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Product of Bob Scales: Shirts for Life

Tim Yap
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product bob scales shirts life

Product of Bob Scales, a new shirt collection marrying stylish utilitarian design with top-notch fabrics and made in the USA manufacturing, is barely a week old, but we’re already obsessed. As a former skater in the 80s who would repurpose finds from Sears and surplus stores, and learn about cutting and textiles from several design houses, San Fran designer Bob Scales was always searching for that elusive perfect garment. Debuting on Indiegogo recently, the collection not only offers to grown men those perfectly constructed items but also a modern attitude and solution to the age-old quest for the perfect shirt, which sits just right with us.

“There is nothing novel about the product I am designing—no logo, no pop color button hole on the bottom button, no split yoke cut on the bias—just shirts that have this quiet quality I have been obsessing over,” Scales explains. “My hope is that my everyday shirts will have the same effect of seeing someone wearing a suit with working buttons holes and leaving the last button open. There are probably only a handful of people who understand and appreciate that detail in the same way that there are only a few people who will pick up on the build quality and superior textiles of my shirts, but they are the only ones I am trying to talk to.”

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With shirts normally ranging from $120-$160 and one very cool zip-front jacket for $250 made from top-of-the-line, solid weighted Japanese milled cottons, we think PoBS is already a lot of bang for buck. But what’s even a better bargain is a personal discount of 50% for life on any full-price item. The Indiegogo campaign, which also includes a one-year subscription of 12 shirts plus one jacket for $900, runs through 10/20 with product expected to ship in late November. Consider it one way to get shirt shopping out of the way through 2016.

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Product Review: These Sustainable Shorts Will Motivate You to Work Out
product review vuori bank shorts banks short 3

Depending on where you workout, the way you’re dressed when you hit the gym floor can be almost as imposing as the weight you bench press. While style can’t trump performance, it can sure go a long way to let everybody know whether you’re there to get the job done or just to socialize. The good news is that much of today’s workout gear can not only have a positive impact on performance, it can also make you look great. Whether you're stuck exercising at home, or making your post-lockdown re-entry, I suggest giving these Vuori shorts a try.  
Material
To start, each pair of Banks is made from four to five recycled plastic bottles — so you can do something good for the planet while doing something good for yourself — for a blend of 44% recycled polyester, 44% regular polyester, and 12% elastane for stretch (that may sound like a lot of stretch, but trust me, you want it). The short is available in either a 5- or  7.5- inch inseam, and features an elastic waistband as well as a drawcord. The short also offers anti-odor properties to keep things fresh.

The pair I tested were the Azure Linen 5-inch. The first thing I noticed was the weight. The fabric is extremely light and thin, but strong. Lighter than most t-shirts. As light as a silk pocket square. On my kitchen scale, the shorts weighed in at 6.6 ounces: my phone was nine. When it gets hot and humid, I want to feel like I’m dressed in air. The only thing I want clothing to do at that point is keep me from getting arrested, especially if I’m knee-deep into a sweaty workout. Any little bit of weight in these shorts comes from the waistband, which features an ultra-soft, smooth-brushed elastic that’s feels great against the skin. There’s a small zippered pocket on the front that’s just the right size for keys or AirPods. There are also front pockets and a single zippered back pocket. Each pocket is mesh-backed so if you wear them to swim, they’ll drain easily. The mesh is also against the short, not your skin, so it won’t scratch (but the mesh feels soft enough I don’t think that would be a problem). The zippers are sturdy, easy to open and close, and don’t get caught in the fabric.
Design
From an aesthetic standpoint, I couldn’t be happier. The faux-fly stitching gives the shorts a sort of formality, so I could feel okay wearing them just about anywhere. I’m not a huge fan of wearing elastic-waist “gym shorts” anywhere other than the gym, for an outdoor workout, or maybe the beach, so these are an exception. I also really like the look of the fabric: Described as “linen,” they have that textured look of a dark linen shirt or a broken-in pair of jeans, further adding a sense of decorum. My pair look a bit darker than those shown on the website, but I liked that. The scalloped hem adds a 1970s vibe that is right on trend this season. I also like that the shorts are not overly branded. There are two subtle logo hits, one on the front leg, another on the back pocket, and there’s Vuori’s tasteful signature dove gray and white drawstring. 

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Product Review: Hate Shorts? Wear These Lightweight Pants Instead This Summer
ONS Modern Chino

I kind of hate summer. It's hot, it's humid, there are bugs, and being a guy who naturally runs warm to begin with, I'm relegated to wearing as little clothing as possible whenever I'm going to be outdoors. That usually means a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals, whereas I'd really much rather be wearing jeans, a button-down, and a good pair of boots. In fact, even given my tendency to heat up fast, I often wear pants even on warmer days, largely because I really don't like the look of shoes with shorts, yet also don't like to wear sandals if I'll be away from home all day.

But O.N.S. seemingly has an answer to my sartorial conundrum with its Modern Chino, an ultra lightweight pair of pants that could make for a stylish alternative to shorts. I'm already familiar with the New York City-based menswear brand, as its Rider Chino has been by my go-to pair of pants during cooler seasons. Will the brand's Modern Chino prove to be just as functional for summer? We test it out.
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taylor and stitch pants

 

The business casual dress code has become ubiquitous in today’s office culture, yet there still seems to be some confusion (or perhaps rebellion against?) this style. It’s meant to be a comfortable yet professional mix of both business and casual attire, but people sometimes lean too far into the causal side of their closet. It’s almost impossible to dress too nice in a business casual office since it includes suits and collared shirts. The only distinction between business and business casual in terms of suiting is that you don’t have to wear a tie in a business causal office and can unbutton that top button.

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