the.laundress

After yesterday's record-length post on selecting the right bed sheets, it seems fitting I follow with luxury laundry detergent. The Laundress New York features eco-friendly products that limit visits to the dry-cleaners by helping your clothes survive the washer. Their products include items for the kitchen and home but their laundry soap was the line that caught my attention. Their special formulas cover a range of particular groups -- whites, swimwear, wool & cashmere, denim, etc. -- and come in stylish bottles.

Their Signature Detergent runs $20.50 for 32 oz; if you buy expensive clothes, it's well worth the investment. I haven't tried their products yet but you can find confidence knowing both founders were educated at the Fiber Science, Textile and Apparel Management and Design at Cornell University. Check out their full range to find a solution that fits your needs.

bed.sheets

Thread count (TC) has become the unofficial ambassador of high-quality bedding but the significant inconsistencies between price and TC paint an incoherent picture. Why does JCPenny offer a 778 TC fitted sheet for $79.99 while Frette expects $305 for a mere 240 TC? This article attempts to address the meaning of TC, the other factors that determine quality, and how to buy quality bed sheets. With 1/3 of life spent sleeping in bed, it’s important to make the right decisions.

The definition of thread count appears embedded in its name but the answer is hardly obvious. Lower-quality brands use a generous definition to boost the appeal of their bedding while high-end brands take a simpler approach. The typical technique counts the number of vertical and horizontal threads in a square inch. Fabric weaved length-wise is called warp and threads extending the width are weft. The total number of warps and wefts in a square inch determine TC.

The discrepancy between brands arises from the practice of plying yarns. Threads can be twisted together using finer cotton which effectively increases the number of threads within a given area. Since TC includes both warp and weft, double-plied cotton will quadruple TC. Bed sheets with a 250 TC can be artificially inflated to a 1,000 TC through a simple double-ply; when you triple-ply the threads, it jumps to 1,500.

Simply deflating fuzzy numbers doesn’t create an accurate comparison with high-end bed sheets. If you find the number of plies and reverse the math, other qualities still play heavy factors. In order to ply threads, manufacturers must use finer cotton. This fabric is often (not always) too fine and the bed sheets end up feeling too heavy with little breathability.^[1]

The other benefit to manufacturers afforded through plying is a new ability to use low-quality cotton. A large factor in the quality of bed sheets is the length of the cotton fiber. Longer fibers are much more smooth, resistant, and uniform in thread. Plying allows manufactures to use shorter threads artificially lengthened through plying which decreases the feel and quality of your cotton sheets.^{[1] [2]}

Fiber length brings us to the different varieties of cotton crop:

ermenegildo.zegna

Zegna has been one of my favorite brands since I first saw them at the Stanford Shopping Center. Mixing muted styles with interesting details and, at times, innovative textiles, Zegna successfully navigates understated luxury. On July 20th I received an email from Zegna that they updated their website and I love it. Besides making their selections available online, the website is easy to navigate and aesthetic.

While on their website earlier today, I came across the image below for their Zegna Sport diffusion line. I don't stay updated on the latest trends but I was shocked to see what appears to be baggy jeans. The bagginess is slight and arguably absent but it seems Zegna is pushing the typical border of high-end casual downward. I definitely approve but it's an interesting approach. Perhaps Zegna Sport is outperforming the parent line and they decided to pursue their successes with casual clothing? Beats me. The belt is reminiscent of car buckle belts that you can find at random malls (granted, this one will set you back $225).  Nonetheless, they pull is off and it works.

In conversation with a sales clerk, I learned a lot about Zegna and their role in the wool industry. According to Zegna (conflict of interest?), the brand has been a huge factor in developing higher quality wool. Brands such as YSL and Tom Ford actually contract with Zegna to produce some of their suits. With a typical suit under $5,000, you would be better served going straight to the source. Awarding manufacturers that produce ultra-fine wool with the Ermenegildo Zegna Vellus Aureum Trophy, Zegna has become one of the world's largest buyers of wool. Zegna Sport is a great way to compliment their formal wear and relax during the weekend.

bike.crate

As much as I love driving, it doesn't make sense to have a car in the city. I went through a brief car shopping phase until I realized the associated costs would brutalize any benefits gained from a car. Since I'll be saving on gas, insurance, parking, maintenance, and the price of the car itself, it makes sense to put good money and thought into a quality bike. The Bike Crate from MAIK, found on The Fancy, won't get you around the city but it's a great accessory once you find that perfect transportation. Available for about €150 (about $212), the basket (sorry marketing team, it's not a crate) is not nerdy like most and helps carry your daily errands.

gym.bag

I came across the Marc by Marc Jacobs Perforated Leather Bag on Mr. Porter and it's a nice balance of luxury and roughness. It's not explicitly created for the gym but the holes provide obvious utility and I wouldn't buy it for any other dominant purpose. Assuming you workout at a gym where your things won't get stolen (you don't want to be out $530), the bag is a good investment to carry your clothes to and fro.

Marc Jacobs is one of the few brands that can successfully create a diffusion line that isn't simply cheaper quality and prices but a style that strongly differs from its parent. The Marc by Marc Jacobs store on Fillmore in Pac Heights is an awesome mix of casual tees, cheap accessories (suede wallets under $20?), and great coffee table books. The clothes are a healthy mix of pricey and affordable while the staff is very friendly. Unfortunately, the guard at the door will stop you from bringing in any drinks so grab the Starbucks afterwards.

rankin.photography

(Note: This is part two of the previous post. It was just too long and, aesthetically, didn't work. Took me a few days to realize it but hopefully this improves the page.)

Rankin's great photography is hardly limited to his work with Rolls-Royce. Perusing his website, he features ample examples of photography filled with celebrities and beautiful people. I honestly love it all. According to Wikipedia, Rankin has photographed everyone from Kate Moss, Britney Spears, and Madonna, to Queen Elizabeth II and Tony Blair. Featured in magazines and providing for ad campaigns of my favorite brands, Rankin's photography stands apart as some of my favorite.

ecstasy.photography

My favorite photography was formerly limited to skylines and abstract art but I've started enjoying photography of individuals. It started when I saw Robert Longo's prints at Patrick Bateman's (Christian Bale's) home in American Psycho. Longo doesn't make his work available through posters and cheap prints which has a bittersweet effect; the art isn't ruined by over-population but it's unavailable to me (for now). The latest artist that caught my attention is Rankin through his work celebrating the centennial anniversary of Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Ecstasy. Rolls-Royce commissioned Rankin to create a 100 piece collection of prints commemorating the famous hood ornament.

Their website has a small preview of his work but the whole set will be travelling around the world's museums. Pebble Beach is the closest the collection will come to San Francisco but the drive is too far for my taste. Like Longo (and Rolls-Royce cars), these prints are not readily available. On that note, make sure to check out what Rolls-Royce has going on. BMW, parent company of Rolls-Royce, recently accnounced they earned record per-car profit during the previous quarter, according to Bloomberg. Not everyone can afford the previously featured Ghost but demand for the 5-Series has been driving sales. Definitely not cheap, I'd rather skip out for the sportier 6-Series convertible.