Take Ivy: the saga continues. Mr. David Colman weighs in on everyone’s favorite book in today’s New York Times. There was even a mention of some website called A Continuous Lean (dumb name) that has been instrumental in keeping Take Ivy prices high. Read the full article here.
Who needs a father to teach you how to shine your shoes or tie your tie when you can just have the Japanese show you on the internet. The fellas at AAAC turned me on to this set of videos from the Japanese skin care brand Garra that I couldn’t resist posting. The videos touch on everything from “party magic skill” (amazing!), to “shoe shine skill,” to “ironing skill.” All of the videos can be seen here, father not included.
There is a great American Trad story in the Isetan spring 2009 catalog that I thought was worth highlighting here. The Isetan in Shinjuku is one of the most impressive stores in the world, a labyrinth of materialistic pursuits. In fact, the men’s shoe section nearly made me cry. These clothes below might not be identified or available for purchase to most of us, but I thought they are great from a styling / photography perspective. Enjoy.
There was a little gem in the back (front?) of the new issue of Free & Easy, Cramp leather goods. (That link worked last night but not today — fyi.) Cool stuff, strange name. Lately Free & Easy seemed to be getting more bizarre by the minute, making you feel like you had taken acid and were mowing a lawn of dandelions on a John Deere tractor. Luckily the good folks who put out my favorite non-English magazine were able to shake off the psychedelic haze for the May home issue. The Cramp canvas and leather shoulder bag, plus the other items pictured below, are some great looking accessories. Definitely something I need to keep an eye out for on my next trip to Japan.
Filed under Japan, Style, Wants & Desires
The folks at Beams are at it again this spring. Anyone that has spent any on the Beams website will likely report frustration on a variety of levels. One being that it is hard to navigate (especially for me since I don’t speak a lick of Japanese). Second, that the online offerings aren’t as much fun as real life or even the catalogs and third the clothes aren’t available to North America / Europe. Luckily the folks at Beams send me (us) their catalog via special delivery so we can at least know what we are missing. Torture, I know.
To relax, some people play golf or some people go sailing; I like to visit factories. Maybe it was all those Mister Rogers “how it’s made” segments I watched as a child. Or it could just be my insatiable curiosity about what goes into things. Provenance and all that sort of good stuff. POST OVERALLS started making its own line of work wear back in 1993, well before anyone ever thought about reproducing authentic American goods like chore coats, dark denim jeans and chambray shirts. Long before people were arguing about dressing blue-collar on the internets. Respect and credit is due to Post for paving the way for all of the work wear brands that are out there today.
Items from the POST O’ALLS autumn / winter 2009 collection.
Filed under Japan, Made in the USA, Style, Work Wear
With men’s market week going on in NYC, a lot of people are in town and much is happening on the news front. On Tuesday I had a chance to meet up with the gentlemen from Beams+ for cocktails at White Star. Once the Absinthe arrived we quickly got down to talking shop. Seeing as Beams+ is my favorite store on earth, I take their recommendations seriously. One of the things that came up is a new limited edition line from the esteemed UK brand Barbour. The eight piece outerwear collection — designed by Japan’s To Ki To — is a hybrid of classic Barbour from the brand’s archives and modern technical outerwear. I took some time at the Collective trade show to investigate further. After coaxing the Barbour people to show me the line I was blown away by the collection.
The canvas bags from the Japanese maker Superior Labor seem to consistently rise to the top. This Enginner 2Way tote from Utility Coop is especially nice. How could you argue with a “Product by Handmade Superiority.”
I like the way the magazines work in Japan. The focus is generally on still-life product pages and not on cluttering up the layout with pesky stories. I had a chance to make it to the bookstore and pick up some new magazines from Japan. Since I am feeling crunchy these days, I really enjoyed the outdoor product pages in GO OUT. A lot of The American List brands are represented throughout the book. Enjoy!
These Amaort boots would have come in handy yesterday as I attempted to navigate the sloppy, slushy New York night with my friend Johnnie Walker. Amaort is another one of those Japanese companies just doing its thing, turning out great looking boots without a care in the world. I would wear these with jeans or with a nice tweed suit from Freeman’s. As long as they are warm, they could be deployed all winter long.
My thoughts on the Japanese retail scene have been pretty well documented, but I could resist posting some slightly out-of-reach items from MAPS. The men’s shop is another one of those amazing stores where I would buy most everything within arms reach. The classic styling and attention to detail get me every time. With that being Japan and this not Japan, the only consolation is the internet — at least you can look at all of the cool things you can’t buy. That is, unless you have a friends in good places. So the moral of the story here is, get yourself a friend in japan. Some of my favorite items from MAPS are after the jump.
Engineered Garments green duffel
Filed under Japan, Men's wear, Style
As it turned out, I was one of the five people to score a Workers x Reference Library denim apron. When I went to Kiosk today to claim my coveted purchase the girl said to me. “You’re lucky, those sold out so quickly!” Now that is my idea of a Black Friday victory!
Don’t be discouraged, there is still a lot of great stuff up for grabs at Mini #8: Reference Library.
A Continuous Lean. 