Raleigh Denim

After a few years of admiring the company and their denim,  I picked up a pair of RDs Barney's sale.  Great video about the company here.  Made in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Alden X ?

My Alden obsession has gone from a mild fever to full dementia over the last 6 months.  Driving this sickness are the collaborations between the esteemed New England bootmaker and new school Aldenistas J. Crew, Epaulet (the creators of the gorgeous Ravello Genuine Shell Cordovan boots pictured above) and San Francisco's own UNIONMADE ( dig the Indy Shoe in Natural Chromexcel).
Guys, please cut it out - my wallet can't take anymore!
So if you are looking for handcrafted shoes that get better with age and wear well with most anything, take a look at Alden - and specifically the Alden collaborations.

This Actually Works

I was always skeptical of the "Art of Shaving" thing - seemed pompous.  But this vibrating, illuminated razor actually works beautifully.  Keep it away from you girl (sorry)...

The Drums: October One at The Independent

For Lewis and Ms. Pix

Good Shit...

I don't buy many things at Neiman Marcus but when it comes to fragrances they're hard to beat.   According to some info I stole of the world wide web, "Creed was founded in 1760 in England and about one hundred years later moved to Paris, where it is still headquartered today. While Olivier Creed, the sixth generation, is now at the helm, his son and daughter both work in the business as well, which promises to stay in the family for the foreseeable future."  Regardless this stuff is quite pleasant...

Money

Needed a real wallet.  Something stylish and durable.  More than ever I'm appreciating brands that focus on doing one thing exceptionally well.  Case and point: the Il Bisonte billfold.  According to UNIONMADE site (which looks great btw) "Handmade in Florence, Italy and designed by master artisan Wanny Di Filippo... Natural leather that only gets better as you put your stamp on it."  Thank you Todd (I like the GQ shot even if it looks a little J.C. Penny) and the rest of the crew at UNIONMADE.

20 Seconds to the Last Call...

Checked out the much-hyped Barney's Warehouse Sale at Ft. Mason.  Was disappointed in both selection and prices - though it was cool to see girls getting semi-naked amongst the racks (no dressing rooms and no returns - which definitely tests one's commitment). 
The only buy that saved it from being a totally wasted effort were these Evisus.  Quality Japanese selvedge denim.  They were the "skinny" jeans but that has a totally different meaning from one denim maker to the next.  They sit lower on the waist than my 1947 501's - but nothing too extreme.  Deeeeeeeep pockets which I am digging mostly - though they became black holes for lighters and the like at Outside Lands... Anyway nice to have an alternative to the 501's which have now gone 4 months without a wash...but that's a different post.

Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots

  
Been living in these things.  Held up well against the dirt, beer and other abuses dished out at Outside Lands this past weekend.  Made in Rockford, MI.  Leather from America's finest tannery, Horween leather, Chicago, IL.  Check this short film about Horween's process for creating shell cordovan leather. Get em at UNIONMADE.

Wake up....It's a Beautiful Morning...

Buy This Album

The Cure's classic - remastered with the addition of live material from Wembley and some interesting outtakes. Growney and I saw the Disintegration Tour at Oakland Arena in 1989. I remember them playing "Three Imaginary Boys" and trying to explain the significance of such a thing to Tom.

We couldn't handle BART and I ended up leaving TG looking confused at Coliseum Station.  Long story.  Review from Pitchfork here.

Back to Work...

Botoni

Picked up these Botonis at Wilkes Bashford last week as I was on the hunt for quality dress shoe.  These shoes are incredibly gorgeous - a true testament to Italian craftsmanship.  Botoni's master shoemakers ("calzalaios") in Montegranaro painstakingly craft something like 6 to 8 pairs of shoes a day. Each shoe requires over 300 individual tasks and hundreds of hand stitches.  They are then hand colored using a multi-layered finishing process that creates the beautiful antiqued and burnished finishes. The richness of the finish make these shoes look more like artwork than footwear. 

Usually quite expensive but thanks to WB's summer sale, I got this pair at an Allen Edmonds-like price. My suits seem to look much nicer now. Really enjoyed the royal treatment the staff provides at Wilkes Bashford as well.

Belstaff Roadmaster

Girls and a Lady

Gentleman's Lounge

Steven Alan on Gilt Group

Steven Alan  makes great shirts.  Perfect to hang dry and wear a little wrinkled.  Only problem is there pricey.  Gilt Group which you have to sign up for liquidates inventory for a lot of great designers - such as Mr. Alan.  Got these for 3 for about the price of 1 at Barneys.

Stu and Jenn's

I think we had pheasant?  Addie spent a lot of time in the kitchen I believe. I know we had a lot of wine.  This lovely couple (ok mostly Stu) commomerates memorable times on wine corks.  I like it.

A Message to you Rudy

Pretty Cool Girls

Another Call to NATO

Once I put a NATO strap on my "beater" watch, I pretty much stopped wearing my "good" watch.  The solution was fairly obvious.  Black and silver "Bond" NATO strap from eBay (where else?)  My Seamaster is ready for summer.

Sleigh Bells

No Cars Go

The City closed some streets in the Mission on Sunday. They should do so more often. We walked down 24th from Valencia to Howard. Bikes, skateboards, little dogs, soccer balls, kids, rock bands and Mission style...