Sartorially Inclined: Lincs

Based on his pedigree alone it often surprises me how little the blogs talk about David Chu. The Taiwanese-American designer founded Nautica back in 1983, which he sold for a cool $1 billion in 2003, and currently keeps himself busy with his sportswear line Lincs. Lincs, in its own words, is "a modern expression of style inspired by a life in and out of the country club…of travel, of sport, of classic chic." I can't say I really disagree with this statement as the clothes really do aim to reinterpret not only the classic aesthetics of golf, the sport from which the brand draws its name, but that lifestyle overall.

When it's good Lincs offers well-tailored classics and when it's bad it gets a tad too "white bread" for my tastes - whole lotta polos. I've often believed Lincs struggles with defining its age demographic. It seems to be straddling an age divide and is only hurting its own identity in the process. Obviously all of this is up to David, but If I was him I would make a serious distinction. Are we going after the 20-30's guy who wants some affordable, classic sportswear or are we going after a more conservation 30-40's guy who might not have the kind of money to drop on Purple Label? All that aside, there are some fine pieces in the Lincs S/S 2010 collection, particularly the casual cotton blazers, which would look real good hanging out with your madras. If you want to pick up some Lincs find a retail location by your or just pop into your local Dillard's or Nordstrom as they are currently the two biggest stockists.