Beams Plus Bandana

A bandana really could be from a number of brands, but the one I have is this one, from Beams Plus. We each received one as a small gift when we left the HQ last month and it's surprisingly seen a lot of use. I've never really been one for pocket squares or bandanas, but since it was a gift and always reminds me of a good experience, I thought I might as well give it a try. I basically have just left it in the pocket of my EG Baker jacket for the last few weeks. Sometimes I forget about it when I put the jacket one, but I'm always glad it's there. The subtle pattern and nice shade of blue seems to go well with my chambray or S.N.S. Herning NAVAL sweater and I like it even more when I've got a little bit of my hat coming out of the other pocket. There is definitely a thin line where having things in your pockets can look very contrived and unappealing. The key to keeping it looking natural, is actually being natural. It's not hard to tell when it's being forced so if it's not feeling right, just leave it.

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Apolis Activism, Nepal

Over the last year we've seen Apolis Activisim take strides to build global relationships that result in both the aide of a foreign organization or working group and a fine product. The approach is refreshing to see, and we'll be taking a look at the most recent journey to Nepal. While teaming up with a couple members of team Rapha, they have been traveling through Kathmandu on two wheels for the trip. Shea Parton reports in on the latest news from Apolis  + Rapha journey: — "We spent the morning getting sun burnt while assembling bikes on the roof. We planned the next few days over breakfast and walked into town to meet up with Prakash Bhurtel, Nepalese manager of the Citta women’s center. With the extra traffic from today’s petrol strike we decided to head by Citta later in the week and spent the afternoon walking through the city. Our first ride this evening we were quickly reminded about the left side of the road while we making it through another traffic jam: rick shaws, taxis, livestock and motorcycles. With the daily power outage being right on time a few of us headed to the second day of the wedding, over one thousand Nepalese attended and gave us a new appreciation for Bollywood being real and alive."

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Preview: Woolrich Woolen Mills SS10

The Woolen Mills collection has seen an exciting growth in popularity and size. And this spring the WWM collection really departs it's more subdued aesthetic and looks entirely different from the Engineered Garments SS10 collection. The Woolen Mills spring collection was one of my favorites from the summer shows. The colour blocking with tans, navy and azure blues all come together very nicely and compliment the surf inspired prints. Daiki Suzuki was inspired by surf books by Leroy Grannis and Ron Church which he'd found well diving head first into his own passion for surfing. The jackets are apparently a bit more tailored this season, which should be interesting to see. While the styled looks we have here aren't particularly riveting, I do feel that the collection was quite strong and we'll have to look to our favorite retailers for their take and hopefully well edited buys in a couple months. —

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Porter for Baxter of California

Our in-house grooming brand, Baxter of California, have teamed up with our favorite Japanese bag maker for a great looking and very functional Dopp Kit. The bag has several compartments on the inside for all of your travel and shaving needs, it includes a small pull out case and a pouch to make sure you can separate everything that needs separating. The black case has been nicely accented by Baxter's signature blue on the inner linings as well as on the exterior Porter branding. The bags are limited to very select retailers and fortunately we're one of the chosen few. We'll be receiving the Dopp Kit's just in time for the holidays so if you've got to get packed for a trip, or need a great gift for your dad, man or brother. They'll be available in the Inventory Stockroom next week for $250. —

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Wing tips for the Holidays

First off, I'm a little sorry for the lack of posts lately. Since our re-brand as INVENTORY, we have been trying to keep up with everything the best we can, but with a small team, unfortunately we haven't been able to send our days blogging as much as we'd like. That said, with the holiday season around the corner, the time to dress up a little bit more is here. Dinners, parties and get-togethers are a good time to bring out the leather soled goods and these are a couple of my favorites. No surprises, they are very classic models from the best shoe makers around. The short wing make-up for Blackbird is a sharp choice and works great with many outfits and the dark burgundy is always a personal favorite. The lighter brown wing tip from Trickers is another great choice and it's thick leather sole will give you years of looking good and feeling tough before having to be replaced.

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Drake's Lambswool Crewneck

Drakes have stepped up their knitwear game this fall with a couple of beautiful sweaters. While the cashmere cardigan may have been a little pricey, this great looking crew neck is slightly more attainable, but still something special. Made in Scotland from 100% Lambswool, the 2 ply crew neck is really a great looking item for fall, winter, spring or any other time you can wear it without being too warm. The classic stripe pattern is nicely complimented by the brown suede elbow patches on all of the colours. If you'd prefer to be stripe-less, you can also check out Albam's version in a similar aesthetic, available here. —

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USS Navy Sweater by Warehouse

Free & Easy have paired up with Warehouse for another great piece this fall. I know, it's a mind blowing garment to look at laying flat on a white background. But try to image the peak of a ruffled collar poking out of the high crew neck, a tattered shirt tail twisted to the side and blowing out the bottom, a pair of well worn chinos, perhaps reinforced at the knee, along with a bit of stain from swabbing the deck or polishing the brass finishings on board. Maybe a nice pair of mocs, deck sneakers or a knit cap to top it off and the picture is nearly complete. I know you're feeling far away from this blog right now, but let's bring it back to reality – this USS Navy Sweater is made from 100% wool by Warehouse in Japan, just for Free & Easy's Rugged Musuem, and that's just where you can find it. —

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S.N.S. Herning NAVAL & STARK

S.N.S. Herning is a company we've admired from across the world for a few seasons now. We're happy to see the collection growing along with the number of great stockists. This fall we saw a few of the original pieces from S.N.S. Herning get a little more attention but it's the NAVAL and STARK knits that we just had to have this fall. The NAVAL is my personal favorite and I was really excited to scoop the off-white body with olde blue stripes this fall. They are the perfect crewneck in my opinion – great for layering, perfect weight, holds its shape well and the feel of the knit works very nicely with an oxford, chambray or flannel. The STARK is another classic cardigan from S.N.S. Herning and is undoubtedly a fan favorite across the board. We were lucky this fall to be able to offer one of the NAVAL crews and the STARK in olde blue, which Mr. Skyt tells us won't be widely available until FW10, so this is your chance to snag a beautiful shade of blue before they hit the already sparse stockists next fall. We also have the crewneck in the classic navy blue, along with it's matching scarf to make sure you've got your stripes covered. — Available at the Inventory Stockroom, NAVAL $260 & STARK $330

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