Watches, Chocolate, and the Return of Virgil Abloh

Yep, this is a wine site. Yes, we are interested in other things, too. No, we aren't necessarily experts in these fields. So why should you care what else we're reading? Maybe you shouldn't, but it couldn't hurt to read on, could it?

If you've made it to this point, here are a few things we're reading and watching this week that aren't (strictly) wine related. So pop a bottle, sit back, and relax. Now if only there was a place where you could find out which wine to drink...

A Hodinkee Photo Guide to Style-Mecca Pitti Uomo

We've been fans of Hodinkee, the wristwatch blog turned media-and-commerce juggernaut, for a long time now. And while we love their writers, this photo report is a gorgeous, image-only look at the watches of Pitti Uomo, the biannual fashion trade show in Florence, Italy.

At each recurrence of this fashion fair, scores of well-dressed folk descend on the city, showing off their tastes and mingling with others as well versed in the language of style as they are. This glimpse into that world of sartorial mastery is the perfect escape for kicking back with a glass of wine and thinking over your next purchase to adorn the wrist of your stemware-lifting hand.

Photo Report: 45 Watches That Stole The Street-Style Show At Pitti Uomo - HODINKEE

Buying Chocolate Never Looked So Good

Wallpaper* magazine, the London-based design-and-lifestyle publication, is one of our favorite sources for finding visual inspiration and escaping the tedium of our aesthetically under-curated lives.

Here they highlight the new Chocolate Hall in renowned London department store Harrods, which is (like everything else in the magazine) stunning. While we may not love the fabled pairing of chocolate and wine, we might have to let that slide for this beautiful space.

New Harrods Chocolate Hall is steeped in history

GQ's Guide to Affordable Sneakers Approved by Fashion's Leading Men

Is it possible to be a remotely style-conscious human and not check in with GQ somewhat regularly? Well, if by chance you haven't seen this (or you're not a style-conscious human and you still somehow care about this), take a look at this article highlighting a few pairs of affordable sneakers that are approved by the top tier of fashion influencers, including (wine-lover) LeBron James, Timothée Chalamet, and Kendrick Lamar.

As with watches, we think that there are a lot of commonalities between sneakers and wine, including that both incite cult-like devotion to brands and producers—often resulting in limited availability and surging prices for the most desirable releases. But much like wine, we're also interested in sneakers with greater accessibility that punch above their weight: the shoes that are always in stock and inexpensive that, most importantly, you love, but also that people who are "in the know" will give you a nod for wearing.

12 Sub-$100 Sneakers the World's Best Dressed Men Swear By

Nike Luminary Tinker Hatfield Designs a Beer Bottle

As you can tell from the GQ article above, we like sneakers. We also like beer—at least when we're not drinking wine. We also like Tinker Hatfield (you should watch the episode featuring him on Netflix's Abstract if you haven't). This article from Complex combines them all.

Hatfield is the designer behind many of the most iconic sneakers Nike has ever released, including the Air Max line and numerous iterations of Air Jordans. Phil Knight, Nike's founder, credits him with saving the company, and he is supposedly responsible for keeping Michael Jordan from bailing to Adidas when his relationship with Nike soured. Later on, he was named one of Fortune magazine's most influential designers of the 20th century. Not a bad résumé.

For this year's NBA Finals, Hatfield worked with Michelob to design an extremely limited-production design for their Michelob Ultra brand. The final score of the last game in the series will determine how many bottles are produced.

We may not drink Michelob Ultra often, but we'd like it to be from one of these bottles when we do.

What's Next for Nike Design Legend Tinker Hatfield? A Beer Bottle

Virgil Abloh Continues his Reign as the King of Fashion

If you haven't heard of Virgil Abloh, we're not sure where you've been. The term multi-hyphenate is overused, especially by a bunch of 20- and 30-year-olds who are often, in reality, just unemployed. But the expression doesn't begin to do justice to Virgil and his accomplishments over the last decade or so.

Founder, former artistic director, and now CEO of Off-White; artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear ready to wear; world-traveling DJ; designer/creative collaborator with Nike, Ikea, Braun—the list goes on and on. He's also designed outfits for Serena Williams's French Open and US Open bouts, attire for Timothée Chalamet's groundbreaking award show appearances, and the wedding gown Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin) wore to her marriage to none other than Justin Bieber himself.

But even for someone so accomplished, this past week has been big. After a year and a half of global, pandemic-induced fashion atrophy epitomized by the rise of the sweatsuit and the fall of pants, Virgil exhibited a new Off-White collection and two Louis Vuitton menswear collections.

The Off-White collection took the form of a traditional runway show, with Bella Hadid modeling a few of the new looks and a performance by M.I.A. Dozens of celebrity onlookers were present, all decked out in the latest Off-White garb and accessories.

Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton debuted its Fall-Winter 2021 and Spring-Summer 2022 menswear collections with two new films. The FW21 video featured worldwide phenomenon BTS, while SS22's film was more narrative driven with a bevy of guests and actors. Both included music direction and production by Benji B—sonic tastemaker, prominent BBC Radio 1 DJ, and the music director for Louis Vuitton, handpicked for the role by Abloh himself.

But beware, if you're unfamiliar with the experimental style of modern fashion shows (see Alessandro Michele's Gucci Fall-Winter 2018 show), the LV SS22 film may be a bit, well, avant-garde.

Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh Fall Winter 2021 "Laboratory of Fun" ~ special guest M.I.A.

Men's Fall-Winter 2021 Show in Seoul with House Ambassadors BTS | LOUIS VUITTON

Men's Spring-Summer 2022 Fashion Show | LOUIS VUITTON

Update: It was with profound sadness that we learned of Virgil Abloh’s passing on November 28, 2021. His contributions to the worlds of fashion, design, art, music, and creativity in general will continue to reverberate and inspire.

“I’m just an eager kid who looks at every day as a possibility to make something and leave a good impact.” – Virgil Abloh

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