THE "GO TO HELL" POLO

As the temperature is reaching higher figures, it's time to get yourself some new Polo Piques.

The Go To Hell polo's are a great summer staple combine it with your colored chino's or with a white jeans.

Love 'em or hate 'em, "go-to-hell" is a cornerstone of the Ivy American style. The first embroidered clothes, where pants designed with whales. In 1976, prominent author and dandy Tom Wolfe coined the term “go-to-hell” in an Esquire article about country club communities and the preps that inhabit them.  Wolfe explained that the pants were prevalent throughout these regions, as men paired them with their traditional navy blazers and OCBD’s making the pants nearly impossible to miss.  Around the same time that Wolfe came out with his article larger menswear companies such as Brooks Brothers, J. Press, and Ralph Lauren began producing their versions of the pants, making the pants a cornerstone in any traddy summer wardrobe. (polo's from below to top - Gant, Carhartt, Tommy Hilfiger)

LET'S MAKE A PARTY TODAY

ESQUIRE & GANT BLOGGER EVENT

Yesterday I joined a "Dinner with Esquire & Gant", with some fellow bloggers like Ajanaku, Our Bubble and Selectionneurs. The Gant Haarlem Store was turned into a Brooklyn style restaurant. The food was served by De Jongens Haarlem, a local restaurant. Along with the food we tasted some great local beers called Jopen beer. But that wasn't all the challenge is to make 4 different sets and the winner will win a trip to Stockholm for an exclusive interview with Christopher Bastin, Gant's Head of Design.

May the best win!!

EDDIE BAUER - AIN'T MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH

In 1963 Jim Whittaker, in partnership with Sherpa Nawang Gombu, became the first American to climb to the roof of the world and summit Mt. Everest. He did it outfitted in Eddie Bauer down. On that same American Mount Everest Expedition, Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld completed the first successful ascent of the challenging West Ridge route, which remains one of the greatest achievements in the history of mountaineering.

To celebrate of the 50th anniversary of these triumphs, Eddie Bauer returned to Mt. Everest in 2012 with two teams of world-class, high-altitude climbers, an entire line of award-winning, guide-built First Ascent gear, and a mission to retrace the steps of the historic American achievements on Mt. Everest. The mountain again revealed its power and proved that, five decades later, Everest still represents adventure in its grandest form. (Read the full story here)

EMBRACE CAPUTO & CO

Caputo & Co was launched in 2011 by New York based designer Alex Caputo. You can see the background of Alex in his designs, it's marries Central America with the American Soul. In the last picture you see some signature handwoven textile from Guatamala. Let the summer begin!

ARROW COLLAR MINIATURE'S

This week, I visited some stores in Holland, and in one of those I saw these miniature Arrow Collars.

The scale is 1:4 and on the stand they carry the name of the collar plus the the year of production. The brand name Arrow is written inside the collar. I guess these "salesman" samples are from the late 60's or 70's. Unfortunately the owner of the shop didn't want to sell them to me. But if anybody out there has some of these somewhere in a drawer or in the attic. Please think of me and know that they get a great spot in my showroom!

TANNER GOOD(IE)S FLAGSHIP STORE- PORTLAND, OREGON

Last year I bought my very first Tanner Goods key lanyard @ Club Monaco, not knowing that this product was made by a bunch of people with a great passion for leather and that they have their own store.

The store concept was designed around the brand’s heritage leather goods line. Dark walls, doug fir reclaimed from an eastern Oregon barn, hand crafted light fixtures, and exposed brick showcase the belts, wallets and bags Tanner Goods is undeniably known for. With the tagline, handcrafted in the USA, it seems that each and every fixture for the Tanner Goods Flagship be made in Portland, Oregon or sourced from ebay and local antique shops. (pics via the Tanner Goods site)

Tanner Goods Flagship

1308 W Burnside,

Portland, Oregon 97209

PULL DOWN MAPS - WALL ART

 When I look back at pictures of the Arrow Showroom, I got inspired by the picture of the vintage desk with the pull down map above it. In the old days those maps where used on schools to teach the kids.

(pics via honestlywtf)

NEW BALANCE 501 CAMO - WANNAHAVES!!!!

I found these great New Balance 501 camo in the April issue of GQ. Is their anybody out there who can tell me where to buy them??? 

THE GREENLAND JACKET No. 1 - SPECIAL EDITION

An early version of the jacket put to the test.

Fjallraven's most classic jacket, the Fjallraven Greenland No. 1 jacket, here in its original design after founder Ake Nordin sewed the first jacket using a durable tent fabric at home in Örnsköldsvik in 1968.

This simple early version was created for climbers and has two breast pockets. (The side pockets on the Greenland Jacket were added in a later version after the jacket grew in popularity among a wider outdoor public in the 1970s.) Fixed hood, zipper with flap in the front and buttoned adjustments in the sleeve cuffs. The fabric is the durable, wind and water resistant G-1000 Eco that breathes well and can be impregnated with Greenland Wax for extra protection from the wind and rain. (pics via Freshcotton)

The special edition comes in 4 different colors.

This special edition has been seen on Orlando Bloom.

CHAD @ WINDSOR PRESS DAY

Yesterday I was invited for the Press Day of Windsor at the Dylan Hotel in Amsterdam.

The collection of Windsor Men & Woman Fall/Winter 2013 was presented at the Ariana Room.

As I am a sucker for menswear I only had eyes for the Windsor Men collection, sorry girls! And again my eyes where attracted by that soft lightweight Harris Tweed which is specially made for Windsor.