New England Style

It is always great to go back to the New England where I spent my childhood. The east coast is great for any fashionable men because it allows the opportunity to layer with jackets, sweaters, scarves, gloves, and of course warm boots.

I picked up this double breasted sweater from Grayers clothing and fell in love instantly. It has the comfort of a sweatshirt, but has the classy style of any other cardigan sweater. It is lined with flannel to keep you warm for the winter/fall season and to top it off it has elbow patches and a shawl collar. 

I matched my sweater with an amazing shirt constructed by Vincent Love. A chambray shirt that fits perfectly over the shoulders, slim through the arm and body, and has small details such as the signature center red button. What I love most about this shirt is the collar. Most shirts I buy have collars that fold over or do not stand in the way you would like them to. Vincent Love shirts set up their collars so they always look crisp, pressed, and stand tall so you never have to worry about ironing you collar to make it look perfect.

Finally I paired the sweater and shirt with one of my favorite pairs of jeans from Duffie Jeans and my brand new wing tip boots from Gordon Rush. These boots are some of the best quality for price that I have seen this season. Soft leather, comfortable sole, and the fashionable wing tip really make these boots stand out from others.

This is an easy look for any man to pull off. You can never go wrong with a clean cut button down shirt, sweater, jeans, leather boots, and a scarf to keep you extra warm. Happy Holidays!

Shirt: Vincent Love

Sweater: Grayers

Jeans: Duffie

Boots: Gordon Rush

Scarf: Burberry

A Walk Through Staples

Basic, solid, and contemporary style is for every man whether you work in fashion or not. Matt and I took a walk through Staples Center in Downtown, Los Angeles to see what it is like when there is not a huge crowd there. It was great experience to see such a high traffic area when there were so few people there.

In the afternoon I like to stay somewhat casual by simply putting on neutral colors. Red, white, and blue are three easy colors that always look great together. I picked up this long sleeve t-shirt from Lost and it has quickly become one of my favorite long sleeves. It is soft, light weight, and has the color block style that I have been looking for. The small details such as the red buttoned pocket truly makes this shirt stand out from others.

I paired it with a pair of navy slacks, penny loafers, and of course my Focus Space backpack. Casually classy and easy to wear is the simplest way I can put this look. Cheers!

Shirt: Lost

Pants: HM

Shoes: Cole Haan

Back Pack: Focused Space

A Hint Of Orange

Orange has always been one of my favorite colors. It goes with pretty much anything and you can wear it year around. Fall is my favorite time to wear orange because it is a perfect layering color. When it starts to get chilly out most men start to layer by wearing a sweatshirt, sweater, or winter jacket. In the contemporary eye most men would rather wear a brown jacket instead of a bright orange one. Here is a simple way to add orange into your daily wardrobe without making it the center piece of what you are wearing.

Growing up in New England you see a lot of bright colors and preppy styles. One of the styles I saw when I was a kid was the double collar. To most this sounds a little ridiculous, but plenty of men in the 1980's and 1990's have been seen wearing this. It is a stylish and classy way to layer your shirts and if you ever get to hot you can take your dress shirt off and just walk around in your polo. 

For the rest of this look I stayed very contemporary with light blue button down shirt, light brown cardigan sweater, blue jeans, and my go to pair of penny loafers. Try something new and wear two collars instead of one. 

Glasses: Ray Ban
Sweater: J.Crew
Polo Shirt: Ralph Lauren
Button Down Shirt: Scotch and Soda
Jeans: APC
Shoes: Cole Haan
Belt: J. McLaughlin
Bag: MRKT

Spring Street Walk

Downtown LA has so much to offer. Today, I walked down Spring Street to see what I could find. While walking, I came across the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a Mexican-American Museum in the cultural center. Most of the museum was outside in a beautiful garden filled with statues and cultural information explaining the Mexican-American culture. 

After finishing up at the museum, I kept walking around until I found a street filled with lights that go on at night. It was a very serene place to relax and enjoy the sunset...

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CASE to Los Angeles

 Growing up in New England, I was surrounded by prep school culture and had the privilege to attend the Millbrook School. My dorm's colors were red, black, and white and we had these t-shirts made for all of us. This one happens to be a friend of mine's, but it is always fun to dig through your old clothes and find things that you may have forgotten about...

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Gloomy LA

Today was one of those rare, gloomy days in Los Angeles. We found a great location with a superb view of the Downtown skyline and some awesome floral street art. The white, sleeveless hoodie and black t-shirt really stood out well against the scheme of green in the background. It is always safe to wear neutrals, but if you wear them properly, they can stand out to look better than some of your more extravagant looks. 

Contemporary, but Bold...

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Viva Las Vegas!

Last week was a great week for Born and Raised. Not only was it my birthday, but we also had the opportunity to attend Liberty Fairs, Agenda, and Capsule shows in Las Vegas. It was my first time in Las Vegas and both of our first times experiencing these amazing shows.

We had the opportunity to meet so many nice people, some of our fashion idols, and an innumerable amount of brands that were debuting their new spring/fall lines. People like Nick Wooster, Avec Ces Freres, and the rest of the BK Circus all attended, making the experience even more memorable.

Our good friends from OPNK, Pocket Square Clothing, VII Winners and MRKT were all at the show helping us find our way.

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It's a Jungle Out There

August is here and we are ready to Bring The Noise! August is one of my favorite months of the year not only because it is my birthday, but it is also when all the new fall/winter styles start to come out. Although we are in beautiful California I still wanted to give you a taste of what I will be wearing for the fall. Here I am layering different aspects of the outfit to show all the unique styles...

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All Aboard!!

Lions, and tigers, and bears oh my! In this case, I only had to deal with the tiger on my sweater. Today I went to explore Matt's new apartment at Belmont Station. Although there is only a mural left, it is a great place to come and see. The historical Belmont Station has been out of commission for decades now, but there is plenty of history to discover. I thoroughly enjoy pairing my outfits with my surroundings. In this case, I went with this graphic tiger sweater and plain white chinos. Black and white compliment the red and yellow from the mural.

One of our favorite new affordable shoe companies we stumbled across is Giorgio Brutini. Whether it be snake skin loafers like these, something more casual, or even something fancier, they have it all! These shoes in particular have a soft snake skin out sole with a great leather in sole making them perfect if you enjoy wearing your shoes with no socks like I do. 

I love animal prints, but they have to be worn in the right way. I see a lot of people mix and matching different animal prints, which simply looks like they are a walking zoo! I wanted to show a simple way where you can have a tiger on your sweater, and make that stand out in itself. If you  add a pair of simple white chinos and a pair of loafers it makes it perfect for any casual occasion.

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Hotel Hoppin'

What better way to take advantage of an impromptu business meeting than shooting at a 5-star hotel. Matt and I were in Beverly Hills and decided to check out The Montage Hotel. We walked around the hotel playing around with our camera like we usually do. We simply couldn't resist the opportunity to shoot the eerily matching decor with my outfit for the day. There is still a child in all of us and it is nice to go joke around with your friends and take a load off. 

To learn more about what I am wearing...

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Raised To Inspire

My good friend from New York, Holden Jaffe is the lead guitarist for the band Del Water Gap. For being some of the youngest kids on the streets of Manhattan, these boys truly know how to rock out! About a year ago they had a local artist draw up this image of a random individual and I fell in love. If you want to check out Del Water Gap's blog and get your own t-shirt click Here.

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Matt's Drink Of The Week: Bloody Sunday

Born and Raised Bloody

- Vodka

- Bloody Mary Mix

- Wet Fart Hot Sauce

- Tajin Clasico Seasoning

- Horseradish

- Pepper

- Worcestershire Sauce

- Celery, pickle and olives

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The Legend Of Born And Raised

I recently re-watched the movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance," and garnered inspiration from the timeless looks in the film. In the movie, Matt Damon plays a young golfer who becomes a hometown hero by winning a match between himself and the two best golfers in the world. While playing golf, all the men show up properly dressed, typically wearing a button down shirt, suit pants, and a sweaters. Matt Damon always sported a tucked-in tie, unlike any of the other characters in the film. I decided to try and conjure up the look myself, but instead of wearing slacks, I want to change things up a bit by wearing an ultra-comfortable pair of sweats I just got from My Vice Sweats...

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 Most people think sweat pants are for lounging around the house or going to the gym, but I think if you have the right pair you can wear them out and about. My Vice Sweats creates premium sweat pants that maintain the comfortable level, but create a look as to where they can be considered street fashion. They come in all different styles including drop crouch, loose fit, slim fit, polka dot, camp, ect. If you are looking to invest, throw away your old Champion sweat pants that you have had for the last five years and get fresh pair of sweats that are more versatile for your everyday life. If you want to check out more of My Vice Sweats click Here.

Hat: Avenue Athletics

Glasses: Born and Raised

Shirt: J.Crew

Tie: J.Crew

Watch: Tisot

Bracelets: Psihii

Sweat Pants: My Vice Sweats

Shoes: Brooks Brothers

Ipad Case: Herschel

Phone Case: Exo