Need-to-know info that resists classification.
Detroit is the birthplace of many great things: John Varvatos, Motown, and, if you believe A Band Called Death, punk music. It's a city with boldness. Ingenuity. A refusal to quit. So it makes sense, then, that Detroit Grooming Co. would make products with those same traits.
A quick preface: we're not ones to shy away from a little hard work. When it's time to entertain, hors d'oeuvres are served; playlists are made; cocktails get mixed. It's not that we're opposed to standing at the bar cart juicing, shaking and stirring until everybody's satisfied. But. Summertime unlocks in us a sort of relaxed approach to entertaining.
Aside from being accused of Bogarting the remote from time to time, you don’t often elicit comparisons to smooth-as-a-fine-scotch Film Noir detective-y types. Your slow smile is a little too quick. Your fast-talkin’ is a little too slow. But that’s all about to change.
There are many types of hooks that one needs to be wary of. There’s the always-difficult-to-navigate “hook up”, which can combine both the highest highs and lowest emotional lows; the too-catchy pop hook, seemingly harmless at first but the source of great angst once stuck in your head; and of course, the sales-pitch hook that can pull you in against your better judgment.
Denimheads of the world, listen up: if you’ve ever lain awake at night obsessing over selvage denim and wishing there was some way, any way, that you could just envelope yourself in it from head to toe, well, your prayers have been answered.
As self-admitted junkies for those objects that remind us of times long ago, we think it’s nonetheless important to keep priorities straight. It’s a difficult task, but we try to avoid hoarding every old glass milk jug we come across at the flea market– vestigial as they may be, we just can’t justify collecting old things just because they’re old.
Growing up, it seemed like somebody or other was always scolding you for being too loud– whether it was your grandfather telling you to pipe down at dinner, or your folks critiquing your new look during that punk phase.
Mom always told you that smoking is bad for you. And she’s right– we don’t encourage that type of behavior any more than your folks did. But, if you must smoke (we mean really, really, must smoke), the least you can do is try to be refined about it and clean up after yourself (another of mom’s favorite catchphrases).
What’s up with this crazy weather, right? One minute we’re barricading ourselves in against the storm of the century, and the next, the smell of hot pavement is permeating the air on clear, warm evenings.
Wishing all our friends a happy and safe holiday season– we’re so grateful for all the wonderful experiences that we’ve had through Rye & Rivet this past year, from meeting and interviewing our heroes to continuing to be impressed and surprised by all the support we’ve gotten from you readers. We can’t say “thanks” enough.
Like any heritage enthusiasts worth their salt, we know that it’s just not the holidays without those traditional songs– Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby–but somewhere between Black Friday and December 24th, we go a little stir-crazy with the classics and feel the need to bust out some new favorites in order to stay sane.
Right now, if you’re anything like us, your mind is millions of miles away from the concept of “Black Friday”. Maybe instead your thoughts are consumed by turkey temperatures, directions to grandmother’s house, or where the heck all of your relatives are going to sit once they arrive.
If you’re a compulsive scribbler like us, there’s a pretty good chance you have a teetering tower of notebooks hidden somewhere in your closet. Grocery lists, phone numbers, a line of poetic philosophy or two…it’s almost hard to believe that such a wealth of genius could be hidden in that raggedy stack of dog-eared booklets, but there they are.
There are a handful of things every man should know how to do— mend a small tear, cook up a steak, mix a Manhattan. However, when it comes to the bigger things in life (that is, a bigger tear… not a bigger Manhattan), sometimes one needs a bit of help.
This past Saturday, we were lucky enough to be able to go down to the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor’s Island. Between the St. Germain cocktails and Charleston lessons, we snapped a few “street” (“lawn”) style pics of sharp-dressed gents we came across.
Fine arts startup Artsicle asked me to guest-curate an online exhibit using some of the works in their collection, coming from a menswear-y perspective. I have to admit, there were so many great pieces that I had trouble narrowing it down!
In a lot of ways, we define our experiences as humans based on what’s left after the fact. Parties that you currently recall as unbelievably epic resound that way because of a deeply-ingrained, bodacious, extreme photograph or two that you didn’t see until weeks after the solo cups had been collected and discarded.
While we love leather and selvage denim first and foremost for their long-wearing, practical properties, we must admit that, at this point, you could probably sell us a $30 Snickers bar if it was wrapped in Cone Denim and Horween.
Not a lot has changed over the years in the world of the wet shave-- oh, sure, artisanal badger brushes have popped up in your local menswear shop and your neighbor is now making organic soaps and shave creams in his walk-in closet, but other than that...not much news.