#also his coat and all? diy this man 100% makes his own clothes

[d-cybele]

Best swordman in the world ⚔️

After watching the live action of One Piece, I might have become obsessed with Mihawk, woops! Never thought I’d enjoy One Piece yet here we are. The soundtrack for Mihawk reminded me of flamenco (can you believe each time his name is mentionned in the series there’s a light castanet sound in the background?) so I decided to make this illustration! I loved working on it. I tried incorporating some symbols related to his life in the tiles behind him, maybe you can spot some!

[menswearmusings]

Do Yourself a Favor and Get a Decent Tie Rack From Dapper Woodworks—A Free Product Review

I don’t wear a tie everyday, and I don’t have a ton of ties, but the storage solution I had for the roughly 20 ties I do have was annoying and lame. Buying a better tie rack just wasn’t a high priority for me, and thus, my ties hung on a roughly $12 hanging contraption from T.J. Maxx. It made me very, very sad.

My sad T.J.Maxx tie rack.

Enter Dapper Woodworks. The man behind the company, Justin Trewitt, has been at this for two years as a side job to help create some supplemental income for his family while simultaneously engaging his interests in woodworking and menswear. As with many business ideas, his started when he wanted a way to store his pocket squares, so he just made his own. He realized perhaps other men facing the same situation would be interested in such a product, and soon he was selling on Etsy. His product selections now include shoe horns, coat hooks, collar stay organizers, the aforementioned pocket square organizers and of course, tie racks.

Justin asked me whether I would like to have one of his custom-made tie racks in order to give my impressions and give an honest review of it (note my free product policy here. TL;DR I keep my opinions honest and don’t accept free stuff in exchange for positive coverage). I measured my closet, and since he does custom-sized racks in addition to the standard stock sizes, asked for a 20-inch rack, which he told me stores 37 ties—way more than I currently have, so I’ve got room to grow. Since it was a custom size, I got to choose the wood, peg metal and whether it had the optional top shelf. Ultimately, I picked walnut with brass pegs, with the top shelf included, which I figured might help a little bit with dust, but also provide a nice spot to store a couple belts, silk knots, collar stays and whatever else.

He set to work immediately, posting progress images on his Instagram. Within about a week, he’d finished it and was ready to s—oh no! He messaged me to say he’d accidentally made it 18 inches long, not 20. Being super apologetic, he remade the 20 inch one within a few days, and it was on its way to me.

For this type of product, it’s very simple to determine whether it’s great: Is it real hard wood, not composite? Yes. Is it sturdily constructed? Yes. Are the cuts on the wood smooth, without jagged edges? Yes. The joints are fitly joined together, the stain is even, the pegs are secure and perfectly spaced. And he’s also put the next level of fit and finish into the installation aspect. On the back are keyhole slots, just as you’d find on any professionally made wooden shelf. Included in the box is a mounting guide, but instead of a flimsy piece of paper, it’s a full-length piece of wood with holes drilled in it at the exact spacing of the keyholes. Leveling it is a breeze, the three-dimensional wood taking the uncertainty out of whether or not a piece of paper was perfectly flat against the wall.

You could probably find all of those aspects in a mass produced, ugly tie rack from Container Store for less money, just as you can also get a mass produced, cheap tie from The Tie Bar for less money than a Drake’s tie, and it’ll accomplish the utilitarian aspect of the product. But what DW is doing is vastly superior in almost every aspect: it’s much more aesthetically pleasing; you can choose from half a dozen beautiful wood grains and multiple peg styles; you know who is making it and that you’re supporting him provide for his family; and now, even better, he has begun donating a portion of every month’s sales to a nonprofit that provides education, food and medical care for children in need.

In all, it’s an excellent product befitting a fine tie collection, the pedigree of which is sterling.

That said, the price seemed really high to me, especially at first. The standard 18-inch wide tie rack starts at $140 without the shelf, and $190 with.

But, like, a single Drake’s tie is $150. On sale, you can maybe score it for $75.

This $200 tie rack holds 37 ties.

Given how sad and lame most tie storage solutions are, it’s an absolute no-brainer for someone who has a collection of beautiful ties, and who also would like to store their clothing in a way that isn’t sad. That is, if you’re trying to use wide-shouldered hangers, decent garment bags, and shoe trees in your shoes, a tie rack makes perfect sense.

My recommendation

Measure your own space and get a rack that makes sense. The 18-inch will likely fit most spaces and holds enough ties for most guys, I’d guess. I 100% recommend the top shelf. It keeps dust off the ties and is a useful spot to put things like his lapel pins or belts or artwork. I love the walnut finish, and the brass pegs make it feel masculine. Use code MM10 for 10% off.

So there’s my review: the solid hardwood Dapper Woodworks tie rack is an excellent product that gives me immense pleasure, and which exceeded my expectations in how easily Justin makes the mounting aspect. The quality is very high, being profesionally built and using materials I am confident putting my finely made ties on.

I temporarily installed the rack for the photoshoot below, because getting this rack actually inspired me to do a DIY renovation on my real closet, but I didn’t have time to get that finished before the deadline to publish this review.

I asked Justin a few questions about his background, the origin of Dapper Woodworks and what he plans next. You can check it out in full below.

GET 10% OFF YOUR DAPPER WOODWORKS ORDER USING CODE MM10!

(Help support this site! If you buy stuff through my links, your clicks and purchases earn me a commission from many of the retailers I feature, and it helps me sustain this site—as well as my menswear habit ;-)  Thanks!)

Menswear Musings: What do you do for your day job?

Justin Trewitt: I’ve been working for my family’s company for the past 5 1/2 years in Plano, Tx. We do financial planning for individuals and we also just started doing business brokerage so helping people buy and sell businesses. I started in customer service, but now I do a lot of behind the scenes preparation for client meetings. Basically lots of staring at a computer screen and Excel spreadsheets.

MM: How long have you been doing DW?

JW: I started Dapper Woodworks in November of 2017 so just over 2 years now. We had just decided for my wife to quit teaching to be a stay at home mom with our first son so I wanted to find a way to create a little extra income for our family.

MM: What got you started making these tie racks?

JW: Well I got into woodworking when my wife and I bought our house a few years ago. We didn’t have a lot of furniture so I just learned how to make some! I have also been into menswear after learning to dress better in college. When I began thinking of side hustles I decided that I wanted to combine my woodworking hobby with my passion for menswear, and that’s how Dapper Woodworks began. My first product was a pocket square rack that I made for myself out of cheap wood because I couldn’t find a good way to store my collection. I figured surely I wasn’t the only one with this problem so I made an Etsy store and put it up for sale. I knew I needed more products so I made a few tie racks out of some scrap wood and hardware. It took over a month before the first order, and then people began requesting custom sizes and woods and it’s just taken off from there!

MM: Have you had a big response?

JW: The response has been way bigger than I could have ever imagined! When I began I was going to be happy with a sale or two every month. We are 2 years in now, and I just counted that we’ve sent over 400 items all over the world which is just crazy to me! I think people really enjoy them because there aren’t any good options to display your ties or accessories in a beautiful way. When you invest a lot of money into your tie or pocket square collection you might as well display it on a rack that has the same level of craftsmanship. I believe people really enjoy the custom aspect because each product is unique and is made their specifications

MM: How big is your personal tie collection and what’re you favorite ties and why?

JW: I’m in the process of redoing my collection, and filling it with higher quality ties that reflect the quality of my products. I had a bunch of cheaper ties for my previous job that I got rid of so I still trying to fill my smallest rack that holds 21 ties. My first nice tie was my Kent Wang grenadine which I absolutely recommend to anyone starting a collection. The cool part about being in the menswear space is meeting other brands, and several tie makers that are running a side business like me. I’ve got a couple of really great grenadine and shantung ties from H.N. White in England. A beautiful brown cashmere tie from Oxford Rowe. Also this incredible 7 fold tie from Shawn Christopher who is the only brand I know that makes his own ties instead of having them manufactured.

MM: What’s the most gratifying thing about this business for you?

JW: Beside being able to provide for my family this business has helped pay for my wife and I to go on 2 mission trips to plant churches in Tanzania. We needed to raise all of our own funds, and had lots of other expenses such as doctors visits, vaccines, and passports and this business helped cover all extra expenses. Also we have just partnered with our friend’s ministry Twelve21, and a portion of each month’s sales will be going toward sponsoring a child that will provide an education, food, and medical care. It’s just been really neat to trust God through this whole process, and see where he has taken us!

MM: Any new products you’re working on that you 

JW: Besides the tie racks and pocket square racks, our shoe horns have been very popular this year. I’ve also introduced a few smaller items like our collar stay organizers and cedar blocks. But going into 2020 I’m hoping to add some new tools to the shop and start making some valet trays, and maybe some shoe racks. I’m always trying to think of new items that are menswear and woodworking related, and if you ever have any suggestions just let me know.

Read more at Menswear Musings

[putthison]

Mood Indigo: Ten Indigo Items to Consider

I can’t imagine a wardrobe without indigo. This rich, beautiful shade of blue was originally produced from various species of indigofera plants, but today it’s synthetically derived. Despite the modern update, indigo still retains its vibrant color and unique fading properties, which is what makes it such a wonderful color for clothes. Blue is arguably the most flattering color you can wear, and indigo its most beautiful form.

Most readers are probably familiar with indigo through their blue jeans, but the color is good for so much more than just pants. Ten items that I think could be particularly good additions to a wardrobe:

Scarves: When you think of scarves, you probably think of Scottish wools and cashmeres, but indigo cottons can also be great -- especially with casual outerwear. I wear this antique Japanese boro scarf Jesse gifted me this past Christmas with my black Scott double rider (here’s Ethan Newton in something similar, but with a brown leather jacket). I like our scarves because they’re made from unique, vintage materials, but for alternatives, check Indigo People, Kiriko, Gaijin Made, Imogene + Willie, and Grei (the last one is absurdly priced, but sometimes can be had on deep sale). Etsy is also full of handsome African indigo pieces, which you can sometimes snag for less than $100.

T-shirts: Much like your raw denim jeans, indigo-dyed t-shirts will fade with wear, although in ways that are a bit more subtle and uniform. J. Crew has some on sale right now, although if you’re up for a splurge, Self Edge has some that were made in the USA. I also like this long-sleeved tee from Blue Blue Japan, which looks like it’d be great for cold-weather layering. 

Kapital Ring Coat: These unique outerwear pieces from Kapital can seem kind of goofy on first blush, but they look great when you put them on. They’re half military wear, half kimono, and fully cozy. I have one made from an olive cotton twill, but this katsuragi version looks like it’d be good for a less strictly workwear ensemble. You can find Ring Coats at Haven, The Bureau Belfast, Unionmade, and Standard & Strange. 

Wrangler Denim Shirt: OK, I’m cheating here. This isn’t technically indigo-dyed, but they’re great, affordable, and considerably better looking than what Wrangler’s product photos suggest (don’t look). Can be had for like $20 on sale, or $30 full price. I recommend them. 

Sweatshirts: Like your indigo-dyed t-shirts, but warmer. Self Edge has some loopwheeled ones from Strike Gold, which are built with a slightly vintage-styled cut. For something trimmer and more modern looking, check out these from Blue Blue Japan and Niche. I particularly like their texture. 

Tote: Great for carrying your laptop and some books to a coffee shop. Indigo ones go well with olive cotton field jackets and tan canvas chore coats. Kapital has an interesting patchwork design made from tweed, although I prefer the cheaper, everyday varieties you can find on Etsy. 

Shop Coat: Indigo-dyed shop coats look really good as a casual spring layer (just check out StyleForum editor Jasper in his). No Man Walks Alone has one this season from Blue Blue Japan, made from a textured Japanese work cotton known as sashiko. 

Sneakers: Brands such as 3sixteen and Tenue de Nimes have done overdyed indigo sneakers before. Those have been long sold out, but you can make your own with our guide here. These would go well with beat-up chinos and casual shirts, maybe for when you’re lounging on a lazy summer afternoon. Just wear them outside for a bit before you track indigo-dye all over your room. 

Trucker Jacket: An easy-to-wear, basic piece that pairs well with chinos and fatigues. Everyone is familiar with the versions at Levis, but if you’re up for a splurge, I particularly like this one from Engineered Garments. A little more updated, but still looks classic. Scye also has an interesting model with a detachable collar. 

Vintage Boro Lining: A good DIY project. Pick up a length of Japanese boro fabric somewhere (you can find them on eBay, although beware of fake modern versions made to look old, as well as specialty shops such as Esther Fitzgerald and Shibui). Then use the fabric to reline an old, vintage jacket. I did this to my Schott double rider last year and it was one of my favorite DIY projects ever. A good way to make something a little more personal, as well as add a unique stylistic touch.