Surprise Sneakers for Jeans

Plus, coffee with Somsack in Madrid.

I’ll get to all of the great Spanish zapatillas in a sec, but first, look who came to town –  Alex Mill’s creative director somsack sikhounmuong, writer of the ever-clever Somstack Substack and maker of my absolute favorite jeans for guys.

Somsack wears a classic men’s work jacket (similar here). My trench is old MaxMara Weekend. Here’s an Alex Mill classic trench that’s half the price.

It was great to see him. (An American designer in Madrid! Some common ground with another human for the first time in weeks!) Over coffee at La Duquesita, Somsack and I talked about jeans and what we’d been seeing on the streets. I told him where I’ve been shopping – up and down Calle de Barquillo and in the dime-sized shops that punctuate Barrio de las Letras; Serrano Street, for Loewe etc. I showed him my new sneakers: Spalwarts from a small, multi-brand store around the corner called Mott. (They’re Swedish and you can get them at La Garçonne, I’ve since learned, but in very limited styes and colors). I had originally wa…