The one thing to take away from this book: there is much more to style than just clothing.

Left – Drake’s snowflake patterned scarf. Right – Nigel Cabourn’s hooped scarf.

The snowflake patterned scarf from Drakes can be found through several online retailers – Mr. Porter, J.Crew (which also has the fair isle scarf), and Frans Boone (in the white/chalk base colorway).

The hooped scarf from Nigel Cabourn came in a few different colorways this season and are still available through many stockists. Its construction is very basic as far as an old-fashioned knit scarf goes, and this gives it a tendency to roll inward (a feature to love or hate). The only detail I could have done without is the leather patch, which will soon be fixed with a seam ripper.

In cases where I cannot decide on which color to pick, I usually just get both.

Saint James was also recently featured in Men’s File Issue 4 where they visited the factory and wrote a short piece about the manufacturing – apparently some the equipment is so old that punch card programming is still used. During their visit, they were able to check out a number of vintage sweaters shown below and it inspired the creation of two modern pieces for bikers and cyclists (both made by Saint James).

More reading – Archival Knitwear: Saint James Matelot

I hope Mr. Porter expands its selection over the next few seasons – ordering hats online is not quite ideal, but at least the company makes the return process easy if there are fit issues.

Extra reading material: Lock & Co. has a care guide [pdf] for its tweed hats. It’s interesting to note that they recommend a strong spirit such as lighter fluid to help clean stained spots.

“Harris Tweed has always resonated in the minds of the few. But increasingly the people of Harris and their traditional ways are striking a chord with the many. It is hard to think of another product so deeply connected to both the landscape in which it is born and the people who create it. It has life, this tweed: it is filled with life by those who weave it it, it is coloured by the land in which it lives.” – Patrick Grant, Norton & Sons

In the book, Lara Platman follows the production of Harris Tweed fabrics over the course of a year and along the way profiles many of the people who are involved in the process, from those raising and shearing the sheep, to those who inspect the final product before it’s shipped off to suppliers and designers. When I was finally able to sit down and go through it, I couldn’t help but think of my own Harris Tweed jackets and the work that went into them – likely many of craftsmen featured in the book could have worked on the very same fabrics that my jackets were made from.

Along with tweed fans, anyone in the industry who is in the business of selling Harris Tweed garments should have this book on hand. I don’t think there’s anything else quite like it that captures the entire production process into a single volume and presents it in such an appreciative way.

A few examples of the photography included in the book can be found through Platman’s photoshelter website and it can be easily ordered online through several sources.

Engineered Garments Flannel Workshirt
The Engineered Garments workshirt design is available in several cotton flannel patterns this season, and the one I picked out is as close as I’ll be able to get to the colorway used in the older flannel binocular shirts (years later I still regret not getting one). While it can be a bit too bold to wear on its own, it will be perfect for layering under other casual items like a corduroy Bedford and ripstop field vest. Where to find: a good variety of flannel workshirts are available through Blake, Drinkwater’s, and Inventory.

Other books include one on golf jackets, another on gardening fashion, and the fifth one called Telemark, which I’m guessing is a reference to a region of Norway and could possibly cover the country’s bunad. The sixth essay, After Dark, is another one by Nick Foulkes and will be published later this year.

Back to the two books I ordered – while very short, both were very well written and informative and I’d recommend them to anyone interested in obscure clothing topics. A few photo examples are also included, and the Duke of Windsor makes several appearances (his extensive wardrobe included both a Tryolean suit and several guayaberas). My only complaint that should be noted – the page layouts are terrible as the publisher chose a large 20 point font for the text. The costs of the books individually are a bit steep as well for what you get and I do not think I will order anymore until they hit the bargain book sections or until a single smaller volume is released.

The pockets contain leather dividers for spark plugs, tyre pressure gauge and spanners along with a pocket for the oily rag have all been specially placed within the suit…

Very appropriate for the Director of Design at Aston Martin. Also noteworthy – Lara Platman has a new book out on Harris Tweed which I first learned about through James at 10engines. I have a copy on the way from Amazon and hope to do a short review on it later this week.

Goodwood Revival, 2010. Photo by Peter Barwick.

- My favorite from this set is the sawtooth shirt made from dry finish tin cloth and oil finish tin cloth for the yokes and underside of the collar. Unusual for a Filson, it fits very slim all around (sleeves, armholes, chest, everything) – if you intend to wear it as a shirt jacket, you might want to size up.

- The hunting vest is great in its own quirky way. Slim fitting and made with a heavy denim, it is covered with pockets inside and out – size up if you’re going to wear it over a jacket.

- The tin cloth pants in the 505 cut are also interesting, but not enough for me to buy them. I wonder why they didn’t make 501’s instead? It seems like it would have been the obvious choice, but maybe that will come in a later round.

- The hunter trucker jacket is an odd combination. I didn’t try it on.

A view of the layout Filson has for the collection when you first walk into the store:

At home with the sawtooth shirt. Filson’s tin cloth, if you’re unfamiliar with it, is a strong durable fabric that is both wind and water resistant and is great for colder months – unfortunately it’s still summer and I won’t be able to wear it for at least another month or so, but at least that will give me some time to break it in.

A view of the oil finish tin cloth used under the collar and on the yokes. The choice of two fabrics provides a nice contrast.

Made in the USA.

Related Post: A look at the new Levi’s x Filson collection (the first set from last year).

I stopped by last week to check it out and I was impressed by the quality of what it sells as well as the background story behind each piece (the employees are very knowledgeable, and I’m sure it helps to be a sports nerd here). Despite an unassuming storefront and a location that would be easy to miss unless you walked right by it, a small but steady stream of customers were coming in and out during my visit, including many fathers out with their sons.

Some shots from the store – a selection of its famous wool flannel baseball jerseys:

A ground crew jacket.

Shirts and other jackets.

The lacing design on this hockey jersey is one my favorite details (they could also be found on some older football and rugby jerseys).

A cap for the Bustin’ Babes.

An early pillbox style cap for the Mudville Nine.

Besides the company’s own store and website, Ebbets Field made caps are now sold at a number of places: J.Crew, Imogene + Willie, Superdenim, and Inventory.

Sidenote: Baseball history enthusiasts might also like the well written Flannel of the Month blog, by Jerry Cohen (founder of Ebbets Field Flannels).

- If you’re in Seattle, Jack Straw received Bedford jackets in navy wool serge and brown corduroy, shawl collar vests, and 19th century button down shirts. (I snapped the picture of them above)
- Context just uploaded pictures of its first shipment including fair isle knit ties, a duffle jacket, and a few jersey pieces.
- The Nepenthes NYC store blog also has pictures of several new pieces and some updated versions of older designs (notably the upland vest).
- Update: Inventory now has a selection of field parkas, Bedford jackets, fair isle knit ties, and floral pieces.

Other great Japanese stores and resources that have received shipments: Engineered Garments Tokyo, Remix, Silver & Gold, Kink, and Dice & Dice.

More items too appear later…

The better looking items to keep an eye out for: the Pegasus jacket (a modified version of the Ursula jacket design), the fair isle patterned scarf and gloves, and the Melrose cardigan (assuming they didn’t stick Steve McQueen somewhere on it). Some of the shirts are also promising, just look for the slim fit versions if you can find them.

Related post: Julian Boots in Free & Easy

RRL mud stained hats.

Totem pole decorations.

Bronze art deco eagle bookends… I’ve been eying these for what seems like years. Still too pricey for an impulse buy though.

The Panamericana chairs are also noteworthy, and would fit in well with the interiors of many homes.

The faja belt and espadrilles – fun, in good taste, and affordable (the way it should be).

Two online stockists for IOAN: Mohawk General Store (where I ordered the items above) and Prime 135

A word of warning, though. While you can, and should, wear these trousers with a sport coat, they are not to be worn to work. These are occasion trousers and with that comes the responsibility of time and place. The time is summer. The place is near water and within arm’s reach of a G&T. Going sockless helps, and a half lined navy blazer in linen keeps you respectable, while the dash of Ray-Ban aviators kicks you into the classic GTH look. True devil-may-care attire always requires forethought.

The same advice could be said for GTH shorts, though you have more leeway in what to pair them up with – in my case I often go with a white linen button-down or polo shirt sans sport coat.

Where to find: Ralph Lauren, Rugby, and Gant (Rugger or Bastian) are good places to check. Engineered Garments will also usually have a few in its spring/summer collections as well, and from this current season I just received an exceptionally great pair in a red/white/blue floral print.

Mohawk General Store has a few pairs left on sale – the same fabric was also used to make a matching camp shirt, though I suggest not wearing them together.

Now I just have to wait for Seattle to break past its sweltering 68°F summer days before I can start wearing them (line borrowed from a Redhook ad).

Update: Nepenthes.co.jp now has a higher-res version.

A few items can be previewed over on the Nepenthes Osaka store blog as well as on flickr in sets from Très Bien Shop and End Clothing.