The Material Review

Issue 138: Benefits of a Hangover, Japanese Baseball, New Haven Apizza, Field Jackets, Best Gear Shops, The Literary Outdoorsmen, Spotlight On: Present & Correct, and Q&A w/ Parker Simon of TENDREL.

Taylor Stacey

and

Michael Williams

Nov 01, 2025

Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.

Benefits of a Hangover

“Writing drunk rarely works. Writing hungover, on the other hand, can be surprisingly effective.” [LRB Blog]

Reconnecting with Baseball in Japan

“Glimpses into Japanese baseball culture and falling in love with America’s Pastime all over again” [The Old Ghosts]

The Democratic Creation of the Field Jacket

“Libbing out with the field Jacket” [Combat Threads]

Exploring New Haven’s Apizza Scene

“We sample the Connecticut city’s most renowned apizza joints: Sally’s, Frank Pepe, and Modern” [American Weekender]

The Best Independent Gear Shops in the USA

“Love small, independent gear shops? We rounded up some of the coolest, most unique stores from across the country.” [GearJunkie]

Thomas McGuane Is the Last of His Kind

“What will we lose when we lose the ‘literary outdoorsman’?” [The Atlantic]

A shortlist of things we’ve got our eye on.

Craftland: In Search of Lost Arts and Disappearing Trades

Matador Freefly Packable Duffle

J. Mueser Brown Cashmere Flight Jacket

Parker Simon is the owner of TENDREL, a small independent menswear shop in Santa Barbara. In a business increasingly consumed by scale, his true mom-and-pop store is a welcome reminder of what it looks like to follow your own path. After stopping by recently, we caught up about his new couch, the brands that define the shop, and why keeping things small, personal, and local still feels right.

What’s a memorable recent purchase you’ve made?

I don’t buy a ton of things. I like to research what I get and then hang on to it for as long as possible. This one isn’t super recent, but it stands out. For the shop we bought a 2-seat Chesterfield couch. The vibe is totally on point for TENDREL. This couch is where a lot of the magic happens in the shop. Every day people sit down to chat, talk through what they’re looking for, or, often, I end up talking with someone’s significant other on the couch while they try gear on. Love the couch.

What are three pieces in the shop right now that best capture what TENDREL’s all about?

Freenote Cloth Classic Jacket — Gold Corduroy
My personal style comes from the music and culture of the 60s/70s. Back then, the hippies and musicians I look up to wore great heritage outfits, not the tie-dye and patchwork people now associate with those movements. Look at early Grateful Dead, The Band, Allman Bros covers. It looks like they’re wearing Indigofera, Freenote Cloth, Iron Heart. The Classic Jacket in Gold Corduroy represents that idea, and the quality is next level.

Iron Heart 13oz Oxford Cloth Work Overshirts
Iron Heart is the brand that sent me down the rabbit hole, and they represent the shop. It is some of the best quality you can find anywhere, full stop. The styles are generally simple and easy to wear, and the feel is something truly special. Every day in the shop people try on Iron Heart for the first time and are blown away.

Indigofera Alamo Work Shirt
The Alamo is our best-selling overshirt in store. The cut is simple, generous, and works on almost everybody. The value for the quality is great ($185), and the fabric is prima, Swedish for “good quality.” Pieces like this take an outfit to the next level.

What are some brands or designers you think more people should know about?

Indigofera is often overlooked, but they consistently crank out some of my favorite pieces. Today I’m head to toe in Indigofera and I feel like myself. That is what I love about clothing: expressing yourself in a way that feels authentic. Indigofera puts quality over everything and are masters of heritage design. Their pieces work for almost anyone, the Alamo workshirt, all their jean cuts, the Fargo Trucker jacket. I have sold those to every type of person you can imagine and they all looked fantastic. The Indigofera crew is made up of great people. I always look forward to seeing them, having beers, and talking music until it is way past my bedtime.

Has running the store changed how you buy things for yourself?

Across the board we try to buy from independent brands, family-owned operations, or places where we can trace who and where goods are coming from. Running the store has made me double down on the ideas that pushed me to start TENDREL. As my wife and I get older our life gets smaller and more simple. A big part of that is keeping money circulating locally or in small family businesses like ours.

Are there any everyday items you think are worth spending more on?

Food, without question. We support small farms and companies making healthy organic food. Just like our clothes help you feel good on the outside, we want to feel good on the inside. Until recently we lived on a farm. We got eggs from our chickens, veggies from surrounding farms, and ordered meat from small farms. We love knowing where our food is coming from, supporting small businesses, and voting with our dollar. Our love of quality food is what led me to the kind of quality clothes we sell now. They come from the same place. We are lucky to live in an area with access to great produce, meat, and wine.

What’s kept you hopeful about running a shop right now?

People want more out of their items. As prices rise, they want value. They want to make conscious purchases, vote with their dollar, and know who and where their clothing comes from, and we take care of that. I am grateful for every person who walks through our doors or shops with us online, and I will do everything I can to make sure they feel good about their purchase. Seeing how much people enjoy their experience here keeps me hopeful. We have been so disconnected by what the internet has turned into that a lot of people are starving for a classic retail experience.

And honestly, I love meeting and talking with everyone who comes in, whether you are a fashion wizard, you just need a new pair of jeans, or you do not care about clothes at all. We are here to show you a good time. Everyone is welcome in our doors, or our digital doors, and that steady stream of good people is what keeps me hopeful.