Woolrich John Rich & Bros. F/W 2011

Woolrich John Rich & Bros. will always be a favorite of mine thanks to how the brand's aesthetic lines up so well with my own.  It's a very Italian take on Americana and this should come as no surprise considering who owns the brand.  I've talked at length about my love of fusing Italian and Anglo sensibilities so lets get onto the collection.  The Woolrich John Rich & Bros. F/W 2011 collection is a little underwhelming to be honest.  You never expect retail heavy lines like this to stray too far outside of the box, but you also don't expect complete retreads.  Anyhow, what I do appreciate from these shots (besides the extremely solid parkas) is that they show you how to wear hiking boots in a way we haven't really seen as of late.  The hiking boot explosion seems tied to all of those peacocks who frequent Pitti Uomo and Milan Fashion Week this time of year.  I actually think the whole trouser/tailored clothing with hiking boots look is pretty cool assuming you can pull it off, but, for the rest of us who can't, Woolrich John Rich & Bros. is here to illustrate how you can easily switch out your Bean boots or Red Wings for this style of boot.  Stay rugged, Ponyboy.

-L.A.S

Woolrich Woolen Mills F/W 2011

The most anticipated collection (at least for me) of F/W 2011 is officially in the books and we might as well put it out there - this is wholly Mark's collection.  The Daiki Suzuki era has come and gone.  While this may bum some people out, I couldn't be more excited for the second phase of WWM.  So, did McNairy deliver?  That's for you to decided for yourself, obviously, but for my money he most definitely did indeed.  After hearing Mark mention how his version of WWM would focus much more so on Woolrich's collegiate and military history those of us less enamored with the whole hunting vibe breathed a much needed sigh of relief.  Don't get me wrong, I think Daiki is one of the best designers working today.  In fact, I own quite a bit of his stuff.  Regardless, some aesthetics get tiresome and evolution is a natural part of the fashion industry - needless to say, I was more than ready for a new direction.  The end result is pretty much what I was expecting from Mark.  WWM F/W 2011 definitely comes from a collegiate and military place, but what clinches it for me is the collection's edge, for lack of a better word.  Mark has made a name for himself thanks to his ability to take the classic and put his own spin on things and he's done it yet again.  There's less quirk than what we've seen from his own line (which is to be expected from something of this scope), but there is still that rebel attitude.  That, "I wear what I want to wear when I want to wear it" feeling.  Honestly, it's kinda punk rock.  And I absolutely love that shit.  The endgame for this new partnership can't be determined after just one collection, but I've talked to a few European buyers already and they are psyched.  Where it will be stocked and what exactly will be stocked in The States is yet to be seen, but I hope lots, if not all, of this is readily available so I can go ahead and spend money I don't have.  Some parting thoughts:

-Those crepe sole double monks are a new style from Mark McNairy New Amsterdam.
-This collection is a little bit smaller than I imagined it would be.
-For a feel of the WWM 2011 presentation in Milan be sure to head over to Isaac's spot.

 -L.A.S

First Look: Woolrich Woolen Mills F/W 2011

When it rains, it pours.  Hot on the heels of yesterday's post, today sees the first look at the "coat range" in Mark McNairy's upcoming WWM F/W 2011 collection.  It's all pretty classic, extremely wearable and fits surprisingly well within the paradigm established by Daiki Suzuki.  Some coats should even look familiar - off hand, I spot the Mountain Parka.  We're obviously still waiting on everything else, but this makes me think we won't be let down.  Not that I thought we would be in the first place.  Enrico locked down the world premier so shout out to Italians making me feel bad about my blog.

-L.A.S

Woolrich Woolen Mills F/W 2011 Preview

Style.com has the first real picture of Mark McNairy's debut collection for Woolrich Woolen Mills.  WWM F/W 2011 will debut January 17th in Milan and is at a critical juncture in the brand's history as it transitions into the post-Daiki Suzuki era.  Here is what Mark has to say about the collection:

"When I started, I wanted to get as far away from the [well-known] outdoor aspect as possible, the hunting and fishing. Woolrich also has a long history of making for the U.S. military, and in the late fifties and early sixties, they had an Ivy League, preppy consumer collection, which not a lot of people know about. Basically, the collection that I did was a mishmash of classic U.S. navy garb and traditional Ivy League garb."

There is not a single collection I am more intrigued by than WWM F/W 2011 and I can't even imagine the craziness Mark has in store.  But like, the always insightful and Daiki fanatic, Mister Crew said, "It has to be tasteful craziness if it's going to sell."

-L.A.S

30th Century Man

The Rig Out, a popular men's style zine in our little community, presents their first foray into film.  30th Century Man is a collaboration between various individuals who are as unique as they are similar, at least in the asethetic sense - photographer Antony Crook, stylist Glenn Kitson, world-record breaking cyclist James Bowthorpe and Scottish band Mogwai.  Read all about the project below, which features clothing from Woolrich Woolen Mills' spectacular F/W 2010 collection.

"Last summer, photographer Antony Crook, stylist Glenn Kitson and world-record breaking cyclist James Bowthorpe found themselves in the isolated Norwegian countryside in the middle of the night. 'It was August and we were so far north that the sun never set. We found ourselves in this incredible landscape in the bright sun at 2am with nobody there,' says Crook, who was there with Bowthorpe and Kitson on a shoot for men’s style zine The Rig Out in collaboration with fashion label Woolen Woolrich Mills and menswear store Oi Polloi. 'Glenn and I had seen an outfit from the collection by Daiki Suzuki for Woolrich Woolen Mills. It was when seeing that outfit that we first visualized James cycling on a road in twilight.' He shot the film based on this image and Bowthorpe’s incredible solo journey around the globe. 'I wanted the film to somehow give a sense of what James had achieved and the idea of him being alone, so I thought of shooting somewhere wild and isolated.'

Crook was working with Mogwai at time and the band had sent him some new demo tracks when he was in Norway. Listening to How to be a Werewolf? on repeat while driving around looking for locations, he says, 'I was immediately drawn to this track of the demo because it seemed to fit perfectly with the landscape.' When the band members from Mogwai saw the footage, they decided to remix the song, tailoring a version of it for the completed film.

The result is moving image that captures the abstract notion of circumnavigating the earth, a journey from beginning to beginning. 'We found the perfect backdrop to tell this story of somebody who points his bike at the horizon and then doesn't stop pedaling. It's a film about never giving up,' says Crook."


The Rig Out - 30 Century Man from Antony Crook on Vimeo.

-L.A.S

Woolrich Woolen Mills S/S 2011

It's been previewed and it's been discussed, but today we get our last official look at Daiki Suzuki's final collection for Woolrich Woolen Mills before it hits stores.  The lookbook, just like WWM and Daiki for that matter, is a low key affair that lets the clothes speak for themselves.  To call this the end of an era would be an understatement.  Here are my thoughts on the collection from back in June, now with more commas:

"So this is how things end for Daiki Suzuki at Woolrich Woolen Mills - not with a bang, but with a whisper.  For those expecting some avant garde craziness, think again.  S/S 2011 is a line of 'Classic Mountaineering' gear based on the great hiking and rock climbing brands of Daiki's formative years.  Think Sierra Designs, Early Winters and other iconic brands of the 70's.  The idea here was to create highly functional, rustic pieces with an urban elegance and simplicity.  Despite the current advancement in mountaineering clothes, Daiki stays true to his period of inspiration as cotton, corduroy, and tropical wool are prominently featured.  Overall, I'm pleased that Daiki is ending his tenure at WWM not with some insane, unwearable statement making display, but instead with the kind of clothes that have made him one of the best working designers in menswear today.  It's a well-made collection that revels in the simplicity, functionality and history of garmenture and it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone."

-L.A.S