Since recommending a pair of Jean Shop Rocker Fit jean’s last week in our Upgrade 2010 article, we figured we should give a little insight into the brand itself. So, we sat down with co-owner/founder, Eric Goldstein to ask a few questions about the brand, denim and a few of his favorite things in the city.

What are you wearing today?
Well, a pair of our Rocker Fit jeans, Chuck Taylor’s, Jean Shop Chambray shirt and a Scott K bracelet.

When did your passion for denim begin?
When I was 21 I started working at Ralph Lauren and actually established the RRL brand shortly after. I was working with Ralph one-on-one everyday to create authentic clothing and that’s really when I started to love denim. I mean I had worn jeans as a kid, but working with the fabric itself was really different, you gain a new appreciation.

Where do you get your inspiration/influences from?
Mostly vintage designs I pick up from flea markets. Hardware stores can inspire me too, and this town on the Pennsylvania coast called New Hope.

What was the last big purchase you made on clothing?
I usually wear Jean Shop things so I haven’t really made any ‘big’ clothing purchases recently, especially since I don’t wear suits, but I did just buy a new Mac.

Who has the best menswear in New York right now?
I really like 45rpm, I think they put out really well designed, quality clothing. I like the way APC does basics too, but again I’m usually wearing my own clothes so I don’t wear a lot of either brand.

If you had to wear one pair of denim for the rest of your life, which one would it be?
Our Rocker Fit jeans in the heavyweight denim. They’re definitely my favorite we sell and are probably my favorite ever.

Where do you grab a drink after work?
I usually don’t stay out too late since I have to commute home outside the city, but sometimes I go to the Soho house and order a Heineken.

What is your favorite restaurant in the city?
Peter Lugar’s.

Where do you buy your shoes?
There’s a shoe company in London called Esquivel that I get my boots from, the leather they use is incredible and last forever.

What sort of care do you recommend for raw denim?
Well when you don’t want to add any extra fading I would say machine wash cold and then hang to dry, probably use a dark color detergent.

What will you never wear?
Overalls.

What would you like to be known for?
For making the best quality denim in the world.

Save Khaki is a brand synonymous with quality and fit, a brand that goes beyond trend to create pieces that will still look good 10 years on. It’s head designer and proprietor, David Mullen took some time to talk product and what Save Khaki is all about.

What are you wearing today?

I’m wearing a pair of our utility chino’s, our single pocket chambray shirt, our new military jacket and wool toggle coat.

What are a few of your favorite brands in New York?

Engineered Garments – He’s [Daiki Suziki] about lateral movement, always improving the clothes we may already wear. We have some of our [Save Khaki] clothes made at the same factories and I run into Daiki from time to time while I’m there.

What would you like Save Khaki to be known for?

Underdesigners, detail oriented people that don’t always stand out in a flashy way.

Could you tell me a bit about Save Khaki United?

Save Khaki United (SKU) is a new sub-brand by Save Khaki that offers only goods made domestically. Everything is still within our vision of updated classics that are naive to trend, chambray shirts, knit sweaters, wool coats, some selvedge chinos and even a line of denim (no prejudice here).

We’ve heard rumblings of a Save Khaki collaboration with Pointer brand, elaborate?

Well I had travelled to Tennessee to do some factory visits and met with them, so we will see.

Who is the Save Khaki guy?

Probably from New York, he’s aware of style but is certainly not a victim of it. He may walk into our store wearing a pair of APC’s jeans, a Steven Alan button down and an Engineered Garments jacket, all brands with a focus on quality and an authentic style. Our customers tend to start with our shorts and t-shirts, but realize after a while that chinos and button downs can be just as relaxed without being unkempt.

After a long day at work where do you grab a drink?

It usually depends on which store I’m at, but here at Broome st. I like a Makers and Coke at Barrio Chino.

Favorite Restaurant in the City?

For lunch its The Smile and then dinner is probably Vinegar Hill House in Brooklyn.

Last album you listened to from beginning to end?

Meet Glen Campbell by Glen Campbell

Place you feel most like yourself?

At home in Pittsburgh watching a Steelers game with my son. I go back every other weekend and it really keeps me grounded after staying in the city.

Current reading material?

Deepak Chopra, Siddartha, Bill Maher’s Voice of Reason

Last great movie you saw?

Frost/Nixon

Whats next for Save Khaki?

Well we are converting this store [Broome St.] into just an SKU store

Q. What are you wearing today?

Eunice: Men’s Unis shirt, APC New Cure jeans, shoeless

Q. What was the last big purchase you made on clothing?

Eunice: A lot of vintage things but nothing too big, I did buy a new pair of shoes from Barneys that were pretty expensive though.

I barely shop anymore, I think my favorite place to go is actually the Rose Bowl in California, there’s a giant flea market there that we fly out to California just to go to. It’s so much fun, where else can you walk around in LA? You can seriously spend six hours there and find something different in every stall. We stock the store with vintage pieces from the flea market all the time, and along the way if I pick something up for myself, why not?

Q. Who has the best menswear in New York right now?

Eunice: Besides Unis? Haha probably Dries Van Noten, I like his collection season after season

Q. What are a few of your favorite brands?

Eunice: I think Freemans Sporting Goods is pretty awesome for guys and Isabella Morant for women, even if its super trendy here and kind of old lady in France.

Q. What would you like Unis to be known for?

Eunice: Unpretentious, very easy clothing. From the beginning I thought that if you bought everything from Unis then nobody would have to know that, and this was in a time when everything was super big branded. Overall just classic clothing I think.

Q. Who is the Unis guy?

Eunice: Intelligent, savvy, I’m sure a lot of people would kill for the customers we get in the store because a lot of times its father and son, so we get a wide range.

Q. What are you most proud of this season?

Eunice: I had a lot of fun with our shorts, different prints and things, that you can wear as regular shorts or swim shorts, and they’re incredibly light and nice.

I know some guys may not think of them as swim shorts or vice versa as regular shorts, but it’s really about the cool guy wearing something because he knows its cool, no matter what its purpose, and that’s a really attractive trait in a guy.

Q. Where do you go get a drink after work?

Eunice: It used to be Lovely Day, but they closed after a fire in the building. I do a lot of neighborhood places, though sometimes we go to the Bowery Hotel, usually get a Prosecco, which is an amazing Italian take on Champagne that is really affordable, like $10 or $12 for a bottle. Oh and then there’s a St.Germain spritzer, which is super refreshing in the summer.

Q. Favorite restaurant in the city?

Eunice: Right now we really like The Smile for lunch, on Bond between Lafayette and Bowery. Then I like Hasaki on 9th street for dinner, and a lot of actual Japanese people go, which is always a good sign.

I know this isn’t very Japanese of me, but I always have to get a spicy tuna roll, a hijiki salad and then whatever special sushi they have there at the time.

Oh and Ballotto’s on Houston – It’s great Italian and the owner still sits at the door, the atmosphere is pretty unique and reminds me of what New York may have been like 40 years ago

Q. What would you dream collaboration or job be?

Eunice: A bicycle, I think designing a bike would be really cool, like the frame, fenders, paint, etc., designing it in a more modern way but with a vintage feel would probably be the way I would do it

Q. What’s next for Unis?

Eunice: Well we’re really a neighborhood brand, we tend to do small things at the shop that are centered around the neighborhood, like an ice cream truck or small party or something. Other than that we’re just working on next seasons collection and making sure our store is a place we would want to shop

Q. What would you name as a few Inspirations/Influences?

Eunice: Because I’m a girl designing menswear, I look to a lot of my cool guy friends for inspiration, thinking about my coolest friends and meshing their style’s together. I use a few of them as muses since I cant really look at myself for inspiration for clothes for a guy.

When I design though I usually imagine the ideal guy and when I started he was kind of a surfer but as I’ve matured, so has he, so now he’s a little more intellectual, and with that the line has grown up as well.

It’s my neighborhood too, I’m definitely aware of the downtown rock scene and the uptown super chic, and because of where my neighborhood is situated my style is kind of in between, the Unis guy is a mix.

Q. What will you never wear?

Eunice: Headband for me, and too much chest hair or badly washed italian jeans for guys

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Living in The City is undoubtedly awesome with all the countless activities and cultural events happening every day. With that in mind, it’s not always easy to fit in some of the most basic things we grew up with such as a home cooked meal. Here to fill that void is The Dish’s Dish, a culinary service that will whip up deliciousness right in the comfort of your own home.

Founder of The Dish’s Dish, Jill Donenfeld, was inspired by her own experiences as a personal chef for the families she babysat for in New York.  She recognized that the family aspect of sitting together at a table for a meal was commonly missing in this busy community. She wanted to help bring back the culture of eating well at home, something she did a lot of while growing up in Ohio but realized that she had to make it superbly easy and convenient for the on-the-go lifestyle.

Jill notes that their differentiating point from other home food services is that they do not cook in bulk. In the city there seems to be a general demand for delivered meals but Jill and her team are focusing on a more personalized approach. “Everything we cook is tailored to each client. [We] plan a menu specifically for each client, grocery shop individually for each client and cook in the client’s kitchen, breathing life into it and further personalizing the food.”  She adds, “We are also cute, nice and fun to be around.” Jill further confirms they can handle just about anything!

Clients can work with the chefs at The Dish’s Dish to fine tune each meal or leave it completely up to them. Either way you would be in good hands – each personal chef has graduated from culinary school and a few have even worked under the likes of Jean Georges, Mario Batali and Tom Colicchio. It may not come naturally for everyone to let a stranger into their homes, but when this person promises to leave you with a week’s worth of food you love most, and of course a clean kitchen, it may be an offer worth considering.

To start the service, it’s as simple as filling out a check list so their Culinistas® can start customizing your meals just the way you want them – vegan, kosher, organic, you name it. Instead of the usual takeout, consider the possibility of coming home to herbed skirt steak chimichurri, lemon-rosemary chicken with fig chutney or sugar snap peas with mint julep glaze.

Jill Donenfeld was also kind enough to sit down with Debonair to answer a few questions on things that as a culinary entrepreneur, she may know a thing or two about.

What are some of your favorite restaurants in the city?

Balthazar – “Because it’s damn classy and there’s always something to be discovered on the menu. I’ve been going there for years.”
Ditch Plains – “I’m going to say it. I think they have the best lobster rolls. Yes, better than Pearl and Mary’s.”
Hangawi – “It’s a slice of bliss, it transports me out of the city and into a more tranquil mindset. The food supports that.”
Le Bernardin – “I’ve only been once but it was with my father and was easily the most memorable meal of my life. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. Also, if you’ve ever met Mr. Ripert, you know that he’s about the nicest man alive.”

What are some of your favorite bars to take your out-of-towners?

Soho House
Smith and Mills
The Ear
The Campbell Apartment
Sakagura

Do you have any culinary advice for the Debonair reader that wants to start cooking?

“If he’s the type who doesn’t stop to ask for directions, he could pick up Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking, which is kind of like McGuyver + Larousse.”

What about some advice for the reader that cooks to impress?

“Adding sea salt to homemade caramel or finding out what his impressee’s favorite dish was as a child and then recreating it.”

For more info check out The Dish’s Dish

Who would have thought one of the most exciting menswear shops in America was in…Atlanta? Take one step inside Sid Mashburn’s Buckhead boutique however and you’ll realize it’s true. Sid has created the perfect marriage of Southern gentleman and Northern savvy in his namesake store and line of suits, shirts and shoes, all with an uncanny attention to quality. Our correspondent, RJ Duggan traveled down south to speak with the man himself about the things and places he loves.

Q. What are you wearing today?

Sid: Sartorio jacket, Sid Mashburn pants, Sid Mashburn belt, Belgian shoes (54th, btwn Park & Lex). Matt has on a pair of wingtips he wears with jeans, we wear dress shoes fairly indiscriminately, suits, jeans, kakhi’s. Then he’s wearing a sharp, blue Hamilton shirt, Hamilton from Houston.

Q. What was the last big purchase you made on clothing?

Sid: That would be a Sartorio suit

Q. Was that custom?

Sid: No, I’m an off the rack kind of guy

Q. Have you had a custom suit made?

Sid: Yes, in 1985 I had a red, silk, seersucker, suit made by Nino Corvato for Catania clothing on lower 5th avenue, it was seriously Uncle Sam.

Q. Where is your favorite place to shop?

Sid: Tokyo, I like Beams or United Arrows, but boiling it down to one spot is tough because I like Italy a lot too. There are lots of stores that I like for a lot of different reasons, but probably my favorite store in the world is Deyrolle in Paris. That to me is one of the coolest, most inspiring places because when you’re around clothes and fashion all day, you lose your hankering for shopping for clothes and at the end of the day you may be looking for something else that really peaks your interest. I like A. Giemme in Cuomo or Eral 55 in Milan.

Q. Favorite store in New York?

Sid: I can’t afford anything in there, but I like BDDW, they do furniture, as well as the Persian shop on 54th and Madison.

Pete: It’s a museum you can shop in.

Sid: Oh and Barbara Shaum, she does beautiful leather stuff.

Q. What are your favorite brands?

Sid: Russell, I love, Sartorio, I love, Atkinson is pretty special, APC a lot too, things with soul. We like for there to be an inherent utility in things, and all of these brands tend to carry that.

Matt: Levi’s, Quoddy, Atkinson.

Q. What do you want to be known for? What are you most proud of in your recent work?

Sid: Just a quest for taking care of people, that’s really what Sid Mashburn is about, taking care of people, and to do that is providing the best quality product we can for the best value. Its passion, people and product. If you don’t have the passion you can go do something else.

Matt: I think when someone walks out of this store they should feel happier than when they came in, not feel like they were sold, more like they were educated.

Sid: And taken care of.

Q. Where do you grab a drink after a tough day?

Sid: A Schlitz or Pacifico out of the refrigerator in the back

Q. Favorite restaurant in New York?

Sid: La Tazza D’oro, “Cup of Gold” on 8th and 15th street, sort of a dominican coffee shop.

Q. Your order?

Sid: Roast chicken, beans and rice and a cafe con leche for dessert with some plantains

Q. What’s next for Sid Mashburn?

Sid: In fleshing out our products, we will have Sid Mashburn suits coming in September. We started with shirts, trousers, shoes and sweaters, and now suits. We’ve wanted to do suits the whole time, as you can tell I’m kind of big on the “whole package”, I don’t want to be a classification store.

Q. What is your dream collaboration?

Sid: Honestly, I don’t ever want to do Sid Mashburn with anybody else, I want it to just be me or them, because everyone is doing these “so-and-so” for whoever else, and I would rather it just be my label or their label. Even if we do things for somebody, I don’t want it to be a Sid Masburn for Russell, I would rather it be a more opague relationship, it just seems too celebrity, I’d rather keep it a bit more pure.

Q. First Design job?

Sid: David Cameron at J. Crew for 5 years in the mid 1980s and early 1990’s

Q. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Everywhere, the other guys here at the store, music, friends, family, travelling, but if I had to hone in on what I’ve always had a vision for is a sort of 1960’s cross between the beach boys and woodstock, in a funny sense, a preppy/hippy thing.

Pete: Sid is from Mississippi though, so there’s always going to be something southern about what he does. He wouldn’t be Sid Mashburn if he didn’t.

Sid: Clothes as a statement in New York come off as heavy, not effortless. Too heavy, too moody.

Q. What will you never wear?

Sid: Jumpsuit, or pajamas, and only a t-shirt when i’m working out.