This is a recap-ish of the latest podcast episode. You can listen to the episode below before or after you read. That’s because I tend to expand on topics from the pod as well as straight-up write about things that we did not discuss. The choice is yours in how you want to proceed!

• 0:00 – Dressing for the Derby at Santa Anita Racetrack
• 20:40 – Wedding Stuff
• 28:16 Esquire’s Big Black Book
• 1:02:20 Nerf and Ren Faire

[If you want to read about our coverage of Esquire’s Big Black Book, go HERE.]

Man, I really dislike Influencers. I’m trying my best to be less snarky and pessimistic (especially because I’ve had this sentiment for years), but sometimes they just do things that really feel hypocritical, or at the very least, antithetical to their overall message.  

I’ve already talked about this on a previous pod, but I found it a bit icky when I saw a menswear influencer sell off a garment that they wore in a relatively recent shoot. It was listed as barely being worn; the pockets weren’t even opened. This not only feels at odds with the classic menswear’s general theme of slower or more intentional consumption, but simply reinforces the fact that Influencers are nothing more than glorified billboards or mannequins. It’s one thing to be a model for hire, but it starts to be something else when you write copy about “timeless style” and imply that what you’re wearing is a part of your wardrobe, only for you to profit from it yet again by selling it off. At least donate the thing!

Social media is fake, and being an Influencer is just another job, but that’s just not how I engage with menswear. It’s already apparent that I have an issue with the internet and always prefer to be earnest. In other words, everything that appears on this blog/IG/TikTok is something that I intend to wear for as long as possible. This goes for things that I buy myself as well as the rare times when I accept a gift; it all has to be something that I know I will wear and canonize into Ethan Style. 

When I posted about this on TikTok, a mutual said that he prefers to view it all as “fostering” clothes, as in you take good care of clothes temporarily before passing them on to a new owner. That is quite an endearing perspective, but I couldn’t disagree more. My closet is a garment’s forever home, or at least that’s what I strive to do. There’s a reason why I’m so picky when it comes to buying things— and why it kills me to let things go. I just love my clothes. 

Anyway, I thought this was a sufficient preamble for me to recap three Occasions that not only inspired creativity (to the point where it almost feels like an encouraged dress code), but also provided me with a way to get even more use out of my clothes, especially the ones that most people would consider to have limited function. I never waste my clothes!

The Horse Races

Let’s start with a new Occasion!

The famous Santa Anita Park racetrack is only a few miles from where I grew up and went to high school, but I’ve always thought of it as “that place across from the mall”. The only times I’ve actually stepped foot on Park grounds were for a church friend’s debut (an 18th birthday party celebrated by Filipinos, similar to a quinceañera) and the 626 Night Market, an Asian street food-inspired food fair. But despite the local vintage communities doing Derby Days, I’ve never actually spent a Day at the Races…until now.  

My pal Gator (of Gator’s Vintage) recently completed another year around the sun and randomly texted, “Hey, do you want to go to the racetrack on Friday?” I surprisingly had Good Friday off from work (I can’t recall if that happened at previous jobs) and was incredibly down. It would be my chance to take in the Art Deco glory of the grandstands as well as dress for an Occasion that I’ve only seen in movies and illustrations. It felt like I was crossing something off my “vintage” bucket list! And you just know I had the fit to dress up properly, all from things I already own.

Even though this was just a regular Friday with normal races and not an actual Derby day, I had to go all out. I mean, come on, it would be my first time actually sitting in the grandstands and watching a race! (I don’t think I’ve ever watched any race before). The outfit was obvious; I just had to wear a white suit, white bucks, and, of course, my trusty Optimo-style Panama hat, which I bought during a family trip to the Philippines back in 2012 and is most certainly warped with a handful of cracks at this point (I thought a boater would be too much). Underneath was a simple pairing of a blue/grey striped point collar (honestly, my favorite) and a green/red “Wembley Nor-east Non-crush tie”, whose mix of wool, silk, and mohair makes it very wrinkle-resistant and a bit dusty/faded. It certainly looks and feels like a Palm Beach, but is much less prized. The combo felt very “day at the races in 1938”, which again, is something I’ve always wanted to do!

The outfit certainly made the experience that much better, though the afternoon was already quite fun. Gator had even reserved a small box for his little group, where we all piled in with our sandwiches, iced teas, and cold beers. They were dressed equestrian as well, by the way of West: cowboy boots and workwear hats, worn with various elements of casual Americana (leather jackets, workpants/shirts, jeans). Gator joined me with a bit o’ tailoring, wearing a heavily distressed (and repaired) 3-roll-2 jacket from the 1920s; the black and red multistripes went well with his black polo, western chinos, and heeled boots. It was quite a stylish box, though I definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. I either looked like I had missed the Easter celebration by two days or like I had stepped out of a time machine and was trying to take advantage of a Sports Almanac to make my fortune.

On that note, sitting at the box provided us a great view of the entire race track along with a TV monitor so we could follow the stats– and the size of the betting pools. Some of us couldn’t help but join in on the fun, so we spread a few simoleans on our favored horses, chosen simply because we liked the name. I ended up walking out with $16 thanks to Fausto taking second place …after spending $30 total. It could have been worse!

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Friday afternoon, celebrating a pal’s birthday: bleeding cash while wearing my beloved white (cream, whatever) suit and straw hat, with my losing tickets affixed to the ribbon. Maybe I’ll come back and bring the rest of the guys— and try not to lose even more money.

Nerfin’ Around

For how much fun I have doing it, it’s crazy that I’ve really only played Nerf once a year. It’s not that I’m unopposed to it, but it’s largely because the small-ish shindig is run by friend Jason, who often attends Nerf events, which are often bigger (40+ people) and involve higher-powered blasters (300FPS). This local one is Jason’s baby and is centered more for his regular friends, which is why it makes sense for him to only run it a few times a year. 

Again, I’m down for this sort of thing (I don’t really need to mod, just yet) because it’s familiar and fun and, quite obviously, because it lets me wear some truly fantastic outfits that I don’t get to in my regular day. It’s not that I can’t wear something LARP-y or Star Wars-ian, but that I like that this is the dedicated Occasion for such attire. It just sucks that I only have one time a year to play with my dart blasters (the piston pump is truly a game changer) and my Nerf war fits. Repeated Occasions help menswear guys refine “specialized” outfits, or at least get them to do variations on a theme; it’s kinda hard to do that when the event is quite seldom. At this point, I’ve worn black tie exponentially more often than a Nerf fit (largely thanks to $30 tickets for the Phil). 

That’s why I was ecstatic when Jason told me that he was doing another one at the end of March. So soon! My body was ready– and so were my friends. Not only was my girlfriend down to come (she enjoyed attending the previous one), but two friends were also interested in joining Joseph and me on the day (James wasn’t available). We each brandished our own X-shots (not an ad, but they’re way better than any stock Nerf brand blaster) and spent the day blasting each other with foam darts. Like always, we took it “seriously”, treating it less like a sport and more like a milsim operation: we were stacked up in tactical stance, tapping shoulders to indicate we were ready to move and clear corners. 

None of that was necessary, but it goes a long way to make the games incredibly fun. The fact that we were dressed up certainly adds to it! Joseph yet again went for the 80s CIA operator look, wearing a black polo, jeans, and a simple utility belt to house his banana mags. Bristol wore a black tank top and her matching navy camo bucket and cargo pants. I love that the friends who get kitted for the Ren Faire (which I’ll get to in a moment) also bring the same energy to play Nerf.

That brings me to my own attire, which honestly might even beat out the epic fit I wore last time.  The previous look was very WWII resistance meets Star Wars, which I certainly enjoyed, and so I wanted to do something in a similar vein while still being different. It’s a similar approach to how I get dressed on a normal day. 

The outfit I put together was something that sent up the look of 30s pulp movies and comics. Think Buck Rogers, the Rocketeer, or Bucky Barnes. This was largely due to my use of the bib shirt, whose decorated and layered front was indeed leveraged by those heroes. Bib shirts tend to give off more of a western vibe (especially when worn with a bandana, which I tend to do), but once you swap the jeans and cowboy boots for riding boots (with pleated trousers tucked into them), it sends up more of that adventuring feel. I really am getting my money’s worth out of this thing! 

While my cape made its return (versatility!) and added to the superhero attitude, I tried out a few new styling moves in service of this new yet total Ethan vibe. One was to eschew my trusty chest rig in favor of a utility belt (which I owned already) to hold my mags; doing so let me show off my shirt more and simply felt more in line with what a comic book protagonist would wear. The other was donning gauntlet gloves, purchased originally for the upcoming Ren Faire but worn here to great effect in really selling that 30s pulp vibe. It also gave me a way to break them in ahead of time. Gloves are indeed worn during nerf, but like the boots the guys wear, they tend to lean more on the practical, tech/gorp/athletic side; the gauntlets were plenty useful in shielding my hands from the hard/hot asphalt, while still looking cool as hell.

Overall, the look is indeed quite dandy, but I loved it. This was my way of being a bit more “vintage” in my Nerf attire, while still being in the vein of the sport. The pulp action hero is one that I’ve always wanted to do and had ideas for, so I’m grateful that Nerf provided me the opportunity (Occasion) not just to put it on, but to shoot a blaster while wearing it.  I also just felt a bit more sporty and nimble, which came in handy when we did our pistols-only round. The feeling of combining the bib shirt, gauntlet glove, and Outlaw (my new revolver) is quite unmatched.

Again, it seems that my approach to Nerf fits follows my method for how I get dressed normally, doing variations on vintage-styled tailoring looks, with certain combos being more in service of particular Occasions. This is just my version of wearing Safincore to something artsy, Ivy-trad for jazz, or Apparel Arts to read at a cafe. 

At this point, I feel like I’ve really unlocked the “Nerf rig”.  Whatever fit I wear will strive to utilize riding boots (I like that I can wear them outside of something trad/Apparel Arts) and will tend to exude some sort of militaristic vibe, but in a way that leans more toward fantasy/sci-fi rather than milsim; my cape definitely helps here. The goal is to be silly but also play a vibe straight, as well as wear something that I couldn’t wear anywhere else. Or, to put it better, this is the Occasion where such outfit rigs just make sense. 

Apparently, Jason is going to host another Nerf day in April, so I guess I’ve gotta start planning the next one! 

The 2026 Renaissance Pleasure Faire

Speaking of wearing an outfit that you’ve always dreamed of to an Occasion that really lets you use it, it’s time to recap the Renaissance Pleasure Faire!

If you’ve kept up with my blog in recent years, you’ll know that the Ren Faire is a relatively new tradition for my friends and me. I like to think of it in the same vein as Dapper Day, the Phil, and now, Nerf; it’s something that invites you to go Full Send and become immersed in the Occasion. To be clear, I’ve always had a penchant for such vibes, as well as for cosplay, LARP, and general fantasy fare, but it took a couple of new friends to finally attend– and dress up– appropriately. In fact, the number of friends who enjoy the fantasy mood has increased exponentially, which is why we’ve made it a point to go to any-and-all Ren Faire-type things, as well as go to one particular pirate evening and even host a huge wizard-school party.

Of course, nothing beats the actual Ren Faire, and this particular day was something my friends and I had been anticipating for months. It’s different than a bar or a house party, simply because it’s open to anyone and everyone, bringing like-minded (and like-dressed) people together for a full day of whimsy and debauchery, depending on what you do within the Faire’s walls. Again, the number of interested pals was bigger than before, with all of us ready to put together our best fantasy fits and get a bit sloshed as we eat pickles, bet on turtles, and watch a knight get his throat slit by his rival during the joust. The release of The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (my first foray into the Westeros world, mind you) certainly had us amped. 

What’s funny is that our chosen day was pirate-themed; during the Faire’s two-month run, it has a few themed weekends, which adds a fun spin to the shindig’s already pointed attitude. Some friends cobbled together their fits with this in mind, adding in bandanas, tricorns, and other marine accoutrements to be on theme.  Others stayed true to their own styles, honing their take on the traditional fantasy/adventurer/olde European look: Arthur brought back his indigo blanket-turned-scarf and engineer boots, Serhan sewed a jester top to go with a vintage hat we found at the local flea, and Joseph dived further into his personal style by donning a great kilt. Of course, there was Spencer, who was simply dressed like himself– I’m just glad he was able to come and join in on the festivities!

Much to my friends’ chagrin, I opted for the adventurer look, as my vision for pirate attire is quite ornate and would have required more pieces that I wouldn’t get much additional wear out of (like a frock coat or a tricorn/bicorn). You guys should know that everything I own has to be able to be worn outside of a costume purview. Plus, I already had a look in mind, something that I’ve been wanting to wear ever since I thought of it a year ago. Well, I probably have always wanted to do this look (or something very similar), but it was only now that I finally had all the pieces needed to actually do it.

I’ve always wanted to look like a badass fantasy adventurer, and I think I’ve finally got it.

A big part of this was that I wore all black– or at least mostly black. After all, most of my artsy, costume-adjacent pieces are already black, but wearing the color makes you inherently chic and cool– adding a nuanced expression to a whimsical day (without simply leaning on wearing armor or a bunch of leather). Of course, I’ve worn black on previous official Ren Faire days, but those tended to lean a bit slouchy and not quite “there”, being more Jedi or Safincore than fantasy adventurer. This time was decidedly different. I wanted to be buttoned up, a bit dark and austere, and firmly ready for a Quest (to drink). 

My trust riding boots and black breeches (purchased after last year’s official Ren Faire) provide an important part in creating the desired vibe, both in terms of the overall aesthetic as well as just making coherent practicality; in other words, black riding pants not only sell the vibe, but simply look better than any pants tucked into tall boots. However, the important piece here was the frogged shirt from Bryceland’s, a unique shirt that I’ve worn a lot, surprisingly, after receiving it as a gift. Its modest standing collar and dandy closure-style exude an elegant, antiquarian attitude that works for so many vibes: artsy/avant-garde, pseudo-religious (someone once called me a priest when I wore it in public), futuristic, and obviously Renaissance/Fantasy. The shirt is meant to be worn as a chore coat or shirt-jacket, but to me it just looks like a tunic.  I had always imagined wearing it cinched with an external belt or sash to fully sell the adventurer attitude, and now I was finally able to do it.  As you can see, the effect is quite good.

Of course, the final touch was my brown linen “Assassin cloak” from Fell & Faire, which, like my black riding pants, was acquired after the Ren Faire proper. Despite its overt LARP connotations, I’ve worn it often, not just to Ren Faire-adjacent events (like the Twenty-sided Tavern live show) but now to two Nerf wars. I’ve been waiting to wear over something trussed up and belted, as previous fits have been a bit more dandy and layered, like the combo of a poet shirt and kimono. Donning the cape over my all-black ensemble really made for that severe effect, which was emphasized with my black belt (holding the wooden sword I bought when I went to my first Ren Faire as a tween) and, of course, my black gauntlet gloves, which honestly did a lot to up the vibe on this outfit. I felt so incredibly cool. 

Looking back, this combination of black and brown (a go-to palette for me in both casual and tailored attire) is quite reminiscent of the 30s pulp-style fit I wore to play Nerf a few weeks earlier, just a bit older and more decidedly fantasy-forward. There’s something there about Ethan Style and variations on a theme. My outfit is also similar to what Luke Skywalker wears in ROTJ, as well as Count Dooku’s signature look, as both of them wears a brown cape over a black tunic. Perhaps the illustrious leader of the Separatists was in the back of my mind when I came up with the idea for this look.

Yes, I could have indeed worn this particular rig to previous events, but this outfit idea was so special to me that I decided to hold back to save it for the actual Ren Faire. It was just that good, at least to me. As of now, this fit is peak Ren Faire.

It’s not surprising that this Ren Faire was the best one yet. Much like the Nerf event before it, participating in the day’s festivities just hits different when you get to wear an outfit that you’re proud of. Clothes make the man, and the man I wanted to be was a badass adventurer who gets to let loose with his fantasy friends!

It goes without saying how important that last point is. Friends are the best part of any day! And as you can see, this was our biggest turnout yet, with almost everyone being dressed up, either as a pirate or for the general Renaissance/Medieval/Adventurer theme. I’m certainly lucky that I have pals who are always down to go Full Send on whimsy. Honestly, it’s not that different from how we all show up to hang at a bar, fully kitted out in a fit that feels like us. Of course, doing that at the Ren Faire of all places is the epitome of that attitude; drinking in a kilt and shooting arrows while wearing a cape and tall boots is an unmatched vibe, especially when everyone around you is on the same wavelength— friends and strangers included! 

The best part came right at the beginning, when ten of us undertook our own Trial of Seven Five and duked it out at the Sword Master’s challenge. Initially, we were going to do it as an elimination 1v1 tournament, but changed our minds when we realized how long that would take…and when the vendors simply said, “You know, we can take up to 15 of you lot”. What followed was an epic battle, where friends fought alongside and against each other (Spencer and I were on opposite teams), lopping off limbs in a bout for survival and glory. Everyone took it seriously, which, along with our thematic attire, just made the entire thing feel immersive and cinematic. Just look at the photos that Spencer’s girlfriend was able to take with my camera! 

In the last game, all of the weapons were placed on one end of the ring, creating a mad dash (more like a slide for some of us) to get something so that we wouldn’t be empty-handed. After the initial lambs were slaughtered, two of the vendors jumped into the ring, creating a truly epic finale. I won only because the two others stabbed each other at the same time. My only injuries were a bruised knee (from the aforementioned slide) and a handful of sweetgum balls in my hair. 

Unfortunately, we did have one true casualty:  my Rick Owens “drkshdw” tote bag, given to me almost a decade ago by a pal who wanted to be responsible for what would have likely been the only Rick piece I owned. It was my go-to casual tote (when not using my leather ones for my laptop), and it held my water bottle (full of fun stickers) and a portable battery/charger. It seems that it was misplaced during the fighting and didn’t turn up all day, even after multiple requests to the surrounding vendors or Guest Services. Farewell, old friend. 

Losing the tote bag (and water bottle) didn’t help the fact that I am now stricken with the post-Ren Faire sadness. My friends and I have plenty of themed Occasions coming up (May 4th, anyone?), but nothing will beat the immersive indulgence that is the Ren Faire. As of now, I don’t have any fantasy or LARP forward happenings to help me refine my Ren Faire rig, though again, this past outfit may have been the peak. Maybe that means I’ll just outfit repeat…or get a bit more nuanced! There’s something there in how I’ve come to explore different facets of classic/vintage menswear after I’ve refined my Apparel Arts/default-self, all by leveraging my existing wardrobe and with limited purchases. Perhaps I’ll actually delve into the sub-themes next year (and buy a bi or tricorn) or actually incorporate armour. 

I guess at this point, the LARP/Ren Faire fits are just like any other aspect of menswear. It’s about finding your desired expression, refining a rig, and just finding any Occasion to wear the outfits you’ve created in your head. This may be fantasy, but it’s up to us to make it real! 

It also feels good to know that my wardrobe really can do anything I want it to: losing money on horses, blasting pals with foam 

– end of blog post – 

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The Podcast is produced by MJ.

Always a pleasure,

Ethan 

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