Read Wardrobe

Most in-store sock selections are confined to a single wall or rotating stand near the checkout, and require you to more or less disassemble the display as you search for the colour you like, in the size you need, at the ankle length you’re most comfortable with. That process typically works out in the end, but it’s the opposite of the customer experience at Mes Chaussettes Rouge. Instead, the upmarket Paris boutique has hundreds of built-in shelves lining every one of its interior walls.

Happy Friday. I had an entirely different story planned for today (which will still come soon) but sometimes an opportunity comes up that feels too fun to ignore. In this case, it was a surprise message from tennis star Arthur Rinderknech’s team, asking if I’d want to chat with him while he’s in town for the US Open.

Not my best outfits, at least as Flusser would see it. (I would agree.) Last month, I sent out my thoughts on the first hundred pages of Alan Flusser’s Dressing the Man (2002), a much-referenced, 320-page guide to “dressing well without becoming a fashion victim,” and “mastering the art of permanent fashion.” The book is stuffed with rules, something that’s garnered it as many detractors as it has fans.

On the third floor of a Hackney industrial estate, up four flights of an exterior staircase, five industrial knitting machines click and whirr as designer Cecile Tulkens and her team knit some of the “heritage-adjacent” designs that have made her one of the most beloved, sought-after talents in independent fashion today.

Happy mid-August. I’m just home from a week away, which contributed to my taking a few more days than usual between sends here. To make it up, today’s something of a beast: A combination of summer sale scouting, new arrivals worth considering, and mostly (given that I forgot to send July’s On My Mind intel dump) all kinds of IRL notes from both August and July. And if you missed the last two: Before we begin, two other agenda items.

One of the earliest ideas I had for this newsletter was to regularly invite female friend groups to call in and talk about everything they love (and love less) about what the guys in their lives are wearing. This was partly inspired by the sheer number of female designers behind some of the best men’s clothing today, but also by the fact that, like it or not, the “Girlfriend Glow Up”—when guys start to look a little better after getting into relationships—is a real thing.

My call with Falke’s Henrik Ossenbrink. Visit any traditional men’s clothing shop, and chances are you’ll find a few rows of Falke socks.

TSA’s new release, and Izaake with his knight. The most energetic, uplifting showroom in Paris this season wasn’t even a showroom, not really. There were no appointments for buyers to make, no stapled line sheets being handed out, no samples of designs that would be coming next year.

Colin, who you will meet shortly. There’s a lot of talk these days about “natural activewear.” Polyester, or so the viral reels claim, is terrible for both your body and the environment. Nylon is seeping into our bloodstream.

Right now, Philadelphia has something that I’m not sure exists in New York, Paris, London, anywhere. It’s a vintage showroom called Clothing To Wear, and while you could stop in quickly just to find some new bits, that’s not really the point.