Auld Lang Syne


Happy New Years Everyone!

Tie-ing up 2010

As one of my last clothing purchases of 2010 I decided to go classic, timeless and pick up this gem at Brooks Brothers annual end of year sale. I've really wanted to add the knit tie to my wardrobe but never found one of exceptional quality I could afford. This about does it in my opinion. A beautiful navy knit of 100% fine wool, made in Italy and at 40% off as good as it's gonna get. I recommend hitting up a BB in your town before the ball drops!

1st Session


Smooth song and video by Amsterdam based artists Mar and producer Louis Bordeux.

R.I.P Lovergirl

Teena Marie 3/5/56-12/26/10

My mom used to rock this all the time when I was a kid. She was one funky lady.

Buttoned Up

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend! A little pre-xmas jaunt to the mountains allowed me to bust out a little outerwear including this little shawl collar fleece number. I've had it forever and awhile back decided to replace the blue buttons with some vintage french military buttons I found on Etsy of all places. It kept me pretty cozy when I flipped the collar up until a storm rolled in which pretty much screwed me. Forgive me for the lack of proper grooming as I was going for rugged last week.

The Tree of Life



Always have been a fan of director Terrence Malick's work especially the The Thin Red Line. This should be equally amazing.

splurge/splərj/


Verb: Spend (money) freely or extravagantly: "we splurged on T-bone steaks".
Noun: An act of spending money freely or extravagantly: "the pre-Christmas splurge".
-via Wikipedia-Dictionary
Yes I did. It was the best $ $$$.$$ I've spent this year not to mention one of the most beautiful fragrances I've had the pleasure of filling my home with. Hiroki Nakamura of Japanese brand Visvim really knows how to create and develop quality lifestyle products. The F.I.L candle is a collaboration with Parisian perfume house Blaise Mautin and I believe is the brands signature scent. I was told by a gentleman at Union the scent fills the air of many of the Visvim stores in Japan.

All Access

La Maison Du Hermes
A new collection of books by South African photographer(my new favorite) Koto Bolofo takes an exclusive and intimate look behind the scenes at luxury house Hermes. Each volume in the set covers one of the brands most iconic goods. I think this would make a great gift for anyone who is a fan of fashion or luxury craftsmanship.

Day Dreaming

It's days like this that I wish I could take the fam somewhere wintery and cozy like a cabin or lodge and just chill for the rest of the month..sigh. I envy you Canadians and N. Easterners during this time of the year. Maybe next year I'll find a spot!

Green Label

Everyone has there favorite whether it's Alden, Allen Edmonds, Bass, Florsheim, Trickers, Church's, or Clarks that people swear by. Mine is Paraboot. I think it was the the little green tag that first got my attention so strategically placed on the shoe. I think it's perfect branding in my opinion. Other shoe makers do it but for me it works best on this brand. They are expensive, but this is the second pair I've acquired via ebay(I own a version of these). They won't be the last as long as people keep putting them on there for cheap. I tend to get romantic about where things come from and the fact that they are made in France adds to my fascination with the brand.

From the site:

Present, nowadays, across all the continents, Paraboot has been manufacturing in France, for almost 100 years, shoes made to last and for walking as far as possible, using the strengths and skilled hands of men and women."Authenticity, quality and charm for a true and natural product" Such is our motto! By simultaneously discovering boots and latex during a visit to the Americas, Remy Richard-Ponvert, the founder of Paraboot, came upon the idea of combining the two to make quality footwear.The result is a brand with ever-increasing worldwide prestige and distribution.



The Art of Re-use



This video has been making the rounds of the cooler blogs and sites around the web. Apparently, a collective of style aficionados from Toronto travel to neighboring cities setting up pop-up shops filled with the choice pieces of local thrift stores. I really appreciate the concept of taking what some consider a pretty lowly experience and injecting it with class and sophistication. I do a lot of thrift shopping myself with about 25% of my wardrobe being stuff I bought second hand. Seeing what these guys do is really inspiring and informs some of the recent retail work I'm delving into. There's a great editorial and interview over at The Madbury Club that's definitely worth checking out as well.

Dig It


If your ever looking for good Jazz & Soul sounds I would highly recommend anything from Scandinavian imprint Ricky-Tick records. I've been listening to and following the artists on that label for several years now and they are always bringing the heat with their own nordic version of Jazz,Funk, and Soul. Check em' out!