Daily Inspirations

(All photos are sourced from various sites. The KC takes no credit nor claims ownership of any of them.)

"Layyyer Brah"

You know all those fall layering techniques you're seeing in the magazines and on the streets? You can most certainly bring them to the golf course. Lots of apparel manufacturers are seeing the importance of transitional pieces for the golf course that can easily take you to the clubhouse and beyond - creating a truly 'lifestyle' collection. Two of the best at this are J. Lindeberg and Ralph Lauren...No shocker given their menswear pedigrees. 

I was messing around in the JL showroom this morning and put together an example of a pairing I utilize quite often for cooler morning temps on the course. The quilted jacket/tech vest/polo combination. The jacket gets thrown on as you leave the house, keeps you warm on the way to the course and perhaps, on the practice tee. The jacket then comes off to give you room to rip that first drive down the center, leaving your core warm in the tech vest. The vest may well stay on the entire round during the fall, or you may opt to stuff it in your bag as the round goes on.

The great thing about layering with zippered garments, like above, is you're never pulling something over your head. Golfers are a superstitious bunch and if they open with a few birdies, may not want to remove that sweater or other item for fear of jinxing the hot start. It's easier to slip out of something than commit to the removal of the hat, sunglasses, etc. Just a thought...

There are several other combinations you could mix in here. A cardigan could replace the tech vest, as could a V-neck sweater. You could even replace the outer jacket with a V-neck sweater, keeping the vest underneath like Luke Donald did at the Masters this past year. (Netting him an honorable mention for KC's Best Midseason Look, might I add...) 

This segues us nicely into Ralph Lauren RLX, you can see several of their takes on layering here, in my preview of spring/summer 2010. I was, as always, very impressed with the lightweight layering pieces RL had in store for next year, they practically invented this stuff on U.S. soil. 

You can buy all this stuff online or at a fine golf retailer nearest you...I've always wanted to say that. 

-KC

Star Spangled Banter

(Photos the sole property of Getty Images, Reuters Photos and AP Photo)

The USA made us proud this past week at the Presidents Cup. For the first time in years, it seemed like we had a genuinely cohesive unit out there. Congratulations to Freddie and the boys. 

At the KC we were very impressed overall with both captains' apparel selections. Clothing seems to be improving in quality and detail every year in these team events. Genuine appreciation should be given to the Greg Norman Collection, Ashworth, Elevee and the rest of the providers. The following will be a quick recap of days 2, 3 and 4. 

Day 2 (Photos 1+2): Loved the Internationals khaki ensembles with the diamond-patterned, powder blue polos. Very crisp, very professional, very European. The US was just "okay" in multi-stripe shirts and charcoal trousers. The pop came from the red hats, which seemed kind of out of place with the rest of the look. 

Day 3 (Photos 3+4): Total U.S. domination. And we don't mean solely on the scoreboard... The off-white/gray argyle, cashmere sweaters were possibly the best piece of the week. The INTLs looked classic in blacks and creams, but couldn't match up. 

Day 4 (Photos 5+6): More argyle, this time for the Internationals who just killed it. Their look yesterday was everything a team event 'uniform' should be: flattering, contemporary, appropriate and fun to wear. The US wore red shirts/hats in homage to Tiger's Sunday winning practices - and really looked quite sharp in the process - but definite edge to Greg Norman's side. 

We loved the classic inspiration of the apparel at Harding Park. More modern touches like sterling team belt buckles on the INTL side were paired with bold argyle, color-blocked and patterned polos. On the US side, as can be expected, there were lots of stripes and patriotic red flashes, but the best came when the bolder colors of the flag were left alone; iconic grays and whites - reminiscent of the gulls that circle the Bay Area - won the day. It was fun to see newer brands like Elevee alongside classics like Ashworth and Greg Norman and it was nice to see the quality and thought put into all the pieces worn. 

Here at the KC, we sometimes get so caught up in "what we could have done better" that we forget to sit back and see the successes and the strides that team looks have made through the years. We can only assume, with next year's Ryder Cup, that this progression and focus on quality and fit will continue.

-KC  (Proud golfers, Americans and style observers)

 

Presidents Cup - Day 1 - Apparel Watch

(Photos the property of Reuters Photos/AP Photo and Getty Images)

Day 1 team looks - quick recap: slight edge to the Americans, which is rare in recent years. I liked the professional look of the gray pinstriped trouser with the bold, red sweaters. Classic.

The International's polo shirts were a bit busy for my taste and I think, in team events, simplicity is going to succeed every time. The Sunday yellow shirts look really clean and fantastic - looking forward to those.

Obviously, fit varied by player and remained fairly consistent with their usual wardrobes on Tour; Camilo had his trademark shorter, bicep-hugging sleeves, Tiger could fit Y.E. Yang in his pants with him, Anthony Kim favored trimmer, younger cuts, Ryo's personal style continues to shine through, etc. etc.

Play-wise, the Americans look tough, but part of the reason why these team events are so thrilling, is you can just never tell...

-KC

Diamonds are Fore-ever?

(Photos the property of The Associated Press/AP Photo and courtesy of the Apparelwire.com)

It's argyle everywhere at the Presidents Cup; where the International squad will sport the pattern two, and possibly three, days during the competition. The Americans, to their part, have already looked sharp in soft blue argyle sweaters during practice rounds. The remaining American looks will center around the typical trifecta of red, white and blue. (Gray on Day 2)

Above are the clothing selections for both teams; Greg Norman and the ol' INTL boys have provided a more complete day-by-day scripting, whereas you'll kind of have to wait to see what Freddy and Ashworth pull out of the closet daily for the Yanks.

I love these damn events - I'm so giddy...I feel like Billy Payne on Masters Sunday. Match to watch on Thursday, you ask? Tiger and Stricks vs. Ryo and Geoff?! USA!USA!USA!

-KC

More Shoes, More News

FJ SPORT
NIKE Tour Premium
FootJoy ICON

Adidas Tour 360 LTD

(Photos the property of Nike Golf, FootJoy/Acushnet and Adidas Golf)

 

Nike's Tour Premium got the go-round from British Open champ, Stewart Cink, in the TOUR Championship just over a week ago and was introduced to retail stores on Oct. 1.  The shoe is definitely a new and more elegant approach from Nike, who has strongly favored sportier designs for many years. The tagline is "Old World Craftsmanship Meets New World Performance" which everyone seems to be going for recently. (FootJoy took inspiration from traditional FJ models throughout the years for the ICON.) 

The quality levels seem to be matching the performance/stylistic levels in terms of importance with new design - which is really a win-win for consumers. These days your product really needs to stand apart to garner attention from golfers who are spending less and expecting more. Welcome to 2009 in the retail world. 

We suppose you'd like to know what we think of the shoe? Well. It's nice enough looking...specifically the all-white. We're quite scared Nike heads may not gravitate towards it. We know a few big Nike fans and we can tell you that they won't buy this shoe. It isn't spicy enough, it isn't sporty enough. 

FootJoy just released photos of their new SPORT model shoe, due out next February, and it's fair to say that Nike has its work cut out to keep up. No, FootJoy does not pay us...

Adidas, meanwhile, is going to grab the crowd looking for a sportier shoe, as it has been for years - so we're not sure this Nike Golf shoe really has a niche in the market. We wish Nike the best, but we think their shoe design is severely trailing the rest of their development in apparel, equipment and accessories - it just seems flat for such a dynamic company. We'd be interested to know what people thought of Nike as a golf shoe...Let us know... 

One thing these guys can agree on is a price, all (3) flagship pairs can be had for 250 clams - MSRP. Pricing on FJ SPORT to come. 

-KC 

State of the Union Address: Trousers

(All photos the property of Getty Images/The Associated Press/Reuters Pictures)

At the KC we are absolutely obsessed with how our trousers fit - it's an unhealthy affliction...In the game of golf, your pant is often the only seriously tailored item in your arsenal, so the fit is simply paramount. We like a very trim pant that is slightly tapered so it sits nicely, exposing most all of the shoe - if we're going to buy an expensive pair of golf shoes, you're going to get a good look at them - sorry...

In the past few years, bootcut golf trousers have become extremely popular. Extreme bootcut models are offered by nearly every manufacturer/designer of modern golf apparel. Think Sligo, J. Lindeberg, Poulter Designs etc. We feel the same way about a fuller-cut, bootcut golf trouser as we do about a similarly bootcut jean - not going to wear it. While okay on taller individuals, they have a tendency to make you appear shorter and squatter and should be avoided on the shorter set. We realize that mobility and comfort are important to nearly every golfer and many find a trimmer pant constricting. That being said, the width of the bottoms of some of these golf trousers is becoming comical.  

A pant that is cut slim throughout the hip and leg and flares slightly at the base is much more forgiving and makes a lot of sense for golf, as you get the benefits of a slimmer silhouette (avoiding the dreaded parachute effect) without feeling like if you bend down to analyze a putt, you're going to give the gallery the proper read on your arse.  

Tony Q'aja introduced the v-slit at the bottom of Darren Clarke's trousers several years back and now seemingly every other golfer is touting the advantages in drape that the option provides. Many companies have also added zippers on their trousers, which allow the wearer to create that "v" by opening the zips slightly, which results in that same break on the top of the shoe. Personally, we think the now infamous "Euro V-Slit" looks nice, especially on a slimmer cut trouser like Luke Donald's RLX Green pant in the above photo, but is more of an aesthetic touch than anything performance-related. 

The best looking trousers being worn on Tour these days, cut-wise, are on Henrik Stenson. His Hugo Boss pants are snug but not tight and the length is utter perfection - just hitting the top of the shoe. Honorable mentions include Luke Donald in RLX -the Apex cut is our favorite - Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin and Ryuji Imada. These guys are great models for the thinner set. For those with a little more girth, Phil Mickelson (Tom Ford) and Graeme McDowell (Q'aja Couture) are good guys to look for. 

Cuffs you ask? Pleats? While flat-fronts have become de rigueur with Touring professionals, especially those under 35, pleats are still around and appear to be making a resurgence for spring/summer 2010. (We may have even seen some JL pleated trousers, shhh...) Something very Hogan or Jones-esque about pleats, cardigans and other things we're seeing come back to the game after some time away. Might be a nice change to take a cue from the gentlemanly 30's and 40's after a blast of the high-octane 70's.    

Cuffs, meanwhile, are always acceptable - in fact, we'd love to see more cuffs on Tour. A nice, slim-cut trouser with a 2-inch cuff would look equally as beautiful in a gray cotton for summer or flannels for fall/winter. Many stylish members we see at clubs around the country are cuff guys and you can most certainly go with a cuff even if you're wearing flat-fronts. You can see a great example of this done by Milanese men. 

In closing, we think it's fair to say that when it comes to pant preference, ask not what your trouser can do for you, but what you can do for your trouser...If you find a pair of golf trousers on sale or otherwise and want them to fit a certain way, take them to a trusty tailor and let them go to work. There are no real "rules" and any that exist are meant to be broken and reinterpreted - find what works for you and please, above all...Enjoy it. Golf fashion is fun. 

-KC

Monday Inspirations: Alfred Dunhill Links Edition

(All photos the property of Getty Images)

Friday Throwback

After seeing the American Golfer collection from RL Polo Golf on Wednesday, I have found myself spending inordinate amounts of time online, reading about golfing legends from the first half of the 20th century. My favorite of the bunch is and always will be the opulent Walter Hagen - one of golf's great dandies. So this Friday Throwback is dedicated to him. 

"The Haig" was:

The first athlete to earn $1 million playing a sport. 

The first American to win the British Open. 

The first sportsman named to the list of Best Dressed Americans.
"The first to grab the check

The last to leave the party..."

Enough said. 

The KC's Suggestions of the Week

This purple/navy Q'aja polo is a proven winner: Phil took the Tour Championship wearing a similar model. 

The belt is JL's practically iconic Slater in a new twist for fall, snakeskin! 

Two items to blow your paycheck on this Friday. Have your buddies buy the drinks...

-KC

Cat(ch) Us if You Can?

(Photo the property of Getty Images)

I've got Puma on the brain today. First of all, I was just perusing Golfweek and, upon seeing a photo of Walker Cup hero Rickie Fowler, I promptly thought, "whoever signs this kid to wear their stuff is making a great move..." Fowler is a radical motherf**ker. Best-thing-since- Wonderbread type of creds... 

Then, after noticing that Puma Golf was on Gilt Group today (polos for 28 bucks!!) I went over to the PG blog and was greeted with a post informing me that the marketing impresarios at Puma had already inked Rickie to a deal. Refer back to "Fowler is..."

I'm really looking forward to seeing the S/S 2010 Puma stuff. We've got our feelers out to the ladies at Puma, so don't go too far out into the wild world of the web without checking back in with your boys at the KC. 

Check out this YouTube video of Rickie getting a serious welcome wagon from the kind folks over at Puma Golf. Thanks to Will. 

Ponying Up for Spring

Newport Bluffs - by Polo Golf
Coral Gables - by Polo Golf
American Golfer - by Polo Golf
RLX Golf
Navy and White Spectator - by RLX Golf
The Bold Colors of RLX Golf

_______________

The KC was fortunate enough to be invited down to that venerable address, 650 Madison Avenue, on Wednesday morning to preview the S/S 2010 Ralph Lauren golf collections. 

What I found was inspiring - No surprise, RL has their finger on the pulse of any market they find themselves in and 2010's golf offerings are a perfect display of this knack to consistently "get it."

The size of the scope their several collections encompass assures there will be something for everyone - from the conservative, but aware customer who grew up in country club settings - intrigued by modern twists on proven, cotton classics - to the brash, technically savvy urban dweller who needs his latest golf gear to keep up with the advances and progressive cuts of his streetwear.

 

The crew at Polo Golf have put together a multi-faceted collection that I was elated to find drew serious inspiration from some of golf's legends, not to mention storied clubs and resorts. The first grouping presented was the iconic American Golfer - which takes classic pieces and reinvents them with updated fits and finishes. 

The standouts for me in this area were the Heritage Lisle polo - undeniably Polo Golf, but done in un-mercerized cotton (incredibly soft) and featuring a slightly streamlined cut from what they've offered in recent years - and the Polo Golf short done in a subtly cropped hemline that I found particularly pleasing as most of the shorts being released from more modern golf apparel houses tend to fall at the knee or below. 

The Coral Gables grouping is inspired by the early/mid 1900's resort life at the storied Biltmore Hotel; a time when people dressed for the club and dressed well. The collection thrives on light layering pieces, trousers with seriously sophisticated drape (Think Hogan and Hagen) and a nautical color scheme of blue, navy, white, cream and soft yellow.  

Finally, the Newport Bluffs collection is the Purple Label equivalent of the clan and gets its thunder from the scenic landscape of Newport, RI and the Newport Country Club. Here you can find elegant items like a dune-colored cardigan with a belted D-ring back, another great selection of pants and shorts, including a particularly beautiful, pinstriped gray cotton pant - a lightweight version of Tom Watson's gray flannels at this year's British. A KC favorite piece is a lightweight jacket in dune with a 2-way zipper, high-necked collar and leather and suede detailing. (Pictured, far left.)

All in all, the Polo Golf Spring 2010 collection is above and beyond RL's call of duty - they've got the iconic pieces, the undeniable Americana and some much-needed surprises and technical re-tooling. Like anyone, the KC loves an old dog; but an old dog with a few aces stashed up its sleeve is going to win out every time. Polo Golf is not afraid of that new customer who may be arriving at the brand for the first time or a consumer revisiting to see just how they've responded to the ever-changing fashion landscape. Good things, ladies and gents...good things...

Meanwhile, over at RLX Golf, the design team is firing for that aforementioned urban dweller or hip suburbanite with a sense of what looks good, works well and how to carry that attitude to the course. First and foremost, the KC was excited about RLX, because like Polo Golf, we love what they've done in the past - but we also had high expectations for what they'd be churning out a decade into the 21st century. 

What they delivered is a dynamic collection, heavily based (as you might expect) in boldness of color, design and technicality.

KC favorites include the trim Apex pant with venting system (seen above in raspberry,) the packable Rotator jacket - one of the lightest and form-fitting pieces in all of golfwear - and super lightweight cashmere v-necks that are cut shorter and designed with minimal banding at the base to cut down on bunching. (It's all about fit and functionality at RLX.) 

The entire collection is tailored with an undeniably 'menswear' feel. The color palette of the spectator collection in navy and white shows classic sophistication with modern detailing - think cricket sweaters and argyle vests done in an ultra-lightweight cotton with a deeper V and slimmed-down proportions. 

In today's fashion world its all about quality pieces, top-notch fit and construction and timeless pedigree. No one know this better than Ralph Lauren and the 2010 S/S golf lines offer the best of the best for hackers, club pros, touring studs and everyone in between. 

At the KC, we get excited for great clothing and I left RL with a smile on my face. It surely will make the impending hole in my wallet burn much less...    

-KC