Atlantic Drift Yellowfin Blue Water Polo (c/o)
Photographed in Jasper, Georgia 

The Propst brothers, founders of Atlantic Drift, don’t want to be “just a polo brand.” Nathan and Thomas, based outside of Charlotte, are going after the outdoors/sportsman like themselves. “We grew up on the water fishing, in the woods hunting, or just spending our summers relaxing on the beaches of North & South Carolina. That is the lifestyle we know and love, which we want to develop into this brand.” In doing so, their main goal is to be an all-in-one brand that produces the high end casual clothing you can wear to the office, but also offer the same quality products built to perform on the water or in the woods.

Despite them not being just a polo brand, they do offer a heck of a polo, and you’ve got a chance to win one!
The winner will be picked via random.org on Friday, March 30th.

To enter, leave a comment with your name, email, and what color polo you’d like to win (pick here).
To receive additional entries…

• +1 Like Atlantic Drift on Facebook
• +1 Like Back Down South on Facebook
• +1 Tweet this: “I just entered the @Atlantic_Drift giveaway on @backdownsouth! I’m awesome!” 

Photographed in Charlotte, NC 

If you don’t follow The Cordial Churchman on Twitter, then you’ve been missing out on an adventure of the bow tie sorts. 366 bow ties to be exact. Andy has been wearing one of their bow ties every day, sharing photos, and then selling them. “At first I thought it would be a simple marketing stunt, with a photo a day on the blog. Then just as suddenly as the idea came, I blurted out ‘and we can sell each day’s tie and give the money away!’ We naturally thought of our friend Kay, who was our first additional seamstress, but who went on to direct a large church denomination’s international mercy ministries. So we partnered with her and now we’re aiming to give $10,000 or more to help build a school in Haiti. It’s still a marketing stunt, which people seem to really enjoy, but it’s also gotten way out of hand with this Haiti project. That’s how we like things – way out of hand!”

On a recent trip to Charlotte, my first time to visit the city, I met up with “The Cordial Family” at Amelies. I told Andy prior to meeting that I’d love to snap a photo of him so I could share about his bow tie project, but when all of his boys walked in donned in their own ties, I knew everyone needed a photo.

Favorite southern vacation:
My favorite trip was with two good friends to New Orleans, where we ate really, really well. Couchon, Herbsaint, Cafe du Monde, etc. I also enjoyed some good dining in Mobile, Alabama, a surprisingly charming town.

Favorite thing about running a family business:
We enjoy collaborating, bouncing ideas off one another, and celebrating together. We’ve just moved our studio out of the spare bedroom and into a historic downtown building, which is exciting, but there’s something bittersweet about moving the operation out of the house.

Southern tradition you hope your boys partake in:
Does honoring their mother count? I admire the respect that I have seen many young boys give to their mothers.

About this particular 366 look:
I’m a sucker for a cardigan, and for this one specifically. Navy blue is a man’s friend. It goes with everything and mellows things out. The bow tie is a red linen cut in diamond-point, and it’s one of my favorites. Too bad it sold as soon as we posted it…now I have to wait in line like everyone else! Finally, Oak Street Bootmakers penny loafers. The stitching on these is incredible. Made of USA Horween leather and manufactured in Chicago. The folks at Oak Street are, I trust, enjoying a few of our bow ties, but probably not as much as I’m enjoying their shoes! 

I came across J.Hilburn before launching this blog back in September. I was on the hunt for great southern based companies, and this gem in Dallas was one of those. To be honest, I didn’t know much about it, other than the products seemed to be unique and of high quality and their headquarters made me proud. Texas forever, right? I threw the link up on the side and moved on.

In November, I shot a wedding outside of Austin and was pleasantly surprised to find out the groom’s good looking suit was from J.Hilburn. The bride, a friend of mine, told me that  she was a style advisor for the brand. Picture Mary Kay, but without the silly parties and pink cars. I quickly became interested. The idea of being trained to take measurements and be part of something that would help men’s clothes fit properly was right up my alley. After more research, I found a handful of posts on mens experiences with the style advisors, notably from Unabashedly Prep and Put This On. I signed on, got trained, and custom fit Mark for a shirt.

Mark’s shirt: lavender check, spread collar, double button round, no pocket, navy script monogram on cuff.

The company recently received the Best Custom Shirt award from Esquire for their high quality and low(er) prices. Custom shirts range from $89-159 and suits start at $700, an unbeatable price considering they are made at the same factory as Zegna, whose suits start at $1,700. Everything from fit (classic to european), collar style, plackets, pleats, pockets, cuffs, and personalization is in the clients control (and I’m only talking about the shirt…)

Men: if you’re interested in getting measured for a shirt or suit, please shoot me an email for more information. And make sure to check out their site for much more than custom clothing – from denim to cuff links, there is plenty to shop.

Photographed in Charlotte, NC

Raised in:
Charlotte, North Carolina

Lives in:
Charlotte, North Carolina

Favorite southern designer:
My favorite designer of all time is our U.S. Armed Forces. Huge impact on menswear. But if I had to select I would choose Tom Ford for suiting (Texas is Southern, right?) The man is all class, all the time. He goes the extra mile in everything he does. And for casual wear, North Carolina’s own Mark McNairy. His collaborations are quirky and I appreciate the chances he takes. It has been awesome seeing his progression.

Now would ya look at that:
David is the founder and gentleman behind Abbeydale, a made to measure brand offering custom suits, sport coats, pants, shirts and accessories, both business and casual. He has a focus on modern classic designs where fit is first. Not to go unnoticed, southern hospitality is at the core of his service.

• Suit, shirt, tie, tie pin all from Abbeydale.
• Suede John Varvatos chukka boots, made in Italy.
• Shuron glasses, made in USA.
• Old faded bandad as pocket square.
• J.Crew socks.

I snapped this photo of David on our way to Taylor Richards & Conger, notably one of the best menswear stores in the country. “I bring a lot of clients here to shop. We have a great relationship and work together well. If I don’t offer it, they will, so it’s a win-win. These guys are my mentors.”

See a few more images that I took while exploring through the store on the tumblr.

I had the pleasure a few weeks ago of shooting the Spring/Summer 2012 neck ties for Southern Ties. Folks, these are impressive. I actually said “wow” out loud when I picked one up for the first time. The quality is immediately noticed between your fingers, and their attention to detail is top notch. “Spring couldn’t come soon enough. We’ve been waiting a long time to launch our new collection and were particularly excited about two things: the addition of our neckties and the fact that we’re able to keep the manufacturing right here in the great Commonwealth of Virginia.”

With Spring just around the corner, I’ve got seersucker on my mind, and we think you should, too. Enter for your chance to win one of these beauties. The winner will be picked via random.org on Friday, March 9th. To enter…

• Leave a comment with your name, email, and what color neck tie you’d like to win.
• Receive a second entry by letting us know what you’re most looking forward to come Spring.
• Receive a third entry for tweeting about the giveaway.
• Receive a fourth entry for sharing about the giveaway on Facebook.

See more images from the shoot.
Make sure to visit the Southern Ties Shop and check out the new bow ties releases.

Photographed in Jasper, GA

Raised in:
Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee

Lives in:
Nashville, Tennessee

Favorite book set in the south:
To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a classic, and you can almost smell and hear and taste the south as you read through the pages and fall in love with the characters.

Now would ya look at that:

• FashionABLE scarf. Ellie and her husband Drew got involved with FashionABLE through their partnership with Mocha Club. Every purchase of a fashionABLE scarf creates sustainable business for women in Africa. “We love Barret, who started FashionABLE, and his passion to help these women who have once been caught up in prostitution to find hope and dignity in their work is contagious! If you join my team, $7 dollars a month can provide spiritual, emotional, and psychological counseling for women at risk in Ethiopia. It also helps these women find alternate means of income to support themselves and their children through FashionABLE.”
• Join Ellie’s Mocha Club team and receive a free copy of her Magnolia EP.
• Purchased the red crewneck sweater because it reminded her of her moms senior pictures. “She looked beautiful and wore a red crewneck sweater, so there’s something classic and sentimental to me about wearing something like she did when she was younger.”
• Vintage cowboy boots from a western wear store in Taos, New Mexico.

We’ve loved The Cordial Churchman since Mark ordered his first one last year (and by first one, I do mean first bow tie ever. Shocking, I know!) We were hooked. Not only were the prices unbeatable, but the fact that they’re handmade in South Carolina made us love this small business all the more. Since that first purchase, we now own six Cordial Churchman bows, two of those being custom fit and designed for my girl neck. In addition, we also have two bows that they converted from neckties to bow ties for us. We love this company, we support this company, and we think you need a Cordial Churchman bow tie. Read a bit more about Andy and Ellie below and then enter for your chance to win one!

Our collection of TCC bows

Raised in:
Andy: A suburb of Akron, Ohio, home of rubber, the Soap Box Derby, LeBron James, and arguably the birthplace of the hamburger.
Ellie: We moved around quite a bit. Born in Arizona, lived in South Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio during my formative years. As soon as I graduated college, we packed up and traveled down I-77 to South Carolina and have been here ever since.

Favorite thing about South Carolina:
Andy: We first visited Columbia in early April of 2004 when we needed to decide if I should enter the MA program in History at USC. There was still snow on the ground in Akron, so having my morning coffee outside under a Palmetto tree with azaleas in bloom initially did the trick. Had they recruited me in August, we might still be Ohioans. Believe it or not, there’s a similar underdog, hard-nosed, defiant, delightfully backward mentality in South Carolina as there is in Ohio. It’s just that Northeast Ohio lost its prosperous economic way of life a century after South Carolina did. I’m oddly at home here despite the cultural differences. The real difference is that it’s not quite as odd to wear a bow tie in South Carolina as in Ohio.
Ellie: Front Porches.

The Cordial Churchman family
Image via Project:Life Photography

What sets you apart from the other bow tie companies in the south:
Andy: We don’t do much traditional silk. It’s hard to imagine a bow tie collection without classic silk repp stripes, but there’s also a growing interest in using fabrics traditionally used for shirting and suiting (worsted wool, tweed, seersucker, madras) in accessories like bow ties. We didn’t know this when we started offering them, we just thought it might be interesting, and these fabrics were less difficult for us to source than necktie silks. We also make all our bow ties customized to the specifications of our customers, instead of having them pre-made and stocked. We find that people are happy to wait a week or two to get a handmade, custom bow tie with a personal note from us. And, of course, our price point is much lower than the average. We’ve sold scores of people their very first bow tie. People love that they can get a custom handmade bow tie even if they’re not sure they are really “a bow tie person.” This is important to us, and it’s proved to be a key part of our success.
Ellie: I like to give a very personal touch to every transaction as much as is possible. We know that we could be charging more but choose not to because we feel like we charge what is fair.

In one word, describe your bows:
Andy: Clever
Ellie: Charming

Win one of these festive, 100% wool bow ties for Christmas!

To enter:

• Follow Back Down South and The Cordial Churchman on Twitter.
• Like Back Down South and The Cordial Churchman on Facebook.
• Leave a comment (make sure to include your email) saying which of the bows above you’d like to win!
• On December 13th at noon EST I’ll pick a winner via random.org!

Photographed in Jasper, GA

Raised in:
Tomball, Texas

Lives in:
Jasper, Georgia

Favorite southern beer:
Abita beer from Abita Springs, Louisiana. I haven’t had a beer from there that I haven’t liked, except for Purple Haze.

Now would ya look at that:
When Mark put on his Cash Robinson polo for the first time, I heard him from the other room say “Oh man, this shirt fits like a dream!” He favors his Cash Robinson Silk Reserves over his other polos because of the comfortable lightweight material. “I’ve never been a polo shirt guy because of how constricting they always seem to be. I feel like I’m always pulling down the sleeves because they ride up, but I never do that with these.”

The fairly new Kentucky clothing company is inspired by the southern lifestyle seen in Kentucky’s bourbon and horse racing. When they approached me about doing a giveaway, I quickly jumped on board since it’s a product Mark wears and promotes. Their purpose is to “celebrate the time-honored traditions of the track and others throughout the world, through our apparel.” They accomplish this by producing Small Batch Apparel Collections in limited quantities and will be introducing new products in the Spring in addition to their “Silks Reserves” Polos.

How about a chance to win an Ultimate Cash Pack this week, including a polo, hat, croakie and koozie? To enter, do the following:

• Follow both Back Down South and Cash Robinson on Twitter.
• Like both Back Down South and Cash Robinson on Facebook.
• Leave a comment on this post with your score pick for the SEC Championship game. If there are more than one correct answer, the one who answered first will win. If there are no correct answers, the person with the closest score will win.
• If LSU wins, the winner will receive their Ivory with Purple & Gold Silk Jockey Polo. If Georgia wins, the winner will receive their Red with White Silk Jockey Polo.
• Jump on it! This contest ends Saturday, December 3rd at the 4:00 EST kickoff.