The Best Pens and Stationary Money Can Buy

We heartily endorse this stuff.

View in Browser  Wendesday, April 30, 2025 At a time when we do everything on our phones, it's subversive, almost radical, to pull out a pen and paper. We endorse it. Even better: using very nice and very cool writing instruments and stationary. I am a sucker for Japanese notebooks and pens. But they're not the only game in town. We highlighted our favorites at a range of prices. Enjoy! – Michael Sebastian, editor-in-chief   Plus: There's a new documentary about Bono you should see. More on all that Trump bootlicking, which is now really out of control. Oh baby! These new Levi's jeans. Esquire's 25 Favorite Stationary Items of 2025 "There was something very comfortable in having plenty of stationery," wrote Charles Dickens in Great Expectations, and who are we to disagree? You don't have to obsess over fountain pens from classic makers like Montblanc or the plethora of Japanese makers. You can love a pen because James Bond used it. You can love a pen because it's utilitarian, same with a notebook. Stationary enthusiasts include planners of all kinds—professional and otherwise—diarists and those devoted to journaling, as well as letter-writers, postcard-senders, and obsessive note-takers. No matter what instruments you use, or what you buy for someone else, this is about intention and connection. It's about personal expression and style. It's about rejecting all this post-modern noise and slowing down. Here's what we're loving in 2025 to get you started. READ THE STORY How to Pull Off Wide-Leg Jeans The trend in pants is for them to be big, or at least bigger than the skinny era. You can even go … voluminous. But how do you wear them? Trishna Rikhy offers some expert styling tips.  Nate Burleson is Having the Time of His Life The former NFL wide receiver made one of the most successful pivots from sports to TV. How'd he do it? Well, it started with a dark night of the soul.  RFK Jr. Sat Down with Dr. Phil For a Conversation That Was Completely Detached from Reality My God in heaven, we are in the hands of the mad men. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. sat down for an interview with Dr. Phil in the most conspicuous public gathering of charlatans since the last time the president dined alone. (By the way, Oprah? Sorry, but you gotta atone for Dr. Phil.) The substance of the conversation took place largely on a different plane of existence, but all you need to know is that Mr. Secretary actually used the magic phrase that has murdered science and rational argument in this century. By Charles P. Pierce Bad Dojo: Tiger Schulmann Didn't Get to Be America's No. 1 Karate Kingpin Without Busting a Few Faces The New Jersey Convention and Expo Center is nestled among a series of fading industrial parks just off I-95. Most weekends, it's overrun with model-train enthusiasts, hot-tub salesmen, and fly fishermen. But on a sunny day in December, the cavernous hall's permascent of pretzel grease is cut with a new odor: the tangy smell of cowhide gloves connecting with flesh. For today, Daniel "Tiger" Schulmann, the strip-mall karate kingpin of America, is holding his semiannual Challenge of Champions. By David Gauvey Herbert Follow Us Unsubscribe | Privacy Notice | CA Notice at Collection Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2025 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779