menswear
London Undercover makes arguably the nicest umbrellas on the menswear market. With quality craftsmanship, beautiful wood handles, and subtle details that help you stand out in a crowd without demanding too much attention. I once read that every man should have an umbrella that's 'nice enough not to lose', I get compliments on mine all the time.
Recently I was walking in Soho and stumbled into a store called Snow Peak and was blown away by their outerwear. Originally a Japanese brand known for making camping supplies, Snow Peak has expanded into technical inspired fashion and is on their 3rd season. It's an interesting mix of minimal, outdoorsman, Japanese influence and performance wear. All executed in technical fabrics with great attention to detail and minimal branding. Needless to say I will be buying all my winter jackets here from now on. Check them out here.
Stutterheim is a company from Stockholm that makes beautiful hand crafted modern raincoats. Their sleek unisex styles are made mostly from rubberized thick cotton and have sealed seams to keep you dry. You can purchase the Stockholm coat in grey for $368 here (as well as many other colors).
No. 288 is a new york based footwear company focused in luxury fabrication and classic design. it's nice to see some more design options in this niche 'sneakers for adults' market, as footwear's leading brands don't come out with new styles too often. you can pick up a pair of No.288's at Gentry NYC, and check out their new collection online here.
The premium footwear market has gotten huge in recent years. Greats Brand took a unique approach and undercut the premium sneaker market by providing luxury style sneakers at an affordable price. I've seen a few companies take a stab at this before but nobody is making things this good for such a low price. I was just saying the other day that the ROSEN style is a perfect casual sneaker for this summer and it's only $49. Featured above is the new Royale Chukka scheduled for release tomorrow for $169. For the price of 1 pair of another shoe I wanted this year, I could purchase this style in all 3 colors. Greats Brand is one of NY's coolest footwear brands shaking up the industry, Keep a close eye on them and check out more from Greats here.
Aether Apparel is a brand focused in functional outdoorsman clothes with a sleek minimal aesthetic. At this years NYC Pop up Flea I got to see some of their stuff in person and was really impressed: high tech fabrics, high functionality, smart pocket placement (crucial for good outerwear), minimal branding, all the things that make a brand great. Featured above is the stormy Jacket which you can get for $495 here or in one of their flagship stores located in LA, NY and SF.
Founded in 2011, Todd Snyder launched a brand i've really come to appreciate season after season. His designs are timeless, rugged, military influenced, subtle and sophisticated. Last year he did a collaboration with Champion thats still one of my favorite cross branded projects of recent years, following up this year with a footwear collaboration with PF Flyers. Previous to this his career spans across some of the biggest brands in the game, make sure to pop in to his Nolita store if your ever in the neighborhood.
Joshu + Vela is a San Francisco based bag and accessory company. Owner Noah Guy began designing bags over 10 years ago working with companies such as Levis and North Face before venturing out on his own. Joshu + Vela products focus on quality materials (read more here) that age to perfection and are 100% made in America. Being that I'm a bike rider, I'm really partial to this waxed twill canvas backpack which is available for $350 here on JoshuVela.com
This hybrid of a wallet and money clip made by Ghurka is one of the best on the market. Made in America from hand buffed calf leather and brass hardware, the design is slim, classic and built to last. you can pick one up at your local Ghurka retailer or on Ghurka.com for $175
Maybe its just me but I'm always looking for simple pairs of sneakers that are 'like converse but not plain old converse that little kids wear'. These chukka sneakers from The Hill side have a boot-like grip on them and black herringbone body. you can pick them up online for $185, if your on the west coast try UnionMadeGoods, if your back east I'd go with the Hickorees out of Brooklyn.
Fall is in the air, temperatures are dropping and its time to get your outwear together for the season. 'All weather' jackets are perfect for Fall in NY, being that they are designed to keep you the right combination of warm and dry. Freemans Sporting Club now offers their 'Isle of man' Jacket in all black. This jacket looks and feels like the jackets that make brands like Barbour and Belstaff but being that it has no exterior branding makes it just a little cooler and more mysterious. This jacket is made in the USA and can be purchased at your local FSC dealer or online for $565 here.
While most people wear jeans every day, being denim obsessed is more like being an art collector or having a wine collection. Iron Heart is a premium Japanese denim company from the UK that most of you probably have never heard of.
This Iron heart Rider's Jacket is made from 22 ounce black denim, something about a classic motorcycle style jacket but made in heavy black denim is just amazingly cool. It's one of those things that's going to look great when its brand new and crisp and just wear in so good over the years (22 ounce denim should take a while, thats heavy stuff).
you can pick this jacket up here at Self Edge for $500.
Chukka boots and desert boots have been trending hard this winter for good reasons. Maybe its because by nature these 2 shoes are often minimal in nature, have less lines, short laces, and give a shoe a chance to really showcase its quality of fabrication and materials. These suede Mark Mcnairy chukka boots are a personal favorite, I can't wait for the snow to melt a little so I can wear mine. You can find them at your local Club Monaco store or online here.
These Pengallan Gloves have been getting a lot of hype for a good reason. It's not too often that such a classic style gets infused with technology without ruining it's design. These gloves are made from Italian leather, 100% cashmere lined and hand made in Italy. This is the kind of classic design that I look for when shopping because I can already imagine myself loving these gloves for years to come.
Pick up a pair for 175$ here at Pengallan.com
