Men's style and design from Men and Women of Industry » Books

Original TV Foodies: Yan Can Cook

jrose — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:30:43 +0000

It’s very likely Martin Yan could be the sole source of my lifelong obsession with Asian food (furthered more recently hanging with my friend Jeff). Back when I first started watching Yan Can Cook, he was one of only a handful of Master Chefs on the planet. Dazzling knife skills combined with an equally dazzling ability to julienne the English language made the show a true gem. His newer series are a bit more subduded but do a great job showcasing his vast knowledge rather than stage presence.

Original TV Foodies: Urban Peasant

jrose — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:40:47 +0000

Back in the day before Food Network, there were a handful of TV foodie personalities that really laid a solid foundation for my interest in cooking (and years working in kitchens, but that is another story). On the top of that list is James Barber of Urban Peasant fame. James always threw together an odd mix of ingredients that somehow transpired into sort of a luxury hobo meal. And without fail, managed to pour at least one beer into the mix just for good measure.

Off the Hanger: Substitute Teacher

heyhansen — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:27:45 +0000

Barely out of college I started substitute teaching. I looked so young I figured I’d try and find some old man teacher stereotype clothing – my oversized concert t’s, grunge flannels, and faded jeans just weren’t going to cut it. I also grew a beard to try and age myself a bit – of course turns out patchy beards are kind of a tell.
I’d bring along Wallace & Gromit (VHS edition of course) in case the teacher totally left me without any guidance or plan (too often). My signature “trick” as a sub was to play the Sherlock Holmes game of trying to figure out as much as possible about the kids as they came into class and then work it in, seemed to keep their attention (and sometimes just plain freak them out). Some things are easy, catching names on their binders while they walk in, others a bit more subtle, if a girl has hair to her waist and it’s in perfect braids at age 8 you can bet she’s an only child, no mom of more than one has that kind of time in the morning. And of course kids with siblings in high school usually dress older or “cooler” than counterparts that don’t have that influence. When they’d start saying things like, “how’d you know that!” I’d pull out the worn paperback complete Sherlock Holmes (that I stole off that boat in AK no less) and read the section where Holmes asks Watson how many steps there are from the sidewalk up to their 2b apartment, then chides him with that classic, “you see my dear Watson, but you do not observe”.

Couple other things I picked up:
Heck yeah I’m using a red pen.
No, you really can’t be friends with them. Really. Really.
Oh and when that slightly “mature” female student pulls you aside and tells you she thinks she might be pregnant and how would she know? Grab that female PE teacher and get her over QUICK.

Polo cords
Brooks Brothers Shirt and Tie (which in rural Northern California really stood out. Sigh.)
Clark’s Desert Boot
Leather Postal Messenger bag by J. Crew (*note that the one I actually carried was, well more appropriate to a sub’s pay)
Zach Galifianakis beard

Off the Hanger: Stockholm

heyhansen — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:17:13 +0000

I was sent a pair of selvedge denim (thanks!) and found a book of matches from the Berns Hotel in the pocket. Got me curious about where models smoke so looked it up and found it’s a gem in the heart of Stockholm, Sweden. Since travel ranks high on my favorites list, I thought about a wknd trip to the land of black jean wearing rockers. And naturally, what would I wear for such a trip. In my mind Scandinavia is all grays and solids so I went with that – not to mention I don’t have Jedd’s skill with color anyway.

Naked & Famous Black selvedge denim
Tivi Zebra belt buckle. Local co, their motto is “hot like your mom, tough like your dad”
Life after Denim Silverlight shirt
Alden boots
Slushy Coat (I know, I know but…)
Freehands Ragg wool gloves – found via Sartorially inclined, made by the guy behind Cool Hunting. Sounds crazy, but admit it, it would make working that iPhone easier in the cold right? Right?
Elder martini with Absolut (of course) vodka, lemon juice, a bit of peach cordial and Elderflower cordial. Elderflower and Sweden fit in my mind only because of the drink they sell at Ikea.
Kurt Wallander Mystery – Swedish crime procedural books, read a few this summer, seems like the right travel book. And check out the BBC series with Kenneth Branagh in it just for the camera work alone. Red Camera I’m thinking?

Agatha Christie Art

jrose — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:24:18 +0000

I know I might be bordering on lunacy with my Poirot and Miss Marple obsession (seriously, nobody in their right mind would watch Evil Under the Sun twice much less 50 times) , but you have to admit, there is some good design happening in this series of Agatha Christie prints.

The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet

jrose — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:43:00 +0000

Dave’s right, this might be good one for recalibrating everything.