Black Book: The Cool Material Editors’ Favorite Things Right Now: February 2024
Every month, people are faced with a seemingly endless stream of products flashing at them from phone screens, billboards, magazines, and commercials. They can engender a fleeting sense of longing, but rarely are they the type of things that you spend days thinking about–let alone make you want to divert from whatever you’re doing to go out and purchase right away.
These clothes, watches, spirits, and gear are those rare things that captured the attention of Cool Material’s editors and writers in February.
Nike Standard Issue - Men's Basketball Pants
[Partner] Those colder days of playing hoops outdoors are best when done in Nike’s Standard Issue Pants. They’re warm enough to wear on a crisp day out and about doing chores (soft fleece makes them hard to want to get out of), while having light enough insulation that they won’t be sweat-filled at the end of a shootaround. The fit is roomy and relaxed and hits below the ankle, with a stitched-in chainlink pattern.
Buy: $115
Dolce&Gabbana Porcelain Ashtray
The iconic repeating block design of foulard prints stand out in a crowd. It’s a style that looks just as good in the home as it does on scarves, neckties, and other clothing. Dolce&Gabbana’s Italian-made, 100-percent porcelain ashtrays have the logo on the back while slightly raised details grace the top. The rim has a gold brushstroke that’s put on by hand and set by a third kiln firing. The ashtrays are 4-by-6.9-inch size–perfect for a side coffee table.
Buy: $395
American Hat Makers Leather Outback Hat
It's time to start gearing up for Summer. One of American Hat Makers' bestsellers, the Midnight Rider adventurer hat, boasts American Outback style and durability with its soft and flexible USA raised cowhide leather construction, perfect for those soon-to-come longer days outside. Featuring a 2 3/4" brim and 3 3/4" crown, this weatherproofed leather hat ensures both protection and fashion. Better yet, it comes with a removable sweatband liner and free half- and full-size sweatband size reducers, allowing for a customizable and comfortable fit.
Buy: $147
Nixon Stinger 44
Nixon describes the Stinger 44 as “a dive inspired watch you can wear to the dive bar.” Which has a ring to it, and makes sense with the 100 meter rating, but you’d also likely be the fanciest looking guy in the dive bar. It has classic style at an incredibly reasonable price. The 44mm stainless steel case makes its presence known with bright LUM and a textured dial, and the watch uses solar power to keep ticking.
Buy: $275
Pedestal Moon Rollin’ TV Stand
Sometimes a TV hits in the perfect spot in a room. Others, not so much. But you don’t have to worry about that when you can simply roll the TV to wherever you want it. Moon Rollin’ safely holds up to 110 pounds and can accommodate TVs from 40-inch to 70-inch. It’s just as functional and stable as those big rollies that carted old-school boxy TVs in the 90s and aughts, but it has actual style thanks to matte-surface steel with curved lines and purpose-built accessories to hold any boxes and cables.
Buy: $333
Great Jones × Wölffer Estate Cask Finished Bourbon
The Hamptons meet Manhattan in this limited-edition bourbon. Great Jones, the first whiskey distillery in Manhattan since Prohibition, finishes a blend of four-to-seven-year-old bourbons in the cabernet franc barrels of Long Island’s famed Wölffer Estate for more than a year. The resulting flavor is reminiscent of sticky date pudding, baking spices, figs, vanilla, and kumquat. Sure, you can mix the spirit into a cocktail like an old fashioned or, better yet, a Manhattan, but chances are you’ll want to return to it neat again and again for the full flavor range. For however long it lasts on your bar cart, it’ll look good sitting right on top thanks to a stand-out bottle design.
Buy: $49.99
Veloce Kevlar Trail Running Shoe
Chances are low that you’ll put your footwear through anything that demands the toughness of a 360-degree Kevlar upper lining. But then again, as the winter starts to fade and the promise of warmer month adventures gets closer, why not opt for the toughest trail running shoes you can find–especially when they come in at a low 13 ounces? The Veloce has a 100 percent recycled cotton lining and a replaceable natural rubber sole with a high-rebound EVA midsole. Out of the box, it comes with Ortholite footbeds that helped land the shoe at the top of the best sports product list of 2023 by the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotists. Plus, it comes from time-tested Italian footwear brand Naglev (of hiking boot fame), so you know you can trust its integrity.
Buy: $220
Yema SUPERMAN SLIM CMM.20
Those who can pull off a big and bulky watch know who they are, and there’s no shortage of wristwear options. Those who prefer something a little smaller, in both height and diameter, can opt for the slimmest watch around that doesn't stretch into prices only Pharrell can afford. The 39mm case holds a CMM.20 micro-rotor caliber. Don’t let the formal attire appearance fool you, this made-in-France watch keeps its dive watch cred with water resistance down to 300 meters. The hands get their glow from Super-LumiNova, and an exhibition case back shows off the inner workings. You won’t find another watch quite like this anywhere else.
Buy: $2490
Fujifilm X100VI
Fujifilm’s newest addition to its X100 series has the color quality, travel-ready compact body, and Film Simulation tech as its predecessors while adding in-body image stabilization and improved video capabilities. The sensor delivers images up to 40.2 megapixels with optimum clarity and contrast through the 23mm fixed lens. The autofocus tracks and keeps the focus on moving subjects over a series of shots with the help of AI that’s been trained to detect animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes, trains, insects, and drones. Whether you’re after street photography shots, need a travel camera, or you just want to reliably take better photos of your kid who never stops, the X100VI offers some of the best quality you’ll find in this price range.
Buy: $1599.95Need More Suggestions?
Check out last month’s Black Book here.
