a guide to heritage clothing, canvas bags, steel bicycles, and Japanese web shops
Yarmo is one of those brands that maintains a dual identity, manufacturing earnest, industrial workwear for the UK while producing a more fashion friendly line for the japanese market (read this 2016 UK news story for more on the history of Yarmo’s Japanese collaborations). For my stay-at-home wardrobe, I’m thinking the Yarmo duster (sometimes referred …
I’m frequently mocked for the number of vests I own (and don’t wear). Here’s a great deal on an Engineered Garments Upland vest I’d like to add to my collection. It’s available via Kanful, one of my favorite used clothing shops on Rakuten (home to a hodgepodge old Archival items). Like most EG items, this …
Revisiting Archival posts from the past (published August 10, 2010) In 2010, the Archival team met with Thorogood in Denver, Colorado, to discuss a project to scan some of their historical catalogs. At the time, we were hoping to collaborating on our own Archival boot model, preferably, a Moc Toe Oxford. Here are some of …
Restocking my 2020 wardrobe with guernseys from Japan (by way of the UK), I discovered a striking, striped option available through several Rakuten outlets: C-Point, Woody Company and Crouka.
I’ve seen a few of these Barbour Margaret Howell Spey jackets kicking around Rakuten and the Nordstroms rack (and more obliquely, on the MHL site). Personally, I prefer the original unisex version made by Barbour (using heavier duty brass hardware, a thick mat of a cord collar and more to-the-point pocketing) for actual use in …
In 2019, it’s hard for me to get excited about fall product releases. So many of my favorite heritage brands (and shops) have either disappeared or morphed beyond recognition (releasing so may products, collaborations and must-haves that it is nearly impossible to locate items from their core lines)(suddenly: brass match holders and Bison hair drink …
I spend a lot of time on ebay sleuthing pint sized sizes garments from Japan and Europe. Here’s a jacket from Beams Boy that I’m catching and releasing. It’s a style that frequently appears in the Beams mix in a range of fabrics (primarily poplin and cotton duck). I’m a sucker for the doll-sized hunting-esque …
I have a thing for cycling breeches and plus fours (aka knickers). When UK outdoor custom clothier Hebden Cord closed shop, I bought up ten pairs of breeks in assorted fabrics (cord, tweed, ventile) on eBay. True confession: I admire these garments more than I like to wear them. In practice, on my bike, I …
What are your expectations for an iconic brand collaboration? In the case of Barbour x Engineered Garments, I’m looking for more of a Shackleton crackup, corduroy collar meets crazy pocketing. These jackets are a little subdued for my tastes, a too polite exchange of zippers, snaps & fabric.