Sperry Fall/Winter

Sperry seems to be picking up the slack on their in house line and taking some cues from their consistent collaboration with Band of Outsiders. For fall they will be introducing this great looking mid top deck boot. These are some of the brighter colors that will be available while BoO will be offering the same model in grey wool this coming fall which looked great. I am really liking the look of the new model myself. I think it will lend itself to a lot of nice looks while offering something a bit different. Sperry hasn't tried to do too much yet which could easily happen, and has in our market. The loafers and wool low tops are also welcome models for the classic brand. You can be these will be fairly affordable as well which is a nice change from a lot of the footwear I usually want, I just hope that it won't all be available at every UO. The images are strigth from Compass which is wrapping up today. Check WATM for a couple more looks at the show.

Click to read more ...

Walk Off Pt. II

Now, please don't get too mad at my outfit this time...But round 2 of the Walk Off series is now up on Blacklodges. This time Mr. Vogel was just facilitating the battle as I took on Nick and Chris Schonberger. The east coast brothers seem to be bracing for cold weather, hunting large animals, rain (at the strip club) and some basketball. Blue seems to be the color of spring 09 so I went with a lot of different blues for my look. I think it's still an extremely easy to wear composition that would do well anytime, anywhere. Of course the chinos would be rolled and the comfort level would be high. I had to include a couple of my favorite items that got blogged in the last week as well since they've stayed on my mind. That cardigan is killing me though. For the price I know I couldn't even get it for 50% probably, but the suede bucks are in stock in my size, for a more manageable price... Black Lodges / Walk Off Pt. II

Click to read more ...

Marsell Travel Bag

If you're looking for an affordable leather travel bag, this unfortunately isn't the one. At 50% off right now, it's still sitting at $1,098 US. Other than that the bag looks beautiful. I really like the brown leather tone of the bag and the black zippers and hard ware feel like they go really nicely together. The strap placement does seem a bit odd to me, but I can't say its bad until I was able to pick up the bag and give it a good test. The handles and shoulder strap look well balanced and I can imagine how great it would look after a year or two of use. It's pretty difficult to find a great duffle bag for a really solid value I find, especially in all leather. Perhaps this bag is actually of great value if you get it for half price, but the price range is so far up there that most of us would probably have to live on the streets for a month to pay for it. Well, some of us...

Click to read more ...

Dries Van Noten Spring Items

Dries Van Noten has extended their stockists to include a couple of our favorite shops this spring, Tres Bien and South Willard. The LA based boutique has received a really nice selection of spring items that are looking particularly expensive good. While part of me doesn't want to post this soft blue cardigan as it retails for $1075, I also can't help it because I love it. The blue is perfect. The linen/silk combination looks extremely soft and it appears to be just the right weight for a spring/summer layer. The white buttons are also a nice touch for a warm weather piece, along with the option to add the pin. This might be one of my favorite pieces I've seen this spring so far, it's beautiful, and I feel I could get a ton of great wear out of it, but at that price point, I just can't make it happen. I am also a fan of this two button blazer with elastic sleeves. I have a feeling nothing will look that great for a couple days after seeing this cardigan. I just hope it's not spending much time on the hanger.

Click to read more ...

Steven Alan Double Gauze Shirt

I've never been a huge fan of Steven Alan's reverse stitched seams and how they fit me. I've never owned one, and probably never will. I think that he comes with some great colors and patterns but the fit just isn't right for me. I am quite interested in a lot of the outerwear, as well as these Double Gauze shirts. Coming in both a charcoal and a light heathered grey, the shirt looks like a very wearable spring piece. I particularly like the lighter color and the way the shirt has some of the western details while keeping it subtle. The shirt has the flap pockets white buttons and 3 snap cuff but it doesn't appear to have the big rounded material cut on the shoulders which I often find is a little more than I need. I'm not too familiar with a 'double gauze' shirt, or what that means even, but I would be interested in feeling up this shirt and checking the fit.

Click to read more ...

Visvim Spring & in Cuba

More Visvim, sorry (last one for a while). But, thanks to a spread in Japanese magazine Sense, us North American fiends get the most comprehensive look at the Spring line as well as a bit of a lookbook shot in Cuba. You've probably seen most of the stuff already but there is still more 'new' items. A handful of spring jackets, madras and some new models of footwear. While it's nice to see the whole collection together, it's the lookbook that I'm excited about. The photography and Cuba looks really awesome and it's especially nice to see full Visvim looks. A lot of the pieces on their own can look kind of odd and have you (or at least me) wondering how and why anyone would wear them. Pieces like a madras bucket hat, eggplant FBTs and a zip-up team jacket with little purple clouds all over it are some examples. But then you see them in the look book and they look amazing. Maybe, or probably,  it's just a case of perfect Japanese styling but it makes me want to try and look like a Son cubano drummer this summer. Check the spread below. Thanks to CADMUSfamily for the scans.

Click to read more ...

Apolis Activism + Filson Briefcase

Surprisingly nobody has been able to put together any collaborative works with Seattle's renown hunting/lifestyle brand, until now. Filson make some of the most classic, iconic and attainable bags on the market. With strong canvas and nice saddle leather, there is no denying their appeal. Apolis Activism have managed to put together a bag with them for fall, utilizing some of the special factors of their business. Apolis Activism isn't just a catchy name, the seem to work hard to actively try to help people and their surrounding economy. For this project they contracted Invisible Children from Uganda to source and develop their native canvas for the bag. Apolis tries to "create opportunities for developing economies by connection them to the global market place." I had heard about the project a little while back but it's nice to see the result. I like the color choices, label placement and red cross, although it probably wouldn't have been my choice of bag to work with. Overall well done, thanks to Secret Forts for sharing the info.

Click to read more ...

Helmut Lang Fall Cardigan

We all know spring is almost here and all you are going to need are a couple oxford shirts, a light sport coat and a jacket. So we can start picking out specific items for fall I figure. I am actually not a huge fan of Helmut Lang collections although like many others, there are pieces I like a lot. This fall Helmut Lang is offering this beautiful long wool cardigan. The soft roll of the collar into a bit of a shawl neck combined with a great blend of ribbing and a perfect tone of grey is making this look great. I am totally a fan of the long, cozy cardigan look in the fall/winter season. I think it can be really comfortable and warm while looking quite 'stylish'. I don't see too many people wearing cardigans like this and I don't think they are too hard to pull off with some decent pants and some nice boots. The look overall is a great fall day outfit.

Click to read more ...