TGT for DRIVEN | 1968 Porsche 911
Shaped by the brilliant mind of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the iconic first generation 911 would come to define the Porsche marque more so than anything to date. The Classic Car Club of Manhattan invited us to immerse ourselves in the car that started it all. Spending a day in upstate New York at the Orvis Sandanona grounds for a day of sporting clays and cars, we absorbed the intoxicating vapors of performance and made realizations that only the CCCM can afford you. For more on the “Steve McQueen” Porsche 911, head on over to UrbanDaddy’s DRIVEN.
Weathered | RRL Straight Leg Raw Denim
Being the denimheads that we are, we decided to try our luck on a different make of highly regarded denim. Procured from the establishment of Ralph Lauren’s RRL store, the denim at hand is a thicker more supple denim. Made in the good ole’ US of A, in comparison to its French and Japanese cohorts, the selvage denim comes unmercerized and unsanforized. This means the indigo is not painted on the cotton, and that it is not chemically treated to avoid shrinkage. The denim comes in its virgin state with its trademark racing stripe that is only visible with a turned up cuff, indicating its selvage denim DNA.
Auto Aspiration | TGT’s 5 Curvaceous Coupes
For those of you who don’t know, TGT has a fixation for all things fast – well, not all things, just machines. That said, we’ll talk about the beast that allows the most intimate bond between man and speed – the coupe automobile. The coupe is the incarnation of the speed demon. It carries out a battle between man and physics for a joint victory on the road – and most often then not, it’s lines turn heads like Jane Russell. The automotive achievements during the golden age of auto design yielded some of the most inspiring feats of engineering, that may well move more to action when parked, than cornering at 70 mph. We are talking about the days before composite materials and fiber glass chassis, when chrome and aluminum were the modern day standard to get you to go faster, and keep you looking pretty doing it.
So, TGT celebrates 5 automobiles that changed the world of racing and had an equally great impact to our cultural understanding of the present – or at least to our cultural understanding of the word Cool. These are TGT’s picks for the 5 Curvaceous Coupes.
1. Porsche 550 Spyder (1953)
Watching | The Origins of the Timex/JCREW Military Watch
Confirming the suspicions and many whispers regarding the illegitimacy of the Timex/JCREW Military watch, comes Hodinkee to confirm the claims. You are sure to see them virtually everywhere you go – a clean brush grade steel case with the Arabic numerals on a NATO nylon band. Not a bad look, a solid nod to function over aesthetic, and overall a clean sharp looking watch. However, it is the basis behind the aesthetic that has watch enthusiasts raising their brow.
While JCREW sets the watch in a WWII context by advertising its origins from that of a 1940s military watch produced by Timex, that reality is a little further from the truth. Or 40 years from the truth. It seems the watch was not inspired by any timepiece in existence at the time, but but by a design Timex pitched to the military in the 1980s, and was consequently never picked up. Still a functional and clever design, but nonetheless one carried out in nothing more than good ole’ American plastic – intended to be disposable. Surprisingly, its elusiveness has caused it to become a bit of a relic among watch collectors.
Facebook | TGT Wants You
TGT can now be found on Facebook and Twitter. Occasionally, supplemental information and material will make its way to either source. We encourage you to follow, should you feel so inclined and partake in any banter that pertains to the disposition of TGT. Enjoy.
More:
- The Gentleman’s Topcoat @ Facebook
- The Gentleman’s Topcoat (thegentstopcoat) @ Twitter
- Back In The Bandlands @ Tumblr
- The Gentleman’s Topcoat @ Flickr
Everyday Carry | TGT’s Personal Effects
Let’s be honest, we love things here at TGT. In light of that truth, let us not forget that there are many things we don’t need. However, there are the belongings every man needs, or believes he does and thus will never leave his home without. That was the concept behind Everyday Carry – a tumblr style site of the items we fill our pockets with, strap to our wrists and push up to the bridge of our nose. Anyone can submit a picture of their collection of man regalia, to share with others. Granted, every now and then there is a collection of items that resemble the equipment of a conspiracy theorist on the eve of Y2K. However, use your own discretion to decide what is to be taken seriously and what not – at least in terms of everyday carry.
As for myself, these are the list of things I carry on a regular basis. Living in New York, I do still carry a pocket knife, but demoted myself to a Leatherman for obvious reasons. Back when I studied in North Carolina, I even then got a lot of flack for carrying a pocket knife. Today, the Leatherman sits in my bag. Anyways, now that the disclaimer is out of the way – we take inventory:
The Rite | The Chalk & Thread of Martin Greenfield
It used to be that a man had a relationship with his tailor, like his barber. A visit was usually accompanied by the inquiry about the family and the Mrs, maybe some discourse about the local politics, a warm handshake and one was off.
Well, here is TGT’s celebration and reminder of the important place of the tailor in a polished gentleman’s life. We bring you skilled Brooklyn-based tailor Martin Greenfield, to remind you of that reality. Working as a tailor in a concentration camp during the holocaust, he made his jump across the Atlantic after a relative found him after the War’s end. He has been working on the tailleur that makes boys into men ever since, and runs his own shop across the Hudson.
The reality is, few men exist today that know the bond of fabric and seam, quite as well as Martin Greenfield knows. So, dust off that old duffel bag and throw it over your shoulder, we all own something that could look better on us. You know who you are – Mothballs aren’t mints to keep your coats fresh… [Photos Via TheSelby]
The Gentleman's Topcoat 