Mr. Blass and Mr. Bastian

Way back in July of 2007, before heritage revivals via big name designers were cool, Michael Bastian accepted the position of Menswear Creative Director at Bill Blass Ltd.  His job was simple - relaunch and restore the prominent Bill Blass name to its glory days as a stalwart of American menswear.  As you can imagine, Michael was as enthusiastic as he was aware of the challenge ahead:

“People forget he [Bill Blass] was the first to do a lot of things.  He was first to have a men’s runway show. The first to have a designer shop-in-shop, at Bonwit Teller. He had the first designer fragrance for men in America. But there’s been a huge gap since it ceased to be a collection business coming directly from his vision.”

In conjunction with designing his own up and coming eponymous line, Michael and his team designed two entire menswear collections for Bill Blass.  The plan was that the clothes were to be sophisticated in keeping with Bill Blass' legacy - if Gant by Michael Bastian is his own line's "younger brother", this was to be the "older brother".  Ultimately, Michael's designs never reached the public due to the fact that Bill Blass Ltd. filed for bankruptcy in early 2009.  The company was in over $800,000 worth of dept and there were even rumors that their showroom's furniture would have to be sold to help ease financial troubles.  When it was all said and done the only Bastian helmed item that ever made it into production was a cologne called Mr. Blass.  Here is a quote from Michael regarding his much beloved and now rare item:

"I wear this cologne I did for Bill Blass which unfortunately never saw the light of day (although someone recently told me they saw a billboard for it in South America). It was called Mr. Blass, and is amazing– very heavy and masculine with leather, patchouli, tons of carnation and this new musk the perfumers developed called Human Musk which smells incredibly real and dark and sexy– the opposite of Eau Sauvage. I’ve got 3 bottles that I guard with my life."

Well, guess what? You can now get Mr. Blass on eBay for $25.50 a bottle.  It's a shame we'll never get to see the full vision of what MB had cooked up for Bill Blass, but it is nice to know you can at least smell like it if you really want to.

 -L.A.S.

Riviera Club S/S 2011

Riviera Club, one of my favorite west coast proprietors of easy living, got the (capsule) NY treatment for their S/S 2011 collection last time they were featured on Sart Inc.  Well, the full collection has hit the internet today and it's great to finally see all the baja inspired gear in a more natural environment - not that I have anything against checking out clothes on racks or whatever.  RC's lookbooks have yet to disappoint and S/S 2011 is no exception.  I'm particularly digging that McQueen-esque moto jump.  Get rad.

-L.A.S

In Their Own Words: J. Press For Urban Outfitters

Just a few days after the new J. Press for Urban Outfitters pre-order disappeared as mysteriously as it was leaked, we now have some concrete information on behalf of the two brands via Urban Outfitters' PR department:

"We wanted to recreate the height of traditional Ivy League style in the early '60s," says design director, Mikito Takeshima. Drawing on influences from the film Animal House and the popular television show Happy Days, the 20-piece collection offers preppy casuals mixed with classic basics and relaxed styling. The exclusive line includes solid and striped oxfords, slim-fit pants, a Black Watch tartan golf jacket, and a wool vest, alongside several collegiate accessories such as a Dartmouth scarf, Princeton tie, and Cornell belt."

Yeah, I know.  It's your typical press release, but at least we have some concrete info.  Namely, Mikito Takeshima is now the dude with the most difficult job in menswear and that the 20 piece collection will probably reemerge closer to its December release date.

-L.A.S

[Editor's Note: Intel courtesy of Nico -  "I have an item saved in my shopping cart and it says 'Pre-order 11/19/10 12:00 AM' in fine print below, so I'm assuming that's when the collection will be available online again."]

First Look: Gant Rugger "Pre-Fall" 2011 Pt. II

Bastin calls it, "New Haven Math Club".  If any of the math club kids I've ever known dressed even half this good they might have actually talked to some girls.  I previewed the first few looks from Gant Rugger's Pre-Fall collection a while back and it now appears as though things are shaping up quite nicely for a little capsule collection to precede the inevitable onslaught of F/W 2011.  Gant Rugger - still batting a thousand.

-L.A.S

Wale Wars

Even though seemingly everyone and their favorite blogger is on the wide wale bandwagon these days, it's still been difficult finding great cords for F/W 2010.  Don't get me wrong, Brooks Brothers' Milano is a sure fire snag, but what if you wanted to step outside of the box?  Well, Polo has just released their Corduroy Icon Pant as part of this new Rugged Icons capsule collection for the upcoming holiday season.  As I'm sure you can imagine, the collection is full of archive pulls and updated modern touches - pretty much the story of everything going on in menswear right now.  So, back to these cords for a second.  The flat front numbers are unique in that the heavy material is paired up with various colors (ranging from the bolder side of normal to some serious "go to hell" intensity) and feature some nice details - specifically, a back cinch and reinforced seat.  The bright colors plus the rugged details make for a very cool pair of pants.  Overall, it's a look more commonly seen on five pocket cords, which resemble jeans more than anything else, and not wide wale "trousers".  The classic straight fit might turn some people off, but pants in this cut will look very good paired up with heavier boots (not tucks please).  I'd recommend buying a pair with an inseam longer than what you usually wear so your tailor can cuff these.  I've said it before and I'll say it again,  heavy weight pants deserve a serious anchor.

-L.A.S

Viberg for Leffot

Inventory Issue 03 is a winner for sure and if I had to pick my favorite of all its inspiring imagery I'd probably go with this shot of the new Viberg for Leffot hiking boots in Horween ink blue reversed Chromexcel.

I mean, any boot that looks this good on paper has to be unstoppable in real life, right?  I don't do too much hiking, but if I did these would probably fall somewhere between "must cop" and "grail status".  The boots should arrive at Leffot this week if they aren't there already.  Viberg is one of those brands I probably would not know about if it wasn't for these crazy things called blogs.  I'm not sure if anyone making boots right now can claim the "authentic" tag like these guys and it's been great to see them gain a whole new audience thanks to all the blogosphere love.  Check out Inventory's video below to see what exactly has been going down in Victoria, B.C. since 1931.


Viberg Boot: Down to the Brass Tacks from Inventory Magazine on Vimeo.

-L.A.S

Fine and Dandy Shop F/W 2010 Neckwear

The gents over at Fine and Dandy Shop have outdone themselves this time.  They just released some pretty snazzy wool ties and bowties for F/W 2010.  The neckwear is made in NYC and come in a variety of great patterns - from houndstooth to various tartans.  As with pretty much any of the gear from F&D, the quality to price ratio is off the charts.  Ties (2.75" wide) will set you back only $55 and the bows (with pointed ends) are even cheaper, coming in at $49.  The weather is just finally starting to resemble F/W here in the northeast and it's tough to beat knotting up some hearty fabric before you walk out your door in the morning.  If you don't know the feeling I'm talking about you should probably 1. get your act together and 2. take advantage of the deals at Fine and Dandy before they realize exactly what's going on.

-L.A.S