Jack Spade Credit Card Wallet

A while back I bought myself a new RRL wallet.  I even wrote a long winded piece about the emotional significance of switching out my old walled for the new RRL one.  While I still stand by everything I mentioned in that post (even though I'm sure a bunch of people found, or will find, it silly or self-righteous), after sitting on that RRL joint for something like 9 months my spine could no longer take it - that shit was massive and I don't even carry that much crap.  For someone who has always found minimalism appealing and scoffed at my friends for lugging bricks in their back pockets, I had become just another fool who was destroying his posture daily.   So last week when I was in NYC I picked myself up a Jack Spade credit card wallet.  It was the perfect size for a guy who only has two credit cards and looked cool enough for a purchase under 30 bones.  As of writing this, it's currently on sale at the Jack Spade webstore (though not as cheap as it was in-store) and a good look if one of your ass cheeks needs to take a breather (uh, pause).  And for anyone keeping score, the canvas is already aging pretty well thanks to the days where it seemed like a really good idea to wear jeans in the summer.  This is nautical. This is canvas. This is painless.

-L.A.S

RRL Red Chambray

 

Stats:
Size - Small
Fabric - 75% cottom, 25% linen
Country of Origin - China
Fit - RRL has a boxier, more traditional fit, which is why it pays to size down.  I normally wear a size medium in most brands, but this small fits great.  It hits right at mid fly and is perfect non-tucking length.
Color - Faded red hue with white threading

Details:
-Selvedge lined gussets and placket
-Double, box pleated breast pockets
-Button-less sleeve plackets
-Heavily stitched sleeve cuffs
-What appears to be mother of pearl buttons
-Straight pointed collar
-Reinforced elbow stitching

-L.A.S

Bar Stool Philosophy or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love My New Wallet

[Pictured: A larger version of the RRL wallet purchased on Gilt today.]

Due to a recent project, I've been thinking a lot about clothes and what they represent.  At the risk of sounding dramatic or profound, the deep seeded meanings that lie within our "things" are personal, often self-referential and, more likely than not, the totality of our experiences.  This is something I feel we can all relate to no matter how specific these particualr experiences and subsequent meanings may be.

As I browsed the RRL sale on Gilt today I saw a beautiful canvas and leather wallet and added it to my cart.  Right before I pulled the trigger I started thinking about my current wallet.  I've had the same traditional, brown leather wallet from Lost Enterprises since I was around 18 and much less sartorially inclined than I am today.  It's seen countless events that in my young life I truly consider revolutionary.  From breakups to leaving home to the loss of those I cared about, this particular wallet has been in my back pocket since I can remember.  In fact, out of all my items it's probably been with me on a consistent basis more so than anything else I own.  To be honest, I can't remember what wallet I even used prior to this one.  Does my wallet define me?  Not completely.  Is it important because of what it means? Absolutely.  While it was extremely easy to simply say, "My wallet is old and I want a new, nicer one", the meaning behind this statement is much more complicated.  

Being gainfully employed since graduating college has enabled me to purchase a barrage of new things, which have entered into constant rotation at the expense of older pieces.  Not that these older pieces are any less worthy, but my new life seems to have facilitated a movement towards newer purchases.  Replacing my old wallet seems like the metaphorical period at the end of the sentence that was my "pre-adult adult" (since college really doesn't count) wardrobe.  No matter how classic anything I own is, I am a dynamic person who lives a dynamic life and whose clothes reflect this.  As we continue to define ourselves everyday we tend to reach for new things to aid in this process, often at the expense of our older things. 

When my new wallet arrives and I begin changing over my driver's license and credit cards I wont be disgarding my old wallet.  It holds the very same emotional significance, a significance I respect and wont take for granted, even as I build something completely distinct with my new purchase.  It's very likely you are reading this post and I'm coming off as some self-righteous dude with a wallet fetish spewing bullshit.  That may be the case and that's alright with me.  I just felt that cash and card holder of mine deserved a little credit.  And I always give credit where credit is due.

For a discussion/thoughts on wallets head to this post over at one of my favorite blogs, A Time To Get.

-L.A.S