Look, we get it: When we say "moonshine", the first thing that comes to mind is your crazy uncle (you know, the one who may or may not be missing some of his more important teeth). But this Moonshine Reserve is nothing like that. Picture instead, Jay-Gatsby-as-rumored-bootlegger vibes, the man himself out on his balcony, staring at the reflection of the moon as he sips some sweet Prohibition liquor.
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SOUNDS LIKE QUALITY.
"Quality". That one word is the reason some of us will buy just about anything from a company. But among all the brands cashing in on that word, who really owns it?
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THE MORE THINGS STAY THE SAME
One hundred years is a long time. Only sixty years ago, the first hard drive was invented--and it had the capacity of a small word document. Case in point, a lot can change in one hundred years. But a lot can stay the same, too.
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CHRISTMAS IN CHELSEA
Ah, the holiday party dress code debacle. Second only to determining what kind of booze to bring to a particular bash, deciding what to wear before you click "RSVP" is, well, fraught.
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CUTTING EDGE
Not a lot has changed over the years in the world of the wet shave-- oh, sure, artisanal badger brushes have popped up in your local menswear shop and your neighbor is now making organic soaps and shave creams in his walk-in closet, but other than that...not much news.
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WIN CITY
Detroit is the birthplace of many great things: John Varvatos, Motown, and, if you believe A Band Called Death, punk music. It's a city with boldness. Ingenuity. A refusal to quit. So it makes sense, then, that Detroit Grooming Co. would make products with those same traits.
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LESS THREATENING HOOKS
There are many types of hooks that one needs to be wary of. There’s the always-difficult-to-navigate “hook up”, which can combine both the highest highs and lowest emotional lows; the too-catchy pop hook, seemingly harmless at first but the source of great angst once stuck in your head; and of course, the sales-pitch hook that can pull you in against your better judgment.
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Last week, we got on the road (literally, and for a long damn time) to take a look around Music City. We stopped by several of the must-sees and still made time to dig around and find a few favorite spots of our own. Here’s our quick-and-dirty snapshot of a hell of a town.
THREADS
GO FOR: Imogene + Willie is, of course, a Nashville staple. Even with all the hype (and believe us, there was plenty of hype), we still found ourselves blown away by the perfectly-imperfect arrangement of button-downs, denim, twill baseball caps, carved skulls, grooming products… stop us anytime. The staff was welcoming and helpful, a real treat for anyone who’s been burned by selvedge snobs before. And now that Supper + Song is officially back on the table, we imagine you won’t need much more encouragement to stake out everyone’s favorite ex-service station.
STAY FOR: The vintage scene is alive and well in Music City, and nowhere moreso than at Local Honey. With a smattering of vintage finds interspersed with know-this-name new designers, it’s basically one-stop shopping for cool. Did we mention there’s a salon and barber shop upstairs? And the folks who work there are all-knowing hipness gurus? Spend an afternoon on this one.
EATS
GO FOR: Great food means great focus. Mas Tacos Por Favor, knowing better than to stray too far from its roots as a food truck, is indeed great food. Line up for tacos, soups and a delightful agua fresca or two from their rotating menu, and prepare to be wowed. What the place lacks in frilly decor it makes up for in folks vying to be next in line. And that’s what good food really means.
STAY FOR: Let’s get this out of the way: a quick path to our hearts is any dining establishment that stocks artsy groceries as well. BLVD scores full points there. Add to that a solid menu of deliciousness, and a crazy-sweet happy hour deal that makes it seem downright foolish to spend the hours between 2-7pm any other way, and you’ve got yourself a new favorite eatery.
CAFFEINE
GO FOR: Though it may sound like something from Stefon’s guides to New York nightlife, you will actually find Nashville’s coolest coffee joint down by the strip mall with the dollar store. Though Barista Parlor definitely has the coffee-snob chops you’d expect, it’s also got the necessary touch of whimsy that’s missing from so many east-coast hardcore coffee counters. Stick your cheerful wooden table marker mascot (pictured above) in the slot at your table as you wait for your whiskey-salted-caramel latte. It’s okay. We won’t judge.
STAY FOR: It doesn’t get much more Nashville than Crema’s locally-roasted coffees (except that, y’know, naturally it’s single-origin from Kenya, for example). Pull up a chair and enjoy perhaps the best scones on the planet (and you always thought scones were supposed to be an exercise in jaw strength) while you eavesdrop on the artistic differences of the band members at the next table.
DRINKS
STAY FOREVER: Listen, we can’t promise you that every time you go into No. 308 you’ll stumble onto a great band (we lucked out). We can, however, promise you that you’ll drink well while you’re there. The shots are named after writers, the bar is plastered with pages, and you just might end up ordering a “Girlfriend In A Coma”. We could go on and on, but really, for any sane individual, that oughta be enough.
NASHVILLE CITY GUIDE
Last week, we got on the road (literally, and for a long damn time) to take a look around Music City. We stopped by several of the must-sees and still made time to dig around and find a few favorite spots of our own. Here’s our quick-and-dirty snapshot of a hell of a town.
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SMELLING SO GOOD YOU TRICK YOURSELF
They say that scent is the strongest sense tied to memory, and for anyone who has ever switched laundry detergents and suddenly found their closet smelling unmistakably like a particular ex-girlfriend, it’s hard to argue. The things we remember consciously, by calling them up from our memories, are rarely matched by the extreme visceral evocation caused by scent. Case in point: Alfred Lane’s clever solid colognes, in three self-assured scents, may be so damn evocative that you’ll start remembering things that never even happened. Like that time you were a celebrated revolutionary (woodsy, sweet Vanguard), that time you were the most charismatic speaker the Academy had ever seen (warm, spicy Brio), or that time you were the most interesting man in the world (leathery, smokey Bravado). And since the colognes are made by hand in Chicago from only natural, wholesome ingredients, you’re sure to be in the mood to remember only the good things, not the bad. Which is more than we can say for that ex-girlfriend situation. Get it here.
SMELLING SO GOOD YOU TRICK YOURSELF
They say that scent is the strongest sense tied to memory, and for anyone who has ever switched laundry detergents and suddenly found their closet smelling unmistakably like a particular ex-girlfriend, it’s hard to argue.
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Every year we do the same thing– a week or so into January, we grab the closest notepad or dry-erase board and scribble out “be more organized”, with only the vaguest notion of what that means or how it could be accomplished. No wonder we never seem to get it done. This year, we’re taking a new approach, by outfitting ourselves with these remarkably useful pouches from Collected Works Co. With three sizes available (plus a rucksack and even a genius canteen-inspired laptop cord pouch), there’s bound to be one that’s perfect for whatever bits and bobs are making your life a mess. Plus, they’re made here in the USA from waxed canvas with solid brass snaps, so you can cross “buy American-made” off your list of resolutions as well. Now it’s just a matter of starting that workout routine you’ve been talking about. Get it here.
A SLOW PITCH TO YOUR NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS
Every year we do the same thing– a week or so into January, we grab the closest notepad or dry-erase board and scribble out “be more organized”, with only the vaguest notion of what that means or how it could be accomplished. No wonder we never seem to get it done.
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Small writeup on brilliant design object The Floyd Leg over at Cool Hunting…definitely worth the click. Check it out here.
ELSEWHERE: THE FLOYD LEG
Small writeup on brilliant design object The Floyd Leg over at Cool Hunting…definitely worth the click. Check it out here.
Read MoreTRY SOMETHING NEW
A new year: whether rolling over into 2014 causes feelings of hope, uncertainty, trepidation, or even some amalgam of the three, chances are that New Years is a holiday that holds some weight with you. In honor of all the resolutions we’ve been hearing floating around, we’re doing something a little different today.
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