ThingsAmongMany

I have an equal-opportunity eye when it comes to style/fashion (though that’s not to say that I shop for women’s clothes much). That said, this coat really caught my eye during my web travels recently. I often find myself jealous of women’s fashion, not because I have some overwhelming desire to cross-dress, but because there’s just so much more opportunity for exploration and adventure for you ladies. With menswear, the details are often the defining moments (and details are expensive!). Or, again, maybe I’m still struggling to learn.

Regardless, the coat caught my eye and led me to explore more of designer Tatyana Merenyuk’s work. Ladies, do NOT hesitate to check out her work. Take it with a grain of salt, but to this uneducated guy’s eye, her work is fantastic. The Olga Coat is just the start, and one of her more expensive pieces, but her dresses are also quite eye-catching. She seems to draw inspiration from a variety of eras (the ’20’s and the ’50’s are both immediately evident) as well as a few different regions. And the prices seem relatively reasonable as well.

She works under the label Red Doll, and her newest work can be previewed on her site or purchased at her Etsy Storefront. Of course, the beautiful photography and models don’t hurt either…

Every few months I hit a familiar realization: it’s time for my wardrobe to grow up a little. Then, of course, I try to go shopping and I realize that I can’t quite afford to make that happen (or maybe I just don’t know how on a reasonable budget). But I’m trying to learn. A recent mom-fueled trip to one of the uptown dept. stores left my wardrobe a bit better stocked and a slightly updated (thanks ma!), which, in turn, brought about those old feelings. Only this time – and I don’t know exactly what was different – there was a bit more fire involved.

Since then, I’ve been rethinking my purchase habits and poring over some online resources. The Sartorialist, in particular, has been a source of vast inspiration and insight. Of course, part of “figuring it all out” involves determining where your personal style falls – something I’m still, in many regards, working to determine for myself. It’s a little easier being in NYC where there’s endless sources of inspiration wherever you turn and plenty of opportunities to shop if you can stomach it.

The trend that seems to be overtaking the streets today of combining a bit of vintage with a bit of modern is also eye-opening – it seems to fit my comfort zone (or interest zone) rather nicely. Take the blog Nerd Boyfriend for example. They do a fantastic job of taking a classic photo and dissecting the look to share up-to-date sources for the pieces involved. And suddenly I can’t help but thinking back to my grandfather - I have this image of him indelibly etched into my brain – sitting in the corner of the wood-paneled TV room of the house that my mother grew up in wearing a classic blue oxford shirt and a pair of khaki pants with his thick-rimmed glasses on and yellow paisley tie tossed aside.

Then, of course, there’s a few spots that have been almost-daily reads for quite sometime, but for some reason have just set in as points of true inspiration. I’m talking about resources (some digital, some real-world) like Valet, Secret Forts, A Continuous Lean, Billykirk (who’s founders Chris and Kirk Bray couldn’t be more awesome), and Billy Reid (who’s windows I’m forced to walk past on a near-daily basis as POKE is just a few doors down).

I’m sure I’m forgetting some, but I digress. There is a question in all this. Where are some of your favorite places to supplement your wardrobe without going broke (or feeling tired of an item a few months down the road)? Any hidden gems you’d like to share?

How can you possibly not LOVE this??

Growing up I remember looking forward to the HUGE Toys ‘R Us circular that would come in the morning paper after Thanksgiving.  I would go through it marking anything and everything I wanted. Unfortunately I also had to face the reality that my parents would not get me EVERYTHING, so I would guide them through my holiday wish list with a key.  It had these categories:

1. Want 2. Need 3. Want but don’t Need.   4. Need but can live with out.   5.  Need and cannot live without. 6. Absolutely have to have and cannot live without.

This season I don’t need these Paige Cuff Frye Boots, but I want them badly.

You can deposit money into my paypal account if you’d like to make a contribution (e-mail me and I can set that up for you). Or you can go here.. and check out my Urban Outfitters holiday wishlist.

Feel free to add your wishlist in the comments section. Who knows, maybe Santa reads this blog.

Ever on the hunt for new and interesting clothing lines - I’m surprisingly picky about what I buy - I was pretty impressed this morning when I stumbled onto Barking Irons thanks to the crew over at The Choosy Beggar. Taking a cue from the workwear/vintage trend that’s been so popular lately, Barking Irons offers up a interesting collection of Finery, Tees, and antiqued Shines. Unfortunately, they do so on an all-Flash site so I can’t link you to the various collections, but they’re worth a look.

And, to top it off, they’re knocking 50-70% off today and tomorrow at their Bowery Store. Men.Style.com also did an interview with the duo who started the label:

While I don’t necessarily go out of my way to hunt down women’s fashions, when something catches my eye I’m gonna share it. And the carefully crafted pieces from the Vancourver-based studio Little Houses definitely caught my eye. Designer Shanah Lewis (according to her MySpace page) got started about four years ago while still a student, and her designs have continued to grow since. Her jackets are particularly awesome - now if she’d just take a crack at some men’s designs, I need a new jacket!

There’s a good, quick interview with Shanah over on the Stylist.com blog where she explains some of her inspirations and ideas:

I get really inspired by people who are doing the same thing as me and doing really well at it. It definitely pushes me to keep going. I also have some very talented and artistic friends who inspire me all the time. My husband plays a huge part in that as well, he is super creative and has really good ideas, anytime I’m stuck on an idea for a new garment, I always ask him for help.

Her pieces are available from either Etsy or SuperMarket.

Ever stop to wonder why you can only get corduroy pants with vertical cords? No? Neither had I. But apparently the crew at Cordarounds has pondered that exact question. The answer they came to is simple: there is NO reason at all! So what’d they do? Naturally, they created the only horizontal cords in existence (at least so far as I’ve seen).

Cordarounds were created by 2 guys in San Fran. who definitely have a sense of style - as well as a sense of humor. Not only do they created limited edition lines of a “couple hundred”, but their “salesmanship” tactics are rather intriguing as well. Need an example? How about the faux-scientific discussion of aerodynamics and crotch temperature as proof of the need for horizontal cords?

Their cords run $85-90 depending on whether you grab the regular or the ultralight edition - personally, I’m hankering for the regular version in Olive (shown above). Of course, they don’t stop at pants. The guys also recently released a reversible jacket design featuring corduroy (of course) on the outside, and a rockin’ smoking jacket styled pattern on the inside.

Be sure to check out their sale section as well to score a good deal for the holidays!

Despite my rather cynical bashing of the ideals of Cyber Monday over at BrandsAmongMany, I did get a kick out of this email from Urban Outfitters this morning. Titled simply “typecasting”, I of course assumed that it would be an attempt to shuffle more of their enamel letters out the door (which I happen to be a fan of). So when what I found turned out to be a far more tongue-in-cheek interpretation of “type”…

I immediately clicked through to see what I could find. Pick the type of person you want to shop for and UO has put together a selection gift ideas that fit their personality. Of course, I’m not sure if I should agree with their decision to put those enamel letters in the “narcissist” section, but that’s where they are…

Who do you need to shop for this season? What can you find for them under their given moniker?

Back in June I wrote a post about a little t-shirt company based out of Maine called Sustainabilitee. The link sat in my Wants folder for quite a while until I needed a birthday gift for a friend. I decided that an eco-friendly tee that read Fake Bacon, Awesome might just be the perfect gift for a long-time vegetarian. Of course, while I was at it, I ordered myself a tee as well.

Well, this weekend, Emily (who runs Sustainabilitee) launched a new site for the brand at www.sustee.com. While not a replacement for their e-commerce site (which lives at www.sustainabilitee.com), the new site offers an inside look at the goings-on behind the Sustainabilitee brand. There’s info on the clothes, the models, upcoming shoots, and even information on how to become a model if you’re interested - of which Emily is also one, and looking amazing doing so!

And, perhaps best of all, Sustainabilitee is having a Black Friday sale. This weekend only, they’ve got a few coupon codes up that can save you up to $75 off your tee purchases:

$5.00 off purchase of $20.00. Use coupon code: 93JFEN
$10.00 off purchase of $50.00. Use coupon code: NPAGPK
$20.00 off purchase of $100.00. Use coupon code: 988SEU
$50.00 off purchase of $200.00. Use coupon code: T8H33V
$75.00 off purchase of $300.00. Use coupon code: 9PTGMK

Not the worst way to get some holiday shopping over and done! Especially since you don’t even need to leave your house! And Emily is fantastic about helping you track down the sizes and prints you’re looking for (I should know, I put her to work find the right size for myself in the print I wanted).

Despite the argument that Design Within Reach has lost touch with the “Within Reach” part of their moniker, it’s tough to challenge their ability to make some really iconic pieces readily available (to those who can afford the prices). And to cement their standing, the crew over at DWR recently started an item-per-day sale of some very limited edition piece.

According to a post over on Apartment Therapy, Chris and Kari (the brains behind the DWR Tools For Living idea) recently returned from a trip around the world where they spent their days gathering up as many rare, vintage, and one-off pieces as they could find. Those pieces are now being sold on DWR’s site in a limited edition run of awesomeness. Some pieces are available for purchase on the DWR site, while others are being auctioned off - like an original Eames designed leg splint, or #1 of 500 of the new Gehry Superlight chair. Of course, I’ve got a pretty serious hankering for the Venti Fan they’re showing off (ironically, one of the more “reasonably” priced items at a modest $600).

They’re revealing a piece per day for about another two weeks. You can keep track of the items on their Limited Edition Page, or sign up for their mailing list to get the info via email.