After noticing a lack of suitable and stylish work accessories, Monica Zwirner and Lucy Wallace Eustice started MZ Wallace as a solution to dowdy bags that seemed to plague the workplace. Now 20 years later, the New York-based brand has become an essential city staple for working women. And starting today men can get in on the action too.
MZ Wallace has launched the Bleecker Collection, a range of six classic styles that have been formatted for the modern gent — its first men’s collection ever. Whether you need a new gym bag or an alternative travel case or just a new backpack, MZ Wallace has you covered. “The collection reflects the thoughtful design and lasting quality that are so inherent to us as a brand. He’ll find exactly what he’s looking for here, whether it’s a small kit to organize his grooming essentials, a sleek computer bag for the office, or something larger for travel,” Eustice said in a statement.
The Bleecker Collection includes a backpack, duffel bag, briefcase, messenger bag, and Dopp kit all constructed in the brand’s signature rain-resistant nylon. The new styles are available in black or a sophisticated and unassuming blue camo print, maintaining a perfect harmony of function and lasting design.
The MZ Wallace Bleecker Collection is available online now.
It’s that time of year again — the beginning of summer and the annual opportunity to show Dad some love. Whether it’s a shoutout on social media (parents love that) or an exotic luxury cruise, now is the time to thank him for all he’s done for you. We’ve rounded up some key items for the father who cares about fitness.
Maybe your dad likes to watch the game more than play, and that’s fine too! This novelty toaster is the perfect way to rep your favorite team. $43, available on Amazon.com
The ballroom scene continues to inspire pop culture ever since Madonna introduced the concept to the masses (aka, the mainstream white public) when she said ‘Vogue.’ And for this year’s pride month — the 50th-anniversary celebration since the Stonewall Riots set the gay rights movement in motion — Equinox is celebrating ballroom culture with its ‘Life’s a Ball’ campaign, which stars members of the community including Legendary Veronica Miyake Mugler, Legendary Chyna Prodigy, Legendary Asia Balenciaga, Legendary Tamiyah Miyake Mugler, the Icon Sinia Alaia, the Icon Leiomy Maldonado, and Tati Finesse. The luxury gym partnered with House Lives Matter, a city-based non-profit that benefits members of the ballroom community, for the campaign — for every post that uses the #PoweredbyPride hashtag, Equinox will donate $1 dollar to the cause. In addition to the campaign, Equinox is hosting voguing classes in San Francisco, LA, New York, and Miami throughout June — tickets for the New York class on June 8th are available online now.
Summer is lurking right around the corner and if you haven’t kept true to your #fitnessgoal oriented New Year’s resolution, don’t panic. After a bit of browsing on Pinterest, we’ve rounded up a few of the best 30-day fitness challenges to help get you back on track for the summer. Read on.
For abs:
So this simple month-long ab boot camp is intense — by the end of it, you’ll be doing 155 crunches and day. But what makes this one (courtesy of fitness author Neila Rey) extra thorough is that it offers a variety of 3 exercises so that you end up with true core strength and (ideally) visible definition by the end of it. Here’s another one that instead mixes planks, knee crunches, and mountain climbers. Start with one of these and you’ll abs-solutley (sorry) be ready to take your shirt off.
For pecs:
This push-up challenge by Juan Lugo Fitness focuses on building strength and endurance. While push-ups are a great workout for the whole body, the exercise really targets the chest. It’s more of a slow burner, but you’ll be able to test your stamina and monitor your development over the course of 30 days and essentially complete 50 push-ups in one go when you’re done.
For glutes:
Courtesy of Livestrong, this squat intensive is sure to sculpt your glutes into the stuff of Roman statues. With squats, it’s all about form (don’t let your knees bend past your toes, keep your back straight, etc) so when tackling over 50 a day, keep that in mind. This challenge is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. And if you’re feeling really ambitious, here’s a challenge that mixes abs and glute exercises. Good luck out there.
Luxury fitness center Equinox opens doors to its brand new River Oaks Residential Club in Houston, Texas, the international club’s 77th location. The modern industrial aesthetic includes the brand’s signature concrete floors, exposed steel, and luxury metallic touches, which decorate several lounge areas, as well as a marble monochromatic locker room with dark wood detailing. The 33,000-square-foot space also holds studios for cycling, barre—one of Equinox’s first clubs to experience the program—Pilates, and yoga, plus areas for group fitness classes, cardio, and weight training. The upscale center offers more than just the fitness floor, though; the four-room spa features a menu of luxurious ways to rejuvenate and its shop stocks the latest performance gear, casual clothing, and accessories from top names.
Equinox Houston is now at 4444 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX.
Luxury gym and source of beach body envy, Equinox has taken summer fitness to next level intensity with its GOLDRUSH campaign: a Willy Wonka-esque competition for fitness fanatics. Turning New York into a torturous treasure hunt, Equinox has planted five un-purchasable Gold Memberships in nearly impossible to reach locations in and around city. Starting in at The Surf Lodge in Montauk—where over 50 entrants, including Neil Patrick Harris, free-dove 20 ft for the prize—to 5 ft gravel pit dig in Chelsea last month, these feats of strength fiercely test the limits of personal will and ask just about how much does every Manhattanite crave a Kiehl’s-lathered shower after a good cardio kick-in-the-ass at the multi-location fitness club. The gold membership prize includes a one-year global membership, 24 personal training sessions, monthly massages, and a personal locker at one’s club of choice, among other perks, with the final GOLDRUSH challenge occurring tomorrow, Wednesday, 26, 2015 at the Intrepid (Pier 86 W 46th St and 12th Ave).
The new ISAORA x DEN IM fitness collection is more than just your regular gym fare. The newly launched collection and brain child of designer Siki Im—most recently on the fashion radar for winning the 2015/2016 International Woolmark Prize USA Regional Final for Menswear—the line is both athletically practical and sharp by choice. Figure hugging black RVN leggings, with semi-automatic hem zips and iPhone sleeves, and mid-thigh length shorts, liner-less and micro-mesh, pair perfectly with the reversible RVN t-shirt for an intimidating gym ensemble that breathes as well as it looks. A reversible 3L jacket—one side a dark onyx, the other a frosty silver—is included for chillier nights out on the track that require a clash of color and a bit of layering. As a multi-disciplinary artist, Siki Im strives to stretch and breach the limits of institutional and conventional design. Finding a home within ISAORA, a company born out of frustration over lacking aesthetic performance apparel, seems almost kismet in nature. The urban techwear brand, whose founding in 2009 produced more classic lines of plaid and denim, taps into Im’s forward-thinking ideals to shed their rustically masculine past for a modern sportswear future. This latest activewear collection is Im’s gift to the athletic world to enhance and push the boundaries of physicality through fashion.
Confession: I hate going to the gym—not something super hard to deduce if you’ve met me—but, I do love the clothes you get to wear to work out. Punchy sneakers, motivationally-loud logos, and elastic waistbands—what more could a human want to wear to feel comfortable? I’m of the most lazy school of fashion. Exercise gear does fluctuate in style, though, and sometimes it’s just… too much. No one wants their 6 PM vinyasa yoga class to turn into “The Best of EDM.” Luckily, Club Monaco‘s new capsule collection with Reigning Champ plays off the Canadian heritage of both brands: meaning simple design, great fit, and surprise: a reissue of CM’s original logo (the first time in over a decade). Available at ClubMonaco.com now, the collaboration includes a blanket, robe, zip front hoody, pull over hoody, crew neck sweat tops and sweatpants. Happy working out! If you need me I’ll be standing by the juice bar watching other people sweat.
You’ve broken every diet you’ve ever read about (and probably some you never even knew existed), drank every last drop of sugar infused libation, and have probably skipped the gym enough that your muscles get indignant at the thought of things like, you know—walking. Bad. But that was December—holiday time—which invariably leads to the now—January, that rare month when you’ve got the dogged motivation of an ascetic to get back into the gym. Good. Also positive is that the return to the gym means you’ve got an excuse to gear yourself up. So do it right. You don’t really want to appear all that self-aware (it’s a treadmill, not a catwalk), though you don’t want to look like you’re in your PJs (yes, people are checking you out). We suggest—keep it simple, functional and wear things that’ll make you feel strong as an ox when you starts sweating like a pig. After the jump.
Most performance sneakers could also double as super hero/sci-fi gear, and while some of your work out goals might similarly farcical, there’s no need to really display that fact on your feet. Especially when the tangible world has Y-3. These guys breathe, give you traction and also have the ability to be worn when you’re not holding a dumbbell. This pair’s up for pre-order with a January 15th delivery.
New as of January, Hard Graft’s first foray into gym embodies the brand’s commitment to craftsmanship and unfettered style. The water-resistant lined, waxed canvas body— perfect for the wilds of the gym, is completed with hand finished 100% vegetable dyed leather top and straps, never compromising taste. And as long as you don’t stink it up with your post-gym laundry, it also makes a smart weekender.
For a few seasons we’ve been adoring the exacting lengths RLX Ralph Lauren has gone to in combining sophisticated American style with performance ready design. These microfiber shorts are exactly why. Breathable with a mesh back yolk and side stripes, angled pockets, light weight polyester, a back zip pocket with an appropriately sized logo say in a smart tone (rather than announcing it in an obnoxious one) that you’re serious about the gym.
“Slub” isn’t a term we usually gravitate towards, but when applied to Aether, which was created for and by city folk who have a penchant for the outdoors, the word gets turned inside out. A fact highlighted in by the slick, steely design of this hoodie, which should match the hardened determination you need to keep going back to the gym. Save the ironic/graphic/fun hoodies for chill nights at the beach once you’re all carved up. Besides, if washed, this would layer nicely under a dark blazer.
Hammerthor’s pretty much a tried and true heritage sports performance brand (they’ve been making such gear since the late 1800’s) so they get it. Ribbed for warmth and perforated for beathability. Exactly. And we know we don’t need to remind you to wipe your sweat off the machine you just used should you choose to wear such little clothing.
specific exercises target individual muscles in the gym, and this sock follows suit with strategically placed materials to make sure your feet work at peak performance. Padded with CoolMax (r) at the heel and toe to keep it lightweight and manage moisture, nylon and Lycra body that it fits like a glove a a special achilles tendon pad to eliminate chaffing. And it’s settles that whole black/white sock debate in a rather bi-partisan manner.
The seamless design ranks high in our score card of sporty-headphone design, which is good, but better is that these guys can also be rinsed off after a work. Also of note are the adjustable ear loop and balanced drivers for some decent sound quality for the buck.
