Photos by Nathan Michael
Thinking back on this past Saturday’s NorthernGRADE Chicago pop-up, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude to the vendors for participating in it. Gratitude to the bloggers and publications that helped promote it. And, above all, gratitude to every person that came to be a part of it. I’ve always liked NorthernGRADE more than the other menswear events because of how laid back it is. It’s an easy place to strike up a conversation with a stranger, and actually enjoy it. And I think that carried through in Chicago. It seemed like everyone was having a pretty good time. I know I was. A few of the many people and products that made the day what it was are after the jump. Hat tip to Nathan Michael for the photos.
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I am not an outdoorsman. Short of the four years I spent in rural Ohio during college, I’ve lived in cities my whole life. And it shows. I don’t camp, I don’t fish, I don’t hike. Hell, I can practically count the number of times I’ve seen stars at night on one hand. And so, when the good folks at Danner Boots invited me to partake in a group tour of their factory in Portland, and actually put some of their iron-tough stompers to the test in the Oregon wilderness, I was flattered, but sure they had made a mistake. Why on earth would they want me, a man who’s never slept in a tent before, field testing their wares? But, they assured me: no mistake had been made. And so, I went. And I had an absolute blast.
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Instead of competing with the other, much better coverage of this week’s (capsule) AW/11 show, I thought I’d do a quickie round-up of (what I thought were) some of the real stand-out pieces. Full details on what’s pictured after the jump. And apologies for the crumminess of the images.
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I finally had a chance to visit Epaulet’s new Manhattan location while I was home for the holiday, and I decided to bring my little sister along to take some pics. Unsurprisingly, the store is brimming with covet-able goodness. From the Canadian-made shawl collar sweaters, to the vast in-house shirting collection, to the just-dropped Epaulet suiting, to the exclusive Alden collabs, to the new CPO Shirt Jackets – well, let’s just say there’s a lot that I wanted. If you’re in NYC, and you haven’t already stopped in, add it to your to-do list. You’ll be glad you did. More pics after the jump.
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As great as the clothing and wares were at this past weekend’s NorthernGRADE – and they were great – for me, the event’s real highlight was the people there. It’s not often you find yourself surrounded by so many like-minded and genuinely kind folks. Perhaps it’s just another testament to the intrinsic kindness of the Midwest and those who dwell within it, or, perhaps it was the shared excitement of finally being able to interact outside of an @ context, or, perhaps everyone in attendance knew they’d have to contend with some pretty major blog blow-back if they copped an attitude. Whatever the reason, I didn’t shake a hand that wasn’t offered in earnest, or share in a conversation that I didn’t enjoy. Thanks to all the browsers, buyers, bloggers and brand owners for making it such a fun and memorable day. I’m already looking forward to next year’s. Scroll down to see some of the people and products that made NorthernGRADE great.
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