Welcome to InsideHook’s Staff Picks, a compendium of what our editors are digging recently.
This feels like our Halloween. Or our every day. Not sure if we’re the corgi or the baby dressed as the elephant in this scenario.
Enjoy our staff picks:
Billy Reid Charlie Sportcoat
I just turned 40 and it’s time I start dressing the part. However, I live in L.A., where it’s very easy to overdress. Hence the allure of Billy Reid’s Charlie Sportcoat. It almost looks like a hunting jacket, with its flap-covered pockets, soft shoulders and thick grey wool. And I’ll get a lot of mileage out it: most days I wear it with black jeans and a T-shirt, but I can also church it up with a button down and slacks. — Reuben Brody, Los Angeles Editor
Orange Vessel Co. Stoneware Growler
Pro tip: Nothing will make your kitchen look more adult than taking things out of their packages and putting them in pretty containers. Think Mason jars, glass canisters, those corked bottles that restaurants serve water from, etc. And if you’re a beer drinker, ditch the 12-packs and start hitting your local brewery once a week to fill a couple growlers. These ones are fired at 2,000 degrees in a kiln in Syracuse, New York. They come in six colors and two sizes. We like the orange. — Walker Loetscher, Editor in Chief
Fuego Down Jacket
You: About to start feeling the pain from winding back the clocks and the impending winter chill. This jacket from Cotopaxi: Immune to time, space and Jack Frost. For $270, you aren’t going to find many other coats packing water-resistant 800-fill goose down that’s been sourced responsibly. — Evan Bleier, News Editor
Vans X Peanuts Authentic Boxers
It’s your new favorite pair of boxer briefs, Charlie Brown! Vans just released the Schultz/skateboard imprint collab we never knew we needed. 95% cotton and 100% nostalgia, this pair is a solid pickup for anyone looking to finally kick the football this Thanksgiving … or channel Joe Cool in the bedroom. — Tanner Garrity, Editorial Intern
Kodak Printomatic Instant Camera
The film photography resurgence is a train you should have hopped on long ago (it’s not just for hipsters, I assure you). I’ve had a bulky, expensive Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 for a while, and it’s a blast. But Kodak is on the warpath to reclaim the photography crown, finally releasing their own instant print competitor: the Printomatic. Comparatively, it’s smaller, sleeker and the film is cheaper (with adhesive backs!). It’ll tide you over until their Super 8. — Alex Lauer, Associate Editor
Senz “Smart” Stormproof Umbrella Stick Umbrella
Being a native Pacific Northwesterner, there’s sort of a social stigma against umbrellas: it will rain no matter what, so just get a rain jacket and don’t clog up the sidewalks or bring your drippy brollies into businesses. That’s fine for the PNW, where sensible shoes and lined vests reign supreme. Luckily for me, my hair and my leather goods, New Yorkers don’t hesitate to put themselves first. This “stormproof” umbrella is rugged enough to hold its shape against the city’s harsh winds while not taking up approximately the entire sidewalk. — Athena Wisotsky, Senior Editor
Billy Reid William Sunglasses in White Horn
Billy Reid now makes sunglasses. Damn fine sunglasses. And the world is a perfect place. — Shari Gab, New York Editor
THE BEST THING WE DRANK THIS WEEK
Blue Nectar Tequila
First, this small batch distiller might have the best blanco tequila we’ve ever tasted — bright, spicy and eminently sippable. Don’t throw this one in a margarita — it’s actually a great fill-in for any gin cocktail. And then get a bottle of the Reposado Special Craft — they add a smidge (1%) of essential oils to the aged blend to give it notes of vanilla, nutmeg, orange, etc.
With that, take it on the rocks, add two dashes each of chocolate and orange bitters, and you get “mole in a glass.” A perfectly fall/winter drink. — Kirk Miller, Managing Editor/Nation Editor
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