Richard Chai @ Den, New York

The Den has been revamped yet again this spring to showcase one of the most exciting designers today.  This season Richard Chai's spring collection will fill the beautiful New York location with his stripped down, clean aesthetic. As the Den's carefully picked roster grows, this season hits a bit closer to home as Eddy Chai is actually brothers with Richard. After years working his way up the ranks of Armani, Donna Karen and Marc Jacobs, Richard has grown a strong following around the globe with his great color palettes, strong attention to detail and generally great looking clothes. The Den space looks very nice again after yet another face lift. It's quite impressive what the owners have done with the space and the quality products they've put on the shelves. Richard Chai's presentation went over well in Paris, his FW collection was one of this seasons bright spots and now we can experience the atmosphere of his latest work. Also look for the collection on Odin's online store.

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Steven Alan Single Needle Plaid Shirt

Sure, I could go for some fresh denim, a new pair of chinos and shoes are always good. But I'm OK wearing the same jean-shoe combo for a week straight so I find that I'm pining for a new shirt at least once a week. This plaid version from Steven Alan is one of my favourites of late and is the shirt of the week for me. The shirt has single needle seams so there's a little less stitching which is alright by me because it's a Steven Alan button-down. I usually prefer button collars but the lack of one is a nice break in routine for me. That stuff is good but I love the shirt because of the colour and the slightly boxy fit though. It's a nice enough shirt to tuck into chinos and wear with some non-leather oxfords. But that fun, spring blue is one of my favourite colours and the boxy fit means I can wear it super casually and bust out some Air Maxes if I want too. Hell, maybe if I've been cutting a rug all night I'll end up wearing it like the dude at Oak. Regardless, it's a good shirt.  

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Uniform Experiment Knit Cap

As spring and summer get closer, I feel the warm days by the water creeping more near. The nautical theme has been pretty strong in the last summer or two, but I think there is still room for more. I don't particularly think this Uniform Experiment cap was made to wear at sea, but navy with white stripes pretty much always reminds me of a sail boat, or at least what you should be wearing on one. Navy and white go well with some khaki, which goes great with some worn in brown or black boat shoes, which are all comfortable and can be worn anywhere. So simple, and it can start with this cap, or this APC sweater, which I'm wishing I bought.

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Supreme SS09

Most people have probably seen a lot of the Supreme spring line, but I figured I'd mention a couple of my favorite items. The brand will always be pretty cool, as I've mentioned, so a little branding never really hurts. The heathered sport T shirts are probably my favorites, and I fully intend on getting one or two. The colors of the blue and soft red are perfect. They remind me of  a cop training shirt or something. Whatever the case, great for wearing all the time. I also quite like the stripped hoody and spring parka. The baseball jacket is a bit more on the loud side, but I can't help liking it. Whether I would get much wear out of it or not these days is another thing. Again, Supreme's collection doesn't blow minds, but they have done a great job tweaking some classic pieces in their New York way and are offering a solid collection of affordable, well made, good looking clothing.

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Essential: The Spring Workshirt

This piece by Engineered Garments have become in staple in the last few seasons. Coming in different materials and weights, the shirt never stops looking great. This spring the work shirt will be coming in a great chambray material, washed down to just the right tone and including all of the perfect details. The elbow patch stitching, complimentary pockets, red button and classic EG cut all make this a spring must have - if you don't already have it. A number of brands of done renditions of the shirt, but I haven't seen one better than Engineered Garments. This shirt would be really versatile as well, going with chinos, denim or shorts - you can layer the crap out of it, or just wear it on it's lonesome. Put it on the list. Available at Nepenthes and Jonathan+Olivia.

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The Minority Report: Las Vegas

Last week speed by quickly with a 3 day trip to Las Vegas right in the middle. I keep saying it, that city is insane. It's really not my top city of choice, as I hope most readers could guess by the general taste of h(y)r collective - but how bad could it be? I have no problem with guys who like to gamble, get wasted and look at strippers, but since I wasn't doing any of those activities, my options felt a bit limited. I was there on business; covering Capsule, as well as checking out the GUILD show, Project and Magic. Without going deep into all of the negatives of the city, I will say, that more than ever, I have realized that we are the minority. In the world, in fashion, and especially in Las Vegas, USA. The handful of people I saw that appeared to have good taste were so scarce, I couldn't believe it. As I walked the city, the hotel lobbies and the trade shows, I was constantly surrounded by the most terrible clothing I've ever seen. Whether it was Ed Hardy itself, or it's 7th generation knock-off, there were enough sequins, daggers and tattoos on shirts to dress an army. And it turns out this army is spread all around us, spending a lot of money on ugly clothing and Yager bombs. I knew it was going on, but after being in what felt like the center of crapsville, my mind has been boggled. There were of course some bright spots; Capsule and GUILD were both quite calm, had nice crowds, reasonable music and nice clothing on the racks. There were also a couple of needles in the crapstack at Project and Magic too, but not many. It sounded like ENK might have been a decent show too, but unfortunately my time ran out, and I'm again safe back in Vancouver. Sometimes I think there should be standard issue uniforms for guys around the world; oxford shirt, white T, APC denim, white sneakers - would that make the simple items less special? Maybe it's good being the minority, even if it is mind boggling...

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Filson Pullman Twill Whiffin Shorts

The EG shorts have been my favorite I've seen so far this spring, but they didn't feed my hankering for some pleats. A lot of people think the pleats don't belong on the modern mans pants, let alone shorts, but you can't deny them in a somewhat more manly short by Filson. The Pullman Twill Whiffin Shorts are supposed to be Filson's more comfortable material, the "micro sanded finish and is enzyme stonewashed for extra softness" sounds pretty good, and the adjustable waist band is a nice option as well. I think the colors available are pretty classic and these shorts would serve you pretty well whether hunting down a quail or eating a burger on the deck. I would probably put them together with an oxford shirt and some loafers and be set for a few days.

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Coming Soon Spring Items

Coming Soon by Yohji Yamamoto has been doing some really nice pieces since its inception. I like the loose fitting pants and easy to wear blazers. Also, I've seen some great outwear and knits from last winter. This spring Coming Soon have another good looking collection which recently arrived at Odin in New York. The light blazers and soft chambray pants that tie at the bottom are probably my top choices. The colors remain mainly black with small touches of blue this spring, which is good, as the line stays true to it's creative directors style, which producing a lot more wearable, slightly more affordable pieces again this season.

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