The folks at GANT brought their Rugger range downtown to 353 Bleecker Street with their new industrial inspired shop. This new store is one of only two places (in the U.S.) where you can shop the entire collection of Rugger gear (something we showed you a while back). The collection —which I really like — was put together by GANT designer (who is a Swede by birth, but an American patriot in my mind) Christopher Bastin. The new downtown store is all inspired by GANT’s industrial past, with all sorts of factory like decor and a fitting room fashioned as a foreman’s office complete with archival order forms and historical press clippings. Good stuff.

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One block east of the Diamond District on 47th Street. One half block west of J. Press and Madison Avenue. Do yourself a favor and approach via Madison and save yourself the punishment that is 47th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. I remember someone once said that “real” New Yorkers say “Sixth Ave” and not Avenue of the Americas. I definitely say Sixth avenue, but I don’t consider myself a “real” New Yorker, and don’t think I ever will.

Anyway, the guys running Phil’s Stationery are definitely real New Yorkers. Walking into the shop (which I first learned about from my friend John) took me back to 1970, yeah 1970 after what must have been some sort of riot, because Phil’s is a goddamn mess. The place is an amazing clusterfuck of boxes and dusty office supplies — some that clearly have been sitting there for years. It seems to stay afloat by supplying the diamond district with all sorts of specialty office supplies. The “office” in the back (if you can call it an office) is even more messy and completely old-school charming. There are boxes and boxes askew and four or five Windows ’95 era computers stacked on top of other stacks of old boxes. The place is just begging for one of those hoarding shows to come in and clean it up and get the owners checked into some sort of therapy. If you have any sort of spacial anxieties, you will definitely need to stop by the bodega for a Klonopin and a Coke before heading over.

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New Yorkers in exile and friends, Jesse Warren and Greg Buntain’s first foray in retail was a pop-up shop called TENET in the summer-friendly hamlet of Southampton. It was a huge success. They must have thought: “We figured out a way to live and work in one the best summer spots — want to do the same for winter?” and TENET Aspen was born. After spending a week out West and getting a chance to meet and hang out with Jesse and Greg, I’ll be the first one to say that you don’t meet nicer people. Not to mention TENET is far and away the best store in Aspen. Obviously, my idea of the best store is a different from that of the super-rich and the super-Euro that are running about, all drunk from Après-ski.

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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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Coffee and denim, that is what consumed my recent Sunday afternoon in Amsterdam — not a bad way to spend a weekend. I’m in town for a quick trip and a few meetings, and one of the stores I absolutely had to check out was the denim-centric shop Tenue de Nîmes. It stocks a great mix of brands, classic jeans companies like Lee (which is actually Lee Europe which is head and shoulders better than Lee in the States), Iron Heart, LVC, Atelier Ladurance (among many more) and other good stuff like Nigel Cabourn, The Hill-Side, etc. I really enjoyed the shop’s product mix, between hardcore Japanese brands and more contemporary lines. I don’t think there is a store in NYC that is even doing it the way Tenue de Nîmes is. Maybe Blue in Green or Self Edge, but both of those are more Japan focused — not that that is bad, just different. Plus, neither of those stores can’t lay claim to such a nice collection of Buddy Lee dolls.

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If you follow the ACL Twitter you would have known all about my little adventure this past Sunday. I decided to make the drive out to Hamburg, PA for a little shopping. What possible store could warrant a two hour drive to the Lehigh Valley? One word: Cabela’s. It has been a few years since I stepped foot in one of the Nebraska retailer’s massive stores, and to be honest, I was pretty disappointed with what I found. While I know I am not the target demo for such a store, I will say that I found the product mix to be fairly boring.

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When you enter the space at 254 Broome Street in New York City, you can’t help but to feel the warm embrace of cotton, linen and wool. This stretch of Chinatown / Lower East Side is home to Save Khaki, a simple collection of clothing that could easily make up the backbone of any stylish guy’s wardrobe. The gent behind the label, Mr. David Mullen took some time out of his day to walk me through the store and chat about the goings on at the brand.

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Last night the gentlemen from Odin and Duckie Brown held a small cocktail party to toast their new collaborative men’s line Edward. The capsule collection, which was on display at the gathering, is a desirable mix of goods that would fit any modern man’s wardrobe. From the fatigue green waxed M-65 jacket to the woven shirts with their micro-collars (as Eddy Chai described them), Edward is firing on all cylinders. And the best part about the modest 17 piece collection is the value for money. Nothing in the Edward range retails for over 500 bucks and all of it is made in America. So tell me, who can’t use a new pea coat for fall, or a nice tweed sport coat? And anything military inspired in waxed canvas just goes without saying. The good news is you won’t have to wait five months to get this stuff, actually you won’t even have to wait until the announced November 1st drop. Our sources tell us the line will be in Odin stores this coming weekend. If you head by look for us, we’ll be in line.

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The third Rag & Bone store on Mercer Street is an airy space with high ceilings and a refined industrial feel. At first glance it looks like the other shops on the retail-friendly cobblestone block, but when you get in there and really look closely you will notice well thought out detailing that makes the space special. The lighting looks like something that came out of an old GM factory (or old New York workspace), the rolling racks were treated with acid to give them a nice patina and all of the furniture in the entire space was custom made for Rag & Bone. One specific piece, a massive floor to ceiling mirror framed in welded steel, serves to boggle your clothing focused mind. One other favorite detail was the Rag & Bone embossed buttons that dot the beautiful gray Chesterfield ottoman that is positioned in the rear of the store under slanted metal and glass windows, a light source that are functional hold overs from the building’s days as a dim warehouse. With the new Mercer space the Rag & Bone folks have walked a fine line between having a functional, beautiful and well branded space — something you don’t see everyday.

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Philadelphia… a city known for its notorious sports fans and a certain delicacy known as the cheesesteak. Last year entrepreneur Steve Grasse, the man behind Gyro Mart and Root liquor, injected a little a dose of welcomed style into the city with his shop Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. (And yes the name is inspired by the Walter Benjamin essay.) Whether you’re searching for the newest Billykirk piece, new scents from CB I Hate Perfume or tobacco for your prized briar pipe, this shop has you covered. Nestled in Old City, this perfectly curated store brings a refreshing mix previously one might have needed to take the trip up to SoHo for. Art in the Age also has monthly art shows curated by another Philly staple, Space 1026. Product can be ordered form their online store, but you’d be doing yourself a favor by taking the walk down N. 3rd and stopping by for a visit.—SEAN SULLIVAN

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The folks from J.Crew were kind enough to invite me over to check out the new men’s store at 484 Broadway in NYC. The shop, which used to be a newsstand, is a perfect mix between a normal J.Crew store and the more directional J.Crew Liquor Shop that opened last year. So basically, there are special items like Superior Labor tote bags, Alden shoes, staplers, Mister Freedom clothing and all of the basics that you have come to expect from J.Crew. A good combination if you ask me.

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The folks over at Steven Alan asked me if I would come by their shop and pick out five of my favorite things (a virtual wish list if you will) for their Journal (that’s fancy way of saying blog). Since Steven Alan is one of my favorite stores of all time, I quickly agreed. Things did get a little strange when I started walking out of the TriBeCa location with all of my picks. Apparently they wanted me to pay for the five things. Can you believe that?!? Only kidding. You can see my little list of Steven Alan goodness here.

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