Reader Mail seeks to answer life’s sartorial curiosities and other perplexing material issues.

Dear ACL,

Some a-hole stole my watch last week that my brother gave me for graduation; if I want a military/classic-looking watch for under 1200, I could really use some ideas, assuming you have the time to respond.

-Andrew H.

Nothing churns up the comment fervor like a posts on watches and beer. When Andrew asked about military watches the first thing that popped into my head was this Swiss made automatic G-Sar dive watch that is designed for the U.S. and Canadian military. The G-Sar retails for $700, pretty good for an automatic dive watch that will most likely last a lifetime. The G-Sar was developed by the Montreal Ontario based Marathon Watch Company who has been making precision timepieces since 1904.

39 Comments

Reader Mail seeks to answer life’s sartorial curiosities and other perplexing material issues.

Dear ACL,

I was wondering if you could recommend some casual shoes for the upcoming colder months. Up until now I’ve been wearing top-siders, and with the weather lately, they’ve left my feet cold. I just need something casual that I can wear with jeans and khakis.

Samuel — New York City

The transition to fall footwear can be an awkward one. You don’t want to rock the snow boots on a sunny September day, but at the same time you need to make sure your warm weather shoes are seamlessly shelved until spring. The good news is, casual fall footwear options abound. So there is no reason you can’t be comfortable, function and stylish come cooler temperatures. My short list of laid back fall classics are are below.

15 Comments

Reader Mail seeks to answer life’s sartorial curiosities and other perplexing material issues.

Dear ACL,

What is a gentleman to do with his keys? I have two different keys for the home, two more for work, a car key, and a key to the bicycle lock. I have always kept them on a carabiner, but if they escape my back pocket, the resulting noises are akin to a janitorial mating call. I’m afraid that a gentleman ought to have a better solution than a carabiner, particularly for occasions requiring more formal attire. Any insight?

David — Stanford, CA

Great question, thanks for writing in. It is the little things, like keychains, that will stylishly distinguish you from your contemporaries and that can elicit the quiet victory of “where’d you get that keychain?”

8 Comments