If Only Everything Was Goose Down…

A down vest or jacket should be a man’s winter wardrobe essential. The sheer warmth and comfort that goose down provides are nothing short of spectacular. But, honestly though, most options for men are either geared towards scaling K2, high fashion, or simply too granola.

Penfield’s Rockwool vest strikes a nice balance of rugged, casual, and street. The 80/20 goose down is teflon coated with 60/40 cotton nylon, detailed with a traditional leather front and shoulder yoke, and a super-soft shearling collar. We prefer the black, but the Rockwool vest is also available in tan or as a full jacket (not shown) for you vest haters.

Men looking for a tamer option should also look at the Rockwool’s lower priced brother, the Outback (shown right, $130) which forgoes leather yokes and shearling collar for wind and rain proof fabric. It’s available in micro striped hickory, black, and bark.

Editor’s Note: Pair either the Penfield Rockwool, Outback, or any down vest with a sweater (as we did for the shot above), shirt, or sportcoat as only American men can do. Pull on a pair of your favorite weekend jeans or wool pants and call it a day.

Cost: $265

Also See: L.L.Bean Shearling Boots | J.Crew Long Sleeve Jersey Polo

Macworld 2009 Comprehensive Round-up

While tomorrow’s headlines might read, “Apple Announces New Products, Steve Jobs Nowhere To Be Found,” we think anyone who knows anything about Apple should applaud Phil Schiller (President of Apple). His presentation at Macworld 2009 was fantastic, and all of us here at Gear Patrol feel he finally deserves some bloody credit.

In terms of new Mac hardware goodies, Apple announced the completely redesigned 17″ MacBook Pro. Software, however, was the primary focus of the event, as significant new features included in iWork ‘09, iLife ‘09, and iTunes were highlighted and demoed.

Yes, inevitably, some of you will yawn, but to us a DRM-Free iTunes (no ridiculous sharing restrictions and handicapped sound quality) is a major event and finally puts iTunes on the same playing field with competitors like Amazon music. Read our full rundown of what happened this morning after the jump.

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Smaller. Sleeker. Ceramic.

Sized at 39mm, the new Bell & Ross BR-S Ceramic Black Dial is a much more understated timepiece than its larger brothers (46mm) - some of which serve as a helicopter landing pad in a pinch.

That is, of course, appropriate for this more urbane Bell & Ross timepiece, covered in gorgeous black ceramic. My only qualm with the BR-S Ceramic is its quartz calibre ETA instead of a manual or automatic mechanical movement - somewhat of a departure for the venerable brand.

Editor’s Note: The Bell & Ross BR-S Ceramic is also available with a diamond encrusted bezel, but let me tell you now that I’ll never give one iota of respect to any man with diamonds on their timepiece (unless you have a stunning R&B album). Also, for those men looking for a “this lady is mine” timepiece, a white ceramic BR-S is also available.

Cost: $2,300

Quality Photographs Deserve Overqualified Printers

During the holidays I decided that it was time to print some of the photos I managed to capture during the holidays (girl friends wrestling New Year’s Eve, gorgeous holiday night New York skyline, a cohort with a classic devilish mug as he spiked the eggnog with rum).

The only challenge was my older Epson 980 photo printer no longer made the grade on several levels: it predated archivable inks (inks that won’t fade in time) you find in many of today’s photo printers, its inability to do anything beyond 8×10 photos limited anything of impressive caliber, and it printed at speeds even a Yugo would be proud of. [continued after the jump ]

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A Cabernet Sauvignon Made With Passion… And Luck

Good Cabernets have typically been the domain of French wine producers, but for JAQK, a Napa Valley/Sonoma Coast based winemaker, that’s part of what makes the High Roller (their flagship wine) so special. Not to mention its gorgeous bottle with poker chip inlay.

High Roller is made from 100% Napa Valley grapes (51% benchland / 49% hillside) refined with egg whites and aged in French oak casks. After sampling a few bottles ourselves, we found the taste to be smooth at first, with a refreshing finish and balanced aftertaste. Appropriately - just as JAQK proclaimed it would be.

See photos of the final steps in JAQK’s cork-to-casking process.

Editor’s Note: I paired High Roller with a pasta topped with tomato sauce and portabello mushrooms, but it also goes well with prime rib or lamb chops.

Cost: $70 - $750

Also See: Cork Pops Legacy Wine Opener | Oronoco Rum

2008 will be immortalized as the year I saw grown men fall to their knees as portfolios crumbled and 401k’s vanished. 2008 will be recalled as the year I saw America show the world we were a country of people that could be fooled once, falter twice, yet still demonstrate resiliency and innovation through a defining election. 2008 will be seen as the year I felt capital punishment fitting for white collar crimes (Bernie Madoff). 2008 will be known as the year I saw Tiger woods sink that ridiculous 15 foot putt at Torrey Pines and a tall lanky swimmer named Michael Phelps become a national hero. 2008 will be remembered as the year I officially became obsessed with a television show called Mad Men. [continued after the jump]
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