Men’s Clothing | Mister Crew

July 12, 2010

The Business of Selling Luxury Online

There was an article in yesterday’s NYTimes on how some luxury companies are rethinking their plans for online retailing:

In the genteel world of luxury, companies long felt that the Web was no place for merchandising exclusive products. And there was a gentlemen’s agreement with department stores not to siphon sales by reaching out directly to wealthy customers.

Then, in came the recession, and out went the niceties. Department stores slashed prices on $1,200 handbags, while luxury lines fretted about losing their exclusivity. Now, come September, marcjacobs.com is going retail, 10 years after most brands opened Web showrooms.

Selling high end goods online no longer carries the same negative connotation it was once had and companies can be successful if they’re smart about it. Third party companies such as Gilt and Yoox will also become much larger players in this area, and I would expect that we’ll soon see more designers working directly with them to use their existing platforms instead of rolling out their own.

Continue reading more.

July 12, 2010

Aubercy’s Button Boots

New in at Leffot, button boots from Aubercy. They’re about as unique as they are arcane, and these types of boots are nowadays only produced by small manufacturers due to their niche demand. If you’d like to see a visual guide of how to use a button hook, Japanese store Otsuka has a pictorial.

Here’s another modern pair from J.M. Weston, once featured in the now defunct Last magazine:
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They were much more common during the 19th century, but slowly fell out of favor as laced boots and oxfords became more accepted in fashion circles. Even then shoemakers were always trying to come up with different methods to make them easier to put on.

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Below, an illustration of a shoe laster working on a pair of button boots. From Harper’s Magazine, 1885.

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On the left, Ernest Shackleton wearing button boots with formal wear.

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July 9, 2010

Engineered Garments Fall/Winter 2010 Preview

Houyhnhnm has a preview of some of the new Bedford jackets in the Engineered Garments Fall/Winter collection, one in a variated knit pattern and the other in a windowpane fabric.

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Also – I missed this from earlier this year, but the Non-No guys seem to have gotten a shot of the new leather jackets (below on the right). On the left is a blanket lined parka and a blue quilted vest.

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Hopefully the lookbook for the full collection will be released publicly soon, and we can probably expect that they’ll start shipping things within the next month or two.

Update: Nepenthes has updated their site with a new journal for this week showing a few more items including a nice plaid workshirt (the pattern is much more wearable than the bright ones from last year) and a new corduroy Irving vest.

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Update 2: The Fall/Winter 2010 lookbook is now out.

July 8, 2010

Free & Easy’s Jacket Run

Taking inspiration from the latest tweed runs, Free & Easy came up with a “Jacket Run” version for summer in their July issue where they focus on using lighter fabrics. Lots of great classic bikes and accessories are included.

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jacket_run_02 Read more

July 7, 2010

Bermuda Shorts

Reading a recent post on shorts over on HTJ, I was reminded of the similar photos from LIFE. The pictures only tell half of the story though, so I went digging for the actual issue that reported on the trend.

“Thirsty cluster of patrons in P.J. Clarke’s saloon on Manhattan’s Third Avenue often includes male shorts-wearers. Custom began among young men who wore shorts for Sunday afternoon lounging at home, kept them on as they wandered out to neighborhood bars.”

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“Correct outfits require long wool socks, here include cotton shorts($10) worn with a madras jacket ($32, both Brooks Brothers), worsted shorts ($17) and Argylls ($13, both Fenn-Feinstein).”

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Continue reading more.

July 6, 2010

Colorful Inspirations

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July 6, 2010

Linen Caps

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July 5, 2010

Victim Fall/Winter 2010

Victim has begun to update its website with items from their fall/winter 2010 collection. Highlights are the worker jackets, the club collar workshirts, and aviator pants. More pieces will show up over the next couple of months to round out the selection.
victim_fw10_03 Read more

July 4, 2010

Frank Muytjens in Menswear Magazine

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The newly resurrected Menswear magazine has an interview with Frank Muytjens. Here are some excerpts, questions by Jean E. Palmieri:

How do you come up with novelty, given the inherent limits of men’s wear?
Men’s wear is almost like a framework. All the shapes are there and you can tweak them, but you have to keep it understandable. You want a guy to recognize it. There are only so elements you can play with. That’s a challenge, but it’s also what I find interesting.

Which artists inspire you?
Many. [Constantin] Brancusi, Fairfield Porter – he’s a great American painter. The Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen – I love his clean lines. The photography of Irving Penn… I also look at nature. I love the California coast – Big Sur, Muir Woods. I’ve always been a bit of an outdoorsy guy, and that translates well [in my designs]. Nothing is too precious or too elegant – there should always be a tougher, masculine edge to it.

Who are your style icons?
They’re all dead, but I love Montgomery Clift and how he dressed, Jacques Cousteau’s striped Ts, The Clash, and Brancusi – he had great style. With people like this, it seemed more genuine, less thought out. There were no hair and makeup people. It’s hard to see personal style anymore.

What’s up next?
For fall, we have Crescent Down Works and Russell Moccasins. [Russell’s] factory is about as big as this room, and their process has been in place for such a long time now. It makes me appreciate the craftmanship even more because you know what’s behind it.

On a side note, the first issue of Menswear is pretty decent and has some interesting profiles on several different designers and companies along with current industry trends – pick it up at your local Barnes & Noble. I know I’ve spent six dollars on worse things.

Related post: Frank Muytjens in Free & Easy

July 3, 2010

Weekly Roundup

Some things from last week that you might have missed if you’re not following me on twitter:

– Shorpy has put together a fun gallery of digitally colorized black and white photos. Pictured above, Birth of the American Flag – and the original version.

– Legion, Coggles, Blackbird, Mohawk, and Stuart & Wright have started their seasonal sales.

– End Clothing has posted some pictures from their Pitti buying trip. Includes some peeks at next year’s collections from Engineered Garments, Yuketen, Nigel Cabourn, and more.

– From the NYTimes, there’s a good profile on the man behind Best Made Co. and an opinion piece on the wimp effect in men’s fashion.

– Billy Reid needs a new pair of shoes.

Mister Crew

A collection of things on men's clothing and culture

Category: Men’s Clothing (page 29 of 74)