A few weeks ago I wrote a little something for GQ about one of my favorite stores on earth, Cuffs Clothing in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The store has a stocklist to end all stocklists and carries everything from Barbour to Charvet, Southwick to Oxxford; basically everything a gent could ever need. Seeing as GQ couldn’t use all of my images, I thought I would share them with you here. But you can read more about the Cuffs over at GQ.
This week might have to be “Texas Week” on ACL. Meet STAG, a new men’s shop that opened this past weekend in Austin. The shop is the brain trust of friends Don Weir, Steve Shuck, Ted Allen, Bobby Johns and Joel Mozersky (ed note: alt name Five Guys) who put together an impressive stock list (Apparel: RRL, Burkman Bros, Oliver Spencer, Penfield, Dunderdon, Oxen, Rockmount Ranchwear, Vintage Denim Jackets, Vintage Chambray Shirts, Vintage Pendleton overshirts. Shoes: Frye, PF Flyers, Clarks, HELM Handmade Boots (new Austin company), Vintage Workboots. Accessories: Tanner, Hill Side, Wild Duck Totes, Beckel Bags, Randolph Engineering, Welch Suspenders, Hamilton Watches, etc. Plus, brands like Filson, Civil Smith and Universal Works among others coming in the Spring). Since all of the guys involved in STAG have antique dealer backgrounds, expect a lot of vintage furniture, collectibles and ephemera. STAG looks like yet another reason to visit Austin, well done gents.
Let me first say it is good that new shops are opening. There was a point in this whole economic mess that no new brands were launching and no new stores were opening, it was depressing. Now, while just getting a new store is good, getting a new store like UNIONMADE is great. The men’s shop which was founded by Pennsylvania native Todd Barket, opened this past weekend on Sanchez Street in San Francisco and is an exercise in excellence. Barket spent 18 years at GAP working in various capacities including visual merchandising and marketing, and the man clearly understands retail. I think the worst part about this place is that it is so far away from me.
And it’s a beauty. My pal Mr. Cory Moore down in Austin is making strides with his new shop Luther’s. I saw the store in its early early stages back in March when I was in the Texas capital for SXSW. The South Congress boutique stocks some great American stuff, along with all sorts of motor-head gear and is worth a visit if you are down that way. In fact, if you are in Austin tonight Luther’s is hosting an Indian Larry photography exhibit by Timothy White from 6-9pm. Good stuff and nice sign!
The name GANT is synonymous with East Coast prep. Founded in New Haven, Connecticut in 1949, the company basically perfected the American shirt by making private label for J. Press, Brooks Brothers, the Yale Co-Op and many more. By the 1960’s (one could say the Take Ivy era), GANT was the shirt for students, popularizing the button-down on college campuses all over America. Since then the company has changed hands several times and has had its share of ups and downs, but recently it has been all ups, no downs.
A more recently focused GANT has established a great presence for its casual Rugger line (which the company launched in the 1970’s) everywhere from Scoop to Barneys Co-Op and in the process become one of the great revivals of the American heritage look. For spring / summer 2010 GANT looked to one of its own designers, Mr. Christopher Bastin, to further develop the Rugger range. Bastin (who possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of classic American sportswear) literally combed through the company’s archives (not to mention vintage dealers and eBay) to infuse the collection with historically accurate detailing and fabrication. I stopped by GANT’s offices last week to get a sneak peek at the new offerings, and ultimately found out exactly what I’m going to be wearing next summer.
Not a lot of commentary on this subject. I have been going to some of these stores for years and thought that it was worth a little of ACL’s time to point them out. I love an old school shoe store and New York has some great ones. Enjoy the trip back in time.
Stapleton Shoe Co. on Church Street
There is an excellent guide to buying and wearing hats in the new issue of GQ. Interesting to see that Manhattan’s JJ Hat Center was featured prominently. You may remember back in June when CBS Sunday Morning did a segment on hats and featured the same store and incidentally, the exact same salesman. The handy guide from GQ basically breaks down everything you need to know to wear a hat without looking like you just got off a flight from LAX. Much respect to GQ for making the guide without including pictures of Justin Timberlake or Brad Pitt.
My good friend Mark wears a hat frequently with a suit and ends up looking very smart. When well done, there is no better accessory. Take a look at Don Draper if you don’t believe me.
Looking through these catalogs from 1958-1963 it is easy to see that not much has changed at J. Press. Back in 1958 a cotton Seersucker sportcoat was a good deal at $59.50. That very same sportcoat (or a similar style) is still offered today from J. Press for $395.00 ($296.25 if you factor in the sale that is currently going on). Now, if you adjust the 1958 price of $59.50 for inflation, the seersucker jacket would cost $433.62 in todays money. So the J. Press seersucker is beating inflation — sounds like a good investment to me.
It is interesting to see all of the two-button models that were offered way back when. Most people like to think that J. Press only sells Sack suits, but it is clear from these pictures that that is simply not the case.
All of the scans link to Flickr, once there click “all sizes” to see the hi-res versions.
My friends at Southwick sent me this great looking tote bag yesterday. My bag obsessions have been detailed here before — so no need to go there. The design is fairly innocuous until you flip it over and you see the giant “Made in the United States of America.” I love the way the bag is printed underneath the straps. I’m happy to see some buzz around the brand and might have to make a special trip to check out Southwick at Cuffs (one of my all time favorite men’s stores) this summer when I am back home. I guess I could shop for Southwick here in NYC, but what fun would that be.
The ACL favorite and American made clothing brand Southwick recently launched a redesigned website. The new site, along with the updated designs for fall, have me excited about the Lawrence, Mass. based clothing company. I find Southwick to be the perfect combination of my clothing preferences. Natural shoulder, traditional styling, classic fabrications and the fact that everything is made in the United States. I enjoy a company that offers a Sack suit along with other, more contemporary fit options.
I put together two Google Maps for the ACL faithful. One is a men’s shopping guide, and the other is a reference to where to drink and dine in the city. The restaurant/bar map is an adaptation of a friend’s very well made map of the same subject. I owe many of the well researched listings to him. The maps will live in the aptly named “Maps” section of the sidebar on the right. Your suggestions for additions are much encouraged and appreciated.
Part One of a Series.
I was browsing the Ships SS08 catalog and there was so much that I wanted. Below are some of my must haves, even though I basically already own all of these things.
