Obama Jeans

A while back we had a pretty big debate on washed denim.  It was parts dogmatic, rude, impassioned and, overall, downright fantastic.  For those of you who absolutely hate washed denim you probably want to close out this tab - I'm not all that keen on bringing back that whole beautiful disaster for a sequel.  But, for those of you interested in washed denim, or maybe even looking to scoop up a pair, let me direct you to Tres Bien Shop's restock of Our Legacy's stone selvedge denim.  These jeans are the best washed denim not named Cucinelli.  The stone washed, red selvedge fabric looks really good in person and the jeans are in that great slim-straight cut that looks good on pretty much everyone.  And how can we talk about these jeans without mentioning that handmade patch?  Washed jeans are virtually a year round option, but I'm inclined to think they work better in the S/S in both the functional and aesthetic sense.  Now, that doesn't mean your new Our Legacy denim is going to sit packed away in your closet for 6 months or anything like that.  I simply wanted to clarify its relative strong points.  No matter how you feel about washed denim, I think we can all agree that Barack could use a new pair.

-L.A.S

Long Playing

A conceptual fit based on the artwork and moods of an album cover - not sure if this will become a continuing series just yet.  Shout outs to the homie AC and his blog A Fresh Take for inspiring all this heady stuff.

First up is Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American.

Gitman Vintage x The Hill-Side x vintage x Our Legacy x Adidas x pizza x Bud heavy

-L.A.S

Lusting After: Washed Brogues

[Pictured: Our Legacy Brogue Washed Leather available for $291.00.]

A while back I remember checking out a Billy Reid S/S '10 preview (I can't recall where).  As you can imagine the collection featured Reid's typical fair of combining European tailoring with down south sensibilities.  While this kind of stuff is always a pleasure to check out, and hopefully own, what really caught my eye were a pair of washed brown brogues.  I had never really come across such a striking pair of shoes and ever since I've been on the lookout for something similar.  Unfortunately I've yet to find a similar shoe until this afternoon when Swipe Life featured a new washed brogue being offered by Our Legacy.

The washed brogue from Our Legacy even surpasses what Billy Reid was offering due to its longwing broguing and I've never been one to hide my love for the longwing. This particular shoe is everything one can hope for in a washed leather shoe and has instantly moved to the top of my "Lusting After" list (especially since I now own a pair of shoes from Mark McNairy's Red Brick Sole collection).

What's so great about the washed brogue, or any washed out leather, is the new life given to a garment based around such a simple detail.  The fading and matte finish created by the washing process completely alters the entire "idea" of the shoe.  Without getting too meta on you guys, I really love how a washed brogue presents a engaging juxtaposition between the relaxed look of the leather and the fancy intricacies that are associated with broguing.  While I am on the lookout for any shoe even somewhat similar I still can't seen to scrounge up any alternate options (feel free to post anything you have come across in the comments) and I am slowly approaching the idea of trying the washing process out myself.  This is no easy feat by any means and if I do plan on doing this I will keep you guys updated.  For a guide to washing leather, check out this primer Blackbird posted a while back.  Stay tuned.

-L.A.S