u/clueless_bassist

So I am in the market for a new coat / overcoat and just wanted to suss out the preferences in the community before i make a big investment.

I have had a duffle coat, the rope loops of which started to tear alas. I enjoyed wearing a duffle coat and i found it versatile (could be worn with anything from clarks desert boots to cordovan longwings and everything in between), but i think I wanna branch out a bit.

I try to stick to canonical Ivy items, so i wear lots of chinos, ocbds, cricket sweaters, fair isles, alden and florsheim longwings, trickers boots, wool and corduroy trousers and occasionally tweed jackets.

I work in IT at a large bank as a manager, and senior leadership nothwithstanding I am usually the best dressed guy around so I am not looking for something very formal.

I am rather intrigued by these John Simons tweed overcoats:

https://johnsimons.co.uk/collections/overcoats-1

What else is there for me to try and get inspired?

Thank you!

I work as an IT product manager.

Shirt is BB Made in the US Supima Cotton (non-non-iron), slacks are BB, shoes are Florsheims Imperial Longwings NOS, briefcase is Carl Friedrik Palissy.

Hi all,

Before I ask my question, i just wanted to say how fortunate I am to have stumbled upon this community! I have fully immersed myself in this topic, read hundreds of threads over the past two weeks, learned about many brands and staples of the community and had a ton of fun doing it ☺️

Now, onto my question - I work as an IT product manager at a bank (managers dress smart casual, employees wear relaxed clothing) and am shopping for a new bag. I have narrowed my search down to the following three bags:

- Carl Friedrik Palissy Slim - https://www.carlfriedrik.com/int/products/palissy-briefcase-slim-leather-briefcase?colour=cognac
- Carl Friedrik Palissy Double - https://www.carlfriedrik.com/int/products/palissy-double-leather-briefcase?colour=cognac
- Bleu de Chauffe Zeppo - https://www.bleu-de-chauffe.com/en/business-bag/796-zeppo-business-bag-cuba-libre-3700716008877.html

I am EDCing. MacBook Air 13”, Logitech MX Master, Midori MD notebook, a pouch with two fountain pens, airpods, a spare notebook for doodling and ideating, Sony headphones. It would be nice, however, to be able to store a spare retractable umbrella, or to tuck away a sweater, but not a must.

My style is very Ivy oriented so OCBDs, polo shirts, chinos, courderoy trousers, shetland sweaters, woolen vests, brogues the occasional tweed sports jacket, barbour, etc.

I would like to elevate my game and embrace the briefcase - something I never never attempted before.

Which of the three options would you recommend given the context? Would the slim Palissy fit the bill or do I have to size up to the Palissy double? Is the double a bit of an overkill for a daily drive, as i don’t really go on one-day trips. Do you have any experience with the Palissy and if so, how have you found it? What do you carry in your Plaissy (or similarly sized) briefcase daily? What about the BdC Zeppo? Does it keep its form or does it sag with time?

Many thanks and I look forward to reading and replying to your comments.

Edit:

I am based in the EU and have a strong preference for brands that can be sources more easily. Alas, Frank Clegg and Satchel Page are hard to come by here :|

Edit 2:

Budget is EUR 1200

I have been obsessing over these frames for a very long time. Now that it is finally time to get me new frames, I figured I’d reach out to the community for help.

Do you happen to know of a brand that makes frames similar to these ones (and by similar I mean as close as possible).

I dont have a set budget but i’d be willing to shell out north of €600 for the right frame. I have checked the usual suspects: Oliver Peoples, Moscot, Garrett Leight, Matsuda, but haven’t quite found the right frame.

Thank you - much appreciated! 🙏

I just reached this position in an online blitz game and I wanted to share it with the community. It came iut of a Catalan setup where black took on c4 early on.

Note that black’s King, e7 rook and Queen can’t move.

Chess is fun!

Recently I was debating between a Aurora Optima and Montegrappa Extra 1930, and the feedback from the community was overwhelmingly for the Aurora. That merely confirmed my bias as I was already inclined to get the Aurora and it turned out to be a great purchase. I absolutely *love* that pen.

I am now at a crossroad yet again. I am debating between Montegrappa Extra 1930 in Turtle Brown and the Namiki Yukari Royale in Vermillion. The idea is to add a bit of colour to my collection which is comprised of office-appropriate, restrained Montblancs.

I have some reservations about the longevity of the Montegrappa given it is made of celluloid and it may not survive two generations even with impeccable care. I love everything else about the pen though (shape, silver trims, size, etc.). The Yukari on the other hand is great in almost every conceivable way. My reservation, and it is really the only one, is the colour. I fear that the red may be a little too loud for the office. I am hoping the vermillion is less loud / more muted.

So there you have - given these two masterpieces, which one would you choose and why?

Thank you!