Shopping: Shell Cordovan

I'm going back to school in a couple of days. Therefore I decided to allow myself to purchase something that I have been wanting to buy for a very long time: half a horse butt, or more correctly shell cordovan - From the venerable Horween tannery.

Now I could go on and on about the great qualities that shell cordovan possesses, but I'll possibly do that at some other point.

Instead I'll just post a couple of pictures of the shell that I got, and the very nice piece of oil pull-up that I also bought. This was tanned in Germany, and isn't as greasy as many pull-ups are, which means I'll be able to use it for a lot of things. Oil pull-up is just an amazing leather. It will never go dry, and it takes very little maintenance - just a drop of neatsfoot oil every now and then.

And the shell does have some flaws, but I can live with that. I'll still be able to turn it into some beautifull objects (any ideas?).

Now for some oil pull-up

I buy most of my leather and tools at Læderiet. If you happen to be nearby, do take a look at their shop. Though they mostly cater to the industry, they are always very helpful, and they do have some amazing stuff sometimes. Hopefully, they'll be carrying more tools from Kyoshin Elle.

I also buy tools from Goodsjapan because they have some rather good and affordable tools, that are just slightly better than the standard Tandy solution. Besides that they are always very friendly and they speak English, which isn't always the case when shopping from Japan.

Hansen Garments A/W 2011

I contacted Hansen regarding some pictures of their A/W 2011 collection, and Åse forwarded these pictures to me. Of course I would have preferred seeing their collection in person and feeling the fabrics (and buttons) or maybe have seen some high-resolution pictures of each an every piece in the collection, but these pictures will make do.

To me the highlight of the collection is the white anorak, which looks quite similar to pieces worn by Norwegian freedom fighters during the Second World War, but the influences could be different.

Even though I tend to dislike black, I quite like the different black hues and different tones of grey used in the collection. Overall I have to say that this is the best coming out of Denmark in recent times, now I just hope that more shops in Denmark, Scandinavia and the rest of the world will take notice and start carrying Hansen.

Present London

There are some good shops around the globe. Most of them are located in Japan, and most of them are totally out of reach, unless you have a good proxy - or going there yourself.

One of the shops, that is doing great in our Western Hemisphere, is Present London. Not only do they stock hard-to-get brands like Mt. Rainier Design and Filson Black Label. They are also doing a great private label and some good collaborations with Tricker's and other brands.

Lately the fall/winter goods have been hitting the shops, and we can follow the progress online. While some shops are playing it a bit too safe, Present London are pulling out the big guns this season.

They are now stocking Orcival - which I have been following for a long time, but it has almost been Japan-only until now. They offer some more interesting stuff than the usual St. James and Armor Lux. Now, we just need the French brand Le Troyes, as well.

What I also found interesting was their "Shaggy Dog for Present" sweaters, which are an obvious nod to the iconic Shaggy Dog sweater that J. Press (and other American clothiers) have been doing for years. I believe that these sweaters are indeed made by a Scottish woolen mill called Laurence Odie.

Finally I like the fact that they aren't just selling clothes - and espressos - in their shop. They are also selling a lot of interesting books and magazines and recently they added some fine stationary to their assortment from two very fine brands Midori and O Check.

First Advertisement for ATD

I found this picture on The Trad, and I figured that it would make an excellent advertisement for After the Denim.

Now please, do remember to give The Trad a good read. His storytelling is just so damn good and so is his sense of style.

Worth a watch and a listen: Wild Combination

Last week I watched "Wild Combination" for the second time. It's a documentary about the late Arthur Russell, who was a musical genius.

After watching it the first time a long time ago, I have been listening to Arthur Russell's' music intensely ever since. I especially like the album called "Calling Out of Context" and generally how he managed to experiment with a lot of different genres.

One of his most famous songs is called "This Is How We Walk on the Moon", but you should definitely spend some time browsing through some of his other songs. Or maybe even buy one of his records. And while you are at it, listen to Jens Lekman and When Saints Go Machine.

BlogLoving: Swimsuit Department

I'll continue high lighting other blogs, as I think a lot of people have created such nice blogs that they deserve some praise.

Unfortunately Swimsuit Department doesn't give too much insight to who the person behind the blog is, and most of the writing is in Japanese, which I can't read.

But that doesn't really matter, as the pictures of Rosebowl and eBay finds speak volumes. SD has great taste, style and also tons of knowledge on good things. So if you want to learn something, go visit Swinsuit Department.

http://swimsuitdepartment.blogspot.com/

Repairs, repairs and more repairs

These last couple of days have been hectic. A good friend returned from the States and stayed with me for a couple of days. We ate some good food, drank a couple of beers, and I gave him a crash course in leather work which resulted in a beautiful belt and a wallet.

Besides that I have only been doing repairs. I have been repairing crotch blows on some jeans that belongs to good friends and I have been repairing a bag that is used to carry too many books, which resulted in a lot of busted seams. So I did some hand sewing on the bag which will make it last a long time, if not forever. Hopefully I managed to take some decent pics of it, which I'll post later on.

It's funny when you talk about hand sewing because it is widely used in a lot of different (meaning; wrong ways). Sometimes it means that a person did the sewing on a sewing machine, but sometimes it does in fact mean that a person did every stich by hand. That is time consuming, but it is also more beautiful, if done right and it will last a lot longer.

Some time ago I found this little gem on Youtube. Here you see a genuine craftsman doing what he does best - hand sewing a pair loafers.

Saving the economy - Omega Suverän

A couple of days ago a friend in the US, who had just sent some new waxed hand sewing thread to me, quoted me $422 for the shipping. I of course knew that this wasn't the case, but I still asked for confirmation that the price wasn't indeed 422.

He cordially responded that it was a typo and that shipping came to $22, but he noted as a joke that it could have been a way to save the American economy if they hiked prices on postal costs.

This initial story is hardly funny, and I realize this, as I'm writing it, but it made me think. It made me think of one of my favourite watches, the Omega Suverän.

The Suverän was made by Omega in Switzerland in order to aid the Swedish economy in the 40's, basically. Sweden tried to remain neutral in the Second World War, as did Switzerland. But Sweden still did some trading with the Germans, as they were scared that their economy would collapse or even worse they would be invaded by Germany, if they didn't supply them with iron in a steady flow.

The idea behind the Suverän was that the Swedish government would buy the watches directly from the Omega factory and in turn they would sell the Suverän to the Swedish people with a mark up. Thereby keeping the money flowing in Sweden. A kind gesture by the Swiss.

To me this is a perfect story and the fact that it is a piece of Scandinavian history makes me want this watch even more. The fact that it is also a well-made and very solid Omega watch, doesn't make it any less desirable.

Had it been made for Denmark, that would have been a lot better, but I can give a nod to our neighbours and put the Suverän on my want-list.

*It should be said as a disclaimer that this blog isn't entirely about watches. I'm not a snob when it comes to watches. I simply like mechanics.

Levi's x Filson

Today the second collaboration between two American giants launched. I was highly anticipating this collaboration, as I like both Filson and Levi's. On top of that I bought heavily into the first collaboration and I have been really pleased with the pieces I got.

The highlights of this second collaboration are the 505s in Filson's famous tincloth. Secondly the the hunting vest redone in slubby denim is a refreshing and very interesting take on a denim vest.

I might place an order on the 505s, but I'm hoping that some of my favourite bloggers have some initial reviews of them before buying them. Money doesn't grow on trees these days.

A Good Read - Mens File # 5

I have long been a fan of the Magazine, Men's File. I have all their issues and I have been a faithful reader since the very beginning. It's hard not to love their magazine, since it contains a good spread of naked (mostly semi) ladies, bikes and most importantly clothing.

I usually buy my issue from Superdenim in the UK, as they have one of the best assortments of magazines and books available outside of Japan. I usually buy a couple of Free&Easy magazines or some other Japanese magazine along, when I order.