Unis F/W 2011

When I visited Eunice Lee a little while back at her Elizabeth St. shop we talked about starting over.  Not from scratch or anything too drastic, but revisiting the things that made her brand, Unis, amazing in the first place - shoring up the foundation if you will.  Fans of Unis have nothing to worry about and those looking to explore her clothing for the first time have a lot to look forward to, starting with what helped her stake her claim in menswear in the first place.  Most people have probably heard about Unis thanks to her bottoms, specifically the Gio, which was easily one of the top 5 chinos on the market.  You may remember how she "famously" (I only put that in quotes because I know not everyone is on the internet as much as I am) defended her price points to blog commenters.  For F/W 2011 the Gio got a little bit of a facelift.  There are now two completely re-engineered Gio's - a standard and a "skinny".  Yeah, you just read the word "skinny" on a menswear blog.  Did you blackout?  Are you okay?  Moving on, having two fits hopes to alleviate any discrepancies that may have existed before and satisfy as many people looking for chinos as possible.  Personally, I prefer and wear the Gio Skinny - word is bond.  Others may prefer the Gio.  Regardless, they are the best pair of chinos that I have owned since Hickey closed its doors.  The Italian cotton used is hearty enough for cold weather wear, but has a luxuriousness to it.  The whole point of these pants is to offer a tailored silhouette, much like a trouser, but in the washed comfort of your traditional chino.  The emerald and ox blood colorways are the definitive choices for those of you looking to wear not just color, but the right color for this time of year.  Eunice didn't stop with her bottoms either.  No, there is a lot more great stuff happening for F/W 2011.  She's offering USA made suiting for the first time at an affordable price point compared to her competitors.  It's a casual take on the new buttoned up aesthetic engulfing menswear, while not sacrificing an iota of quality.  For the guy looking to grab himself a sportcoat, but isn't drinking any of that Neapolitan kool aid, look no further.  I should also mention the new outerwear made in conjunction with San Francisco's Golden Bear.  Simply put, it's murderous.  Long story short, swing by Unis if you live in NYC or browse the site if you live on the internet.  Either way I think you are going to find some great stuff that's going to help you shore up your own foundation for F/W 2011.

[All pictures courtesy of Justin Chung.]

-L.A.S

First Look: Unis F/W 2010 Shirting

At some point this weekend you've undoubtedly come across Unis' F/W 2010 lifestyle lookbook.  It's a great visual piece of inspiration and helps set the mood for their new upcoming collection.  All that aside, you may still want a closer look at some of the individual pieces.  Luckily, my dude Shimon over at Unis sent some shots my way showcasing the new shirting from F/W 2010.  I've talked about Unis' shirting before as they feature not only an incredible fit, but one of the coolest collars available from any brand making shirts.  Eunice Lee has always understood how to use color in subtle, yet effective ways and F/W 2010 is no exception.  Blues, yellows and pinks are expertly worked into the standard Fall color pallet and the result is a selection of shirts that would easily compliment any guy's wardrobe.  So whether you're contemplating future purposes or just lusting, enjoy your first look.

-L.A.S

Attn: 30% Off Sale At Unis

If you head over to Unis right now you may be able to snag some cool stuff on sale for 30% off.  About half of it is the same gear that you saw at the Gilt Main Event so if you missed out on, say, some of those kickass Gio cords this could just be your shot at redemption.  The sale isn't that large in scope, but neither are Unis' collections so it's not too much of a surprise.  Regardless, you'll find some well fitting and high quality basics for this season and next.  Oh yeah, and for my NY peeps, it's in store as well.

-L.A.S

Unis S/S 2010

Eunice Lee is one of the few women designing today that actually understands what it means to dress like a man - simple garments, clean lines, minimal layering and functionality.  This understanding comes through in everything she designs and her S/S 2010 collection doesn't fail to impress.  The well edited S/S 2010 collection focuses on muted colors and wearable made in the USA garments.  It's a steady body of work that doesn't bowl you over, but instead transitions smoothly into what you probably already own - a variety of well fitting pieces in the right kind of fabrics.  The standouts in my eyes have to be the selection of lightweight outwear pieces and the washed out pants, which act as a nice foil to all the out of control "go to hell" pieces offered from various other brands this time of year.  As per usual it's a job well done and a job worthy of your hard earned monies.

-L.A.S

Hybrid Theory

If you're looking for a post on Linkin Park or fuel friendly vehicles I hate to disappoint you, but this is going to be a little something different.  As it stands right now my two favorite shirt collars are of the club and button down variety, but I have never seen the two combined until today when my new Unis oxford arrived in the mail.  It's funny because when I ordered it last week I had purchased it under the assumption it was a normal button down collar oxford like the thousands of shirts that had come before it in the history of shirting.  You can imagine my surprise when I was examining it further and realized that the collar was in fact a hybrid of my two favorite styles.

See, I love club collars since they add a little punch to a standard shirt, but I hate how it can get out of hand if not buttoned all the way up.  On the flip side, a button down collar is great, but lacks said personality of the aforementioned club collar.  By combining the attributes of both Eunice Lee has created a very unique and functional collar that is unlike most of the stuff out there.  While I normally scoff at anything "hybrid" for their bastardization of something classic, this shirt really looks great - it also helps that the fit is top notch, but I wasn't expecting anything less from the sexy GQ and CDFA's best new designer in America nominee.

After browsing the Unis webstore I was disappointed to see that no S/S options were for sale yet, but you can grab the fall shirt seen below on sale if you are in the business of planning ahead.  Moral of the story: if what I just said seems like something you would be interested in be on the lookout for Unis because they have got hybrid theory down to a tee.

-L.A.S

Behind The Scenes With GQ's Best New Desingers In America

In case you missed any of the 2010 nominees they're all here.

Parting thoughts: Billy is a gentleman, Eunice is a babe, Richard is classy, The Burkman Brothers are badass, Vincent Flumiani is out of his tree and Frank is a boss.













-L.A.S