Presentable #43: Visiting New York
A recap of everything from my recent trip to the city that never sleeps
There was so much going on in New York last week. It’s true what they say—there’s always something to do, places to see, and people to meet. But trying to do everything in three days was difficult, and borderline impossible when traveling with a three-month-old baby.
Thankfully, I was able to squeeze in a few things that were at the top of my list. One of the main reasons why I wanted to visit New York again was because of a menswear pop-up—which I’ll get into shortly—but also because I missed the energy, the vibe, the beauty, the style, and the hustle.
In recent years, I’ve found myself wanting more and more to go back to the city. If I could have it my way, I’d visit New York twice a year moving forward—at the end of spring and the beginning of fall—just before it gets too hot and too cold.
Now that I’ve finished sharing my love for the city, let’s get into everything I was able to check out, including restaurants, vintage shops, and more.
Manhattan
Permanent Style Pop-up Shop — I’ve mentioned Simon Crompton and his brand, Permanent Style, a few times lately, and I was lucky enough to meet him in person at this event. I was also able to meet Carl Pers and Oliver Dannefaulk—the founders of one of my favorite brands, Rubato. The pop-up featured a ton of items from Rubato’s collection, and the guys were some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. I tried on everything, from their shirts, sweaters, jeans, chinos, cardigans, and belts. I ended up buying their Brown Suede Belt and Officer’s Chino in Khaki.
The pop-up also featured items to try on from Simon’s collection. I loved the recent collaboration with Drake’s, “The Rider’s Raincoat,” and the “Selvedge Chambray Shirt” from 100 Hands. The other two brands at the shop that I wasn’t able to fully explore were Taillour and Seiji McCarthy.
Worn & Wound Watch Windup Fair — In a previous issue I talked about the brand Serica, and I was finally able to try on some of their watches in person. Of course, I gravitated towards the California dial (image above) and made sure to see how it looked on my wrist. It looked awesome and fit my wrist perfectly. Also, the Crystal Blue “Diving” Chronometer Ref. 5303 looked amazing. The navy dial is a beautiful dark shade of blue and I loved the sea-foam green color for the bezel, which gave it a slight “ghosting” appearance.
Another brand I’ve been wanting to see in person was Baltic, who recently relaunched their panda and reverse panda “Tricompax” Chronograph. Both are beautiful and such a great value for the price point—roughly $1,740.
Our Favorite Food Spots — The first night on arrival, we were starving, and, we were craving some Mexican food. We stopped by Los Tacos #1, which has some of the best pastor and carne asada tacos. The next night, we stopped by one of our staples, Rubirosa Ristorante, home to our favorite pizza in New York, and we just love the classic vibe of the interior and experience. For our last dinner in the city, we checked out a new spot for us, Bubby’s, a classic American, breakfast-all-day restaurant, and were happily surprised with how good the chicken sandwich and fries were.
Brooklyn
Crowley Vintage — One of the most well-curated vintage stores I’ve ever been to. The selection of old Ralph Lauren is extremely wide. The shop was overflowing with stuff and the owner—Sean Crowley—mentioned they were getting ready to switch to a bigger space. I’m glad I got the opportunity to see everything before the move. I didn’t pick anything up this time, but two things that caught my eye were a vintage Banana Republic khaki sport coat and a Chimala tan canvas chore coat.
Front General Store — Another one of my favorite shops, where I’ve previously picked up an old Brooks Brothers white oxford button-down shirt. I stopped by quickly as it was around the corner from Crowley Vintage, just to see what their selection was looking like. Towards the front, they have newer items available, like ceramics, hats, tote bags, and beanies. In the back though, is where they keep the good stuff. They had a rack of vintage shirts from brands like Giorgio Armani’s “Le Collezioni,” Brooks Brothers, and old military-style shirts. The denim selection is also really good, with tons of vintage Levi’s and denim jackets.
Madewell Men’s Shop — There’s a ton of hype right now around Madewell’s new men’s collection and justifiably so. One of my favorite menswear designers, Aaron Levine, worked closely with the team on this fall’s latest selection. I’ve always tried to support the brands he’s worked with in the past, especially when he was at Abercrombie & Fitch, where he did some great work.
Buck Mason — It seems like there are Buck Mason shops everywhere now, and there happened to be one right across the street from where we grabbed coffee and bagels with my friend Ian—huge shoutout to him for surprising me with one of my favorite bagels breakfast sandwiches from Bagel Smith. I’m impressed with what the brand is doing, the aesthetic they’re building, and the products they’re starting to make, like their new Made in USA denim.
Coffee Shops — Traveling with a little one meant needing to find the nearest bathroom every couple of hours. While finding one with a changing table was difficult, thankfully we were able to make do with the places we stopped at. We checked out Devocíon’s new spot in Dumbo and Variety Coffee in Williamsburg.
Everything else…
As I mentioned before, there was just so much going on. There were pop-ups galore, which makes me want to plan to stay at least a week next year around this time.
I love that so many brands are now dedicating moments and resources to give customers—or potential ones—the ability to try on their clothes. And, to experience the lifestyle, vibe, and aesthetic of the brand that’s much harder to experience when things are only available online.
Wilson’s Coffee Pop-up at 3sixteen — Unfortunately, I missed this by one week. Fingers crossed Andrew and Johan decide to pursue further coffee ventures. There are a few mugs and t-shirts leftover on their site from the pop-up.
Wythe Pop-up Shop – Wythe’s another brand I haven’t been able to try on before but I’ve always been interested. Visually, I’m a fan of their moleskin western shirts and tweed coats. I’m just unsure of sizing and would love the chance to see everything in person.
The Anthology Pop-up Shop — The common trend here is not knowing my sizing for many of these brands, and The Anthology is another I was hoping to give a try. Their pop-up began one day after our trip ended—crying emoji. I’m a big fan of all their knitted shirts, sweaters, and sports coats. I’m hoping they return next year!
Manresa Pop-up Shop — I originally heard about this brand from
, and I wish I was able to stop by. Their “Bittner Coat in Vintage Black and Brown”—which Jake owns—looks fantastic. I love the corduroy collar and the Carhartt-inspired design. I’d love to check out their pleated pants as well.Minted New York Pop-up Shop — I’ve been following Marcus Milione since his early days on Instagram, and while most of his content has shifted towards running, he also covers quite a bit about his clothing brand, Minted New York. Congrats to him on his first pop-up in SoHo!
J.Crew Bowery Store — With all of the latest updates to J.Crew and where they’re heading as a brand, I wanted to see what their “Liquor Store 2.0” would look and feel like. I’m not sure how long this shop will last, but I’m hoping to experience it someday, more than likely in Spring 2024.
Thanks for reading!
Thank you as always for liking, subscribing, commenting, and sharing.
If you have any feedback or want to chat, reply to this email or leave a comment below.
See you next week,
Victor
The Wythe and Manressa popups in October... were the same popup, you're talking about the @Sprezza popup, right?
And the Anthology is a tailoring house, they're doing Trunk Shows, the ready-to-wear stuff there is just a bonus. They come back twice a year, but you have to make an appointment to get measured.