Archive for August, 2015

Brooks Brothers Own Make Fall 2015

I might as well keep the fall updates coming. This week in the world of trad Brooks Brothers Own Make label introduced their fall line-up. Own Make is described as, “Inspired by iconic styles from the Brooks Brothers archives and made in the USA,” but we all know it as the line with the 3/2 sacks.
Own Make Blue Herringbone
Own Make Harris TweedThree items in the collection stood out to me. One is a blue herringbone sport coat (top picture) that is not pure blue, but more of a blue-brown mix. I would like to see this fabric in person. There is also a great Harris Tweed Check sport coat. This is my favorite piece out of the collection. The color and pattern on this one is spot-on. The third item is a suit, and it is a very sharp looking navy Donegal suit. All three pieces mentioned are of course 3/2 sack models with hooked vents and swelled edges.
Blue Donegal Own Make SuitIf nothing else I am glad to see Brooks Brothers to keep the Own Make line going. The prices are what you would expect when it comes to sport coats/suits, but the trousers and shirts prices are pretty high. However, I am sure that they can be had for less during one of BB’s many sales. I saw some of last year’s items hit incredibly low prices over the summer.  The styling this year is much better. I was impressed that the items appeared to  fit the models. I haven’t seen this from Brooks in quite a while. I hope it spreads to BB’s other lines. All in all this is a solid showing from Own Make.

Shetland Market Watch

Shetland Bubble Burst

This season’s Shaggy Dogs have dropped over at J.Press, but the prices have not. Staying true to their street name Squeeze is putting exactly that upon us Shetland loving trads for a total of $245. How soon they will surpass the $300 mark?

I am starting to wonder if this market has a ceiling. I don’t remember the prices last year, but over the past decade Shetland prices appear to have soared to all-time highs. I wonder if we will see the Shetland market bubble burst in the near future or if they will only become more rare?

This price is far outside of my normal comfort range. I say normal, because I have nickel and dimed way to a substantial store credit. This is due to the ever-beloved no refunds on items on sale more than 25%. That is all to say that a dog may have followed me home.
J.Press Real Shaggy Dog

 

 

Shetlands Sightings Fall 2015

The other week I posted about a Mallard sweater over at Brooks Brothers Red Fleece line. Since then I have been patiently waiting for Brooks Brothers to roll out the rest of their Shetlands along with J.Press and their Shaggy Dogs. O’Connell’s on the other hand always has their Shetlands on display. All of the Shetlands I just mentioned are in the $150 and up range. However, I spotted two crewneck Shetlands in the sub-$100 market which is a rarity these days. So where are these Shetlands you ask.
Woolrich Shetland1. Men’s Kennebeck Shetland Wool Sweater ($89). This Shetland has the ever desirable saddle shoulder and comes in three heather colors (Olive, Charcoal, and Brown). It is described as lightweight with a fine 5 gauge knit. I don’t know how fine this is, but it was nice of them to list it. Overall it is a good looking Shetland. The collar does look a little bulky, but at $89 this could worth overlooking.
Pendleton Shetland

2. Next up is a Shetland Washable Crewneck from Pendleton. It too is $89, but it does not have saddle shoulders. On the plus side it is available in 9 colors and claims to be machine washable. This does make me question if the wool is Shetland, but it is a nice looking sweater. I am tempted to grab one of these.
Uniqlo Sweater
3. I didn’t mention it above, but I also found a third option from Uniqlo. Now this crewneck sweater is not Shetland, but Lambswool (See it here: Lambswool Crewneck Sweater). However, it features a crewneck, saddle shoulders, and it is only $29.99.  This could be a good deal for students on a tight budget or the frugal among this. The questions becomes, will they hold up?

I am sure that we will see more crewneck Shetlands appear as fall draws nearer. It will be interesting to see if this year’s Brooks Brothers Shetlands will have logos like last year’s batch or if they have heard the outcry from the logo-less crowd. I am also interested in seeing the price of this year’s Shaggy Dogs. The price of Shetlands of has steadily increased over the years which is why I was pleasantly surprised to see a few priced under $100. The real question is what color to get this year?

Triple Patch Threat

Lately, I have been doing a lot less thrifting. It is not that I have lost any love for the thrift, but overtime I have learned that it does not have the best ROI for me. However, I did get my hands on the traddest of the trad blazers from a thrift run, just not my own (shout out to Preservation Thrift!).
Triple Patch Pocket DetailWhen I say, “traddest of the trad,” I am referring to the triple-patch pocket blazer. For those that are wondering what a patch pocket is. It is a lot like what it sounds like, a patch. Patch pockets are sewn on the outside of the garment rather than sewn between the shell and the lining. This gives the jacket a more casual look than jetted pockets.

The patch pocket on the chest is what makes this blazer special. While you may find patch pockets on the chest of very casual unstructured blazer à la the Keydge it is rare to see one on a business oriented blazer outside of traditional American style strongholds like J.Press or O’Connells.
Triple Patch Pocket BlazerThis specific blazer comes from Brooks Brothers University Shop line. I am not sure when the University Shop line was introduced and when it ceased to exist. I have heard that it existed from the 60s-70s, but I could not verify this. I would appreciate any insight that you Brooks aficionados can provide.

This post should inspire hope in all you thrifters. Even you weekend thrifters like me. While I have cut back on my time in the trenches this find illustrates that there are still treasures out there. Even treasures in my size.

Mallard Madness at Red Fleece

The end of summer is in sight. Hot and humid days will soon give way to cool fall days just as seersucker shorts with nautical motifs will turn to wide-wale cords littered with water fowl and woodland creatures. This is a change that I am happy to embrace and one that Red Fleece is currently rolling out.
Duck SweaterBrowsing Brooks Brothers Red Fleece Line (younger & slimmer with a neo-prep tendencies) this week I spotted a few mallard emblazoned items in the new arrival bin. I am a sucker for a duck motif, but so far have limited this love to my ties (I Don’t Give a Duck). However, I am tempted by the Red Fleece blue lambswool duck intarsia sweater (see here). They also have a tie (here) and a sport shirt (here), but the sweater is the stand out of the bunch. I only wish the ducks on the sweater were a touch smaller (and the tie a tad wider).

I expect to see more motifs coming out of the woods soon along with the traditional cords, shetlands, and tweed. In anticipation for fall, the season of Trad I leave you with these words from the OPH on the subject of ducks.

 STRAIGHT FROM THE OPH – THE DUCK MOTIF

The duck is the most beloved of all totems. The duck suggests hunting,  water,  Maine – all the things worth thinking about. The basic duck is the mallard. The most common view of the duck is silhouette, although the duck in flight runs a close second. Three-dimensional decoys are nearly as popular and may appear as lamp bases, planters, doorstops, candlesticks, and paper weights.  Ducks themselves – real ducks – may be of little interest. It is the representation of the duck that counts. And the less the object has to do with ducks, the more it cries out for duck adornment. Ducks are stenciled, engraved, embroidered. Embossed, debossed, appliqued, mounted, and otherwise emblazoned on wood, brass, fabric, leather. silver, glass, crystal – anything.