Ins and Outs for the Halfway Point of the Year
How is it July?
I love the In and Out lists that permeate the internet at the beginning of the year. The same goes for lists of trends. I gobble that content up like a Thanksgiving Turkey. It’s the exact kind of low-brow content that I begin reading on my commute to work, and magically, I’m at my office. The time seems to fly. Anyway, I wanted to write a bulleted list of some of my takes as we enter the back half of the year of our lord 2025. This is merely a collection of thoughts, unorganized and chaotic, about clothing, art, culture, and society, organized in yet another “In and Out” list.. Presented without further ado:
In
The One Watch Collection. As I descend deeper into my watch illness, I crave the “one watch collection” now more than ever. And the one watch must be a sub-40mm time-only, three-hand, manual-wind piece. Chic, sexy, and timeless, I think it’ll set me free.
Developing a personality away from your clothes: In a world where everything is trending and fashion has become 100% democratized in one way or another, it’s getting concurrently easier and harder to stand out. People discuss personal style a lot these days, but there is much more that goes into it than the clothes. You need to read books and watch movies, and have hobbies. Being stylish is about who you are as a person versus the clothing you wear.
Sinners: the best movie of the year by a wide margin. It’s an incredibly creative take on the vampire movie. It’s well-acted and well-directed. I’ve watched it three times! I know I’ll watch it a lot more.
Dior!! Despite mixed reviews, I liked Jonathan Anderson’s Dior debut. A lot of the clothes feel wearable. They’re luxurious everyday pieces that you can break in and make your own. Come to think of it, many brands at Paris Fashion Week presented very wearable clothing. Prada comes to mind.
Don Draper Style: I just finished a rewatch of Mad Men, and it’s better the second time around. Maybe (probably) it’s recency bias, but dare I put it above The Sopranos for the second-best show ever (only behind The Wire). I'm eager to delve deeper into the style showcased in that show. The great Don Draper may be the most stylish television character ever.
Denim Shorts: Jean shorts are back…and they are cool. I don’t think I’ll wear them again, though. I went through a pretty heavy jean short phase when I was a kid, but it doesn’t suit me anymore.
The best New Balance silhouette is the 2002r. You people are sleeping!
Love Island UK Season 12: I’ve watched Love Island before, then I took a few years off, but I’m back now. While I want to hate Love Island, and I think it’s dumb, it’s one of the best ways to turn my brain off by watching hot people trying to hook up with each other.
Levi’s 569 or other Baggy Silhouettes: a baggier fit than the famed 550. I LOVE the way they swallow up my loafers or my boots when I wear them. True ‘70s shit.
Polos: I do like the polo shirt renaissance that we’re in. Striped polos are back in a big way, knit polos are going strong, and I love a classic pique polo. I’m wearing a cheeky rugby polo as I wrote this!
I Quit - Haim: The summer girls are back.
The prestige summer beach read: The Secret History, Bonjour Tristesse, Tender is the Night. Get a little nostalgic, a little melancholic. I love a sexy read set in an exotic location.
Photography walks: There is nothing more present and meditative than grabbing a little point-and-shoot camera, walking alone through the city, and taking photos.
Using Audible for big, challenging non-fiction books: I’m currently reading Palo Alto, a 720-page history book about Silicon Valley. I wouldn’t want to lug around a book that big, so Audible is a great alternative.
Agnes Varda, Wong Kar-wai, Jacques Demy: The holy trinity.
Romanticizing the French Riviera: especially during the summer.
Being open about playing video games: They may not be chic, but they serve a purpose. Nothing calms me down like playing 6 innings of MLB The Show right before bed. Everyone plays video games, but it feels taboo to talk about them.
Out
Flip-Flops: I’ve noticed an increasing number of people wearing flip-flops as a fashion statement. Now I’m not one to abide by the “rules,” but I don’t want to see anyone’s toes in the city. It feels freaky and wrong.
The NBA Finals: The NBA season turned out to be pretty interesting, with the younger players rising to the occasion in the playoffs. Seeing guys like Ant and Tyrese Haliburton lead their teams to deep playoff runs felt refreshing. It’s too bad the NBA finals are forever tainted because the rightful heir to Lebron’s throne, Tyrese Haliburton, tore his Achilles 7 minutes into game 7. He was going to do it, too. I believe the Pacers would have had a parade if Tyrese hadn’t gotten hurt.
Cargo Shorts: A lot of people are claiming that cargo shorts are back in the limelight. I want to be the first one to tell you that cargo shorts are not cool. They had a brief moment among the streetwear community in the early 2010s, but that moment soon passed for the better, and they haven’t come back. There are not many ways (if any ways at all) to make them look good. We moved on for a reason.
Boat Shoes (with one exception): I swore against boat shoes last year. There’s a lot that goes into why I don’t want to wear them, most of it rooted in class& race implications behind them. That being said, I realized I was talking about the Sperry Top Siders. I wore them in college, and I think it was a big mistake to wear them. The Timberland 3-Eyed Lug, on the other end, feels like a completely different show. They may have some of the DNA, but the lug sole gives it a fresh, more workwear feel to them.
TikTok: It was time I deleted that cursed app from both my iPad and my iPhone.
Artificial Intelligence: I probably put this on my “out” list 6 months ago. It’s the literal devil. I cannot think of something more incel-coded than using AI on the reg.
Cocktails: Jesus Christ, no more hard liquor for my 31-year-old body. I can’t take this shit.
Marval: I believe it’s finally over. We did it, guys.
Peace and Love