Topo Designs Klettersack

I don't wear a backpack at the moment, though I think I have a vintage Fjällräven "Kånken" stuffed away somewhere. I'm not eager to get one either, as my experience tells me, that it will be getting very little use. That being said I find myself wanting one of these Klettersacks from Topo Designs. The fact that they are getting good reviews from a lot of reliable sources doesn't make them any less desirable.

Topo Designs seem to have just the right ideals and ideas in order. They started out making everything themselves (Topo wa founded by three friends), but now they make everything in a LEED certified workshop in order to be able to meet the orders from Japan. 

They use proper materials such as 1000 denier cordura nylon, leather and mil-spec hardware. I for one love mil-spec, so that is one massive plus in Topo's favour. In addition to this the bags are also very affordable, and their daypacks are even cheaper. Of course if you live in outside of the US, you have to take custom fees into consideration, but it still makes for a good, affordable alternative.

I look forward to seeing where Topo Designs are going. They are definitely a brand to follow.  I have read somewhere that they will be producing apparel at some point... Interesting.

People Doing Things Right - Oi Polloi

Oi Polloi of Manchester is a shop that is widely known. The assortment they carry is good, solid and they continuously bring in more good stuff. I do think that they have many things that are slightly too commercial, but then again that is how you sometimes make a living.

They aren't just bringing in some of the best goods from around the world. They are also putting out an excellent magazine called The Rig Out, and more recently an online publication, called Pica. Pica features drawings by Ben Lamb, as well as some articles and product shots. Read it here

It has gotten me anxious to start wearing warm sweaters, parkas or basically just outerwear again. Good job.

Out and About - Picking Apples On a Sunday

Before you start reading any of this, I would like to apologise for the abuse of the Hipstamatic function on the iPhone. I didn't take any of the pics and my friend Anna apparently enjoys that function slightly too much. Secondly, this isn't my poor attempt to turn ATD into a food blog, but as the criteria for anything on this blog is being good, then this should be included.

The Hipstamatic pics don't affect my wish to document this day any less, as it was a great Sunday.

Let's start with the end. This is the product of a well-spent Sunday : 3-5 kg of stewed apples.

That much stewed apples don't come easy. First you need like 15 kg of apples from just as many different sorts. Luckily we got these apples for free, as we biked around town to some secret locations. The apples were picked using a perfect branch that I found in the nearby woods. 

That's some good fun and in no time you have a huge tote filled with delicious (some more than others), freshly picked (rather, violently removed with a thick branch), organic (I can only assume) apples.

When the picking is done, you have to peel them and slice them into smaller pieces, which seems like work Sisyphus wouldn't even do, as it is a huge task with that many apples. After the picking, the peeling and the slicing it gets easy. Just add some organic vanilla and some organic cane sugar, that you borrow from a roommate (which I promise, I will replace, Louise) and let it simmer until perfect. 

You'll know when you hit perfection.

Special thanks to Anna for filling the gap for my much-missed girlfriend and making this a very pleasant Sunday.

In case you are wondering, the tote is from Engineered Garments. I was also wearing an oxford shirt from Brooks Brothers Black Fleece, jeans from LVC (1954 501z), shoes from Yuketen and a vintage jacket from Fjällräven (not pictured). I forgot to mention that my underwear are from one of the last - if not the last - Danish producers of underwear. I'm trying to set up a visit to them, which will hopefully materialize soon.

One Month of Denim - Day 4

My hands and arms are numb from picking apples, peeling apples and cutting apples. Therefore I will only be posting to pics which are essential, when it comes to understanding denim. I will go into details with many of the details shown in the pictures, but I won't be doing that today.

In case you are wondering the jeans that the native American is wearing, are probably made of shink-to-fit denim.

Crafts - "Sigge" Cardholder

I have been making this cardholder for some time now. I called it the "Sigge" after an old lady named Sigrid, which I unfortunately never had the pleasure of meeting. She passed away some months ago. Actually I heard that she always carried cash and never even had any credit cards - she always paid in cash, so it is a bit odd, that I have now named this cardholder after her. But her health insurance card was in the pocket of an old leather jacket of hers from which I was cutting out the leather. When I was making the cardholder and needed to see if it was the right size, I rummaged through my pockets and found her health insurance card. Hence the name Sigge.

The cardholder is ALL handmade. It will hold upto 6 cards (with some stretch and wear) and will hopefully develop a beautifull patina with wear.

I made the cardholder with the "THINK" impressed in it for one of my best friends. It was his birthday a couple of days ago, and I couldn't attend it, so instead I decided to give him a new cardholder, as he somehow managed to lose the old one, I made for him. Hopefully this one is a keeper. There is no meaning to the "THINK" besides it being a nod to the old Thinkpad that IBM made.

Just received - Skipper's Pipes

It appears, I may have a secret admirer. The one clue, I have, is a parcel that was delivered to me very early this morning by the postman.

Anyways, the person, that sent me this gift, must know me quite well, as the content is something I enjoy a lot (Like a lot, a lot) Skipper's Pipes!

I got to thinking, and it struck me that there are people on this earth, that likes Skipper's Pipes more than me. Have a look at your own risk.

The Quest for the Ultimate Winter Coat - The Beaufort

I didn't mean for it to take so long before my second post on great winter jackets. Fall is upon many of us, or at least it feels like it most days. Hopefully we can still manage to get some good weather before snow starts falling and you really need a good, warm jacket.

When I started thinking about this post, I initially thought about making waxed jackets the subject, but that would have been too great a subject and too many good jackets wouldn't have gotten the attention they deserve. So today I figured that I would write about the Beaufort jacket that has been made by Barbour in England for years.

The Beaufort is probably the most iconic jacket in Barbours assortment, and you really understand this, when you think of the details. Hardwearing Oilskin outer, soft tartan lining, functional pockets, throat lash, storm flap, hidden wallet pocket, moleskin lined hand warmer pockets, big game pocket on the back and lastly the opportunity to add a hoody and a liner (quilted or fleece) for extra warmth and protection against the elements. And did I mention the amazing smell of oilskin (which some people can't stand)?

Anyways, this jacket is good, but it's not for all. Though they have updated versions of it, you want the original. And the original is big to give room for extra layers and possibly a Harris Tweed blazer and the sleeves are short - especially if you have monkey arms.

So I have come to terms with the fact that I'll probably never be sporting the Beaufort myself, my arms are simply to long, unless I upsize 2 or 3 sizes. But if you look good in the Beaufort, then you are in luck and you'll be wearing this jacket for a long time. So is your girlfriend by the way, as this jacket is great on girls as well.

According to a good friend, who knows a thing or two about Barbour, Barbour has changed the fabric, and not for the better. The new fabric doesn't fade as well as the old fabric, and it attracts more dust. On a good side the waxes and oils doesn't rub off on other clothing anymore, but that was one of the distinct and fun features of the old fabric. So if you want to, find a vintage Beufort on a travel to England or just go on eBay - you may even find a deadstock one, if not then just buy some Thornproof Dressing.

Finally, oilskin and other waxed fabrics require maintenance. This is a good thing, as you want to preserve the jacket. If I may, I would just like to is very meditative caring for your clothing, leather accessories, furniture or whatever you surround yourself with. You only buy quality once, but you have to continuously be mending stuff when needed.

In the old days Barbour knew this and they even offered a nice little repair kit with all the stuff you needed to properly mend your Barbour jacket. But remember you need the Thornproof Dressing the most.

Lastly, while doing some additional research on the Beaufort I came across this hidden Flickr gem. Please take a look at some serious Barbour addiction on Thornproof's account.

One Month of Denim - Day 3

If you think all denim is made in Thailand or Tunisia nowadays, you are right. But then again you couldn't be more wrong. There are still a lot of jeans being cut and sewn in Japan and there are still some being sewn in the homeland of blue jeans, the United States of America.

Today, I made a small list of companies still making jeans in the US. There are most likely still some interesting brands, that I have forgot to put on the list. If there are any, you can think off, then please tell me, and I'll add them to the list.

Today I won't be giving my two cent on which of these brands I prefer. I'll just allow you to form an opinion based on this selection of "Made in USA" jeans. And I haven't included Levi's (or LVC) in this selection because it is so very little of their huge production, that is made in the US.

Raleigh Denim

Tellason

Baldwin

Imogene + Willie

ROY denim

Rogue Territory

Mister Freedom

Rising Sun

The Stronghold

Left Field

Crate

Jeans Shop

3Sixteen

Epaulet

OK, I couldn't help myself. These jeans are my favourites.

Quality Mending Company

Buy them - for me - here

One Month of Denim - Day 2

If you are a denim purist, you will probably be looking for one or two things, when you turn up the cuff on a pair of jeans. Do the jeans have selvage? Is the inseam felled? And quite importantly are the jeans hemmed with a chain stitch? Today we will be talking about the subject of chain stitching.

As I said, if you are a denim purist, you will probably be looking for the chain stitched hem. Preferably done by an old Union Special machine, such as the 43200G. In reality this doesn't serve any functional purpose. I would actually dare saying that a regular lock stitch would hold slightly better, but a good chain stitch has the potential to create what is commonly known (among denimheads) as roping. Roping is caused by the opposite pull of the denim. And one must not forget that chain stitching and potentially roping is an original feature or detail of vintage denim.

The old Union Special machines were used on the old Levi's factories, but back in the days the workers dreaded the chain stitching machines - and they probably still do. They weren't easy to operate or maintain, according to many sources, and you couldn't back stitch on it, which is why you will often see the chain stitch crossing over itself. They were used because it was practical sewing with the chain stitch, as it is a loop stitch and therefore you can sew a long continous stitch without taking the limitations of a small bobbin into consideration.

One Month of Denim - Day 1

This might be a huge project, but I figured that I would make September a month of denim. Therefore I intend to make 1 post a day on the subject of denim and I will be doing it in a random order. Some posts will of course be longer than others, as I have more time on some days. This is an introduction to the subject of denim, but I hope there will also be some for the denim connoisseur.

I'm mainly doing this because the denim culture in Denmark is pretty weak and hopefully this will inspire some Danes to dig deeper into denim history and culture.

To hit things off I would like to recommend some reading on the subject of denim.

Paul Trynka has written a great little book called "From Cowboys to Catwalks", which is one of the best introductions to denim if you know some, or very little. And by that I don't mean that you won't be referring to it after a while because you probably will. It should also be mentioned that Paul Trynka is very easy to get hold of, if you have any denim related questions, as he is a very active and most helpful user on the two big fashion fora - Superfuture and Styleforum. You'll most likely find him in the threads about Levi's Vintage Clothing (LVC for people in the know).

It should also be said that Superfuture is a great source for information, as there are many people who has a genuine interest and a lot of knowledge, but you have to remain sceptic.

The denim collector and denim hunter, Michael Harris, has written a great and extremely inspiring book on pre 1900 denim called "Jeans of the Old West". Though the subject may be a bit niche, it gives you a totally different aspect to wearing denim. Michael has been hunting denim in the Arizona desert for a long time and he has been trying to recreate the history of the old denim companies together with his wife. Levi's weren't the only company making dungarees and the book covers some of the forgotten companies, but it also focuses on Levi's and the book tries to put together the puzzle that is Levi's pre 1906, when the company was hit by a fire after a big earthquake. Michael Harris has since been working together with the Rising Sun company to create a beautiful pair of jeans that were based on his finds.

David Little wrote a book called "Vintage Denim" back in the 90's. The book is quite good and can also be used as an introduction to the subject. At some point it was an collector's item of sorts, but you can sometimes find it relatively cheap on eBay.

If you want more material on denim, you need to buy expensive Japanese Magazines (or rather books) like Lightning magazine, Mono or Free & Easy. All have fortunately been getting a bigger distribution lately - check Sivletto and Superdenim for instance.

Hopefully I'll be able to make similar months on different subjects. But let's see how this goes first, as I feel this is a rather big task.