Putin' It On.

Hope you enjoy the last of your 2008! Just wanted to share a few different versions of 'Puttin' on the Ritz' to help ring in your new year.



A little Astaire. The best dressed version of them all.


This is my favorite for sure!!


Raise your glass to 2009!
Best wishes to all for the coming year!
Put it on!
Cheers.

Want: Red Wing Boots.

I have been seeing a lot of 'heads up' on Red Wing boots. Though the style that most of them are talking about I am not so much a fan of, they do have quite a selection that I find myself longing to place upon my own feet and do some walking, hiking, and just plan man work. Here are just a few that tickle my fancy.1911 Gentleman Traveler

1907 Classic Lifestyle

8113 Iron Ranger

8111 Iron Ranger

595 Mens Chucka

Check out Red Wings current collection here.

*side note*
I do find it quite interesting how traditional workwear has become so popular... Now when I say this keep in mind that I use 'popular' loosely coming from the trenches of menswear fashion found along the coast of the good ol' USA, the mens trade rags, and so called 'hip' blog sites. With my recent relocation to a somewhat rural town in Utah I find that I am now in the midst of people who have been rocking this stuff all of their lives working on their farms, ranches and homesteads. I wonder how they feel about it? Whatever they feel this is what is so exciting about fashion taking things that are comen and making them something special or very interesting. I am actually quite excited to shop feed sores and thrift shops to fill some of my fashion needs. Since I am not able to afford the fancy designer versions of workwear, with no steady income coming in right now, I am quite content spending what I can on the actual OG brands and doing my own little pinning, tucking and tailoring alterations to make it fit just as good or better than the expensive stuff. Now don't get me wrong I really like what brands like Engineered Garments, RRL, and Earnest Cut and Sewn are doing and if I could I would own pieces from them but for now I will look to them for styling and then make it my own with what I got....
Long live the rugged style and mans need for workwear!
Cheers.

The American Link List.

Over at A Continuous Lean they have a link list of many of the stylish American made goods. It is such a good well made list check it out Here.

Archive: Rogues Gallery At ECS

A few years back Rogues Gallery did a pop up shop in the back room of Earnest Cut & Sewn, 2005, I think. Anyway here are a few pics of the set up.


Then the next year they were able to do it again.



I really like the idea of pop up shops were the brand or artist is able to come in and do something that reflects their vision or them. you get a great feeling of their inspiration and it makes it interesting as a consumer to go into the shop to see what they have done.

A Final Run. Part II

After I hit up Melrose Ave. I headed down to Abbot kinney in Venice. I love this street. For the first 5 1/2 years of our Almost 8 years here in SoCal. we were locals living a few blocks form this street. A lot has changes since we lived there but for good I think.

The first shop I hit up was Steven Allen. He Started out in NYC and has quite a few shops as well as a show room there. I really liked the why they have been decorating for the holidays. It is a nice small little shop.
Further down the street is Stronghold. This is an old denim brand from the early twenties. They offer custom made goods (like how Ernest Cut and Sew'n does in NYC) You choose your fabric and the fit and what kind of hardware you want and is sewn for you in the neighborhood. They also carry other brands of goods but all must have been established before 1920 or 30. I like the layout and feel of this shop with the dark wood and 1920's tunes playing over the speaker system. It feels like a place that you want to hang out in. As I walked up the owner walked out with a bunch of pant patterns and then the shop manager walked out so I had a chance to shoot the inside with no one around so I had to take advantage of it. Enjoy.
Well I have to end with a nice sunflower that I found in the back of one of the shops.

Right now I am in 5ft of fresh as it keeps falling from the sky. I will miss the shops in LA but I think this move will be quite the adventure and exciting to see were it will take us.

Bow Tie Tying.

I have wanted to start rocking the ol' bow tie but it always seams like it is a mistery to do.... well with the introduction of you tube you can find how to videos of just about anything but most are just crap well this is a good how to, very well made if you ask me. So go out and get yourself a nice bow tie and follow this here vid and make it happen!

Recession Proof Backroom.

Since I have no $ for anything other than the bare essentials at this time I am just stoked looking at things (Thank the good stars for the intro-net). The back room concept shop layout designed by Ian Hundley for ernest sewn flagship store in the Meat Packing District of NYC is something I am very interested in looking at. I have pulled a few images to keep here for my own reference.
One day I would like a small corner to hawk my own wears from and this fits the mold. Start small and grow.




Oh and while doing the search I found this quote and had to share for all you hustlers out there trying to make a buck or two.
"Without promotion, something terrible happens: NOTHING!" P.T. Barnum

Cheers.

A Final Run. Part I

Last Wed., Dec. 3.008, I made a run through a few of my favorite shops in LA as well as checking out the ones that I have not yet visited. I have only one more week left here and I have no idea if we will ever come back.... Well, to live at least. But never say never. So I went to say my goodbyes.

My first stop is at American Rag Cie. on Fairfax. This is a great spot for both men's and women's goods they have a great mix of designers and brands, new and vintage and one of the largest selections of denim around. I am a big fan of their shoe section as well.

After that I continued along Fairfax to Beverly Blvd. and hit up Mister Freedom. This shop is all vintage and very very pricey but worth a look, kind of like a nice museum of past wear. He also has a small collection of T's , denim, and a Jacket that he has made for the shop. If you have looked over any issue of the Japanese magazine Free and Easy then you have seen Mr. Freedom.
Grass out front
Liked this in back of one of the allies While walking around taking some pics of the area I saw Mister Freedom himself, Christophe Loiron, pulling out from behind his place in his Range Rover.
Cruising further down on Beverly Blvd. I went a looking for the west coast Earnest Cut & Sew'n shop. Now I looked and looked and could not find it.... But found this really cool looking old tire shop so I popped off a few shots of the place. While looking at the pics today I found that this was the place but it was not open or what I don't know but it was there all along. Sad that it was not open I have been wanting to go to it since it opened. So lesson learned is if you have an idea it is best to act on it quickly or it might just not be there when you do.... or something like that.

From Beverly Blvd. I moved up to Melrose Ave. and went looking for the Ralph Lauren RRL shop. I missed it when I was driving looking for it cause a bunch of movie trucks were parked in front of it but I found it. It too is an old garage that is now a shop. The double R L line is a nice line of Mr. RL empire. It's inspiration comes from old vintage that they make a new version of and distress it to look old and then charge you nice sum of $$$$$. I really like the shop layout though.



Just down the street on Melrose is Mr. Paul Smith's giant pink shop. It is filled with his work as well as a nice collection of art books and other un-necessaries. Now see I do not go shopping to purchase cause I do not have the kind of money that is being asked for the goods at these shops I go for inspiration and to check the detail work and construction and I must say some things are just not worth the price. The construction is not any better than what is found at Old Navy but it is still fun to go explore and touch and feel the goods.

Across the street is the flagship shop of Ever. I like the clean white walls and crisp black of the signage out side the building.

There are heaps of other shops in this area but I wanted to get down to Abbot Kinney in Venice before 3pm (that is when traffic picks up again) So off I went. More on that later.

Cheers

Missing?

I was looking over the blog a little while ago and realized that I have somehow stopped posting about what I love... Fashion, Design, and Style Inspiration. I do not know what has come over me. I guess since I have not been doing anything related to it professionally for sometime it has fallen to the way side. I apologize to no one in particular but myself. As we have packed boxes and made our plans to move I find that I am going to miss my old life here in LA but the new will be just as exciting and hopefully even more so for it is a chance to go after what I want and try new things along the way. We are on our own.(figuratively speaking since we are moving in with in-laws) We are truly going to be 'Independent' (in the 'I have no financial backing' (or Job for that matter) and am going to go it alone and see what I can make of it with the little cash I have scraped together and all the elbow grease I can muster) The page is blank and the pen is firmly in hand. Now to put it to paper and see what happens....
Going forward style, inspiration, and current work will be found here. Now back to the fashion!

Sketch it From The Street.

While doing the online bump around this morning I stumbled onto this blog site called 'what I saw today'. It is like the 'Satoralist' but done with ruff sketch and color pencils with a focus on men and their apparel styling. It is fun to discover what he has seen on the streets of NYC and his drawing and interpretation of. I really like his ruff sketch style. Check it out when you get a chance.

Random Quotes.

“Study nature diligently. Be guided by nature and do not depart from it, thinking you can do better yourself. You will be misguided, for truly art is hidden in nature and he who can draw
it out possesses it”
Albrecht Durer

"Don't let it beat you kid"
From a movie I watched the other day... Can't remember what it was though.

"At the end of the day, people just want to look sexy and feel good about themselves."
Helmut Lang

"It takes an understanding of the big picture, that all the small details are so fundamental, but it's nothing if there is no whole image."
Nicolas Andreas Tarali talking about working with Hedi Slimane.