On My Mind: Loose-Fit Tees and Not-Too-Loose Pants
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
“Strategist Brain” is a series in which staffers share the stores they’ve stopped in to, stuff they’ve spotted, and extra tidbits from stories they’ve worked on. You’ll hear from a different writer every week.
At my running-club practice the other morning, someone took my shirt. I had taken it off in the middle of our workout — it was 78 degrees with 82 percent humidity — and set it down on a rock next to the bridle path in Central Park. Three minutes later, it was gone. (It’s likely that a Parks employee picked it up and disposed of it.) Intentions aside, this incident was on theme with what has been occupying my mind this hot summer: I’m looking for the perfect running shirt (and the cotton tee I lost, apparently). My teammates and running friends wear tank tops and tech tees from brands likeBanditandTracksmith, but I don’t like practicing in tanks. It’s a weird superstition of mine, but I try to reserve them for race day. And technical running shirts often feel restrictive around my arms and chest, even if I size up from my usual medium. I prefer running in billowy, boxy T-shirts. One of my favorite things to do is buy an XL cotton tee and crop it slightly so the hem sits where a medium shirt would but the top is looser around the chest and armpits.
New! You can now save this product for later.
This week, I’ve been testing three shirts from French running brandSatisfythat have a boxy, loose fit (and all in size L): theMothTech tee(with visibly engineered holes in it for ventilation), theAuraLite, and theAuraLite Air. So far, they’ve kept me cool, and I was surprised by how well the ventilation worked on the MothTech tee.
As for my collection of big cotton tees, I bought my most recent croppable XL shirt at theChuang Yen Monasterygift shop in Carmel, about an hour north of the city. I took my parents there when they visited the other week. It’s an incredible place and home to thelargest Buddha statuein the Western Hemisphere: 37 feet tall!
Here’s everything else I’ve seen recently:
New! You can now save this product for later.
When my parents were visiting, we also went bird-watching in Central Park and saw a handful of cool birds. MyNocsworked just fine, but they paled by comparison to thesebinoculars I tested out in Jamaica Bay a few months back. Thanks to a built-in chip, it can live-ID a bird just by looking at it (and it automatically takes a photo of each bird you ID).
New! You can now save this product for later.
While I was out birding with that group in Jamaica Bay, I saw an older guy rocking this tasteful hat.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Speaking of hats … the other day, I saw someone on the train wearing this hat fromBrother Brother, a cool clothing shop in L.A.This onehas been on my wish list for a while.
New! You can now save this product for later.
On the topic of wish-list items, this edition ofKavalier & Clayis at the top of my list. It’s my favorite book. The New YorkTimesrecently ranked it No. 16 in its list of the100 best booksof the 21st century, which, in my opinion, isn’t a high enough ranking!
New! You can now save this product for later.
I’m currently writing this article from this table. When I work from home, I like to stretch out on a yoga mat and put my laptop on top of this foldable table. Snow Peak products are so nicely designed (it’s the first brand I recommend forgifts) that I forget this table is meant for camping.
New! You can now save this product for later.
When I wrote aboutshort-inseam running shortsfor ourDinner Partynewsletter, I suddenly started seeing those shorts everywhere. I prefer these four-inch Tracksmith shorts, which I’ve worn all summer. They’re not too short, not too long.
New! You can now save this product for later.
As co-captain of theNew YorkMagazine softball team, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the bats we used to destroy our opponents this summer.
New! You can now save this product for later.
I’ve been having some good luck recently, and I owe it to these socks. My colleague Liza Corsillo put it perfectly when she declared half-crew as theperfect sock height— so that’s why I fold them down to just above the ankle.
New! You can now save this product for later.
My most-worn sock-shoe combo this summer has been those Uniqlo socks with these Gazelles. Of all the Adidas sneakers I’ve been seeing around New York, I think the Gazelle Indoors have the best-looking profile. There’s something perfectly subtle about the semi-visible stripes in the gum sole.
New! You can now save this product for later.
When I used to work atOutsidemagazine as an editor, my colleagues and I would roll our eyes at the idea of “trail to town” gear, which often referred to apparel that could be worn for hiking and for the brewery afterward. But I recently found myself preaching to my friends about these Uniqlo shorts, which I’ve worn all summer for tennis, workouts, and … yes, going out to the bar afterward.
New! You can now save this product for later.
This summer, I went to the opening of Toast’s first U.S. store, in Boerum Hill. While I want practically everything in the collection, I was eyeing these pleated pants, which have a cut that doesn’t feel too giant, unlike a lot of other men’s wide-leg pants.
New! You can now save this product for later.
On the topic of pants that fit just right, I’ve evangelized about these jeans to all of my friends the past few months because I think Madewell nailed the relaxed fit here — it’s not billowy but not too straight. (I think a lot of men’s pants with a straight fit just end up looking more slim.) The brand sent me a pair in the dark rinse, but I loved how they fit so much that I bought another pair in the gray “munson wash.”
New! You can now save this product for later.
I went on an Ikeahaulthis month, and in addition to theScandinavian wood-scented candlesI wrote about, I got three of these cucumber-lime candles for my bathroom. They go for $8 online, but at the Brooklyn location these were two dollars a pop.
The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
