New Modern Classic...THE NEW STANDARDS

Check out these modern takes on time-tested staples

What becomes a classic most? These ten items pay respect to the past while striking a thoroughly modern note.

Jeans, $140, by A.P.C.

When A.P.C. founder Jean Touitou set out to make jeans, he knew what he was after. “It was 1987,” he says. “The only thing you could get was a very washed thing. It was disgusting and not proper. I wanted super-raw.” When he finished, he had created the perfect blue jeans—superbly tough Japanese denim, cut slim and straight through the leg. He brazenly called his creation the New Standard. A five-pocket western, it’s a clear descendant of the timeless Levi’s 501. And as with everything A.P.C., the genius is in the simplicity. “As you know,” Touitou says, “I try very hard to have no details.”

Shirt, $150, by Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers.

With its button-down-collar cotton oxford, Brooks Brothers set the standard for the all-American dress shirt. Now, with its new Black Fleece line—designed by innovator Thom Browne—the label has one-upped itself. In the hands of Browne, the shirt’s cotton is finer (broadcloth instead of oxford), the collar slightly lower, the patterns a little edgier, and the shirt more tapered throughout. The signature Brooks oxford hasn’t gone anywhere, but for a few more bucks you can get Browne’s take: more progressive yet every bit as definitive.

Tie, $125, by Band of Outsiders.

You don’t get more American than a diagonally striped repp tie. Just ask a salesguy at J.Press. Or ask Scott Sternberg, the brains behind Band of Outsiders, the L.A.-based label that has reinvented this classic. Crucially, Sternberg’s tweaks give his narrow-cut ties their versatility. Part Ivy League, part rock ’n’ roll, the tie adds a snarl of punk when you’re wearing a suit, or an air of modern prep when you’re going casual.

Tie bar by Paul Stuart.

Briefcase, $1,670, by Louis Vuitton.

A fedora, a topcoat, and a straight-edge briefcase—that used to be required gear if you were a businessman who meant business. You still need a topcoat; a fedora…well, that’s your call, but hard-shell attaché cases don’t translate in the twenty-first century, beginning with the fact that they clearly weren’t designed to transport a laptop. This is where Vuitton’s Porte Document Voyage comes in. As the name suggests, it delivers both luxury and function. Your laptop will fit in it, and Vuitton’s patented Epi leather is as tough as a pair of steel-toe work boots. Nobody understands old-world luxury like Vuitton, but this elegant briefcase was made with the needs of the modern businessman in mind.

Watch, $1,995, by Dior Homme.

Not everyone can spring for more than one watch. That’s what makes this Dior timepiece so brilliant: It always looks right, no matter the occasion. The sleek black face makes it a smart, understated match for a suit; the plain hour marks mean it’ll be precise and elegant with formalwear; and the twenty-four-hour clock gives it a sophisticated, cosmopolitan feel—nice if you’re the traveling type. And because it’s self-winding and not quartz, you know it’s made with the kind of craftsmanship that never goes out of date.