Hello from temperate Scotland, where it’s been warm during the day and cool at night. I’ve always liked a place where summer evenings call for an extra layer. After a few recent trips, I realized I should be more intentional about what I pack this time of year. A little bit of strategy goes a long way toward feeling well put together. I spend a lot of time thinking about autumn clothes, but it's usually my summer wardrobe that could use the most work. So I’ve gone deep on summer wardrobe options.

A few months ago I ran into Toby Bateman and the team from Mr Porter. I've been a friend to those guys at MRP and a customer for years. There are very few retailers whose point of view and designer list that I trust more. If I could only buy clothes from one place, this would probably be it. I spent some time building a wish list of pieces I'd actually like to wear over the next few months. We’re in the heart of summer, so here are 50+ good things to wear.

Morjas Deck Shoes

Altea Straight Leg Shorts

Garrett Leight California Optical Sunglasses

Lardini Shell Bomber Jacket

Ghiaia Cashmere Jeans

Drake’s Pleated Chino Shorts

Bleu de Chauffe

Fullcount T Shirt Two Pack

Drake’s Jungle Jacket

Morjas Suede Espadrilles

Porter-Yashida & Co Canvas Duffel

John Smedley Merino Wool Polo

Orslow Straight Leg Jeans

Husbands Double Breasted Blazer

Yuketen Boat Shoes

RRL Banks Beach Tote

Sunspel Half Zip Sweatshirt

Altea Linen Blazer

Cutler and Gross Sunglasses

De Bonne Facture Straight Leg Pants

Drake’s Denim Jacket

Ghiaia Cashmere Cotton Sweater

Norda 005

RRL Striped Linen Shirt

De Bonne Facture Leather Loafers

Sunspel Swim Shorts

Blue Blue Japan Indigo-Dyed Hoodie

Bleu De Chauffe Woven Leather Belt

3Sixteen Cotton Chambray Shirt

Folk Cotton Jacket

J Mueser Western Shirt

Slowear Cotton and Silk Blend Sweater

Fullcount Straight Leg Selvedge Jeans

INIS MEÁIN Cardigan

FALKE Ribbed Wool Socks

MR P Linen Shorts

Morjas Suede Leather Belt

RRL Baseball Cap

Corridor Shell Drawstring Shorts

A kind of Guise Straight Leg Trousers

Hartford Cotton Jacket

Margaret Howell Tapered Cotton Trousers

Sunspel Cotton Boxer Shorts

Valstar Cotton Field Jacket

Saman Amel Suede Loafers

Altea Knit Polo Shirt

A Kind of Guise Leather Belt

De Bonne Facture Camp Collar Shirt

RRL Beach Towel

I. A New Rivay Store in Born

If you’ve been to the village of Bedford, NY, you might have seen the tiny but meaningful Rivay Men's Shop. This summer, the brand upgraded to a larger space just a few doors down. The new shop is open and better showcases the collection in addition to allowing room for vintage items, accessories and cool found objects. There’s also a cashwrap which doubles perfectly as a bar, and if you know Rivay, then you know what that will mean.

As a brand, Rivay hits all the right notes. The line manages to make timeless, masculine clothing that fits well. It’s wearable and looks classic. I don’t think there’s another brand that gets a higher share of my wardrobe.

With this new space, founders Jon and Katie continue to show their good taste and ability to world-build despite being such a small company. As always, I’m impressed with their efforts. If you find yourself near Bedford, this shop is a worthy diversion.

II. The Haunting

You’ve likely seen the famous par-3 16th. There may be no green in golf that cries out “try your luck” more than the 16th at Sleepy Hollow. With views of the Hudson, the famed Short template, its moat green, and a thumbprint for good measure, it’s about as much fun as you can have on a golf course. Together with The Old Ghosts, I am organizing an open event at Sleepy Hollow Country Club on August 11th for The Haunting. So if you’ve always wanted to see this in real life, this is your chance.

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Hope you like it!

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The third incarnation of The Print Edition is here. Meet The Summer Issue, just in time for relaxation, grilling and nostalgic beer. The cover is a wonderful Fairfield Porter painting of Maine, which sets the right tone for where we want to be.

In the pages we’ve got Graydon Carter on banned words and Brian Gallagher embracing truck life. John Brodie heads to the Bahamas while Yasi Salek remembers Lollapalooza 1995. Josh Condon warns us about summer menswear gone wrong, Al James reveals what’s in his very full garage and Tony Traina files a field watch report. You’ll also learn about the art of house-guesting from Nathan King, our writer-at-large, and discover the Mister Softee order from Significant New Yorkers™.

There are drawings by the great John Segal and a conversation between, wait for it, Michael and Coggins.

Thanks to Crockett & Jones and all our advertisers for all their support.

We’re into The Summer Issue, we think you’ll be into it.

So order your copy here or find them out in the world at our beloved newsstands.

Enjoy the season!
DC & MW

Order Issue 3

There’s a stretch of the north Cornwall coast where people paddle out into the North Atlantic in the dead of winter. It’s not the image of England we might first imagine, but it’s the very real place and way of life that inspired the brand Finisterre.

The company takes its name from Finisterre, one of the sea areas in the Shipping Forecast — the beloved …

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Being a Dad isn’t something I spend much time thinking about, but I often find myself marveling at how much I enjoy it. Frequently, I catch a simple moment that stands out and try hard to embed it in my memory. An evening playing catch in the yard with my son, the light just right, my daughter goofing around upside down in the magnolia tree. Sometimes on a drive home from school, I hear little voices in the backseat, which occasionally turn into a song or a game they are playing together with me becoming a grateful spectator. Being able to hang out with your son and his grandpa, just watching the game and being together, or going to play golf together as a family with the good light of a Sunday afternoon. That’s the good stuff.

I cried the first time I held my daughter and I so clearly remember the feeling it gave me. Becoming a Dad in that moment felt like the most important dimension of my life. It might have been vivid in that first moment, but the low-grade joy of being a parent is a beautiful aspect of my life that I didn’t anticipate.

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Most years I compile a gift guide for Father’s Day. The way this seems to work is the link is either passed to a loved one or just used as a personal shopping exploration. No matter how it’s used, I’m happy to make suggestions since I love this stuff. This weekend, we shared 34+ gifts on The Material Review and at least 30 more for the golfers among us at The Old Ghosts.

There are also several archival gift guides from this newsletter 2025, 2024 and 2022. (Looks like I didn’t do one in 2023 or 2021.) That was probably because I wanted to avoid being repetitive with these recommendations.

My thesis now for Father’s Day gifting is to buy him something important and nice that he is probably avoiding buying himself. So with that in mind, I put together a group of super nice (and expensive) things I think any good dad would want. That doesn’t mean you have to spend a ton of money — there are also some simple gift ideas in the links above and the recommendations at the bottom of this page.

Ultimately, I don’t think Dad needs much. A card, a relaxing day, perhaps a cocktail and a good meal will put any sane person in a good mood. If you can get a gift as an acknowledgement, that’s great. Personally, a mai tai and a cookout on the beach with my wife and kids is the best thing I could dream up. Easy.

I hope this helps make Father’s Day a bit more enjoyable for everyone.

• A really nice bag. He probably has a Filson bag (though I’m sure he would appreciate another), but he also might have his eye on an all-leather Ghurka Express II / Cavalier III Leather Duffel, a Bleu de Chauffe suede weekender or a beautiful weekender from Bennett Winch.

• How about a truly excellent coffee maker? Why not upgrade the daily coffee to a quality machine from Moccamaster or even a Ratio machine?

• A club fitting at the Titleist Performance Institute. It’s $750 just for the visit, not including any new clubs, but this is a PGA TOUR-level club-fitting expertise. This is elite stuff, and anyone who has been there knows just how unique an experience this is. (There are two locations for TPI — Oceanside, CA, and Manchester Lane in Massachusetts.)

• A (very) good bottle. Has he always wanted to own a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle but never would? This is a grail item he would never forget. These are roughly the price of .75 one Cartier Love bracelet, but this is grail-level stuff.

• The best shoes that will last a lifestyle. Alden Loafers, something from Crockett & Jones in Shell Cordovan, a handsome pair of Viberg boots or perhaps a pair of loafers from John Lobb.

• Other (full throttle) ideas. A Leica. A beautiful leather briefcase. The Original Mackintosh raincoat. An Eames chair. A Globe Trotter trunk. A nice watch. A Japanese knife. An aluminum Rimowa. A bottle of DRC. A suit from J. Mueser. Or perhaps just something rare.

OTHER IDEAS:

• Original Madras Trading Co. Handloom Shirt. These beautiful shirts from OMTC are handmade, giving them incredible texture and depth. I wear these every week, and in my mind, there is no better building block for Dad to transform into his “favorite shirt”.

• Wolf x Analog Shift. These are my favorite boxes for storing my watches at home. The quality here is just amazing, and when you feel them (and even hear the sound they make when closed) you know they are extremely well made.

• Oyster Tempo Pro. There’s something in the mind of the modern dad that assigns significant value to beverage temperature control. I own this “performance” cooler and it is the best and last cooler I will ever own.

• Smythson Panama Notebook. A beloved everyday item that can be monogrammed. I love these notebooks so much, but I never want to spend the $100.

• Tom Beckbe Canvas Tailgater Bag — Fill this with good booze, a few Yeti tumblers and the accouterments for a dad-approved cocktail program on the go.

• Golf Headcovers. These recycled sail headcovers are made in the USA and are vintage cool. I love this brand, Forewind Golf.

• Rivay Linen Correspondent Jacket — This is the perfect travel or everyday summer jacket. Rivay does the military inspiration thing exceptionally well, and I live in their clothes.

• A 35mm Film Camera — I try to take a roll a month of family photos because film + kids create the best memories. This is an iconic point-and-shoot camera that has a cult following.

• The Old Ghosts — Give him a subscription to The Old Ghosts, the golf newsletter I publish with The Fliers Club.

• Bluegrass Fairway — The maker of my favorite made-in-USA scorecard holder and golf accessories. Everything from Bluegrass Fairway is excellent quality.

• A Pelican Storage Crate — There’s something guys love about cool storage and these new crates are an instant upgrade that any dad would appreciate.

• Pinebury Merino Wool Sweatpants — As someone who loves wool clothing, these things are incredible.

Take care and happy Father’s Day!

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One of the things I like about the newsletter format is that it allows me to share stories large and small. Not every post is meant to be a big thought piece or profile; sometimes, I just feel like it’s interesting to see the everyday things I would share when I started out way back when.

During the process of making a jacket with Tailor’s Keep I ended up going to San Francisco three times over the course of probably eight months or so. Each time I got a chance to explore the city and visit some interesting places —like the great shop Presidio Post (photos below) or Sam’s Burgers — not to mention the beloved Verjus. Through these fitting visits, I amassed a collection of photos from my enjoyable experience working with Tailor’s Keep to make a jacket I will own forever. My affection for San Francisco being what it is, I didn’t want these images to just sit in my archive, but instead I wanted to share them with everyone here.

Below are a mix of the Tailor’s Keep team, shop and surroundings. Plus some captures around town on my Sony A7CII and a few 35mm film scans just for fun. Hope you enjoy.

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My inbox is filled with newsletters every weekend. Of course I’m very interested in most of what they have to say, but when there’s so much coming at me it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. I get the same feeling from X or even from Substack Notes at times. We used to have one Twitter, and now we have four of them. We used to have a real timeline filled with interesting people; now we have armies of failed mortgage brokers running engagement farms set to level 10 vague posting. Though I’m not here to tell you about how things used to be better—I do want to say that we are better off not knowing what’s going on.

Have you ever walked down a street and noticed a bagel place with a huge line? If you knew about it from TikTok or some food Instagrammer you might fall victim to standing in that line (probably to some disappointment). If you are oblivious, then you’ll just buy your bagel at the deli like every other NY schlub. What could be more embarrassing than waiting in line for an everyday item of food? Our time on earth is limited; don’t spend it waiting in line for bagels that come incorrectly packaged in Kraft paper boxes.

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Welcome to the ACL Digest. Each month, I will send all of my related stories from across ACL, The Material Review, and The Old Ghosts so you don’t miss a thing. Plus, some other interesting things I think you might like. Just a note: The Material Review is publishing twice weekly, and The Old Ghosts is publishing weekly. See you out there.

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We talk about loving Montana, Mother’s Day, the great Nick Lyons and contrary fandom.

Hope you like it!

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Last year, I had to replace everything in my kitchen. It meant going from expensive Japanese knives to Ikea knives. It was an interesting experiment because it made me realize what I really need and what is non-essential. Did I upgrade everything and get a fresh start at buying all of the new best stuff? Unfortunately, no. I ended up downgrading in cert…

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In the interest of time before Mother’s Day, we thought we would send you some gift ideas. Our Creative Director and former Fashion Director friend Laurie Trott is back to help us with gifts for the moms in our lives. Also, shout out to my wife, who helped quarterback this guide. Shipping deadline…

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The theme is sports, which evoke leisure, play and childlike pleasure. Many people enjoy the triumphant thrill of victory. Not that we would know anything about that since we’re fans of the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns. Maybe that’s why we have an affinity with sad fans—anybody from Buffalo is a brother in or sister in sports suffering.

Remember when Vitas Gerulaitis lost to Jimmy Connors sixteen straight matches before finally prevailing. Afterwards he famously said, “Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis seventeen times in a row.” That’s the spirit we’re celebrating here.

In the pages Simon Mills reports on England’s history of pub games (you can play a sport while holding a pint). Nathan King considers walking to be the first sport. John Brodie examines the fine social nuances of a lifetime playing squash. And Andrew Hyslop shares his wonderful photos of Kentucky horse racing.

Many thanks to IWC, J. Mueser, Citadelle Gin and our other advertisers for their support.

We try not to take sports too seriously and yet they still manage to break our hearts. After all, losing provides necessary lessons in life. Of course it does, that’s how you know the game matters.

-David & Michael

*You can buy The Print Edition at newsstands or subscribe here.

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The last thing on the list of probable careers is probably: chef. I can’t even watch half an episode of The Bear without getting overwhelmed and having to go for a long walk. I cook because my family needs to eat. That’s it. I also happen to like cooking if I have the time and space to enjoy it. When it’s for fun, I get to learn something new, and it’s easy to see improvement, which is satisfying. Most of the time, though, I’m tired and just need to feed these damned kids.

When it comes to recipes, every day is playoff basketball, and I’m running a 7-man rotation. If family stays with us for more than a week they will start to see repeat meals. There’s just not a lot of time to experiment. We don’t have much room for error with hungry, potentially emotionally unstable little customers waiting at the kitchen table, pounding their forks and knives. Through personal ineptitude and a global health crisis, I’ve learned to adapt and overcome. Here are some of my lessons as a bad dad chef.

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I. Grabbing for Straws

Recently, I noted this post on X about loafers, and I had feelings. I was slightly dismayed by the responses. There are a few good answers, but most of what is offered up seems to range from the obscure to the absurd. I found myself with more questions than answers. More than ever it feels like uninformed people are totally comfortable making recommendations they aren’t qualified to make.

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