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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Surface 2 Air Trench Coats

Surface 2 Air have developed their collection into a well known and respected label around the world. With some of the best stockists and a beautiful flagship location in Paris, France, the brand has grown with its owners and directors into a very complete, strong offering. I personally am always a fan of their bags, sweaters and outerwear. These spring trench coats are  looking really nice. Both the black and light khaki color are really classic looking with a nice slim cut. The viscose lining is quite a nice touch, and definitely can add to the feel of any item, while the waxed cotton outer keeps the trench a little more modern and still maintaining the classic style. I have been looking for the perfect trench coat for a while now. So long that I've become so picky that I may never find it. Junya Wantanabe CDG has a great version last winter that I'm really wishing I just pulled the trigger on, but I didn't, so I'm still looking. Surface 2 Air seems to have covered all the angles with this piece; color, waxed cotton, horn buttons, viscose lining and even the belt, tied casually behind the back.

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Peter Jensen Box Pleat Slacks

I have been enjoying my anti-fit pants these days. While the overalls ended up being extremely baggy on one extreme, I would love to find a pair of navy slacks that are still loose fitting but more wearable in everyday situations. These pants from Peter Jensen's spring collection look like they might be perfect. I would hope that they are pretty close for C$495. The pants look very casual with a bit of a wrinkled material that is able to hide the subtle pleats really nicely. I am not a fan of super starched pleats, but when they look broken in and are just barely noticeable I think they look great. Gravity Pope even rolled them up for you so you can't get the look wrong.

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A.P.C. Houndstooth Raincoat

There are a lot of jackets on the market this days it seems. I guess probably more than have ever been available on the planet Earth. However, it still doesn't seem like there are that many good looking jackets that can fend off the most hated weather around, rain. A.P.C. has put forth a really nice looking stone colored hounds-tooth rain jacket made from 100% cotton. So coat isn't actually rain proof, but repellent is usually good enough. A.P.C. usually have a jacket in this similar 'Mac' style and they are some of my favorite. I think the French labal does a great job stripping it down to the basic essential details. Adjustable button tab on the wrists, slant cut pocketing, nice big buttons, raglan sleeves and a nice fitting collar. It's probably not going to stop traffic, but it's going to look good and get a lot of wear.

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