The Material Review
Issue 035: A Communist Car Craze, The Future of Smart Glasses, Disney's Missteps, The Taylor Swift of Horological Design and a Spotlight on Sweaters.
Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.
Tom Hanks and the craze for classic communist cars
“The Zastava, Lada and Polski Fiat have come in from the cold” [FT]
The Next Big Thing Is Still … Smart Glasses
“A computer for your face—now with AI. What could go wrong?” [The Atlantic]
How the Mouse Stumbled
Disney built an empire on childhood nostalgia and intangible magic. But in its relentless quest for IP, did it leave its true fans behind? [Rolling Stone]
The Man with Designs on Your Time
The Royal Oak and Nautilus made Gérald Genta the Taylor Swift of horological design. But even geniuses can have their off days [Air Mail]
These Glasses Were Once a Style Joke. Now Cool Guys Love Them.
“Thanks to significant technological upgrades, transition lenses are—supposedly—suave. Are these once-dorky two-in-ones now the ultimate glasses? A skeptic’s guide.” [WSJ]
A shortlist of things we’ve got our eye on.
Kaptain Sunshine Forester Jacket
Royce Hill Carroll Shirt
American Trench Ventile Ball Cap
Faribault Mill Cabin Wool Throw
Pilgrim Minimalist Salathe
Sweaters
J. Press Shaggy Dog Sweater
Alan Paine Brisbane Geelong Wool Jumper
ACL GOLF Superfine Scottish Lambswool Sweater
Jamieson’s Fair Isle Crew Knit
Filson Crewneck Guide Sweater
Dehen 1920 Classic Cardigan
Transition lenses put a bigger hitch in your style game than Kenny Perry’s golf swing. That’s a hard no from me—terrible take.
Haha. I wear transitional. I’ve also known they are dorky. But man is it nice to pack one pair of glasses on a motorcycle trip. I am not sure if this will stick for a whileo? But interesting.