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Back to School: The Pack

13 August, 2012

I had a friend in high school who once wore the exact same outfit every day for a month just to see if anyone would notice. We did. He looked stupid and smelled even worse. While variety is the spice of life, sometimes there are items that you only buy one of. As great as it would be to have a different car to drive every day of the week, most of us just get by with one.

The pack you use for school will fall into that same category. Your clothes will change but you’ll carry that same bag almost every day. So it’s important to make sure it’s one that works and looks good.

Just like with the other Back to School posts, the first thing you’ll need to determine is your level of formality. A third-year law student should avoid a skater pack and a junior in high school doesn’t want to carry a leather brief case around.

Skate Pack

If you’re hard on your stuff or you use your backpack in precarious situations, you’ll want a skate pack like the Nixonone above. Don’t go easy on it as it’s built to withstand some abuse. The skate pack has evolved into something more simple and streamlined so it doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb if you’re wearing one with a blazer and some bucks. Perfect for high school and undergrads, it’s time to upgrade if you’re a grad student though.

Rucksack

Trail packs and rucksacks have been using by adventurers forever. Think of them as the still-stylish cousin to your ratty cargo shorts. The military history gives them a distinctly masculine feel and the extra pockets go a long way in helping you carry things like phone chargers, sunglasses cases, etc. The beauty of a rucksack is that it mixes utilitarianism and tradition perfectly so you can carry one of these your first day of high school or in your last year of med school. It’s the perfect High/Low pack.

Canvas Messenger Bag

This was my personal choice my whole time in college. It fit a laptop and the occasional book or two without bulking up too much. I also liked having the one strap instead of carrying two on my back. A canvas option is going to be more casual and it’s also going to cost you considerably less. And, while it’s not as bulletproof as the Skate Pack, these things were originally made for hard-riding messengers and will get the job done. There’s an unspoken association between messenger bags and college so I won’t recommend this for a high-school kid.

Leather Messenger Bag

Works the same as the Canvas Messenger but steps things up in the formality, durability, and price departments. Since they are more formal this is something you’ll want in your last year of your undergrad or in grad school. Think of it as Indiana Jones’ briefcase. It’s nice and will keep your documents/laptop safe but it will survive a bike crash or being chased by the natives. With anything you do in leather, choose brown instead of black. It’s still formal because it’s leather but it’s more versatile with what you’ll be wearing and the situations you’ll be in by going with brown.

Briefcase

The most formal on the list is obviously the briefcase. You want to avoid the hard cases that were ubiquitous in the 60’s and opt for something softer and all leather. These can range from a couple hundred bucks to thousands of dollars. The thing about a brief case is that it communicates you’ve already arrived. If you start carrying one too young or without the right confidence it’ll be easy for everyone to tell. It is just a bag, but a brief case is still a symbol that demands a certain amount of respect so make sure you have the acumen to demand that same respect yourself.

A pack is going to be used everyday so you also want to make sure the function fits your needs. It’s pointless to have a beautiful briefcase when you ride a motorcycle to school and don’t have any shoulder straps for it. Lastly, look to historical men’s bags for inspiration. You will find classic shapes and functions along with visual references to masculinity by sticking with something tried and true.

PS. Don’t forget I’m running a deal on Basic Consultations all month this month as a back-to-school special.

Rougher Dopp Kit

13 August, 2012

Most of the dopp kits I’ve shown in the past fall into the clean-cut category. Unfortunately kits like that aren’t suitable for something like camping or, for many, a first year at college. Here’s and iteration that’s a lot rougher on the edges and built to take some abuse.

PS. Don’t forget I’m running a deal on Basic Consultations all month this month as a back-to-school special.

Casual Friday: All Black

10 August, 2012

I know I’ve said to avoid anything monochrome unless you have a muted contrast but a look like this is a good way to break that rule. It’s a little bit harder to gauge because the picture is black and white but you can still tell that his hair isn’t dark enough to contrast off of the shirt to frame his face. So by throwing in the (I’m assuming) black sunglasses he’s added the right contrast and this look frames his face really well.

Like:

The fit – everything follows his body without being too tight. The shirt sleeves, the body, and the shoulder seems all end where they should.
The buttons – good contrast between the color on them and the shirt. He also has them undone to make the collar lines better and frame his face.
The hair – It’s clean-cut but with the overall outfit it makes him look like a well-dressed rockabilly guy or 50’s rebel. The clean part actually adds an element of danger.
The sunglasses – He has a fairly rectangular face shape when you look at his forehead and jaw line. The curves of the wayfarers help balance this out and tone his face down while still letting his jaw look strong and masculine. The classicness of wayfarers also fits in with the overall 50’s vibe of the outfit.

Fence:

Nothing this week. It’s all or nothing for me.

Don’t Like:

The extra bracelet with the watch. I like this current trend but it doesn’t fit with the rest of what he’s wearing. It also serves as a great example of how any element of Play can totally override the Danger in an outfit.

PS. Don’t forget I’m running a deal on Basic Consultations all month this month as a back-to-school special.

Summer Strap

10 August, 2012

A different take on the NATO canvas watch strap.

PS. Don’t forget I’m running a deal on Basic Consultations all month this month as a back-to-school special.

Before and After

9 August, 2012

I had an in-person consultation with my brother-in-law two weeks ago. We had a good time and were able to make a huge difference. With a budget of just over $600 and the goal of looking mostly at casual and business-casual clothing the change in how he looks is pretty drastic.

Cooper’s always been a good-looking guy but you could never tell because the clothes he wore were distracting. With his primary concern being comfort and holding the erroneous belief that comfort and style are mutually exclusive, Coop’s always looked like he got stuck in the 90’s. But now when you see him you actually see him instead of his clothes. By buying things that fit right and complement his complexion, people are drawn to Cooper instead of distracted by what he has on.

He says the slimmer pants take some getting used to but he’s already adjusted. He also says he’s getting approached by women now and the girls who run in his social circle have shown an increased interest.

If you want me to do something like this for you, go check out my catalog. We can work something out.

PS. Don’t forget I’m running a deal on Basic Consultations all month this month as a back-to-school special

Author: Tanner