WELCOME TO ‘Bite-sized style news’, a monthly dispatch where we discuss the news, rumours and conversations that are dominating the men’s style discourse and therefore, our Esquire water cooler chitchat for the month.

Scroll on for this month’s edition

Hermès arrives at Chatswood Chase

Sydney’s North Shore has acquired a new luxury landmark, wrapped in gold-metallic cladding as it were.

French Maison Hermès has crossed the Harbour Bridge and opened its second Sydney store within the redesigned Chatswood Chase, its clean, transparent façade offering a glimpse into the silk universe within before visitors have even stepped through the door.

The interior, designed by Parisian agency RDAI (who were also responsible for their incredible Melbourne and Sydney flagship stores), takes its cues from the coastal rivers and light of the surrounding landscape, translated into a curved wooden wall washed in watercolour gradients, a sandstone partition enclosing the jewellery and perfume rooms, and Faubourg mosaic flooring underfoot in powder blue. Walk the length of it and the pathway moves through home and equestrian collections into jewellery and watches, before leather goods take the centre against a backdrop built to suggest water in motion. A skylight at the far end draws the exterior in, flooding the men’s and women’s collections in natural light.

Art carries its own thread through the build. London-based Katie Scott’s Worlds Beyond fronts the entrance, a nod to the house’s 2026 theme, Venture Beyond, while Marine Wallon’s Malakata and James Alexander Walker’s Scène de courses, the latter a wink to Hermès’ equestrian roots, complete a store built for wandering, its rooms unfolding one into the next like chapters in a longer story.

Blundstone launch a limited edition Chelsea boot

Who knew we were craving a collaboration between an iconic Tasmanian boot and Amsterdam’s skate scene? Not us, yet here we are. Blundstone, 156 years deep into workwear, has joined forces with Pop Trading Company for a Chelsea boot collaboration built entirely around hair-on cowhide, the kind of material that guarantees no two pairs will ever match.

Three styles make up the range: Pony leans into dappled, highly figured hide for a look with genuine variation built in. Glazed Ginger brings burnished toes and a hair-on backstrap for something closer to frontier than skatepark. Double Black keeps things moodier, pairing an oiled suede finish with the same textural detailing across a double-stitched louvred elastic.

According to the brand, Pop founder Ric Van Rest has been wearing Blundstones for over two decades. He joins chefs, bar staff, and growing number of white collar workers who have jumped on the Blundy bandwagon. The collaboration took over three years to land, proof that even an unlikely friendship, see also the campaign film’s man and his miniature horse, needs proper time to develop.

The limited edition Chelsea range are available now through Pop Trading Company online, Blundstone Australia and exclusively at Above the Clouds store.

Soho Grand Slam with BOSS

Earlier this month, BOSS spent a weekend at Soho Farmhouse for Soho Grand Slam, Soho House’s tennis takeover timed to the London tournament finals.

Andre Agassi turned up for a panel on tennis culture; Katy B closed out Saturday night.

Members played tennis and padel between screenings on the Lazy Lawn, dined courtside on Pen Yen’s izakaya menu, then changed into BOSS eveningwear for drinks at the Glasshouse. Noma Noha Akugue, Corey Mylchreest and Charithra Chandran rotated between court and crowd. The sponsorship extends a run that includes David Beckham’s Day One suit and Taylor Fritz’s walk-on look, with the Australian Open ahead.

Run, don’t walk, to the new Hoka store

Sydney’s running community has something to get excited about. Running footwear par excellence, HOKA, has opened a new flagship store on Pitt Street, in the heart of the CBD. Yes it’s a retail store but prepare for it become an official hub for the city’s running crew. Doors opened at the end of June with a shebang, including a huge fish (check out their Instagram) marking the brand’s most elevated retail experience in Australia to date.

The centrepiece is HOKA Lab, powered by The Running Room, the first concept of its kind built into an Australian HOKA store. It’s designed to bridge performance running with recovery and education, backing up the shoes with a forward-planned calendar of guided runs, workshops and marathon training support.

Clifton II

On the shelves, the Speedgoat 7 headlines the opening alongside new-season arrivals including the Clifton 11 (pictured here), set within a fit-out built around trail-inspired textures and tactile design rather than the standard shopfront gloss.

197-211 Pitt St Mall, Sydney

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