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Guys, seriously, we know that TSA says you have to keep everything in a quart sized bag, but that is no excuse not to have a proper dopp, or to continue to use the plastic bag on road trips. Though we wish we could say most people understand the need for a dopp kit, we see more and more plastic bags used in place of them every time we travel. We’re doing our best to put an end to this seemingly ever growing trend, and today we’re happy to announce that our friends at Blue Claw Co. and Ursa Major are joining the crusade by giving away a stocked dopp to one lucky Bowties & Boatshoes reader.
Images: Blu Kicks
A few weeks back the team from a new brand called Blu Kicks reached out and asked if we would be interested in trying out a pair of their slip-ons. Though the shoes were a bit outside our comfort zone (we’re making an effort to expand our horizons a bit this summer), we decided to take them up on the offer. A couple of days later a pair of their Panama Stripe slip-ons showed up at our doorstep.
Image: Costa
We were pretty happy to learn that Costa would be bringing back the Grand Catalina for a limited time this summer. This classic frame has been one of our favorite Costa models for years, and we were pretty disappointed when it was discontinued. Now that it’s back, we’ve been playing with the options on Costa’s website to determine which pair we’re going to pick up before the Grand Catalina goes back into hibernation. Hopefully you’ve been doing the same, because today we’re happy to announce that, thanks to our friends at Costa, we’ll be giving away a pair of Grand Catalinas to one lucky Bowties & Boatshoes fan.
Image: Ratio Clothing
As much as we love the classic blue and white seersucker combination, we are always on the lookout for other iterations of our favorite warm weather fabric. Last year our friends at Ratio Clothing unveiled their seersucker collection, and the red gingham option quickly became one of our favorite shirts. We got a lot of wear out of this one last year, and it has quickly worked it’s way back into the rotation this year as well. The post below originally ran on July 16, 2012.
Image: Bonobos
Over the past couple of years, it seems like the one brand that continues to gain closet space every season is Bonobos. Like many, we started with khakis. From there came a number of ‘go to hell’ pants, and then we branched into their fantastic button downs. It’s taken some time, but today Bonobos is finally breaking into our bowtie rotation with their Cape Hatteras bow.
Image: Country Club Prep
Though we refuse to wear shorts with an inseam shorter than 7 inches, we tend to bend our rules a bit when it comes to swimwear. In fact, we’d much prefer a swimsuit with a 5 inch inseam to a pair of boardshorts that fall below the knee. Just last week, a suit that we’ve been eyeing for quite some time finally hit the market. It’s the Patchwork Swimsuit from Southern Proper.
Image: National Archives
In honor of what would have been his 96th birthday, today we are celebrating someone that we’ve drawn inspiration from for quite some time; John F. Kennedy. Though he has been gone for nearly fifty years, JFK remains a style icon with his classic preppy appeal, and we have a feeling we’ll be saying the same thing fifty years from now. We are big fans of the photos of Kennedy aboard Manitou, but two of our favorite summer looks are inspired by shots of JFK firmly planted on terra firma.
Images: Jack Donnelly
It’s always great to see brands that we have gotten to know of the years growing by leaps and bounds, and our friends down at Jack Donnelly definitely fit that mold as of late. What started off as a fantastic pair of khakis has evolved into a full lineup of pants and shorts bearing the Jack Donnelly name. Their latest addition, the Barkley Shorts are definitely going to end up in our collection this summer.
Image: Under Armour
Though a year has passed since we originally featured the Wounded Warrior Project Backpack Gift from Under Armour, our sentiments around this package as well as Memorial Day remain unchanged. Enjoy the day everyone, and make sure to thank those in uniform. Without them, none of us would be able to live the lives we do.
Images: Smathers & Branson
We’re not quite sure how Memorial Day weekend snuck up on us this year, but we sure are glad it’s here. With nothing but rest and relaxation on the schedule for the next three days, we’re looking forward to some much needed downtime and probably a random cook out or two. Regardless of where our weekend adventures take us, we’ll definintely be sporting some red, white, and blue over the next few days. Without question, the American Flag Needlepoint Belt from Smathers & Branson will absolutely be making an appearance.
