It’s no secret that we here at TSL, and more so our sister site, Wrist Watch Review (of course), are into fine time pieces. This site is set up to focus on the fashion side of things, as well. Ordinarily, unless you’re talking about the Titanic watch, I think a fine timepiece is its own fashion statement. Pick the right one, and it speaks for itself (time for a shameless Panerai plug? Nah).

But Desanti is going to force me to choose. This clothier is the maker of the Watchcuff shirt. Apparently made for watch geeks like me, these things are so out there that I think I’d have to pass. You may disagree.

Is it fashionable to so prominently feature your watch? Is the ultimate sign of Wisconsin cheddar? Of course, the argument can be made that many watches leave behind “fashionable” and dive head-first into garish, ridiculous, even obscene. But something about these strikes me as, well, wrong.

Cruise on over to Desanti’s website and make up your own mind. Even if you hate the shirts, you may dig the watch porn.

I’m an action lawyer, located somewhere on the action spectrum between Perry Mason and Chuck Norris (Walker Texas Ranger, Esq., that is). Running, jumping, kicking and brief writing are just a few of my daily activities. Sometimes, my shoes get dirty — it’s just the name of the game. Rockport, thankfully, has addressed that problem by introducing the washable loafer you see above. Not a bad looking pair of wheels if I do say so myself.

Made of real leather, they can be washed in any washing machine, and then line dried. They come in a variety of colors, black, brown, ivory, etc., and would look great with jeans or khakis. Bottom line, these are great looking shoes that just might be the most practical pair of kicks in your wardrobe.

Rockport [Via AskMen]

The list of lists is here – the completely incomplete list of classic things. Cars, shoes, CDs, cameras, novels – like, everything.

And ‘classic’ is a broad church. You should own an E-Type and a Landrover Defender. Jack Purcells and Gucci loafers. Hüsker Dü AND Lionel Richie.

…Dipping his Jheri-curled soul into everything from renegade funk (“Running With the Night”) to stone-skipping syrup (“Stuck On You”), Richie creates one of the greatest guilty pleasures in music history. You will know the words to each and every song, and you will sing them and dance like a fool.

Worth a read, if only to see why Gore Vidal and Point Break should live side-by-side on your shelf.

The classics you should already own [Men.Style.com]

Traditionally, we’ve been obsessed by the style choices of James Bond, but there’s something about the understated, utilitarian accessorizing of 24’s Jack Bauer.

After all, while Bond has the regular luxury of fopping around a hotel room while having his tuxedo pressed and his chrono recalibrated with gadget after gadget, Bauer never stops until some ‘crisis’ is averted (although who knows what he does for the other 364 days of the year), and his gear needs the same kind of tenacity.

A few weapons, flak jackets, monoculars, cuffs, shades and more, all slung in a nondescript canvas messenger over his special ops watch-clad arm – there’s some great, gritty gear there.

Whether it all wears out after more than a day of use is anyone’s guess, however.

Jack Bauer Gear [Uncrate]

Once a permanent fixture on the heads of playboys and presidents alike, the once proud Panama hat is in danger of extinction.

The rise of the baseball cap, a decline in the number of skilled weavers in Ecuador, an increasing risk from cheap international knock-offs, especially from China, and other factors have all conspired to make the Panama a fashion relic, and its production as unpopular as ever.

But there may be hope for the hat, from an unlikely source.

Intermon Oxfam has set up the Chordeleg Artisan Centre where weavers are producing small number of Fairtrade Panama hats. The women are receiving training so that they can perfect techniques, weave higher quality hats with better finishes, and improve production and marketing. They have been able to increase the quantity and the price so that they can now make a living and maintain their traditions.

A fair trade Panama hat? Could milinery so beautifully mix politics and headwear? Regardless, its time for a Panama revival.

Artisan Center Chordeleg (translated) [Oxfam via Treehugger via Financial Times]

At the other end of the price spectrum on novelty Tuesday is a device that, we fear, is not a novelty at all. This rather ugly tie is worth over $1000. And why? The hi-res spy camera hidden inside it.

Including a cigarette-pack-sized monitor and recorder with remote control, the pinhole camera woven into this tie shoots plasma-busting 768×492 pixel video (or 768×582 in PAL) with audio.

So now those of us catching public transport in Melbourne, Australia will have to be suspicious not only of the large-footed, but now also shifty characters in ugly business attire?

Tie Camera wired to Miniature Digital Video recorder/Monitor [ Spycatcher of Knightsbridge via The Red Ferret Journal]

Embraced by everyone from academics to cowboys to shabby indie musicians, corduroy trousers (or ‘cords’, as absolutely everyone refers to them) are ignored at one’s peril.

More formal than denim, with perhaps a little more ‘cred’, but still casual enough to slip on between a t-shirt and trainers, no men’s wardrobe can really function without them.

From the sleekness of Kenneth Cole’s Destroyed Cords and Tassa Elba’s Luxury Micro Cords, to the traditional cut of Ralph Lauren and Nautica to the green, hemmed, roughish eccentricity of Joseph Homme, this list of what’s hot in corduroy will put the uninitiated on track and satisfy the hunger of the aficionado.

Buy: Corduroy Pants [Men’s Flair]

Sweden isn’t necessarily known as one of Europe’s fashion powerhouses. But now a century-old menswear label is earning a solid reputation across the continent for, fittingly enough, its sleek, classic pieces.

Reserving their best work for suits and outerwear, Tiger of Sweden’s timeless cuts bear enough contemporary detailing to seat them well amongst then other ‘new classics’, sweeping the men’s fashion world.

This certainly isn’t your father’s label; Tiger of Sweden clothing isn’t for every man. But if you have a penchant for classic clothing with a sleek twist, Tiger’s collection of business and casual wear will certainly meet your day-to-day needs.

Finally, the Swedes get noticed for what they’re wearing, rather than what they’re not.

Tiger of Sweden [via Ask Men]

Highlighting that the green revolution is well underway, the Lacoste polo (probably the last thing you’d expect to find in the closet of tie-dyed conservationists of decades past) has had a sustainability makeover.

UK eco-designer Tom Dixon was enlisted by the France-based activewear label to create two limited edition polos. One is a tragic 90s-throwback ‘techno’ redesign, which we’ll politely ignore.

The other, however, known as the eco polo has been made from organic cotton and indigo dyes and will be sold (in a few hand-picked boutiques) in distinctive egg-carton packaging.

Environmentally minded and devoted Lacoste aficionados, we’re glad to see classic fashions finding love in the eyes of modern sensisbilities. One think irks us, however…

In order to reinforce the handmade quality of the polo, Tom also challenged the constistency of the classic LACOSTE polo shirt by adding new stitching and rougher edges to the sleeves and hems for that ‘distressed’ feel normally achieved only through many years of use.

Buying a brand new, sustainably-produced polo with a fatigued look defeats the purpose. Why not just take an even more eco-friendly route and hit your local thrift/opportunity store for a pre-worn Crocodile. It’ll come with that treasured ‘distressed’ look, is available in far more colors, and not restricted to a handful of fashion mecccas.

Tom Dixon pour Lacoste [via Tree Hugger]

Two weeks ago we talked you through the hows and whys of scarf wearing.

Now here’s the scarf to do it with. And you shouldn’t need much convincing.

It’s 100% Cashmere. It’s knitted in a quirky, classic, black plaid. It’s $88 and it’s the one thing you can’t afford to face your next winter without.

Cashmere plaid scarf [Banana Republic via Product Dose]