Weekly Roundup #82 — Vintage Shopping In San Francisco, Trying On Buck Mason’s Tubular Tees, New Coffee Shop, and more
Stopping by Big Time Vintage, Protocol Vintage, Chameleon Vintage, trying on t-shirts at Buck Mason, grabbing coffee at HI NRG, and more
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I. Trying On Buck Mason’s Toughknit Tubular Tees
In a previous issue, I mentioned that I’d be stopping by Buck Mason to try on their newest t-shirt: The Toughknit Tubular Tee.
I made it out to the San Francisco location a couple of days after getting back from Hawaii and wanted to share my experience with the new fit.
First, it’s much lighter than expected. It’s soft to the touch and stretchy. Not in a synthetic way, but it didn’t feel natural either. Maybe it’s because I’m used to the heavyweight nature of my tees which are made in Japan.
Second, the sizing was hard to figure out. I tried on a Medium (above, left), which surprisingly looked fine (usually I wear Extra Large in their other Toughknit tees), and the Large (above, right), which I felt more comfortable in, but seemed too long in the body.
I wanted it to fit me like James Dean. I’ve yet to find a tee that does without sizing down to something like a Small or Extra Small (the proportions usually get too out of whack when I do). Maybe I’ll never find one, but I was hoping this one would.
I was only able to try on the Black color. They were already sold out in-store in White in Medium, Large, and Extra Large (only Small is available online as of right now). I should’ve tried on the Small, but I was worried the body length would be too short.
Ultimately, I don’t think I’d wear these on their own. They seem perfect for an undershirt and worn with a flannel or overshirt. I’d like to try them on again soon.
Site: buckmason.com
II. Trying Out A New Coffee Shop In My Old Hood
My friend Phillip Kim told me about HI NRG a few months back, and I finally had the chance to try it out last weekend while visiting the city.
I’m always on the lookout for new coffee shops in the Bay Area—especially ones in San Francisco. And preferably ones with indoor seating. I’m a stickler for eating and drinking inside vs. out, especially in San Francisco, where it’s cold all year round.
Thankfully, this spot is located within High Treason, a wine bar located in the Inner Richmond (my old hood!), and has plenty of seating, great lighting, and good music.
The cappuccino was one of the best I’ve had in the city. It was slightly colder than I would’ve liked, but the latte art (important detail for good tasting coffee btw) and taste were on point.
The two guys who run the spot were friendly and looked like they were having a good time. It’s always a better experience when you have great customer service along with a great product. Congrats to them on their one-year anniversary of being in business!
Site: hinrg.net
III. Newly Opened Vintage Shop On Haight Street
One of the many vintage shops that have come across my feed as of late was Big Time Vintage, which just opened their second location in the city, right in the middle of Haight Street.
The original location is on Valencia Street—another one of my other favorite areas for coffee, food, and shopping—but I have yet to check that one out. It looks like they opened that one a little less than a year ago, so it makes sense why I hadn’t seen it before.
This was the first time I‘d been back to Haight Street in quite a while. There were a bunch of new vintage shops; the most I’ve ever seen in the city since living there for over a decade.
The selection of Big Time leaned more streetwear, which tends to be the case for most modern vintage shops nowadays. They had t-shirts, baseball hats, jerseys, jeans, and jackets, with more grail and high-end pieces located on the top floor.
One of the coolest things I learned about the owner, Bong Sigua, from this article from The San Francisco Standard, was that he has supplied for big names like Drake, Lil Yachty, Tyler, the Creator, Jaylen Williams (J-Dub), and more.
Congrats on the grand opening!
Site: instagram.com/bigtimevtg
Address: 1630 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
IV. Another New Vintage Shop I Stopped By
Another new vintage shop that caught my eye while walking down Haight Street was Protocol Vintage.
I’ve been to their original location in Hayes Valley—just across the street from where I used to get my haircut at Church Barbershop—and it’s the only vintage option in that part of the city.
This location in the Haight is quite a bit bigger and has a better selection. They had some great military pieces (like the M-65 liner I tried on above) and other outerwear pieces like Barbour jackets, sport coats, and trenches. I also liked how they had an equal amount of space dedicated to menswear and womenswear, in case you wanted to stop by with your significant other.
I’d say of all the stores I stopped by, this one was my favorite. It all boils down to selection and curation, which is tough to do when everyone else on the block offers something similar.
Site: instagram.com/protocol.sf
V. One of America’s Best Vintage Stores New Second Location
As we were leaving Haight Street, I was surprised to see a sign for Chameleon Vintage—I wrote about their original location before, which was voted as one of the best vintage stores in America by GQ last year.
The location in Japantown is much, much smaller than this one—a trend you’re probably noticing by now after reading through today’s issue.
I enjoyed seeing the Japanese influence they’ve kept for this second location while still making it feel unique as its own standalone store.
Haight Street must’ve recently lowered rent prices after many businesses had either left or closed down, which has turned out great for vintage lovers like me.
If you only had time to visit one neighborhood in San Francisco for vintage shopping, I’d have to now recommend the Haight. Food and coffee options are limited, but the shopping is unmatched.
A close second would be the Mission, which offers great options for all three, but things are a bit more spread out.
Site: instagram.com/chameleonvtg
More Cool Stuff From This Week
Watch buying etiquette for this weekend’s Alfargo’s Marketplace
Recap of Motoring Coffee’s “Cold Start” coffee and cars meetup in San Francisco
Taillour’s trunk show dates for D.C., N.Y., L.A., and S.F. in September
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— Victor Kernes
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P.S. Who knew restoring an old Range Rover Classic could be this therapeutic? Makes me want to start my own project car.
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