(capsule) NY: Riviera Club S/S 2011

Riviera Club is all about easy living via the left coast, but for S/S 2011 they are taking things south of the border.  Based around "the golden age of Baja" the collection keeps things light and features gear that would be perfect for any heat wave.  I was particularly fond of the pullover/poncho numbers and white jeans complete with orange self edges.  Riviera Club's insanely comfortable jersey cotton lined shorts even got a terry cloth liner upgrade.  There's no way around it so I'll just put it out there - going "commando" is encouraged.

-L.A.S

The (capsule) NY Live Blog Fiasco

Live from the 4th floor of (capsule) NY it's...your typical Sart Inc nonsense.  Anyhow, I guess you could call this live blogging, which I've never really done before so bear with me.  Or bear with multiple grammatical and spelling errors and snap judgments of what appears to be the coolest stuff at this year's show.  I hope you guys are into this and ultimately get a nice (and efficient?) look inside a cool trade show.  Simple, right? I doubt it will be.

-L.A.S

Men's Market Week

Alright, so I'll be in NYC this upcoming week for the various trade shows and what not so while there won't be daily postage hitting Sart Inc there should be some good wrap up posts in the near future.  ENK New York and (capsule) NY are on the the to-do list as well as some other shenanigans so it should be a good time no doubt.  I will be live blogging (capsule) NY for the good folks who run the show (what's up Steve!) on Tuesday so be sure to check that out and say hello if you plan on going to the show yourself.  I bet we'd be friends in real life.

-L.A.S

Americans In Paris

The Cut has a nice slideshow of some New York based designers at this year's (capsule) Paris trade show.  While you wait with bated breath for that hard hitting Sart Inc coverage of Men's Market Week when it comes to NY this is probably as good as it gets.

-L.A.S

ENK New York 2010 Wrap Up Pt. III

As my wrap up of ENK New York 2010 comes to a close I'd like to tie up all the loose ends and say a few thank you's.

A while back I talked about how I really wanted a pair of washed brogues, but had trouble finding a good pair for a reasonable price.  While washed brogues are definitely still hard to find I saw a pretty neat alternative at Frye's booth.  The traditional boot maker was showing a lot of footwear that would be considered a departure for the brand, but this is not necessarily a bad thing.  The rep I spoke with acknowledge their customer demographics were changing and that Frye was not going to sit back idly.  The faded longwings they were showing really blew me away and at the retail price of $190 not a bad alternative to dropping a few benjamins on a similar "designer" shoe.

As far as other stuff that caught my eye, the S/S gear from Tailor Vintage looked real great with lots of reversible numbers and a pair of black watch chinos that killed it.  Buckler also had some unique denim that was loaded up with great details which will retail for an incredibly reasonable $75-$100ish price range.  Finally, Palladium was showing off a bunch of styles ranging from their canvas stand-bys to a new line of high end leather boots.  I should also mention that 4 Stroke had an amazing booth, but we were so busy talking to Tobias about his incredible raw denim trench that I forgot to snap some pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite rubbing shoulders with some important people and seeing all this amazing gear the best part of ENK was getting the opportunity to meet a bunch of great guys in person.  AC, Shaun, Jon, Jeremy and Antonio (of 13th & Wolf fame) could not have been any more genuine and wonderful.  I had an absolute blast hanging out with everyone and it only reinforced the fact that despite all our digital communication it really means something to spend time with people you respect and admire.  Now that I have a taste of the good life there is not a chance in hell I'm missing any trade shows from this point forward.

-L.A.S

ENK New York 2010 Wrap Up Pt. II

The consensus between myself, Shaun and Jon was that D.S. Dundee had the most impressive booth at ENK.  The East London brand's tailored English staples were so on point that we went back to the booth three or four times with each subsequent visit bordering on nerd overload.  Their tweeds were some of the best I had ever seen in person and to top it off they had some of the most ridiculously awesome "go to hell" plaids.  Jim, D.S. Dundee's Director, was one of the nicest guys at all of ENK as well.  We had a great time chopping it up with him as he dropped serious knowledge about the finer points of dressing like a natty gent.  The following pictures from my point and shoot don't really do any of D.S. Dundee justice and if you ever get the chance to see this stuff in person you will know exactly what I am talking about.  Both Shaun and Jon took some awesome shots so hopefully all that stuff will find it's way into your lap eventually.  The physical manifestation of "country style" has never been this good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most interesting of all the brands at ENK had to be Harvard Yard.  When the brand first launched the blogosphere went pretty head over heels.  Harvard Yard's updated preppy American staples looked fantastic in lookbook form, but they kind of vanished for a little while.  Turns out the brand, a union of Wearwolf Group and a licensing deal with Harvard University, is in between designers and continuing to shape their future.  This era of transition didn't stop them from shutting it down and anyone at ENK would agree that the Harvard Yard has seemingly unlimited potential.  With a little vision there is no telling where these guys can go.  The clothes were, as should be expected, American sportswear classics updated for today's college campus.  Their black watch rain coat (Glenn O'Brien approves) and harrington jackets were so on point that I was trying hard not stuff them into Shaun's bag as party favors.  Jeff, the brains behind Harvard Yard, spoke with Shaun and myself for quite some time about the brand's strategies and current situation.  It was a wonderful brainstorming session and Jeff is an extremely sincere guy with a great task ahead of him.  Harvard Yard is definitely a brand to watch; I know I'll be tuning in.

 

 

 

Hope you guys enjoyed this look at two of my new favorite brands and if all goes according to plan I should have one more wrap up post on the way tying up all the loose ends and expressing all my thanks.  If you missed it, check out Pt. 1 of my ENK NY 2010 wrap up here.

-L.A.S

ENK New York 2010 Wrap Up Pt. I

It was a whirlwind weekend to say the least and I enjoyed every minute of it.  ENK New York was in one word: gnarly.  All first trade show "geeking out" aside, what AC and the whole ENK crew put on was absolutely fantastic.  ENK is not your typical trade show clusterf- and is taking cues from the Italians who do it right.  By dividing vendors up into categories the experience of walking the floor and finding brands was much easier, and ultimetely enjoyable, for both buyers and guests.

It's not everyday that I get to hang with some of the coolest cats in the business and check out some of the newest gear so hopefully these posts will do the whole experience justice.  My head was definitely spinning the entire time I was there and I often found myself so hyped up that I completely forgot to take pictures.  The following will be my best attempt at a break down of a killer trade show and my personal highlights.

Company of We was one of the first booths I checked out and they set the bar pretty high.  They have been getting incredible press lately and all of it is completely deserved.  Not many brands can claim that they are truly making fashion for the people.  Company of We has some of the best clothes at price points that seem like misprints.  Jay, the brand's designer, couldn't be a humbler, nicer guy and was just as excited as I was, if not more, about all the cool things Company of We has coming up.  The stand out piece for me was their duffle coat which was so popular that they brought it back in a bunch of new colors for next fall (seen below on the rack and modeled by Mr. Shaun Barneveld)

 

On the accessories front Will Leather Goods shut it down.  I introduced you guys to the brand a little while back and the stuff is even better in person.  Leather goods are a tricky business to get right and Mr. Bill Adler knows what he is doing.  I said it once and I'll say it again, if anyone is going to challenge Billy Kirk it's these guys.  The leather bags were very detailed and expertly crafted while the canvas goods were better if that's even possible.

 

 

While I respect the hell out of what the Italians do, Neapolitan style isn't really my thing.  That may just change after seeing the offerings from Salvatore Piccolo.  In fact the stuff they showed was some of the coolest at ENK hands down.  Their garments combined the perfect elements of what Italians have been doing for ages with just the right amount of American sportswear.  Their cowboy and madras shirts with cutaway collars and shirt/jacket/blazer hybrids (3rd picture down) need to be seen to be believed.

 

 

I've got a lot more to cover and hope you enjoyed the first dispatch of what ENK New York had to offer.  I have at least two more posts planned dealing with the best of the best so stay tuned.

-L.A.S