With Labor Day weekend on the horizon, it’s almost time to trade those madras shorts for sweaters, toggle coats and the infamous flannel. You’ve still got a week to bare your calves, but a little preemptive shopping never hurt anyone.

Landing this week at East Village mainstay DEN, Engineered Garments is a throwback to early 20th Century workwear of the type you may be used to seeing elsewhere. Think coalminers and railroad workers…but well-dressed ones, wearing selvage denim, collarless oxford shirts and thermal-lined hoodies. (A little anachronism never hurt anyone either.)

And, if you’re the patient type, you can catch their capsule collection with Levi’s, the result of their GQ / CFDA award earlier this year. Highlights include 501s circa 1947 and a historically authentic army shirt of the type worn by prisoners in Alcatraz at the turn of the century.

Which should be enough to keep you warm when you’re swimming for freedom.

For all the bespokery surrounding shoes and suits, there’s remarkably few limited edition operations on the tie front…which is why we’re so happy we’ve actually found one.

The tie-maker’s name is Vittorio J, and it turns out we’ve been admiring his work for much longer than we’ve known his name. He’s a staple of the shirt-and-tie boutique 20 Peacocks and takes appointments for bespoke tie service at Michael Andrews Bespoke, two of our favorite Manhattan outposts that just happen to be neighbors.

As you might guess from the name, Vittorio favors Italian styling over the British flair that’s currently popular, but most of their stock won’t look too familiar anyway. They specialize in exclusive designs and very small runs, sometimes making as few as two ties.

In other words, you can be sure they haven’t seen it before.

We’ve been impressed by Gilded Age before, but this is the first time they’ve pushed themselves historically. Their usual beat is 19th Century New England workwear, but their latest collection sees them swerving in a Hopper-esque direction. Instead of anachronistic rural digs, they’ve moved to anachronistic urban gear, meaning two-colored cardigans, trench coats and denim blazers, among others. There are enough people chasing the Mad Men look already, but Gilded Age is bringing something entirely their own to the look.

And, of course, they still churn out weathered jeans and flannel as well as anyone.

Click for another look at the clothes»

One of the highlights of the capsule show was a British marque called “b”. (The store is b Store, the in-house line is b Clothing, shoes are b Footwear, and so on.) They’ve been one of the highlights of the London scene since they opened in 2000, but they’re only building up a stateside presence now. Their website has a few highlights—including a few bathrobe-esque takes on the waistcoat—but their merch at capsule was a cut above.

More on the wares of b Store»

A.P.C. has let loose their fall and winter ’08 lineup, and we’re suitably impressed. Choosing a ginger model is a particularly seasonal touch, but the lineup of tweed, denim and generally tough fabrics is the real draw. They’ve been having a pretty good year—they rolled out a new denim style in April—and a recent Japanese expansion seems to have tempered their usual minimalism.

Naturally, the pants remain slim and the jackets keep their epaulettes.

Another set of pics after the jump»

The death of the tie may be a little exaggerated, but stylistically, neckwear is definitely in a rut. Outside of the skinny/wide dichotomy and the increasing influence of the Britons, there isn’t a lot of new stuff happening. If the tie aisle is ever going to show us something we can’t find in a vintage store, someone is going to have to step up.

And we’ve got a few ideas about who.

For instance, Sovereign Beck»

Now that Nau has been shuttered and unshuttered, it looks like the streets of Portland are once again safe for eco-friendly startups.

END seems to think so at least. The newly minted footwear company has been attracting all sorts of press with its green approach to the sneaker business. Most notably, the company is helmed by a former Nike exec, who may have felt inclined to atone for his employers’ less than savory labor practices. The shoes themselves are mostly earth-toned versions of what you can already find at Foot Locker, but the raw materials are decidedly different, based in recycled rubber and laces made from recycled milk jugs.

The shoes are slated to go on sale August 1 at REI stores, so we’ll have to wait ‘til then to see how they turn out.

It’s not exactly trench coat weather, but it pays to keep an eye on the future.

In that vein, we thought we’d mention Conference of Birds, an up and coming British marque from Andrew Holden. The trenches caught our eye, but they’ve also got a full line of the suits, denim and overcoats waiting in the wings (so to speak). So far the only store is the Billyburg salon Woodley & Bunny, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it popped up on the other coast pretty soon.

More pics after the jump»

It’s official: Kempt favorites Shipley & Halmos have just moved out of the “young upstart” phase, and into the “industry darling” phase.

On May 20th, the ex-Trovata duo will bring home the National Arts Club’s Young Designer Award, the label’s first award since launching in January. The label specializes in trim-fitting suits and summery shorts—just now coming into season—but extra touches like Oxford-cloth boxers give the line a playful edge. More recent obsessions have included black gingham and bowties.

A few of our favorite pics from the S&H kids»

A lot of good stuff has come out of Japan recently, but they haven’t had much in the way of suits. Until now, anyway.

Our friends at A Continuous Lean tipped us off to the Japanese brand Whereabouts, currently on shelves at L.A.’s H. Men.

Free of the pop-art touches we’ve come to expect from the land of Mario, Whereabouts seems content with thin lapels, tasteful tailoring and impeccable fabrics. The look has served them well in Asia: they’re stocked in more than 20 boutiques and department stores in Japan, with four more locations in China and Korea. In the States, however, the label’s still under the radar.

More on Whereabouts»

A lot of designers have been inspired by early 60s chic, but it’s rare to see one merge nostalgia with a fresh take on menswear staples.

We recently took a look at the Fall ’08 line from recent Bloomingdale’s recruit Bureau, and it’s more forward-looking than you’d think at first glance. This isn’t the 1962 of Thom Browne, it’s more like 1962 of Wong Kar Wai, with one-button suits meshing with bizarre sweater piping for an otherworldly feel. The suits are appropriately slim, but distinctive touches like the high peak lapels keep it from getting lost in the crowd.

The fall designs will hit stores in August.

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