Spring Must Have; Yellow Jacket

It might not be an absolute must have for everyone, but it made for a better blog title. I would highly recommend a yellow jacket for the spring. It could be a rain slicker by Shipley & Halmos or J. Crew, a poplin blazer or a pull over, like this one by 45rpm. I think you can even go with a bright yellow or a more muted tone, either way it adds an element of spring color while remaining functional. Especially in these transitional months heading into spring when it's still dark and rainy, a yellow jacket will brighten up your day. I find yellow compliments a lot of the colors I am already wearing so it would be easy to throw in the mix. I don't personally like to add a ton of color into an item I can't take off either, so keeping it on the outerwear is also a good idea for minute to minute versatility. Go find one.

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Band of Outsiders Batiste Shirts

Is there something wrong with me if I know the shirt isn't going to fit but I want it just as bad still? Regardless, that's what's going on in my head right now with the first of many Band of Outsiders spring arrivals at Blackbird. I'm loving these solid  coloured batiste shirts which are a nice alternative to grainier oxfords. The grey is OK, the black is nice but the red is definitely my favourite. Probably not a shirt you could wear everyday, but a nice vibrant colour for spring that's surprisingly hard to find. Toss a navy linen jacket on overtop and you're set. The contrast button-hole stitching is a nice touch too. I know BoO has become extremely popular lately and I've heard that their garments aren't the best quality and whatnot which turns a lot of people off of but it's still a great label in my opinion. I just wish the shirts were longer. 

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White Mountaineering Spring Collection

White Mountaineering is definitely one of the most blogged Japanese lines that should be in North American, right beside Nonnative. The aesthetic could easily transcend the continents, the price isn't too crazy and I want some of it. This spring the collection had a lot of hits or misses for me. I included images of the real hits to highlight my favorite items from the seasons offerings. Of course the black watch plaid bucket hat is on the top, along with the bright plaid blazer, denim coat, worn oxford and boat shoes by Timberland. These items would definitely work pretty well into the daily rotation. I particularly like the denim coat as it looks like it could fit that chore coat spot in the closet pretty well. There were also a number of more technical GORE jackets that would be good to have, but not something I can get overly excited about.

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Engineered Garments Bird Shooter

Well, since nobody seems to have a problem with the onslaught of Engineered Garments spring items being featured one at a time, here's another gem. The 'Bird Shooter' coat is another model I haven't really seen too much of, and in this military green, I want to hit the woods and find some quails asap. I am much more in love with buttons than zippers. I think they look better, feel better and wear better. A worn button hole or even missing button has a lot more character then a broken zipper, which is just a pain in the ass. Back to the coat, it's great. The layered pockets look very nice, the button pockets, sleeve holes and collar are perfect. Although I really do like a lot of the EG spring collection, I don't have the money to buy every piece, but it's safe to say this coat jumped to the forefront for me. Only available at Nepenthes as far as I've seen so far.

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Our Legacy F/W Looks

We just gave you a look at Our Legacy's fall collection in bites and pieces a couple weeks ago, but we now have a couple shots of how the looks come together from the Swedish duo. I've said it 100 times in the last 7 months, I love Our Legacy and the incredibly easy to wear, natural style of the collections. I would have no problem if their collections were handed out as a man's uniform to wear as you want. I suppose it would take away from the fun and personal aspect. The point I'm trying to make is it would be pretty easy to look good in a Our Legacy head to toe look. Of the fall pieces, there are a few on my want list, but on the top is this casual double breasted sport coat in black. It looked great on Jockum at Capsule, it looks good on the model and I plan on making it look good on me later this year. Look for the spring collection to hit Tres Bien and Jonathan+Olivia next month.

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National Anthem Sportsman Jacket

This is a great find for a couple reasons, thanks to James at Secret Forts. These shawl sportsman jackets are beautiful. I was excited when I saw the red plaid on his blog but when I followed the link to find a perfect shade of grey, I feel a bit more in love. Only while scrolling through the bold Japanese type I happened to notice in all caps, "Made in Canada". Upon further inspection, a blurry tag image revealed these incredible items are actually made in Vancouver, BC - where I live. I haven't been able to find anything about the brand online but best believe the hunt is on. I am going to search this city until I can find these coats. Not only do I want one for myself, but I want to get to the bottom of these North American brands making items strictly for the Japanese market and leaving us out. I'm coming for you National Anthem. *Unfortunately their brand name is really not helping the cause in terms of searching online.

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Issue 10 Preview

Well we are about to hit the double digits for our monthly issues. It's both big and seemingly small in perspective. Only 10? Really? That's nothing vs. That's right, 10 great issues covering the menswear market unlike any magazine, printed or online. I feel like things have developed in the direction I wanted so far which is a great feeling. A lot more in the pipeline and well we are still pretty new, I am very pleased to be able to deliver some pretty interesting editorial content on a regular basis. Of course without you readers it wouldn't be possible, so I'll be thanking you for a long time. Okay, issue 10. We have the full Common Projects spring/summer collection to show you, we spoke to new designer of the year nominees Shipley & Halmos, we got behind the Italian canvas for a deep look at Mismo and their bag collection. We also let our love for sneakers sneak back out with a pretty interesting interview with Eddie Cruz and James Bond in correlation with the latest collaboration with Puma. There are a couple more gems in the issue including a Canadian history lesson so stay tuned for the release next week. Also, I know there are a lot of new readers, so catch up and read Issue No. 9 before it vanishes into our labyrinth of unorganized archives.

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Engineered Garments Chambray Ground Jacket

I know, more Engineered Garments. I hope you readers don't get too tired of it this spring but it's one of the few lines that has me particularly excited. This chambray ground jacket is yet another reason why. It's also a piece I haven't seen from the EG collection before. The hood actually comes off as well turning it into a bit of a coach jacket, which looks great for spring in the material. I think the tone of the chambray is pretty much perfect along with the silver hardware the the obvious attention to historical details Engineered Garments pride themselves on. I was pretty stoked on the collection before I visited New York, but after looking through the fall collection and hearing about all of the care and though that goes into each detail and material, and how they hunt down dead stock wools, cottons and denims, it definitely got me even more excited. I also find their prices are generally pretty reasonable, especially at Hejfina. It's a bit of an odd online shop out of Chicago, but they actually have one of the best brand lists I've seen for men, as well as some of the lowest US retail prices.

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