Denim. The People's Fabric. That blazing blue badge of sartorial democratization. We all know jeans, we all love jeans, and we all know that jeans are for everyone. But that doesn't mean that all denim is created equal. It may be The People's Fabric, but some jeans are just plain better than others. And the trick is knowing how to tell the good from the bad, the quality from the hype. No one knows that trick better than Paul O'Neill, design director of collections at Levi Strauss & Co., and the mastermind behind Levi's Vintage Clothing and Levi's Blue Tab. A true denim head, O'Neill first fell in love with blue jeans as a kid. His dad wore a faded pair of 501s on the weekends, and he could never quite get the image of them out of his head. Vintage Levi's became a passion, eventually leading to a career designing both authentic recreations of historic Levi's for LVC and modern originals for premium collections like Blue Tab. Along the way, O'Neill has absorbed just about every nuance of high-quality denim, from 19th century denim "overalls" to hand-spun, rope-dyed modern Japanese dungarees. So we tapped into that expertise to give you this five-point guide (plus a bonus tip) on how to spot a great pair of jeans. |
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Caleb McLaughlin has officially mastered New York swag. It's not something tangible, it's a vibe—an if-you-know-you-know thing. And it was all over Coach's New York Fashion Week runway. Which, of course, is where the Strangers Things star was, clad in a head-to-toe look meticulously curated by the brand's creative director, Stuart Vevers. "This was actually my very first Coach show so I was happy to attend, and my outfit was handpicked by Stuart himself," McLaughlin tells me over the phone the day after the show. "I loved the contrast with the leather jacket, the blue jeans, and the button-up." |
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Arc'teryx Rain Shells, Patagonia Puffers, and More Are Up to 50% Off at REI Right Now |
President's Day weekend and Valentine's Day weekend are one in the same this year, which means a few things: One, you have an extra day to extend the romance, so you can plan a long weekend of love for your partner. And two, there are tons of sales going on to let you buy the little present you deserve for yourself. Your therapist probably tells you self-love is important, so...show your self some love. As always, Esquire's shopping team has been keeping an eye out for sales and have already found some great deals popping up at some of our favorite brands, like Apple, Yeti, and Hoka—and now, we're looking to REI for markdowns on all the outdoorsy apparel and gear we could ever want. |
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Charles Knowles remembers very little about that sunny afternoon in Florida almost ten years ago. He certainly doesn't remember much about the night before. But one image is firmly burned into his brain: He was sitting alone on the wooden deck of a friend's house in Delray Beach with a half-empty bottle of Bacardi in one hand and a gun in the other. "The thought that was going through my mind was the world might be better off without me," he tells me during a video call in early January. For the previous seven years, Knowles had an on-off affair with alcohol. He had become an avid long-distance runner, getting so good that even at age 47, he was running a sub-five-minute mile. Plantar fasciitis and knee problems eventually put a stop to his effective diversion—and alcohol reentered his life. By that point, Knowles had steadily nourished a decades-long relationship with booze. It was not a good one. By age 18, he recalls, he was already drinking most people under the table. Researchers once came to his high school to conduct an experiment on the stimulating effects of alcohol by administering two double shots of vodka to students. (Probably a good time to mention that this was in the UK.) Knowles drank his and those of the girl sitting next to him. By the time he was 30, he knew he was an alcoholic. |
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There isn't any music on The Pitt. Instead, the medical drama's sound designers take extra care to make sure that every beeping machine, keyboard clack, and nasty bowel impaction sounds as real as it does in an actual hospital. So, when HBO Max reached out to multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird to write an original song for season 2, he knew he was taking on a real first for the series. As Bird explained to me over Zoom ahead of episode 6, the trouble with writing lyrical music for TV is that "the song has to encapsulate what the characters are feeling without being too on the nose." The Pitt does well to avoid schmaltz, and it helps that there isn't a musical score that eases audiences toward how they should feel. But when a patient's death devastates the cast in episode 6, viewers won't need any emotional manipulation to sympathize with the PTMC crew. |
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The world of watches is wide, expansive. Though certain aficionados might tell you otherwise, cultivating a "best watch brands," list is a wildly subjective venture. Someone who grew up interested in racing might rate TAG Heuer ahead of the Rolex and Omega, which could cause a fight with a guy who thinks of John Mayer as a collector, not a musician or knows where that Daniel Craig meme actually came from. (Hint, it's a Dialed In video.) Regardless, this is an endeavor Esquire must take on. We're not going to rank watch brands; that's actually idiotic. Instead, we'll present you—perhaps a first-time buyer, maybe a true collector looking for an argument—with a list of the brands you need to know. No matter your price range and your preferences, there is a watch for you. On a budget? Casio, Seiko, and Swatch are there for you. For dress watches, there's the likes of Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, and Piaget. And if you want more high horology, there's plenty of brands to dig into. So whether you want an investment that'll sit on your dresser or something affordable to beat up year-round, we've got options. And for the sake of simplicity, we'll just order them alphabetically. Find your new favorite watch brand right here. |
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 Saturday, February 14, 2026 |
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You forgot a Valentine's Day gift this year, didn't you? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the shelves at Target are probably empty already. The shelves at the liquor store though? They just might be your savior. Esquire's Sirena He compiled a list of the best Valentine's Day cocktails, so at the very least, you can craft a delicious homemade drink to impress your partner tonight. Find the best recipe below.
—Chris Hatler, deputy editor
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Forget oysters and strawberries—a hand-crafted alcoholic drink is the perfect aphrodisiac. |
Valentine's Day is all about chocolate, teddy bears, flowers, and showing someone that you love them. If you feel stumped for celebratory plans or couldn't get a reservation, then just stay home and make your date a drink. You can raise your romantic homemade cocktail and make a toast to your loved one, or have it accompany the sweet card that you got them. And forget oysters and strawberries—according to strong anecdotal evidence, alcohol is the most effective aphrodisiac. No matter the reason, a well-made cocktail that matches your date's tastes will be the romantic gesture that they'll remember long after the holiday is over.
Spicy, sweet, or tangy, whatever your lover is into, we've got the 20 best Valentine's Day cocktail recipes to shake up your night. |
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I am not afraid to admit what you no doubt already know: We at Esquire will, admittedly, sometimes prioritize a cool shoe over a functional one. What can we say? We love a cool sneaker, even if our toes rub on the sides. We love a great boot, even if it takes a bit of hard wear to loosen up tough leathers. But at the end of the day, we're suckers for a straight-up comfy shoe, too.
And really, with all the textile innovation, reimagined midsole cushions, and shoe trends that lean far into function, there's no reason our feet should suffer. We've got midsole upgrades and updates up the wazoo, stretchy knits, and more anatomically appropriate foot designs. At the best of times, we don't even have to choose between that comfy shoe and a cool one.
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There's an Ernest Hemingway short story called "Cross Country Snow" in which two friends named Nick and George go skiing in the Swiss backcountry. They're young men, both seemingly carefree and indestructible. During their run down the mountain, the pair notice an inn, remove their skis, and step inside for a drink and some apple strudel. There's an old stove throwing off heat; cigarette smoke wafts through the place. After Nick orders wine for both of them, he turns to George and says: "There's nothing really can touch skiing, is there? The way it feels when you first drop off on a long run."
"It's too swell to talk about," George responds.
Hemingway published "Cross Country Snow" in 1925. Three decades later, not far from where the story is set, Moncler was founded. In 1952, the company opened a factory in a small mountain village in the French Alps to create high-performance gear for alpine workers. Today it has evolved into a global luxury brand, based in Milan, that sells jackets, ski pants, ski helmets, sweaters, shirts, trousers, even swim trunks. But Moncler's most well-known product is its down jacket, which the company developed in 1954 for its own employees. Climbers quickly noticed them, and that same year Moncler provided outerwear for an Italian expedition that crested K2, the second highest peak in the world. In 1968, it outfitted the French downhill ski team for the Winter Olympics in Grenoble. For this year's Games, the Brazilian team is wearing Moncler. |
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