345: All the NY menswear gems I wish I’d bought

And how Nico Lazaro wears it.

Welcome to Magasin Menswear. In a dedicated bimonthly 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.

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First up…

• There’s a lot of raw denim in the air (and in my New York roundup below). My theory? Jeans have been the only pants that most of us wore for the past year, but right now, every guy I know wants to wear a few more shirts and generally feel a bit more tailored. Dark raw denim provides that elegance upgrade without having to stray far. We’ll see how people feel when those fades start to show.

• Finally got to designer vintage emporium La Nausee (which sells online, too… 👀) Very special, fairly-priced archive pieces—Helmut Lang, Giorgio Armani, Katharine Hamnett—and the source of Timmy’s Armani leather jacket.

• Not sure what it means yet, but spotting a little more shimmer as I go about my scouts.

• Don’t be like me and buy your long-coveted Mephisto Match a half size too big because the store manager told you they were the “last pair in New York.” I’ve since learned they run a little big, so they can truly be bought in your dress shoe size, not your sneaker size. Welp. Still so comfy though, and an insole helps.

• Uniqlo just dropped a ton of linen.

• FYI: No Maintenance tells me they’re restocking their always-OOS, Austin Butler-favored Canvas Mechanic Jacket next Friday. In other celebrity-adjacent style news, I’d been wondering which denim jackets Role Model wears. Turns out it’s a womenswear brand—Aya Muse—and their Everyday Denim Jacket. Basically a Levi’s Type III.

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My New York City menswear prowl

I was back in the city for the last couple of weeks and stopped into probably more than 30 stores. These finds are all still on my mind:

Man-tle R18S3 Gum Shirt (at CHCM)

I first tried this light jacket, above—in pleasingly stiff “rock linen”—almost an entire year ago. It’s the only thing that’s stayed on my wishlist for that long, but even though it dropped weeks ago, the almost-a-laptop price held me back. But when I was reunited with it at CHCM—a store I’ve learned so much from over the years, even when I couldn’t spend that kind of money there—it felt like the right place to really treat myself. I have no regrets. (Sidenote: It was also fun to try on the Conkers heavy linen Cerberus jacket while there. If only I had been feeling really reckless…)

Tsatsas Faber One Calfskin Leather Bag (at 180 the Store)

I have a men’s bags survey coming here soon and can only hope it’s full of options that look like this. While at 180, I also really loved this ultra-soft Chimala denim jacket, and spotted those Heinrich Dinkelacker derbies I first saw at Beige in January.

Maw Moth Hair Pin (at Forecast)

This is one (below) that most of us—myself included—won’t be able to wear. But it’s so good. And I overheard that its designer, among other cool projects, used to work with Bode.

Alex Mill David Windbreaker (at Alex Mill)

Sure, it's not as insider-y of a brand. But the quality was great, the shimmer was epic, the fit was perfect. The blue version almost immediately sold out, but I think people are sleeping on the green (above). And while we’re on more approachable brands, I mistook this great J.Crew linen jacket for a Valstarino at first.

Dries Van Noten Leather Tote (at Ven. Space)

Ven. Space was every bit as special as I’d hoped it would be, and one of just two stores to which I made a return trip. The whole selection is so unbelievably dialed, but if you gave me one dream pick for the day, it would have been this tote (above). In the end, I left with a RoToTo 3-Pack.

Lady White Co. Coach Jacket (at Cueva)

Of course I’m biased, as they’re friends, but I hadn’t tried this on yet. The fit is roomy up top, a little cropped below—just right.

3Sixteen Type 3s Denim Jacket (3Sixteen)

3Sixteen sells out constantly, and doesn’t need me to give it any flowers, but I do think it unfairly flies under the radar simply because it’s been doing denim so well for so long. If I were to buy one raw denim jacket tomorrow, it would be theirs (below).

Brioni Chambray Shirt, vintage (at Colbo)

Colbo’s in-house line is incredibly special—I haven’t taken off the papery half-zip since they kindly gifted me one—but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t especially over the moon with this Brioni chambray shirt purchase I made from their vintage racks. I also discovered Yoko Sakomoto there: Check out this trench. (While we’re on designer vintage—Sorbara’s was excellent, and also full of summery dress shirt gems. Someone buy this Agnes B. shirt, please.)

Coor Off-White Seersucker Check Shirt (at Million Goods)

Million Goods had great brands—Margaret Howell, Sunflower, Berner Kühl—but I’m always paying attention to what the employees are wearing. One was wearing this great crispy shirt from South Korea’s Coor, which I had never heard of before but, while already sold out in-store, is available at SSENSE.

Lee x Buck Mason 101B Jean (Buck Mason)

Feel a bit bad that my favorite Buck Mason thing in the whole store was a Lee collaboration, but BM still played a great big part in this one. It’s the historic, straight-leg Lee Rider 101—check those acorn-shaped back pockets—but now in Buck Mason’s Japanese denim, and without the distracting Lee pocket stitching. Really good, and available raw, too.

Studio Dévé ‘L’ Pin (on Laura, above)

Laura was wearing this at dinner, and now I want it too. Badly. They offer the whole alphabet—grab your initial.

Wythe Chocolate Suede Roper Boot (at Wythe)

Just a perfectly shaped boot handmade in Mexico, in my favorite shade of suede (above). It’s actually far darker and more chocolatey than my picture suggests.

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How Nico Lazaro wears it

Nicolas Lazaro and I have talked on and off about clothes for years. In that time, what I’ve most respected about his style is that it’s never really changed. He’s only drilled deeper into the silhouette and styles that work for him. (Case in point: He had multiple answers to the “What do you have multiples of?” question.) In his words, “having a really good core wardrobe prevents you from getting swayed.” Thrilled to have him on today—and for what it’s worth, after an impressive career at Grailed and Buck Mason, he’s now a roving consultant.

Which piece in your wardrobe have you worn for the longest?

My belt from Trafalgar. They have engine-turned belt buckles, and I got a gold-plated one with my initials on it, on a crocodile strap, in 2011.

What’s something you have multiples of?

I have a lot of Buck Mason Toughknit T-shirts, all made in Pennsylvania. When I was working there, I invested heavily. They’re just really soft and based on Japanese reproductions of the original American mid-century stuff. I also have about a dozen 1970s US Navy chambray work shirts—they're really cheap, and they remind me of my dad, who was in the Navy at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Then I have several denim jackets and a ton of jeans, always straight-leg. And I pretty much exclusively wear loafers.

What’s a new pick-up you’re enjoying?

August Special’s Tobacco Suede loafer. They're the most comfortable thing I own because they're built off an orthopedic last and have a memory foam-like insole. They’re kind of between a Belgian and a sturdier loafer.

I love that earring you’re wearing.

This is Maiden Name, based off of a Bronze Age Chinese earring they found. It has Tiger’s Eye stones in it.

What’s an especially sentimental item to you?

My mom’s old YSL striped shirt from the 1980s. It’s a men’s shirt, but I guess she wore it while she was doing art classes. It reminds me of her in my childhood, and I wear it pretty often, even though it’s getting a little threadbare.

If we could buy you anything, what would you pick?

I heard Lauren Manoogian is going to launch men’s soon, so I’d obviously love a taste of that. Otherwise Carter Young, Lemaire, Stoffa, L.E.J., Rubato, Bryceland’s… Adret, because those prices are insane. Saman Amel tailoring, Auralee, A.Presse, Ven. Space… I just got a suit from Robert Spangle’s Observer Collection, and it’s so good that I’d love another one. But let me temper that by saying that going to the thrift store and finding something that fits you perfectly feels just as good!

And the necklace?

That’s Goro’s—it’s very hard to get. You have to wait in a queue, it's ticketed, and I think now you even need a Japanese passport too, so you need to find someone in Japan who can get you in. The story, I think, is that the founder died, but in the 1970s he studied under Native American silversmiths, and even lived in the southwest for a little while with these tribes. With their approval, he brought that back to Japan and trained a bunch of apprentices, and you can still buy their stuff, which are all his original designs.

Any other jewellery brands you like?

Yes, Coldframe, which is much more accessible. They're out of South Korea, and it's more a little bit more minimalist, but they have good, simple designs and interesting takes on things like the Hermès Mariner Link.

How about homeware?

I still really love Hasami Porcelain. It’s tastefully done and goes with whatever your aesthetic is. I also like any Oaxacan pottery and rugs.

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