When it comes to fleeces — especially half-zip pullovers — I’m a Patagonia Bro myself. I think Patagonia makes a fantastic, durable product that’s pretty affordable (they on sale at REI pretty much every other week) and can look great in all sorts of situations, from tailgating to the office with a collared shirt underneath. I am literally wearing that exact same outfit right now, as I write this.
Clearly inspired by the whole Rowdy Gentlemen/Chubbies/fratty independent clothing movement, a NYC company called Blankenship Dry Goods has hit us up quite a few times over the last couple weeks about their tailgating fleeces for Bros. The company also makes shorts inspired by the whole
I’m not sure what to think about the fleeces; they look like something from the LL Bean catalog circa 1997, but the caveat is that each fleece has two koozie pockets built into the front. Get it! You can stash your beers there while running around in a field on Saturday morning. Or you could, like, chill out and keep them in a cooler, but that’s hardly a men’s fashion commodity. It’s a marketing novelty that sounds a lot like the Reef sandals with the bottle cap openers built into the heel — Cool the first time you use it, but then you’re like “fuck, why did I pay that extra $20 for a pair of shoes with a bottle opener built into it?”
Anyway, I thought I’d throw it out here to the masses. Cool? Lame? A Bro must-have? They retail for $124.99 a pop ($5 goes to the Wounded Warrior project) and I’m sure they’re nice and cozy, but I’m not sure I’d switch allegiance from Patagonia for it.