Justin R. Saunders is the creative force behind Jjjjound, the photo curating Web site with so many cool products that it sometimes crashes the browser. Since the holiday season is upon us and the economy is looking ever gloomier, we asked Saunders to share some of his all-time classic designs for men. Cheap wasn’t the objective — we wanted investment pieces of timeless style. And he delivered.
Drakes was founded 30 years ago, and its first product was luxury scarves. What’s cool is the fact that Drakes makes its finest-gauge scarves in large sizes so that they’re still thick and warm when tied. This particular one is 70 inches in length. Woven in Scotland, it’s made of superfine lightweight 100 percent worsted spun cashmere. I like it.
I’m an ’80s baby, and I grew up in Germany so the 1992 Jetta was the car to own. Years later, it was the first car I drove. Giorgetto Giugiaro designed the car. VW put the Jetta on the market because it found out Americans liked sedans more than little hatchbacks. The company stopped producing the cars in Germany right after this model year and moved production to Mexico. By now most of them don’t look like this — they’re rusted, runny, etc. But somehow, somewhere, someone has one stored that’s in immaculate factory condition, never been driven, waiting for me.
We all know about these jeans already. We all have a pair (or four) of A.P.C.’s. We don’t wash them, and we buy new ones when the time comes. There’s no going around it. We just budget them in and everything works out. These new standard jeans by A.P.C. fit perfectly for my personal needs. Selvedge denim, unwashed, five pockets and a button fly. No frills, no logos, nothing. I like to think of them as invisible. Which is exactly what a pair of jeans should be.
It’s hard to get any more understated than Common Projects. It’s the shoe company I should have started myself. Prathan Poopat and Flavio Girolami make the types of shoes I would have made, and they branded the company the same way I would have. I should hate these guys, but I’m happy that I won’t have to go through the trouble of a startup to get the right shoes. They say everything they produce is currently made in Italy using the finest leathers and materials, and that the shoes are hand-stitched to the sole as opposed to vulcanized. Which means they’ll last longer than the average sneaker. Now that winter is upon us, whoever wears these in the December slush will know next season’s trend: C.P. Achille Lows with snow-damaged leather.
I’ve been following the New York shop Still Life since 2006. The label has amazing taste and aesthetics. Frenel Morris, the creative director, knows exactly what time it is. The Web site has the best music out of all the sites I’ve visited this year. The hats are handmade in New York. This one is called the Carver — basically a five-panel cap with more flavor. The leather is supersoft lambskin and the lining is cashmere, very comfortable. It’s the kind of hat I’d display in my home office when not wearing it.
Polo was founded in 1967 when Ralph Lauren got a $50,000 loan. Now he collects cars the same way kids collect sneakers and records. Thing is, I like the Polo stuff a whole lot and it probably has everything to do with the whole Lo-Life era — back in the 1990s, when inner-city kids ganged up and stole Polo clothing from department stores. This is Polo’s white, slim custom-fit Oxford shirt. It’s made from a signature Oxford cotton, and the thickness is great. If the shirt had a chest pocket — with the logo centered on it — I’d be even more happy.
Anyone with a watch collection has money to burn. For these burners, the market has items like the Platinum Patek Philippe Reference 5004P. Patek Philippe is an independent, family-owned company and the only manufacturer that makes all of its mechanical movements according to the strict specifications of the Geneva Seal. I like knowing that Patek executes the production of all those watch components in-house. Icing on the cake is the alligator bracelet. Made in 2004, the watch’s estimated value is $280,000 to $340,000. Burn, baby, burn.