Friday Finds – 10/25
Curios from around the internet this week.
You may have noticed a little rebrand happening over here, as well as a paid tier again (wait, what??!). As I’ve said in the past, integrity is important to me — I started The Bengal Stripe in 2010, and I want to keep this thing going with the same intent of sharing personal experiences and my perspective on things. Going forward, there will be a paywall for longer-form content to support the time and energy that goes into it, rather than doing paid promotions or GRWM TikToks or whatever the kids do to keep the lights on these days. If you don’t care about that, that’s fine too; I’m still doing these regular roundups of things I’m into at no cost to you.
Lands’ End Made in Japan Crewnecks
Growing up in the northeast, my parents thrived off the LL Bean and Lands’ End catalogs. While Lands’ End was generally more basic and slightly more affordable [they became the defacto option for school uniforms], what they did offer, they did very well. Both brands are a bit of a shell of their former selves, but that’s what secondhand shopping is for. I recently snagged a Supima OCBD on eBay with many of the same details as 80s Brooks Brothers, but I also stumbled upon these made-in-Japan crewnecks that are impeccably constructed from nicely weighted cotton in a very 90s color palette. I used to feel like cotton sweaters were for people who couldn’t afford something nicer, but I’ve come around to the fact that they’re great for shoulder seasons and a bit easier to layer under unlined jackets. They’ve got that good 90s boxy fit, and if you want a trendy little crop, you could always shoot for something two sizes larger on the women’s side - they go up to 3XL on eBay. For $20-40, that’s a pretty sweet deal.
Etymology Shoes
I came across this brand because the owner bought a Belvest blazer from me on Grailed a couple of years ago [so I can vouch; he has very good taste]. They’re Australian but made in Spain, and the $450 AUD price point comes in at under $300 USD — a great deal for handmade, Goodyear-welted, Italian calfskin shoes with a sleek profile. I’ve never been a tassel loafer guy, but the styling above has me reconsidering.
Wythe Fall/Winter 2024
If you haven’t heard of Wythe already, you may be living under a Giant Rock. Sure, anyone who's in the scene has long coveted their pearl snaps and the Oxford shirts they kickstarted with, but I feel like the brand is truly settling into who they are with their FW24 collection. The serrated edges on the shearling, the oxidized copper snaps on the Beachcloths, the hair-on-hide patch on their Bedford cords. Everything they’ve dropped has an attention to detail that most brands are lucky to get right even once a season, and Wythe is hitting home runs with every single piece. Really fucking cool and extremely rare to see a brand where I would wear everything they put out. Their dusty, dry-aged NY shop reads like a well-curated vintage shop at first glance and is sure to be the first stop for me when I touch down in NY next month.
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