Another gem from the Life archive are these shots from the famous endurance race Le Mans. Unlike Formula 1 where you rarely see anyone overtaken and the cars are as fragile as crystal stemware, Le Mans is the ultimate test of speed and reliability. I can only imagine the what it would be like to drive around for 24 straight hours at those speeds, without a windscreen or cockpit. (See sixth photo.)
Update: Check out Truth in 24 (and download for free). Many thanks to reader Drew for the tip.
Filed under LIFE
As mentioned in the Men.Style.com SXSW photo diary, the Austin Speed Shop was an amazing place to visit on my trip to the Texas capital. Mr. Cory Moore — who is part owner — was kind enough to give me a tour and let me take a bunch of photographs. The Speed Shop is a partnership between a group of hot rod fabricators and craftsmen, with Mr. Jesse James being the most well known. The shop specializes in hot rods and all sorts of other pre-1963 rides. While I was checking things out there were some great looking cars being worked on. Plus, behind the garage there is a cool graveyard of rusting old rides awaiting a rebirth. If you are visiting Austin anytime in the near future make sure to stop by the Speed Shop and take a look around.
It wasn’t all just 16oz beers and bands at SXSW, I managed to sneak in some shopping as well. Mr. Don Weir of the very well done Detour blog pointed me toward the newish men’s and women’s boutique Bows + Arrows. I was pleasantly surprised to find another top notch shop in the Texas capitol. The owner Lauren (who is pictured below), was kind enough to let me snap some pictures. The shop sells a bunch of different labels including ACL favorites like Apolis Activism, Organic by John Patrick, Shipley & Halmos and Alexander Olch (who is a Paul + Williams client). Austin is such a great city with cool restaurants and shops like By George and now Bows + Arrows. I think it is only a matter of time before I am forced to move down there. More shots of Bows + Arrows after the jump.
I had the pleasure of visiting the Urban Outfitters offices in Philadelphia yesterday to do some poking around and lunching with the men’s team. It was nice to be able to see everything first hand. Eventually, we walked over to the commissary to get lunch and it was embarrassingly and humorously apparent that everyone was essentially wearing the same thing. I suppose that was symbolic of our shared outlook on menswear at the moment. I’m impressed with the really smart and cool group of people that URBN has assembled. We could have talked forever about 60/40 jackets and vintage shopping and all sorts of other materialistic pursuits. This plus the fact that the UO HQ is located at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and is surrounded by massive U.S. Navy battleships made my adventure the ultimate ACL field trip.
One of the many cool things I saw in Philadelphia was Urban’s collaboration with the iconic American brand Filson. The partnership consists of a limited run of canvas bags that were made especially for Urban Outfitters in the special color ways. Launching in mid-April in selected cities (New York, LA, etc.) the special styles will be priced at $205 for the small duffel and $129 for the zipper tote. These special Filson items come on the heels of the cool Patagonia big label product last fall. Seems like URBN is two-for-two with men’s collaborations — I’m excited to see what is next.
Filed under Bags, Philadelphia, Style
An ACL reader named Joakim Simonsson wrote me a while back and included in the email a few shots of his beautiful log cabin. My interest piqued, I wrote back asking to see if he could send more. It turns out the photos came from his 1940s cabin located about five hours northwest of Stockholm, or as he put it “just where the woodlands turn into the mountains.” I’d describe it as heaven on earth. Eventually, Mr. Simonsson put all of the photos together and started a blog — appropriately called Log Cabineer — to share his picturesque adventures. Check out some of the photos below and visit Log Cabineer for more.
Filed under Hunting & Fishing, Sweden
My trip to SXSW had three goals. To see a lot of bands, drink massive quantities of beer and to take pictures of cool shit for Men.Style.com. I think my mission was a success. Judge for yourself and check out the photos here.
It might just have to be all motorcycles all week. I certainly get fixated on a subject from time to time, but this was too good to not post. While researching On Any Sunday I read a few things about this 1971 issue of Sports Illustrated with Steve McQueen on the cover. Next thing you know, my copy from eBay arrived at my door in amazing condition. So I thought it would be good to scan the article for your reading pleasure. There is a great little story about dirt bikes and Dennis Hopper on page 61 that is worth checking out. I could only imagine what it would be like to run into those guys on the street.
Filed under Americana, Magazines, Motorcycles
These photos could be from ’65 or they could be from last week. I saw so many fully bearded guys wearing 1960s/70s vintage clothes in Austin this past week that one would never be able to differentiate. I’m sure if you ran into these Hell’s Angles on the open road it would be another story all together. Be sure to enlarge all of the photos to get a closer look. In one particular picture — the guy drinking the beer on the sidewalk — he appears to be wearing selvage denim. It amazes me how relevant it is considering today’s style.
I recently updated the Maps & Intel page with a handy guide to Los Angeles shopping. While the New York map has been on the site for a while, its LA centered counterpart has been long overdue. LA is one of my favorite places to shop and this map is a good starting point for anyone interested in doing their thing, materialistically. Please do send on suggestions and additions, this is only the beginning. Also, many thanks to Meagan for doing a lot of the legwork on the map. LA drinking and dining to follow.
Los Angeles Shopping Map (Men’s):
Filed under Los Angeles, Service
Nothing makes me feel like winter is over like baseball’s opening day. Each season I like to buy a new cap to wear throughout the summer. Recently I have been buying throwback caps from the Cooperstown Collection. I’m a long suffering Cleveland Indians fan and the franchise has some really classic retro hats to choose from. Styles like the 1978 block “C” version pictured below. You won’t see everyone wearing those throwback styles around the stadium, which is a good thing. This is especially true for me — I hardly see any Indians hats at my stadium in the Bronx.
I’m headed down to Texas today for the South by Southwest music festival. It is exciting to get a chance to hang out with friends, see a ton of shows and indulge in the odd alcoholic beverage in one of my favorite cities in America. Posting will continue as scheduled (although anything SXSW related won’t be up until I return next week) so check back for normal updates. Many thanks again to all that helped secure accommodations in Austin.
As always, follow the slightly buzzed photos and words via the ACL Twitter feed.
A few non-SXSW related songs below for your viewing pleasure.
Bon Iver
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Filed under Housekeeping, Music
A Continuous Lean. 
