Oliberté was founded in 2009 “with the concept of building premium outdoor leather shoes by quality crafts people resulting in creating sustainable jobs.” This idea is very simple and powerful: Trade not aid. Check out the website and you’ll see the wide variety of casual shoes and other leather products available from this brand made in Ethiopia.

They sent us a pair of the Narivo in Brown-Yellow Pullup casual men’s loafer to try out and we were very impressed with the quality and craftsmanship. The brown shoe is pictured above and you can see that it would be perfect with jeans or slacks and for all sorts of casual settings. The high quality leather is very soft, and the classic design also has a modern twist with the lighter colored soles. This pair comes in grey, tan and green as well.

Here are the specs for this pair that retails for $130:

• Traditional stitch-down stitching around base
• Premium brown/yellow pullup leather upper
• 100% goat leather dark brown lining
• Vegetable tanned leather midsole
• Natural crepe rubber outsole with wedge
• 3mm dark brown round leather cord laces

If you browse the website you’ll also see a wide variety of beautiful leather bags as well. When it comes to quality and design, we’re confident you’ll be happy with products from Oliberté, and with Father’s Day coming up soon, you can find some excellent gift ideas as well.

The weather is warming up and summer is around the corner, so it’s definitely time to start shopping for a new pair of swim trunks. Our friends at Tommy Bahama sent us a stylish and unique pair with the Hybrid of Paradise 11″ Swim Trunks.

They’re unique because you can wear them as swim trunks or regular shorts. They look like a cross between regular clothe shorts and a bathing suit, but the cotton/polyester blended material is very comfortable while also being appropriate for the water. All of the interior pockets are mesh like you would find in a bathing suit, but it has the standard external pockets you would expect from a pair of cargo shorts. The only surprise is that it doesn’t have the mesh underwear portion you would expect from a bathing suit, so that makes them look even more like shorts along with the zipper in the front.

The shorts also come in a wide variety of colors. We liked the royal blue pair we had with the yellow logo on the side. With the quick dry fabric these shorts are perfect for boating and beach outings, particularly when you’ll be going back and forth between the water and the bar!

Check out Tommy Bahama for this hybrid option along with a wide variety of tradition swimwear, along with newer styles that have a shorter inseam as well. And with Father’s Day around the corner these and other items can offer great gift ideas as well.

We checked out the new Asia belt from MAONO.com, a company that is on a mission to create beautiful, high-quality clothing and then selling online to remove the middle man and make their products more affordable. You’ll see from the photo above that this black leather belt featuring a rectangular pin buckle offers a classic and elegant design that’s perfect for every day use. The belt is made in Italy with impeccable craftsmanship, and it offers a great example of the quality and design of this brand.

Fashion maven and style expert Syga Thomas launched this ready-to-wear line at MAONO.com, featuring sleek, sophisticated men’s blazers, silk ties, button down shirts and other accessories. Here you’ll find many of the staples you need for your wardrobe that will serve your needs at the office or on a night on the town. They also feature high-quality travel bags as well. Just browse through the clean and well-organized website and you’ll probably find a number of items that catch your eye, and then you’ll notice the reasonable prices.

If you’re looking for clothing that’s classic but stylish, and if you want to stay within your budget, then you should definitely check out MAONO.com.

I had the opportunity to try out several new polo shirts from Golf by James Warren, a clothing collection that utilizes Europe’s best fabrics with a distinctive American style. The Par for the Office polo is pictured above in navy blue and the Wall Street Golf Polo is pictured below in bright red.

Right away I noticed the quality of these Italian-made shirts, both using 100% cotton, along with the distinctive designs. The Par for the Office is their signature short sleeve luxury men’s polo using double mercerized cotton. The fabric is very soft and smooth giving it a clean a crisp look, and it would work nicely in a number of settings both day and night, including with a blazer.

The Wall Street Golf Polo is a notched short sleeve button down polo in an exclusive Italian cotton pique, so the woven style gives it a more textured feel. The look and feel of this polo is more casual and probably works best for a round of golf and daytime settings.

Both polos feature the company’s signature snap “lifestyle” pocket with self embroidered logo located at the bottom left of the shirt in the front. If you tuck in the shirt this pocket will remain hidden, and it’s very convenient for holding keys, cash or a credit card. Both shirts also feature a vented hem and are machine washable.

While you’ll be sporting a very traditional look with these polo shirts, you can see that they both have very distinctive features that set them apart from your traditional polo shirt. If you’re looking for excellent quality and a unique twist to your golf and causal attire, you should definitely check out these shirts and other products from Golf by James Warren. Check out the website for more shirts, sweaters, and jackets that “defy traditional boundaries.”

We’re big fans of ICON products which are great for hard-core motorcycle riders but also for anyone looking for unique and innovative styles. Any guy can dress up his wardrobe with the jackets and other gear from ICON.

With the ICON 1000 Hoodlux Softshell Jacket we have a riding jacket that also has the look and functionality of a hoody, though it’s much more stylish. Just by looking at it you can see that most guys would like this item. The Hoodlux features a wind-resistant construction and a modified raglan fit, neatly assembled with stretch-woven 330-gram soft shell fabric. The fabric is bonded to a fleece interior for added warmth and protection from the elements. The jacket’s elbows are reinforced with a washable synthetic overlay. So it’s a great riding jacket but also cool jacket you can wear for everyday use or when you’re heading out.

Keep this one in mind as you’re working through your holiday gift list.

We’re big fans of the casual shoes and sneakers from Lugz and we recently tried out the Allerton high-top sneakers in grey pictured above. Like all of the shoes from Lugz they’re very comfortable and look very stylish. The Allertons feature a canvas upper, cotton drill lining, cushioned insole and rubber outsole.

The muted dark grey color with the white outsoles make the Allerton sneakers a great option with jeans or other casual slacks and they work for most weather settings. Check them out for yourself along with all of the other selections available at the Lugz online store. If you have a guy on your gift list who can use some casual shoes or sneakers then you’ll find tons of great gift ideas there as well.

DesignByHumans (DBH) is a unique t-shirt company devoted to artistic expression. Graphic artists are encouraged to submit t-shirt designs and the best are featured on the site. The result is an incredible selection of t-shirts and hoodies for both men and women featuring distinctive artwork. We tried out several samples and the quality of the shirts matches the quality of the art.

DesignByHumans is built around an online community “dedicated to buying, designing and celebrating the art of graphic t-shirts.” Each day the site features a new designed shirt selected from hundreds of creative submissions. Each design selected as a daily winner wins $1000 so the artists are definitely rewarded. Winners are selected from the peer voting committee and the DesignByHumans curators.

Shirt Of the Day t-shirts are discounted which encourages consumers to come back regularly, and you can shop the 50 most wanted tees for the best of the best in DBH design.

If you have someone on your gift list that appreciates trendy t-shirts and designs, then you should definitely check DBH out as you do your holiday shopping.

Burnetie sent us one of their Ox Light casual shoes and we were impressed by the quality and comfort. These low tops with a canvas body with rubber sole sports a classic design that has been updated to make the shoe lighter and more comfortable. The white stitching also adds to the styling. Canvas shoes with white runner soles have become very popular and the Ox Light model would be a great option for spring or summer, or even winter if you’re lucky enough to head south for warmer weather. The shoes come in black and red as well and they look great with shorts, jeans or casual slacks.

For consumers interested in sustainable products, Burnetie recycles their rubber waste and makes their outsoles with 50% pre-consumer recycled rubber.

Check out the Burnetie web site for an excellent selection of shoes for men and women. You’ll find classic looks like the Ox Light shoes we tried along with trendier options as well. The prices are very affordable and you should find some great gift ideas for the holidays.

With vacation season around the corner many of us will be escaping to warmer climates as we approach the holidays and winter. While we all love the sun, we’re all more aware these days of the need to protect ourselves from harmful rays. Coolibar products are designed to provide relief and protection from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays. Coolibar uses specially developed fabrics for their clothing and they are independently tested for their Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF), which is a rating for fabrics that is similar to the SPF rating for sunblock. Their products achieve a UPF of 50+ which means that the fabric will block 98% of the sun’s UVA and UVB radiation.

We tried out a button shirt like the one above, along with a t-shirt, swimming trunks and hat. All of the products have a cool and casual style and are very soft and comfortable. The fabric stretches and is perfect for outdoor activities. The clothing is designed to move moisture away from the skin as its woven with smooth, ultrathin polyester microfibers. The feeling is much different from cotton clothing but it’s still soft and comfortable.

Check out the various styles for men, women and kids at the Coolibar site and you’ll probably find some great ideas for you holiday shopping.

Regardless of your wardrobe needs, we’ve reached the mid-point of the summer season, and this is a great time to head out (or boot up) to look for deals on clothes. You’ll find sales everywhere, regardless of whether you’re a college kid looking for casual styles or a professional looking for suits and other business attire. If you hit the malls you’ll see sales everywhere, but of course that applies online as well. One of the fastest growing segments of online sales includes men’s wear, particularly in the luxury segment as retailers target men with disposable income. They’re used to buying online so this is a natural progression.

As usual, you need to do your research if you’re looking for deals, but pay attention to quality as well. Don’t just look for the cheapest items. If you’re looking for urban styles try these coupon codes for Drjays.com. If you look at the Drjays.com website you’ll see tons of great styles that will fit in on casual weekends or on college campuses.

If you’re looking for suits you have tons of options. Of course you can go with the big-name brands, but you can save a ton of money if you also consider other options. For example, Men’s Wearhouse has its annual suit drive. They’re looking for “gently used” professional attire like suits, shirts, pants, skirts, sports coats, dress shoes, and ties. So you can’t unload a dingy old suit, but you can bring in a suit with wider collars that’s now a little out of style, unless of course you work in a law firm or on Wall Street, where old-school suits never really go out of style. You get a coupon for 50 percent off if you donate so it’s a great deal and the stuff you donate goes to charity. Check out this store as you can get suits that track the newer, slimmer styles. If the suit fits well, few people where look for the brand label!