Winter Sales Report

We don't really like to encourage the early sale season that now starts before Christmas. It sort of hurts the industry as a whole, and of course it doesn't start anywhere earlier than in North America. That said, we're consumers through and through and while I'd love to see retailers, brands and agencies all do well together - I'm not about to turn down a good deal. The sales have hit at Odin, Roden Gray, South Willard and over at Superdenim. Sure they've hit a million other places, but these shops still have some great items from brands like Post Overalls, Band of Outsiders, Wings+Horns, Engineered Garments and more. I often like to use sales to pick up an item that might be a little more off-key that I might not feel confident about at full retail. Whether it's a crazy print, or heavy outerwear or just some basics - it's usually a good feeling to make one or two steals before spring arrives (in the next blog post).

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Grenson for Odin

This spring the leading New York based boutique Odin, has teamed up with well respected English footwear maker, Grenson. The capsule collection so far has two models including a leather ankle boot and a canvas oxford. Both are extremely clean and classic looking and would work, or should work, with any man's wardrobe. I am particularly a fan of the canvas oxfords. I think they are a perfect spring through fall shoe. With nice detailing, a great natural leather sole, white stitching, nice color choice on the laces and of course a nice leather lining, these feel very well balanced. I think Odin has definitely been one of the leaders in bringing menswear to a place where it should be. From their stock list, to their great Den concept location, Odin continues to push retail in New York and this is another very nice addition. The ankle boot retails for $350 and the oxford comes in at $325, which are not incredibly bag prices at all. I would like to see the black canvas under some better lighting, but these are definitely being considered for purchase.

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Engineered Garments @ Odin

I promise that I will give it a bit of a break after this post but if I didn't post it, somebody else might have, or you just might not have known where to get some of the best spring pieces out there. Odin is probably the biggest EG supporter in North America as far as I know. They go deep into the collection and went as far to feature the brand in the Den last fall. This spring I don't see why they wouldn't carry a large portion of the line, although a lot of it will never been seen here in North America. This spring they did the currently blog popular parka in a great navy blue with all of the best details perfectly laid out; leather tabs, back slit pocket, four front pockets, waist drawstring - basically I'm getting this. Although I've said it for a lot of pieces this spring, and I'd like to say it again for the Baker coat, I will have to be picky about which items I actually do get, EG is just making it hard this year. Anyways, Odin's first shipments of the spring collection look great and whats also worth noting is the fairly reasonable prices as the baker coat only comes in at $289 while the parka is at $425. Check the link for a couple of the best accessories; leather D ring and madras scarves. All at Odin now.

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New York, New York

As some of you readers might have picked up on, I am in New York for a short, but productive trip. First off I have to apologize for any lull in blog posts but I am trying to keep up. I spent the day walking around a lot of the Soho and West Village enjoying the delightful feeling of a frozen face. At least the ground was dry, I guess. It was nice to check out the new editions to the city such as Rag & Bone but I have to still track down the J Crew and Thom Brown shop in the next couple days. I have some pretty exciting meetings in the next couple of days which will help determine and direct the next few months of h(y)r collective. I am excited to report back the progress as well as a couple Capsule updates starting Monday so stay tuned for some previews of whats to come for fall. In the meantime, everything in this city is 50-80% off. It's crazy. Nom de Guerre, Odin, Rag & Bone and Union all have notable sales with some great items. I didn't have a ton of luck finding my size in a lot of things I wanted but the search will continue and I doubt I'll leave empty handed.

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