Blogger Babble: MISTER MORT—Hanukkah Edition!

By Stephen Watson
December 3, 2010

No one sees the world quite like Mordechai Rubinstein. A keen observer with an eagle eye, he understands true signature style more intuitively than anyone. His irreverent street style blog, MISTER MORT, might feature a stylish octogenarian, a seasoned international fashion editor, a Seventh Avenue Garmento and a Haight-Ashbury hippie all in one week. Mister Mort's varied subjects always have a common denominator—an unmistakable and authentic personal style unmarked by the influence of the fashion establishment. (Mister Mort, credit: Backyard Bill )

Instead of following the obvious, Mordechai Rubinstein seeks out the people that have made clothing their own—a well loved jacket that has been worn for decades, a hat personalized with a crease just so, a vintage pant whose proportion was a fashion trend so long ago that it's worth taking a second look at now.

Mordechai Rubinstein's fashion background is as unique as his subject matter. Born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn, he slipped away into Manhattan to see where his discerning eye and street smarts might take him. After briefly attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, he went on to work at the mythical mens haberdashery New Republic Clothiers, which led to doing public relations at Jack Spade. After his next gig as a fashion editor at Men’s Vogue was cut short when the magazine folded, he moved out to San Francisco where he’s currently a menswear concept designer for Levi's.

The Inside Source: You moved across the country to work for Levi's. How is San Francisco different from New York? What are your favorite new things about San Francisco?

MISTER MORT: Here in San Francisco I don’t have my Madison Avenue, my 3, 4, and F trains. The best things about San Francisco are getting on the road, inland or by the coast. It's so pretty here and its 70 degrees, while it's freezing back home in New York. The food and service here in S.F. are just incredible.

The Inside Source: Since you've been in San Fran for awhile now, do you think the new city has influenced or changed your taste in fashion/style esthetic?

MISTER MORT: Loving me some Pat-a-gooch! [Pat-g-gooch is a nickname for Patagonia, a combination of Patagonia and Gucci.]

Images from Mister Mort

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A Game Men Play Wearing All White In Golden Gate Park
Vintage Mossant & Borsalino Hat Advertisements
Dude in His Pith Helmet
Kid's So Rad Matching His Jordans To His School Band's Cape
Vintage Cyclist

The Inside Source: How do you decide on who you'd like to shoot for the Mister Mort blog? Is there a common element that catches your eye in your subject?

MISTER MORT: Anyone that crosses my path. This A.M. I got this old British fella walking by wearing all green. Cashmere crewneck, wide wale corduroys, saddle shoes, striped oxford shirt. The common element is that they’re all stylish characters.

The Inside Source: What kind of a camera do you use? Do you always have it with you?

MISTER MORT: I carry a micro 4/3 camera by Olympus when leaving the house in the A.M. If I’m going out in the evening I’ll carry my Panasonic Lumix DLUX-2.

The Inside Source: Do you have any favorite style icons? Any photographers or mentors that have influenced you?

MISTER MORT: The Duke of Windsor, David Hockney, and (the designer and founder of New Republic Clothiers) Thomas Oatman.

The Inside Source: What interesting fashion trends have you seen on the street lately that you think will catch on in a bigger way?

MISTER MORT: The return of the American Dandy. I should also say monotones. Really seeing a lot of one color—shirt, pant, hat, jacket in different shades of one color.

The Inside Source: How do you normally celebrate Hanukkah? Anything special planned for this year?

MISTER MORT: I rush home and light the menorah, eat latkes, and play dreidel with friends.

The Inside Source: Any favorite Hanukkah memory?

MISTER MORT: The best gift that I ever got was a yarmulke my Bubby crocheted for me when I was nine. I still wear it.

With Hanukkah now in full swing, we asked MISTER MORT if he would choose eight days of eBay gifts to celebrate the Festival of Lights.

1. Hanukkah Menorah Vintage 1892 Silver Inlaid Stones

(buy it now price, $4,222)
2. 1937 Saturday Evening Post

(buy it now price, $27.50)

This Norman Rockwell illustration pictures a young man being fit for his first tailored suit.
3. Dee Cee Carpenter Pants

(buy it now price, $19.99)

These old stock carpenter pants come in a unique wine color.
4. Vintage Kelloggs Corn Flakes

(buy it now price, $9.99)

This advertisement is from 1962. Rubinstein loves it for the use of color, the mix of dots and stripes, and the ad tagline, “You can’t keep a good man down."
5. Vintage USMC HBT Shirts

(buy it now price, $285)

A vintage shirt from the Korean War era, monogrammed with soldier's name.
6. Vintage Navajo Silver and Turquoise Bolo Tie

(buy it now price, $15.15)
7. Patagonia Vintage Indian Blanket Jacket

(buy it now price, $150)
8. Custom Carved Wooden Toilet Seat

(buy it now price, $59.95)