Archive for the ‘Acquisitions’ Category
Supreme.
The only two Supreme tshirts I own.
Indigo Garment Dyed Tee.
I don’t usually find much at mall stores that captures my interest. This past weekend, we were browsing around and I ran across this indigo garment dyed tshirt at Club Monaco . Most of their collection isn’t anything to write home about, but this seemed like a really good idea from them; alas, the entire rack of tees was on sale so I guess they didn’t perform very well at full price. They retailed for $49 but were marked down to $19. When I brought it to the register, they told me it was an additional 40% off – which brought the price down to $11. I bought two.
I really like the richness of the indigo, and how there are small inconsistencies where the dye didn’t fully take. There’s even some roping happening at the sleeve and hem. I imagine that over time and with consistent washes, this shirt’s color will fade out. I’m curious to see what happens to it in a year.
I wore the tshirt today and realized later on that all three items I had on (tshirt, jeans and bandana) were all indigo dyed. That’s definitely a first for me.
Cause and Effect.
Chances are you haven’t heard of Billy Moore and his belt line, Cause and Effect – yet. Through a chance encounter at Self Edge NY a few months ago, I met Billy during one of his sales trips; he was in town to meet with some accounts and we got to chat for a bit. Though his collection is still new, he’s already done custom runs for Rogues Gallery and By Robert James, and will be at Steven Alan and Jack Spade this fall. His belts also got written up in UrbanDaddy’s national newsletter recently.
His belts don’t resemble most of the ones we carry at the shop or the Tanner Goods belts that frequent my waist in that they’re made to look distressed and weathered from the get-go. He sources both new and old leathers: some are from Horween, while others are salvaged reins from Amish harness makers. Some belts are soaked in a stream for a few days and left out to tan naturally in the sun; others are painted and then sanded down. As for the buckles, they’re individually fashioned out of copper wire and thus no two are alike.
Billy offered to make a belt for me and I accepted; what arrived in the mail a month later could only be described as a beast…
The belt buckle is almost 5″ wide which makes it the largest one I own. It’s heavy, too; when I take my jeans off at night, they hit the floor with a resounding thud. I am looking forward to seeing how the copper oxidizes over time.
The leather, while having a bit of aging work done to it already, still has lots of life left in it to change and darken with wear.
After receiving my first belt, I was a believer. I asked Billy to make something for my wife and he gladly obliged:
Come the fall, Cause and Effect will be available in several retail stores across the US, but if you want to purchase one in the meantime, there’s no website or catalog to order off of. The only way to do it is to email Billy and ask him to make one especially for you (which makes the entire process more charming, in my book).
Cause and Effect
billy.causeandeffect@gmail.com
Black on Brown.
I’ve been wanting to darken my Indy Boots slightly (especially the contrast stitching on the toebox) and it seemed like using a darker shoe polish would be the answer. After reading up on the merits and demerits of using black shoe polish on brown shoes – some swear by it, others say that it should never be done – I decided to give it a try.
After spraying and wiping the shoes down, I applied one coat of Kiwi Black shoe polish (the only stuff my dad ever uses) with a horsehair brush. I tried to avoid working it too deeply into the existing creases, and made sure to hit all the stitching detail around the boot lightly.
After a 10 minute wait, I polished the boots off with an old tshirt and buffed them to a shine. They’ve darkened considerably and have lost a good amount of the redness that is in the stock Alden 405 waxhide; they are now a much truer brown. And most importantly, all the contrast stitching has taken on a darker color.
From here on out, I plan to use brown shoe cream to condition the leather – the color has darkened enough for my liking, nor would I want the stitching to go completely black. I’ll give them another polish with black shoe shine in six months if it’s needed, but I’m guessing most of the work has been done.
Sightglass Coffee.
I had the pleasure of visiting Sightglass during my last trip to San Francisco. Kiya was kind enough to bring some of their freshly roasted beans to me last week (at the expense of making all his clothes smell like coffee, which is not a bad thing in my mind).
I’ve only made two pots of the coffee thus far, but I’m really enjoying it. I taste some light fruity notes (though not as strong as an African bean) with a chocolatey finish.