Back in the Saddle

Okay, as it turns out, I'm not very good at updating our blog consistantly.  But there's nothing like three and a half months of not blogging to make you think that you should start blogging again.  We'll see how long I can keep this up.  Anyhow, if you haven't been in the store since the last time I wrote on our little web log, then tomorrow would be a good day to stop in.  Why tomorrow? Well it just so happens that tommorrow is the start of our winter clearance. 

Yep, thats right - clearance! None of that piddley 20% discount stuff that we do on a weekly basis.  This is a full on half off a good chunk of merchandise.  50% off Marcoliani, Corgi, Lisa B, Wigens, Coal, Dorfman, Altea, PpH, Paulette Rollo, Dents, Wiebke and a whole mess of belts and 40% select Swims, Grenson, Property Of and a good selection of watches.  Also select home furnishings at 50% off and those hats that I can't remember the name of at 70% off.  A bunch of other random things will be on sale as well.  Heraldic pillows anyone?

In Other News, I Wish Opening Ceremony Wasn't Trying to Ruin My Favorite Children's Story

If every fashion blog hasn't told you by now,  the Navajo weave is having a moment.  So big a moment that you can get just about every garment you can think of in that pattern, including an Opening Ceremony x Pendleton x someone else (probably) jacket featuring a huge blown up version of those little triangles.  While I'm sure there are quite a few people who will look terrific in that jacket, I'm not one of them.  This hat, however, is more my speed.  To me it just reminds me of the stands of high school football games or accidentally getting caught in the morning cold on a late summer camping trip - less REI than Ontonagon General Store.  Of course if this still isn't your speed we also just got in these:

Now, the deerstalker is just kind of cool, especially for people who look good in baseball hats (again, not one of them) and the Rabbit fur trooper just makes sense (remember when it snowed this week and you had to brush your car off and that was WAY more difficult than it seemed last March).  The ski cap however, is quite the regional specialty.  I recently learned that if Minnesota was its own country, it would have the 4th largest population of cross country skiers in the world.  I find this a little hard to believe, but I certainly remember that in my ski racing days this style of hat littered ski shops, races and chalets.  I suspect trying to figure out whether the hat is for Scandinavians or for skiers would be a bit of a chicken and egg scenario.  Regardless, we've got them and they're awesome.

Dorfman Pacific Hats, $15-$45

Of course, if you were looking for sock monkeys, we could get those too.

It's no secret to those around me that my dream job, next to baseball statistician, would be sock and underwear product development.  No, I don't mean so that I can sit around and look at people in their underwear all day.  Rather, I really appreciate a finely crafted pair of hosiery (which actually makes me wonder why I'm wearing such crappy socks today -- my feet are FREEZING).  Lisa B. Socks are a very cushy little blend of Cashmere, Angora and Virgin Wool which would certainly do its part in warming up my apparently thin Chelsea Boots.  As I side note, I always thought Angora came from the Angora Goat.  It does not.  Angora Goats, which are cute, produce Mohair.  Angora comes from the Angora rabbit, which looks like this:

Right.  You better believe that thing is warm.

Lisa B. Socks $25

You Can't Spell Glove Without Glo

Sure you could wear plain black gloves. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them being that they're remarkably soft deerskin and Thinsulate lined and fitted enough to wear with thinks other than a parka.  Or you could choose brown, which I find to be very distinguished and mature.  But who am I kidding, everybody is going to want yellow.

Deerskin Gloves and Suede Mittens, $35

Galoshes, not rubbers. That's just wierd.

It is well documented that we love ourselves some Scandinavians and, of course, their well designed, handsome products.  Swims, our newest line is all of that - a modern update on classic galoshes.  They feature a fleeced lining to keep your shoes in pristine condition and a pull loop made of reflective bits.  Best of all, there is a color choice beyond black!  Brown would be an admirable compliment to our forthcoming collection of shoes (more on that later) and orange is a great choice for the man who really wants the world to know that he is wearing galoshes.  And orange will match his new Swims umbrella which, much like the windows in my friends volkswagen, has both auto up AND auto down, a feat of engineering that is simply stunning.

Galoshes $95, Umbrella $89

It depends on what you mean by fantastic...

It seems like we're just getting more and more loaded up on paper.

Mickey Rourke may be an odd cover boy for a British publication, but Mark Ronson is certainly on point.  Newest of note is the much lauded magazine Fantastic Man, which is like every other fashion magazine except that it isn't glossy features insightful and often non-celebrity interviews.  Also, all the men in it are refferred to as Mister or when appropriate, Doctor.  Its actually quite refreshing, as is Mr. McGregor's faint similarity to Mr. Kennedy (its a stretch, but its kind of close).
Also, we've got this and that.

Clockwise from Top Left, $10.99, $7.99, $45.00, $10.95.

A Brief Note on Gift Giving.

As a store for men's accessories, we obviously get a lot of people in searching for gifts.  Often times, the accompanying statement will be along the lines of "He's really tough to buy for" or "He already has everything."  This is fine, but one thing to keep in mind is that all the employees of this establishment are really good at helping people choose gifts.  It comes with the territory.  As such, one of the first things I recommend when I hear one of the aforementioned statements is cashmere socks.  Most people think I'm kidding, but this is absolutely not the case.  I'm happy to say that I've gotten a report back from one of these situations.  It turns out the recipient was thrilled (THRILLED!) to receive cashmere socks and may be in for more.

Marcoliani Cashmere Socks - $65

Our Favorite PoMoFoPo Rag

In case you need clarification, that would be Post Modern Foreign Policy Magazine.  Actually, it isn't really Post Modern at all - really it is the definition of modern in terms of actual lifestyle magazines.  And I guess Rag would imply that it is cheap and disposable, which it also isn't.  Either way, last I heard we were one of only two places in MSP where one could purchase Monocle.  Woot.

Monocle Issue 27 $10

This Happens Every Year When Baseball Season is Finished

I've been waiting for these scarves for, say, seven months.  We ordered them waaay back in February and I've had to sit on my hands since then.  Lucky for us, they've arrived at exactly the right time as meteorological fall has conveniently lined up with Gregorian Calendar fall.  To those holding out (I saw a remarkable number people in shorts or tiny little dresses this weekend), give it up - Autumn won.  It always does.

While Altea now makes a fairly full compliment of garments, their primary focus has always been scarves and ties, both of which we stock.  The most endearing thing, however, is that they tend to present things in that Italian way that could kind of be confused with East Coast Prep - trade a pocket square and add a crest and BAM! Welcome to New Haven.  If you don't understand what I mean, ask to take a peek at their lookbook upon the next visit.  Curiously, their website is also a hybrid of Italian and American.  The broken English makes for a delightful read.

Top photo Wool Scarves L to R: $65, $65, $115, $75

Middle photo Silk/Modal blend Scarves $115, Wool Scarf $115

Bottom Photo Cashmere Blend Scarves $145

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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