And when I say useless, I mean useless to me. I haven’t owned or used a comb in over a decade - I always assumed that is what fingers were for - and I only have one key to speak of, so I literally just carry the key by itself in my pocket. Keeps me light and streamlined. But I have to tell you, Deluxe’s comb makes me want to get a haircut that suits using one and the key chain makes me want to own more things that keys belong to.
It’s a really great time to pick up items for some late season use, especially for those of us still stuck well under the freezing mark. It’s important when you are buying things this late in the season it’s not just for the great prices. You won’t have a lot of time to wear them so you have to make sure it’s something you will wear next winter as well. Ralph Lauren is always a great source for timeless items that you can get a lot of wear out of and they have a lot of really nice items on sale right now. Two of my favorites are pictured above.
The wool and apalca blend mockneck sweater is really nice. I normally would never endorse a mock but this one has more of the feel of a shawl collar sweater when left completely unbuttoned, otherwise you might as well get your dad’s zipper mockneck.
I also like their Preston cotton pant in navy. It has a great brushed cotton texture that gives it a refined comfortable feel that takes it beyond your typical chino. Also, it thankfully has no prewashed finishes keeping for a clean look.
I’ve had a bit of a crush on Joan Jett since Ninski sent me a link to photographer Brad Elterman’s website a few months ago leading me to post up these amazing photos of her. So besides the fact that The Runaways were a pretty ground-breaking band as far as female bands go, I was excited to see Elterman reporting of a movie being in production detailing their story. As of right now it’s hard to tell if the movie isn’t anything more than a glorified Runaways movie video, but I’m ok with that.
I’ve been in the search for the perfect brolly that doesn’t cost an arm and leg for quite a while. I’m particularly looking for something with a crook handle so I can hang it on my wrist when I need two hands. Golden Fleece’s Stick Brolly is a nice option. The tonal Black Fleece print adds a bit of texture with out being to in your face. But I’m not ready to purchase just yet. There a number of other options out there I would like to look over first.
I returned from the Los Angeles on the red-eye Monday morning just in time for Compass. And I have to say it was a great trip. I got to catch up with old friends and make some new ones.
I don’t get a lot of opportunities to cruise around with the windows down, or cruise around at all. So the first couple days of driving in LA are always a bit nostalgic for me until I get sick of having to get in a car to go everywhere. As always when visiting LA one of the first things I do is stop in at Amoeba Records to pick up a stack of used CD’s (yes CD’s) to listen to while cruising in my rental. Here is my snapshot review of the three worth mentioning here… Blakroc is overrated and over-produced. Clipse’s Til’ the Casket Drops is severely underrated. And XX is on point. So once I got my soundtrack set it was time to shop, eat, and drink.
I think that the first thing that hits you in the face if you’re shopping LA over the past few weeks are the huge sales. Especially for us from the East as all the Fall and Winter gear is deeply discounted right now. 75% off was the norm in most places. And with months of cold weather left here in NY, that worked out just fine for me. For the best sale selections head over to Douglas Fir, Opening Ceremony, and American Rag. They all had some really nice items albeit all with broken size runs. So it can be the luck of the draw.
The town was buzzing because of the Grammys, so restaurants and bars were packed with B-listers and stores were full of stylist picking items up for clients and backpack rappers turned actors. I love any city when it’s buzzing like that. Definitely not a good weekend to get a table at The Bazaar though.
Stand out shop in LA proper right now is Confederacy. What an amazing space! And a great product selection but really no sales to speak of. Just goes to show how a deep pocketed owner (Danny Masterson) can run a store with out desperation to bring in revenue.
I spent more time down in Venice and Santa Monica than I usually do. Was trying to get the sun there to wash the NY cold off of me. Santa Monica is decidedly unfashionable but relaxed, a good place to meet up with some buddy’s for beers. But Abbot Kinney in Venice was the real star. The boulevard continues to transform itself into a must on any trip. I stopped in at Stronghold and fell in love. The building alone is worth seeing. It’s so out of place and oddly strange in Venice. It looks like a miniature red-brick factory building with a Spanish-style terracotta shingled roof. Apparently, the building was a boxing gym before they turned it into retail.
While I was there (spent probably a couple hours in the store) I had a pair of the slims modified for me. Slight taper, an extra 2 inches on the hem for a nice cuff, and suspender buttons (Thanks Carolina!). The denim is a great deep blue raw selvage with some give. They were straight off the line and weren’t even on the racks when I walked in. They’re in transit to me as I write this and really looking forward to wearing them in.
Some quick notes on some labels or brands that are not new but impressed me were Apolis Activism, RRL (specifically the shop on Melrose), BD Baggies, and the Spring Y3 footwear and accessories collection is killer. An industrial desingers dream. I’ve always thought it was the best and most consistent of the fashion + athletic collab lines out there, but with this one they truly get all my respect.
I’m not sure how Billy Reid makes money, but I hope he is able to continue to do what he does for a really long time. I suppose that’s what his recent move into wholesale will help him do though. His product doesn’t get a lot of play on the web, except for maybe here, because it’s product you have to wear to truly appreciate. I love his traditional and pure design ethos. I know the tag “clothes you can wear forever” gets thrown around way too much these days, but what he does truly is timeless.
Q.Which article of clothing would you encase in glass if you didn’t love wearing it so much?
A. That would probably would be the first pair of boots we made. A dark brown cordovan roper style with sturdy welt construction. I’ve had them resoled three times.
I understand that you were born in Louisiana and had worked in your mother’s boutique, eventually moving on to Saks as a young executive, and then spearheading the Greg Norman line for Reebok. You’ve also worked with Fruit of the Loom, Neiman Marcus and JC Penney, while operating your own marketing company. When did the crossover into design occur?
Actually, I was very fortunate to work in situations where I could always be a part of the creative process. Twenty-three years ago, I began at Reebok, where I worked with a handful of folks to help launch Greg Norman, which gave me the opportunity to travel the world developing product. The “marketing company” actually was freelance design work — “marketing company” sounds more official. So basically I’ve been on the design side for quite some time. I have had first-hand exposure to several sides of the business; ultimately, all these experiences have helped me have a more thorough understanding of the industry and processes.
What is the concept behind Billy Reid?
I design things I want to wear and that fit into my likes and dislikes and my life. I like natural things, so we use no synthetics throughout the collection. I like the outdoors and getting my hands dirty. I am a traditionalist at heart, like old-fashioned techniques and have a fond love of antiques. I am a Southerner and that certainly influences my life and work. So, if you put these things in a blender, the result is the concept, or collection. It starts with classic American clothing, and I try to take it in a modern direction that stays true to the traditional.
With the surge of popularity in classic men’s workwear, conservative suiting and a general return to quality garments — American-made and built to last — would you consider this trend tied to the economy? Have young rural and suburban transplants to New York fueled this interest in “authenticity”?
Yes to all. I think our generation saw the fall of the United States apparel manufacturing industry after Nafta. Mass production, for the most part, went away with Nafta, so factories have had to rethink how to exist. What we’re experiencing now is a revival of quality and authenticity and a new way for America to compete. This in turn can create a new opportunity for our design community. It is a very marketable proposition and one that I hope continues to build.
With all the collaborations going on between heritage brands and newer labels, do you have any intentions of following suit?
When the collaboration is right for all involved and feels like a natural fit, then to me it makes sense. We would certainly welcome the right project with a like-minded partner. For example, we are working with Stetson this coming fall to create a limited-edition collection of headwear and accessories inspired by our love of American workwear. We’re using turn-of-the-century deadstock materials, mixed with Louisiana nutria and waxed cottons. This idea is to marry their heritage with our perspective on the functional outdoor products.
You live in Florence, Ala., but are frequently in New York to visit your shop on Bond Street. How do you spend your time here?
I spend most of my time in the East Village or near our shop, and during the day I bounce from factory to factory in the garment center. I’ve got a few local hangouts like Great Jones, 11th Street Bar, Think Coffee, Dashwood Books, the Smile and the Bowery Hotel that I visit from time to time.
If I were to visit Florence, where would you suggest I go?
Our area has a rich music heritage — the Stones, Dylan, Aretha, Lynyrd Skynyrd and thousands of other notables recorded here. Sam Phillips and W.C. Handy are from here. So some music studio tours would be fun. We have a beautiful historic downtown with a little sandwich shop, Trowbridge’s, which hasn’t changed since 1918. Also, we are on the Tennessee River, so some time on the water would be a nice treat as well. We love it here, which is why we choose it is as home base.
It’s obvious that the South is a big part of your life and an influence in your work. From where else do you draw your inspiration?
Life experiences, whether travel, a few days in the woods, spending time in our local library just hanging, music of all kinds, photography new and old. I guess inspiration comes from everywhere if you let it.
What’s your opinion on linen or white after Labor Day?
My mother would say absolutely not! However, I’ve used linen mixed with wool for certain washed techniques that seem right for early fall. White, other than a shirt, is probably a stretch unless you’re in West Palm.
Yes, trade shows… for the most part they really suck. The dog and pony show at the shows and the whole after party thing is so tired that the best part about trade shows coming to town are all the great friends that roll through NYC during the week. It’s great to have an opportunity to hang out over a few drinks and good conversation.
Just about the only trade show that doesn’t make my skin crawl is Capsule which just concluded last night. It’s the first one I have not attended. I just decided on Monday morning when I woke up that I just didn’t feel like hanging around ‘fashion’ people (I know I’m a self hating mother fucker).
Luckily, the whole web was there for me (us), ready to disperse the information across the blogosphere with their take or a regurgitation of someones elses take on what was worth seeing.
One man who is definitely not regurgitating someone else’s point of view is my boy Chuck Welch who is behind RUPTUREreport. I’ve been sleeping on giving Chuck a plug here for months but if you haven’t visited his site, give it a try. Chuck put up a good little recap on what he saw at Capsule this week. And by the sounds of it and from the looks of what has been on the blogs, there wasn’t much newness being shown.
All that being said, after I visit LA next week I have commited to being at Compass next month. What can I say, a man has to work.
I wanted to provide our readers with information on how you can help assist with disaster relief in Haiti. There are many organizations that are helping, but we want to recommend the following for the information they provide, the assistance they send to the affected regions and their ability to accept donations specifically directed towards Haitian Earthquake relief.
We send our thoughts and well wishes to any of you with family or friends in the areas affected by the recent events.
Red Cross - You can go to their website or you can text “HAITI” to “90999″ and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts and charged to your cell phone bill. (verified by the U.S. State department)
I travel oversees more than the average, so I spend a lot of time trapped in the cabin of a jetliner. However much I enjoy travelling I don’t necessarily love the experience getting there, which is why any experienced traveller figures out all kinds of little tricks to make themselves more comfortable on long flights. As comfortable as business class looks it can get old on a 15 hour flight, which brings me to this nifty piece of footwear from Harrys of London.
One of the first things I like to do when I settle into my seat for a long flight is slip off my shoes and put on the socks that come in the complimentary travel case, but unlike many, when I walk around the cabin to get a snack or use the wash room I slip my shoes back on. I’ve seen way too many travelers do all these things in their socks, which honestly is pretty disgusting.
The Jet Moc, which is a cross between a driving moc and a slipper, could be a nice alternative for having to slip on my shoes. They are designed to be as comfortable as slippers but have a very thin rubber outsole they call a “Skin”. This makes them comfortable enough to sleep in and protect you feet as you walk about and stretch your legs. But at £275, they are quite the investment.
I don’t know why I’m so amused by this, but if you need a chuckle check out dontevenreply.com. Here’s a sample of his latest post.
Original ad:
Trustworthy and reliable pet sitter available in the area to watch your pets. Your pet will be in good hands and treated with care while you are away. Rates vary - email to discuss.
From Me to **********@**********.org
Hey, I am away on vacation with my girlfriend for two weeks and completely forgot about her pet fish. Would you be able to go to my house and feed him every day? Normally I wouldn’t let a stranger go into my house, but I am desperate and you seem trustworthy. What is your rate? I can pay you online via PayPal, or just give you cash when I get back. - Mike
From Jennifer ********* to Me:
Hi Mike, Of course I can take care of your fish but I have a few questions first:
- Where do you live? Is there a spare key/garage code/whhatever so I can get in?
- What kind of fish is it and how big is the tank? (If it is a small fish bowl then I can care for the fish at my house)
- Any special instructions for feeding the fish?
My rate for small pets such as fish is $10 per day. Feel free to call me if you wish to discuss this over the phone. My number is 610-***-****. - Jenny
From Me to Jennifer *********:
Jenny, I live at 211 ******* St (near the Acme shopping center).
The fish is a guppy but it lives in a 55 gallon tank, so you probably can’t move it. It just needs one pinch of fish food in the morning and at night (in the jar above the tank).
I don’t have a spare key or garage code, so you are going to have to break a window to get in. I have a garden in the backyard where you can find a rock. I would prefer if you didn’t break any of the front windows because they are new. I’d suggest breaking the kitchen window in the back of the house. Now when the window breaks, the alarm is probably going to go off. I think the alarm code is 1988, but I’m not entirely sure. It is protocol for the alarm company to send the police when a window is broken, so just tell the police that I hired you to take care of my fish.
When can you be over there? I haven’t fed the fish in over a day so I am sure he is really hungry. - Mike
From Jennifer ********* to Me:
What? That is crazy - I’m not gonna smash a window!
From Me to Jennifer *********:
Jenny, Why don’t you feel comfortable breaking a window? Don’t worry, I was going to get that window replaced with a wall anyway so my girlfriend can’t look outside while she is doing the dishes.
If you are afraid that you aren’t strong enough to break the window, I have a sledgehammer in my shed. The shed is in the backyard and is unlocked. It is on the wall with the shotguns. You can easily break any window with that thing.
I almost forgot, if the police come, I need you to hide some weed and a bong that I left on the kitchen counter. Just put the weed in your pocket so they don’t notice it when they are talking to you about the alarm, and maybe stuff some flowers in the bong so they think it is a vase. - Mike
These are either one of the reasons to love J.Crew or hate them, I haven’t decided yet. They certainly have some people over there with some taste and they use it to bring product into their stores their average costumer probably can’t even appreciate. This time it’s the Sperry Top-Sider Seamate they’re bringing to masses.
I’ve coveted this style for some time, and I have even written about it before. It was previously only available in Japan. It’s one of those rare shoes that are just perfectly balanced with great lines and simple details but I think most customers would probably mistake it for its watered-down American cousin, the Bahama.
I went ahead and ordered the Dusty Mineral color (pictured above) in order to see how it stands up to the Japan-only version. One of the biggest misses I can see already is the unfortunate choice to print the retro logo on the tongue. It cries of trying way too hard. Also it’s too bad the Crew didn’t decide to do navy and red options but maybe that’s coming down the pike - the season is still early.
Seriously, can we? This whole Mexican blanket, Native American, Guatemalan, blah, blah, thing just needs to go away. This reminds me of when I was 12 years old sporting my multi-colored Guatemalan cinch duffel around town. It was cool, but I was 12.
It’s funny though, because a few years back Umbro by Kim Jones presented a collection that took a ton of inspiration from this world and put it into his sportswear and I remember thinking that it seemed fresh at the time. Of course, the only thing that ever made it to stores from that collection was the footwear, because just after I previewed it, Jones announced he was closing shop on the sportswear. It’s too bad because the apparel was much better than the shoes.
Believe me, there is some great inspiration to be mined from these cultures, but much of what I see coming out now just seems disingenuous.
As if their clothes alone are reason enough NOT to shop there - H&M, among other retailers, was exposed this week for destroying perfectly good clothes. Because they’re price points and quality are too low to send the unsold merchandise to a closeout retailer they simply shred the clothes with box cutters and throw them in the dumpsters in back of their stores. I guess the reason I’m surprised about this is because most companies I have worked with have some sort of outlet for hard-to-sell goods. With H&M not having outlets I guess I assumed they were shipping the clothes off to some underprivileged far-away local (which, by the way, is what is done with all the pre-manufactured losing Super Bowl team merchandise).
There are so many people in need of warm clothes this time of year and in this economy they could have helped. Oddly enough, H&M has an executive in charge of corporate responsibility who leads the company’s sustainability efforts. Let’s just hope that all this attention changes their practices.
And because I probably couldn’t say it better or in more biting fashion, this from nymag.com:
“The store also throws out plastic hangers in perfectly good condition, which is ridiculous, because clothes may go out of style, but those certainly do not. The Times reports: H & M, which is based in Sweden, has an executive in charge of corporate responsibility who leads the company’s sustainability efforts. On its Web site, H&M reports that to save paper, it has shrunk its shipping labels.
Maybe they donated $5 to save the polar bears last year, too.”
Adidas Samba was born in the 50’s yet many younger shoes can’t live up to her beautiful curves. It’s been a long time since Samba and I have hung out - not since playing winter ball as a teenager. She has caught my eye a few times since, but we just have never connected. But I’ve been eyeing her up recently in her new blue and black garb. I’m not saying I’ve given her a call yet, but if I did it would look something like the photo above.
I’d rather not go into a retrospective of the year but in the just over 3 years NewDandyism has been on the web a lot of things have changed - with us and the world - and I can’t begin to pretend to tell you I know exactly where things are headed. But what I wanted to do as the year winds down was address a few topics and answer few questions we have been hearing a lot from you, our readers.
Many of you have asked if we have lost some of our politically fire since Obama was elected president.
That’s a difficult one. Yes, it has been too long (2 months) since our last truly politically driven post. And there are a few reasons. The first reason is simple, sometimes we get so engulfed in what we actually do for a living, design, that we ourselves aren’t staying as informed as we’d like on all issues. And we are not ones to spout off without knowledge of a topic.
The second and most important reason is that although we are coming up quick on a full year of Obama in office, we wanted to give the administration of change a chance to actually do some changing before we begin to publicly judge. Up to this point we have been more than frustrated with Obama’s first year but still have a ton of hope he will soon escape the political mud.
But being involved in the process is not just about talk but action as well. And although we have not been as vocal here, we have been doing our part, however small, to better the world we live in by donating time and money to the causes we believe in. There are a ton of ways we can all be involved and we’re going to try to do a better job of keeping you aware the options out there.
Lately we have been hearing a lot of questions about our evolving style on the site - what’s up with that?
Yes, what is up with that? I’ve alluded to this a few times over the last few months within posts but let me collect all my thoughts here on the subject - well, it’s pretty simple, everyone’s style evolves, even if ever so subtly. We are designers after all and we are in a constant internal struggle with pushing the boundaries and what the end user is willing to accept. Through this process we are continually exposing ourselves to new ideas, experiences, and inspiration. It is inevitable that our lives will shape our style. We are no trend whores but to think that how we dress today will be how we dress forever is unrealistic no matter how “trad” we think we are. We have always pushed for investment shopping not just out of our on style philosophy about buying clothing and objects that will stand the test of time but also, and most importantly, because we are eco conscience people and hate the thought of more product being manufactured that is inevitably headed to the landfill.
All that being said, we do have a proven track record of understanding what will be trending and you can see some of those influences in our content. But sorry to all you industry folk that visit us regularly, we will not be giving any free trend reports here. However, we will continue to bring you our perspective on the things we love and find interesting.
Who are you guys?
Another good question. We forget sometimes that not everyone is in our industry that visits ND and that many of you are not truly sure who is writing all this opinionated dribble. I don’t do New Year’s resolutions but I will promise you that we will get our shit together and finally fill in the blank that is our “who” page.
For those of you that have not discovered our email address on that “who” page, you can email us with all your thoughts, questions, or feedback at contact@newdandyism.com.
So cheers to 2009, and wishing all of you a prosperous and adventurous New Year.
It’s been a while since I’ve worn a Nike product outside the gym, or a product from any athletic company for that matter, but lately I have been feeling drawn back to my old friends - my collection of assorted kicks - particularly my Nike’s. I’ve never actually counted them all but it wouldn’t surprise me if the collection came in at over 150 pairs. I hadn’t even cracked open the box on many of them in years until I moved at the end of the summer and had to move them out of my storage container in the basement of my building. It took me 3 times as long to pack as it should have because I opened up many of the boxes and it was like a trip down memory lane.
My personal style evolved away from wearing many of the styles I own and although I think there is a lot of garbage that comes out of every athletic company, there are always a few designs each year that deserve recognition if not purchasing. With that in mind there is no reason to believe that I have forever grown out of wearing sneakers from traditional athletic companies. In fact I feel that my style is evolving back into something less traditional and a little younger. And I’m comfortable with that.
That brings us to the “Vintage” Blazers pictured above. There have been cooler shoes from a design perspective released from Nike this year but maybe no cooler shoe from a wearability factor than these Blazers. I absolutely love the simple colorway and especially the red swooshed option, but the key details that make this something special are the oxidized grass-stained looking outsole and the off-white tongue. These are seriously the first non-athletic Nike’s I may buy in over 2 years.
From beast (see previous post) to beauty… Beauty & Youth’s Nordic Knit Cashmere sweater is the perfect option for when your thrift store ugly joke sweater isn’t appropriate. There isn’t room for many of these sort of sweaters in most men’s wardrobes but if you had to have just one, this would be worth tracking down.
According to CBS Sunday Morning it’s all the rage for “the younger generation” to get together around the holidays for Ugly Christmas Sweater parties. There are a couple examples of what I’m talking about pictured above. In fact these examples aren’t even close to the worst options available. I’m not saying I condone this sort of behaviour, but I do like that people are finding uses for fashions discarded monstrosities.
Are these not the most comfy (and expensive) looking ‘lay around’ pants you’ve ever seen? I’m being serious here. I don’t think Rag & Bone intended for these to be worn as long johns as the name suggests but I would totally wear these while slinking around the house. With a merino and cashmere mix and a $395 price tag it would be completely over-the-top decadent though.
