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1 week ago | 
thecontender.substack.com | David Coggins
It’s intimidating to visit a tailor. Whether in London, Naples or New York you’re entering a world where you have to be measured, make decisions and part with serious money. You’re usually doing this in a well-appointed room talking to a well-dressed man who knows more about these matters than you do. And soon enough he will know the slope of your unbalanced shoulders down to the centimeter. I’ve written about buying suits, wearing suits and demystifying suits. But it’s still hard.
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2 weeks ago | 
thecontender.substack.com | David Coggins
You don’t need me to tell you to read Pride & Prejudice and War & Peace (two classics with an ampersand). So here’s a list of beloved books that are well-known but not too well-known. No Henry James or F. Scott Fitzgerald, no Turgenev or Evelyn Waugh. Sorry lads! Your estates are doing fine without us. These are novels (you remember novels), biographies and travel. Also: letters, journals and memoirs. Yes, there’s some fishing, but it’s hidden in a few places and not too much.
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2 weeks ago | 
thecontender.substack.com | David Coggins
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2 weeks ago | 
thecontender.substack.com | David Coggins
Paid episodeThe full episode is only available to paid subscribers of The Contender
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4 weeks ago | 
thecontender.substack.com | David Coggins
I’m very excited about this new project I worked on with Emerger: my dream fishing bag. Here’s the story. The first Emerger bag I saw was on a guide in Wyoming. It was heavy canvas, well-worn and looked great. It was clearly made by a passionate person who had put thought and care into what he was doing. I knew I had to get one. There was a phone number on the website and I called it and was surprised when Chris himself answered. This was not only the founder—he makes these great bags too.
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1 month ago | 
thecontender.substack.com | David Coggins
A visit to Japan benefits from planning and spontaneity, from control and then letting go. You’re in a truly unique country and sometimes you have to let it wash over you. Like many people, I love Japan. I lived there for a year after I graduated from college and I’ve been back a dozen or so times since. I’ve written about Japan quite a bit: What to do in Tokyo for the FT, a visit to the Ama free divers, favorite Japanese tailors for Robb Report and a Tokyo Guide here on The Contender.
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1 month ago | 
thecontender.substack.com | David Coggins
Paid episodeThe full episode is only available to paid subscribers of The Contender
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1 month ago | 
thecontender.substack.com | David Coggins
This comes to you from Kyoto. It’s a beloved city of culture and refinement, of secret doors and narrow walkways, of immaculate gardens and kaiseki dinners. Most of the city is low-lying and flat, spread out between the green mountains that come in and out of view when there’s fog. It’s a place of delicate beauty where you can’t help being in a good mood. And yet today I felt wistful in this wonderful place. Tourism is high in Japan and very high in Kyoto.
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1 month ago | 
thecontender.substack.com | David Coggins
A good bag is more than an accessory and more personal than most clothing. It’s something you carry every day that announces your relationship to function and style. That’s one reason we feel strongly about bags. Hold on, we’re just talking about bags here! But the search for the good bag—the right bag—is real, and when we find one then we hold on to it for a long time. That’s one reason I’m so excited about the Field Tote, my new collaboration with Ghurka, which comes out today.
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1 month ago | 
thecontender.substack.com | David Coggins
When I first made this list a few years back it was the most popular newsletter I’d written. People were curious! I refined it last year (people were still curious). And now I’d like to do it again through a slightly different filter. Yes, you should have an unstructured sport coat, a line-up of shirts you like and a smart tuxedo. But this time let’s think about upgrades, more rarefied options and the ideal version of what we all know you need. 1/ A Soft Tweed Coat.