SUNDAY BOOKMANIA -THE WEST BY RICHARD PHIBBS

Well finally it's sunday, time to pick up that beautiful coffeetable book that you have. Like I picked up The West by Richard Phibbs.

Phibbs's love of the West came naturally. He was born in Calgary, Alberta, home to Canada's Calgary Stampede, one of the world's great rodeos. The landscapes of Phibbs's childhood are the background of his most evocative and authentic images: stark plains and endless prairies, weathered barns and fences, an empty horizon rolling to an open sky. This minimalism rooted in nature shaped Phibbs's aesthetic from the beginning. 

Peopling the western landscapes of his childhood was that archetypal hero, the cowboy. Phibbs's modern cowboys are sensitively rendered; looking into their eyes, you connect with decades of tradition while experiencing an electric shock of immediacy.

Phibbs's artful images — iconic portraits of cowboys, horses as wild and free as the wide-open spaces, a dog working its herd with skillful grace, a saddle weathered with work and time — find their deserved setting in Paredes's careful editing, with comparisons and contrasts that amplify each photo's emotional resonance. With the eye that brings Ralph Lauren's vision to life in stores and showrooms around the world, Parades crafts a book that is, truly, a tribute to the American spirit.

DRAKE'S LONDON NOT JUST A TIE

The London-based company’s lookbook features the British designer, writer and man-about-town Jason Jules and model Eshan Kali, individuals who are both noted for their style.  Under the direction of Drake’s Creative Director Michael Hill, the lookbook represents the most complete collection yet; a diverse, confident and refined expression of the brand’s aesthetic.

This season for the first time, Drake’s will be offering their own British-made denim and dress trousers, allowing the brand to complete the ensemble and tell its full story.

The collection draws on Britain’s deep connection to the land and outdoors, pairing it seamlessly with Drake’s everyday wearable design philosophy.  Jackets are both rustic and elegant.  Ties, scarves and pocket squares focus on texture and handcraft, featuring a broad range of new designs and some reinterpreted classics.  The theme of texture continues across the brand’s brushed cotton shirting and beautiful lambswool and Donegal knitwear.

GHOST TOWN OF BODIE, CALIFORNIA

I've been several times to the Ghost Town of Bodie and every time I wondered, how is it possible that this town was abandoned from one day to another.

Bodie is an original mining town from the late 1800’s. What’s left today stands in a state of “arrested decay” and is maintained by the California State Parks System, who took over the town in 1962 to make it a State Historic Park.

In 1859 William (a.k.a. Waterman) S. Bodey discovered gold near what is now called Bodie Bluff. A mill was established in 1861 and the town began to grow. It started with about 20 miners and grew to an estimated 10,000 people by 1880! By then, the town of Bodie bustled with families, robbers, miners, store owners, gunfighters, prostitutes and people from every country in the world. At one time there was reported to be 65 saloons in town. Among the saloons were numerous brothels and ‘houses of ill repute’, gambling halls and opium dens – an entertainment outlet for everyone. (text by bodie.com pics by Chad's Drygoods)