Friendly Fire

Insight: I mentioned Designersaurus a little while ago; hopefully you've been checking it and saw this on Friday. If not, it's a great concept and an interesting look into the Six Eight Seven Six design process. Watch the whole thing, the random children's drawings that start appearing towards the end are brilliant too. | You Tube Childhood: I don't know how much Lego everyone had as a child but for me personally, this brings back a lot of memories. | Gizmodo Blogs: I'd imagine most of you are aware of this one but I just wanted to make sure. If you're not familiar, have a look. There's a lot to take in but that's never a bad thing, especially when the majority's so good. | Jakubowski Music: I'm going to see Dirty Projectors at the Scala tonight. Love the venue, love the band and just to bring it back to fashion for minute, I love the Lacoste cardigan Dave Longstreth's wearing in this clip. | You Tube

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MHL Duffle Coat

The duffle coat is another one of those items that are in fact a must have, at least for me. While there isn't a real rush to acquire one right now, it's something you can count on every year by traditional brands like Gloverall which allows a little more patient shopping experience. That said, when the right one comes along, there is no need to deny it as it's something you'd be sure to have in your closet for years to come. Margaret Howell's alter-name collection, MHL focuses more on utilitarian, simplistic design and basics. This fall they have cooked up a great looking and very ideal marl charcoal duffle coat that would exceed any demands of the piece. It's made of 80% wool, in the UK and has just enough going on to keep it function and little enough to have it looking just right. It's just arrived at The Bureau along with a couple other great Margaret Howell pieces worth checking out.

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Filson Wool Duffle

Fall means plaids and they shouldn't just be limited to flannel shirts I don't think. Ryan offered a decent option yesterday but when it comes to bags I'm more of a shoulder carrier. We all know Filson makes one of the best duffles around and they've recently come out with some new wool options. I've always been a fan of the bags in wool as they've got a bit more character than the classic canvas and tin cloth versions. The grey multi colourway is a great blend of different grey shades accented nicely with the red, a colourway that would look great with a backdrop of a navy or black jacket/shirt. The new wood camo isn't all that bad either but probably not one I'd choose over the others. Either way though the small duffle is a perfect size for any sized trip too.

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Gitman Vintage Navy Twill

Not that I need to get into the history and direction of Gitman Bros., but you can easily see the collection landing with our favorite retailers this fall. Back in January there was definitely one shirt that stood out to me on the rack of many. I wanted it then and till want it now. Navy blue shirting isn't usually too easy to find, but this herringbone twill shirt by Gitman is just right for the fall. It's soft, fits well and doesn't break the bank. Unsurprisingly it was picked up by a few retails such as Context and most recently, The Bureau. The shirt is cozy, great for layering and is a nice alternative to EG's twill work shirt if you weren't able to scoop one this season. Also, if you're into the navy, but would like to see it in an oxford cloth you aren't out of luck, you'll just have to wait a couple months...

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Stephen Walters Tartan Ties

Another historic UK brand still making great products and having a history dating back to the 1720's is Stephen Walters & Sons. Known for their fabrics and patterns, they continue to push into different markets around the world with their top notch materials and production. The brand name isn't likely one you're too familiar with, and neither was I until stumbling onto these beautiful neck ties at Muesum Ark. The colors of both tartan patterns look great and would be perfect for matching with a striped button down or chambray. While I find that green is often a tough color to wear, mixed in nicely with a plaid and on a tie might be my favorite place for the infusion. Although the plaid pattern and Stephen Walters company are both very old, these items have a generally refreshing feeling about them.

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Nepenthes Hathorn Boot

It's been almost a year since we first mentioned these boots from Nepenthes but they're back. This time around in a beautiful smooth leather. I don't know what it is about deep chestnut brown coloured leather on footwear but it has me swooning every time. I've always been a fan of the Hathorn thanks to it's simple three-piece upper and sleek silhouette and I've been entertaining the thought of a lower cut boot more and more lately. I think combined with the classic Vibram sole the smooth oxford boot has a great contrast about it that can be worn across any number of different styles. The gold eyelets and multi-coloured laces offer that much more detail. Taking inspiration from a certain 100 poster around here, I think with some cropped pants and  maybe even a pair of Fair Isle socks you'd be well on your way to a great looking autumn look.

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Studio Visit | Nigel Cabourn

On Tuesday, my friend James and I went up to Newcastle to see Nigel at his studio. As Ryan mentioned recently, I'm working on a feature about him and we needed to shoot some portraits. I've been looking forward to seeing behind the scenes for a while now and wasn't disappointed. While James worked hard getting some great shots of Nigel, I took some pictures of my own. You'll see the space properly as part of the feature but these should give a hint of what to expect. The studio is housed in a beautiful two storey building at the bottom of Nigel's garden. It's full of not only his own designs but also an amazing array of reference material. This includes one of the most impressive vintage collections I've ever seen. Nigel's worked in the industry for over 40 years but still has an incredible enthusiasm for what he does. We had a great day listening to his stories, trying on clothes and watching as he worked on designs for next winter. I'd like to thank him and Drew for being so accommodating, and Nigel's daughter Sophie for getting us back to the station just in time for our train. I hope you enjoy the pictures; we'll have much more on Mr. Cabourn very soon.

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Pendleton Drifter Bag

Blackwatch is one of my favorite patterns and Pendleton certainly know how and where to use it. Their Drifter bag is a nice little number that would be ideal for daily travel or a short weekend jump. The simple design works well and has been in the line up in the past. The canvas interior has two pockets, as does the exterior. The nice brown leather is a perfect match for the dark Blackwatch plaid, which is classic USA Pendleton fabric. I would ideally have a jacket, blazer, sweater, tie, shirt and pants in this pattern, but why not start with this bag? It's available through their website at the moment, along with a couple other nice material options.

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