The Profound Appropriateness of Dropping Names No One Knows (Or Expects)

It’s always a vulgar practice to name drop and in regards to fashion it is both obnoxious and compulsory. Any compliment on an article of clothing or accessory summons the immediate denial punctuated with name brand validation “oh, this old thing? it’s MAH-KWEEN” or “Oh Yeah, I got it a couple of seasons ago at a sample sale, DEEE-OHR OHME”. The wearing of these brands becomes political as questions of wealth and style savvy spark jealousy. A nasty game that’s best avoided when possible but can any of us really resist? It’s important to realize that act of name dropping loses its crudeness when it’s a name that no one desires or knows what it means. And so if your garment is neither covetable nor recognizable in all it’s sewn in splendor than not only do you allow yourself the pleasure of playing the game but placing yourself well above it. The trick then is making sure that you choose wisely and wear clothes that beckon the initial investigation of its origin. And if you’re really good you can tap in to the brand’s own inherent cache that might perhaps have more to do with good design and heritage rather than any popular endorsement.

A Short Directory of Fine Brands That Can Be Uttered Without Ostentation:

Beretta- firearm gear and apparel

L.L. Bean - waspy outdoorsy

Christophe Lemaire - French individualistic menswear designer

Stone Island - for real man? or for real men?

Patagonia - Spanish northface with more color range

Cerruti - fabulous Italian menswear and textile firm

Romeo Gigli - 80’s Italian label with fun nostalgic takes on the 80’s

Kiton - very fine men’s suiting

Brioni - more very fine men’s suiting

Allen Edmonds - presidential shoes

Florsheim - cheaper version of allen edmonds

Brooks Brothers (excluding Black Fleece) - old and boring menswear (but not if you’re smart about it)

Olivier Borde - Very relevant but small French menswear designer. One to watch.

Zegna - Established menswear firm with a rather nice and newly repositioned bridge collection (Z Zegna)

Henrik Vibskov - Very fun Danish designer with a penchant for old European charm and club aesthetics

Romain Kremer - hot new young thing with clothes that are even hotter

Telfar - fabulous DIY label

Hood By Air - terribly cool streetwear

Nike - goddess of victory

Fabrics Interseason - clever German label

Mjolk - cute boyish clothes from Sweden

Cosmic Wonder - Japanese high concept casual apparel

Adam Kimmel - luxury utility

Carharrt - farmer boy