Photos by Nathan Michael
The first time I wrote about the Dark Navy Trench Coats from American Trench, back when the company was still raising funds on Kickstarter, a number of readers took issue with the coat’s cost. Priced at a not so egalitarian $725, this was understandable. However, based on the info presented by the brand, I wasn’t convinced the amount was totally unreasonable either. Well, now that the first batch of jackets has begun to ship (AT was able to reach their funding goal), American Trench co-founder Jacob Hurwitz has leant me one for a hands-on review, so we can all see exactly what those many dollars would be getting us.
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I have a confession to make. As much as I like Left Field’s Greaser jeans – and I really do think they’re some of the best on the market – there’s one thing about them I’ve never been totally satisfied with: the fit. That’s not to say they fit poorly, it’s just that they’re a little looser than I prefer, which is actually more my fault than theirs since I have a particularly narrow lower half (humblebrag?). So, when Left Field founder, and good friend, Christian McCann offered to send over a pair of his new(ish) slim-fit Chelsea Jeans for review, I was very happy to accept. “Could this be the solution to my problems?” I wondered while anxiously awaiting their arrival. “Can I have my rock-solid construction and kick-ass materials cake, and eat it too?” Spoiler alert: yes, I can. Read More »
Photos by Nathan Michael.
When I first came across the Ratio Clothing website, it seemed too good to be true. A made in USA custom shirt for under $100? How was such a thing possible? So, when the label offered to send me one of their shirts for review, I was happy to accept, if only to put my curiosities about the brand, and their product, to rest. Having had the shirt for a few weeks now, I can tell you, despite my earlier skepticism, Ratio’s shirts are actually pretty great.
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Photos by Nathan Michael.
Remember that T-Pain song about being in love with a stripper? Replace the lil’ mama that’s poppin’ and rollin’ with a Seattle-made, vintage-inspired rain coat, and that’s exactly how I feel about my new Freeman Jacket from Freeman Seattle. Read More »
I have a lot of bags. Probably more than I actually need. However, I always argue that each bag I own serves a different purpose. Beach bag for the beach. Weekender for the weekend. Rucksack for the, um, rucking? Anyway, the one thing I’ve been missing, at least, according to my logic, is a basic every day bag. Something that’s comfortable, always looks good, and that I can use all year long. Well, thanks to the kind folks at newly launched Japanese bag brand Southern Field Industries, and their absolutely stunning Waxed Tote, I am missing no more.
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The good folks at LAYERxlayer were kind enough to send over one of their new beach-tastic Cinch Totes, and I’m happy to report that it is an absolute beauty of a bag. Meticulously handcrafted from American grown and woven denim (natural for the body, indigo for the bottom reinforcement and details), the tote is uncommonly tough, and yet, surprisingly lightweight (always a nice feature when it comes to portage, especially summer-specific). What’s most remarkable though, are the many, many details – both construction and cosmetic – found throughout. Lxl is a brand that has built its reputation on sweating the small stuff, dutifully examining every inch of their goods to find yet more opportunities for innovation. And that approach is clearly evident in the Cinch Tote.
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Eric Heins, the ever affable and crazy-talented maker behind Corter Leather, recently sent over one of the label’s new Slim Utility Belts, and I gotta tell ya, it is fan-effing-tastic. Hand cut from 14 oz. vegetable-tanned leather, and finished with nickle-plated metal hardware, the belt is as sturdy as it is beautiful (that is to say, very).
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As some of you may already know (get well soon Denim Debate!), I’m a big, big fan of Left Field jeans. So, when founder Christian McCann offered to send over a pair of the label’s new Sunburst Selvedge jeans, I was more than happy to accept. Made with a lightweight, 12.5 oz denim from Japan’s Kaihara Mills, the jeans are a great option for spring / summer. Details are the same as the White Oaks, and they include US-made rivets and buttons, US-made 100% cotton bandanna pocket bags, signature U-stitch coin pocket with hidden selvedge, double chainstitched waistband, Union Special chainstitched hem, and cotton wrapped polyester thread throughout (washes like cotton, but has the strength of poly). As great as all that is, however, the real draw here, of course, is that amazing selvedge edge, and the incredible denim that’s attached to it (and believe me, it really is incredible). More looks after the jump.
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If there’s one downside to buying investment footwear, it’s finding time for all the maintenance necessary to keep the investment worthwhile (I don’t think I’m alone in not loving the idea of getting down with a tin of polish once a week). What’s worse, is that the vast majority of shoe care products out there are extremely toxic, making them hazardous both to you and the environment. So, when the good folks at Nikwax offered to send over some samples of their all-natural, low-effort footwear treatments, I was happy to accept.
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Up close and personal with the fantastic Shawl Collar Cardigan from Archival Clothing.
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For many years, my budget was such that a $150 button-up shirt simply wasn’t a possibility. During that period, I had two choices: 1) scour local thrift stores in the hope of finding something at least marginally well-fitting (a near impossibility for my size). Or, 2) go to H&M / Gap / Etc. and shell out $50+ on a piece of disposable, slave-made crap. Needless to say, neither was particularly appealing. That’s why, for me, the discovery of Swedish custom clothier The Tailor Store was such a revelation. It meant that I could pick-up a shirt for equal to, or less than, the cost of any comparable mall brand, have it fit exactly how I wanted, and, know for a fact that it was made in an ethically run factory.
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I didn’t grow up wearing Bean boots. Unlike many of my fellow east coasters, I can’t claim them as a staple of my childhood (or adolescence). But, they were a lifelong go-to of my mother’s. So, when the time came for me to leave for college, and trade in the streets of my native Brooklyn for the corn fields of rural Ohio, she saw to it that I departed with a pair of Bean boots in tow (the Gore-Tex / Thinuslate model at that – she’s a good mom). That was in December of 1999 (I matriculated in the fall of 2000). And I am only now, after over a decade of regular wear (literally seven days a week for six to nine months a year), finally replacing that very first pair
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Every so often I will come across an image that so perfectly encapsulates my own taste and aesthetic, it’s as though I’m looking at a still taken from one of my own daydreams. That was precisely the feeling I had the first time I saw the bags by Stanley & Sons. When I then learned that each bag was handmade in the US from salvaged and reclaimed textiles, what started out feeling like a daydream suddenly entered the realm of full-on fantasy. “Really?” I thought “Can I have my cake and eat it too?”
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