You enter Nom de Guerre like you enter the subway. You walk down a stairway at Broadway and Bleecker and there, right next to a copy shop, is one of New York's most resourceful boutiques for cool male apparel. The windowless shop is on two floors, basement and sub-basement, and when the R train goes by it's like an earthquake. If there's a low-rent district in Manhattan this must be it, but that could be why there is such a great variety of hip vines for chill cats. You've got to be in-the-know to find the door (hint: it's next to Swatch).

Nom de Guerre's own line is fly yet classical in concept—no victim-wear here. The clothes are made with excellent materials and created with quality to endure. The fall collection was inspired by a film about a Russian navy ship posted in the arctic, so there's plenty of fine cold-weather gear here in heavy wool-cashmere, flannel, heavy cotton fleece, and raw denim. It's one of the best places around for parkas, peacoats, and sweaters. They also offer rare sneakers, the kind that don't look like they were designed by mad scientists—I bought a fantastic pair of plaid Jack Purcell lowcuts here a few seasons back.

You can also find a smart selection from other excellent lines, like A.P.C. and Fun by Comme des Garçons. And very selected books and periodicals, too, like Me Magazine.

Check out the shoulder button detail on my new heavy black cotton sweatshirt.

You can also pick up their highly recommended merch at Stel's in Boston, Colette in Paris, Nomad in Toronto, Loveless in Tokyo, Blackbird in Seattle, Liberty on Regent Street in London, 1206 in Copenhagen, and Fred Segal in L.A. and Santa Monica.

Related: The GQ 100: Our continually updated archive of the best stores for men in America.