Now in at Self Edge: Link
Category: Men’s Clothing (page 56 of 74)
Browsing through the December issue of Leon, I noticed that they picked down vests as their item of the month.
Wearing a down vest with a sportcoat or blazer is walking a fine line between looking nice and looking dumb, and they’re best left to more casual outfits.
When trying to dress up a down vest, stick to ones made with a wool shell and in a color that compliments the rest of your clothing.
Cashmere lined deerskin gloves from Paul Stuart, suede shearling gloves from Brooks Brothers, and knit gloves from Barbour. It’s okay to skimp on knit gloves, but like with shoes, avoid cheap leather gloves.
Pria scarves from Blackbird, and English made wool scarves from J.Crew. All are excellent values for under $75.
Cloaks have long since fallen out of favor for all but a few areas in Europe where they are still worn by the old and young alike. Hold your Seinfeld jokes until you’ve tried wearing one – on a cold foggy day where the rain turns into a fine mist, nothing can beat the luxury of having soft, comfortable wool draped around your body.
Though incredibly rare to see nowadays, some members of the USMC are also allowed to wear a special cloak with their evening dress uniforms.
1. The boatcloak, made of dark blue broadcloth material lined with scarlet wool broadcloth, is an optional item which may be worn by male officers and SNCOs with evening dress and blue dress “A”/”B” uniforms for official and social functions. It will not be worn when the blue dress uniform is worn as the uniform of the day.
2. The dress cape, made of dark blue polyester-wool tropical material lined with scarlet satin rayon cloth, is an optional item which may be worn by female officers and SNCOs with the evening dress and blue dress “A”/”B” uniforms for official and social functions. It will not be worn when the blue dress uniform is worn as the uniform of the day.
Only a handful of tailors and companies still specialize in making them. One among them is Tabarrificio Veneto of Compagnia Mercantile, who is also the same company behind the folksy Italian clothing line called Barena. The construction of some of these styles can be interesting, in that they can require between 5-6 meters of fabric, and must be cut into a near perfect circle.
Images from Men’s Mentore and GQ Style (Autumn/Winter 2008 issue).
Free & Easy’s November issue focuses on heavy duty and manly clothing inspired by movie archetypes. There are also sections on Lee Riders, varsity jackets, Americana clothing for kids (I’d like to see a whole issue just for this topic), and Rocky Mountain Feather Bed down vests.
Superior Labor’s FW2009 stuff is now getting to some Japanese retailers, and it looks like they’re adding much more work and outdoor focused clothing to go with their usual set of bags. Pictures from Yield, Garden, Lock Stock, Casanova, and Pas De Chat.
First up – new boots!
Spotted in the November 2009 issue of Free & Easy.
Available at WTD&W/E. (or maybe you can just have Inverallan make you one)
Blackbird is now carrying some models from Quoddy at their Field House store: three blucher styles in brown, black, and navy, black ring boots, and black chukka deck boots. All with camp soles.
Update: They’re now available to purchase online.
(the pair I picked up)
First up, a piece on expensive denim in today’s economy: Link
“It was all just a fad,” said Jeff Rudes, a founder of the hot-denim-label-du-jour J Brand Jeans and an astute observer of the suspiciously inflated prices of fashion’s most eternally reinvented staple. Like any commodity that becomes overpriced, there eventually comes a market correction. And denim’s day of reckoning was long overdue.
Thoughts: A “crash” in designer denim prices was indeed very long overdue, and the only jeans that will continue to do well past the $300 mark will be those that are sold to denimheads (a very niche market to begin with).
And the second piece on “power” jeans: Link
When Dmitry Medvedev dined with the Obamas in July, the Russian president appeared both relaxed and powerful. He hit that elusive note by pairing his fine blazer, crisp buttoned shirt, and expensive-looking leather-soled shoes with dark, straight jeans.
Power jeans are increasingly common in high-ranking business and political circles. Indeed, jeans are now a legitimate part of the global power-dress lexicon, worn to influential confabs where the wearers want to signal they’re serious—but not fussy—and innovative.
FFS! That elusive note they’re hitting is not one that exudes a look of power and seriousness, but of a man who do not know how to dress himself. Just because you can wear denim with a sportcoat does not mean you should!
I took a short trip up to Ballard this morning to check out Blackbird’s fun new shop called “The Field House”. Along with their selection of Woolrich, Filson, and RRL, they’re also selling locally crafted goods and small vintage items. Read on to see more pictures.
Address:
5465 Leary Avenue NW
Seattle, WA 98107
