Just a little note of housekeeping —if you are a Flickr user please take this opportunity to join the ACL Flickr pool and contribute anything from your sartorial obsessions to Americana to screen grabs of Mr. Chuck Bass. The group photos are displayed in the lower section of the right sidebar, adding a very enjoyable visual element to an otherwise lonely section of the website. 

J. Press suit by Mr. Lee Clower.

In addition to being a muse for Tom Ford and certified fashion royalty, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld is my Woman of the Hour.

Photo via Wireimage.com

• Mr. O’Reilly looses his shit | YouTube
• Jamie Johnson: the rising cachet of declining wasps | Vanity Fair
• Alex P. Keaton & Malcom X share a love of skinny ties | Men’s Vogue [Pictured]
• Carpet Crawlers, The Air That I Breathe, And the Healing Has Begun. My updated mixtape | Muxtape
• Leave it to the professionals. ACL’s pal Mr. Jonathan S. Paul does a much more interesting and informative piece on the Wine Library TV guy | The Moment
• A look at Panerai past & present | Luxist

Photo via Men’s Vogue

Flickr Find is a weekly column of interesting things found on the amazing and inspiring photo sharing website Flickr.

Long revered for his enduring style, JFK is the focus of this week’s Flickr Find. All images are public domain from the National Archives.

I have been patiently waiting for my opportunity to post something on the prepfest that is Gossip Girl and last night I got my chance. Let me preface this conversation by saying that I generally toggle between PBS, The History and Military channels, so my fixation with Gossip Girl is as strange to me as it is to you. During last night’s episode my favorite character on the show —the J. Press scarf wearing Chuck Bass —was dressed in a beige and red striped linen necktie by my client Alexander Olch. Throughout the first half of the show, Mr. Bass was called in by Blair a la Michael Clayton to help rectifie one of Serena’s difficult situations, all while wearing another one of his ridiculously preppy outfits. The look consisted of said Olch tie, blue Oxford cloth shirt with a white Oxford cloth club collar, camel cardigan and plaid paints. It was Upper East Side preppy drama at its best!

Urban Camping is a reoccurring look into the products, services and experiences that enhance the city living adventure.

If you live anywhere outside of New York City your car provides you with everything from secure storage space to a mobile charging station, something city dwellers could only dream of. Recently the problem of on-the-go recharging of mobile devices has posed a significant annoyance. There is nothing worse than being embroiled in a heated SMS exchange and going dark or having a raucous night out on the town and not being able to fully document your debauchery.

It is no surprise that the Japanese are one step ahead of the game when it comes to mobile refueling. One of the best options (and a current obsession of mine) are the public cellphone charging stations that can be found all over Japan. These genius little machines are the size of an ATM and are placed in train stations, shopping centers etc., allowing you to lock up and recharge your phone while you shop. Why these aren’t in every bar, bodega and coffee shop in New York City is beyond me. Put this on my list of companies to start.

Below: the genius that is the Japanese mobile phone charging station. Why is America so far behind on these things?

Another version of a Japanese mobile phone charging station.

Other options for cell phone battery boost are the small portable chargers that are constantly being featured on tech websites. My biggest problem with these gadgets is that I will never have one on hand when I need one. Later this summer, Sony is releasing its Energy Link, a USB backup power supply that looks promising, but again would only be useful if I plan ahead and keep one on hand at all times which is as annoying as running out of battery. Also, if you are carrying a basic cell phone the Energizer to go battery chargers are pretty handy, but they are pretty goofy looking and expensive at $20. There are a whole host of products out there that can charge your iPod or iPhone. If the forecast is sunny, Flight 001 sells its reusable PowerMonkey solar charger for cell phones, MP3 players etc. Not that that it is really going to be of any use at night and $140 is pretty steep —but it would be awesome if you were stranded in the desert or something. Natch.

Another cool and newish service offering a Wi-Fi and a fully powered experience is BoltBus. The company provides free wireless internet and electrical outlets in every seat. The new service runs between Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. BoltBus is definitely on to something there.

Additionally, Amtrak’s first class and business class seats, along with travelers on the upper-class Acela trains, are all equipped with 110 volt power outlets.

Why is it so hard for companies to figure it out. The two most valuable things for travelers are power outlets and Wi-Fi. Below, BoltBus is paving the way.

If you aren’t a member of an airport club, the NYC airports are becoming more power outlet friendly with the installation of new Samsung sponsored “power poles” at JFK and LGA airports. “Providing some dignity to electricity-hungry road warriors” according to The New York Times City Room blog.

And finally, Virgin America has taken the Jet Blue revolution to the next level with their semi-new domestic service. Each seat has its own power source and USB plug, paving the way for uninterrupted self entertainment. Thank god.

Below: the Virgin America power options.

Further reading:

Time Out New York — Best places for free Wi-Fi and power

• Earnest Sewn designer Scott Morrison eats at Mr. Chow, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, McDonalds, Florent, Brass Monkey and August among others | New York Magazine
• Sperry Top-Siders + Williamsburg = Ironic Preppy | Fashionista (Wonder how long until they catch on to Blucher Mocs?)
• Three Martini lunches, Lucky Strikes and office Romance —Jonathan Kelly anticipates the return of team Sterling Cooper | Vanity Fair [Pictured]
• The thinking man’s Louis Vuitton Steamer Trunk | Tumi via Selectism
• Gerrymandering Baseball | Deadspin

The British comedy Peep Show recently returned for its fifth season and the first episode was hilarious. My favorite scene is posted below and the complete episode (in three parts) can be seen here. It seems that every week I find something interesting or funny on the BBC. I don’t understand why the broadcaster doesn’t monetize an online video distribution channel for non-UK based viewers (read: something like YouTube not iPlayer) and reduce the UK residents TV tax through the money it generates. I’m starting to sound like Mark Cuban aren’t I?

I enjoy drinking wine, only problem is know very little on the subject —so it is sort of like fumbling around in the dark. I have discovered over the last few years that my favorites are the Bordeaux and Barbera varieties. My good friend loves the videos from Gary Vaynerchuk of the wildly popular Wine Library TV. Gary definitely has taken a unique approach to wine and his videos are amusing and informative. His thoughts in this Barbera episode (at 8:30 in the video) are especially hilarious.

Further Reading:

Wine Library TV in New York Magazine

Gary V Twitters

In my opinion nothing tops the Land Rover Defender in terms of the combination of ruggedness and style . It is on my list of things that I must possess at some point in my life. My desire to own a Defender is up there with my crazy fantasy to take European delivery of a Porsche and proceed to systematically devour Bavaria like James May in a Bugatti. I’m not totally sure if i would ever even take my prized Defender off road, but I sure would enjoy taking jaunts up and down my favorite stretch of road in the tri-state, The Merritt Parkway. Below are some photos of Defenders in the wild.