You see a lot of Individualized shirts in Japan. At my perennial favorite Beams+ and a million other stores in Tokyo. It is interesting because you don’t see the Individualized brand (which is American List endorsed) much in the U.S., the company opts to stay behind the scenes. Much has been said recently about Pennsylvania based Gitman Brothers (which is a division of the same company that owns Individualized) and their many brand partnerships — which I equate to their flexibility and ability to work in small quantities — but I wonder if Perth Amboy, NJ based Individualized will get into the same game here in the States. Why market one brand in the U.S. and one in Japan?

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There are a few blogs that really get my aesthetic and inspire me to push ACL to better places — smart gents like Reference Library and Ready for the House in particular. Well, time to add another name to that list, A Time to Get. More than anything I have seen recently, A Time to Get is my perfect storm. The site is so on-point for me that I felt compelled to reach out to the author and extend my well wishes. As it turns out the guy behind the site — Los Angeles resident Mr. Nick Maggio — had worked for the same company as me a while back and we share a few mutual friends. We were both amazed at how small this world can be. Take a moment to read, obsess over and bookmark A Time to Get.

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Another great find, this time from eBay UK. I waited until this auction ended before I posted, as to not to disturb the free market at work. Behold a beautiful English tea / picnic set. I envision Monty carrying this throughout his campaign through Europe, although this may not be old enough. The folks at Hogspear point out that it is perfect for a road trip or car rally. Couldn’t agree more. More photos after the jump.

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One of FDR’s first programs enacted under the New Deal was the establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC as it came to be known. The program enlisted thousands of out-of-work young men throughout the United States to “focus on natural resource conservation” at National, State and local park-lands. Oregon State University has a beautiful archive of images from the days of the CCC. Some of my favorites below.

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Recently a few different American footwear brands have launched heritage collections. The new Cole, Rood and Haan Co. line (which includes the name of one of the original, yet unnamed founders) is the first I have seen that focuses on dress shoes, as opposed to work boots like Timberland, Red Wing and Wolverine. I had a chance to see the collection first hand at Project in Las Vegas and really liked what I saw. The worn-in looking shoes have great detailing, construction (Goodyear Welts, etc.) and are made from nice Italian leather. Looking at the samples at Project, I was especially drawn to the mocs (which can be worn with or without laces, I’m a laces type of guy myself) and the the brown leather boots.

The inspiration for the new younger, cooler off-shoot from Cole Haan is drawn from the company’s 1920s Chicago roots. The line — which is mostly men’s but also includes some women’s — will be hitting stores this coming fall. The CRH collection will have a totally separate distribution strategy, so look out for it at better specialty stores. Some of my favorite styles after the jump.

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The P-51 Mustang is one of the most celebrated fighters of the 20th century. The WWII-era single seat plane was introduced in the middle of the conflict and served to tremendous success in both the European and Pacific theaters. The most widely produced of the P-51 models was the D variant, which was put into service in 1944 and would became the workhorse (bad pun) of the USAAF in Europe. Outside of its beautiful shape, speed and maneuverability, what made the P-51D special was the Packard built V-1650 engine. The fighter’s power plant was a North American made supercharged version of the illustrious Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. This gave the P-51 an incredible top speed and a ceiling of over 41,000 feet. Perfect for long range bomber support. After the war, the iconic fighter even inspired Ford designers to name their new sports car after the P-51.

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Work has brought me to Las Vegas for the fall apparel trade shows over the past five days. I managed to check out some cool brands and hang with friends. I have family in town, so my trips tend to be slightly different than my colleagues. It was good to catch up with friends and do some research for future ACL stories. The good people at Kempt even let me take some pictures and post some of my thoughts on their site. A lot of those photos and a few extras are after the jump. ACL x Kempt x Vegas can be seen here.

Sweden’s Fjallraven.

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