Porter x Monocle Collection

While these bags aren’t breaking news, with the opening of the Monocle store in London and the release of the bags through All Beams I thought I would highlight these great pieces. The stripped down look, minimal outer pockets and fine details make these Porter bags a little bit special. It’s nothing short of impressive what Monocle and Tyler Brule have accomplished within such a short period of time. While magazines are loosing money and going out of business they continue to push the limits and definition of what a magazine is. Product collaborators, retailers and continuous projects and small publications that really add a lot of value to the magazine itself. The Porter bags reflect that a bit with the multiple bags that come with the large duffle, weekender and short hauler. Each Porter x Monocle bag comes with a selection of smaller laptop cases, shoe bag, pencil case and more. The black and army green are great color choices and the leather detailing on the handles and hang tags is a great accent. Overall the project was perfectly executed and the collaboration of Monocle and Porter only keeps me more optimistic for the (y) x Porter collection.

Ralph Lauren Suspenders

Suspenders are another interesting accessory that I have only worn maybe once or twice in my entire life, and they were both while in the teen years. I do think that suspenders can look really cool, really classic and can generally be a sublte item that makes you stand out. I think that might be easier to wear than bow ties, at least for me personally. Similar to neck ties there are a lot of options for patterns, materials and colors. These Ralph Lauren joints are looking pretty fresh to me with the nice leather details. I also heard that Alexander Olch might be doing his own suspenders for the new year so that would be an interesting option. I definitely could see suspenders popping up a bit more in the next few months.

Surface 2 Air Bag Collection

I’ve definitely mentioned the Surface 2 Air bags before but I thought I would take the time to put together a look at all of my favorites from the fall collection. The incredible soft leather looks amazing on the shelf and even better with some wear. They did a perfect job with the subtle brand stamp on the leather which seems to fade away with wear as I’ve seen in pictures. The duffle bag, weekender and short hauler styles are nearly perfect, the only thing I might change is increasing the size slightly. Surface 2 Air also did a great job with the colors using mostly black while only stepping out with a sort of olive tone and a navy. I don’t know if there is another soft good clothing line, let alone bag maker that has such a nice leather collection right now. While the prices aren’t cheap, they also aren’t outrageous. Going from around $350-600 they could bring you a few years of looking great and carrying convenience.

Margiela Hobo Gloves

Some of my favorite gloves this fall are these hobo style, finger flap gloves. Rag & Bone did a great cashmere version but apparently only one size and they fit me a little big. Margiela also has a great looking pair in a simple black color with the classic signature stitching. These gloves are more comfortable than good looking but they look good enough to wear with pretty much anything. Although I haven’t put my hands inside them, I have a feeling they might be pretty soft and you might not want to take your hands out. Thats another benefit of the finger flap, you can peel that top back if you want to have a snack or give your fingers some air. I’m not sure where these are available but I’d be interested to find out along with the price.

J. Mills Gear Bag

While the difference between tote bag and gear bag only seems to be the size and length of the handles, I would have to go with the gear back as my top choice. I like being able to carry my tote on my shoulder a lot, either if its heavy or I’m trying to drink a coffee and operate my iPod while on the move. I like the look of the red on white with the J. Mills gear bag quite a bit. Still classic enough with a little pop. It would look pretty nice all year around after a little beating. J. Mills feel pretty strongly they make some of the best bags around and I couldn’t argue with the prices. The gear bag runs about $54 and would hold everything I need, plus my tripod which I hate having to carry around outside of my bag. Did I mention they offer a lifetime warranty on every item and also how sweet the American list is?

Melton Wool

Melton wool has become one of the most classic materials for garment construction and especially outerwear. Traditionally coming in a 32oz weight, Melton wool was used in a lot of uniforms for militaries in cooler climates like Britain as well as out at sea. The thick tightly woven wool has a heavily brushed nap giving the fabric a smooth finish with no warp or weft yarns visible which made the uniforms and pea coats look sharp. There was also a 24 oz weight used for both civilian and military outer garments in several nations from the 17th to the 20th century. Once the Melton wool began getting incorporated into modern suiting the weight was dropped down to around 16oz where we see a lot of today’s sport coats and vests along with some outerwear like overcoats and pea coats. This fall melton wool has made an bit of a resurgence with the Americana aesthetic combined with the preppy suiting that has taken a more casual winter approach. Band of Outsiders, Juyna Wantanabe and Engineered Garments of done some of the finest work with the material in my opinion although there are several brands something up with new and traditional looks.

Alexander Olch Collection

I know I’ve been blogging a bit on Alexander Olch and here’s another one. One thing I love is a really nice product but when it’s displayed in such a perfect way, I love it even more. This old case suits Mr. Olch’s fall collection just about perfectly right now in Lark. As they admitted they went a bit overboard with ordering but it’s hard not to when every piece looks like this. Hand knit wools, cashmere’s, bow ties all in great colors and patterns. Herringbone, plaid and straight wool are no doubt in right now, but will they ever not be? I think you can bank on these ties being good forever. They are a very nice width, fairly slim without falling into the skinny tie category. These actually make me want to wear a tie everyday, maybe even a bow tie…well probably not but they can look great on you. Prices range from about $130-185 I believe. That perfect grey is sitting there waiting for you Zack.

R.L.F.C. Scarves

While I’ve always liked Football Club scarves I’ve falling off my avid football watching and following. These days I just wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing an Arsenal Gunners scarf since I haven’t been paying attention enough. So that brings me to the next best option, this Ralph Lauren Football club piece. All of the same designs and aesthetic feel without having to have knowledge of who the leading onion bagger is at the moment or who’s injured. It comes in a dark forest green but I find the black is definitely the most diverse when you bring the pattern into the mix. Ralph Lauren did a very nice job not taking the FC scarf over the top as well which I’ve seen happen on occasion, even but the clubs themselves.

Filson Wool Bags

Filson and their bags probably don’t really need any more plaudits but I’m really feeling their wool bags which are new to me. The tin cloth bags are simple and light, but I’m not a big fan of the nylon straps and handles. You can’t really knock the classic canvas bags. Simple, well made, functional and they look good, although I can’t help but think that I’d feel like one of the Desert Rats with the classic tan which is the best colour. That’s where these wool jawns come in. The wonders of plaid, give the Yukon wool a little something extra. I’d much rather feel like I was escaping the urban metropolis to my fly fishing cottage than storming a Nazi trench in 1939 Egypt. The wool is a solid addition to the already awesome Filson luggage line. Read more

Porter Shoulder Bag

One of the bags I never really get too excited about is shoulder bags. I find the look of duffles, totes and ruck sacks a lot more appealing to me, while a shoulder bag might be realistically more function. The storage capabilities and weight distribution both work better, if you’re ridding a bike it works pretty well. Still something about the look isn’t as classic to me, until you find the right bag. J. Crew’s leather mail bag is a great choice, along with the Purple Label piece on eBay right now for $700+. A more reasonable and no less cool option is Porter’s shoulder bag from the “Heat” collection. It’s made with industrial use tarpaulin and case leather with a tough look besides the varister nylon which is used for bullet-proof jacket for its abrasion quality and heat resistance. With some nice detailing, a diverse color and good quality, the shoulder bag isn’t looking too bad.

Mister Freedom “The Last Cruise, Salty Years”

The collection by Mister Freedom under the Sugar Cane name is definitely impressive. From the conception to the treatments, to the items themselves. Then the guys at Self Edge took it to the next level. Sidney Lo behind the lens with fellow Superfuture members casted as the salty sailors for the photo shoot. But that wasn’t enough, they had to take the images and treat them to portray the true feeling and essence of the products. The Last Cruise, Salty Years focuses on extreme weather gear, custom Naval Tailor-made products with a certain twist and history. The ‘Liberty Issue’ refers to the aftermarket tailoring and special cuts that weren’t actually allowed by the officers and were secretly hidden and were only show while on shore. The products themselves are beautiful as well. My personally favorite is the Four Weather Coat modeling by Sidney. Overall from Sugar Cane, Mister Freedom and Self Edge this project is incredibly well done. It’s great to see North Americans being able to keep the Japanese level of quality and story telling going in our market.

A.P.C. Cotton Belts

I am definitely liking D ring belts right now, however finding the perfect one is still seemingly like a hard task. These cotton belts by A.P.C. are a nice looking option and for only 40 Euros they are pretty reasonable on the bank. They would definitely be easy to wear with the majority of the outfits I put together daily. Since there isn’t a lot of variation going on. Either wool pants, washed out denim or chinos, I could get away with the brown or black colors in with most pants and shirts. A.P.C. definitely continues to be one of my favorite brands from the bottom to the top. They have great footwear, classic denim, outerwear, shirts and accessories. It’s hard to find anybody else doing it so well throughout the entire collection.

Plaid for the Paid

I kind of skipped over this article by the NY Times on plaid and it’s place in menswear today. I don’t know why, I figured if everybody else blogged it, I’m not going to, and if I’m not blogging it, it must not be that great. Well I was wrong. These looks, photography and pieces are beautiful. They absolutely killed it. Dean Isidro did a nice job on the photos but I want to know who the stylist is, I think they deserve some real credit here because putting together multiple plaids like this is not an easy task (also good casting on the model). There are several really good pieces in the spread but the Junya Watanabe for Comme des Garçons oxford cotton shirt with plaid wool patches had me going bonkers and scouring the Internet for the last 25 minutes. It’s crazy and I want it, or at least to get a better look at it. Anyways with a few exceptions a lot of the items are quite expensive and unrealistically going to be purchased by me or readers of this blog, but that doesn’t mean these images can’t serve as some great inspiration to see what you can come up with on budget. Click the image to see the best shots together.

Rag & Bone Tote

Something about putting a leather bottom on a bag looks great to me. It gets worn in quickly, looks really nice in black or brown, keeps the bottom of the bag tough and your stuff a bit more safe, and of course costs more. These tote bags by Rag & Bone aren’t too cheap for a tote bag at $375. They are fairly big, made of wool, leather and canvas, look great, probably would last forever and did I mention look great? There are definitely a lot of options on the market these days, most people are fairly price conscious so this might be tough to pull the trigger on. I prefer the navy color myself with the black leather and straps, the patch tag is another favorite of mine. It’s one of the only forms of external branding I like.

Filson Factory

Charles Peterson published some beautiful shots of the Filson Factory in Seattle, which apparently lies behind the flagship retail location. The images are really nice and give an interesting look into not only the process, but the people who are making the pieces which have found a new popularity high in menswear. You can’t help but noticed the Asian presence in the shop, since there isn’t one white guy in the whole place to be seen. I don’t know what I expected, the old guy who started Filson bent over with leather for skin and a huge beard maybe? While the company is a traditional American brand and relies completely on it’s heritage for it’s image, it appears it is fueled by the faces and people of the new, extremely diverse America. I wish I had thought about driving down to the factory for this photo shoot, it looks beautiful.

Info via Selectism - A couple of my favorite shots if you Read more