Good Mail: Archival Clothing Belt

Grab one of these.  In a word: tough.  In two words: tough and handsome.  Made in Springfield, OR, it's what your pants are missing.

J. Press for Spring

The Trad/WASP/Preppy crowd (of which I consider myself a fair weather member) will be happy to know that venerable men's clothier J. Press released their new Spring line a few Fridays ago.  For those unfamiliar with the New England retailer, I offer a brief history:  In 1902, a nineteenth century immigrant named Jacobi Press began selling clothing in New Haven, CT on the campus of Yale University.  Over the subsequent decades, J. Press became known for the quintessential "Ivy League" look, even providing institution-specific goods such as scarves, buttons, and blazer crests from its locations near the campuses of Yale and Harvard.  Little changed over the years, even as trends generally became more casual and the Ivy League student body became less elite and more diversified; Pants were always flat front, shoulders were always natural, jackets were undarted 3/2 button sack style, and ties were repp stripes, regimental patterns, and madras plaids.  Signature flap pocket oxford cloth button-downs and tweed sport coats became a staple of the late-50s to mid-sixties Ivy look.  Even with the overall decline in menswear quality that the 1970s served up, J. Press continued in its tradition of tradition.  In 1986, the company was sold to Japanese holding company Onward Kashiyama but today the USA division continues to manufacture the majority of its offerings domestically.  J. Press still operates the New Haven and Cambridge, MA shops as well as stores in New York City and Washington, D.C.  (All web orders are processed through the New York store.)

Today, some would argue that J. Press has lost that something that made it...well...J. Press and arguably so.  Japanese ownership doesn't exactly scream "All American" and the quality vs price ratio has certainly suffered, regardless of the country of manufacture.  (I have personally experienced the inconvenience of stitching flaws on the seams of a Press shirt recently.  After a call and some shipping back and forth, I received a satisfactory replacement.)  True "natural" shoulders in jackets have become nearly impossible to find, even from the stalwart purveyors of traditional style.  And there's always that looming question of whether or not the "elite" look is still relevant in a time when elitism is seen as a social obstacle, an enemy of progress, a locked door in a country where not even walls should exist anymore.  Then again I'm not sure whether or not being relevant even matters.  But I know why I like J. Press:  They make clothes.  Clothes for men.  I don't wear J. Press to feel fashionable.  I wear it to feel well-dressed.  And sometimes I think America, for all her great strides, misses that.

Quoddy® and J.Crew

Among the latest batch of classic American brands to be picked up by J.Crew in their ever-growing "partnership" effort is the legendary Perry, Maine shoemaker, Quoddy® .  I happen to love Quoddy products (my boat shoes are pictured below) so I'm glad about the potential visibility boost that comes with the J.Crew add.  While it might seem like a less logical pairing than Quoddy's association with more independent labels who offer primarily American-made items (like South Willard or Freeman Sporting Club) I still think it works.  So far, it looks like only three models have been picked up and only one of them is for men.  I found the Grizzly Boots through a search on jcrew.com but I cannot find them linked to the front page of the shop so I'm not sure if these are officially announced yet.  In any case, if you are looking for a pair of individually hand-made moccasin boots constructed from Horween leather, these may be just what you need.

Quoddy® Grizzly Boots at jcrew.com

 

My daily wear Quoddy® boat shoes

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.

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.