Blue stuff, and stuff that goes with blue stuff.

Tres Bien Shop has given e-mail notice that their sale on spring/summer merch will start this week--Friday, July 2, 8 a.m. EDT, to be exact. Had my eye on a few things that may or may not exist in my size by the time the sale starts, but I'll be checking in Friday morning for a shot at them. Nearly all of them
happen to be variously smurftoned. Good time for a poor rendering of them via polyvore.





S.N.S. Herning Stark cardigan in blue. 
Bleu de Paname striped oxford in... blue.
Mark McNairy Red Brick Soul penny loafers. Not blue.
Rogues Gallery washed cotton cable knit sweater. Blue.
Our Legacy Authentic blue jeans.

Provenance.

In September 1994, Martin Margiela was one of the first in fashion to go overt with the idea of literally reproducing old clothes. The designer had already manipulated flea-market finds in his early collections, but this collection was different. "Instead of imitating originals, I decided to make complete reproductions," Mr. Margiela told Ms. Suzy Menkes of the IHT at the time--before he became a recluse from press exposure. Each garment carried a label that described the original and called the present piece an "exact reproduction." . . . Margiela was lucid in his explanation. "Every designer looks to retro stuff," he told Ms. Menkes. "I think I always look forward. But it's a nicer feeling for myself to go forward by looking backward."

From Fantastic Man No. 11, Summer 2010

Most of Martin Margiela's lines look great. They're thoughtful, wearable, and exceedingly well-made. But most don't really work for me--too louche, too Euro, or too subtle. Not to mention ridiculously expensive for a salaryman like myself. But I'm always intrigued by the replica pieces (line 14 in Margiela's obscure system). I think I first heard of them in a GQ piece from a few years back on trench coats. There are a lot, obviously, and I still don't own one. But Margiela's exacting reproduction (not interpretation or attempt; he calls it a replica) looked better than most.

The Fantastic Man article quoted above dealt with new and next vintage--chronicling how almost all clothing lines look to vintage for inspiration now, and how the people operate who trawl estate sales for items and bet on inspiration potential. These dealers pick through the old stuff you don't want anymore so makers can create things you will want in the future. The article's even more deeply meta, because among its points is this: they're running out of old things. Or rather, everyone's done something with everything. WWII military, Vietnam-era military, German military, current milsurp. They've done tennis and golf wear from the 1920s to the 1990s. When every conceivable genre of vintage clothing has been mined to the core, what's next?

I was a little surprised to see the quote from Margiela, but I like it--it's still a nice feeling to go forward by looking backward.

Es muy bueno.

B'lieve I've mentioned it before, but I've been working on some things for Très Bien Shop, a store based in Malmo, Sweden but with serious worldwide pull thanks to their buys, which range from Filson and Penfield to Maison Martin Margiela and Dries van Noten, and an excellent webshop at tresbienshop.net. Jakob at Très Bien is a sincere and smart fellow and asked me to write some Web content for them--so far, it's been mostly brand landing pages, but I recently talked with Mark McNairy, whose shoes Très Bien stocks, for them. The Mark McNairy interview is posted up the on their site.

We're hoping to put together some more interviews and other pieces for their editorial section--more designer Q+As and profiles of different lines. Thanks for checking it out, and let me say that the shop doesn't need my endorsement--they carry interesting stuff, and their prices are competitive even for U.S. shoppers. Remember that non-E.U. folks don't pay VAT (20%!) and Très Bien is offering free shipping (via FedEx) in May. Time to buy that Engineered Garments engineer jacket and Filson briefcase.

Pack your bags; we're going to Milan.

Rivendell Mountain Works Mariposa pack.

This one is based on a 1970s pack design, from a Pacific Northwest brand that's been brought back by a single backpacking enthusiast. Their flagship pack is the Jensen pack, a soft pack in a framepack size that changed the way people looked at soft packs back in the 70s. Of course that's far too large for a simple commuter bag. The Mariposa is amply sized for the daily carry at 2040 cu. in. I could fit gym gear, work stuff,  book, and lunch in there. In fact, it's about 50 percent larger than what I currently use. The RMW Lupine is a little smaller and maybe a better fit for daily use. These aren't widely available, or even widely discussed outside of backpacking sites, so it's tough to really assess them. They seem quite functional, though, and the styling is pretty ideal--and the Tolkien reference doesn't hurt. At under $100, the price is also pretty good for a made-in-USA bag, although you don't get the more lux materials and styling of something like Altadena Works. Still trying to decide if the vague, unintentionally vintage Web order form page is charming (like Birdwell's ) or just a barrier.




Great River Canoe Pack wool 50s backpack.

I'm giving this one a shot, despite the crazy embroidery (not all Great River packs feature lettering). I'll just be repping New England for awhile. The Great River bag is made of Pendleton wool and all compartments are closed with a zipper and lined in cotton. The leather and hardware look great. A canvas version is still in stock at Garbstore, listed, suspiciously, under Yuki Matsuda's brand Meg Company, but as a heads up there's a couple Great River bags on eBay cheap. Certainly not as light and a little flashier than the RMW pack listed above or the J. Crew Kelty I have my eye on.

Beatific

Will have to check out the current National Gallery exhibit of Allen Ginsberg's photos. Although Ginsberg was a pretty good photographer, what stands out in this collection (and its reason for being) is less the technique than the subjects. In the 50s Ginsberg was documenting the Beat scene before it was even eally a scene. Later he shot more formal portraits of the aging Beat Generation. The photos are candid shots for the most part and I wonder if last year's Levis ad campaign (featuring Beat forebear Walt Whitman) borrowed some from the spirit of these pics.


Ginsberg in the L.E.S., NY, 1953. A number of these photos, obviously, he didn't take himself.

Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and Burroughs after the jump.

Field trip: NY NY

I spent last weekend on a businessy pleasure trip to the city.

 

The good:

 

- Cask ales at The Breslin in the Ace Hotel.

- Finding R.P. Miller knits at Opening Ceremony store in that same Ace Hotel.

- Solid, friendly service at the Ace.

- Marbled brisket at Blue Smoke.

- In-your-face performance art freaking out the squares at Moma (NSFW, but it's art!).

- Cartier-Bresson retrospective at that selfsame Moma.

- Gin and tonic at Bemelman's.

- Talking clothes with Mark McNairy.

- The weather--warm, beautiful, tons of people out.

The less gooder:

 

- Missing a handful of desirable exhibits, rock shows, and comedy by a day or two.

- Paralysis by diversity of food choices.

- Not finding the only item I was really shopping for: a goddamn bag.

- The rickety, crowded elevators at the Ace. What were they like before renovation??

- Feeling like J. Crew is always one. step. ahead. 

- Feeling like 4th floor at Barney's Madison Ave looks a lot like a J. Crew. A veritable sea of oxford and madras.

- Boltbus passengers. Sometimes I think I should hop on a Chinatown bus and trade the giggly couples for a dude riding with chickens. Nah.

- The weather--warm, beautiful, tons of people out.

 

The frighteningly real thought for the weekend is that I'm exhausted by the vacation. Always loved seat-of-my-pants budget travel but I am become a sad old man, looking for cheap all-inclusive tropical resorts where I can eat cafeteria food and read mystery novels in the shade of a palm tree that's been replanted from its native soil onto a beach of sand brought there by dumptrucks just for me.

L.L. Bean Fall 1948.

I've been meaning to get a post up on this since approximately spring 1949. I got this catalog over a year ago now, wanted to post it, lost it, and have had no access to a quality scanner. So this weekend I busted my bike and figured I'd waste some time taking photos of a catalog, with my phone camera. Not seasonally appropriate, I understand, but this Bean catalog still has some gems, some all the more interesting since the company raided its own archives to design the L.L. Bean Signature line this spring. Let's see if any of these cool weather pieces make it into next fall's Signature catalog. More images and midcentury Mainer folksiness after the jump.


L.L. Bean Fall 1948.

It is hard for an empty bag to stand upright.

Title quotes Benjamin Franklin; wise man, proud Philadelphian, manbag pioneer? The evidence on that last part is inconclusive. I need a new contrivance for carrying things. Books, gym clothes, lunch, small grocery run, six-pack of Bud tallboys, the occasional laptop or LP. I thought getting a new bag would be easy. My needs are not unique. I need a bag that's a comfortable carry, can fit the aforementioned stuff (not all at once), doesn't look stupid, is wearable on a bike, and doesn't cost more than, well, I don't know. I'm even flexible on the orientation--rucksack, messenger style, shoulder-slung briefcase--I can make a case for any of them. I flipped through Nylon Guys at Border's and they had an entire feature on backpacks, and I would use none of them. I almost said "wear them," there, which would be appropriate for most in the Nylon piece. I need a bag that sits midway between the utility of the fare at REI and the appearance of something RRL would make would be perfect. Warning, depending on your perspective I may come off here as a terrible cheapskate or a heedless spendthrift here. I took a vote and said maybe to the following:



1. Altadena Works Teardrop Pack

STATS: 18 x 13 x 7
PRICE: $225


PRO: Until recently, I was antibackpack. They ruin jacket shoulders, I thought; they make you look like a little kid, I thought. I've been using a borrowed old Northface pack for nearly a year now and those both hold true. But frankly I don't wear sportcoats all that often and the Altadena Works pack doesn't look middle school, just a little old school. The design is very clean for a functional pack--thoughtful but not too gimmicky. There's room in there for just about anything I'd carry. The raw materials are good quality--Horween leather, for example, and wool felted shoulder straps. Plus it's made in the USA.
CON: The big con, obviously, is that it's 225 goddamn dollars. I also question its rain resistance.

2. Archival Clothing Rucksack

STATS:Unknown, but looks plenty big
PRICE: Unknown, but I'd venture around $200
PRO: Plenty big, vintage inspired without being ridiculous (http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll284/shoreman1782/duluthcanoepackfull.png), made in USA, and after reading Archival Clothing for quite a while I have a lot of trust and respect for the people behind it. I trust them to build something well and not be cute about it. Waxed canvas is waterproof enough for me, and the flap over design seems ideal for it.
CON: Although the price isn't yet public, it won't be cheap. (I'm sure the AC folks aren't ripping people off.) Also, all these earthy canvas bags with leather closures and thin, unarticulated shoulder straps are a little, I dunno, square. German backpacker in the wrong sense of the term. Just sayin.


3. Yuketen Triangle Pack

STATS: 18.5 x 12 x 8.25
PRICE: $420
PRO: I really really like them. Saw the wool felt version at Capsule and the safety orange canvas version looks blazingly cool too. There's a lot of 70s mountaineering stuff being resurrected now, and Yuki is looking further back than that. It's just so PRETTY. Solid metal hardware, zippers that will eat your hand, more Horween leather trim. Made in USA. Again, a small company I respect.
CON: Outrageously expensive--not that there isn't some value there, but it's still a lot of dough. Not available from a U.S. retailer (that I can find). Almost completely impractical--not waterproof, one giant pocket, will likely be uncomfortable when heavily packed. Almost too interesting looking, and I would prefer not to draw attention in that way. Yeah, maybe just strike this one for me, although it's a work of art.


4. Porter x Monocle Baby Boston Bag

STATS: 16.5 x 7.5 x 15
PRICE: $375
PRO: Porter is a Japanese bag maker of some repute. Their stuff is supposed to be indestructible. Monocle magazine helped design this one for short-term travel, and it has some thoughtful touches that would be handy on a day-to-day basis. I also like the color and the fact that it's not a standard shape.
CON: Dimensions seem oddly small for its type, although it's a different shape than most others here. Although I enjoy reading Monocle and their store sells things that are only in impeccable taste, there's an air of smugness, in-crowdness, and materialistic aspiration associated with it that's hard to pin down and that puts me off. Also, it's nearly $400 for a nylon bag. Wait, I think that pins it down.


5. Filson 257 (large briefcase)

STATS: 16 x 12.5 x 6
PRICE: $250
PRO: The size is ideal. Big enough for a laptop and some accessories, but not too big to carry daily. It looks good but won't draw attention to itself. You can trust it to age gracefully and not embarrass you in a year or so. Still made in USA. I own other Filson products and have been happy with their quality control and Filson's customer service.
CON: If it weren't for the Monocle-branded bags, this would probably be the standard issue for the post-metrosexual Monocle man. Even in DC, which tends to be the last boarder on the trend wagon, I've seen a bunch. And although it's probably not a bad value, it's still more than I want to spend.

6. Reload Bags Frontier Knapsack

STATS: 15.5 x 14 x 4
PRICE: $45 (sale price)
PRO: Waxed canvas in good, basic earthtone colors. Made in USA (in Philly, no less) by a good, small company that makes functional bags for a demanding clientele. Price is right--wouldn't be bad at the original price but the sale price is really solid.
CONS: Shape is basic and classic to the point of school-bag-y. May actually be too small for some of the things I need to carry, and I can't check before I buy. A $45 bag isn't a good deal if it doesn't work and you have to buy another bag. I had this one in my cart and ready to go but just wasn't certain if the combo worked.


7. Albam Summit Pack

STATS: Unkown
PRICE: $200
PRO: Styling is nice and the price is competitive, if not exactly cheap. I really like what Albam's doing generally--their product is unique in a crowded market, their Web site is clean, their blog is informative. I have stuff from Albam and it's stuff I like. Bag is made in England.
CON: I doubt the water resistance. May not be very practical and I don't know the size for sure. It's still $200.


8. Acontinuouslean/Pendleton/Property of... guy bag

STATS: 20 X 6.25 X 13.4
PRICE: $195 (sale price)
PRO: I like all the entities involved here. The bag seems well-sized. The Property of... bags are not ubiquitous to begin with and even less so in this makeup. It has a handful of practical pockets on the inside so my lunch and book don't mingle.
CON: Wool isn't waterproof. I like a lot of Pendleton wools but the colors here are borderline ugly; they look like seconds. It's a little purse-y.


9. L.L. Bean Downeaster canvas duffle, medium

STATS: 12.5 x 23 x 12.5
PRICE: $64
PRO: Price and local availability help, considering I wouldn't be able to check out any of the other bags here before ponying up. Size is great, I can take this to work every day or on a weekend trip.
CON: Canvas is not waterproof. The duffle shape, even with the shoulder strap, is not especially workable on a bike.


10. South2West8 Canoe Sack, small

STATS: 16.5 x 12.5 x 9
PRICE: $150+fees
PRO: S2W8 splits the difference between an old canvas canoe bag and a 1970s backpack by making their canoe sack a manageable size and doing it in colorful nylon. It's big and eveything's easily accessible. The design incorporates elements from when comfort and convenience were at least as much of a concern as durability.
CONS: Another piece I'd love to have but that I can't justify. The original price isn't terrible, but when you add tax, shipping, potential proxy fees (it only retails in Japan), etc. it quickly balloons to over $200--again, a lot for a nylon pack.

----------------
Measurements are all approximate--some have been converted rudimentarily by me. Some costs have also been estimated and converted.

Rites of spring.

I've been in hardcore CONSUMER mode for a week now--can't explain it other than I'm better at thinking about buying stuff than just about anything else. There's good music out, stores are taking spring deliveries (clotheswise), it's light for nearly 12 hours a day. I grilled goddamn chicken yesterday.  So, some stuff to buy.

1. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists--The Brutalist Bricks

I've been a Ted Leo fan since a friend brought back from student government camp Chisel's "8 a.m. All Day" copied onto a tape. Sorry Tej, you've always appealed to nerds, and people who like government like you. That must hurt. I didn't give TLRx's last album too much of a chance, but the new one had me at "Where Was My Brain," which is a punk rock face melter live. Maybe I'll get a full review down here at some point, but for now, I like the album and whatever Matador has done for production, because it sounds better than any Ted album before.

2. Our Legacy - 1940s Sundried Japan Checks at Très Bien Shop


Full disclosure: I'm helping out Tres Bien Shop with some Web copy. That's encouraged me to browse their webshop a lot, though, and dang if there aren't some enviable pieces for sale. Tres Bien is an excellent source for Our Legacy (who I talked to at capsule), especially for Americans, as we don't have a lot of stockists and they speak English and cheerily ship to the United States via Fedex. They also subtract EU VAT, so it's like you get 20% off everything. That's a sales pitch, but that doesn't make it untrue. This shirt, in a 'Murican-toned plaid, is pretty much perfect. Button down collar, double layer fabric (note the blue gingham on the inside)--makes me yearn for the weather to wear it.

3. Gibson Sonex 180

I literally dusted off my acoustic guitar a couple weeks ago and got it fixed. I'd been procrastinating because i expected it to be expensive, which it wasn't. Hey, free money. So now I have big big plans--I'm going to steal back the amp I myself stole in the 1990s (from that same friend who gave me the Chisel tape) and buy an electric guitar. I should be annoying my neighbors in a matter of months. You can read up on the Sonex, but essentially it was budget Gibson back in the early 80s, but now has a rep that's better than many new Gibson models. I have it on good authority that it's a poor man's Gibson SG. And they can apparently be had for $500 or less. Pshaw, I have that in change behind my dresser. That is not hyperbole.

Coming up, I consider buying a new manbag. 

Good stuff: Russell’s Chamois Oil and Obenauf's LP.

MP3s have probably saved a couple of my friendships from the irreconcilable differences that have come up when I borrowed and generally destroyed friends’ CDs. I just like to get stuff more than I like to take care of it. My own CDs are scratched, my car is a reliable embarrassment, and although I launder my clothes with care, once they’re clean they’re often stored unfolded in piles on my bedroom floor. I’m not proud of this.

My dress shoes, though, they’re stored on a rack, polished often (suede is brushed), and bagged and treed when appropriate. I haven’t crossed the line into rare or high-end shoe care products—Kiwi polish does it for me—but I did pick up some products for boot care, since my boots don’t get babied like my shoes.

I have Russell’s Chamois Oil for my Russell-style chamois leather upland mocc boots. And I have Obenauf’s Leather Preservative for my hiking boots and any other shoes that may need to repel manure acids. It's kind of relaxing to polish shoes or oil boots--there's a ritual to it that is appealing, like getting a straight-razor shave at the barber. Obenauf's has a mild beeswax scent that is also pleasant. Yes, my significant other thinks I'm nuts. But with luck, my shoes should last until they are waaaaay out of style.

Russell Moccasin's site also has a great step-by-step before-and-after on reviving a pair of their old boots.

EDIT: I SWEAR on my entire shoe collection that I wrote this before I saw acontinuouslean covering some of the same stuff. I may be a cheap imitation, but I'm not a direct rip!