Because as of yesterday, they’ve launched their own proprietary brand of grooming products—the same stuff Sam Buffa has been perfecting in his barbershops for years.
You’ll want to hop over to their (also) new online shop and preorder the lot, shipping before the end of June. While you’re there, you may be tempted to pick up a few other essentials from the likes of Odin, Filson and Baxter. Just go with it.
First there was 1. Then there was 2 and 3 (see where we’re going with this?). And now with its 11th iteration, Odin delivers Semma.
With layers of tobacco, chili pepper and sandalwood, it’s professed as “a collection of notes from distant lands veiled in mystery.” Bold words.
As recreational conquistadors of distant lands veiled in mystery, we’ve put the claim to the test and asked the unbiased and hypersensitive noses of Kempt HQ to take a whiff.
The perennially hip New York men’s shop Odin knows a thing or two about a good collaboration.
So we were pleased to hear they’ve been rounding up some of their favorite labels they carry to launch an exclusive in-shop fall capsule collection that will be trickling onto their shelves (and online) all season.
The list of collaborators reads like a who’s who of menswear heavy-hitters: Rag & Bone, Engineered Garments, AC Cantarelli, Mark McNairy, Common Projects, Alex Mill and Todd Snyder. Which should lend itself well to the shop’s downtown-meets-upstate vibe. For instance, the collection launches this week with Rag & Bone’s entries—two shirts, two trousers and two jackets all made in the USA—featuring tailored updates on classics like the admiral jacket, in Italian wool and using custom buttons from the 200-year-old Waterbury Button Company. In other words: handsome stuff perfectly timed for the brisker months to come.
We’ve filtered through all of the online sale noise and graded your best options out there, should you feel inclined to do any menswear browsing this weekend...
For an Indian Spring:Odin is kicking off their spring sale today with 30% to 40% off select items. Discount: A Sizes Available: B- Selection: B+
For the Pre-Summer Stock-Up:Gant is throwing a spring/summer sunset sale with up to 50% off a good selection of in-season menswear. Discount: A+ Sizes Available: B+ Selection: A-
For the Big Swimmer:J.Crew is slashing 30% off all their swimwear online this weekend. Discount: B Sizes Available: A Selection: A
Blame it on spring fever, but we’re feeling for prints today.
So we couldn’t resist mentioning this floral popover from Engineered Garments. It’s just landed at Odin as one of two exclusive patterns from the label. Here’s what else you need to know.
The Story: The popover style of shirt has been gaining favor in menswear circles—bridging the gap between a leisurely button-down and a long-sleeved polo shirt—and going short-sleeve with this one manages to up the summery ante.
Who to Channel: A 21st-century Magnum, P.I.; a sport fisherman enjoying a post-catch daiquiri in the Keys (mustache optional on both accounts).
When to Wear It: On days as bright as the shirt—and not with a pair of these patterned shorts. One loud pattern is already pushing it.
Degree of Difficulty: Somewhat high. This shirt should be strictly reserved for the beach or places that unironically serve drinks with umbrellas.
Today, Odin 09, which purports to smell like velvety peach and pear flower with hints of tobacco and bourbon. That’s almost right. We asked 10 sophisticated noses at Kempt HQ to give it a whiff and weigh in.
We like Odin. We’ve bought dish soap at Target. So naturally, we were curious to see what would happen when we heard the two were getting together.
The lookbook has just hit the interwebs, and on first glance, we think we like what we see. We’ll hold off final judgment till September 9, when the gear rolls out nationwide, but there are definitely some promising pieces in the collection—most notably, a navy pair of white-Vibram-esque-soled desert boots and what looks to be a take on the prepster gem known as a “fun shirt.” So we sifted through it all for your previewing pleasure.
Target Acquired: On the heels of successful capsule collections with a few womenswear bigs, Target is now planning one with the impossibly stylish New York men’s shop Odin. Definitely something to keep an eye on. [A Bullseye View]
As the Crow Flies: An aerial slideshow of the secret New York City rooftops that lay hidden to most city dwellers, high above the fray. [NYMag]
Suit Yourself: Mark Zuckerberg’s hooded-sweatshirt-ness has been all fine and dandy until now—when you’ve got a few billion dollars (of real money) at stake, it might be time to get serious. [Bloomberg]
A Good Vintage: Mr. Lean embarks upon the yearly pilgrimage to Brimfield, MA, with fellow vintage enthusiasts, Americana-philes and our very own camouflage-panted editorial director. [A Continuous Lean]
This past month, New York’s Odin unveiled their seventh fragrance, a unisex scent cooked up by Parisian parfumier Corrine Cachen—and somehow, we managed to get our hands on a bottle of the stuff.
It’s in the woody, musky style of cologne, full of crisp top notes and warm undertones... or at least that’s what the press release says. To get to the real, messy truth, we rounded up some of the ruthlessly articulate ladies around the office for an unbiased appraisal of the scent.
The following opinions are not necessarily our own—although we see where they’re coming from.
It’s nice to have a little fire around. Scented candles usually focus on the cologne-commercial coolness of making your space smell glamorous, but there’s something to be said for the simple caveman pleasures of controlled combustion.
The New York stalwarts at Odin just released their first line of candles—and while they smell pretty good, it’s safe to say they’re thinking about the pleasures of fire too. The metal lid and wine-colored glass make it feel like something you’d find in a nightclub or an unusually hip church…which means they should be right at home on your nightstand.
This cotton button-up from Burkman Brothers just arrived at Odin bearing a new far-flung fabric trick. Ikat is a pre-loom dyeing process you don’t find much in the states anymore, but it’s used in traditional weaves from Bolivia to Uzbekistan. The result is one of the more interesting patterns in stores, just exotic enough to keep your wardrobe cosmopolitan.
We knew all that world-traveling would pay off at some point.
The oatmeal-loving minimalist Richard Chai is getting another shot at retail, thanks to a well-timed popup shop. This time, he’s taking to his brother’s rotating hipster depot DEN, with a few choice items from his recent Paris shows hitting the racks for the next few weeks.
As for the goods, it’s a bit more dour than last time around, but that might just be a sign of the times. The pants are all heavily cuffed for a grittily urban effect—none of Thom Browne’s nerd-chic here—with a few well-sewn jackets to complete the effect.
And apparently, like everyone else, he’s holding onto his chucks.
We were so enamored of Mr. Hart’s vintage Woolrich hunting cap that we almost forgot about the brands more recent exploits. This outfit was pulled from their recent Autumn/Winter 2009 line and it’s as good as anything you’ll run across from their history.
They’ve found their way into Earnest Sewn and Odin in New York and Confederacy and Ron Herman in L.A., so they’re hardly the underdog these days, but it’s nice to know workwear has a few heavy-hitters on its side. They’re even a presence at the Rogues Gallery outlet in Maine…which we guess means they haven’t forgotten their roots.
A well-worn leather briefcase is practically a badge of honor among the business class, but it makes it hard to sate our appetite for new thing. That is, unless you’re handy with an awl.
Portland’s Entermodal Leather has an interesting take on the problem. When you get one of their hand-stitched bags (currently at Odin, you get a handy leatherworker along with the bargain. He’ll restitch the seams, reinforce the frame, or whatever you require. More interestingly, if you decide on a change of style—maybe even a few wallets instead of an overnighter—they’ll take the same wonderfully worn leather and remake it into something entirely new.
One of New York’s most influential boutiques just made the leap to the internet, and we’re happy to say they’re in fine form. Eddie Chai’s Odin has had ecommerce on the mind for a while, but they finally managed to take their extremely local operation—East Village, to be specific—to a national scale.
That’s not to say we expect Iowa City to get nattier overnight, but it matters that Chai’s impeccable selections are now available to anyone who cares enough to punch in the url. And the site offers a lot more than just a box for your credit card number. In addition to lookbooks for each featured designer, the site features remarkably in-depth interviews to give you a sense of why each designer was chosen. It’s the kind of thoughtful curation that our corner of the web desperately needs.