Jean Genie: Rebounding from Ms. Mendes, Calvin Klein is up to his old tricks. [My Fashion Life]

Whitest of All Time: Ms. Lambert waxes rhapsodic on St. Elmo’s Fire, perennial candidate for preppiest movie of all time. The verdict? “It’s the French New Wave via Reagonomics.” [This Recording]

Old, Old Times: “Old Jews Telling Jokes” is now an internet meme. Funny, we thought it was just Thanksgiving. [Boing Boing]

Wine-Oh: Esquire hits the bottle hard with a roundup of good booze under $15. [Esquire]

—R.B.

We hope they brought breath mints to the shoot, but it was worth it. This still from the British brand Aquascutum (and shot by Tim Walker) is easily one of the best fashion ads we’ve seen all year.

The men’s and women’s line both make it in, you can see just enough of the clothes, and it’s just plain eye-catching. It’s a spring/summer line, so the white pants are kosher, and the bleachers and school-photo layout make it all adorably formal.

Well played, gentlemen.

—R.B.

Ignoring where things come from is a long proud tradition in this country, and we’d like to keep it that way. Especially with regards to the ocean…

The Surfrider Foundation disagrees, and is smuggling packages of beach debris into farmer’s markets to make a point about oceanic pollution. We imagine the usual greenmarket crowd is pretty open to it, but we can’t help but wonder if they’re being a bit too aggressive. It’s one thing to see something this gross on a website, but accidentally tossing it into your totebag could be genuinely off-putting…and not necessarily in a good way.

Also, we’re never eating seafood again.

—R.B.

Big Black Boots usually fit into what might charitably be called “the industrial look,” but when it’s this cold, you may be able to work them into your wardrobe a bit more subtly.

It’s not a formal look, so we’d keep them as far away from your suit as possible, but when you’re trudging through the snow on your off-hours, you’ll be glad to have something heavy between your toes and the outside world—and it may match with your puffy coat better than you think. Like we always say, the right clothes for the circumstances will always be stylish.

And if you’re wondering which boots are the right ones, these Adam Kimmels don’t look too bad. Provided you don’t mind paying in Euros.

—R.B.

via Tsutpen

Inspiration can come from many places, but it’s usually best in small doses. So while we heartily endorse fedoras, peak lapels, and even the occasional pinstripe, you should resist the powerful temptation to dress like someone on the cover of a dime novel.

For women, of course, this rule does not apply.

—R.B.

Whether it’s punk rock, kanji or toaster ovens, Japan is often better at interpretation than invention. As a result, Tokyo’s status as a style capital is less about their brands than about their collaborations. So while Barbour may not have the international name recognition it deserves, but you can bet it’s on a lot of minds in Tokyo.

And vice versa apparently. This collaboration between Barbour and To Ki To (from Tokyo, naturally) just came down the transom, and it’s pretty close to the heavy raingear collection of our dreams. Without exposing themselves to too much London drizzle, To Ki To managed to nail the rain-soaked British charm, with a few curveballs added in translation.

Kind of like Guitar Wolf…if you’re into that sort of thing.

—R.B.