I didn’t realize this brand was still around… but they have caught my attention with their latest ad campaign, “This is man“. It has the feel and spirit of Diesel’s early naughties campaigns. I’m not about to rush into a French Connection store anytime soon, but I appreciate the label taking another stab at gaining the customer’s attention - and the styling is not half bad in the collateral.
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.
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.”
Steve of Style Salvage is just finishing up a trip to Hong Kong and is filling his readers in on some of his finds. As a frequent traveller to HK I’m always interested in discovering new places to explore and Steve just got me excited for my next trip.
j.a. daye is a tailor shop that I heard about when it opened back around June of this year but did not have time to visit on my last trip in September. But as it turns out since June the NYC transplants have already opened a second door and now run a small boutique of there in-house line, Moustache. It seems all the garments are made to be tailored off the rack fusing their design perspective with traditional Hong Kong tailoring. A very nice concept worth more investigation. More to come.
It’s rare that I venture up to midtown’s fashion establishment ie. Saks, Bergdorf, Barney’s etc. Mostly because all of the the tourists and crowded conditions - just makes my skin crawl. But Friday I got out early before the crowds to hit all the big boxes to see the beginnings of there Fall deliveries. And the were a few gems I’ll share with you.
Straight off the runway Richard Chai’s Fur-lined Parka has now hit stores, specifically Saks. Chai’s goal with the Fall collection was to create a “Cozy uniform” for men. The plush, fur-lined hooded parka can be a tough look for many men to pull off. You have to be decidedly masculine which Mr. Cai illustrates on the runway through dark layering and heavy boots. All easy things for the man on the street to execute. Available at Saks for $725.
First off - you’ll have to excuse the pig-tailed model - now that you’re busy ignoring Hickey’s model take a look at the henley. Hickey’s Jersey Baseball Shirt is a cross between a baseball raglan and a henley. It has a henley placket front which is lined with heather grey and the sleeves hit just below the elbows. I’ve been eyeing this for a while and finally had an opportunity to pick this up a few days ago. The quality of the construction and cotton is what you would expect from Hickey and is now my most comfortable shirt. Hickey has been running a sale for a couple months now so this can be had for $57.
I must admit that I’ve never really gotten all excited over Wings+Horns before. There have been items that I have liked through the years but I have never been prompted to anxiously anticipate upcoming seasons from the label. But now with Roden Grey releasing more images of the upcoming Fall/Winter season I have to say, the collection looks very nice. And there are definitely some gems among the collection. The hand-knit vests (pictured above) are beautiful and are great layering pieces.
We’ve featured the Navy/Brown Melton Wool Varsity jacket already, but there is now also a Black and Grey version. Truly the best items of the collection.
The Khaki Chambray B/D shirt is a perfect alternative to all the blues in your closet. The Oxford Striped Shirt is an easy staple with just the right amount of details. And I particularly like the long sleeve tees and henleys.
And there is something about the Box Rib Cardi and the Fleece piece that feel very J.Crew or Club Monaco, but they are nice easy pieces for the season and work well withing the overall collection.
The only thing the collection may be missing is a rich brick red for Fall. The pallete is almost too muted, but I suppose you can go to Woolrich Woolen Mills for that.
We featured these shoes on the runway earlier this year and Hypebeast has just posted some in-store shots of the product in the eYe JUNYA WATANABE Central store inHong Kong. Our favorite has always been the fullgrain derby brogue on the classic natural-colored Vibram outsole. The shoe also features hiker style laces that pop to make for a rich mix of colors. It’s just too bad they are about twice as much as I could even consider to pay.
It’s getting a late in the season to be buying jackets, but I’m loving the two Hickey jackets pictured above. The yellow cotton baracuda jacket is a perfect alternative J.Crew’s red version, and gives you a great splash of color while the navylinen sportcoat is also great for those cool nights and has the perfect weight and ‘at-ease’ style that makes sense for the warmer months.
My love affair with deep rich blues continues and the two options pictured above from Wood Wood are perfect. I know these are verging on too late for the season, but these would still be worthwhile pick ups for cool Summer nights and transitioning into next Fall. The light knit pullover and cardi both feature contrasting white button details and red and white striped accents. The cardi is bordering on Thom Browne territory for a fraction of the price. Available both at Wood Wood and End Clothing.
I picked up the highly blogged about Adam Kimmel Canvas Wallabees a couple of months ago from The Corner because I loved the navy and gum color mix and the deconstructed upper. Although their return policy and shipping policy sucks I bought them anyway.
At first impression once they arrived I was surprised how ‘low quality’ they were. Definitely would have expected higher quality production for the price, $195. These felt like something you could pick up in Peru for a few bucks. That being said, I still love the color and material and kept them because I have a sickness and can barely help myself when It comes to shoes. So while everyone else is wearing espadrilles this summer I will strutting around in these.
So we didn’t just shop at Lane Crawford, we hit everything from department stores, to chains, to boutiques while there. We of course visited Visvim’s F.I.L. store, went around the corner to check out Miharayasuhiro, Ann Demeulemeester, Margiela, and the Comme de Garcon shops, all of which sit next to each other on On Lan Street. Disregard the BBC store pictured above, it’s the one eyesore.
Also visited what has to be one of the best and most underrated department stores in the world, Joyce. Joyce makes Fred Segal and Jefferey look boring in comparison. Beautiful space and amazing product selection. The store is even a bit creepy in a Tower of Terror sort of way that adds to the allure. Especially hard for a place that sits inside a generic commercial building.
Read on for the best tidbits we could get shots of.
I had a good weekend of shopping last week in Hong Kong. It truly is one of the best shopping cities in the world. Unfortunately for me (but fortunate for my wallet), shopping in HK is always bittersweet as my size in shoes and clothing are usually sold out because I’m not the tiniest of guys.
Shopping Hong Kong is great because it has one of the best mixes in the world of international labels spanning from the US to Japan, both big and obscure all together in one place. I’ve pulled together images of some of the things I saw while there. They aren’t all things I’d wear, just things I found interesting in some way. And I apologize for the quality of some of the pics as some were incognito spy shots. The following is just from Lane Crawford at the IFC Mall alone.
There is just about nothing I love more on feet than a good pair of boat shoes. This isn’t a new development based on the trends, this has been a long addiction for me. Although I don’t need another pair, it doesn’t ever seem to stop me from buying new options.
The Sperry Top-Sider Seamate pictured above, available at Museum Ark, is a perfect casual option for the summer. It’s one of those rare shoes that are just perfectly balanced with great lines and simple details.
It’s been quite a while since I posted anything J.Crew. I’ve sort of fallen off them over the last 6 months. But I really like what I’m beginning to see from them for their upcoming Fall season.
The Red Wing demi-boot on the contrasting boat shoe bottoms (pictured above) are just about perfect. I would buy 2 just to keep a pair ready after I wear out the first.
They are also continuing with Alden, but more interestingly they are teaming up with old school hand knit sweater makersInveralian (pictured below).
Read more for more images and click on the photo for more detailed views. All images and info courtesy of Mister Mort.
I spotted this very interesting boat shoe on Blackbird over the weekend. It’s from Chausser’s and it’s their twist on the traditional boat shoe which they added a shoe heel to. Definitely a great way to differentiate yourself from other avid boat shoe fans, like me, this coming season.
J.Crew has been doing a lot of things right lately. There will always be critics but when it comes to chain retailers/manufacturers no one else has really been nearly as innovative or product driven. All of that being said, I wasn’t going to post about the MFSC N-1H deck jacket they created in collaboration with the Hollywood-based vintage hound, designer, and retailer Mister Freedom. It made the rounds on just about every site within a day of the news being released, but recent events changed my mind.
There was a lot of talk about this jacket, limited to just seven made, being only available at there Tribeca Men’s store, but within a day the jacket was up on their website, and at $50 more than the press release. I guess the economy is scaring them and has them worried they might sit in their b&m for too long. But that would have been much better than such a low quantity sitting even a full week with out selling out now. A product that was supposed to give them some heat with clothes horses and collectors can be relegated to a PR dud. Sometimes things are better when you have to get up out of your chair to get them.
Before all you haters accuse me of hating, that’s not what this post is about. I’ve known about this for months now, but it was finally announced. The man who could do no wrong among streetwear aficionados and has preached about how selective he is with who he will work with has finally put that to the wayside.
It was announced that the designer will create an Airwalk collection exclusively for Payless. “This collaboration with a designer of Jeff’s stature and influence is tremendous for the Airwalk brand,” said Bruce Pettet, president and chief executive officer of the Collective Licensing International, owner of the Airwalk brand. “This alliance fits the brand’s heritage and, more importantly, helps us continue to innovate and build the Airwalk brand with our target consumer.” The line is due to launch in Fall ‘09 at about 400 Payless stores and online at Payless.com for about $50 a pair.
As Staple has been moving upmarket over the last few years and maturing, this seems to be a step back. Not financially but philosophically. Payless certainly doesn’t fall under the type of company Jeff Ng has repeatedly spoken about in countless interviews as the type of company he would partner with. And in his own defense, on his blog, Jeff says “Payless is juuust a bit bigger than Staple so they have their way — and we have ours. Hopefully, we can infect them with some of our mindstate.” Very wishful thinking on his part. Payless is incapable of creating quality product, even at a price point. They are not set up to do so and are unwilling to put design first, despite their current mission (marketing blitz) to ‘democratize design’ for the masses.
I’m sure this announcement will inspire loads of debate on the standards of what is and isn’t selling out. In case my position on this is unclear, I don’t think poorly of him for making this deal. I commend him for building a business that he continues to grow beyond what he or anyone else thought was possible. But in the end it is Payless and the shoes will fall apart the second a kid tries to skate in them.
