Trav: As summer rolls into full swing it is only befitting that we share some of our many favorite items appropriate  for this scorching season. Dressing for summer can be a tricky task as it is sometimes difficult to find a clean, casual look while staying comfortable. The summer heat has the power to hit the pause button of one’s sartorial prowess and start the “I couldn’t care less” look. I’m sure we all get that feeling sometimes. The best way to beat this situation is to stick with the basics, two of which are the oxford shirt and the chino pant. 

The oxford shirt serves as a nice median between formal and casual. Its the perfect shirt to roll up and wear casually during the summer. The shirt gets its name from the type of fabric used to make it; Oxford cloth was originated in Great Britain during the 19th century. The greatest thing about these shirts is that they are completely season-proof; no matter the weather, they serve a great deal of function. You can use them to layer with in the Fall/Winter and in the Spring/Summer wear them as freely as your heart desires.

I love denim, but as the weather once again takes a turn, I’ve found myself putting the denim aside and more frequently wearing the chino. Chino pants first gained popularity in the U.S after the Spanish-American War when soldiers brought back their cotton trousers. These Chino pants were first made in China, hence the name Chino, a Spanish word which translates to Chinese. I like these form of trousers because, like the oxford shirt, they are the perfect mid-ground between laid-back and dressy. Not to mention they definitely keep you cooler than the traditional raw denim jeans.

Fit Details: Travis –  Rugby University Oxford shirt, Uniqlo Chinos, Tanner Goods belt, Billykirk bag, TOMS shoes

Fit Details : Joshua –  Uniqlo Oxford , Braided Belt , J.Crew Urban Slim fit chinos , Clarks Desert Boot Oakwood

Recommendations – Chinos – Rugby RL Vintage Chino - J.Crew Sun faded  Stanton Pant

Oxfords – GAP Oxford Shirt - J.Crew Pinpoint Oxford – Rugby RL Solid University Oxford – BR Chinos

Trav: It’s always interesting to see a brand revamp itself and go in an entirely new direction. Banana Republic, once a brand dedicated entirely toward safari clothing, is now one of the top go-to brands for the urban professional.

Given its status as a somewhat classy clothing line, I often wondered why the company chose a name for the brand that is also used to describe unstable Third World countries dependent on agriculture. My curiosity, however, was never quite severe enough to push me to seek an answer. It was one of those frivolous questions that we sometimes ponder with no intention of taking it any further. It’s quite obvious now that it was meant to be a witty name used to describe this adventurous safari line.

Founded in 1978 by husband and wife Mel and Patricia Ziegler, Banana Republic got its start as a catalog company selling vintage military surplus items from around the world. They later made the leap to a full-fledged clothing line that was widely popularized by their quirky, fascinating catalogs. GAP bought the brand in 1983 and slowly transitioned it into the Banana Republic we know today.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on this vintage BR jacket. It’s essentially a jacket with removable sleeves. The abundance of pockets means there seems to be a place for every little item I tend to carry around. What I like most is how light-weight it is. I can easily get away with wearing this jacket on a hot day. In fact, it looks a lot like a photographer’s vest with the sleeves removed. I also came across another cool jacket that I’ll be sure to incorporate in an upcoming post.

Fit details: BR jacket and shirt. Topman pants. Polo loafers.

I mentioned that Banana Republic became widely known due to their creative catalogs. In 1986, they took that a step further when they released Banana Republic Guide To Travel & Safari Clothing. This book is fundamentally similar to the catalogs but on a larger scale. It catalogs virtually every piece of safari/military clothing with nice visuals and some insightful text that covers the history/origin of these pieces. This book is sure to hold your interest, as it explains everything with a fun, adventurous writing style.

JKISSI : A dream for anyone that is a little more “enthusiastic than usual” about style or fashion would be to have their own branded product. While everyone here was stateside experiencing the brutal the winter, I was able to take a trip out to the Dominican Republic along with six influential bloggers to work on a unique opportunity called the Nexus Project.  Personally unaware of the amount of strenuous work that goes into designing and selecting certain leathers, it was an experience of a lifetime to happen upon. As the  youngest of the collective (twenty-something), one aspect I focused on was embracing the experience as a whole, knowing that this project was going to open doors for other young influential individuals to do similar things.

Although sometimes looked down upon, blogging plays a major role in today’s social media landscape by allowing people to provide their own unique point of view, a far cry from traditional media. I’m still perplexed in this particular experience and how we were allowed to do such a project with free reign over the whole process.

We at Street Etiquette would like to sincerely thank everyone at Sebago and Ronnie Fieg for making this project possible.

The Nexus Project

http://www.Jakedavisfilms.com

http://www.marcustroy.com

http://www.williamyan.com

http://www.Cultureshoq.com

http://www.Ronniefieg.com

SEBAGO^® COLLABORATES WITH RONNIE FIEG TO INTRODUCE “THE NEXUS PROJECT”

Power Bloggers and Ronnie Fieg Work with Sebago to Design a Series of Custom Docksides, Lighthouse and other Nexus Styles

ROCKFORD, Mich. (June 2010) — Over a span of months and a collaborative spirit, David Z’s Ronnie Fieg along with a select group of power bloggers, teamed with Sebago to design a series of ten custom Sebago shoes to form “The Nexus Project”.  Fieg and some of the most influential bloggers including Marcus Troy, Jake Davis, Greg Weinstein of Culture Shoq, William Yan, and Joshua Kissi of Street Etiquette experienced a complete immersion at Sebago’s Dominican Republic Facility to create this ultimate collaborative Sebago collection.  Designs include individual takes on the Docksides, Lighthouse boot as well as other exclusive Nexus styles.

“Ronnie has a well-known history of putting together great collaborations,” said Gary Malamet, Sebago’s general manager.  “We’ve worked with him many times in the past with success.  When he came to us with this project, we knew we had a chance to develop something completely fresh. In this day of collaborations, and the unstoppable power of blogs, we felt the combination of the two was unprecedented”.

Sebago worked with the bloggers and Fieg and took them to the manufacturing plant in the Dominican Republic, bringing in representatives of some of the world’s best tanneries and various suppliers to pore through leathers, colors, finish details and more to select materials for each custom shoe.  Each participant in turn went through the process of creating their shoe by hand with the team of master craftsmen at Sebago.  Processes included soaking and heating the leathers and finally stitching the shoes together – a seven hour project for each shoe.

Throughout the summer of 2010, a limited run of 48 pairs will be created of each Nexus style.  The shoes will be available exclusively at David Z’s flagship store in New York as well as davidz.com. Bloggers will each bring their own angle and story to their blogs to communicate the Nexus Project. The entire collaboration was filmed by Jake Davis on location in the Dominican Republic. Each blogger will have their own trailer that can be seen on their respective websites. Please make sure to check out each bloggers trailer throughout the release of this project”

Stay tuned for our pair.