Eleven of my Favorite Influencer Gifts from the Past Year
There have been perks.
Yeah, I'm an influencer now. It's weird. People recognize me out in reality. I got interviewed, that came out yesterday. I have, like, subscribers now? People pay me money every month. Why? Uh, I mean... you should do it too!
I started posting Instagram reels regularly a year ago today. I went up from roughly 1700 followers back then to about 88,132 now. That's about a 50x jump. That's a fun way to think about it. Also jarring.
And yeah, there have been perks. Brands have sent me gifts. And I like almost all of them. And I love a few. A few disclaimers before we get into it:
Disclaimers
The first thing you should know here is that I only accept gifts I actually want. I get plenty of offers, and I've ignored most of them. So that will explain some of my bias: a selection bias.
Accordingly, as I said I actually like almost everything I've gotten. There were a small number of pieces that I was tempted by online, but didn't really love in person, and here you'll see part two of my bias: I'm not going to talk a lot of shit about the brands that send me free stuff because I like working with brands, and publicly talking shit about the ones who work with me is a bad look. Of course, I like talking shit, so if I think I might like to talk shit about a brand, I probably won't accept gifts from them. But this is very rarely an issue. because again, I only accept gifts that I actually want.
Finally, we should acknowledge the distinction between whether a piece is good, and whether or not it's a good value. Every now and then, I will get, say, for example, a sweater that I think is pretty nice. But the brand wants $200 for it, and I'd never pay that for this sweater in a million years. I'm somewhat more likely to enjoy the sweater I got for free than I would if I paid for it. I don't think this is the biggest problem. While you're learning about clothes, it's important to learn about style, and not worry so much about money. Value and quality are abstract concepts that sometimes get in the way of styling clothes well. Focus on what you think is cool first, and then look at the price afterwards. That $7,000 leather jacket can't hurt you—you see it, you love it, you're not about to own it, but you can save it to inspo and learn from the experience.
All of the feelings I share here are personal, about how the clothes work for me. I don't like to share full "reviews," I don't like pouring over seams and trying to rate quality per dollar, or anything like that, review culture is not what you want it to be. I prefer to enjoy clothing on a more personal level.
Remember, I never want you to buy anything you don't genuinely want. And I believe it's usually best to shop in store, even though I don't usually get credit when you do. But if this article helps you find a piece you think is cool, I'm happy.
With that out of the way, let's go over the criteria:
- I'm talking about my favorites, not the best pieces. If a piece is incredible in a vacuum, but doesn't suit my wardrobe especially well or doesn't fit me very well, it probably won't make the list.
- This list is specific gifts I recieved during the year from April 16, 2024 to April 15, 2025. I got some great pieces before, and have some great pieces on the horizon, but those don't count. Some pieces are in my wardrobe, but I'll need more time before I can really pass judgement on how they work for me.
- This list only contains gifts I recieved for free through influencer-ness. Gifts from friends and family members do not count, and neither does any gift I spent money on, besides basic tailoring—you'll see what I mean.
Some pieces may get honorable mentions if they're special, but otherwise fall short according to the criteria.
Now, let's get to it.
Jackets
My Corduroy Blouson from Sunspel
I've wanted a very basic blouson for a long time. Sunspel comes along with one that's simple, but does everything right. Soft, lightweight corduroy. Solid navy. Good collar, good pockets. Double zipper that actually works. And a slightly extended shoulder that, through some magic, despite not being padded, just looks great, like structured in just the right way. Love it.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem they have the corduroy in stock anymore, but they have a similar jacket in suede. That's cool. The one caveat is that they call them "harringtons" even though they don't have the harrington collar.
My Frizmworks "Heritage Hunting Jacket"
Probably a play on the Barbour Spey, I like the Frizmworks version more. It's nice and cropped. It has nice pockets, including handwarmer pockets and a unique chest pocket. It's not waxed cotton, but a poly/cotton blend, which, yes, is cheaper, but it's lighter and more pleasant, so eh. And it has a good tartan lining that shows nicely when I roll up my sleeves. The colors hit right; I also really think the navy works really nicely against the same brown collar. And it helps me round out my fall jacket rotation.
Side note, I have too many green jackets now, but I like them all. Buck Mason sent me a fatigue shirt-jacket. The pockets aren't the most practical for my use case, but it looks cool. And I got a lightweight puffer from Pompeii, it's not on their website anymore but it has a fun 70s vibe.
Shirts
OMTC x Alfargo's OCBD
Ugh. Super heavy handloomed oxford cloth in a unique and beautiful pattern. And it was a collaboration with my boys at Alfargo's. Who could ask for more?
Proper Cloth Flannel
Proper Cloth made me a lot of great stuff, but this flannel is probably my favorite. It's their "Japanese Low Twist" fabric, and it's super soft. Unfortunately, this color is no longer available (after I and every other influencer with taste jumped at it), but they should have a whole new batch of colors up there now. The fabric is heavy and super soft and Japanese. We all know how much better clothes are when they're Japanese. Anyway, I got it with a camp collar, because I was wanting a camp collar flannel, and... here it is, it's great, thanks Proper Cloth!
(Also: use my discount code, "BUTTON10", for 10% off).
Buck Mason Chambray Button Down
I actually never owned a chambray button down before this. And this one fits me pretty perfectly. I don't really believe in staples, but chambray is a great addition to most mens' wardrobes. This particular shirt is light enough for milder summer days, but substantial enough to wear under a knit in the winter. It's nice. You should own one.
Knitwear
Manresa Oysterman
Even before I started posting reels regularly, I posted a reel about pockets on sweaters. I think they're cool. I won the FrizmWORKs Alpaca Boucle in one of very few Instagram contests I ever entered, but I still wanted the Oysterman. The best colors kept selling out, fast, so that was a problem. But eventually, I got to talking to Mike, and he wanted to send me... a jacket. Which would also have been great. But that didn't work out, yadda yadda, and I got the oysterman instead. And I love it!
It's got the pockets, the unique diamond texture, and a curled hem / neck / cuff. And it fits just like I like it. A little shorter, not too short. A little fuller, not too full. The neck is a little lower, so it frames shirt collars in a cool way. It's a unique piece. I like it.
I like all the other knits I got too, but as I discussed below, none of them fits me this well.
Pants
Mark the Tailor Cords
Still a small brand, Mark the Tailor reached out to me with a relatively small offering. Still, they had a good story and big pants. You know I'm a sucker for big pants. They're made in the USA from Brisbane Moss corduroy. And I had to size up. I mean that—my vanity size is a 32, my real size is a 34, but I needed a 36 on these, I had to exchange a 34 for a 36, seriously, size up. But get them. They're cool.
Oh, I did have these hemmed, but I'm counting that as "basic tailoring," so that little bit of money doesn't disqualify them.
Footwear
Meermin boots
I've been a fan of Meermin for a long time. My first decent dress shoes were horsebit loafers I won in an eBay auction. I've recommended them to... dozens of people on Reddit, at least, and a bunch of guys in person. They're pretty easy to recommend. They are really great quality for the price, they name their tanneries, and the old drawbacks—the break-in period and returns process—have gotten better in recent years, with things like their flex goodyear welt and their US store/domestic shipping (the brand is based in Spain; returns and exchanges used to mean spending $35 each way to ship back and forth).
Anyway, I definitely sold at least a hundred pairs for them before I got my affiliate link powers. But now I can make an affiliate link, and the brand sent me a free pair of boots. That's pretty cool. Click it.
Accessories
My Wallet
Well, I don't know if this counts. It's a collab, so I got a sample as part of the design process... Also, it's not ready to reveal yet. But get excited.
American Trench Retro Stripe Socks
I've tried on every fancy sock brand out there. From Uniqlo to Anonymousism and Falke and... So many fancy socks, but the American Trench Retro Stripes are my favorites. They are incredibly soft, but they still remembered that socks need some nylon and elastene to last and to function. They fit my feet well, and keep them warm in the heat without being too cozy for warm weather... And every colorway seems special in its own way. And they do it all in America! Man, they're good at socks.
Fragrance
Layton Exclusif from Parfums de Marly
I don't know much about fragrances, but I know I really like this one. I also enjoy Althair, which smells like desert, but Layton Exclusif is more... everyday, I guess? Anyway, they sent me plenty of samples and full-sized bottles and I like most of them, so thanks!
I may have some more good ones coming in the future, so I'll keep you posted, but really, you should smell a bunch and pick the one that smells right on you.
Honorable Mentions
Octobre Editions Corduroy Cap that I Embroidered
This cap is soft and nice, but I ordered a blank one and had it embroidered by Tattoo'd Cloth. That cost me money, and I wouldn't wear a blank cap, so it technically does not qualify.
Buck Mason Herringbone Twill P-43 Fatigue Shirt Jacket
This jacket is great. It looks cool, it's soft, and it's a really solid reproduction of an old P-43 Fatigue jacket, down to the buttons. So I kind of love it, but I'm not sure how to wear it. I want to wear it with jeans, but I hate five pocket pants; when I wear jeans, I put things in my jacket pockets. But these jacket pockets are not practical for, say, my phone. So... I'm going to give it some time, wear it with chinos, maybe try it with another layer that has more usable pockets... enjoy it through the spring, at least. But the jury's still out on whether it really makes sense for my style and my wardrobe. I hope it does. Man, I like their herringbone twill...
Long sweaters that are good but would be better if I wasn't so damn short
Ugh, these are all really cool sweaters. The aran is from Peregrine, and it's just the perfect aran... for a body other than mine. It's a quality product that will probably last me decades, as lont as the ribbing still functions. I use the ribbing to effectively shorten the body, and then it's great. Oh, but also, I had to size up for the neck to fit well, but it still doesn't let a collared shirt poke through... Eh. I still love it. But it gets demoted to honorable mention for not being perfect.
The cardigan, from Merz B. Schwannen, is not on their website anymore, but yeah... It's a super duper soft wool-cashmere blend, it's a fun shade of pink, it's got pockets, it's got my initials embroidered on the back, and it's a little slim and also a little long on my short body. I sized down, I assume it won't feel as slim after a few wears (because that's how knitwear works). And it's not that long, but it's long enough that I can't wear most of my jackets over it.
And the turtleneck is a specked ("Donegal") wool from Octobre Editions. Specked wools are cool, you don't see them in turtlenecks that often... So yeah, this fills a pretty unique role. And I just tuck this one in. Can't really wear it untucked. If you're tall, go for it.
For that matter, my cotton-hemp tees from Buck Mason are also too long, and otherwise perfect. Honestly, I think hemming tee shirts is weird, but... I might hem these. They're really nice tee shirts. I'd tuck them in, but I'm afraid that might cause some nasty stretch marks in the hemp. So yeah... Should I hem two tee shirts?
My Silver Ostrich Belt that's Too Long but Not in the Cool Way
I sized up, thinking I'd do that fun thing people are doing with long western belts where they loop it around. I was being stupid. Now I need to get two or three more holes punched into this thing. Which is tricky on a western belt.
Still, it's wonderful leather, I want another belt from them. Maybe I'll get it in my actual normal size this time. You do the same, order your actual size like a normal person.
Buck Mason Black Sateen Western Shirt
Man, Buck Mason is in here a lot. This thing is so damn cool, but the fabric just won't sit right on my body for long enough to get a good photo. I think it just needs a wash. We'll see.
Niven Bespoke Flannel Flares
So Sajid at Niven Bespoke wanted to make me some pants. I asked for brown flannel flares, and clearly, he delivered. Buuuut he asked me to pay for shipping from across the pond, and I had to have them tailored (he would have done it but that didn't make any sense with shipping)... Actually, now that I think about it, these are kind of one of the most expensive pairs of pants I own. Eh. Worth every penny.
