The Bedford Coat by Engineered Garments

I tried to vary the title since every other post starts with Engineered Garments these days. Anyways, the bedford coat is probably one of my favorite items season after season by Engineered Garments for plenty of good reasons. It's perfect for the anit-fit look, it has lots of exterior pockets, a great casual collar, comes in a variety of EG's best materials and comes in perfect colors. I was hunting for this coat fairly hard in the last few months with no luck. Then I finally found one in my size for a good price and it was almost the exact some color of grey wool I'd bought a different blazer in a few weeks before, so I couldn't do it. This spring however my sights are set on the 7 oz. twill in either of these two colors. They aren't that cheap at around $400-450 so I am going to be putting in work to get the lowest price I can as I usually do. Good luck to anybody else on the hunt for these. Oh ya, the hats are cool too if you can pull them off.

Click to read more ...

Acne Wailer Jacket

This Wailer Man jacket by Acne is definitely one of the more interesting pieces I actually like for the spring collections I've seen. The lightweight toggle coat has a waxed treated outer shell with no shortage of details. Bamboo toggles with nice buttons on all pickets and the sleeves, along with an adjustable hood, throat closure for when the seas get rough and your hot on that whales' tail. I really like the collar of the jacket and Acne's slim fit usually agrees with me quite well. I have never actually owned any of their denim but have been far more into their knitted sweaters and jackets - this is a good reason why.

Click to read more ...

Emma Hope Desert Boots

I don't know a whole lot about Emma Hope other than their desert boots look great. We've mentioned several dozen pairs of desert boots on the blog it seems, all are slightly different in their cut, materials and soles it seems, but achieve the same look. I can't really argue that Emma Hope's version is going to do anything different. However, the black suede isn't that easy to come by, and the low profile natural colored sole do look great. From the pictures it does appear to have a leather lining which is pretty much a necessity for me if I'm buying another pair of shoes. All in all, these are better looking than Clarks in my opinion - but are they $200 better looking?

Click to read more ...

Don't Wear; Part 2

Well here we go again with some products and pieces you should not be wearing. Again I pulled almost all of these images from good shops and brands, and again, this is personally subjective in opinion. First up is a pretty big one, and one I don't think a lot of you readers have to even think about, UGGs. So its now you're responsibility to also make sure you your girlfriends don't where them either - and no, you or her can't wear them even if they are dressed up with a funky pattern or beads and some colorful pants. Next up is the keffiyah scarf. I actually think they can look dope and have always liked the style, but they need to hit the back burner for about a decade. These are one of the most over worn, played out items on planet earth. I realize they come from the heritage of a culture and that is fine, and if you're apart of that I mean no offence, keep wearing them. But if you are purely wearing them for the look, you will have a hard time looking good as they seem to be popping up with a lot of tattoo/sequin t shirt wearing folks now.  That brings us to the 'bro toque' or snowboard toque, or whatever. A knitted cap with a brim on it is really not a classic, or good look. Don't do it. Finally, this one isn't a specific item but I don't like it when the tie is too thick or big for the shirt's collar. Having it squeezed in there often can ruin the whole look your going for. Things need to fit well, and that goes for your tie and shirt collar as well.

Click to read more ...

An Essential: Black Hoody

There are a few things that you should probably have in your closet at all times. Whether you wear hooded sweatshirts often or not, I would recommend not, they are pretty good to have. It's a very casual item that can keep you warm, help layer or be worn to the corner store in you PJs. This might seem obvious but I'm not just recommending your Russel Athletics sweater. It would be a good idea to have at least one well made, well fitted, nice plain colored hoody. Some of the best options I've seen are this version by Rittenhouse, APC's last winter or by Wings+Horns. The simplicity of a cotton sweater is functional and if you have the right one you'll feel comfortable wearing it anywhere - just don't wear it everywhere.

Click to read more ...

Uniform Experiment Cotton Blazer

The launch of the Uniform Experiment collection has been blogged pretty thoroughly in the last day but I thought I would highlight my favorite piece from the collection I've seen so far. I am really enjoying casual blazers a lot lately and materials like wool and cotton are a big part of that. This piece by Uniform Experiment is a great two button coat in 100% cotton with a washed texture. I like the light spring colors with white buttons quite a bit surprisingly. I think it would go with a lot of spring stuff and I am always a fan of the external pocketing. Although the collection isn't super cheap or hard to find this is definitely one of the best sport coat/blazers I've seen for spring.

Click to read more ...

Compass Show

The Compass show is getting ready for it's second event in Las Vegas on February 12-13. The show, run by the BMPW crew, has stepped up the brand list this time around with some nice additions and some solid returning brands. To be honest I wasn't really sure who the even was really supposed to benefit back when it first launched, but as I've seen more and learned more - some directional help is definitely a good thing. Although a lot of you and myself probably have written out a dream brand list for if we started a store and know exactly what we'd order, there are a lot of shops, big and small and brands, big and small. There are also a lot of people who need help figuring out what to buy, and designers often can use the feedback on what sells. So Compass has become a good meeting ground for the different sides and outlets to come together and move forward together. It's interesting to see some of the old brands like Redwing and Sperry alongside collections from Alife, YMC and even Rachel Comey.

Click to read more ...

Little Things; Styling

One of the better things about Japanese retail besides having a more educated market, getting better products and being years ahead of us, is the attention to little things. Even at Musem Ark, a retail location well outside the city center of Tokyo, they take the time with almost every shipment to put together a look or two, style is very nicely and post the pictures up. If you're shopping online, just looking at a coat or shirt on a white background is awesome for blogging, but it's not the best if you are trying to understand how it will fit or look on. People need the picture painted for them, it has to help the selling point if you are a retailer. I remember Nomad did a great job of it last spring but I just don't see it in North America. So if things are slow these days and you have some new stock, I would recommend putting in some effort and sepeating yourself from the pack. Make people want to buy the clothes. I want this Comme des Garcons coat now, but it would have looked a bit weird just laying there.

Click to read more ...