The folks from J.Crew were kind enough to invite me over to check out the new men’s store at 484 Broadway in NYC. The shop, which used to be a newsstand, is a perfect mix between a normal J.Crew store and the more directional J.Crew Liquor Shop that opened last year. So basically, there are special items like Superior Labor tote bags, Alden shoes, staplers, Mister Freedom clothing and all of the basics that you have come to expect from J.Crew. A good combination if you ask me.
The geniuses at Mister Freedom are at it again. The spring / summer goods are hitting the streets and San Francisco’s Self Edge was nice enough to send over the first images of the new “shore coat” and denim “signal vest.” The attention to detail on the Mister Freedom items is second to none. Like a lot of the work wear stuff I am into, this collection has to be styled (worn) in a certain way or you run the risk of looking like an extra in a WWII movie. That said, the on-figure photos below aren’t really how I would swing this, but I like the items regardless. More images and info after the jump.
The LIFE photo archive has been a welcome distraction for me. I have been mining the vast collections since they went live a few weeks ago, and so far the most difficult decision has been exactly where do to start. So far I found some mind-numbingly great groups of photos and might just need to send Flickr Find on vacation.
The first collection I present to you is WWII Pacific Theater operations in color. This is the real life Navy-ism (sans irony of course), in beautiful color and high-resolution. Click the photos to get all of the real-deal 1940s details.
A few months ago I dedicated a week’s worth of coverage to “The NAVY-ism” issue of the ingenious Japanese magazine Free & Easy. Along the way (and with help from a friend in LA) I discovered Mister Freedom. The vintage military inspired collection is the brainchild of designer Christophe Loiron, who is clearly operating on a higher level. In addition to designing and manufacturing a line of Navy inspired men’s clothing, Mister Freedom is also a well edited vintage military clothing store. The premise behind the brand is to create “historically plausible clothing”, which basically means that the items in the Mister Freedom collection might not have been documented exactly as such, but the details and elements that make up the garments are things that historically existed during the era. The attention to detail, from the hardware to the fabrics, is on a level that I have never seen. In a word, amazing!
The Japanese book store receives magazines in two types of shipments, one by air mail (or via All Nippon or whatever) and one by “sea” as they say at the store. Well it seems I might have sparked some interest in Free & Easy, because the first three times I went to pick up the new issue, it was sold out. Not until the “sea” shipment arrived did I get my hands on “Cadet Style” in all its glory.
The issue is no where near as pleasing as The Navy-ism, which mesmerized me so much I was forced to devour it in a series of five posts, but Free & Easy still reigns supreme as my favorite magazine that is written in a language I cannot read or understand.
Number five of a five part series.
After working our way through Pea Coats and CPO shirts, the next logical step is the classic and recently popular Chambray shirt. The great part about these shirts are their ability to be worn as a casual shirt or dressed up with a sport coat and tie.
Number four of a five part series.
Between Free & Easy and the Rusty Knot, nautical seems to have taken over my world. As I browsed The Navy-ism, I came to the realization that the entire issue seems to have been inspired by the 1966 Steve McQueen movie The Sand Pebbles. I think it is fairly common knowledge that the Japanese are obsessed with McQueen. Case in point, the craziest film devoted website (which has to be run by a Japanese guy) that I have ever seen. So I suppose his inclusion in the issue makes perfect sense. One of the still life pages of Free & Easy has a picture of McQueen in a CPO (Chief Petty Officer) shirt with a selection of other vintage shirts and their detailing. The CPO shirts are classic and more stylish than ever. I’m sure Double RL makes them or you can buy the authentic version. If you go the Army Navy route, you might need to have the shirt altered as they can be quite boxy in shape.
Number three of a five part series.
My obsession with the April issue of Free & Easy rolls on with the awesomeness that is the accessory still life pages. The nautical theme continues through the world of belts, Zippos, ID bracelets, padlocks, hats and shoes. The pages are a buyers guide to all things Navy and a road map to what to look for this May at Brimfield.
Number two of a five part series.
One of my most treasured possessions is my father’s U.S. Navy issue pea coat, which was given to me while I was in college. My family’s military service has historically been in the Navy. My paternal grandfather served on the destroyer USS Murphy during the Second World War. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, my father was a submariner on the USS Robert E. Lee. The boat’s crew would divide their time between the Naval Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut and Holy Loch, Scotland. The heavy wool coat must have been great to have during those bitter cold winters. Over the past decade I have continued to use it to fight off the cold New York City winters.
On Sunday, I took a trip uptown to the Japanese book store to get the new issue of my favorite magazine Free & Easy. The store had moved since I was last there (now located on Sixth Avenue at 41st Street), but the selection of mind-blowing publications is still intact. The Japanese love to concentrate on very specific subject matter and then cover it comprehensively and obsessively. Cover it to death! One specific magazine was entirely dedicated to cheeseburgers of all things. Two hundred pages of still life pictures of cheeseburgers, charts about various types of French fries and reviews of the restaurants that server them. In a word, bonkers. There were other men’s magazines dedicated to luggage, shoes and of course women. After browsing the various titles I found the reason for my trip, the new issue of Free & Easy. The Americana obsessed magazine (amazingly titled “THE NAVY-ism”), beautifully dissects the Navy’s influence on men’s clothing. The issue is so in-depth and well done that I have to cover it in five separate posts. Five more reasons to love Japan.
