808s and Blog Breaks

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The Waistband’s Stretch Will Be Tested

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but John Elliott snapped. The man who has been making the best sweats in the game for a minute now went turbo this week when he released a navy hoodie and sweatpants constructed from Japanese corduroy. This is my second straight post mentioning corduroy, and that’s because it’s the ultimate fall/winter fabric. I sent the links to these to a homie and his response was, “oh c’mon now,” which pretty much nails it. I bought a pair of corduroy pants from the JE FW ‘18 collection, and the quality is amazing. Just look at the closeup pic on the site. The pants have a tapered fit and the hoodie features drawstrings to keep the wind out and make taking a nap while wearing it easier. These dropped at the perfect time, giving us a few weeks to save up some bread to cop before Thanksgiving.

On his site, John styled these worn separately, but I would wear this as a corduroy sweatsuit. I’d rock ‘em together on my drive home for Thanksgiving (they would be great for flying if that’s how you’re traveling). I’d also wear them Thanksgiving morning while I pretend to be busy, so I don’t have to help clean/set up before my family arrives. Then, I would change back into them after my family leaves and fall asleep watching the late NFL game, cozy as hell. I would put them on Black Friday morning so I can shop online for more clothes and eat leftovers in comfort. The waistband’s stretch will be tested, as I plan to eat a piece of each kind of pie my mom makes this year. Maybe I'll wear this sweatsuit every day until Christmas. Who gon stop me?

Cop up to stay cozy through the winter. A helpful tip, if you want to wait, JE usually has a Black Friday discount code, which would help lessen the damage on the bank account.

https://www.johnelliott.com/products/corduroy-beach-hoodie-navy

https://www.johnelliott.com/products/corduroy-sweatpants-navy

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Confused for a Construction Worker

The temperature is starting to dip, which means it’s time to reach for those fall and winter fabrics that have been in the back of your closet or in storage for the past few months. I’m talking about corduroy, flannel, and wool, among others. If you need some new garms in these fabrics, Carhartt Work in Progress has you covered. They recently dropped some fire pieces in these fabrics, and called the release “Fall Textures.” There’s a loose fit, double chest pocket flannel that comes in three great fall color combos. They describe it using the phrases “yarn dyed” and “garment washed,” which make me want to cop all three colors. There’s also a dope wool zip-up (over?)shirt that would look good worn over a hoodie. For corduroy, they made pants in both slim and relaxed cuts that come in a variety of colors, a fire shirt jacket that is also garment washed, and a chore coat. The chore coat is probably my favorite piece from the whole collection. I still haven’t added a chore coat to my repertoire, which needs to change ASAP, and this may be the one. It comes in two colors, black and wall, which are both nice. I prefer the black one, because that’s how I’m going to feel once fall is over and the winter weather sets in for good. The twill pockets and collar add the perfect amount of contrast to the corduroy base. You’ll catch me wearing this while I walk my dog past a construction site and try to not get confused for one of the workers.

Carhartt WIP also released a collection called “Organic Cotton Work Classics.” They took some classic Carhartt garms and made them with organic cotton canvas, as the name implies. The pieces are constructed with 12 oz. cotton, which reduces the environmental impact, I guess. I’m not exactly sure how that works, but saving the environment is dope. Again, there’s a chore coat (maybe this is the one) and a relaxed straight fit pant, two of Carhartt’s most iconic pieces. There are also versions of their Active and Detroit jackets. These pieces come in four (aged canvas) colors. You can’t go wrong with the brown or black, and the “duck blue” and “dusty fuchsia” are nice options if you want to mix it up and add a pop of color to your winter fits. The aged canvas comes pre-faded, so I may really get confused for a construction worker wearing these. The fading gives the pieces that vintage look that people want when they buy used Carhartt, but this way someone hasn’t been hard laboring and sweating in them for years.

Head to https://us.carhartt-wip.com to cop up.

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Fleece Season

Aimé Leon Dore and John Elliott, two brands that consistently put out great garments, dropped some new fleeces today. Depending on where you live, fleece season may already be here, or it’s probably approaching quickly. I already have a number of fleeces in my closet, but none of them look exactly like any of these. Unfortunately, the price points on these make it impossible for me to cop them all. The price points actually make it impossible for me to cop any of them at the moment. So for now, I just have to stare at the photos until the pocket and zipper placements are burned into my retinas and imagine being cradled by that deep, deep pile while I wear the current fleeces I own and pretend they are these. Let’s dive a little deeper into these pieces.

We’ll start with the ALD joints. The contrast pocket and collar add just enough pop to the dope base colors to set these apart from a standard fleece and the subtle ALD patch keeps it classy. Teddy made sure to include that sweet, sweet two-way zipper for layering on these. Also, take a look at the pile in the closeup pictures *chef kiss*. I can’t decide which color I like the best of the three, because they are all fire. The blue falls somewhere perfectly between royal and slate. I picture myself wearing this in a ski lodge, sipping on some brews while everyone else goes down the mountain. I hate skiing. Snowboarding is ok, but I’ll just post up by the fire and get overheated in my fleece while I flex on everyone. The cream jawn is the exact color I imagine when I think of the perfect fleece, and the red just hits different on that light backdrop. Because the red would match a Bloody Mary, I’d wear this one to brunch every weekend (the chest pocket would be a perfect place to stash a croissant for later) until my wife got syrup on the sleeve. For some reason I have been really into green garms lately, and it’s weird because I would say green is one of my least favorite colors. The black and green fleece is a nice alternative to an all black North Face that so many people (including myself years ago) wear. It would be perfect for when I’m back in my hometown, because the color combo would make people think it’s from a certain tractor brand, and then maybe they wouldn’t ask me about it.

The John Elliott pieces are made with PolarFleece®️, so you already know they’re going to keep you toasty. A hood on a fleece is always a nice touch because it makes it a little more functional in the colder months. With John Elliott, it’s all about the details, and the leather chest pocket and hood trim are the god level details we have come to expect from our boy JE. The hem cinch and hood drawstrings will allow you to tighten this baby right up to keep the wind from getting anywhere near your delicate skin. Brown and ivory are great neutral colors that will go with just about anything, making these very wearable. I would throw on the brown one to make a run to the store when it’s chilly, but I don’t want to wear an actual coat. The YKK zipper pockets would keep my snacks safe as I run back to my car because it’s colder than I was anticipating. The ivory fleece is ideal for watching a movie on my couch, because the pieces of popcorn I drop on myself would blend right in and no one would notice. Yes, I would wear a PolarFleece®️ in my home, gotta keep that heating bill down.

Like I said, I can’t afford these right now, so I have to hold out until maybe, just maybe, there is a steep enough sale or discount code at the end of the season, that is if these sit that long. Prayers to Yeezus.

https://www.aimeleondore.com/products/full-zip-polar-fleece?variant=30108324135009

https://www.johnelliott.com/products/boulder-polar-fleece-full-zip-brown?variant=

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Kanye

According to Variety, “a source close to the situation” said that Kanye West’s upcoming album, “Jesus is King,” will not be released on the promised date of September 27. This is nothing new for a Kanye album release. When “The Life of Pablo” released in February of 2016, it was a mess. After watching the live stream of the album debut/Yeezy Szn 3 fashion show at MSG, I knew the album was going to be a certified slap. In the days following, Kanye made multiple changes to the album (let’s all just take a moment to thank Yeezus he fixed “Wolves”) before it was finally released on streaming services other than Tidal.

Ye has been delaying release dates since “The College Dropout” in ‘04. A lot of his albums have experienced some sort of set back just before scheduled drop, including most recently, “Yandhi,” the album that repeatedly had its release date pushed back until it was not released at all. On the bright side, “source close to the situation” can mean a lot of things. I am technically a “source close to the situation” if we really break it down, so who knows if this report has any credibility. Today, Kim Karadashian retweeted a tweet saying the album would be out in 2 days, and it was from an account that Kanye follows.

I admit I’m tired of getting my hopes up when he hypes a release, only to have those hopes crushed by a delay or altogether cancelled drop. However, at this point it’s just part of being a Kanye West fan, and we have to roll with it. I just want another Kanye album. The man is a legend and makes bangers, and I’m excited to hear something new from him, whether it’s this Friday or Black Friday when I do. I also can’t wait for everyone to say the record is trash, and a year later realize how good it is. I admit “Ye” is one of Ye’s worst albums, but a bad Kanye West album IS STILL A DAMN KANYE WEST ALBUM. Prayers up to the most high and fly, Yeezus, that this one comes out on time.