Belstaff® Colonial shoulder bag 556 for J.Crew

If you are a guy who has not yet come up with a good excuse to carry a man-bag, you'd better get with the program.  These days, having a satchel full of something useful on hand has become an essential part of being a well-prepared and well-heeled fellow about town.  This canvas shoulder bag made by Belstaff® of England will get your "stuff" to wherever you're going and then some.  It's a little adventurous for commuting to the office but the exterior cargo pockets make it a great carry-on option for travel. Heck, we'd even respect you if you biked to the local coffee shop with this thing to work on that screenplay you keep talking about.  If those leather straps get you like they get us you can buy it here .

Gant Pullover

This year, Gant is commemorating 60 yrs of making our dad's shirts by actually making some shirts that we would wear.  There are six limited edition shirts in all (one for each decade...cute, Gant) and this one is called The Pullover.  Think mid-sixties, Ivy League, probably best worn back then with madras or bermuda shorts and loafers with no socks.  It may have been referred to as a "pop-over" in those days.  In any case, we like the blue but we hope it comes in white and we really hope it's available stateside.

Pilot Varsity

The Varsity is a disposable fountain pen by Pilot.  Yes, we're talking about the kind of pen that uses gravity and capillary action to draw actual liquid ink from an internal reservoir to an actual nib.  Only instead of refilling it when it runs out, you just throw it away.  We like this pen because it writes a fine, smooth line and also because it's a fantastic conversation starter.  We tried it on our Field Notes and experienced relatively minimal bleed-through.  Most office supply stores should stock these but Amazon appears to have the best price.  (If you're thinking of taking this on an airplane, be aware that the ink will leak out with the increased air pressure.)

Coming Soon: L.L. Bean Signature

According to The New York Times L.L. Bean will be unveiling a new line for SS10 (planned release is for March) called L.L. Bean Signature and the stalwart purveyors of all things New English have hired none other than Alex Carleton of Rogues Gallery as Creative Director.  We're already fans of the nautically themed t-shirts and rope-handled totes of Rogues Gallery and we're hoping that the new Bean look is partly a return to its vintage classic roots while remaining functional and modern.

Filson Wool Tweed Clays Coat

There was a time when we began to lose faith in C.C. Filson of Seattle, WA. Recent collections of imported "casual wear" have had us wondering whether the legendary American tradition of rugged clothing for the out-of-doors might be bound for the archives.  The Wool Tweed Clays Coat has won us back.

This is such a good looking piece of USA-made clothing.  A coat specifically designed with recreational shotgun sports in mind is the kind of outerwear that best embodies the spirit of the GSC. That's 21 oz. 100% Wool Tweed and those shoulder patches are Pig Suede (with padding for the right-handed or left-handed shooter, no less, and pockets to insert extra recoil pads.)  Is it too speculative of us to say that Hemingway would wear this coat, were he alive today?  Shop the entire hunting and shooting collection here.

Hattan New York

Hats mean a lot to the GSC.  Naturally we can't wait to get our hands on (and get our heads under) a couple of these hand-stitched, American made caps from Hattan New York.  The design is 1940s baseball style, a perennial favorite around here. Looks like these will only be availbable in NYC this fall and the price is unknown but whatever it adds up to, we're betting it's worth it.  Check out the entire collection here.

Cassady/Kerouac

Let's see more of this today, please.  (We ask you, would either of these guys wear brightly colored, rubber shoes?)

Field Notes for Fall

Here at the GSC Field Notes® notebooks are some of our favorite things.  We don't go anywhere without at least one tucked into a pocket.  Last week, we were quick enough to get an order in for the latest limited edition color set known as "Mackinaw Autumn." According to an email update sent from the Field Notes® HQ, this latest in their series of limited seasonal colors sold out in 22 hours.  Do yourself a favor:  ditch your Moleskine® and get some Field Notes®.

Bean Bison Boots

The rain in our fair city hasn't let up for days.  Luckily, our feet have been wearing these.  Bison leather.  Handcrafted in Maine. Great with rolled up denim, corduroy, wool, and khakis, to name a few.  Shop the selection here.