I ordered one of these not long after they went on sale online, hoping that it would be decent enough for a budget roll neck to layer with for the season. The fit is the same as their other sweaters, but the wool-jersey blend that they’re using for this is pretty uncomfortable, and not even in a regular lambswool kind of way.
My recommendation: don’t buy, and splurge on something nicer instead.
Ballard Honey is locally produced under unique arrangements: because the city limits the number of bee hives that a person can keep on a single lot, the Ballard Bee Company finds neighbors who are willing to host them in their backyards (or in the case of the Bastille restaurant, their rooftops). It is very clean tasting honey, and comes in a jar with an awesome label. Read more about it on Seattlest.
Made by a local food truck crew, bacon jam is a delicious concoction of meat and is also a great conversation starter. What is it, exactly?
we take a big bunch of really really good bacon, and render it down…add a bunch of spices..onions, etc..and let it simmer for about 6 hours…give it a quick puree, blast chill it…and you have bacon jam…
New jars are now labeled as “bacon spread” – it turns out that in order for these guys to sell it in stores, they cannot use the word “jam” to describe it (by law and in the eyes of the FDA, jam is very specific). Read more about bacon jam in T-Magazine.
A Nepenthes look, circa Fall 2007.
My Rugged 211 is a new book out in Japan by Minoru Onozato, the chief editor of Free & Easy, and it is essentially a visual reference guide to about 200 pieces of “rugged” clothing and gear from his own collection. Examples include well worn boots, some obscure military jackets, and a selection of surprising designer pieces sprinkled in. The two bonuses of the book: the photography is well done and Onozato focuses in on the details that make the items great, and that the text is published in both Japanese and English.
Is it a must buy? If you’re a vintage enthusiast, it would be a nice addition to your bookshelf, but for more regular folks I think the money spent on the book (it costs roughly $60-65 USD) would be better used on a few issues of Free & Easy instead, many of which will show some of the same pieces shown in the book.
If you’re curious on the format, several Japanese blogs have more pictures:
http://www.bhs-nyc.com/news/2010/09/my-rugged-211.php
http://blog.sweetroad.com/2010/09/my_rugged_211.html
http://ameblo.jp/ware-house/entry-10652465891.html
http://shop.plaza.rakuten.co.jp/vintage-works/diary/detail/201009170000/
Where to find it: contact your local Kinokuniya bookstore.
A new book called The Ivy Look was recently published over in Europe and reviews are starting to show up on the web.
From the Trad:
JP Gaul and Graham Marsh have make it their own again and this time they’re inviting everyone. The Ivy Look, like Take Ivy, is an appreciation of what many of us take for granted. Weejuns, button downs, khakis, Jazz, Horween cordovan. And unlike True Prep or the Official Preppy Handbook, the aesthetic here is a quiet whisper of traditional. What is best described as invisible but with style points for those in the know.
From modculture.co.uk:
Now I’m pretty sure both Mr Marsh and Mr Gall aren’t averse to talking about the appropriate rise of trousers, the hang of a jacket or the width of a lapel. The former has been a devotee of the look since mixing with stylish American illustrators in the early 60s, the latter a refugee from the 80s mod scene, inspired by Blue Note sleeves, vintage Esquire and the knowledge of Mr John Simons, a man who has kept ivy’s torch burning for the best part of 50 years. But they’re no fools either. As evangelists for the look, the pair have reined in the desire to preach to the converted, instead producing a fascinating introductory guide to the look, its history and its influence throughout the years and around the world.
From the Independent:
In the book there are numerous examples of how the Ivy look is best done. It’s Miles Davis in a green Oxford cloth button-down shirt on the cover of his 1958 album Milestones. It’s Steve McQueen in a pair of brown-suede crepe-soled boots in the 1968 film Bullitt. And it’s Paul Newman in 1956, displaying effortless Ivy style simply by virtue of his khaki trouser/corduroy jacket combination.
Also be sure to check out TinTin’s interview with the men behind the book (source of the image above). If you would like a copy you’ll have to go through a European bookseller for now.
I recently added a new Engineered Garments western shirt to my ongoing collection – a red mini pane on soft grey flannel. It’s available at Jack Straw in Seattle as part of the Fall/Winter 2010 collection, along with another version in solid white broadcloth.
Tattersall plaids from MAPS – no known stockists in the U.S.
Another one from Doo-Bop in a navy mini pane – Legion in LA is so far the only stockist that I’m aware of for this version in the U.S.
They’re continually difficult to find, so do not sleep on picking one up.
From Leon, issue December 2008. Patterned trousers might seem difficult, but they can be worked in by pairing them with a non-patterned solid sportcoat or jacket (likewise: when wearing a patterned sportcoat, switch to solid trousers).
Operation Pacific
The Enemy Below
Destination Tokyo
Hellcats of the Navy
Run Silent Run Deep
J.Crew has started to roll out some more goods for fall on its website: highlights include the Crescent Down Works vest, chamois shirts, tweed sport coats, plenty of interesting knitwear, and a pricey watch cap from Mister Freedom.
Update: I just tried to put an order through for the navy tweed sportcoat and they’re already out of stock in my size. Why does it feel like I continually run into inventory problems with J.Crew? It’s even worse in their retail stores.
From issues Vol. 12, No. 133 and 134.
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