Part of my obsession with autumn is the fact that you need to own coats, sweaters and all sorts of other gear to protect you from the rain and chill. I’ve never lived anywhere but the Midwest and Northeast where coats are a necessity and a way of life. And for whatever reason, when I shop I tend to repeatedly aim my discretionary-income at two things, coats and bags. So when I first heard about Veilance — the sleek new collection from Vancouver based Arc’teryx that is hitting stores this week — it was clear that come fall I would be up to my old tricks and adding a Veilance jacket to my already stuffed coat closet. The debut range combines everything the folks at Arc’teryx have learned over the years about performance gear and combined that technical know-how with more stylish and classic shapes like the Long Coat and the M-65 inspired Field Jacket pictured below. I love the idea of pairing a Gore-Tex shell with a suit and not having to look like I just got off a ski lift. At the same time you know that you are going to be protected from the the elements and look stealthy doing it.

The Long Coat from Veilance

26 Comments

Speaking of Japan. The Beams catalog magically appeared in my office yesterday and I couldn’t help but to scan so you guys can see what the well dressed 2% are up to this fall. (If you are wondering what I am talking about, go read the comments in That Autumn Look | Turning Japanese and it will make more sense.) As usual, I’m loving the Beams+ gear and the styling looks nice. Good luck trying to pull off a safari jacket in the United States, but it is fun to look at nonetheless.

21 Comments

The only thing better than the things you can have, are always the things you can’t. I stick to my belief that menswear in Japan is leaps and bounds ahead of what we get here in the States. Of course, maybe that is just because I’m here and Japan is, well, there. Everything in the below was basically created by the Americans or the British, but more than anything I see this as a purely Japanese look. Of course, maybe it is just me. Take the spirit of this and translate, coagulate and/or appreciate it as inspiration from our friends in the East.

36 Comments

The folks at Beams are at it again this spring. Anyone that has spent any on the Beams website will likely report frustration on a variety of levels. One being that it is hard to navigate (especially for me since I don’t speak a lick of Japanese). Second, that the online offerings aren’t as much fun as real life or even the catalogs and third the clothes aren’t available to North America / Europe.  Luckily the folks at Beams send me (us) their catalog via special delivery so we can at least know what we are missing. Torture, I know.

29 Comments

You see a lot of Individualized shirts in Japan. At my perennial favorite Beams+ and a million other stores in Tokyo. It is interesting because you don’t see the Individualized brand (which is American List endorsed) much in the U.S., the company opts to stay behind the scenes. Much has been said recently about Pennsylvania based Gitman Brothers (which is a division of the same company that owns Individualized) and their many brand partnerships — which I equate to their flexibility and ability to work in small quantities — but I wonder if Perth Amboy, NJ based Individualized will get into the same game here in the States. Why market one brand in the U.S. and one in Japan?

18 Comments

With men’s market week going on in NYC, a lot of people are in town and much is happening on the news front. On Tuesday I had a chance to meet up with the gentlemen from Beams+ for cocktails at White Star. Once the Absinthe arrived we quickly got down to talking shop. Seeing as Beams+ is my favorite store on earth, I take their recommendations seriously. One of the things that came up is a new limited edition line from the esteemed UK brand Barbour. The eight piece outerwear collection — designed by Japan’s To Ki To — is a hybrid of classic Barbour from the brand’s archives and modern technical outerwear. I took some time at the Collective trade show to investigate further. After coaxing the Barbour people to show me the line I was blown away by the collection.

36 Comments

As mentioned earlier, Beams+ (American Life Shop) was one of my favorite stores in Tokyo. Walking into the shop felt like stepping into a fishing lodge in Wisconsin. Good stuff. The offerings on the Beams+ website are limited, so I thought it would be nice to scan some of the catalog pages for you.

11 Comments

One of the coolest things I saw last week in Japan was a grosgrain book strap at the Beams x Yoshida shop in Daikanyama. The Porter collection is insanely huge and very well done. I consider the brand one of the best in the business. I picked up a tote / backpack hybrid bag in black ballistic nylon at Tokyu Hands for about $145. A steal for the quality and especially good when you factor in that the bag is not available in NYC.

19 Comments

One would think that as a New Yorker I should be used to walking. This morning I awoke to the scream of my blistered feet, begging for mercy. Yesterday was another trip into the seemingly never ending Tokyo shopping labyrinth. I took things slower, explored more carefully and found some of the previously elusive spots. The streets are mostly unmarked, and initially, fairly difficult to navigate to a new comer. The highlight of the day was the breathtaking Zaha Hadid designed Neil Barrett store. I have been a huge fan of Mr. Barrett for sometime, ever since I found my favorite sweater coat years ago. My other favorite was the Beams+ hunting lodge / store in Shibuya. Can they open a store in New York? I would shop there everyday.

Beams+ in Shibuya

9 Comments

There are a few new great England x Japan design partnerships at the moment. The Japanese accessories company Yoshida & Co., maker of the much collaborated Head Porter label (often referred to as simply “Porter”) has teamed with the very cool English magazine Monocle on a line of bags. Yoshida & Co. has also looked to the talented British designer Margaret Howell for a small collection of bags. I found the collection recently while browsing the new offerings from Beams. I think the helmet bag shape is good for so many types of uses. In my opinion, that is the mark of a good bag – versatility. I appreciate Margaret Howell’s simple and classic sensibility towards men’s clothing and the Porter collection does not disappoint in that regard.

Monocle x Porter

Comment

This time I am browsing at another great store in Japan, Beams. Check out these chic new New Balance 1600s.

Comment