It’s from sunny Florida that we’re back with a full-length edition of The Style Guide In Brief following my weekend out-of-office dispatch, so thanks for getting back into the swing of things and joining us today. Between the craziness of my Black Friday and Cyber Monday coverage for Maxim and The Manual, I found time to squeeze in some relaxing sunny days and of course, Iset aside plenty of time to*finally* watch beloved, quirky comedy “New Girl” (which brings us to today’s featured song, from the SoCal indie pop-rock band So Many Wizards and the show’s fitting Thanksgiving IV episode). I missed out on “New Girl” when it actually aired, so sinking into this funny, unexpected and yet meaningful comedy is a nice bit of at-home, holiday-esque nostalgia. Oh, and no spoilers please — I’m working my way through season four!
If you read this newsletter, you know I’m a sucker for throwback nostalgia in all forms, from menswear to music (to say the least). But I’ve also got my mind on a strong finish to 2020, helped along by some new — and old — favorite songs, menswear and craft beer, of course. If you’d prefer to skip right to menswear, you can also check out my regular blog, The Style Guide. If not: Keep on reading if that lines up with how you plan to close out the year — cheers!
What To Listen To This Week: “Lose Your Mind”By So Many Wizards
When I heard this song a few days ago on the hilarious New Girl “Thanksgiving IV” episode from way back in 2014, it hit the nail on the head for me right away (and yes, I know I’m late to the party on watching that show — the perils of not having a TV in Brooklyn!). It reminded me of the type of mid-’00s to early-2010s sort of indie songs you’d hear dominating the airwaves, a nice reminder of some of my favorite tracks of the decade (and those years in particular). And it also struck me right away as the type of song that could make a splash in a TV show or movie, the kind you had to hear properly the first time so that you could A) Shazam it secretively or B) Recall the lyrics to look up it later before adding it to your Spotify playlist. Granted, it’s not quite the same as The Killers playing on “The OC,” but this lovely and fun indie rock song is a fitting addition to the New Girl soundtrack nonetheless. Am I bummed I’m just now discovering this track in 2020? You betcha. Is it a nice little time machine all the same? Without a doubt.
What To Wear This Week: Taylor Stitch California Chambray Shirt via UNCRATE
Let’s draw a little style inspiration from everyone’s favorite, well, everyman, Nick Miller of “New Girl,”a lovable if disorganized bartender and former law school dropout with a heart of gold. The great thing about “New Girl” is that it captures a menswear moment pretty perfectly, without tons of flash or retro style but with simple basics that guys had just started uncovering (witness Nick’s rotation of henleys, flannels, chambray shirt and denim — easy does it!). The classic Taylor Stitch California Chambray Shirt is the type of cool shirt you can throw on and forget about as you roll up the sleeves to work from home, grab a pint or binge-watch another episode of “New Girl.” Can’t top that kind of versatility, can you? Better still, I covered this classic chambray shirt over on my blog.
Shop Taylor Stitch
What To Sip This Week: Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale via Drizly
Now, according to Internet lore and my ongoing viewings of the show, characters like Nick have a thing for (sadly fictional) beer brands like Heisler. It’s unclear what beer might be close to that in real life, but let’s pretend it’s something simple, straightforward, easily drinkable and relatively easy on the palette. For instance, being a Chicago man and all, Mr. Nick Miller might in fact — no, definitely would — enjoy Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale. It was an anomaly to me when I first tried it back in 2013 (the good stuff was sometimes hard to come by in college!), but of course, Goose Island is nearly everywhere now. That includes via delivery service Drizly, which you can use to stock up on Goose Island beer aplenty as you rewatch “New Girl”— cheers to that!
The Final Pick: Faherty Brand Legend Sweater Shirt
If ever there’s a final pick that epitomized the laidback and casually cool vibes of the SoCal band So Many Wizards, not to mention the relaxed style of Nick Miller, it would be the aptly named, *legendary* Faherty Brand Legend Sweater Shirt. It’s the perfect shirt to wear while hanging at home or dashing off to stock up on some more Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale, it’s the perfect flannel shirt to layer over a henley on cold fall and winter days, and it can even pull triple duty in the spring months as a light overshirt. For now though, you should channel some expertly easygoing style and get your new favorite shirt from Faherty Brand. I know one TV protagonist who would approve.
Alright, alright — who’s ready to turn back the clock a few years, settle into a favorite TV comedy and keep the holidays rolling in relaxing fashion? If nothing else, I hope you’ve found a relaxing jam to add to your Spotify playlist, plus perhaps your new favorite shirt from Faherty Brand. In a world oversaturated with Netflix shows and wild IPAs aplenty, sometimes, a palette cleanser on both the viewing front and in your beer fridge (enter the Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale) is needed — ideally, today’s briefing is a bit of a catalyst for you. And if not? Well, don’t spoil the rest of “New Girl” for me! Be sure to subscribe above or below, be sure to check out my blog and be sure to come back through on Saturday for another newsletter dispatch.