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For the longest time, I wasn’t a big zip-up hoodie wearer. I generally preferred the non-zip options. So I never really built up a collection of them. But ever since trying on Flint and Tinder’s 10-Year hoodie, I’m starting to change my tune about them.

Hoodies are everywhere, and you would be hard-pressed to find a brand that doesn’t make one. But most of them just don’t look good. They’re either very thin, or overly bulky. Previous ones that I’ve tried just didn’t seem to fit me right. I have a slim build, so I don’t like when hoodies flail around in the back and don’t fit my frame the way I need it to.

First Impressions

When I put on this 10-Year hoodie, it fit me like a glove. One thing that came come mind when first putting it on was that it felt built to last. The last time I had that feeling when trying on an item was American Giant’s sweatshirts.

“The 10-Year Hoodie is built to last and backed for 10 years with free mending should you manage to put a hurtin’ on it” – Flint and Tinder

Pricing & Quality

The $89 price tag might cause some to pause. But you won’t understand it’s worth until you try it on. It’s a great piece to have in your wardrobe, because it doubles as a good outerwear piece for cooler weather, or just to throw on over a t-shirt and lounging around.

My favorite feature is the inside pocket made for phones. And it’s very firm so you don’t feel like your phone will fall out. That’s a feature that you don’t generally see on zip-up hoodies.

Final Verdict

Overall, I highly recommend this product and certianly worth the price tag if you’re into zip-up hoodies. And it helps that Flint and Tinder backs this for 10 years. So buy one, and give it the best you have. Chances are it’ll hold up and you won’t regret paying the $89 for it.

And don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles and layering. It’s once piece that will stick around while other parts of your wardrobe changes. So let it shift along with your other clothes.

The Vario Ocean Chevron strap

A few years ago we saw a huge trend in men socks take flight. They were bolder, brighter, with strong patterns. It became the center of attention in a lot of outfits. While this hasn’t gone away quite yet, you’re seeing this shift to other parts of a man’s wardrobe – mainly accessories like pocket squares, ties, and now watch straps.

I’ll admit, when I first saw the Vario NATO strap I was skeptical. I almost immediately wrote it off as something I thought to be gimmicky. Then my review strap arrived in the mail, and upon seeing it in person I started to change my tune a little. I received the ocean chevron strap, and added it to my Timex Easy Reader watch, pictured below.

Ocean chevron with Timex Easy Reader

This strap has a lot of personality. Pictures don’t do it justice. If worn correctly it adds a nice little touch to an outfit. As the weather starts to warm up in the coming months this is going to be a great way to add some strong color to your wrist.

Vario is offering a decent selection of patterned NATO straps, whether you’re looking for something bold or a bit more subtle. “Wear your Personality” is their tagline, and looking at their lineup of watches, I easily found the exact band I’d choose for myself.

Vario’s strap selection

How To Wear It

With a watch band this bold, it’s important to make sure that the patterns won’t clash with the other pieces in your outfit. I recommend keeping your shirt a clean solid color. No stripes or patterns, or else the patterns on the watch band might get lost. But keeping a solid complimentary shirt lets the watch stand out on it’s own with no competition.

Complimentary solid colors work best

This is very much a situational band as well. By that I mean you’ll want to wear a band like this outdoors; somewhere like the beach, pool, or a summer party. This isn’t the type of band you’re going to dress up in any fashion. Keep it very casual and fun.

Who Should Buy This?

If you’re someone looking to add some flair to your spring/summer wardrobe, this is a great way to do so. It might not be this exact band that I have, but their other options might fit your tastes instead. Also, if you’re someone that’s looking to branch out with accessories, this is for you. Since the watch is one of the best accessories you can have, having a fun band like this mixes it up from the everyday leather, or solid color band.

Final Verdict

As mentioned earlier, at first glance this band feels gimmicky. But after giving it a go, I approve of it as a fun addition to add to a warm weather wardrobe. They have an Indiegogo Campaign that just started and it’s off to a great start. So go support and get yourself a funky band to add to your collection.

I’ve tried a few different smartphone apps that claim to help you shop and/or dress better. MyLo is the latest in this group and has the goal of helping you choose outfits for any occasion, as well as help you identify items that might be missing in your wardrobe. Most apps/services I’ve tried more focus on telling you how and  to shop instead of focusing on what you already have. But how do I know what to buy if I don’t know how to work with what I already have? This is a great approach.

What’s better is they make it stupid easy to purchase items that you might want/need but don’t have already. We will touch more on that later.

Getting Setup

The initial setup is pretty smooth. MyLo walks you through what the app does and gets you started on selecting through a generic list of clothing items, to then choose what you own. So far so good.

Once that’s complete, MyLo builds out x-number of outfits based on the items you selected, then you’re off to the races. You’re dropped onto a screen showing your first outfit. If there is a particular item (like shoes) that you’re not feeling in that suggested outfit, you can cycle through and change it up.

Getting More Specific

Two features that make MyLo more effective are the ability to sync your location (for weather related outfits) and selecting which occasion you need an outfit for. And the occasion part is great in that you are not just choosing work/party/etc, you get to dig one layer deeper to select what kind of work day: casual, formal, presentation day, or interview. Narrowing down on the occasion, as well as weather, is a very nice touch that can make a huge difference in an outfit.

Daily Usage

Each morning you get up and open MyLo, you will have a new outfit waiting for you. Tapping on the image gives you the details of the outfit. If you’re the type that wants one less decision to make in the morning, you will enjoy this app. And if it selects outfits that you really like, you can favorite them to view later.

Shopping

Remember when you chose all the wardrobe items that you own during setup? Well the shopping section is geared towards the things you didn’t select. I really love this section because choosing an item there, I’m presented with a few different brands at different price points. I’m given just the right amount of options to not make it s tough decision should I want to make a purchase.

Last thing of note in the shopping section, when you’re viewing an item, it tells you the height of the model wearing the item and what size shirt he’s wearing. That is so extremely useful and I wish every single website that sold men’s clothes did the same.

Just be sure to add in your body type measurements so MyLo can tailor the shopping section to brands that fit your body type. I can’t yet verify how accurate this is, but it’s a nice start.

Who This is For

As mentioned earlier, this app seems perfect for the person that doesn’t want to think about what to wear in the morning. MyLo does a good job of saying “here, wear this”. It’s also for the person that has, and wants to keep, a fairly minimal wardrobe. The items and shopping selection are very much geared towards a simple wardrobe, which makes choosing outfits much better. So if you need a little help with getting dressed, this is for you.

What’s Missing

As I’m poking through the app, a few ideas came to mind about what’s missing. The biggest thing for me, based on my wardrobe, is that it’s too simplistic. I do not have a minimal wardrobe, and though I wouldn’t need it, I’d love to be able to input my own actual items into an app like this to have it select outfits. I have lots of patterned/textured shirts (outside of gingham), so I’d like an app like this to address more of the actual clothes I have instead of a generic list.

Another thing that Mylo could benefit from is color coordinating. I’ve heard from many friends and colleagues that they have challenges with putting together color palettes. And this seems like a big part of a daily outfit decision.

I also think it would be great, but only a nice to have, is to take pictures of my own outfits to store/favorite for later viewing. I someone do this on my own and post them to Instagram, but it’s far from an organized system like this app could provide.

Lastly, while this would be a little tricky, I’d like to know the “why”. In other words, why is this a good outfit that Mylo is suggesting.

The Wrap Up

Overall, I think Mylo is a pretty cool app and addresses what I’ve seen most other apps fail at… “what to wear that’s already in my closet”. While I don’t think this app is for me long term, at least in it’s current state, I will give it a try for a bit to see how it does. I personally enjoy the challenge of figuring out what I’m going to wear and putting outfits together. But I also understand that most men don’t operate like that.

It’s worth a try though. So if you’re an iPhone owner, download it for free and see how it works for you.