Friday, March 20, 2015

BMW + Instagram Video


So BMW just posted an Instagram video that I think I've now watched like 45 times. What sells me on this is not just the car—which is the stunning Euro-spec forbidden fruit known as the 1er hatch—it's also the vibe and editing. The music's pretty meh, but I'll admit that I'm looking at video on Instagram in a different light thanks to this one. Nicely done BMW.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Vossen Rims: Better than the Big Brands



It's kinda crazy how sometimes the smaller companies that revolve around the bigger brands seem to 'get it' much more than the big boys. High-end rim manufacturer Vossen recently released a nicely produced piece of branded content featuring skater Joey Brezinski and his stunning Audi A7. 



The interesting thing about this is that it's a great piece of promotion for Audi and it's done in a way that genuinely attracts me to the car. I think it works so well because it's not the brand itself, so they don't feel the need to shove the product down my throat.

Big brands should definitely take note. This is the way to produce slick, sticky branded content. Don't make it so much about your product, make it about the lifestyle you facilitate.

Friday, March 06, 2015

Just a Dude on Pinterest

So I've been on Pinterest for a few years now and I coincidentally reached some milestones this week... eight thousand pins and three thousand followers! What the what?!? Thank you for all the support. I'll do my best to keep the good stuff coming. 

Here's a quick rundown of the most repinned, greatest hits that I've discovered and pinned to my boards over the last little bit. It's so interesting to see which pins got some traction out here. Lemme know what you think! 







Saturday, February 21, 2015

Avocado Awesomeness Moodboard

Stumbled on the image of the New Balance hiking boot (top left) and it instantly sparked the need to get my avocado on. Hope you like!

Friday, February 20, 2015

The Dodos Just Made My Day



Feeling a little down in the dumps today? This latest vid from The Dodos will instantly snap you out of it. The shoulders are the best.



Monday, February 16, 2015

Love from Land Rover


I stumbled on this video by Land Rover yesterday, along with many of you... I'm sure. I love that a brand would go to this degree of awesomeness. It's a lesson to all autobrands (and all brands in general for that matter) on the type of content we want you to create.


No joke... I got choked up watching this one. And wow, what a fantastic follow up to The Vanishing Game.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Spacin' Wagon



You may or may not have heard that I recently said bye-bye to my GTI. I'm now starting the hunt for the right kind of rod to tool around in on the weekend. I'm currently geeking out on BMW E39 5 Series wagons and this particular example is pretty close to perfect. Great job on this one Swagon.





Sunday, January 04, 2015

2014: A Year in Review

Top 3 Favorite Albums

3. Bleachers - Strange Desire

Bringing the ’80s back one synth track at a time. Standout track: Reckless Love

2. Taylor Swift - 1989

Also bringing the ’80s back another synth track at a time. Standout track: Bad Blood

1. Beck - Morning Phase


Trust me. Pop this one in first thing every Monday morning. Standout track: Blue Moon

Top 3 Favorite Movies

3. Interstellar

Yes, this one just might be Nolan's M. Night moment, but I've thought about it everyday since seeing it. Standout features: CASE, KIPP, and TARS

2. The Lego Movie

Mind melding the Lego, Batman and Star Wars geeks in us all. Standout moment: Spaceship, Spaceship, Spaceship!!!

1. Live. Die. Repeat.: Edge of Tomorrow

Shoulda been called Live. Die. Repeat. from day one; it's the most underrated movie of the year. Standout feature: Emily Blunt wielding a helicopter blade sword.

Top 3 Favorite TV Shows

3. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Seinfeld. Fine autos. Cool restaurants. Yes. Yes. And yes. Standout episode: Sarah Jessica Parker

2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Consistently bringing comedic heat to the heat! Standout episode: Stakeout

1. Gracepoint

This outta nowhere 'merican remake of a British show makes me wanna have more miniseries marathons. Standout performance: David Tennant as Detective Emmett Carver

Top 3 Favorite Cars

3. BMW i8

Easily the most exciting car to come along in decades. Welcome to the future. Standout feature: i is the new ///M

2. BMW ///M235i


This was so close to my number one pick, it’s not even funny. Standout feature: It’s a drift mob monster.

1. Volkswagen GTI

Sheesh. Wolfsburg nailed it. Standout feature: No other five seater under $30K on the planet has this perfect balance of fun, style, economy and character.

Top 3 Favorite Designs

3. Poler - The Rolltop

So digging the aesthetic of the classic rolltop backpack. Standout colorway: Holiday Yellow

2. Quell & Co. - The Spool Dock

My phone always seems to have juice now. Standout feature: Industrial grade felt FTW.

1. Canopy.co

If only Amazon’s main interface was nearly as cool as its curated cousin’s. Standout feature: Sweet little iOS app.

And a new category this year since officially making the leap to Madison Avenue...

Top 3 Favorite Ads

3. Land Rover - The Vanishing Game

Never thought an ad would be the trigger to make me want to start reading again. Standout feature: Multimedia awesomeness.

2. Honda - The Other Side

This is really hard for me to say, but this guy could give Jason Statham a run for his money. Standout feature: Cinema-grade production design.

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Official Teaser

I don’t care how many blades that lightsaber has, I started choking up the moment I saw the Falcon doing those maneuvers. Standout feature: Impossible to choose just one.

Friday, December 26, 2014

Holiday Haul

Got some fun items for Christmas this year. Starting in the top left: Poler's Holiday Rolltop pack, Gap's Chunky Fair Isle scarf, neff's Daily Beanie, Field Notes' County Fair collection: Utah, Palomino's Blackwing Pearl pencil, and J.Crew + Nike Waffle Racer sneakers. So yeah, I'm a happy camper.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Castle Greyscale Moodboard

A couple of these images ended up right next to each other in my feeds recently and I thought that a groovy grey moodboard was definitely in order. Not too full of holiday cheer per se, but hope you enjoy anyway!

Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Suits and Sneakers: 5 Rules of the Road

I recently moved to NYC and see an almost daily trend of guys wearing sneakers with suits!?! From time to time, it actually looks kinda cool. But more often than not, it's a billowy business suit with goofy, technical-looking cross trainers that I wouldn't even wear with jeans let alone slacks.

Here are five basic rules of the road I've observed for pairing sneakers with suits in a way that actually works.

1) Tailored Suit
You gotta start off with the right sorta suit. A suit and sneakers doesn't just work with any cut. From what I can tell, it really has to be a very tailored jacket with form-fitting, cuffed pants. It also can't just be a standard dark, flat-colored business suit. Kicks go best with lighter, textured fabrics.


Men's Style Pro nails the look.

2) Classic Sneakers
Your grubby gym shoes are not gonna cut it. The best way to pull this look off is to stick to the classics. Vintage, retro, or reissued running shoes are the safest bet. Classic skate sneaks or indoor soccer shoes work too.


The Bespoke Dudes get it right.

3) Cool Socks or No Socks at All
Pair your sneakers with some fancy, colorful socks or better yet, just go sockless. (Wear hide-a-socks if you must.) Do not pull out your white tubes or black dress socks… even if they have gold toes.

4) Additional Accessories
Adding sneaks to a suit brings an overall sportiness to your look. Compliment that sporty vibe with the right kind of accessories, whether it’s a hat, scarf, or matching iPad sleeve (above)—let people know you’re on the go.


And of course J.Crew and Nick Wooster both know what's up.


5) Own It
By wearing sneakers with your suit, you’re entering into a brave new world of men’s fashion where relatively few have trodden. Follow these rules but most importantly, be confident. Wear them with a sly smile and jet around in some serious street style.

There’s a dude on my train platform who wears a checkered pair of classic Vans slip-ons almost every morning. And thanks to his heather grey tailored suits, the right accouterments, and that just-gonna-own-it attitude... he pulls the whole look off flawlessly.

So give a suit and sneaks a shot, just stick to the rules so you don’t end up lookin’ like these guys.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

State Bicycle Offroad Division

Excited about State Bicycle's new Offroad Division. I'm thinking about one of these beasts. We'll see.




Friday, November 07, 2014

The Life Aquatic Moodboard

So last week, I strolled into work sporting my classic Steve Zissou Halloween costume. It wasn't the first time I rocked it and it won't be the last. It's my all-time favorite movie and its style is timeless. In fact, it got me thinking. Since Wes Anderson is the definitive OH (original hipster)... does The Life Aquatic's aesthetic still work today?

I combed through Pinterest and Tumblr and stumbled on this handful of images. And in my opinion, not only does its look work along with today's vibes... this movie very well may have inspired the tone that's permeating plenty of people's pins.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Tighter Than Tight


I stumbled on this immaculately renovated, tighter than tight example of a BMW 3.0 and seriously can't stop looking at it. I'm just blown away by the hot chocolate paint job, updated deep-dish radial spoke rims from an E39 5-series, and gorgeous photography by Davey G. Johnson. Enjoy!










Monday, October 27, 2014

Danner = Awesome + Authentic

Man, Danner is a brand that just gets it and does it right. I was super stoked to be wearing their boots today when I saw a piece of branded content like this. Their commitment to replicating the magic of a classic product and then capturing that process just inspires me.

The reissue of their Mountain Light Cascade for Reese Witherspoon in her upcoming flick Wild is dead-on cool. Here's to wishing other brands had just as much get-it factor as Danner does. Thanks for the heads Upto12.

PS: Also watch for the #SockAndSandals appearance!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

World Series Moodboard

Thanks to a challenge from Upto12 and Mrs. Kyality's hometown love for the SF Giants, I'm commemorating their World Series run with a new moodboard. Enjoy!

Thursday, October 16, 2014

More Socks, More Sandals



Teva continues to crank out some great branded content around the thing haters love to hate on... #SocksAndSandals. And according to their lead stylist, Kira Sheppard, this combo isn't just for the granola types anymore. She makes a definite point to drop the term "urban" more that once.

Thursday, October 02, 2014

Autumn Moodboard


I've been toying with the idea of curating more specific little moodboards lately and was inspired to create one that feels a little autumn-themed. So here are a few images I've recently sprinkled through my Pinterest and Tumblr feeds... all brought together in one place. Just click the image to enlarge. Hopefully you dig!