The Best Shop Blogs For Men

Image via Complex Original

It takes a lot to make a great shop. Besides running the day-to-day activities at your brick-and-mortar location, building an online presence is often necessary these days. Couple that with setting up an e-commerce version of your shop, keeping the branding consistent, and making sure that the inventory is accurate on both ends is no easy task.

But how do you duplicate customer service when the only interaction with the people who buy your stuff is a couple of mouse clicks? For many shops, that answer has been super-thorough item descriptions, including measurements for each piece and a bit about fabrics. That does wonders for online shoppers, but many shops have gone the extra mile and managed to create some awesome blogs.

What makes a great shop blog? Regular updates, information on new releases, item previews that make you feel like an insider, styling tips, and a few lifestyle posts that really show you what the store culture is like. A blog is an ideal way for owners and their employees to show the world that they really love what they do.

Out of all the shops out there though, most carry stuff for both men and women. We rounded up the sites that cater exclusively to dudes, as well as the ones that post a good amount of menswear-related content. Here are The Best Shop Blogs For Men.

Aloha Rag

URL: http://blog.aloharag.com/

Noteworthy Post: FW11 Junya Watanabe Collaborations

Aloha Rag’s informative blog is chock-full of style tips. Our favorite is “Get The Look,” which features a complete outfit laid out sans a mannequin or model. They also give it an insider feel with showroom visits, designer spotlights, highlighting collaborations, and enough posts just for the guys to warrant adding it to your RSS feed.

Oi Polloi

URL: http://www.oipolloi.com/Blog/OiPolloi-BlogMain.html

Noteworthy Post: Norse Projects x Oi Polloi Kirk Knit

Oi Polloi’s blog looks cool, but the small gray text on a gray background can make it hard to read. You’ll find mostly lifestyle-related articles and instagrammed shots of product on employees, with some occasional detailed pictures of dope items on hangers. If it were updated more frequently with more substantial posts, it would be higher up on this list.

Oki-Ni

URL: http://oki-ni.tumblr.com/

Noteworthy Post: Christopher Kane AW 11 Shirt Gif

Luxury retailer Oki-Ni has utilizes the simple tumblr platform in order to showcase its fashion-forward way of thinking. This means a lot of lookbook previews and animated gifs of crazy items from designers like Christoper Kane. It may not say much about what the store has to offer or price information, but clicking each photo does lead to where you can buy it on the retail site. We’ll give them points for quality images, but a little bit more information would go a long way.

Union Los Angeles

URL: http://unionlosangeles.com/blog/

Noteworthy Post: New Junya Watanabe MAN

 It’s no secret that Union Los Angeles has been one of the stores we respected. Owner Chris Gibbs knows what he’s doing and stays on that line between luxury and street. His blog reflects the same vibe. Union’s recent collaboration with Fashion Figure Inc. led to this crazy video. Plus did you see the dude in Fila x Clarks Wallabees with a Junya Watanabe Fair Isle varsity? That’s whole ‘nother level of steez.

Nepenthes

URL: http://nepenthesnewyork.blogspot.com

Noteworthy Post: IN STOCK: Engineered Garments F/W 2011

The Nepenthes blog is as understated and mystifying as the umbrella of brands the company carries. While their “IN STOCK” posts are great at hyping up new gear and getting people to come out to the store and cop (which we’ll admit we’ve done), they also post a lot of awesome pictures of musicians, which upon clicking lead to a YouTube link of one of their songs picked by the employees. It’s the hidden things like this that make something simple so much better, much like a lot of the brand’s clothing.

Mr. Porter's The Journal

URL: http://www.mrporter.com/journal

Noteworthy Post: How to Organise Your Wardrobe 

The Journal, a weekly e-newsletter from Mr. Porter that comes out on Tuesdays, is not the place to go to find out about the latest arrivals on the e-commerce site. It is, however, cheeky enough to make us want to at least glance at the table of contents. Each week revolves around a different theme but the formula is pretty much the same. There’s a style guide on how to wear a wardrobe staple like a navy blazer or peacoats. Editors pick their favorite items; we get a look into a successful creative person’s office or sense of style, and we get a little more information on why a specific luxury brand costs so damn much. There are worse ways to spend a weekday morning, that’s for sure.

Rugby Style Blog

URL: http://www.rugby.com/blog/

Noteworthy Post: Dispatch From London: Susie Bubble and Steve Salter Do His & Hers Cricket Sweaters 

Ralph Lauren’s prep-rebel label has a blog that looks good but knows how to misbehave. Interspersed between street-style photos of well-dressed employees and editorials based around items like cricket sweaters and elbow patches you’ll find playlists featuring music by The Clash, and rakish dudes in beat-up sneakers and distressed jeans (but still wearing neckwear, natch). What you won’t find are information on new shipments and sales, but there are enough style tips and editor’s picks for guys to keep us coming back.

Need Supply

URL:  http://blog.needsupply.com/

Noteworthy Post: The Hidden Essentials

Richmond shop Need Supply does a great job of bringing the quirky town’s unique subculture to the web. Consisting of links to relevant style icons, pop culture indulgences, and works by local artists, they also make sure to have a healthy dose of relevant style tips and informative product posts.

Park & Bond's The Intersection

URL: http://www.parkandbond.com/the-intersection

Noteworthy Post: Fall Denim: Jeans 9 Ways

 The brains behind Gilt MANual are the same men behind this new venture in branded content. Make no mistake, like other online men’s boutiques in the same vein, the objective is still to move their product. What Park & Bond does well is recruit some of New York’s most stylish heavy hitters and have them reinforce the basic rules of dressing well that every man should know. But don’t take our word for it, check out their Men of Style section and see for yourself.

Roden Gray

URL: http://blog.rodengray.com/

Noteworthy Post: New Arrivals: Wings + Horns FW’11 second delivery

Operating under CYC Corporation, the company that owns Wings + Horns and Reigning Champ, Roden Gray’s blog is your go-to source for the latest on those brands. Expect info on collaborations with designers like Adam Kimmel and companies like the Ace Hotel, as well as drops from other brands like Sophnet, Gitman Bros., and Uniform Experiment. Combined with detailed lookbook shots and occasional event coverage, and Roden Gray definitely provides content worth keeping track of.

Blackbird

URL: http://helloblackbird.blogspot.com/

Noteworthy Post: New Arrivals: A.P.C. Fall/Winter 2011

Seattle’s Blackbird combines great photos with a good amount of information on their blog. Stay up to date on the newest arrivals, get pricing and product info down to the fabric of a garment, and check out featured designers as well as cool events happening around Seattle.

Norse Store

URL: http://www.norsestore.com/blog

Noteworthy Post: Quick Fire Questions with UniformWares

Norse Store’s blog is great because of all its little franchises. Lately they’ve been doing one called “Dress Yourself,” in which they have staff members pick their favorite items from the shop and make a complete outfit. Interviews with brands they carry, like the one with UniformWares linked above, give a little more insight into the people and products they connect with. But let’s be real, it’s worth following on the sole reason that you’ll be on top of when their consistently-ill headwear drops. 

Opening Ceremony New News

URL: http://www.openingceremony.us/entry.asp?sid=5

Noteworthy Post: GIRLS, Interrupted: Texting with Christopher Owens on Tour

The New York-born store with a style all its own would of course have an equally off-kilter blog. While the design could use a little polishing, the quality of the posts are still very good, and pretty frequent. Whether they’re texting a band frontman on tour, highlighting a new collaboration, taking some of their collection overseas for some gritty photos, or introducing a new employee, the blog does a great job of translating OC’s interesting culture to the web.

Trés Bien Shop 

URL: http://www.blog.tresbienshop.net/

Noteworthy Post: Karaoke at E17 St. in NY

The Swedes behind Trés Bien Shop do an excellent job of bringing you behind-the-scenes in their blog. Whether it’s documenting a buying visit to Mark McNairy, posting a picture of a cluttered Mac desktop during a busy time, or even putting the lookbook of a brand they carry into the context of the shop, it’s all laid out in an easy-to-navigate, cleanly-designed format. They’re funny too. Check out Jakob’s post on a similarly-named nail salon in NYC.

Epaulet

URL: http://epauletshop.tumblr.com

Noteworthy Post: Vanson for Epaulet Triton in Three Colors

Proprietor Mike Kuhle is known for his meticulous attention to detail. The store’s tumblr reflects this perfectly, combining close-up shots of items like Chromexcel belts, floral print shirts, and great outerwear with information on the store’s newest items, changes in store hours, and the occasional shot of baller furniture.

Reed Space

URL: http://thereedspace.com/

Noteworthy Post: Vintage Weekend Recap

The Reed Space blog is the embodiment of what a well-edited store blog should be. Timely information on new releases, complete with links to their space on where to buy it now. Information on great sales and happenings at the Reed Annex next door, a scoop on new collabs, and most importantly, open invitations to parties the store is hosting. When a blog can help get you drunk for cheap, that’s technological progress at its best.