Let me just be completely clear right from the outset here; the Mr Porter HQ in London is the coolest office I have ever visited. I don’t want you guys to be at all confused about how I stand on this issue. The space so perfectly embodies the online shop stroke magazine (see how well I understand their language now) that part of me thought I was on a movie set. Name of the movie you are wondering? Gattaca.

Though seemingly perfect, the room was the furthest thing from pretentious — which is a sad ailment that many “fashion” companies suffer from. Not Mr Porter though, it couldn’t be further from that. There was a genuine sense of collaboration floating around the cavernous rooms as the legions of stylish folks worked away at newsroom style communal tables. Also notably unpretentious was Net-a-Porter / Mr Porter founder Natalie Massenet. As my little tour snaked its way through the space we eventually came to Natalie’s workspace and she took a few minutes to chat with me about how she got her start and how she built Net-a-Porter up from nothing into the admired company it is today. To talk with Natalie was both inspiring and refreshing at the same time. There are so many people in this world that have done seemingly nothing and are so full of themselves, yet then you meet someone like Natalie who couldn’t be more humble.

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Spent the day in London with the good people of Mr Porter including Mr Terry Betts (senior buyer, at left) and Mr Toby Bateman (buying director). We had a “traditional” English lunch at Mishkin’s (“a kind-of Jewish deli with cocktails”), which was amazing and definitely is something that would likely be more at home on Delancey than round the corner from Covent Garden. Nevertheless, the food (and the company) was terrific. And just kidding about the traditional English bit. A more in-depth look at Mr Porter very soon.

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While perusing the madness of Brick Lane in East London a few weeks ago I stopped into the vintage shop called Levisons on Cheshire Street. The tidy little outpost has a nice selection of men’s and women’s vintage on offer with lots of what you’d want from a good British vintage shop — schoolboy scarves, tweedy accessories of every want, country brogues and nearly an entire rack of well worn Barbour coats. Those coats almost almost fall under the classification as ‘tattered’ (and I mean that in the best possible), but considering the way Barbours are made, they will probably last quite a while longer. Everyone working in the shop was welcoming and knowledgeable, making it even more enjoyable to look through every single item on hand and maybe even take some of it home.

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There’s little doubt in my mind that Labour and Wait is my favorite store on earth. There are a few stores in Tokyo that are a close second, but no one combines as unique of a concept with such good product and unparallelled visual merchandising. Those are some pretty bold statements I know, but after visiting the company’s new and improved London shop I reaffirmed my love of the quirky purveyor of English home goods and departed with a paper bag full of simple treasures.

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One of the great stores has no walls and, in fact, isn’t even a store at all.  Consider the Andrews of Arcadia stall at Spitalfields Market in London.  Every Thursday, John Andrews sets up his booth of vintage fishing tackle and it couldn’t be improved on by all the art directors on Madison Avenue.  Antique angling wares—bamboo rods, cork floats, checkered sailing flags, restored reels, the odd canvas bucket—all laid out perfectly, priced fairly, and described with care and not a trace of snobbery.  It’s a very sweet thing.  Then lunch across the street at St. John Bread & Wine, and you’re enjoying the better part of civilized life.

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During my recent trip to London, I was faced with a bit of a problem; many things to see and not long to do it. I was great just to be in one of my all time favorite cities and I was lucky to meet a lot of like minded people, many of whom I had been corresponding with over the past few years. The downside was my short schedule forced me to abandon an entire arm of my planned exploration. One place I knew I had to visit was the Soho store of the English label Albam.

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A selection of photos from The Vintage Showroom in London. The company operates by appointment only, as it is mainly used by designers for “inspiration” and whatnot. If you live in NYC (and are a designer) or a vintage obsessive, The Vintage Showroom operates much like Melet Mercantile or Strong Arm Clothing Supply. Also, if you live in Boston you should know Bobby from Boston, which is more of a public store front than these others. Being that the The Vintage Showroom mainly serves industry people, the prices are not cheap. The prices are also what they are because the proprietors spend a lot of time and money sourcing the stuff. There is also a store front that is open to the public near Covent Garden if you want to check that out.

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File this under: Stores that need to be opened in New York.

Just off Carnaby Street in London’s Soho — an area loved by denim brands — sits a newish Barbour Heritage shop. In fact, the Levi’s Cinch store that I wrote about not too long ago is right up the block (as we say in New York). The Barbour store focuses on some of the more unique offerings, from the To Ki To jackets to a slew of International jackets in a variety of fabrics. A Barbour coat is one things that is priced better in London than the States — even after the exchange. I ended up with the khaki colored To Ki To bicycle jacket that I have been lusting after for some time. (Second photo, bottom right.) Spring here we come.

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Meet The Vintage Showroom. I spent my Wednesday morning here and while my host (co-owner Doug) ran out to get us both a cup of tea (that was nice of him!) I took this little video. I have much more to say and lots of photos that I will share with you very soon. In the meantime, enjoy all of this vintage goodness.

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Jeans and tee shirts. All that you need and nothing more. That seems to be the concept of the recently freshened-up Cinch store in London’s Soho. When you swing open the frosted glass door and step foot into the sparsely merchandised space you are enveloped into the world of Levi’s Vintage Clothing. The funny thing is, there isn’t much to “envelop” you at that store, which is why I liked it.

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The case for the custom suit is well-known and irrefutable: It’s the last frontier of superior craftsmanship, entirely built by hand. The knowledge that goes into a Savile Row suit can rightly be deemed historic. Your cutter might have been taught by the man who cut suits for Winston Churchill. The sheer range of fabrics is just as astounding. You may think you know everything there is to know about tweed—think again. Some sheds in Scotland make only a handful of bolts of fabric a year. One of those bolts can be the yours.

That doesn’t make it any easier when the reckoning comes: it’s going to cost north of $4000, and you’re going to take it like a man. Once indoctrinated, however, there are few complaints. Rare is the man with only one handmade suit—he’ll do everything in his power to buy another.

That money does not go into an advertising campaign or a cologne destined for duty-free stores. Instead, it returns, as is right, to tailors who’ve apprenticed for years to become expert at what they do. In fact, the profit margins at Savile Row tailors are surprisingly small, and many have closed or left the Row. It takes clear thinking to run a traditional tailor in the modern age. Enter Patrick Grant of Norton & Sons. Grant purchased the venerable tailor (established 1821), in 2006, while still in his thirties. The Norton space at 16 Savile Row is a classic, but not everybody can be in London for the three requisite fittings. So Grant dispatches his head cutter, David Ward, to the US four times a year. ACL recently met with Mr. Ward in a midtown hotel, where he had taken a suite of rooms to conduct fittings.

Norton & Sons shop at 16 Savile Row

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You wear a suit in New York and a lot of people will ask you for directions. People trust a man wearing a suit, it is just one of those things. In previous jobs I would wear a suit regularly and it was a matter of choice not necessity. I’m not an attorney in the court room and I don’t manage anyone’s money. And trust me, wearing a suit is much more fun that way. As time went on my interest in workwear waxed and my interest in clothes waned. As fall rears its head (more and more by the day here in New York), my thoughts shift back to suits and trench coats. The below is my interpretation of what I would be wearing if I was cast as the lead of Get Carter, something bullet proof to bang around London in. A mix of amazing English goods and updated American classics. Throw in an IWC for good luck and we are on our way. The only question is, what car to pair with this look? Well, I’ll leave that for you to discuss in the comments. Maybe something sporty?

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