• Summer with The Grey Lady

    Miscellany  

    Maybe it's the therapeutic outdoor morning showers, or the privilege of getting the sunrise before anybody else on the east coast, or the simple fact that it is devoid of a tether to whatever "real world" you left behind at Hyannis. Nantucket is magical in the summer. Worry seems to roll off your shoulders, like beads of sweat erratically migrating down your cocktail.

    The island, aside from its locals, is home to an inherently preppy summer colony. It is beloved in part for the geographical fact that it's a pain in the ass to get to. The harder the trek, the preppier the locale. And Nantucket is perhaps the preppiest (edging out Martha's Vineyard and its trailer parks). If you're not flying into ACK, you have to cross the moat to the WASP kingdom via an hour long ferry.

    Despite the inconveniences, The Grey lady more than quadruples in size come June. Frankly, it gets crazy around the Fourth. But that's not to say you can't get alone. This secluded beach I photographed Alise Shoemaker* on a couple years ago is on the South Shore somewhere between Nobadeer and Tom Nevers. It's a great spot if you can find it. Odds are good that you'll have it all to yourself for a picnic, skinny dipping, or whatever else bakes your (crab) cake. As for how to get there exactly, well, it wouldn’t be preppy if I made it that easy.

    *click on the image above to download a wallpaper version

    May 22, 2013 | Permalink (6) View/Leave Comments

    George left a comment on 5/24/2013 at 6:51 PM:

    Please tell me that is NOT a Schlitz on the dash…


    Alexander left a comment on 5/24/2013 at 1:46 PM:

    @MGM - Agreed! Love the photography FE but it’d be great to see (even more) creative writing.


    MGM left a comment on 5/24/2013 at 8:33 AM:

    Great writing, FEC.  You should write more!


    F.E. Castleberry left a comment on 5/22/2013 at 4:49 PM:

    @Sam—This is a Chevy Silverado.

    @Alexander—Nice insider tip.


    Sam left a comment on 5/22/2013 at 3:19 PM:

    I love that truck. Does anyone know what it is?


    Alexander left a comment on 5/22/2013 at 2:59 PM:

    One of my favorite things to do on ACK is a late evening BBQ at Great Point. You can only get to it with a beach vehicle permit, so it’s definitely off the beaten path.

    Technically you’re not supposed to be there after sundown if you’re not a fisherman, but the cops will give you a break if you drop a pole in the sand and let the lure bob around in the Atlantic. The late night ride back is the best part.


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  • Frank Clegg Leatherworks Small Signature Duffle

    Style  

    Frank Clegg is closer to an artist than a master-craftsmen (though I assure you he is both). Each time I pack for a long weekend I'm reminded of this. His Signature Duffle, a triumvirate of beauty, craftsmanship, and utilitarian design, only gets better with age. It's cloaked in simplicity—a design meticulously reduced to only what is necessary to get you there and back again. Case in point, there is no interior liner. A frivolity to Clegg. After all, there is nothing to hide since he only employs the finest vegetable dyed leather he can get his hands on. Swiss RiRi zippers, brass hardware, and double thick leather bottom round out the exceptional construction.

    After a few trips with my Signature Duffle in hand, I offhandedly mention to Clegg that I would love to see it in a smaller size. I think selfishly I just want to carry my bag not just on weekend getaways but every day. Not long after our conversation, Clegg makes short work of what is now his Small Signature Duffle. The new overnight bag, featured here in chocolate*, is ideal for overnight trips or just daily jaunts to the gym.

    At $765, the Small Signature Duffle is a far cry from an impulse buy. But you don't really want that in a heirloom piece. You want something that you can aspire to. You want something that is going to sting a little. And Clegg offers that at an incredible value. See, Frank Clegg sells his bags directly to his customers. If he didn't, Bergdorf Goodman would be peddling them for upwards of $1300. And that is probably why Clegg doesn't allow that, the hard working American that he is. He understands the value of craftsmanship and that of a dollar...especially when it stings.

    *courtesy of Frank Clegg Leatherworks

    May 15, 2013 | Permalink (5) View/Leave Comments

    Orgastic Future left a comment on 5/24/2013 at 12:04 AM:

    Oh wow! amazing shape they are in! Love the laces in them! I love to switch mine out with tennis shoe laces in various colors.


    F.E. Castleberry left a comment on 5/23/2013 at 8:55 AM:

    @Orgastic Future—Funny because they are actually about 17 years old.


    Orgastic Future left a comment on 5/23/2013 at 1:23 AM:

    C’mon Fred, those bucs are a little too clean! Play a quick game of catch in them and give em character! Lol


    F.E. Castleberry left a comment on 5/19/2013 at 8:56 PM:

    @A Boston Blazer—Bring extras for friends…they’ll be thankful when they’ve forgotten or lost theirs.


    A Boston Blazer left a comment on 5/19/2013 at 8:42 PM:

    Looks great - just the right size for a few days out of the city. Three pairs of sunglasses may be a little bit of overkill though :)

    www.abostonblazer.com


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  • Vampire Weekend Live at Roseland

    Music & Books  

    Nothing tops "being there" when Vampire Weekend took to the Roseland for their sold out hometown show in New York recently. A live filming of the show directed by Steve Buscemi comes in a close second though.

    May 13, 2013 | Permalink (1) View/Leave Comments

    Ace left a comment on 5/20/2013 at 4:11 PM:

    How annoying are people with their stupid phones stuck up in the air?  Just enjoy the show people!


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  • Lobster Rolls

    Prep Essentials  

    It’s finally reeking of summer in New York. That’s right, I’m talking about the subways. But there is a silver lining—lobster rolls. Of preppy summer fare, there are few greater and none more satisfying. The best are teeming with fresh lobster and served up in cardboard trays and wax paper. Rebecca and I rolled up to the food truck laager in the Flatiron District last night to usher in the season of leisureliness properly.

    Connecticut style (right) and Maine style (left) lobster rolls ($16)

    Red Hook Lobster Pound specializes in fresh catch lobster. Susan Povich and Ralph Gorham, who founded the seat-of-your-pants operation in 2008, drive up the coast of Maine several times a week to round up their crustaceans. They serve up rolls in Maine (chilled lobster, celery, house mayo, light spices) and Connecticut style (warm lobster drunk on butter). In a moment of indecision I order both. Nine minutes later, no regrets. It is easily one of the best lobster rolls in New York (and I’ve had Lunch before).

    May 10, 2013 | Permalink (1) View/Leave Comments

    NJGlenn left a comment on 5/20/2013 at 7:21 AM:

    Yes please.  This is the perfect summer meal.


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  • The History of Boast

    Prep Essentials  

    Nantucket doesn't let you sleep in. At least not in Siasconset. The Sun rises at a quarter past five over the eastern bluff the sleepy village teeters on (one house has already tumbled down the eroding cliff with a handful more sure to follow). Let there be no mistake, I'm of the ilk that enjoys Nantucket by way of work, not exclusively by way of play. But such are most of my travels. I'm hardly interested in jetting off anywhere unless it involves a business write-off.

    I pop into Murray's Toggery Shop, the birthplace of Nantucket Reds, to pass some time before my buddy Jon Terbell and I begin building out his summer pop-up shop, One Orange. It's what one would expect from a small town sportswear clothier. But after I wander into the back room (where there is everything you could ever imagine in Nantucket Red) I notice a small stash of Boast piqué polos hanging in the corner. While certainly a fan of the brand, their fit left a little to be desired since I last pulled on the "Japanese Maple Leaf" a couple years ago. Rumor had it Boast revisited their polo's fit* recently and I secretly hoped it to be true. The arm holes are higher, the body sits closer to the torso while the tennis tail hits at just the right part of your backside. I happily left with one in Carolina Blue. Back in play, as they say.

    Never heard of Boast? Enjoy this animated abridged history of the irreverent squash inspired sportswear company to get up to speed.

    *It would seem as if Boast embraced vanity sizing as where I was once a medium, I now wear their small (I'm 5'11", 175lbs)

    May 8, 2013 | Permalink (3) View/Leave Comments

    T2 left a comment on 5/16/2013 at 10:18 PM:

    You learn something everyday.  Thanks Fred.


    F.E. Castleberry left a comment on 5/16/2013 at 9:33 PM:

    @T2—For what it’s worth, the very name “Boast” is taken from a squash shot played to the front wall via a side wall or the back wall.


    T2 left a comment on 5/16/2013 at 8:03 PM:

    While the Yale squash team and other squash players might have wore Boast, Bill St. John is an avid tennis player.  Taking into account that Rene Lacoste designed this type of shirt, I would say that it is a tennis inspired company.  I know that this is a minor point; however, it seems more correct.  It’s nice to see some coverage for a fairly under the radar company.


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