Friday, September 25, 2009

Pulp

We just unpacked a slew of new magazines journals and books.  Of particular note, we've been restocked in totally awesome Field Notes in all their standard butcher paper brown books and the brand new sold-out-from-the-manufacturer Mackinaw Autumn color.  Ignoring the fact that this native Michigander is somewhat dismayed by the *ahem* improper spelling of the word Mackinac, the limited edition colors are quite exciting, coming in a trio of Red, Brown and Orange books. 

The large publication in the upper left hand corner is two-year old French publication Paradis.  The much lauded magazine (printed on uncoated paper, sorry Mr. McKenzie) is a pleasant mix of heady views on art and culture mixed with pictures from famous lensmen like Juergen Teller and Terry Richardson, often of women in various states of undress.  Maybe not for kids, but it got the stamp of approval for one staffer's meticulously well kept collection of imported periodicals.

Paradis $19.90, Vman $5.50, Ultimate Card Games $19.95, Dirty Jokes $9.95, Field Notes $10

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Famous People Can Be Friends On Your Coffee Table


There is something about famous friends from different walks of life that intruiges me.  Do they talk about the office or their respective industries?  The perks and/or troubles of being of being famous.  Maybe just general fame?  Do they have seperate dinner parties where one must be of a certain celebrity to garner an invitation? And most importantly do they get introduced to like people in classic American lit, as in "This is Gore Vidal, the Writer."  This book will likely not answer any of those questions, but I still like it.

Gore Vidal: Snapshots in History's Glare $40

Monday, September 21, 2009

A Primer on Hats

Previously upon describing a particular piece of headwear that was recieved in the store, I used the phrase 'Jacques Cousteau panache' which, much to my delight, prompted positive responses from more than one person!  Seeing as the store is now choc full of winter hats and as that tends to be a relatively important thing in the upper midwest, I figured it would be good to give a rundown a few of the other hats in the store.  In the spirit of the previous post, all are expressed in terms of Famous Person Flamboyance (most of which are neither accurate nor true).  It should also be noted that this list excludes trooper styles, partly because I haven't watched Fargo in a while but mostly because we've only got one style right now and when photographed it looked more like a fluffy ball.  Soon though...

The aforementioned Jacques Cousteau panache
cashmere watch cap $90

Frank Sinatra swagger
felt c-crown fedora $35


Gene Hackman verve (in The French Connection)
felt porkpie $35

Gene Hackman verve (in The Royal Tenenbaums)
leather trimmed wool/cashmere driving cap $125


Brad Pitt je ne sais quoi
cashmere driving cap $155


Angus Young moxie
leather trimmed corded wool newsboy cap $95


Seymor Cassel dash (in Rushmore)
wool driving cap $95


Jason Schwartzman, umm... authenticity (in Rushmore)
wool beret $10


Fidel Castro brio (if he was Irish)
tweed military cap $40


Friedrich von Trapp panache (literally)
felt fedora w/ feather detail $35


Michael Kelso gusto
knit cap $25


Princeton Graduate and Swedish Professional Baseball Player Christian Staehely's, umm, sense of functional irony (in a good way)
wool baseball cap w/ earflaps and quilted lining $95

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The King of Sweden Wears These

Or so I would assume, as they're made by our newest vendor: Wigens.  Now, a little bird told me that Wigens are the official hatter of the King of Sweden (though I'm having a little trouble verifying that) so one could surmise that when one wears Wigens it is akin to fraternizing with royalty.  More on these soon.


Rabbit Fur Gloves $95 Cap $95

Friday, September 18, 2009

Fortunately none of these smell like the river did on my way to the store this morning.

Seriously, what was with that anyway?  It was downright foul.  That would be something I normally associate with the stinky mill filled river in my hometown.  Anyhow, we've gotten restocked in some of our most popular fragrances.  They run the gamut from wonderfully traditional (Guerlain Vetiver) to the new standard for sensitive guys who may or may not be in a band (John Varvatos) to the most outspokenly manly (Gucci Pour Homme) which smells like whiskey and cedar and grandpa's den.  For whatever reason my girlfriend likes to steal the latter.

$50-$75

Thursday, September 17, 2009

One time my mom told me that the new drug kids were doing was wearing their scarves too tightly so it made them light headed. Not Kidding.

There was a quote from Scott Schuman (it wasn't on the Sartorialist, but I can't find the link) where he said something to the effect of, "When it dips under 70 degrees, I usually reach for a scarf..." This made me laugh audibly until I realized that I've occasionally been guilty of the same thing.  Oops.
Those familiar with our collection of Paulette Rollo scarves know that the collection comes from one of the finest mills in the rugged hills of the Scottish Highlands.  We have lambswool, merino, cashmere and few blends of those three.  And good luck finding them anywhere else.  Of course, these scarves are a bit heavy for 68 degrees but Minnesota being what it is, I'm certain that we'll need them soon enough.  In fact, there is already a Liverpool FC scarf in my living room to further facilitate the yelling of obscenities at Lucas Leiva, but that's a different matter all together.

Paulette Rollo scarves, $65-$145

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Yes, Please

Multi Colored Lizard Skin Wallets? Check.
Gator Wallets? Check.
Our favorite Torino Leather Wallets, which happen to be the best selling ones in the store because they're really affordable and well made? Aaaand MATE!

Ringmark Lizard Wallets $245 for special edition colors, other Torino Wallets from $35

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Things We Like #3

I've been excited for this hat for a while. Last year while combing through different product lines, one of the things we really wanted for the store was a cashmere watch cap, preferably retailing for less than $100. We found a really great line of mostly knit caps that just so happened to have the sought after hat.
Come December, I can see myself not removing this hat for great lengths of time. Its easy to think of occasions where one would wear this - slouching around the house, hung-over bloody marys, waiting outside of Al's breakfast and accidently running over some six year olds on the sledding hill are all things that this hat obviously pairs well with - however I think there is a certain Jacques Cousteau panache that comes from being appropriately dressed except for that little knit hat. It’s the kind of inconspicuous luxury item that we're fans of at mp3.
That being said, we've got quite a few hats from Coal ranging from practical to kitschy, and they've already made quite a splash with the staffers here.
Jameson Cashmere hat $90, other Coal hats from $25

Ira Glass Would Hate This (because he hates irony and wears thick glasses)

We just got telescopes in the store and of course we had to test them out.  What was the furthest away that we decided to focus on? The security camera on the side of the federal reserve building. Take that big brother.
Telescopes $165-$225

Thursday, September 10, 2009

One of these things is not like the others...

These are the new printed materials that have arrived in the store in the last week.
I'll leave it to you to choose the odd man out, though there is probably more than one answer.

Clockwise from Top Left $10, $10.99, $9.95, $7.99

Kind of an Odd Product Assortment When You Think About It

We've got our latest Pierre Belvedere order in the store.  I won't go in to detail, but it's safe to say that we made getting this order in significantly harder than we needed to.  Thankfully, it was worth the wait because now we have some really spiffy and downright affordable fountain pens.  I know we've been accused of being a bit too fancy at the store sometimes, but fountain pens are pretty darn cool.  Actually, the reason I started using a fountain pen was because of the decidedly unfancy movie There Will Be Blood.  There is a scene where Daniel Plainview is signing some deeds with a very worn down fountain pen and it makes this really awesome scratching noise.  Fortunately for you, these are actually nice and there isn't much scratching.  Unfanciness begat Fanciness.
We also recieved some new leather goods, including a portfolio cover that our dear Eduardo has been waiting for so patiently, new leather coasters and a spiffy little shopping list journal.
Pen $35

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Kind of like a fall preview...

...but not really.  It's as close as you're going to get from me.
Truth be told its really just the list of orders we placed at the Vegas shows last week.  Its neither exclusive to fall nor complete. I will call attention to the lower right corner.  Yep. Thats right.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Property Of... at MartinPatrick3

I would like to think that as an accessory store, we at martinpatrick3 know a good bag when we see it.  The problem is that there are a lot of really good bags out there.  As in, too many lines where we see them and say, "This is perfect!" only to find another exceptionally similar line in the next row of vendor booths.  The general indication that a line of bags is one for our store is one that is unique enough to not have itself replicated in three different places on the trade show floor.  One of the brands we've found that fits those criteria is Property Of...
Now, you may be thinking Canvas Bags?  For Fall? Surely you jest!  I can assure you, these canvas bags are not of the feathery light summer variety.  The tight sturdy weave of the canvas is compounded by the waxcloth treatment - not too oily, but enough to provide some protection from elements and the other things in your trunk.  Most of the bags also have a leather base.  Not just little decorative patches mind you - big heavy, so thick it doesn't roll up very well leather bases.  These bags just feel like they were designed for more than one can possibly use them for.  They have a throw-it-in-the-back-of-the-truck feel that really can't be appreciated until you have a pressing need to not worry about your bag.  Property Of... are up for an adventure, it's just up to you to decide what that will be.

Shown $295, bags $245-$295, wallets $75-$125

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Things Our Friends Say That Are Worth Remembering #2

"HI COOL GUYS!!! So you're like the Jonas Brothers?"
-the terrific jewellery designer M. Cohen, to a trio of long haired, fresh-faced brothers who just happen to be in a band together.  Their manager/agent/mom was not amused.

You can get really freakin' awesome M Cohen designs at MP3 in late fall.