Home Podcasts Pair of Kings: A Fashion and Culture Podcast
Pair of Kings: A Fashion and Culture Podcast

Pair of Kings: A Fashion and Culture Podcast

Pair of Kings 311 episodes Latest Jun 9, 2026

Pair of Kings is a men's fashion and culture podcast hosted by Sol Thompson and Michael Smith in New York City. Each weekly episode covers current menswear trends, from streetwear to archive fashion, and explores the culture behind them. The show features interviews with creators, stylists, and industry insiders, and also touches on the NYC scene, including the Lower East Side revival and downtown nightlife. Topics include gorpcore, workwear, sneaker culture, luxury collaborations, and building personal style.

Episodes

The 1,500 Person Fashion Survey | Season 14, Episode 5 Jun 9, 2026 5263 What do shoppers actually want in 2026? Do brand vibe, culture, and ethos matter more than the clothes? Is experience-based fashion just better marketing? And what does “integrated fashion” look like when your wardrobe is built around music, sports, clubs, video games, vintage, coffee shops, and the internet?On this episode of Pair of Kings, Sol Thompson and Michael Smith break down the largest su
Dave Macklovitch (@dave1) Returns: Hedi Slimane, the Role of AI in Music, and the Legacy of Blogcore and Indie Sleaze | Season 14, Episode 4 May 27, 2026 5226 Was Dave Macklovitch right about the Hedi Boy revival? Is Hedi Slimane’s skinny-jeans-and-leather-jacket universe bigger than fashion? And what happens to musicians when AI can make the record but not the room?Sol and Michael sit down with the podcast's favorite well-dressed unc, Dave Macklovitch of Chromeo, for his second episode and a proper apology tour after the 2025 Hedi Slimane craze pr
Stanley DeSantis, The Vintage Band Tee Bubble, and the Role of Ephemera in Fashion | Season 14, Episode 3 May 13, 2026 5234 Who was Stanley DeSantis? Why is a 2004 Slipknot tee selling for $2,000? And what does a Daft Punk Roulette residency shirt have to do with how fashion brands sell you a lifestyle in 2026?Sol Thompson and Michael Smith return from their Neuehouse live recording for Episode 3 of Pair of Kings Season 14, continuing the season's deep dive into integrated fashion — the symbiotic loop where brands
Interview with Wesley Breed: Cars as Fashion, Aime Leon Dore X Porsche, and Why People Pay a Premium for Vintage | Season 14, Episode 2 Apr 29, 2026 3795  Is fashion still just about clothes? Why are cars, watches, and Formula 1 the new menswear? What does Aime Leon Dore have to do with Porsche, and why, in an age of automation, are buyers paying a premium for things that are...worse?Sol Thompson and Michael Smith sit down with Wesley Breed, the New York-based influencer, storyteller, and car enthusiast who pivoted his fashion platform into automot
Integrated Fashion: How We Stopped Buying Clothes and Started Buying Lifestyles | Season 14, Episode 1 Apr 14, 2026 5768 Why does every fashion brand run a coffee shop? How did a Stussy varsity jacket network from the late 1980s predict the business model of modern fashion? What does used spray paint have to do with why Miu Miu is one of the most effective brands in the world right now?Sol Thompson and Michael Smith open Season 14 of the Pair of Kings Podcast with a level set: the history of integrated fashion—the i
How to Dress Better in 2026: An Actual Men's Style Guide by Pair of Kings | 13.19 Feb 17, 2026 5314 Why are men's style guides just glorified affiliate link shopping lists? What should a real style guide for men actually teach you? And how do you build a wardrobe you love without spending a fortune?On the Season 13 finale, Sol and Michael tear apart the modern men's style guide — from GQ and Esquire to The Rake — and expose why today's fashion advice is failing young men. We do wh
Born DuBois on Viral Murder Mystery Parties, Vaquera's Paris Runway, Rick Owens Auditions, and What It Takes to Make It in Fashion | 13.18 Feb 11, 2026 6193 What does it take to throw the most viral murder mystery parties in New York City? How do you go from pin-up modeling in Pittsburgh to walking for Vaquera at Paris Fashion Week? What happens when Rick Owens calls your name at a casting—but not for the runway?Sol and Michael sit down with Born DuBois—model, stylist, creative director, personal shopper, and the woman i-D Magazine called "A Star
Paris Fashion Week FW26 Review: Is Raf Simons Back? Rick Owens, Dior, Dsquared2 & More | 13.17 Feb 3, 2026 5537 Is Raf Simons finally back? Is Rick Owens still the GOAT? Did Jonathan Anderson fumble his AW27 Dior menswear show? Why does Dsquared2 keep putting giant furry hats on models—and why do we respect it?Sol and Michael break down 2026's Paris Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week with their most unfiltered runway reviews yet. Which designers are cooking? Which creative directors are washed? Find o
Paul Heavener on What a Creative Director Does at Hypebeast, Vintage Bape, Archive Fashion as a Trend & the Future of Streetwear | 13.16 Jan 28, 2026 5121 What does a creative director actually do at a major fashion publication? Is Chrome Hearts still worth the investment in 2026?  How did vintage Bape become the gateway drug for an entire generation of streetwear obsessives? And why is Rick Owens' FW14 Moody still influencing how we dress today?We sit down with Paul Heavener, Creative Director at Hypebeast, for a deep dive into his decade-long
The Best Fragrances for Men, The Modern Master of Perfume, and Honestly Reviewing the Hottest Niche Fragrances of 2026: The PoK Scentacular | 13.15 Jan 21, 2026 5056 What's the best men's cologne in 2026? Is Orto Parisi worth the hype? What does "grassy" mean? How do you actually describe how something smells without sounding pretentious?In the 2026 Scentacular, Sol and Michael sit down with over 50 fragrance samples (thank you, ScentSplit!) to answer these questions and more to create the ultimate 2026 fragrance guide for men.  The duo div
Shane O'Neill (@shaneisland) Explains Gooning, Jeremy Scott's Legacy & the NFL's Link to the Arab Spring's Love of SpongeBob | 13.14 Jan 13, 2026 5349 Is Stone Island actually worth the price? What lifestyle requires techwear? Is Timothee Chalamet overrated? Why does Lady Gaga feel less authentic than Charli XCX? What is gooning, and how did it end up in Harper's Bazaar? This week, Sol and Michael sit down with Shane O'Neill, writer for The Washington Post's twice-weekly pop culture newsletter "Seriously?," to unpack the
Rare Rick Owens Jackets, the Marty Supreme Jacket PR Machine, and the Muppets | 13.13 Jan 6, 2026 5889 Did Rick Owens really design leather jackets for Ghost of Mars? Is Timothee Chalamet running the exact same PR playbook as Jack Harlow? What the hell is Goouch, and can a goose be a Muppet?Sol and Michael are back! They sit down to break down Rick Owens' early Hollywood costume design work (Ghost of Mars, Tank Girl, Otto; or Up with Dead People), the sock-heel technique that created the iconi

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