Hook & Albert: Stock up on style essentials

By Marla Milling Published March 17, 2015

Ready for a fresh spring look? Hook & Albert just premiered its Armor Collection, which takes accessory staples like cufflinks, lapel pins and tie bars and raises the bar by making them with interchangeable inserts.

We love the look of the new alligator cufflinks. At $125 a pair, they offer great versatility with three colorful insert discs that allows you to change your look on a whim.

Recommended Videos

Hook & Albert also celebrates a new image including a new website and overhauled logo. What this means for you is an elevated shopping experience with a cleaner, modern look. Plus, they’ll unveil in April a one-click checkout and seasonal look books that you can make selections from. In the fall, they plan to introduce updated packaging and a do-it-yourself multi-category gift box.

“Our new brand look is about maturity,” said co-founder Cory Rosenberg. “When we started the business four years ago we saw a white space in men’s accessories and wanted to own it. Today we have exited as the leader and we’re responsible for some of the biggest category shifts in the men’s accessories space. Our branding and overall look needed to match-up with who the company is now versus then.”

Rosenberg met his business partner, Adam Schoenberg, at a wedding. They commented on each other’s colorful sock choices and that led to a deeper conversation about what was missing in the market. Their chance meeting led to creation of Hook & Albert.

“We will continue to evolve and mature as a brand,” said Schoenberg. “We have some incredible product launches in the bag and small leather goods market. Our mission is to be the largest men’s accessories brand in the country. We will accomplish this through innovation, differentiation, and quality.”

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Marla Hardee Milling is a full-time freelance writer living in a place often called the Paris of the South, Sante Fe of the…

Fashion & Style

Audemars Piguet unveils the dazzling 38mm Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon

A Code 11.59 with a selfwinding flying tourbillon

Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon

Audemars Piguet gave the Code 11.59 a beautiful retouch that takes it to the next level: the 38 mm Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon.

Every single element on this model, from the casing to the lug, screams luxury. For starters, the lugs are accentuated by brilliant-cut diamonds of multiple sizes. Audemars Piguet also set some diamonds on the casing to complete the whole look.

Fashion & Style

Citizen Tsuyosa 37mm: Retro vibes meet modern style in a compact design

Smaller Citizen Tsuyosa timepieces

Citizen Tsuyosa 37mm

Smaller case sizes are trendy, and every brand wants a piece of the pie.

Citizen just rolled out new Tsuyosa timepieces, designed to keep up with the changing times. While the brand worked on 40 mm Tsuyosa watches, it is now downscaling the size, just a little bit, to 37 mm. Thanks to its striking colors, the Tsuyosa collection has dominated the industry in the past two years. Well, this is the perfect time to take over again with a watch that has a compact size. Even though this watch is smaller than the 40 mm version, it still sits perfectly on the wrist.

Fashion & Style

Sorel, Madeira, and bourbon? Bardstown says yes with this Manhattan riff

This unusual recipe shows off the French Oak finish of a fine bourbon

Bardstown Bourbon Communion Cocktail

Bardstown is going bold with its latest cocktail offering -- the drink stars the bourbon brand's new release, its Cathedral French Oak bourbon. It also makes use of Sorel Liqueur, a hibiscus-flavored liqueur inspired by the traditional Caribbean tea drink. Hibiscus is a great ingredient to incorporate into cocktails, as it has both a sharp, berry-like quality and a floral softness, and Sorel incorporates ingredients like ginger, cassia, and cloves as well as hibiscus to give the liqueur a spicy note.

There's also Maderia in this cocktail, which is a much-maligned wine style but one that's becoming increasingly popular in cocktail circles, where its fortified nature and bold sweetness make it an interesting substitution for vermouth. In fact, this cocktail is really a kind of Manhattan variation, with bourbon rather than rye, the addition of a floral liqueur, and the use of Maderia in place of the vermouth.