313: Little firemen everywhere
And Renatto Balladares tells us how he wears it.
Welcome to Magasin Menswear. In a dedicated monthly send, Louis Cheslaw surfaces choice products worth your consideration, explores larger conversations shoppers are—or should be—having, and taps a smart dresser to share how he wears it.
First up…
I’m excited to be heading to Paris and Copenhagen next month, to see what’s coming from some of our favorite designers, then immediately share it with you all. Last Paris was huge for me in terms of discovering new names, and I’m hoping for more of that, too. Let me know if you’ll be there!
Speaking of Paris, the new—rounded—Lemaire Chelsea Boot is confirming my hunch that bottom halves are starting to slim down again. These look similarly constructed to the brand’s Western boot, which I loved the look of, but couldn’t get the sizing right on. For a more comfortable alternative to the new ones, I wear these most days.
My two Maximum Henry belts arrived. The very slim oval is more fun to wear, but I’ll probably wear the slim oval more.
I weirdly want everything to be black lately. Even my navy items are feeling too blue. What’s that about?
The Ouze had a sample sale in London, and there were lines down the block. Cool to see so many guys into rough silver and jewels. I got a heart earring.
A bolder buckle
Before we turn to future collections next month, I thought it would be fun to quickly mention something I’m seeing in a few of the ones dropping right now.
Specifically, delicate riffs on vintage fireman jackets. Looking back, Polo Ralph Lauren made some great ones in the nineties, and Fay’s long-standing 4 Ganci (aka, four hooks) jacket has always been with us, but recently I’ve seen how the style can be given a slightly softer landing. Take mfpen’s, arriving on shelves soon, which Adrien Brody wore the hell out of in a recent British GQ shoot. It has smaller clasps, changing the whole feel. Brut also makes one, in five faded colors (all currently close to selling out) while Soundman’s is lined with soft wool, and Desert Vintage is posting its vintage one on main. (I don’t like this one quite as much, but the lining is undeniably cheery.)
I asked Sigurd Bank, mfpen’s founder and designer, what attracts him to the look. “It’s one of the items that you typically just had to be lucky to find in a second-hand store,” he says. He wanted to make it both easier to find, and more contemporary. For him, that meant using denim, shortening the length, finding clasps that didn’t look clumsy, and generally paring the details back so the style was “not as outgoing.” The design felt right, Bank says, when it felt controlled enough, but he still loves the fundamentals of the style. “Different closures give some gravity and edge to more traditional designs—I’ve seen these clasps on peacoats, and on Harringtons, and it just brings a bit more freshness.”
There are yet more subtle reworks out there, too. Carter Young’s Newman Peacoat—my best, if most fiscally painful Black Friday purchase, and one I’ll stop banging on about soon—is expressly named for the firefighter jackets in Paul Newman flick The Towering Inferno, though its clasps are mostly wool, not metal. It sold well this season, and I’m told it will likely be available in more colors next fall as a result.
I’m not saying fireman jackets are a whole new trend you need to tap into. Just that they’re a nice, different option for the frequent trucker or denim jacket wearer—especially when they’ve been Frankensteined a touch by some of our favorite designers.
How Renatto Balladares wears it
Renatto works as a concept designer at GAP, but I didn’t actually know that until we spoke last week. Truthfully, I’ve just followed him for years because I really appreciate his taste, and have always wanted to know more about it—he has a way of creating real visual harmony from a bunch of seemingly out-there pieces. Happy to have him on.
I associate you with a certain silhouette, but I’m not sure how to describe it. Can you?
Yeah. So I’m 5’7”, and straight or slim legs don’t really look great on me, so I dress with a sort of balloon silhouette—my trousers are baggy, but cinched at the hem. And my shirts are big, but buttoned. You’re mobile but loose at the same time. I like what I wear to have volume. Especially if it’s a more classic piece, I get away from it being too referential by really pushing the proportions.
What’s one thing you have multiples of?
The Our Legacy Borrowed Shirt. It comes in flannels, stripes, and simple poplins, but it’s another one where the style is classic, but the silhouette pushes it to a different place. Studio Nicholson shirts have that element too.
What’s a recent pick-up you’re enjoying?
Sage Nation’s Box Pleat trousers. They’re like an easy chino, but the proportions are pushed out while still having a tapered ankle, which I like because these days I’m wearing a lot of low, flat shoes—the Miu Miu New Balance, the Puma Speedcats, the Dries ones—and a wide pant just swallows those whole.
What’s a non-clothing item you re-buy?
Zabu floor cushions. In New York you don’t get a lot of space, so I like to make the room bigger by sort of living lower.
Any obsessions?
Headwear. I take it really seriously. Plus I shave my head every week, so I need them for warmth. I’ve had things made, and I source vintage too, like the Missoni today, but in terms of new I love the Issey Miyake weird punky beanies that look like a sock hanging from your head, and I still wear the Emily Dawn Long Hat Called Wanda. I’ve also been buying more woolen neckerchiefs that I’ve been using as headbands.
And you wear an over the shoulder bag?
Yes. The Lemaire Nylon one—I like the croissant too, but the nylon one is water resistant, and just more wearable to me.
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I’m obsessed with the fireman silhouette… I wrote about them back in October so I’m glad they’re finally getting the attention they deserve!