Grooming is a key component of a man’s personal style. If all the comments on this week’s earlier post on changing up your hairstyle didn’t confirm that, I don’t know what will.

That’s why I’m so excited about Harry’s – the new premium shaving supplies brand available online at – wait for it – reasonable prices.

The brand was started up by Andy Katz Mayfield and Jeff Raider. The latter was also one of the wizards behind innovative eyewear brand Warby Parker. They changed the game when they spotted an industry controlled by a few large companies that have kept prices artificially high, reaping huge profits from consumers who have no other options (I mean, if you need glasses, you need glasses) – and provided them with an alternative: well-made glasses sold online, for less.

So when Katz Mayfield and Raider turned their sights (sorry, had to) onto shaving, they found a similar landscape. A market dominated by only a few players, where – at one end – razors found at drug stores were advertised like race cars (think lightning bolts and lots of “Pfsssssheewww!” sounds in commercials), and at the other end, high-end shaving supplies sold for the price of a steak dinner in places that feel like there should be ragtime on the stereo when you walk in the store.

Harry’s was born from the idea that, “Every man deserves a quality shave at a fair price.”

A novel idea, though it shouldn’t be.

{The Truman Set, $15}

The Truman Set (love the names of this stuff) clocks in at $15 and comes with a zinc alloy handle, three blades, and a tube of shaving cream.

{The Winston, $20}

Its older brother, the Winston, is constructed from precision-grade aluminum and weighs in at a still ridiculously manageable $20 for the handle, and $25 for the set. I know. I know.

Replacement blades top out at $2 a pop.

I love how much thought went into every inch of the brand: razors crafted by German engineers, shaving cream blended by some of the top chemists in the industry, and for each set of blades purchased, Harry’s makes a donation to charitable organizations. First up: The Mission Continues, a group that awards fellowships to veterans of recent wars. As the guys put it, “We give a shave about helping people look and feel great, including those who might need a hand.” Love that.

Oh, and the packaging? Well, if you’re into design, you’ll definitely dig it. And if you’re not, you’ll still appreciate the elegant paper carton that doesn’t require a kitchen scissors to get it open.

Get yours here.

Tell me: What was your first razor? Are you still using the same brand today?

The post Harry’s: A New Day in Men’s Shaving appeared first on Style Girlfriend.

Today’s reader email comes from Gary, who wrote in with a question, which I answered offline. He then followed up with such a great response (to my response), highlighting some of SG’s greatest hits, that I just had to share.

If you’ve been here for awhile, feel free to walk down memory lane with me and Gary. If you’re new, consider it a primer on some of SG’s latest and greatest posts.

—-

Hey Megan.

Thanks for responding!  I thought for sure my question would be lost in the thousands you probably receive each day {editor’s note: more like millions! pshhhhhh}.

After reading some of your articles (which are strangely addicting), I began to realize how dated I have become.  I still feel young…but time has a way of creeping up on you.

So far, the things I’ve noticed…

1)  Dad Jeans

Holy cow.  I had no idea stone washed denim was out of style. As you said:

‘Dad Jeans are often seen in the wild worn in conjunction with mock turtlenecks, windbreakers, New Balance “walking” shoes (you know the kind – uber-white, with a sole so big it looks like a platform shoe), and a generally dismissive attitude towards fashion.’

You just described me to a T (Dad Jeans, windbreaker, NB’s).  You’ll be happy to know I am switching to straight dark 501′s.

2)  Pleated Pants

I guess these went out of style with stonewashed?  Last week at work, I was sitting at my desk and noticed the bottom of my 10-year-old dress pants had a bunch of string hanging from the cuffs (yes pleated and cuffed).

So I cut them off.

While admiring the multiple strands of material I had just gathered and even contemplating getting another five years out of these pants, upon closer inspection, noticed the cuffs were completely frayed.  All my other pants were the same!  Suddenly I thought of your blog and figured…SG UN-approved!

So, I ordered some new Dockers.  They’re probably old man Dockers, but at least I’m moving in the right direction.  Straight, flat, and cuffless!  Baby steps, right?  You’ll like this even more…bought from Kohls (with the Retailmot 10% discount) instead of Dockers direct.

Also, replaced my ratty, never-polished Rockports, with the Florsheim Thackers you recommended along with a pair of Allen Edmonds (never heard of until your blog) wingtips.

However, my cheapness started creeping in so I bought the $175 pair, you know, the ones being discontinued probably because they’re out of style.   And, I bought some new polos from my go to store…Lands’ End!  You should be compensated for recommending stores in your blogs.  You could call it the ‘SG Effect’, kind of like the Kramer Effect on Mad Money.

3)  Gym Clothes 

I’m 5’4″ 130lbs…far from a meat-head, but I do like showing off the guns (ok roll your eyes) {ed. note: nope, never–who doesn’t like a gun show?}.  I never knew wearing a sleeveless shirt would be a turn off to women.

And then the sneakers…you said: “There’s no need for laces that require humongous bunny ear loops.”  The bunny ear loops on my NB’s remind me of my childhood pet rabbit!

I’ll try to go back to sleeved shirts in the gym, but for sure will give up shorts in the winter.  BTW, that’s a nice pic of you in the shorts blog, the one where you’re leaning against a pole.  When I saw it, I wondered what you were thinking at that moment…probably something like…’Someone, anyone…help Gary, as he has the style sense of a 2yr old.’

Well, I didn’t realize I was rambling so much.  Clothing advice from women is always helpful, but advice from a pretty lady is that much better.

Take care and keep up the good work!

—-

What a great email, ri-i-i-i–g-h-t?! Gary did a much better job than I ever could of recapping recent SG highlights.

Tell me:

Have you taken any cues from a Style Girlfriend story recently, pulling the trigger on a purchase? Let me know what you’ve recently bought and why!

The post Great Email From a Style Girlfriend Reader
(An Ongoing Series) appeared first on Style Girlfriend.

Do you own a leather jacket? I’m talking about a good, hand-down-to-your-kid-one-day, treat-it-like-a-member-of-the-family, good leather jacket.

If not, I think you should consider it. That’s what I’m doing right now. After a particularly busy month (well, year, but this past month specifically), I decided on rewarding myself with a little something new. And as luck would have it, this sudden self-regard coincided with a decision that it might finally, finally be time to buy a leather jacket.

This purchase is one of a seminal few in a young person’s life that could – and should – last you forever. How many clothes do you buy that you can say that about? A watch? Maybe a particularly sturdy trench coat? That’s why you should weigh the decision of a new leather jacket carefully, then go all in.

A few tips when you start shopping:

Go classic.
The fewer bells and whistles, the better. This jacket should age gracefully with you, so trendy is the enemy in this case.

Spend what you can.
Or even a little more. This is not the time for bargain hunting. You know I have anything against places like Forever 21 or Target for basics, but this is not a purchase to get on the cheap. And I want you to read this twice: pleather is out of the question.

Make sure it fits.
And when I say fits, I mean, fits like how I keep telling you clothes should fit – close to the body, tailored properly. And contrary to what I see every day on the street, a leather jacket should be short. Find one that hits at the waist, not one that hovers somewhere above your knees – I don’t want to see those awful leather jackets that look they were cut from a dress shirt pattern on any of my readers.

The three above serve as good inspiration to get you started in your search. Or even easier, a good place to end it:

(left to right)

Polo Ralph Lauren Bomber, $1,195

Schott “Perfecto” Motorcylce Jacket, $630

J.Crew, Stockton racer jacket, $825

The post Worth the Investment: A Leather Jacket appeared first on Style Girlfriend.

Everlane is a new cool company whose idea is simple: Create great clothes for men and women, then make them affordable by cutting out the middle man. No stores. No markups. No products over $100, ever. A smart concept that’s not executed upon nearly enough, I was excited to see what their wares were all about.

The company’s hook they’re hanging their hat on (so to speak) are the t-shirts. When the company first launched back in November, Lucky magazine editor John Januzzi called the 100% cotton, pre-shrunk v-necks, “the most perfect t-shirt I’ve ever worn.” On Twitter, a user compared wearing an Everlane tee to “walking around in a blanket of lotion,” which, I don’t know about you, but that sounds like something I’d like to try.

Endorsements like these were reason enough for me to join up. Seriously, is the search for a good white t-shirt not the holy grail of shopping for both guys and girls?

Each month, the company releases a new, well-edited collection of “luxury essentials,” like t-shirts, totes, and bow ties. Like any limited edition run, a lot of items sell out quickly to their already die-hard fans.

The company is also careful with its clientele, refusing to let just any ol’ riff-raff in. Well, they do, actually, but it takes awhile. I requested an invite a couple months ago and just got an email yesterday letting me know I was “in.” Which felt a little like getting accepted to your safe school – you knew it was going to happen, but you were still excited when you got the official word.

I’m currently trying to decide on my first purchase – one of the aforementioned tees (v-neck for me, but crew neck for guys is always a safe bet in case you’re worried about how deep the V dips), or a tote bag to give my big computer bag a breather. But at these prices – the tee is $15 and the bag is $30, I’ll probably just get both.

Sign up to become a member here.

The post Things I think you should Join: Everlane appeared first on Style Girlfriend.

Last year during a particularly busy stretch at work, I enlisted my best friend as a personal shopper. Armed with great taste and a less-than-demanding job, she had both the time and the wherewithal to take my list of fall must-haves (skinny cargo pants, navy wool v-neck sweater, wedge boots) and find them for me. I gave her my credit card info (because she’s my best friend and because I check my statement online most days so I knew she wasn’t booking trips to Cabo with it), and every couple weeks, a package would arrive on my doorstep, checking off another item on my shopping list. Even better? Everything I bought felt like a present…even though I’d paid for whatever it was with my own money.

The guys behind Bombfell took this idea – stocking your closet without having to shop – and removed the need for a bored-at-work best friend from the equation. So far, it seems to be working.

Here’s how this guy-targeted shopping service works. Tell them about yourself: what you wear now, what you need (and what you’re tapped out on) and your measurements. They’ll take that info and send you one new item every month. There’ll be no surprises on your credit card statement; they pull items that hover around a $69 price point, so that’s what’s charged to your card every month. If you don’t like what you get, you return it and pay nothing for the month.

My friend did a great job shopping on my behalf, and to be fair, I gave her a pretty targeted list. Would I have picked the exact same pants/tops/shoes/etc for myself? Maybe not, but I also didn’t have to go out and try on twenty things at five different stores, exhausting an entire Saturday afternoon on the hunt. To me, the trade-offs were worth it. I think most guys ascribe to this mindset even more strongly. Need jeans. Jeans arrive on doorstep. Wear jeans. On Style Girlfriend, I try to remove as much guesswork from shopping for guys as possible with friendly suggestions and guidance; Bombfell takes it to the next level by removing not just the guesswork, but all the work.

A guy friend who first told me about Bombfell signed himself up a few months ago. An investment banker working on a start-up on the side, he’s not exactly brimming with free time, so he liked the time-saving the service provides. So far he’s received a Ben Sherman sweater and this month he’s getting jeans. “I’m a little nervous about the pants,” he said, “but I’ll probably end up wearing them even if I don’t love them.” Exactly. (Ed. note: Heard from my friend this week: “Got my jeans and I’m loving them…I don’t think I ever would have bought jeans with that cut myself but I really like them.”)

This month, Bombfell is offering Style Girlfriend readers who sign up 15% off their first purchase. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think.

The post A new shopping site (for guys who hate shopping) appeared first on Style Girlfriend.

My grandma is going to be so disappointed.

In a presentation to investors this week, J.C. Penney announced they’d be doing away with the sales, coupons, and deep discount savings my grandmother so proudly details after her latest shopping trip to the stalwart department store.

Starting February 1st, the store’s merchandise will be permanently marked down by at least 40% to a new “everyday low price.” There will still be sales – but they’ll only be held twice a month, and only on select items.

While the notion of an everyday low price may smack of Wal-Mart, the move isn’t about undercutting competitors but rather about offering customers a more consistent shopping experience – one without fear of the dreaded, “If I buy this today, am I going to kick myself when it goes on sale tomorrow?” syndrome. As a new tv ad for the retailer promised: “No couponing, no discounting. Just fair prices.”

With the adoption of this new “predictable pricing” strategy, the company hopes to loosen the death grip shoppers have on their coupons and sale-tracking. If anyone’s up to the daunting task of revolutionizing the way consumers shop,  it’s new CEO, Ron Johnson.

You might not know his name, but you’ve definitely admired his handiwork – Johnson helped launch Apple’s retail stores. And before his stint at Apple, he helped Target forge its cheap-but-good (or, “mass prestige”) formula. So the guy’s got chops.

There are other updates, like  showcasing trends in an “experiential” way, a more edited inventory, and something called a “Town Hall” that hasn’t fully been explained yet.

What do you think of J.C. Penney’s plans? Do you wait for sales? Make a point of always paying retail? Will you appreciate this “fair and square” pricing strategy? How do you think my grandma’s going to take the news?

(image via DailyFinance)

The post J.C. Penney wants to change the way you shop appeared first on Style Girlfriend.

Be cynical.
We often say about a love gone wrong, “I always felt like there was something off about him/her; I wish I’d listened to my gut.” When you’re shopping, pay attention to the little voice inside that says, “This isn’t your color!” or “Even Tim Gunn couldn’t fix the shoulders in this suit!” It’s especially tempting to shout this voice down at the clearance rack. You think, “I would totally wear this double-breasted seersucker suit if I’m ever invited to the Kentucky Derby!” Listen to the voice in your head – if it’s telling you the item in your hands will die a slow death in the back of your closet, it probably will.

Be ruthless.
Pessimists are quick to point out the negative. The flaw in a well-laid plan, the fly in the soup. When you look in your closet, take a “Guilty till proven innocent” attitude towards its contents. Is there a pair of pleated pants that haven’t seen daylight since 1992? Get rid of them. A neon green sweater you never could figure out what to wear it with? Donate it. A good rule of thumb: if you haven’t worn it in two seasons (the shorts that didn’t get any wear this summer or last, for instance), give it the ol’ heave-ho.

Be skeptical.
When it comes to cost, it pays to be skeptical. Consider the longevity of the item you’re buying. If it’s part of a trend that will be “out” at the end of the season, pick it up on the cheap. If, on the other hand, it’s an investment piece you’ll have forever (like sturdy dress shoes or a warm overcoat), spend what you can afford.

Be bitter.
Do you ever stand in front of your closet complaining that, even though it’s stuffed to the brim, you haven’t got anything to wear? You deserve better than a closet full of ill-fitting, ugly clothes. Don’t take it anymore! If you’re mad enough about being burned by poor clothing purchases in the past, you won’t let it happen in the future. Like The Who promised, we won’t be fooled again.

The post The Pros of Being a Pessimist appeared first on Style Girlfriend.

Nylites

If you live somewhere that didn’t require digging snow boots out of the back of your closet this morning, think about celebrating your fair weather fortune in these classic sneaks from Swedish brand Tretorn.

Considered the first “luxury sports shoe,” the Nylite is a good-looking, pleasantly affordable (just $60) option for a casual walk-around shoe that keeps you looking put together on the weekend without any extra effort.

Plus, James made me promise to write something nice about one of his brands before he’d go fetch our drinks from the bar, and this was an easy one. And yes, you SHOULD be worried about my journalistic integrity when I’m trading blog posts for not having to stand up.

*jk, I’d totally have written about Nylites eventually anyway
**also, I never claimed to have any integrity
***nobutforrealtheshoesarelegit

Nylite Canvas tennis shoe, $60

The post Things I think you should buy: Weekend Sneakers appeared first on Style Girlfriend.

man hands, I’d buy this pair of gloves by Five Points, available at Bonobos. Thanks to some kind of crazy astronaut fabric (I made that up, but I mean, I’m pretty sure they’re woven with moon yarn), your touchscreen responds and all five fingers can stay toasty warm all winter long.

Five Point Gloves, $49

The post You should buy: Touchscreen gloves appeared first on Style Girlfriend.

Get It On Sale: Toggle Jacket

Guys, let’s get real for a minute. Haven’t you always wanted a toggle coat? Wait, no? Let me rephrase my question, then. Haven’t I always wanted to see more guys in toggle coats? Yes! Yes and more yes’s. Macho is the man who can confidently leave the house wearing a winter jacket made famous by a stuffed toy bear.

Navy wool-blend toggle coat: Old Navy, $50 (down from $90)

The post Get It On Sale: Toggle Jacket appeared first on Style Girlfriend.