T Magazine

Today

Good style mixes high-ticket items with brilliant affordable gets. In this column, T’s fashion team finds the cheap and the chic. What: Polo Ralph Lauren denim western shirt How Much: $89.50 at Ralph Lauren retail stores nationwide Who: Melissa Ventosa Martin, T Magazine’s women’s fashion associate The annual ritual known as the closet purge comes with its own special brand of dread. While it feels great to get rid of the old and make room for the new, there is no consolation for the horror of having cast off something you really should have kept. Take my husband’s western denim shirt. This is an item of clothing he would wear around the house and, once it became too worn, use as a rag. Gone. And now, of course, it’s all I want to wear. To add insult to injury, western-style denim is a big trend for spring 2009 (see Givenchy). But rather than returning to the Salvation Army, I went out and found a great men’s version by Polo Ralph Lauren. Read previous posts of The High Low.

Yesterday

Matthew Siskin's design for the Obedient Sons & Daughters Web site. For the Web designer Matthew Siskin, the overlapping Persian rugs in Obedient Sons & Daughters' design studio inspired the oversize, horizontal approach to the fashion label's new Web site. "I wanted to create that exact feeling you get when you walk into their office — to take their specific little world and put it online." Framed ephemera such as the covers of vintage Penguin paperbacks and psychedelic Peter Max-designed posters jump from the walls to the Web, presented in seamless, scanning transitions.

(Lars Klove/The New York Times) Go for Broke is a column about big purchases worth rationalizing. What: TSE cashmere sweater vest How much: $798 at TSE retail stores Who: Anne Christensen, T Magazine's women's fashion director It's cold. It's raining. Everyone I know — including me — is worried about the economy and the election. I need something warm and cozy and that fits underneath my skinny-sleeved coats. This sweater from TSE is my perfect solution. It's a multi-ply (who knows about the count?) cashmere vest that I can throw over anything in a neutral color that goes with everything.

October 31

The party-documenting site The Cobra Snake encourages followers to vote by appealing to the less partisan urges of young partygoers. Photo by thecobrasnake.com The Digital Ramble explores aesthetic topics through materials found online. Come Tuesday, a lot of people will be pouring drinks. Whether in Seoul or Seattle (home to the Obama-Rama cocktail), at least half the country will have cause for celebration. For the lawmakers themselves, the blog Political Party Time tracks invitations to pols' social events, keeping tabs on which big names appear on exactly which BBQ Evites. But I want to keep the party bipartisan, if not nonparliamentary: this fantastic video, "Why We Drink," applies to all citizens, answering the question with information graphics:

The "Classic Americana" look has been a major trend for the past several seasons, but a posse of natty brothers is trying to get the fashion focus back to the UK. James, Sam and Liam Fayed, who have long been involved with the inner workings of Turnbull & Asser, partnered with family friend Carlos Gonçalves to create Bespoken. The collection of slim-cut velvet blazers, colorful knits and cashmere cardigans, hoodies and sweaters are all sourced from British textile mills and made in the UK. The line has been available for a year at Harrods in London, and is now available at select Bloomingdales. Time to discover your inner dandy.