The Discerning Brute: fashion, food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man » jaanj

ULTIMATE Father’s Day Guide for the Ethically Handsome Dad

joshuakatcher — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:36:56 +0000

Every Father's Day, we get dear-old-dad the same old stuff, but being a dad is cooler and braver than ever! Most fathers want what's best for the family- and now he can also help protect animals and the planet too. The best part is, when getting these ethically handsome gifts for pop, you don't have to sacrifice style, taste, or pleasure. Nor do you have to compromise on what dad likes! These cool gifts are a spin on traditional Father's Day presents, from geeked-out gadgets and tools to socks and ties to sports gear and suits. I've even got recommendations for dads who have it all, from electric sports cars and motorcycles to Armani Bamboo Sports coats! Your father will be proud to be a personal hero to you and a superhero to the planet. Let's not underestimate what it means to be protector this Father's Day!

GIFTS:

• No one in the office will know! Organic Cotton Dress Shirts from Culturata, Velour, and Nordstrom. Organic cotton blows conventional cotton out of the water – growing conventional cotton requires the use of enormous amounts of pesticides, which has a huge environmental impact and presents health risks for those working around it. 25% of the world’s insecticide use and more than 10 percent of the world’s pesticide goes to cotton crops. In 2003, that amounted to about 55 million pounds of pesticides being sprayed on 12.8 million acres of cotton, according to the Organic Trade Association. • Organic cotton, bamboo, and banana fiber underwear & socks from Aussiebum & Nordstrom. Supporting sustainable and ethical fashion is more than just an outer layer. Keeping pesticides away from sensitive areas is something any man will get behind. . . • Sports gear: Carpenter Trade, professional baseball glove $280 In addition to superior performance, most people don't realize that the #1 cause of greenhouse gas emissions is from raising livestock for food and leather. Avoiding leather is one of the most powerful things to do for the environment. So have a custom made, professional-grade glove made with your dad's name on it. • Mens organic, cruelty-free grooming products and scents. The last thing you should give pop is a guilty conscience with products that have been tested on animals. Most razors and many mainstream grooming products are still tested on animals and are not made from recycled plastics, but these items are totally cruelty-free and sustainable. (Preserve, Jack Black, Herban Cowboy, the Body Shop) • Get your dad back into health with cookbooks, health guides, and diet books for dudes! The fireman's Engine 2 Diet, the Triathlete's THRIVE book series, Skinny Bastard, Meat is for Pussies, Vegan Bodybuilding and Tal Ronnen's amazing cookbook, the Conscious Chef. • Stock the Pantry with delicious, gourmet food! Who says eating healthy means eating sprouts? What dad doesn't love dark chocolate, smores, gourmet sausage, jerky, dips, and healthy, meaty meal-starters? • Cruelty-free Accessories from NOHARM, Novacas, Bourgeois Boheme, Matt & Nat, Truth, and The Vegan Collection. Also check out the solar-charged briefcase from Voltaic, or a recycled canvas and vegetable-based faux-leather handbag. All sustainably leather-free.

• Buy your dad a gift or experience on Charity Buzz and support your favorite charities. Hang with celebs, get backstage, go on trips, amazing experiences, sports tickets, memorabilia, delicious meals, and more!

• Satin Ties & Ties diverted from Landfills. With Jaanj's high-end, luxury, non-silk ties, you'll never miss the worms that get boiled alive. For cotton ties, the Hill-Side makes ties and pocket-squares from selvedge fabrics, diverting them from landfills and making really cool, classic square-end ties, pocket squares, and handkerchiefs. • For the Handy-Dad: Gadgets and tools or a Gift Certificate to GREEN DEPOT, an environmental living & building store. From recycled cotton insulation and a home composter to soy based paints and finishes, any dad into home improvement will love these gifts. • Lawn Order with Greenworks tools. From mowers, blowers, and log-splitters, to hedge-trimmers and cultivators, these greener lawn tools don't use fossil fuels and make self-sufficiency easy and green! • Vintage Sunglasses / Frames. The greenest gifts of all require no new resource extraction or manufacturing. Vintage is always an amazing option. Classic sunglasses are big right now, from aviators, wayfarers, and John-Lennon frames to the 50's Halo frames. • Enthralling DVDs of Oscar winner's and award nominees "The Cove", "Food Inc", and "End of the Line".

For the Dad with it All:

• Tesla Electric Sportscar. 0-60 in 3.9 secs, 288 hp, 236 miles per charge. Starts at $101,500 • Electric Motorcycle from Zero $9,995, or Brammo at $7,995

Wax Weather

TheDiscerningBrute — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:00:11 +0000

Waxed canvas could be my favorite new fabric. It's waterproof, wind resistant, supple, and shares many characteristics with leather (minus the whole killing-of-animals part). Autumn is known for crisp air, rain, and chilly breezes. My advice for fall is waxed cotton all the way from boots to hats. Stay dry, warm, and light! The good thing about these jackets is that they'll last you forever, and since they're classics, they never go out of style.

Barbour

Barbour makes several styles of really nice waxed jackets and hats. I recently got to view four different jackets, and I was told that all their labor is done in Europe (no sweatshops) and their waxes are totally animal-friendly. The Flyer, below, is my favorite for this fall. It's lightweight, insulated, and has nice detailing. The jacket has a 100% cotton Barbour tartan lining with 30 gauge wadding for extra warmth. Two way front zip under a studded front, cord inner collar with buckle front tap, knitted rib hem and cuffs. Retail $375

Goes Great with:

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If you are looking for a more edgy jacket, the International Trials Short Jacket, below, is a slimmer, shorter length version of Barbour's iconic motorcycle design. I suggest wearing this style over a slender suit, open with the belt buckled. This jacket is in Barbour's medium-weight 6 oz. Sylkoil wax with a 100% cotton Barbour tartan lining. Two-way front zip under a studded storm fly front with set-in sleeves and ventilation eyelets. PU Coated polyamide inner drip strip for extra weather protection, corduroy collar and cuffs, and multiple pockets. Retail $379 Goes Great with:

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Finally, if you're looking for a longer coat, the Cowen Commando is one of Barbour's most famous styles. this modern wax jacket was designed from a historic British army pattern, with a Union Jack badge to prove it. Barbour's heavyweight 8 oz. Weathered wax with tartan lining. The jacket also features reinforced shoulder panels, a drawcord waist with adjustable toggles and multiple pockets. Retail $419.Goes Great with:

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Belstaff

Belstaff's waxed cotton is more expensive than Barbour (averaging around $530). They are gorgeous and leather-free, but they do incorporate Teflon in their canvass, which is toxic, and made by DuPont, a known vivisector and environmental polluter. Therefore I cannot recommend these jackets, and I suggest writing a kind letter to DuPont expressing your disdain for outdated and cruel animal testing, and CC Belstaff! ___________________

David Morgan

For a more affordable autumn jacket, David Morgan offers a oil-finish, waxed cotton jacket called the Shelter Cloth Jacket (retail $160). It has a marbleized color, utility pocket, and moleskin collar (don't worry, moleskin is actually cotton). David Morgan also offers a pretty bad-ass trench coat called The Duster (retail $285).Goes Great with:

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Goes Great with:

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Wax It Yourself

Do you own a pair of canvas boots or sneaks, a jean jacket, or even a cotton hat? If you want to waterproof it, and give it a chic, slick appearance, you can buy wax and DIY!

Fresh Friday Finds

TheDiscerningBrute — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:36:01 +0000

1. Tying not to use silk? Thanks to DB reader Pierre for this, we've been informed of the all Vegan Ties made from satin and cotton at: www.jaanj.com 2. Give Leather a Smack-down. More Vegan Mixed Martial Arts gloves! I still think there should be an official "Mac Danzig signature vegan glove". Hey Mac, get in touch! 3. Suits made from 100% recycled post-consumer material! ECOGIR from Bagir Global Innovative Tailoring also features organic cotton, bamboo and tagua nut suits!

4. FISA vote sends us into 1984.

5. Organic Hemp B-boys from THTC. From organic growing, to processing, treating and dying the hemp and cotton fibres, to labor practices - THTC is a leader in ethical fashion. With it's heart in breakdancing, graffiti art, Hip Hop, Reggae, Breaks and Drum & Bass, the designs coming from this collective is making waves in the urban scene, with fans emerging like Morcheeba, Asian Dub Foundation, Goldie and the Mad Professor.