings they had installed. That would be the only time I could see them, as I likely will never sit indoors at Tondo. But Sticky Rice? I like being inside and cozy. 

It’s really become a fun little haunt for my pals and me, getting up there with our favored bars like Capri Club/Walt’s, Lowboy, and of course, the infamous 4100 (though Prado, the wine bar next door, has a similar vibe). Our group’s mix of attire does make for a fun expression whenever we crowd into Spirit House’s intimate space: James in his corduroy suit and knit polo, Serhan in a rugby and blazer, Mel in a vintage faux-fur piece, and me, either in a kimono coat, Tyrolean hat, or beret. The latter is what I’m wearing when I go there tonight, right after I finish writing this blog post! 

I honestly didn’t mean for this to become a rundown of “bars Ethan has gone to”, but alas, here we are. I guess this is the closest thing we’ll have to “Ethan’s Guide to LA”. I’ll leave the real food and drink writing to more esteemed luminaries.

A Brief Jaunt In The Big Apple

It also wouldn’t be a year without a trip to NYC! And like last time, this one was extremely brief as I was in the Big A not for fun, but for work– specifically for my employer’s annual holiday party. This is the only physical office we have, and so its quite nice to have an excuse to bring everyone together for a day of work…and then celebrate for a year well done! 

One major difference from the last edition was that the weather was set to be much colder this time around. It was going to be in the low 30s for the two days I was present, with my trip just missing the snow and wind chill; people said it was 11°,F but it felt like 2°F. This was enough to give my little Angelino-self some pause, but after I consulted with a few friends, they said that a coat, tweed jacket, and sweater are fine, with a scarf to cover your neck or face if the wind picks up. That apprehension quickly turned into excitement— excitement to go Full/Send, and wear True Fall/Winter attire in a True Fall/Winter city. 

Don’t get me wrong, I did dress like myself last time, but it was more reserved: just a turtleneck baselayer with a sweater vest and then either a suit or a sportcoat/jeans to keep things simple. My outermost layer was also a trench since last December was more rainy than snowy. I was ecstatic to change it up. And so, I brought my big camel DB overcoat (not a true polo coat), a long green scarf, and my chunky Cathcart fair isle, all of which were worn over proper button-ups (blue stripe and a chambray tab collar) and ties (30s deco stripes). Returning from last year were a navy DB suit (this time the SuSu one), a flannel gun check, and a grey fair isle sweater vest, but of course, the new combinations with the shirt and tie just felt much more “Ethan”, at least in a full-send capacity. At this point, a majority of my coworkers are already aware that I like to dress up, so it just made sense to get fully kitted out instead of just wearing a turtleneck base layer (as chic as it is). What an Occasion!

It was fun to be dressed “like me” to work from the office and to the Holiday party afterward: navy suit, chambray tab collar, deco tie, and the grey fair isle sweater vest. The look hit everything I needed it to as the combo was professional, vintage, and festive! I even got to have it “immortalized” during our employee headshots, as well as during the countless photos during the dinner and a truly epic karaoke session later in the night. Of course, the rest of my colleagues were quite chic as well; apparently, the office has great personal style!

While I did my best to pack in as much as I could during my free time, I was more reserved this time around. As you may have noticed in this blog post, as well as the one about Going Private, I’ve been trying to focus more on existing friendships and more intimate gatherings instead of large parties. After all, that type of busy, networking-ish energy would be spent at my company’s holiday party. And so I kept my non-work hangs much more lowkey!

That meant getting to see my dear friend, the Great Gazizi, at JG Melon the evening of my arrival. Donning a huge tweed coat, chic black rollneck, and a chic Armani jacket, Gianni gracefully got us a stool at the bar during peak hours, where I immediately downed two Negronis and took in all the cool decor while catching up with him and how acting was going! It was a lovely time and honestly, quite a needed contrast from what I typically get up to when I’m in the city. Once Gianni left, I was immediately joined by my pal Doug, who had just moved to NYC from LA. Burgers were then consumed, during which we discussed the differences between Angelinos and New Yorkers as well as how he’s been dealing with the cold (he stays home).  

I did get a bit of menswear-ing that same night, as I had a moment post-JG Melon to stop by the afters of the Blamo! Holiday Party. The shindig had already pared down to a few familiar (and certainly stylish) faces, all of whom I’d consider to be mover-and-shakers in the Menswear Scene. From what I can remember, this was the first time I’ve been able to meet Jeremy Kirkland face-to-face;  I made sure to thank him for letting me crash the tail end of his evening! He was incredibly jovial, and we chatted a bit about the podcasting world.

And speaking of podcasts, I had a moment to catch up with Yung Chomsky! I only had enough time for lunch and a stroll, as my flight was that afternoon, so we had a bite at Fanelli’s in Soho. He got to tell me all about how he’s become quite the shutterbug, snapping as much as he can on the streets of various New York neighborhoods.  As you know, photography is one of my greatest passions, one that has certainly become more prescient in my “output” as I move away from singularly posting about menswear. My slide into black-and-white over color has also been a big part of that, similar to early photography conversations regarding commercialization; we later followed this up with a discussion on how cinematic and “artistic” landscape is over social media-optimized portrait.  On that note, YC and I both lamented the state of “photography content” on social media, which seems to be much more about videos about photography (or being a photographer) rather than posting your actual work. Neither of us needs to have eyeballs on our stuff, though we both admitted that having some semblance of engagement is nice. Oh well, we’re still gonna keep posting our snaps!

As much as NYC is about menswear (and it’s certainly how many of these friends and I became acquainted), I just like when you can just hang out without some sort of brand or event being the impetus. Sometimes, just getting to vent about life or rant about social media, while wearing a cool outfit, of course, is all you need! I can certainly do that in LA (as you can see, it’s mainly what I do when I hang out), but it’s nice to have a change of scenery— and weather.

Jay’s Texas Auction Themed Friendsmas

Lastly, we have Jay’s Friendsmas party. Like Friendsgiving before it, this is one of his fun annual traditions that I look forward to every year– even if I haven’t really covered it very much. I do dress up for it (it is a Fall/Winter Occasion, after all), but it’s a more casual affair, both in dress code and vibe, which is an intentional move on Jay’s part to take the pressure off of the attendees and ultimately contrast it from his dinner party approach to Friendsgiving. Of course, it also helps that the main focus of the wholesome evening is the chaotic gift Yankee Swap gift exchange, which has only gotten crazier and crazier every year. 

In previous editions, the Gift Exchange functioned more like a White Elephant, where absurd gifts were the name of the game. With a large portion of us being silly, improv-obsessed nerds, the unwrapped gifts were all quite wild and made for a hilarious evening. But as we’ve gotten older and the attendees have expanded to include more friends and work colleagues, Jay (and the rest of us) have decided to “class” up the Yankee Swap and asked people to make their gifts intentional and ultimately good. No more “fool’s gold and an Austin Powers driver’s license where for ‘sex’, it said ‘yeah, baby!’”. A minimum price was also instituted. 

Obviously, everyone got into the Spirit, and so, in recent Friendsmases, people have unwrapped board games, small air fryers, Criterion Steelbooks, Lego sets (one was Slave I from Star Wars), spirts & liqueurs, Korean skincare products, and, in the case of last year, an Apple Watch (someone got it as a bonus and included it to stir the pot). This year, we upped the minimum, ensuring the madness of the Swap would escalate further. Oh, and Jay added a new rule: instead of items being locked after three steals, it would be a person can only be stolen from three times, adding a bit more to the chaos. 

To go with the latest and craziest edition of Yankee Swap, Jay also instituted a theme: Dress like a Cowboy. He actually decided on this when we were cleaning up after the “Parisian Cafe” Friendsgiving. We all told him that we loved the theme, and since everyone got into the spirit of it (thanks to it being a soft “costume” instead of a dress code), he thought it would be great to do something similar at Friendsmas. Going Cowboy, or at least Western, also just made sense for Yankee Swap– or even made it better. Think a big ‘ol Texan Auction.

It was really fun seeing people interpret Jay’s theme. Most people were in their plaid shirts, Levi’s sawtooths, and thrifted 70s western shirts, which often had some fun piping on the yokes. Bandanas and denim jackets certainly abound. Some guests went a bit more “Cowboy Carter” and “Orville Peck”, which certainly added flash to the Americana vibe. And then some went full send, like Silvia with her brown leather skirt and Prada bolo tie, or Grace, who held her newborn while wearing a novelty knit vest. Jay wore his Stetson Cattleman while wearing my old 30s Levi’s red wool workshirt, which was both festive and certainly on theme. Spencer simply looked like himself (still good) and wore his Stetson Stratoliner with a Type 2 jacket and his LVC jeans. 

I was a little taken aback by the theme, mainly because I was originally going to be preppy for Friendsmas. Think green pants, plaid shirt, bow tie, and a blazer; perhaps I’ve had my mutual Dr. Woods, who crushes festive preppy attire,  on my mind! I could have said “fuck it,” and done it anyway, but no— I am someone who likes to participate and be on-theme, even if I’m a bolder-than-most dresser. 

After discussing the predicament with JTR, a member of the SaD Discord, I decided to do a “classy” take on Western Christmas. And so the plaid shirt remained, despite being “trad” (or rather, semi-sports) point collar,  but I challenged myself to style it western. And so instead of a bowtie, I wore my dark Kapital bandana, tied against the fastened collar and not my open chest, making it function a bit like a pseudo-necktie. Black straight leg jeans (this ain’t the 70s) and cowboy boots were a must to keep things “formal”, at least compared to “rugged” blue jeans, which left the jacket to be decided. A blazer was too preppy and a plain navy suit jacket too boring; instead, I wore my tuxedo jacket, which ended up working amazingly. The black cloth, satin lapels, and double-breasted closure actually felt right here, as they feel a bit late 1800s (which is always a bit Western-coded anyway). The final touch was not a cowboy hat (too easy), but the novelty raccoon hat that I picked up during my trip to Alaska earlier this year. The final outfit might be a bit more Frontier or Pacific Northwest, but I still thought it fit the theme!

I don’t want to say it was because of my cool fit, but when the Swap was finished, I walked out with an Apple Watch. There were actually two mixed in there, provided anonymously, all to keep the exchange intense. However, as expected, there was a lot of other great stuff this year! I put a Studio Ghibli art book, while others brought a bidet, a Miffy wall clock, an oil painting set (with canvases), a Nausicaa box set, and a Nutribullet, to name a few. Makes me really wonder how next year will top this one!

I guess I could say the same about this blog. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been doing this absurd blog for ten years! As I said in my piece about Going Private, I’ll likely never stop writing. I just love to introspect on what I’ve done and distill it into this format. Who knows how being private will change or what topics I’ll cover in 2026, but I’m excited for this next phase. It’s okay if the readership falters more than it already has, and I fade into obscurity; this will always be here to show that you can always have fun with menswear, wearing cool fits while doing the things that happen in a relatively normal, if not silly, life.

This entry also shows that even after countless, self-indulgent essays dissecting expression and taste, as well as lamenting on what on Earth I can even cover next, I still can’t seem to shut the fuck up. 

Happy Holidays and Merry New Year, my darlings!

– end of blog post – 

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget that you can support me (or the podcast) on Patreon to get some extra content and access to our exclusive Discord.

Always a pleasure,

Ethan 

Big thank you to our top-tier Patrons (the SaDCast Fanatics), Philip, Shane, Henrik, and Mason.