And right after my last post I found these awesome ring webbing belts. I will have to hunt one or both of them down.
They’re part of the Engineered Garments Spring/Summer 2010 collection. Image from nepenthes.co.jp.
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Spotted in this month’s J.Crew catalog – military webbing belts with slide buckles. I’m guessing that they’ll be selling them this season, along with the Mister Freedom belts that are on their site (and are currently sold out of).
If you’re looking for something to wear besides the usual leather or ribbon belts this spring, these would be a good alternative. Instead of spending $65 though, you can get nearly identical belts in a variety of colors from military surplus stores for much less.
The more expensive antiqued Mister Freedom webbing belts.
gr8gear.com by the way, is the web store for the famous Federal Army & Navy Surplus store in downtown Seattle and is where I purchased the navy colored belt above.
Before there were Bloods and Crips, there were the Lo-Lifes. They worshiped Ralph Lauren, and shoplifted as much Polo gear as they could. Their distinctive looks would later influence and define urban street fashion throughout the 90’s.
From vintagegearaddicts.com.
When we traveled, we would roll at least 50 or 60 deep and could be recognized by the rainbow of Ralph Lauren labels. By 1989, we grew and had members in the “90’z” (East Flatbush) and East New york. We would get all dressed up just to go out and commit crimes. Sometimes we would go to clubs wearing like 5 different polo shirts each. We would wear one on top of another and switch shirts. All night while walking around the nightclub, your prop status was rated on how much “Lo” you had and how big your heart was.
And from an article in Vibe, March 2005:
Many of these guys are now collectors, and if you ever see odd vintage Ralph Lauren items on ebay getting ridiculously high bids, it’s probably one of them.
Further Reading:
A History of the Lo-Lifes
Lo-Lifes Documentary Trailer
This last week I received the new canvas tote that J.Crew is selling from Superior Labor and I was able to take a few shots of it this morning after my errands at the Pike Place Market. The heavy duty canvas it’s made from is the same type used for 2way Engineer Tote, and on this they’ve also added an extra layer of it on the bottom of the bag. The cotton webbing handles are very sturdy, and are reinforced with extra stitching and rivets (which are also used to reinforce the seams along the sides). So far I’m very impressed with it, and feel that it’s a much better bag than the special Mister Freedom tote that J.Crew had previously.
Read more about it on jcrew.com.
Some things to look forward too…
Vintage Cotton Dry Fly Jacket
Carbon Durham Kagoule
Carbon Harrington Blouson
Read more
For the Seattle folks, our art museum will be hosting a series of Steve McQueen’s best movies over the next few months in the Plestcheeff Auditorium downtown. The first film, The Great Escape, will be shown tomorrow night.
More info on SAM’s website.
Denimaniac has some lookbook images from the Woolrich Woolen Mills Spring/Summer 2010 collection up and many of the outfits are similar to the ones they had at their Pitti presentation last year. This season’s theme is not really my thing, but there are a few items in there that interest me.
Related: Woolrich Woolen Mills SS2010 Preview from Bureau
See more on Denimaniac.
His Buildings Defined a Decade
Half a century is forever and no time at all – a blink of the eye in history that can change the world. The decades fly by, and it is hard to remember the heady optimism of the 1950s. We were a superpower on a fast track to the future. Time magazine had already proclaimed it the American Century in 1941. Doubt and irony were not in style.
With hindsight and revisionist scholarship, we can see a more complex picture; the ’50s were also a time of quiet subversion, when certainties were being shattered and the groundwork laid for the unrest of the ’60s and ’70s, for a societal and cultural revolution fed by the disillusionment of Vietnam and the rejection of established norms and ideals. We are just beginning to understand the full significance of what was happening and where it led.