Inverallan Knit Aran Sweaters

Museum Ark has tracked down another great heritage brand for their shop. These hand knit Aran sweaters from Scotland look great. Inverallan claims to be second to none when it comes to quality and complex Aran patterns. The style of knit came from Scotland has been recorded as far back as the 9th Century and perfected by fisherman's wives over the years in the cold Northern UK. Inverallan seems to have a great idea of their color palettes and very tasteful use of the cable pattern and shawl collars. I think this navy blue cardigan is one of my favorites. The sweaters are pretty much  the best thing to have in cold weather. They are made to withstand the elements and test of time - and they look beautiful.

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What Happens in Vegas...

...gets blogged and shows up in stores 6 months later. I wasn't fully planning on going to Vegas this season, but a couple nice opportunities are making the trip worth while. I'm about to head for the plane, so the next couple days will be reporting from one of the weirdest cities in the world. With so many trade-shows going on, I'll have to keep it quite focused and will be spending more of my time at Capsule. I will be there talking to designers, retailers, doing a little bit of buying and offering what I can to the show. I've also a recently been added to the Board of Advisers for Capsule, so excuse the bias. Just kidding, I'll also be dropping by GUILD and Project for a couple meetings and to look at some cloths.

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Rag & Bone Tote Bag

Rag & Bone have consistently put out nice pieces for the last few seasons. After this springs show in New York, I've read a few people saying they might be trying to do to much. With the men's and women's collections growing at a pretty steady rate, it's hard to imagine a designer can really perfect a piece while adding another 5 each season. I think there are some staples in the Rag & Bone collection that are great. There is some nice outerwear, great shirts and some nice accessories, but I am finding a bit less I am really excited about. This tote bag however looks really nice. The navy blue canvas with light brown leather and antique rivets is not a new combination of elements, but the simplicity and stripped down aesthetic is appreciated. Although, at $255 there might be other options on the market like Mismo, or two Filson bags. Still, the tote is nice, along with a number of items in Rag & Bone's spring collection which is now available at Odin.

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South2 West8 Fishing Shirt

I've only been fishing a handful of times, and I don't mind it. I like this shirt a lot more though. A lot of work wear / Americana brands are coming out with shirts and jackets with a serious pocket overload like YMC's coat and Woolrich Woolen Mills shirt that we featured. From a styling point of view, I think they look great and could look amazing in a photo shoot. From an everyday wearing perspective, it might feel a little odd. I think this fishing shirt by South2 West8 has a nice balance. You could make use of it on the sea with big chest pockets, a hanging D ring and whatever else shirts can contribute to fishing? The shirt also wouldn't be over the top on a normal day in the city either. I also really like the shade of green. It feels really nicely balanced and would look great with chinos of almost any color and a pair of those Our Legacy jeans.

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Our Legacy Washed Denim

There has been no shortage of blog coverage on Our Legacy in the last few months. The Swedish label have put together their best collection yet for the spring, with great fitting garments, well constructed shirts, coats and accessories, and all a reasonable price. As one of the few brands that could actually fill my closet, they have gone an extra step this spring by introducing their first denim pants. The wash on these jeans couldn't be better. Now, I know there is a big argument for creating your own wash through living in your jeans, but I honestly don't have a big problem buying them if they look like this. Of the two washes, I would go with the darker color. The very natural looking washed out jeans look great, and would look even better complimented by a nice button down oxford and some Common Projects Achilles - and you're set all spring long. I haven't had an opportunity to try on the denim, but they appear to have a casual fit, ideal for rolling and looking good. Now available at Kiosk 78.

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A Summer Suit

Engineered Garments have come up with a few fairly interesting patterns in their spring collection. This red, navy and yellow plaid isn't one of the most out there, but wearing it as a full suit isn't that easy to pull off. Fortunately the 100% organic cotton Madras gives the look a great texture and the colors probably couldn't be better. The lightweight fabric has a high thread count, and has been making a nice comeback the last couple summers. I'm personally quite a fan of the feeling of the cotton, and I really like the look of it layered with whites and khakis. While this outfit might seem a little over the top in a flat image, I feel like with a white oxford or the right T shirt, rolled up pants and some leather loafers, it could be a great look for a semi formal occasion in the warm months. I suppose Visvim was able to pull off the head to toe madras plaid in their recent trip to Cuba, so why not you in these great Engineered Garments pieces?

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Layered Coats

The layered coats have been showing up in good places the last month or two. First in Junya Wantanabe' fall presentation, and more recently on Mr. Schuman's blog. While I do like a lot of the Junya looks from his recent show, its the photos of real life men wearing the layered coats that has me a bit more into the look. Both of these gentlemen have gone with a jacket or coat that is cropped shorter than their sport coat underneath. I haven't really seen this too often but the result is really nice. It feels a little bit fresh with the use of blue, purple and grey and the navy, khaki and pattern combination is just about perfect as well. Both of the looks are great for dressing down otherwise more formal items and also help avoid having to wear a heavy coat which can be a nuisance at times. You won't be able to pull this off for too long as the weather gets warmer, so take advantage of the next few weeks or great clothes wearing weather.

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Grid Systems in Graphic Design

Grid Systems in Graphic Design was written by Josef Muller-Brockmann and published back in 2001. To any graphic designers out there this book is not going to be breaking news, but I did think it is pretty interesting that the book just popped up on Colette's online shop. I guess information can be pretty cool, as long as its well designed. The book has been known as the bible on working with grids for graphic designers and type setters. It's a great book, and one of the few I've actually read through on the topic. I was recommended the book by a really talented designer, Chris Allen, who I've since learned much more from, but the book also gave me a perspective on the art I really needed. While h(y)r collective still needs a lot of work in the long run, I can pretty much give credit to Mr. Muller-Brockmann for the magazine having any sort of structure. I need to read this again. Also available at You Work for Them

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