Attn: Brooks Brothers Peal & Co. Monk Strap On Sale

As much as I pimp the hell out of double monk straps there is something to be said about the elegance and class of standard monk straps.  If you're on the hunt for a new pair of shoes for the office, or to wear with your suits in general, you may want to think about a pair of brown calfskin Peal & Co. monk straps currently sitting at 50% off courtesy of Brooks Brothers.  I've only heard good things about BB's upscale, English made Peal & Co. line.  While the shoes are not made by Peal & Co. any longer (Brooks purchased the name a while back), Brooks does utilize various respectable English shoemakers - recent shoes seem to be made by Alfred Sargent.  As to be expected, these monk straps are Goodyear welted and feature quality hardware.  Some folks have compared the quality of these shoes to Alden and if that is to be believed the $244 price tag is a relative steal.  Pretty much every size outside of 9 is available, and in different widths, so there must have been quite the oversight when they placed the order.  Or maybe the average Brooks Brothers customer is just going senile in his old age.

-L.A.S

Stretch Armstrong

One of the coolest things I saw at this past (caspule) NY was a crazy elastic belt from Kitsune.  The reason you didn't read about it on here was because that shit was so overpriced that I just couldn't bring myself to reinforce their negative behavior.  Anyone intrigued by what they've read so far or wondering what the hell I am talking about should definitely check out Folk's Buckley belt, which is pretty much the exact same thing Kitsune was pushing except priced as a belt should.  Aside from the small sections of leather the belt is primarily made up of an elastic zigzag weave.  From what I've seen in person this kind of belt is very comfortable, can account for a little bit of that extra vacation weight (should you go on one) and has a really cool texture to it.  Folk makes their gear in England and this belt features Italian sourced fabric - I'm going to go ahead and assume that is some of the finest elastic money can buy.  Still trying to pull together some F/W novelty?

[Picture courtesy of Nick.]

-L.A.S

Daily Looks

Gant by Michael Bastian conclude their tour of bloggers with two stops overseas.  In Berlin we meet David Fischer, founder of both Selectism and High Snobiety.  Is David the most influential men's style blogger you've never heard of?  I'd bet that he is.  Samuel of the always interesting Industribolaget (it's okay, I have no idea how to pronounce it either) represents Stockholm, arguably the most stylish city in the world.  Brennan set the bar pretty high with his video, but David and Samuel absolutely hold their own.  Origin stories, a quick tour of their respective city and some wonderful gear thrown in for good measure make each of these videos a great way to spend part of your lunch break. 





-L.A.S

Grave Robbing Vs. Saving 20%

"That jacket's really cool, but kinda smells like a dead guy."

"It's a Barbour and I got a great deal on it."

"That's usually what happens when you buy stuff from a dead guy."

The above is an exchange I had with my brother after I got my first Barbour off eBay.  Whenever you buy something used you run the risk of any potential issues left by the previous owner.  It could be some structural damage or maybe that signature grandma's attic/death scent.  This wont always be the case, but it's something to take into consideration.  You never know.  In some instances Febreze and soapy water (see: cleaning instructions) will fix everything.  In other cases it will not.  If your aversion to buying used gear has prevented you from securing that first or next Barbour, you may want to head over to Raleigh, North Carolina clothier Nowell's.  Right now they are offering 20% off all Barbour outerwear when you use the coupon code "FALL" at checkout.  Color and size combinations are pretty hit or miss right now, but with a little bit of effort you should be able to find pretty good options in your size.  The sale is no longer being advertised so there is no telling how long it's gonna last.  Both the iconic Beaufort and Bedale are accounted for, but not much else, so let's take a quick second to differentiate between the two.  While they look virtually identical there are some striking differences.  The Beaufort was, and still is, a hunting coat, while the Bedale is made for riding.  The Beaufort is ventless due to its nice sized game pouch across the bottom half of the jacket.  The Bedale, on the other hand, has side vents with snap closures to aid in a rider's movements.  They both look great and either one is a fantastic F/W option, but you already knew that.

-L.A.S

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

Quick On The Draw

Alright, who's going to be the first Sart Inc reader to snatch up this joint right out from under everyone's noses?  That's right, it's Hickey's (R.I.P.) awesome black watch duffel coat that you probably know from one of its many Gilt cameos.  It retailed for just under a thousand dollars back in the good ol' days, but some dude is hawking it for $348.88.  For all I know he probably snagged this one off of Gilt himself.  I figure someone around these parts is extremely interested so good luck.  Shout out to Paul for sending this my way.  And remember, eBay isn't a marathon or a sprint - it's a marathon you sprint all the way through.  What does that mean exactly? I have no idea.

-L.A.S

B.D. Baggies F/W 2010

The blogosphere can be swift and deadly sometimes.  Meaning, one day you're reading 7 seperate posts about the revival of classic New York brand B.D. Baggies and then they're gone.  Not in the literal sense, of course, but things move so quick around these parts.  If it's not the latest and greatest thing, well, you're probably going to have to go looking for it yourself.  I am just as guilty of perpetuating this as the next blogger so consider this an observation and not a complaint - no whining.  So, let's talk about B.D. Baggies. Again.  Their F/W 2010 collection is out and it's solid.  Nothing mind-blowing by any stretch of the imagination, but simple, good looking gear.  Since it came back I've considered these guys a Save Khaki "diffusion line" more than anything else.  SK's  founder/designer David Mullen handles similar duties at BDB and both brands share virtually the exact same aesthetic - basic American sportswear staples.  The major difference is that SK focuses much more on American manufacturing (Save Khaki United specifically), while from my experience B.D. Baggies is made primarily overseas (what up, India).  I had never been hands on with B.D. Baggies up until this weekend.  At a Barney's outlet I got to try some stuff on and was particularly impressed with the shirts.  They are slim fitting (a tad bit more than Brooks Brothers' extra-slim fit), washed for supreme comfortability and have a very casual cut.  If you've ever owned a shirt from Gant Rugger or Lands End Canvas you know what I mean by casual cut.  You could tuck this shirt in if you really wanted to, but ultimately its purpose is best served untucked due to its shorter length.  Anyhow, check out the F/W 2010 collection below (fedora danger, Will Robinson!) and maybe pick up some casual basics if you see fit.

-L.A.S