Crockett & Jones - Prince Albert Loafers

This is certainly not for the timid dresser and they might be quite hard to pull off, but I'm getting a bit obsessed with these. This doesn't mean that I'll ever buy them with a £300 price tag, but I'll certainly enjoy my C&J penny loafers even more.

I think the correct term for this loafer style is a Prince Albert. Mostly intended for evening wear with a smoking jacket but I think they would look good with just about anything. At least the colours are just great. That rust orange suede...

You can even get them in velvet with a monogram.

Head over to Grafford, if you want a pair or just browse through the most comprehensive collection of C&J shoes, I've ever seen online.

S-Double x Gitman Vintage

I've been searching for two shirts for a long time. Of course there are many shirts that I can think of that I would like to add to my rotation, but there are two shirts that I particularly want - a denim shirt and a chambray shirt. They both have to be button down shirts because that's basically all I wear. And other than that I want certain details, a good fit, a country of origin that I can support and lastly I want a hearty and solid fabric. This is something that I just can't seem to find.

However I may just have found a descent solution from Shawn Stussy's most recent project - S-Double. For this shirt he has teamed up with Gitman Vintage to produce a very wearable shirt. 

This shirt fits the bill in many aspects, but I'm not really sure about the tap on the pocket. Good thing I've got plenty of scissors in my workshop.

Norman Walsh Runners

The British footwear company Norman Walsh  has long been on my radar because they produce sneakers and runners in the UK (in Bolton to be exact), however I've never particularly liked any of the models, I've seen. I also couldn't help but wonder, why no British retailers stocked their shoes and why basically no Japanese shops were offering them. Especially knowing how obsessed Japanese shops are with small, unknown brands with local production and a good heritage.

Therefore it was a real pleasure seeing Oi Polloi adding some Norman Walsh runners to their stock in two great colourways. The use of silver and gold may be a bit tacky, but other than that they look good with a nice vintage aesthetic and they look very well made.

Needles - Arrow Jacket

Lately a lot of products have surfaced which features Harris Tweed. This is definitely one of the better so far. Needles is a Japanese brand, which is part of the Nepenthes company, which Engineered Garments is also a part of. Needles is almost entirely made in Japan, and I find it very hard to place in terms of style, as they produce some very funky pieces sometimes, but if you find some of their lookbooks (especially the older ones), you'll get a sense of the myriads of styles they're able to mix.

This jacket is called the Arrow jacket. It's made in Japan of Harris Tweed fabric. Other than that it features deerskin patches on the elbows and deerskin accents of the cuffs and pockets.

On the Topic of Notebooks

I've always been amused by people, who paid a lot of money for Moleskine notebooks. Not because they're necessarily terrible, but in their marketing campaign, I remember that they gave the impression that a lot of famous artists and writers used their notebooks. But if you looked a bit closer, it was all quotes from the artists and writers saying that they couldn't live without their notebooks - not their Moleskine notebooks. I hardly think, they would pay the costs of a Moleskine.

That being said I'm one of the pretentious guys, that carries a notebook around to take notes, write down grocery lists and draw naughty drawings of naked women. I mostly use Field Notes and Rite in the Rain. And both of them has performed very well, and while I like the fact that you can write in the rain with the RITR notebook, I'm just so infatuated with the Futura font, that I prefer the Field Notes.

Lately I've been looking for alternatives - not because I actually need any, but because I was wondering if there were any made in Denmark (I didn't come across any, but I did find a Danish link) or at least in Europe. And of course you're always hoping for something perfect. As in just that really, really perfect thing (It never happens)

But I did come across a really nice notebook, which is made in France by a company called Calepino. And it was quite refreshing seeing that they had a site in English, which is something the French always seem to miss, and they also look very nice.

If you're still reading and remember that I mentioned a Danish link: The creator of Calepino, Fabrice Richard, mentioned in an interview for the shop La Belle Échoppe that he lived in Copenhagen for a while and that he was greatly inspired by the Danish design philosophy when he started the company. La Belle Échoppe is an amazing store by the way with a perfect concept that I've been meaning to write about for a long time (My notes are terribly messy and mostly unreadable)
Fabrice also mentions that he is doing custom orders, which could be totally amazing and something I would like to look into at some point. I think a slightly larger notebook would be perfect - especially if you like to draw and design stuff. You just need more space sometimes.

The other great option I found was the company Word. They make notebooks in the US. They have a great system for keeping your notes in order, which is great and they offer their notebooks with a camo cover, which is gorgeous.

The use of the Swedish M/90 camouflage is without a doubt my favourite.

If I come across other great options, I'll make sure to share them.

Coming Soon

I'm not going into details or anything, but I just wanted to unveil the logo of the first collaboration that I've been involved in.

Stay tuned and watch this space

Stephen Kenn Furniture

I just came across this sofa and I feel that I could easily become quite obsessed with it.

It even comes with a great video. However I find a bit too sentimental, so I turned down the volume, but I turned it to full screen, when I saw the warehouse he entered (spoiler allert - Wow...)

Brütting Cross-Country Running Shoes

These shoes from Brütting are a perfect combination of old world German craftsmanship and old world technology. They have been in production since the sixties and are to this day still preferred by many athletes. At first glance they don't look like a pair of athletic shoes compared to many of the very technical shoes that we see today, but don't let the looks fool you.

Other than that I've experienced that people either love or hate the looks of these shoes, as the case is with many iconic designs. Personally I fall into the latter category because I like the vintage-feel. But I'm also very biased, as I want all of my clothing to be produced outside of Asia, and these sneakers are made in Germany, so it's hard not to like them.

The solid leather construction incorporates both suede and a greasy/waxy leather, which makes it very easy to maintain. Even the inner sole is made of leather.

The construction of the rubber sole and the tread gives a secure grip on wet and irregular surfaces.

They're made on a rather slim last, which is good for those of you who have narrow feet.