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.
Mountain Research @ Garbstore
The Research lines from Japan are some of the nicest that haven’t made it out and back to their homeland of inspiration. Unfortunately the Mountain Research line still hasn’t made it to North America but it’s a little bit closer now that it’s carried at Garbstore. They still have stock from the summer and fall but they are just receiving some great pieces this week which are looking great. One happens to be the Beford looking coat, along with an interesting long tail wool coat and some nice looking more technical outerwear, the Mountain Research hasn’t stopped impressing. Check out the packaging for each of the jackets as well, definitely on another level. Judging from the prices of the items in the Garbstore shop, these shouldn’t actually be too bad.
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.
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.
Cotton Tweed Vest by 45rpm
I am not sure about the spending habits and financial capabilities of all of the readers out there but I doubt that buying 45rpm is an every day or even every season occurrence for most of us. This beautifully worn in, comfortable, wearable, cozy cotton tweed vest runs a cool $635. While it is of the highest quality and looks beautiful, it’s got to be hard to spend that amount of dough on a vest that I know I wouldn’t be wearing everyday…forever. R by 45rpm has a really nice collection and a beautiful space in New York, I’d be interested to find out who their main clientele are and if they are from North America.
Russell Moccasin Co. Sarfari Boots
After checking out Michael’s ‘American List‘ I thought to myself, jackpot thanks for all the easy blog posts I could now source out. Although there are hundreds of great items, I found myself drawn to these boots by Russell Moccasin Co. Not necessarily because I like them more than other, but I thought the design was kind of weird. The stitching that goes all the way around the lower part of the shoe seems odd to me and doesn’t mesh well with the ridge that follows the toe cap area. I do like the mix of leather and suede however, the height of the boot, the eyelets, and cushioned top. I think if I owned these however they would be saved for the actual forest and wouldn’t get much play in the city.
Nom de Guerre Interview
If you missed the interview I did with Nom de Guerre in issue six, then go back and read it. Under Features > Archives. But after you’ve done that head over to We Are The Market and find out whats up. They just did a pretty interesting interview with Nom de Guerre as well as a couple other designers recently. The blog also has a good post on how men’s retailers are still holding on while spending in general has come to a stand still. We Are the Market is definitely a busy blog putting up a variety of content and for the most part it’s all good. It’s hard to say what font size you’re going to be reading but the content is definitely going to be interesting.
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
Supreme Down Leather
Supreme produces some of the best outerwear for some really fair prices. This parka is one of the better looking jackets I’ve seen, I really like the color, the hood, the lining and the clean pockets. The soft lambskin is down filled to make sure you stay warm in those chilly NYC winters so you can bank of them holding up pretty much anywhere else. Supreme drop a nice leather or two every winter but it seems like the tag of $598 is particularly good. For a jacket you will be wearing for multiple years, that seems like a pretty solid deal. The hard part will be actually getting it as for most Supreme pieces. There is only a medium left on the website now. It also comes in black for those opposed to the brown.
J.W. Hulme Bags
Just when you thought there was enough hunting, travel inspired bags produced in the USA traditionally for Americans, here’s another one. J.W. Hulme has an extensive collection of bags from totes, to several duffles to the hottest item, the riffle holder. I really like canvas and leather together on a bag so these bags naturally caught my eye. High quality, functional, look good, and affordable. All pretty good characteristics for the bag company to have. While J.W. Hulme is very American in it’s production and look, I actually found a couple pieces of the collection in one of those weird Japanese shops that carries Americana style gear. After I tracked it back to the origin, I found that company has been around for over 100 years now and is still located in St Paul, Minnesota. The company was started to help prepare the US for the war with tents and has since moved to the high end functional hunting and travel pieces we now see.
Porter Quo Vadis Leather Covers
With more and more people carrying moleskins, notepads, Behance products and everything in between, why not keep them stored safely and in style. These Porter covers are extremely classic looking with the dark leathers. The pen holder is also a nice touch, I hate having to dig through my bag for a pen when I’m quickly trying to record an idea or number. There are a lot of tools that help you to stay organized and this Porter piece helps you keep things looking good at the same time. These are far from a necessity, but definitely something I’d use if I had.
Post Overall Vest
This is another vest that I’m felling, it kind of combines a couple piece I really like, the chambray shirt and the suiting vest we’ve seen from the likes of Engineered Garments, but this one has an extra rugged feel that just needs to be worn out. I really like the rounded button detail, the colors and the overall look. While I think I might have found my fall vest option, by Rogues Gallery, this piece by Post Overall definitely continues the belief that Japan kills the Americana market. Why can’t these lines come to North America? Why don’t they sell to Odin? Self Edge? and other retailers more than capable then selling their products? It is something I think we will see in the near future.
