Rolex Submariner
I got this watch to celebrate some forgotten milestone in my life that has clearly become less important than the mild horological obsession that replaced it. This particular model—a Rolex Submariner from my birth year—represents so much of what I value in objects: clean, classic, category-defining design.
Studio D’Artisan Jeans
Before you could buy selvage denim on every street corner in America you had to find some Japanese kid on an Internet forum who would be willing to go to a shop in Tokyo to buy and ship you a specific pair of denim in your size. That’s how I got these.
Shop Now$245+Kingsbury Sunbeam Racer
My great great grandfather founded a toy company in 1894 that built a reputation for finely crafted and meticulously detailed children’s playthings. He later adapted the techniques which made those high-quality toys into tools which made industrial parts, particularly for the automobile industry, before eventually selling the company in the 1960s. The toys live on in collectors circles and for me serve as a physical reminder of my family’s history.
Shop Now$14+LOTR volumes
A charming edition of one of my favorite series, purchased from a charming but sadly now defunct used book store on Abbot Kinney.
Buy Now$21.76Edward Green loafers
These were my first pair of grown-up shoes, which I thrifted new on eBay. I’ve been wearing them for more than a decade now and plan to get at least another decade out of them.
Filson bags
I always travel with at least one of these, and I probably have close to a dozen in my collection. Durable, stylish, American-made, and guaranteed for life.
Aeropress
There are a half dozen different ways to brew coffee in my house, but the one I come back to most frequently is the Aeropress. It’s faster and easier than anything else, plus the coffee is less acidic and you can clean it in a second. I also like that the people who invented it sell only two things: the Aeropress and a high performance frisbee.
Couto toothpaste
This subtle, minty Portugese toothpaste has been made the same way since 1932 which, though I hate to admit it, means it probably doesn’t provide me with the same kind of oral care that the American Dental Association recommends.
Cocktail aging barrel
Pick your favorite mixed drink recipe, buy enough ingredients to make 3 liters of it, and put them altogether in this tiny oak barrel for 4 to 6 weeks. What comes out on the other end has all the roughness smoothed out of it—it’s lighter on the palate, it tends to be slightly sweeter, and the flavors are easier to distinguish. Rather than wait for a batch to reach maturity, I like to pour glasses from the tap whenever I’m thirsty and watch how the character changes over time.
Buy Now$62The Heart of the Order
Incredible debut fiction from New Orleans-based writer Theo Schell-Lambert. (He may have also been my college roommate.)
Buy Now$14.95
