John Severson, founder of Surfer magazine, shares with LIFE magazine his views on work, success, and family in 1966.
“Each year when you go back to the surf, there is a certain amount of fear of the waves to conquer. Anyone who hasn’t been on the waves in quite a while and says he’s not afraid when he first returns is a liar.”
“I had an attache case once and found that the more I kept it around, the more things I found to put in it and bring home from the office. So I put it away and get along just fine without it.”
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Inspired by this post, I came across this gem below at the J.Crew store on Michigan Ave. in Chicago over the weekend.
The style number is 94532 and its price was a reasonable $58. Made in the USA is imprinted on the leather belt, but I’m not sure if that also includes the metal hardware. It’s awesome either way.
Posted in Men's Clothing | Tagged J.Crew
There is an interesting read on the business of maintaining fashion lines without their original designers in the WSJ today:
As luxury clothing begins to recover from an economic crisis that damped appetites for expensive goods, fashion houses are chipping away at the traditional model of all-powerful design chiefs that ruled for decades. Far from the unquestioned authority of famous designers such as Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton or Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, younger fashion houses are giving more power to the business side. The rationale: Clothes need to sell.
“Creativity has given way to product development,” says Christophe Rioux, director of the luxury and creation department at French business school ISC Paris School of Management. “Managers are trumping designers because what counts is profitability.”
Designer and creative director are interchangeable titles at most houses. But at Diesel they are now redefining creative director. He doesn’t have to draw, sew or execute any of the traditional craftsmanship of fashion. Rather, he must keep his finger on the pulse of trends and edit ideas—telling the design team what kind of look he wants in clothes, accessories or furniture.
For a fashion company, I would largely agree with Renzo Rosso on this. While there is certainly an interest in the artisanal aspect behind some brands, it is not why the majority of people buy into a line.
And on Martin Margiela:
Mr. Rosso began interviewing high-profile designers to replace him. But Mr. Rosso worried that a new designer would change the house’s image, so he decided to eliminate Mr. Margiela’s position and rely on the existing team.
“The consumer doesn’t care,” Mr. Rosso says, swiping a cigarette from a colleague. “They just want to see the right product at the right moment.”
Continue reading more. (will need a subscription)
From an issue of Last, a now defunct Japanese magazine on men’s shoes. Notice the Heinrich Dinkelacker made pair near the bottom, which have triple leather soles (somewhat of a signature of theirs). They have a small cult following, and are probably among the most clunkiest shoes that you can buy.
Thanks to Bill for pointing me to this preorder listing for Take Ivy on Amazon, which looks to be a reissue of the rare book. The details are still sparse, but if true it’s about time! (now suddenly watch the insane resale market for old copies plummet)
It’s also interesting to note that the listing has English for the language. Maybe it will be a translated version?
# Hardcover: 142 pages
# Publisher: pH Books (August 31, 2010)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 1576875504
# ISBN-13: 978-1576875506
Update: This is the real deal. The publisher is powerHouse Books and there will be a full English translation. Read more on powerhousearena.com.
Take Ivy is now considered a definitive document of this particular style, and rare original copies are highly sought after by “trad” devotees worldwide. A small-run reprint came out in Japan in 2006 and sold out almost immediately. Now, for the first time ever, powerHouse is reviving this classic tome with an all-new English translation. Ivy style has never been more popular, in Japan or stateside, proving its timeless and transcendent appeal. Take Ivy has survived the decades and is an essential object for anyone interested in the history or future of fashion.
Take Ivy cover scan via The Trad.
Drake’s of London now has some new ties for spring on their site in the raw silk variety, which can be great for adding an interesting texture to your outfit.
The new lightweight cashmere and linen scarves look perfect too.
J.Crew has just updated its website with some new goods including the long awaited red chambray utility shirt, a cotton shawl collar Aran style knit, the return of the waxed peacoat, and the black Mulholland Master jacket from Mister Freedom (below).
The March catalog is available online as well, and it looks like J.Crew and Monocle are going to be close buddies for the next month or two (what will be next? J.Crew x Ace Hotel?).
Posted in Men's Clothing | Tagged J.Crew
This interesting photo came up on one of the blogs for the Seattle Times today.
Taken in 1979, it supposedly shows the first espresso cart in the U.S.
Posted in Culture | Tagged Coffee, Seattle
New LVC is now finally getting to stores in the U.S. – it should be exciting, but I can’t help but feel cautious against these new attempts from Levi’s (I’ve been let down before by some of their other high end options one too many times).
Bill down at Craft summed up several common complaints heard about the line in the past in this post: has Levi’s addressed these at all? Are we [denim enthusiasts] supposed to buy them just because they’re Levi’s? In the $200-300 range, you have a lot of choices from other denim lines made by folks who are very passionate about it.
LVC is currently available online at Blackbird and Farinelli’s, and this thread on superfuture is a good resource for information.
As a PSA, Johnny Cash’s 6th and final album from the American Recordings is being released tomorrow (the tracks were recorded during the same sessions for American V: A Hundred Highways). Amazon seems to currently have the best price on it if you preorder.
From Lost Highway Records:
The songs on American VI are drawn from all over the musical landscape and from various eras, and include Sheryl Crow’s moving “Redemption Day,” close Cash friend Kris Kristofferson’s “For The Good Times,” “Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound” by Tom Paxton, Bob Nolan’s “Cool Water,” the hopeful “Last Night I had the Strangest Dream” by Ed McCurdy, J.H. Red Hayes and Jack Rhodes’s “Satisfied Mind,” Queen Lili’uokalani’s song of farewell, “Aloha Oe,” and the never before heard Cash original, “I Corinthians: 15:55,” written over the last three years of his life.
And a review from the Independent:
As with A Hundred Highways, the song selection lacks the shock value of earlier volumes in the series, eschewing transformative covers like Cash’s version of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” in favour of material that fits the ageing troubadour like well-worn-in boots. Once again, death stalks these songs, though this time it’s the singer’s own looming mortality, rather than the emotional trauma of his wife’s passing, which seems to haunt them. “Ain’t no grave can hold my body down,” sings Cash on the title-track, but the arrangement suggests otherwise, a funereal shuffle-slouch with plaintive banjo underpinned by sepulchral organ and a few portentous piano chords. Of course, it’s not Cash’s body that survives, but his art and his lingering stature as a giant of American music.
Posted in Culture | Tagged Johnny Cash
Here are a few shots I took of the new Highland jacket from Engineered Garments (previous post on it). The chambray fabric ended up being perfect for the warmer weather that we had in Seattle on Sunday.
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Not that Rogues Gallery, though the name did catch my eye when I was skimming through shelves at one of my local used bookstores this weekend. Published in 1969 by Edgar Parker, the children’s book has some fun illustrations that I couldn’t pass up.
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Posted in Books | Tagged Illustrations
