A blog dedicated to the interesting, scandalous, useful and cutting edge in the world of men’s style, fashion and grooming.
You'll know what we know.
Our friends at UrbanDaddy gave us an inside peek at the latest J. Crew outpost in Tribeca, and it’s pretty impressive. Lower Manhattan can be a tough locale, especially for national brands, so for this spot they’ve approached things more like a boutique, flooding the store with collaborations, cross-branding, and plain old outside labels.
Functional clothing has a built-in authenticity, whether it’s factory denims or riding boots. And as far as sincerity goes, work boots are one of the highlights. And not just because they’re indestructible.
Red Wing has been a favorite of ours ever since we saw it pop up in the J. Crew Tribeca store, but apparently we’re getting another crack at them at David Z. The white soles are a nice touch, but the real draw here is the tough leather and rugged construction. With the right care, these will last forever and withstand almost any conditions.
And they look like it.
A Continuous Lean’s Japan jaunt has unearthed a lot of good stuff, but this is our favorite so far.
Classic Americana brand Red Wing has been making this model for the Japanese model exclusively. Of course, it’s still stitched together in good old Red Wing, MN, but it’s a little stocker and smaller to accommodate Japanese feet. And, of course, we imagine it looks quite a bit different in a culture that’s more used to sneakers and oxfords. Stuff like this is rugged enough too be eye-catching in Los Angeles. We can’t imagine what they make of it in Tokyo.
American manufacturing has been hit pretty hard lately, but boutique brands have a little more flexibility…and at least some of them are staying put.
Of course, it’s hard to know for sure, so A Continuous Lean has put together The American List, a handy guide to which brands are manufactured stateside, and it’s required reading for anyone interested in modern Americana. It’s also a surprisingly short list.
Our favorites are Red Wing, Billykirk, and Engineered Garments, but it’s striking how much they all have in common. There’s a lot of denim, a lot of flannel, and a lot of weathered fabrics; it’s what you might call the American style.
At least, the part of it that isn’t made in China.
At Uniqlo, the T-Shirt Chooses You: The Japanese retailer finally goes completely off the rails. Mimes are involved. [The Shophound]
A Wing and a Prayer: A Continuous Lean visits the Red Wing factory and gets to smell the leather up close. [Vimeo]
The Rise of the Machines: Rudimentary computer art peacefully invades a Swedish gallery. [Cool Hunting]
Democracy in Action: Voting is open on the top five designers of all time. Our money’s on the Finns. [MakeFive]
