Blackbird x George Esquivel Boots
Blackbird teamed up with George Esquivel to do some boots. They turned out really cool. The natural leather looks amazing. Unfortunately I’m tired, it’s late on Friday afternoon. Tyler did a better write up than I could do over at Blackbird. These are worth a look. “The natural leather comes from a tannery in Norway which has remained family run since the late 1800s and supplies leathers for luxury houses around the world. This leather has had only a neutral color cream applied and is, as mentioned above, otherwise purely natural. Each pair is going to age and darken through wear, exposure to sunlight, and overall how they are treated by the wearer. Within weeks no two pairs are going to look anything alike.”
There are some cool shots of used and brand new models. Read more
WANT Les Essentials Fall Arrival
Fresh off a feature in our last issue, WANT Les Essentials drops their fall offerings at Blackbird. Do you think it’s a coincidence that a lot of the brands I talk about are carried at a lot of the shops I talk about? I don’t. Anyways if you need any accessories in black leather, you’re in luck. The Kennedy wallet, passport holder, laptop case and short hauler duffel are all looking beautiful in black. There’s a nice mix of smooth and tough leather products in the fall selection, while I’m a fan of the light browns to get a nice wearing look, there is something very strong about the black. If I had $475 to spend on a laptop case, this would be the one. I had been searching for awhile for a good laptop carrying piece and finally just settled with Incase, after they’d been out of 13″ cases for 3 months. WANT Les essentials is definitely one of the most modern looking collections, being very Mac compatible and keeping the branding very tasteful.
Gloves
Gloves are probably one of the more overlooked winter accessories. I’ve honestly never paid much attention to them but as the minute details become more apparent, important pieces seem to pop out of nowhere. This fall I have seen a couple hand warmers I’d like to stuff a few fingers in. For the technical folks, I had to make the easy choice and go with Idiom’s slim liner glove. I also came across the Rag & Bone finger flap gloves which are made from cashmere and feel really nice, also the finger tip cover option is a good look. Available at Blackbird and Illustrated Example. To round out the glove category, I found these leather lambskin gloves by J. Press to be quite pleasing. I like the stitching details and the color of the leather, although I’ve always liked driving gloves with the knuckle holes, they seem a hard to find, plus I try not to drive that often.
Jack Spade Leather Duffel
Most Jack Spade bags don’t really interest me all that much. I find them a little bland, with an average color selection and no interesting details. Now that I’ve seen these duffel bags that just dropped at Blackbird, my feelings about Jack Spade are a little more positive. I really like the two classic leather dyes used, along with the shoulder strap options. The size of these bags would definitely be quite useful as well. Lately I have been fiending more than ever for a tan colored leather bag. I want something that’s going to last and going to look good. Also a couple inside pockets would be nice, so without having a more in -depth look at the inside workings of this Jack Spade piece, it might be a pretty good option, although I think Surface 2 Air still has some of my favorites so far.
Opening Ceremony Reversible
I also thought reversible shirts, pants, jackets, or jerseys were wack. That was until…nope, I still do. Opening Ceremony has gained a fair following with their shop and their clothing line. I personally haven’t found myself to really be too excited about much of their line. They have some dope footwear, and some nice pieces, but overall I find the line a bit odd. This shirt would be a testament to that. A reversible button down shirt that costs over $460? I’d rather just buy two shirts I think. I don’t find myself in too many situations thinking, ‘hmmm, I really wish I could flip this shirt inside right now.’ I suppose to people who don’t spend any time at home or anywhere near it, reversible clothing might have an appeal. However it would be nice if at least one side of the shirt was good. Available at Blackbird if you have different taste then me.
Nom de Guerre Trench Coat
I know I keep blogging stuff from a few select boutiques but that says something for who is handling their bidness when it comes to online retailing. Blackbird gives us the heads up on the Nom de Guerre Trench Coat they just received in from the fall collection. There are a handful (or two) pieces I really, really like from Nom de Guerre this fall. One being the military shirt which I picked up, second being their chunky knit cardigan, and now this trench coat. I really feel trench coats are the outerwear of the season. They can completely make an outfit and get you feeling good in the cool weather. NDG provides us with a nice cut, great minimal detailing, and their superior construction. This piece is running $1,040 at Blackbird.
Robert Geller Backpack
This Robert Geller bag is a heater. Black leather, with straps, flaps, D rings, and a shoe lace-up feature, damn. It’s really cool looking. The price isn’t particularly cool at about $1100 US. But if you were able to pick up that bag and still had money left over to fill it with stuff, I’d say go ahead and do it. There are a lot of totes, messengers, shoulder bags, hand bags and the like being carried by men everywhere. The back pack is a tough piece to pull off with a lot of more grown up, tailored looks. I think if you owned this bag you’d have to find a way to make it work everyday. You’d have some serious stuff carrying to do with this bag to get that cost per wear/use down enough to justify it. Available this fall at Blackbird.
Common Projects Fall @ Blackbird
Between Blackbird and Nomad the majority of fall’s best offerings are out and blogged. Next up at Blackbird is the first shipment of Common Projects Fall line. You’ve already had an extensive look at the line in our last issue, but now you know where to get ‘em. Among the arrivals are two of my favorite models, the Officer ankle boot, and the court shoe in both black and white. I’ve been rocking my white court shoes religiously since I picked them up at Den. Those black ones are amazing in person. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs that perfect black sneaker. No surprise I love the line, they all look good. I probably wouldn’t pick up the red mids, but mostly because I’ve seen the red models in store for spring and they are pretty spicy. Blackbird is no stranger to selling online via email or phone so don’t let your pair get away. I know the feeling.
Red Tops
There have been a lot of navys, deep reds, olives, and browns in the fall lines this season. I like it, those are all great colors, however sometimes you need to set off the muted tones with a bit of color. I’m really liking the look of a bright red beanie, toque, hat, cap - whatever your vice. The bright red on top of the outfit is a great balance for me. It’s also easy to take off and throw in your bag if you have to go under the radar. This shot is from Our Legacy’s fall look book. Their line should be showing up at Blackbird in the near future, hopefully including their red toque. There are however a lot of options to inject color into your head wear. I’d say this is a good place for a vintage find or even something from your local work wear outlet. Keep it simple, keep it one color, keep it on or take it off.
What You Need: Leather Flight Cap
When the weather turns and your head gets cold, sure there are the standard options; beanie, toque, ear muffs, hats. But what if you want to step up the steez factor and get on some next level shit? Then you’re going to either make your own head wear, or pick up this Julius leather flight cap. Blackbird received their stock of flight caps recently so lucky for you, it’s now easy to track down. All you have to do is donate this months rent payment of $550 to Blackbird and you’ll be set for the fall, and for those spur of the moment bi-plane adventures you’ve always missed out on.
Nom de Guerre Denim
Blackbird has received the fall denim range from Nom de Guerre over in Ballard. They look really dope. I had a good look at the different models and cuts while I was in New York and I regret picking up a pair now. Although I didn’t because I ran out of money, not because I didn’t want to then. The gray slim cut and the charcoal slim jean both are really appealing to me. Nom de Guerre’s denim is definitely unique looking with it’s feel and touch. They offer shades of black and gray the you can’t find in other lines. Add in the very fair price of $240 and the NDG denim is looking like a really good option this fall. I’m currently broke, but I’m torn between the Nom de Guerre slim cut, the Flat Head 1001, and Dior 19cm’s for my next denim purchase. They are all fairly different, in looks, make, and style. However, they all are speaking to me right now, I just have to try not listen for a little bit…
Rachel Comey Footwear
Mens and womens designer Rachel Comey has been creating interesting designs for seasons. After she left Theory to try her luck with a menswear line, she found some serious success after David Bowie sparked an interest in her work by wearing one of her shirts, not by telling her to wear an eye patch. This fall Rachel Comey’s self-titled line includes some really nice pieces of footwear for us fellows. The laceless dress shoe is definitely one of my favorites of the summer and should translate into a year round wear. I’m wearing my Common Projects model right now and don’t really want to take them off. Rachel also did a really good version of the desert boot, using a heavy canvas, and a more formal sole with a slight heel. I definitely like the look of both models, throw in the nice tote bag, and you’re set. Now available at Blackbird for $312 and $336 respectively.
Weekend Recommendation: A.P.C. Blanket
The recommendation this weekend might not apply to all of you readers out there, but on the west coast we are experiencing some nice fall weather. Rain, wind, and a generally chilly temperature has taken residence since I’ve been back. Although there is still officially another month of summer to come, fall and winter are right around the corner so I’m going to recommend the A.P.C. wool blanket for the weekend. Sometimes you just have to give in to the weather, get a blanket, watch a movie, and wait it out, why not do it with a designer blanket? Blackbird just received their first shipments of A.P.C.’s fall goods and among them was the blanket. It has a really nice plaid pattern which they forgot to actually put on a shirt this season unfortunately. $224, one size fits all.
Coming Soon
Coming Soon has been receiving a fair bit of press the past month or so as the first pieces from Yoji Yamamoto’s new line have been arriving in North America. Odin had a handful of really nice pieces including a really nice white shall sweater that I really liked. Now we see Blackbird getting their first pieces in the mail. The worn, casual blazer looks good on and off as the comfortable lines and cut makes it look pretty easy to wear. Blazers are a fairly odd item for me because they have been deaded in the streets for a few years now. Nobody I know would really touch them, but as menswear for the younger generations matures, blazers seem to be coming back into the picture. I found myself liking a few light weight, casual, chino blazers lately, and pieces like this from Coming Soon are pulling my interest further. The line has been looking good overall and seems to compliment several pieces from the ever-popular Robert Geller right now.
Fall Upgrader
Mens.Style.com has put together an extensive feature on some of the best pieces that are coming out this fall and where you can get them. Shops like Blackbird and Odin are featured along with many of our favorite lines, Nom de Guerre, Band of Outsiders, Common Projects, and Patrik Ervell. Usually features like this are fairly irrelevant to my tastes and I don’t care, but this is so extensive that there were several pieces and shops that I was quite interested in. Some of my favorite items were the new Common Projects Officer lace ups, the Band of Outsiders corduroy suit, and the Nom de Guerre pea coat. It is definitely worth click through at least a few of the 80+ pages to find an item or two you might need to have this fall. It seems like most lines have stepped up their production, and cut a fair bit of the weaker pieces from the line. Everything I’ve seen so far is looking really strong from these lines.
