Feast your ears (and eyes) on the latest COE collaboration project, The Reflection mixtape presented by my myself and my good man Luis Valdizon from Minoru Blvd.  Luis and I have been bouncing ideas off of each other over the course of the last month, and what started out as a simple exchange about our favorite music and the stuff we were currently listening to, has ultimately come to manifest itself in the form of The Reflection.  Follow the jump for the download, and to hear more about our collaboration.

Luis is another extremely talented renaissance man, a guy who is formally educated in the art of music production, who knows his way around a camera (in both film and photography), who does great work in graphic design, and is able to keep all of these talents in play all while studying for a degree in Political Science.  Interestingly enough, it turned out that I’ve known about Luis since early last year, given the fact that he produced “High Life” (one of the better songs on my boy Theo’s The Birth mixtape), but it was just last month that learned it was Luis who was responsible for producing it.

The collection that Luis and I present to you is a well thought out mix of some of our favorite songs that truly take us places and put us in a reflective state of mind.  The artwork is completely the work of Luis (with a little bit of input from myself, of course), and is influenced from the old Blue Note jazz album cover art from the 50’s and 60’s.  We wanted something simple and classy that would best reflect the music contained within, and I think the result is phenomenal.  There are 14 songs total on the mixtape; the first 7 songs are COE selections, and the last 7 are Minoru Blvd selections.  We really wanted to not just offer our audience a curated collection of songs, but also our thoughts and feelings on the songs that we chose because we really wanted to make it more personal.  I find that like the old vinyl albums that used to have literature supplements, you find yourself much more connected to the music on a personal level when you are given some insight on the work from the creatives themselves.  As a result, we’ve included a PDF supplement in the mixtape zip file explaining the sentimentality behind each individual song and why we chose to include them in The Reflection.  We hope that you’ll read the supplement and follow along as you listen to the songs.  From Luis and myself, we really hope that you find yourself inspired by The Reflection, and keep your eyes peeled on future projects between COE and Minoru Blvd!

DOWNLOAD: Minoru Blvd x COE | The Reflection

The Reflection Tracklist:

Components of Enthusiasm’s Picks
1. S-Preme – Radio
2. The Roots – Din Da Da
3. Underworld – Two Months Off
4. Mute Math – Control
5. Bill Evans – Peace Piece
6. Little Dragon – Twice
7. Christopher O’Riley – Speed Trials

Minoru Blvd’s Picks
8. Emancipator – Lionheart
9. Memory Tapes – Run Out
10. Radiohead – Nude (sayCet Remix)
11. Burial – Unite
12. Portishead – Roads
13. Coeur De Pirate – Fondu Au Noir
14. Kanye West – Diamonds (Errol Flynn Mash Up)

As The Favorites draws to a close, I wanted to end the series by sharing with you my personal favorite garment in my wardrobe.  It’s simple, it’s classic, and it’s served me well for the last four years despite an accident involving a gel pen in the wash a few years back.  My favorite article of clothing is my green L.L. Bean oxford shirt.  Follow the jump to read on.

When I decided to start The Favorites there was really only one garment that stood out for me in my mind, and I knew immediately that it would have to be my topic of contribution.  I realize that L.L. Bean is a brand that is squarely in the middle of the current infatuation with American heritage brands, but my affinity that I have towards my L.L. Bean oxford shirt is wholly uninfluenced by this trend.

I bought this shirt during my second year of college at the local Goodwill when I was searching for a Cosby sweater for Halloween.  My mission in finding a great Cosby sweater was accomplished (and served me well for multiple Halloweens), but the true diamond in the rough was this shirt.  When I first spotted it on the rack, I was initially drawn in by the color, a wonderful shade of sea green that made me think of spring and summer weather.  I checked the size, hoping for anything but XXL, and much to my delight, it turned out to be my size (f0r the most part).  With a price tag of three or so dollars, I made no hesitation in this impulse purchase.

Above all else, what I love about this shirt besides the color would have to be the fit.  It’s slim fitting, and just short enough to be able to wear untucked without it looking like you were too lazy to tuck in your shirt.  The single needle tailoring creates a very sleek, almost seamless profile, which I truly appreciate, and the fabric, a 60/40 blend of cotton and polyester, has a hefty weight that I love.  Across the chest and shoulders, it embraces my frame like no other shirt I have, and it’s complemented by the perfect button down collar which is perfect in size and wonderfully reinforced enough to frame my face regardless of the abuse it receives in the wash.  I love the fact that the shirt also lacks a front pocket, a shirting option I’ve grown to like less and less over the years.  The absence of a pocket creates a more continuous and cleaner profile with the shirt, and I really appreciate that.  The odd thing about the shirt, however, is the placement of the buttons.  Instead of the usual placement on the right side of the shirt, these buttons are on the left side, which my mom duly informed me is usually a sign that the shirt is made for a woman.  However, since my shirt has a collar size, which is a feature only found in men’s shirts, my mom’s words turned out to be a false alarm.  I noticed, also, that when I first started wearing the shirt the bottom in the front used to flap too much.  I discovered, later that towards the bottom was an additional button (most likely meant to be a spare button) but no button hole on the corresponding place on the placket, so I took a pocketknife and cut a small makeshift button hole in the placket in order to be able to button the shirt a little further down.

Along with the cut of the shirt and the slight modifications that I’ve made to it, what also really has me attached to this garment is the fact that it was involved in a pretty bad fight with a gel pen in the wash, which at first appeared as though my shirt had lost in this unfortunate battle.  I reluctantly retired the shirt to the Goodwill pile, but over the summer I took it back out and decided it was just too special to give away.  So I started wearing it just around the house as my summer shirt of sorts, and I noticed just recently that the terrible ink stains were not as prominent as they had been.  Over the course of many washes, the stains have receded immensely, and in retrospect this is probably something that should have been obvious.

In any case, this L.L. Bean oxford truly is my favorite.  Great color, great fabric, single-needle tailoring, a terrific cut, unique details, and strong college memories associated with this shirt all combine to form a very strong sentiment with me that no other garment in my wardrobe can match.  It’s worn best in the summer with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up, and every time I wear it, summer or not, I’m a happy guy.  Well done L.L. Bean.

Paul Munford | Components of Enthusiasm

I love being one of the firsts to find out about great new things that are under the radar, and this sentiment applies particularly in the case of Taylor Stitch.  An online shirting company based out of San Francisco, Michael Maher and his business partners are making it possible to custom make your very own high quality, one-of-a-kind dress shirts featuring fabrics from some of the world’s most respected fabric houses, and the option to have your shirts made to measure at no extra cost.  If this sounds like something you might be interested in, I can’t blame you.  You’ll be thrilled at the possibilities when you visit the website, so be sure to see what Michael and the guys have to offer.

I think you’ll also find that Michael’s story behind his favorite item of clothing is one of the best of The Favorites.  Like Ryan Pletty from yesterday, he was a late addition, but I’m hoping that the concept of saving the best for last is proven true in this case.  To read Michael’s story on his attachment to and the making of his belt from South America, be sure to follow the jump.

“A belt is made to hold up your pants. Hopefully your pants fit so maybe it just ends up being a testament to your personal style. As long as it is not a means for holding your cell phone I can deal. However, if you were to slip a gun holster through it I could get behind that. Let’s be real though, you aren’t Jesse James and I’m not Billy the Kid.

Anyways, I care about items that wear well and have a truly personal story behind them. These things will generally hold intrinsic value to you and you alone. I don’t expect anybody’s jaw to drop by the actual belt but try and visualize the man who cares about this craft and works at it so deliberately. Everyday I slide my belt through the loops of my jeans I think of the experience of the purchase and the travels I was allowed at the time. I was at an open air market on a brisk day in Buenos Aires. A weathered gent with a long gray pony tail smoking a cigarette stood behind a table with an anvil, a few choice tools and a whole pile of leather and buckles. All of the leather had a hand stamp that simply stated “Artesanias,” “Rayen” and “Argentina.” Translated directly as “Artisans” and “Border” (still not able to make the connection). I sorted through the piles and found my leather and brass buckle. The man wrapped a piece of raw hide around me and had my waste size. He put his cigarette out on the table as he blew his last drag into the air and went to work; cutting off the end of the leather and hand punching the holes; then finishing up by riveting the buckle on and passing it over to me with a smile.

I gave him what was the equivalent of about USD$13 and shook his leathery paw. He refused to take anything more. The exchange was complete and i knew right away I had made a good purchase. I wear it damn near every day and although the brass could use a polish I continue to let it discolor. It just feels right. As the back of the hide becomes smooth and the dye from my jeans rubs off on it I become more attached and remember the travels that came with its ownership.

Three of my friends and I had finished college and set off for a month of adventures through a small island in the West Indies followed by a few countries in South America before the real world took hold. There is not time to share the stories here, but I can assure you they were times never to be forgotten with friends that will always play a major part in my life.That being said, I have and always will endorse exploration because you never know what memories (and merchandise) you are going to come back with. Wander for yourself.”

Michael Maher | Taylor Stitch

Representing the Midwest and opening the last week of The Favorites for us today is Chicago-based Ryan Plett of the great blog You Have Broken the Internet.  As this series has featured individuals who are bloggers, musicians, and business owners, it is fitting that Ryan also be featured, especially since he’s another multi-talented blogger.  Plett’s creativity and ambition are both strong enough that they’ve manifested themselves in the form of a creative branding and marketing company called Cu5stom Branding.  Yesterday, I had a great conversation with him picking his brain a little, and it must be said that the guy dropped some major knowledge and words of inspiration on me.  Ryan is doing it up big; he has some major projects in store for the future, and is thus a terrific fit in this series.

Although a late addition to the series, Ryan chose to offer something that reflects what his blog is all about: an appreciation for American products and brands that offer a healthy mix of both heritage and style.  Follow the jump to read on about Ryan and his favorite boots, his Red Wing 1907s.

“I bought these boots about two years ago and they’ve easily been my favorite boots.  Now that winter has its grip on the Midwest, these are most likely on my feet any day I’m not at the office till the wee hours of the night.  Once the blisters healed and were supplemented with thick ass socks, the boots became my street kicks for any occasion.  Everything from a pub to walking around shooting photography, the 1907’s are by far my favorite style of Red Wings.  They have broken in nicely, and I can wear them an entire day without the slightest pain.  I hope they continue to get better with age and abuse…”

Ryan Plett | You Have Broken the Internet

The Pursuit Aesthetic is one of those style blogs that manage to pair the great style items found in its posts with an equally stylish blog design.  Me being partial to not only a carefully crafted presentation, but also the content within that framework, Brennan Woods’s blog was one of the firsts that resonated with me.

I’ll be honest, Brennan threw me a change-up when his contribution showed up in my inbox.  But really, in retrospect, it shouldn’t have because the item that he writes about here parallels well with the theme found throughout his blog: a relaxed, sometimes tongue-in-cheek perspective on traditional American staples.  No, they aren’t the most trad of American style brands, but Vans and their slip-ons have without a doubt reserved their place among American classic style, and particularly in 1980’s skater folklore.  Follow the jump to read Brennan’s take on the collaboration between Marc Jacobs and Vans that culminated in the creation of his favorite style item.

Cal Naughton, Jr. (from Taladega Nights) liked the Tuxedo T-shirt, “’cause it says, like, ‘I want to be formal, but I’m here to party too.’”  Well, that’s how I feel about my slip-on wingtip Vans designed by Marc Jacobs.  ‘Cause it says, like, I want to kick ass, but I want to kick it with elegance and gentility.  After all, I’m a dapper gentleman, gentleman.  So much so, in fact, I have two pairs!

Brennan Woods | The Pursuit Aesthetic

Me being the avid soccer player and fan that I am, I had no idea that when I asked Shaun Barneveld of Trimmed with Gold Above and Port Authority to contribute to The Favorites that I’d get something that plucked the strings of my soccer heart.  When he submitted his photo and the write up, we had a nice little chat about Dutch soccer, the problem with finding an appropriate place to catch a brew and a game in New York, and John O’Brien, an American player who was an Ajax Amsterdam player for nearly his whole career, and who won my heart in the 2002 World Cup by playing arguably the most intelligent and dynamic soccer I’ve ever witnessed from an American player.

Although Shaun runs two well-styled blogs, it turns out that his passion for Dutch soccer is arguably even stronger than his love for blogging.  One of the nicest style bloggers I’ve had the chance to talk with, I think Shaun’s story behind his love for Ajax and what his Ajax jersey signifies to him is a great little read.  Follow the jump to read on about Shaun and his favorite article of clothing, his Ajax Amsterdam jersey.

“Since I was a wee tot I have been a die hard Ajax FC fan.  But the problem is that my family — except my cousin and myself — are die hard Feyernoord FC fans and just to give you an idea of why this fact is significant Ajax and Feyernoord are rival teams.  Nevertheless without fail I will receive the years new Ajax jersey if there is one every year on my birthday from my Oma and Opa — even if it means they hang it out the window of the car in disgust to bring it home from the store.  I do not know where the tradition started from, I don’t know why the tradition started but I now have 10 Ajax jerseys at my parents home in Los Angeles and one — the most recent jersey — I keep with me here in New York.

The jerseys don’t get worn often, in fact I find that some years I can’t find a place that plays Ajax games which means that some years I don’t wear the jersey at all, but they get treated better than any other article of clothing I own.  Maybe because of the process for which it was gotten for me or maybe because of the fact that it is my one connection to a side of my family that I rarely get to see.  For any and all reasons this article of clothing is my favorite.”

Shaun Barneveld | Trimmed with Gold Above & Port Authority

Ivy Style has long been a favorite blog of mine, and since The Favorites is a series on the diversity of style, I decided to contact the blog’s founder, Christian Chensvold, for a necessary dash of classic Ivy League sensibility.  Not surprisingly, Christian responded with something that precisely fit the bill of traditional Ivy League style.

For the uninitiated, if there is any prominent brand that still signifies the past and present of Ivy League style, it is Brooks Brothers.  It is fitting, then, that Christian’s contribution to the series  just so happens to be an item from the venerable brand.  For his contribution to The Favorites, Christian chose his vintage Brooks Brothers repp necktie as his topic of discussion.  Follow the jump to read on about Christian and his great looking tie.

“My favorite item of clothing is a vintage Brooks Brothers tie I’ve had longer than I can remember. Like most clothes horses I tend to remember when and where I acquired an item of clothing, but this one is shrouded in mystery, which only adds to its appeal.

The tie dates from whenever Brooks last made them 3 inches wide (before the current narrow ones). This has become my favorite tie width: 2 7/8 is too narrow, 3 1/4 not narrow enough. Hard to believe a quarter of an inch can make such a difference, but it’s enough of a percentage of a tie’s width to swing it from favorable to unfavorable.

The tie is bold but simple, the way I think a tie should be. The thin stripes mean that the bulk of the tie is navy, which anchors the tie to your outfit while the gold provides the pop. If it were the other way around — a gold tie with navy stripes — the tie would not be nearly so elegant nor versatile. The navy is a wonderful shade of dark, inky blue. There’s a real depth to the color probably brought on by aging, like a patina.

I’d had the tie for a several years before I began realizing that I always seemed to reach for it when pulling an outfit together, and it took me several more years to realize why. Not only does this tie match nearly every shirt, trouser, sport coat and suit in my wardrobe, the blue brings out my eyes and the gold my hair.

It took me 20 years of dressing to figure this out, but I’m now working on building a collection of ties solely in navy and gold/yellow. Still, I doubt I’ll ever top this lovely and well preserved vintage specimen.”

Christian Chensvold | Ivy Style

If there was ever the example of the young-entrepreneure-student-creative, Phil Annand is it.  As we speak, Phil is nearing the midpoint of his second year at Rutgers University, finishing up the first semester’s round of final exams.  For those who don’t know, Phil serves as the brains and the hustle behind a plethora of creative projects, including his popular streetwear clothing label Award Tour, his fantastic blog The Good Times Blog, his Hypebeast blog, and his forthcoming project that has been in the works now for a few months, The Madbury Club.

An exceptional writer and a true renaissance man of sorts, it seems as though whatever blog articles Phil touches turn to literary gold.  I wanted to feature Phil’s midas touch on The Favorites because I felt that he would add something really unique to this whole series, something that would help change things up a bit.  My curve ball, if you will.  As it turns out, Phil’s post is everything I hoped for, featuring the exceptional writing I’ve come to know and enjoy from him, the sentimentality that really creates a strong story, and of course the visual elements which really help to seal the deal.  Follow the jump to read the wonderful story behind Phil and his father’s 1980’s-era varsity jacket.

“I’ll never forget the day I found my father’s varsity jacket in the attic.  It was somewhere around sophomore year of highschool and though I was playing varsity sports at the time for my own school, I never felt any desire to wear a wool billboard of my high school on my back to announce to every passing person that I played soccer and lacrosse during the Fall and Winter.  All of that seemed to change when I cracked open a cardboard box marked “John Highschool” in mymother’s quick scribble.  With the distinct scent of mothballs, dust, and attending an all boys highschool in the 1980’s escaping from the box I found a deep maroon wool varsity jacket the likes of which I had never before seen.  Perfectly accented with heather gray stripes on the shoulders and an arched “Girard College” across the back I was holding in my hands the senior jacket my father wore about twenty years earlier as he tormented freshmen in his final year of highschool.

Girard College is a private school on the outskirts of Philadelphia where children from broken families are given a chance to receive a top of the line education.  Upon senior year and approaching graduation, the boys are given a senior jacket inscribed with their name and graduating year.  In my hands I was holding a small piece of that history.  Complete with pockets so well worn in that whatever you put into them get’s lost inside the lining of the jacket, and a collar that almost permanently stays flipped up, my father’s passed down varsity jacket is my choice for this project.

When Paul asked me to participate here, I chose my father’s varsity jacket over any other piece I own faster than Tiger Wood’s wife takes to a golf club.  Quite simply this is the jacket I throw on when I don’t even want to think about clothing.  Top to bottom made in the U.S. by a manufacture who’s tag has been worn away with the years, the color alone is amazing mostly because I’ve yet to find any other clothing line putting out the same deep maroon.   Not to mention the fact that the cut is seemingly A.P.C. inspired before that brand even existed.  Extremely slim and just short enough to satisfy even the most demanding European designer, yet the jacket is entirely American in it’s appeal and general attitude.  Or maybe it’s just my favorite because it’s easy for me to imagine my father involved in all sorts of debauchery in the streets of Philadelphia two decades ago in the very same wool coat.  With that sort of legacy and legend woven in it’s very fabric, I’ve no doubt that it is my single most favorite piece of clothing hanging in my closet.”

Phil Annand | The Award Tour & Hypebeast

I’ve been a fan on Angelo Spagnolo’s underrated blog, Class Act since early this year.  I think his fashion oriented posts are insightful and succinct, yet candid.  Angelo is one of the few bloggers who in my opinion really lets his opinion on certain items be well known, for better or for worse.  Recently, he’s really stepped his blogging game up a bit by offering an indepth piece on the Portland, Oregon retailer Winn Perry, as well as an interesting analysis on the practicality of us guys purchasing tote bags.

Angelo’s contribution to The Favorites, helps to usher in week two of the series, and his contribution is truly epic in my opinion.  As a student in the final year of his studies in Journalism, I think you can really appreciate the talent that Angelo clearly has to offer in that regard.  I hope you all enjoy the goodness that is Angelo’s piece as much as I have.  Follow the jump to read on.

“I’ve got a lot of great stuff. I look around my room and through my closet and see Etro, Prada, Burberry, Hickey, Polo and the list goes on. As someone who purchased my first GQ subscription when I was 14 and has aspired to be a style journalist since my junior year of high school, it wouldn’t be unexpected of me to choose a gaudy, expensive “favorite” item. My favorite item has a broken zipper, paint stains, and it cost me $13 in 2004.

As a style blogger, being asked to narrow down a list of favorites to just one is a daunting task. Do you go with quality? Price? The newest piece? The longest tenured garment? Despite my love of bow ties, vintage silk ties, Polo and pretty much anything from the big Italian houses, I chose to write about something that, above all others, encapsulates what my personal style is about: Being poor, living in a constant deluge of rain and wind, and a confidence in my style that allows me to never worry what people think about what I’m wearing. My coast guard cold-weather jacket is my armor. I might talk shit, get thrown in the snow, get kicked, stomped on and left. But I won’t be cold. When I stand up I’ll be dry. When I unzip (which takes a bit of work because the lever broke off,) my bow tie will emerge as unscathed as my ego.

It took me a second to remember how long ago I bought this jacket. I thought it was maybe senior year, 2006, but then I remembered Mr. Emerson. Mr. Emerson, whose first name was Ralph but whose middle name was not Waldo, was my teacher for A.P. World History sophomore year, and a former Marine. When he saw me in my coast guard coat he just looked at me and said, ‘Just remember, anything made by the U.S. government represents the lowest-common-denominator of production.’

Good thing I didn’t really listen to anything Ralph told me (the metals of his watch buckle and belt buckle didn’t match, it annoyed the shit out of me,) because as far as I’m concerned, this coat is the pinnacle or garment construction. The shell is indestructible. I wore it in the summer of 2005 when we invented “Hardcore Hill Rolling,” an extreme sport that involved putting on a snowboard helmet and diving down the steepest hills we could find in the middle of the dense Pacific Northwest woods. Recently I embarked on a quick but nonetheless frightening 450-miles hitchhiking trip around Washington state. I knew I had to cross two snowy mountain passes and could possibly be stuck outside overnight somewhere. I knew I’d only need my green jacket.

It’s all there in the label, the simple beauty of the coat: cold weather jacket, permeable, size small 34-36. Do not dry clean. There’s nothing pretentious about forbidding the practice of dry cleaning.

Having attended college for the last three years 20 miles south of the Canadian border, I’ve seen my fair share of rain, to say the least. This might seem like a problem for someone who only has one winter jacket, one that is hoodless and permeable at that. I spray my jacket once a year with a waterproofing spray, it costs about $15 and works incredibly well. A lot of people up here wear pea coats, and I admire pea coats, but here I can’t say that they’re a practical option. It might pour rain at any moment. Most people here wear Northface rain jackets everyday. You won’t catch me in a Northface unless it’s purple label. I stick with the Burberry umbrella I bought in 2006, also a lasting investment, or on days with lighter rain, a thick head of hair.

Basically, no matter if I’m wearing a dress shirt and tie or a cashmere sweater handmade in Milan, my everyday go-to outerwear when the temperature is between -20 and 40 degrees, was made by the U.S. Government for the people who pile sandbags on the banks of flooding rivers. Like the government that made it, the jacket is accepting, it vows to protect whatever dandy or hobo takes refuge within its borders.

The jacket has only one rule: Always keep the collar popped, screw it.”

Angelo Spagnolo | Class Act

If Matt Fox isn’t the dandiest fellow in the room at any given moment, then he is surely the dandiest gentleman of The Favorites. Appropriately so, because as the mind behind arguably the dandiest blog out there, Fine & Dandy Shop, it shouldn’t be any other way.

As you can imagine–this series being a showcase in the diversity of styles–my intention in contacting Matt for a contribution was to inject a bit of timeless style from an individual who has wonderful sensibilities when it comes to old-world style.  I really found Matt’s contribution to be special because of the pure sentimentality behind it.  For his contribution the The Favorites, Mr. Fox introduces us to his Mad Men-esque Newport Fedora, previously owned by his grandfather.  Follow the jump to read the story behind the item.

“My favorite piece of clothing is a hat which belonged to my grandfather.  I inherited his hats when he passed away a few years ago and my favorite from his collection is a grey-patterned felt fedora.  I’m not sure of the age.  Inside, the lining indicates that it was ‘Designed And Created By Newport,’ while outside the felt has a zig-zag pattern I haven’t seen in other hats.  I suspect that it had a feather at some point but it’s long since gone.  This hat has that lovingly worn look that makes it better looking today than the day he bought it.

I have very fond childhood memories of my grandfather and the way he dressed.  He was extremely stylish without ever really knowing it.  He was a farmer but you would never have guessed if you saw him in public.  Whenever he went into town he always looked his best, dressed in slacks and a blazer, usually a tie, an overcoat, and always a hat or cap.

My grandfather’s fedora is handsome on its own and is my preferred hat to wear in cold weather, but the connection to my grandfather makes it that much more special.  When I wear it I feel like it transports me to another era when gentlemen took more pride in their appearance.”

Matt Fox | Fine & Dandy Shop