What Your Jacket Says About You

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Now that Fall has arrived and it’s cold enough the whole day through to be wearing layers you should already have gone through your closet and given your blazers and sport coats a once-over for the season, checking to see which ones may need an alteration or a pressing to prepare them for daily wear. After all, there are plenty of good reasons to don a jacket this season. The only question is what kind?

To be sure, not all jackets are created equal. Just as you wouldn’t wear the same pair of jeans for yardwork as you would to a party, the jacket you’re wearing to work meetings probably isn’t the one you’d want for a first date. As much (or more) than anything else your choice of jacket says something about you. What’s it say? read on…

jackets

Blue wool blazer, metallic buttons: says “I have a go-to blazer, and this is it.” That’s not a bad thing, but the old blue blazer with its prep school-yacht club overtones is so conservative and traditional that no matter how you dress it down or what you add to it it’s not going to stand out. It’s the Levi’s 501 of jackets.

Any jacket with 3 buttons: says “This jacket is part of a suit, but I’m not wearing it that way.” This is usually a fashion faux pas. It is possible to get away with wearing a suit jacket without the corresponding pants, but generally speaking the only way to get away with this is with the plainest of plain suits- two button solid color wool. A jacket that has 3 buttons or pinstripes or some other dead giveaway that it’s got matching pants is very hard to pull off and is to be avoided no matter how many ‘6 Ways to Wear a Suit’ articles you may have read in men’s magazines.

Corduroy, thin wale: says “I’m going to steal your girlfriend and take her apple picking and get her drunk on hot apple cider.” Thin corduroy with slim lines and a modern cut like this one from J Crew is money. No two ways about it. If you pick up a jacket like this you can wear it many different ways and look great every day in Fall. But you’ve got to spend the $200. There’s no fake it till you make it with this one.

Corduroy, wide wale: says “I’m trying to fake it till I make it.” Lots of guys, particularly those in their 20’s think that vintage corduroy jackets, especially those with elbow patches allow them to pull off that bohemian quasi-intellectual look. You know, chai lattes and volumes of Rilke and early Wes Anderson and all that. Virtually nobody nails this look so it’s better to just give up on it.

Anything double-breasted: says “I’m a grown-ass man and this jacket will definitely still be in my closet when I die.” A double breasted suit is a bold move nowadays and it could be argued that a double breasted jacket not worn as part of a suit can be even bolder. This is not a look you can pull off without having a distinct and well established personal style, but if you happen to be a guy well past 30 who looks like Jason Urick you can likely accomplish wearing a double breasted jacket to great effect.

Plaid tweed blazer (new): says “I know more about style than you, and I have more fucking money than you.” If you’re buying jackets like this one you basically belong in a Bret Easton Ellis novel. Either that or you belong with 1000 other tweed-wearing pussies riding your vintage bicycle over the Brooklyn Bridge for tea and crumpets.

Plaid tweed blazer (used): can say only one of two things about you. One is “I got incredibly lucky at a thrift store once.” The other, much more likely is “I am very, very bad at thrifting and don’t know much about vintage clothing.”

Unstructured chino sport coat: says “I take casual wear pretty seriously and own different jackets for different occasions.” Good modern casual jackets are another thing it’s tough to fake. The days of the $40 Old Navy jacket are gone. Something this casual can be tough to invest in, as it’s only appropriate for certain situations. If you’ve got one that works for you though you’re probably not just the best looking guy in the room, you”re also the most comfortable.

Herringbone and houndstooth tweed: says “I’m a little rugged, but mostly refined.” Classic patterns are classic in part because they’re versatile. Choose a jacket in one of these styles with a tight pattern as seen here and here. It’ll look just as good outdoors with jeans and boots as it does indoors with charcoal slacks and oxfords.

Tomorrow: Baltimore Premiere of Filmage @ Ottobar

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There are people out there who ask why the Descendents are more popular than All. For that matter, there are people who’d question how the band was able to build a more loyal and fanatical fanbase than any of their contemporaries. Bands like Bad Religion and NOFX released much larger catalogs, toured hundreds of thousands more miles and made a national impact that was orders of magnitude larger than the Descendents.

But it’s one of those questions that if you have to ask, you’ll never know. To be fifteen and live in the suburbs, driving around and goofing off and eating fast food- drinking 2 pots of coffee every day and get dumped on by girls and then hear Milo Goes to College is to fall in love with a band instantly and forever the way you only get to do once. For nearly every Descendents fan this was the first band that ever spoke directly to them… and one of the very few whose songs continue to resonate just as powerfully into adulthood.

Tomorrow the Ottobar will be presenting the Baltimore premiere of Filmage: The Story of Descendents/All. Needless to say we’re pretty fucking stoked about it. After being shot in 2010, Filmage has made the film festival rounds and shown at several screenings around the country but has yet to see wide release. When we heard that Celebrated Summer Records owner and Descendents/All superfan Tony Pence was determined to bring it to Charm City we bought our tickets immediately.

If we’re being completely honest here we’re almost more excited to see the movie than to see an actual ALL show at this point. After a long Summer of impossibly old bands coming through town (Dickies, Sonny Vincent, Tesco Vee, Angry Samoans, Flag, etc) it means more to us to glean a new look at what early punk meant when it was vital and new than to see them ‘play the hits’ one more time, take one more curtain call. Hearing Bill Stevenson explain in his own words what it means to achieve ALL! will do a lot more towards getting us there than hearing it yelled into a microphone for the thousandth time.

As Punk Rock’s original founders continue to get older than they ever thought they would, documents like Filmage, We Jam Econo, and Instrument become all the more important as part of the historical record, and all the more interesting with the added context and insight that age affords.

Lyft: Charm City’s Friend With a Car

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Baltimore is a pretty tough town. From the hills of Upper Park Heights all the way down to the wharves at Fairfield we’ve got dirt under our collective fingernails and grit beneath our boots. This is the kind of city where it can be hard to find a friend.

A funny thing’s been happening recently though: The Chop has been making new friends left and right. And the only thing better than making new friends is having a new friend with a car. Ever since Lyft came to Baltimore a few weeks ago making a new friend and getting a ride has been as easy as tapping an app on our iPhone.

It was not only easy- it was free and easy. After scoring a promo code at Lyft’s launch party we took our first ride for free and now you can too. New users can enter the promo code BLTCHOP into their app between now and the New Year for a free $20 ride credit, which is enough to get you just about anywhere in town.

It’s been more than two years now since we decided to get rid of the Chopmobile and live car-free. We know better than anyone what the options are for getting around the city, and the disadvantages particular to each mode of transit. Take it from the Chop, Lyft’s got them all beat.

There’s no guesswork involved in riding with Lyft. Downloading and using the app is remarkably simple, and once you’ve signed in with Facebook and put one (or more) card numbers on file you can see exactly who’s coming to pick you up and what kind of car to look out for. But rather than standing around in the rain waiting and hoping you can stay warm inside and actually watch on your phone as your Lyft approaches your location on the map. It’s strangely addictive and exciting to watch the car get closer and closer and then look up from your phone to see a fuzzy pink mustache waiting for you.

But the real fun doesn’t begin until you’re in the passenger seat. That’s where you sit on a Lyft ride, in the front. Lyft is the first mode of travel we’ve taken where we actually did feel like a passenger on a trip and not human cargo to be delivered to a destination. Simple little things like being able to charge your phone en route or have a cup holder handy for your coffee make a world of difference.

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Here’s the thing about Charm City’s Lyft drivers- they aren’t ‘drivers,’ per se. They’re folks who drive. It doesn’t take more than a few city blocks’ worth of conversation to learn that the person in the seat next to you isn’t slumped over a steering wheel all day and night chasing fares. They’re teachers and grad students and artists and a dozen other things. In fact it seems to us the only trait they all have in common besides a propensity for pink ‘staches is that they’re all very friendly and extroverted.

And this being Smalltimore, a little more conversation is likely to reveal that you and your driver have at least one friend in common. After all, mutual friends and social networks don’t just exist on Facebook. Lyft is available from early morning until after midnight, and their Baltimore coverage area is almost as extensive as the city’s borders. With Hot Zones in Federal Hill, Fell’s Point and Charles Village it wouldn’t surprise us at all to bump into someone who’s given us a Lyft shopping at Eddie’s or watching the Ravens on Cross Street.

But maybe you need a Lyft to watch the Ravens? After all, those M&T parking lots aren’t cheap and once you’ve got your car in a prime Fell’s Point parking spot you’re loathe to move it ever again.

Don’t worry- The Chop’s got you covered. As we mentioned above just enter promo code BLTCHOP into your Lyft app and get ready for Lyftoff. It’s the perfect chance to make a new friend with a car, whenever you need one.

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Lyft is available for iOS and Android devices. More info and FAQ’s is available on their website. We’d like to thank Lyft for sponsoring today’s post.

Tomorrow: Fifth Annual Erotic Art Show @ Gallery 788

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If you haven’t already you should read this City Paper story about Gallery 788 moving to Hampden. It says that 788 is fresher and more approachable than most other galleries and we couldn’t agree more.

Even when it was way down yonder in Pigtown at 788 Washington Boulevard it was one of the best galleries in the city. Now that’s it’s transitioned to a better space in what is inarguably a better neighborhood 788 has proven itself to be not just a vital up-and-comer but a legitimate player in the vanguard of Baltimore’s gallery scene. Year in and year out, no matter what the address, 788 is one of those galleries where you find art to buy, not just art to look at.

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And never was that more true than now. Tomorrow marks the opening of Gallery 788’s fifth annual erotic art show. Running until December 1 the show features works from various artists on the theme of eroticism.

As gallery owner Eduardo Rodriguez was quoted as saying in that City Paper piece, “If I could bottle what happens at an opening, I think I’d be a billionaire right now.” So what’s in the bottle? We think of it like this: What if your Tumblr feed came to life? That’s what a 788 opening party is like. Half your Tumblr feed is probably high-end smut anyway, right?

And there’s a bunch of fashionable people walking around in smart outfits, many of whom you sort of kind of know from somewhere. There’s band members talking about upcoming records and shows. There’s clever quips and jokes being tossed around. And Natty Boh and a roof deck and people talking about the somewhat interesting things they read online.

A Gallery 788 opening is like stepping into your own Tumblr. And that’s not a bad thing.

A Salute to the Curb Shoppe

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This is not a bar and restaurant review. It’s a salute. After all, reviews are typically written about places that are new. Sometimes brand new and aren’t yet a known quantity. Mount Washington’s Curb Shoppe is anything but new, being one of the few remaining establishments that can trace its origins as far back as the end of Prohibition. You should already know about the Curb Shoppe. And if you don’t, stop reading now. You probably don’t need to know.

Bars of more recent establishment often resort to various gimmickry to create buzz. This is fair game for reviewers who have deep thoughts on the ‘cocktail program’ or ‘design elements’ at the bar-of-the-moment. In a Jon Taffer world where bar owners are so concerned with the ‘science’ of floor plans and menu designs and demographics; where every aspect of the patron’s experience can feel pre-planned and tweaked and micromanaged down to the number and shape of ice cubes in a glass it’s nice to have a place like the Curb Shoppe to escape to.

curb shoppe 1

Don’t get the Chop wrong now. Things like fancy iterations of shrimp and grits or house-made bitters have their place in the world but often, much more often a man wants a beer and some motherfucking cheese fries. It’s not rocket science. People come out to bars to relax and be a little social and a no-concept bar that feels like you’re hanging out in your buddy’s basement is perfect for that. With its wood paneling and pool table and local news on TV that’s exactly what the Curb Shoppe is.

It’s the place you stop on the way home to order carry-out and have a beer while you wait. It’s the meeting place for Mount Washington’s throw-the-bums-out caucus, where you can get free advice on everything from car repair to marriage woes. It’s the place you wind up a date with a chick who claims to love dive bars but doesn’t want to go to any place that’s actually dirty and scary. It’s one of the few remaining bars where it’s still Miller Time.

Speaking of Miller Time and happy hour, the Curb Shoppe is one of the few remaining spots you’d actually want to visit where you can still get a beer for less than three bucks. As we noted at the beginning of Beer Week, draft prices are increasingly getting into the $7-$8 range which is just too much to pay for a beer, no matter how much local cred and craft brew bona fides it may have. The Curb Shoppe is also one of the last remaining bars to observe the tradition of daily specials for food and drink. With seven days in a week, there’s always a special on.

We salute you, Curb Shoppe. This Bud’s for you.