Porta's Look...PERSONAL EFFECTS | Vol 1

PERSONAL EFFECTS
|The Essentials of Style
-Vol 1

Anachronorm

The more Japanese lines that make it to US shores, the better off we are. Well, at least me. From the looks of Jake’s last post, UNION, one of the more forward engaging boutiques from the early wave still kicking ass, is about to land the “the new vintage for the next era.” As Jake puts it, “”When Chris (Union) told me about this line Anachronorm he was bringing into the States from Japan I could see in his eyes how excited he was. Like he just found some break record that nobody knew about. And passion like that spreads like wildfire. Here’s a small introduction. There are some really incredible pieces… in the vain of some of our favorites like 45rpm and Kapital.” ”

Union LA introduces a new line into their store – Anachronorm. The Japanese brand from Okayama, the denim capital of Japan, is known for producing high quality clothing with an aged effect. The outcome is a well curated, easy to wear, high end collection of garments. The release includes shirts, jackets, denim, as well as shorts and accessories. And here we have it again, th reason why Union LA stays ahead of the game. Instead of including the usual suspects into their raster of brands, they research and bring something new to the table.

Anyways, check out the Anachronorm Spring/Summer 2010 Collection after the jump.

I always say I don't fuck with people that dabble. I only want to learn and inspire with the passionate ones. Everything else is a waste of time. And in a time when retailers are playing it safe, cutting corners, and watering down the market there are very few who are taking risks. The innovators, the movers, the shakers... it's in their blood. It's who they are. It's what they do. Otherwise why do it.

When Chris told me about this line Anachronorm he was bringing into the States from Japan I could see in his eyes how excited he was. Like he just found some break record that nobody knew about. And passion like that spreads like wildfire. Here's a small introduction. There are some really incredible pieces. Some inspired styling from my people over at Union. In the vain of some of our favorites like 45rpm and Kapital. Express your feelings, thoughts, buy, support, spread the word, live your life... Be passionate. I am now stepping off my virtual soapbox... Thank you...

Anachronorm

Anachronorm At Union link

Post Overalls

-Chambray Trousers

We know you’re probably bored of chambray shirts by now, but what about chambray trousers? We’ve gotta admit, our main worry with them was that they’d be a little too lightweight. Lightweight is fine, overly light and you start resembling R. Kelly in the nineties. Thankfully these Post Overalls trousers avoid that by making just the right weight – light enough to wear in the heat of summer and heavy enough to not have you freezing during an evening cold snap. And on top of all that, you can wear chambray without looking like every other guy in chambray. (The Bureau)

Song remains the same, detailed images after the leap.

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-Sweetbear Jacket

They might not seem all that practical during the summer as often all you need is a shirt and shorts, but jackets are always some of my favourite pieces from spring. The sweetbear jacket from Post O’Alls is one of my favourite easy to wear jacket silhouettes thanks to it’s pockets and shape. And this spring version is one of the best outerwear options this season. The light blue base with the darker blue tattersall is an ideal colour combination for the sun as well as its great lightweight cotton material which is sets Post apart from other companies. Furthermore, it’d look great mixed in with the usual darker tones of a fall outfit.

Available now at The Bureau who have just got solid shipment of post.

Special Thanks Post by Owen Parrott

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-Post Overalls Calico

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Blue Royal Traveler Vest

Post Overalls aren’t always a brand to explore with a lot of different patterns, but this spring they’ve done a very nice looking version of their classic waist coat in a calico royal blue. The pattern is interesting, but subtle enough to look great with chambray or a blue oxford cloth. It’s definitely one of my favorite items in the spring collection.

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Available at The Bureau

Engineered Garments

-Knit Shawl Cardigan

Engineered Garments have grown their stable of outwear into an impressive array of light weight offerings. One of the new styles being introduced this spring is the Highland jacket. It sort of falls between the Engineered jacket and the Maine Guide jacket in my opinion. It borrows certain elements and shapes to create something unique that you easily could have found in the corner of a dusty old hunting store… or could you? I like the use of the light weight indigo on this jacket and it’s counter part in Engineer form, but otherwise I wouldn’t really consider the material for a jacket too often. I do have to say from a critical standpoint, I’m not a huge fan of the new, large branded buttons that Engineered Garments have begun using this season. They have carried through to fall ‘10 and I would personally prefer to see more donut buttons on indigo outerwear. That aside, the pockets, shape and minor details like rivets on the pockets and interior pouch pockets look fantastic and I’m definitely a fan.

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Spotted at Mister Crew and available from Eggplant

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-Knit Shawl Cardigan

One of my favorite knit pieces by Engineered Garments is definitely the shawl cardigan. It’s not your normal cardigan with the straight bottom, high buttons and shapeless cut. However I think it’s shape lends itself really nicely to the art of layering as a BD shirt is able to poke out the bottom and show some cuff with ease. The shape of it also fits like a glove within the outer shell of a Bird Shooter jacket. That said, I unfortunately missed my chances to pick up the sweater last fall even though it was made a a variety of great greys. This spring The Bureau have managed to score an exclusive colour in the knit cardigan, which just so happens to be the best version of it. The rich blue fleece looks perfect and would be an easy partner to any jacket and shirt combination. I’m not sure how many they have, but I would expect them to go fairly quickly – priced at £135.

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-Reversible Chambray Vest

The spring waist coat seems to be an item that I generally really like the look of but when it comes to spending around $200 on a light-weight layer, it can be difficult to pull the trigger. Engineered Garments and Post Overalls are both guilty of making great looking vests this spring but have two very wearable sides in one vest makes this Engineered Garments piece that much more appealing. The perfect shade of blue chambray on one side and a great texturized grey chambray on the other – it’s probably one of the best reversible pieces I’ve seen lately. White the large white buttons make the piece much more spring friendly, the compliment both sides nicely and I’d be happy to sport either side of this vest. I’m also a fan of the fact the waist coat doesn’t have a collar like many of EG’s usually do. The cut makes it more casual and frankly more wearable from my perspective as I don’t wear many 3-piece suits.

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Special Thanks Post by Ryan Willms

MHL

-Drill Trousers

While the Margaret Howell collection continues to improve and be one of the most impressive season after season, their place in the Japanese market can’t be overlooked. With their strong retail presence comes the push for more items and unfortunately some of the great pieces only get released overseas, even with great hometown shops in London. These cotton drill trousers from the MHL line are really nice looking and have a number of details I’m often looking for.

Special Thanks Post by Ryan Willms

Saint James

-Marine Bags

I generally haven’t been a fan of the tote bags made with rope for handles and over the top sailing references, but Saint James seem to have got it just right. The colors are nicely washed out, the details are subtle and the stripes work perfectly on the tote. Although it’s obviously very nautical, I wouldn’t feel bad carrying it around town. The duffle bag also has great color tones in the blues, off-white and reds, but the shape seems a bit odd. I’m sure it would still be great for stuffing full of gear, swim trunks and a couple of shirts however.

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-Saint James Naval

The Breton or Basque shirts have been a pretty classic staple for men and women over the years thanks mostly to Saint James. The French brand has cornered the market for the most part due to their quality garments and affordable price points. In Japan the brand offers a couple extra colours that I haven’t seen in North America, mostly a few multi-tone Naval shirts, but it’s these standard blues and greens that I’ll always like most. While Saint James are tried and true in this category, there are a couple others making some great looking variations that I actually like a bit more. Orcival is another brand from France who used to produce the shirts for the French Navy, and have a nice selection of colours in natural hues which are also accompanied by some nice fleece pieces. As well, Canada’s own National Anthem have some quality knits currently available overseas that have a more round or crew neck shaped collar on a similar body which I find a bit easier to wear personally. I think the shirt is a must have in the spring and summer. It layers great, can be worn alone and the colours and style work with almost anything.

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Special Thanks Post by Ryan Willms

Sperry Top-Siders

-Boat Shoes

Never thought I would see the day. But deck shoes, boat shoes, topsiders, whatever you call them are back in vogue. From your hipsters on Main Street to your surfies on Wave Street these are being spotted everywhere. I had these when I was 12, but I soon ditched them for Reebok Pumps.

The classic deck shoes are being made by most of the big shoe and clothing labels, Topman, Zara, etc. But I think those of you who are more into quality boaties, try Sperry Topsiders. Navy seems to be the colour of choice for most.

Shoes ahoy.

Special Thanks Post by Luc Wiesman

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-MHL x Sperry Top-Sider

Just as I was complaining about not being able to find a good clean sneaker around these parts, Japan has to come back and rub it in my face again. The Sperry oxford sneakers I was referring to have been brought back by Margaret Howell’s Japan branch and the more utility based MHL collection. The white and navy are classic colours and are definitely what I am always on the look for. The bright blue provides a little more pop in colour. It wouldn’t be my first choice, but I could definitely seem them looking good with the right ensemble.

Special Thanks Post by Ryan Willms

Visvim

-ISDT Boots

I believe these shoes have been featured here before and I believe the general comments were to just buy Clarks. That’s fair enough because Clarks are a great classic staple shoe, and there isn’t much wrong with them. However, a couple of them are covered by Visvim’s version. The all natural crepe soles are definitely nicer, a couple of the colors offered are hard to get from Clarks with the natural colored sole and the playful heel counter offers something a little different, but very wearable. I’m not always a fan of the colored synthetic pieces on Visvim’s shoes, but I really do like the light spring colored dots and I think these would be great to have right about now, unfortunately there are only a couple sizes left at Honeyee.

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Special Thanks Post by Ryan Willms

Alden

-Red Brick Buck

We’re seeing a number of shops start to receive their spring Alden orders and among my favorites continues to be Winn Perry’s choices. The Alden dirty bucks come in a nice calf skin suede, fully lined and have some nice subtle details like the brass eyelets, a natural cork insole and white stitching. The shoes are great looking, well made and will be a spring classic for as long as man walks the earth.

Special Thanks Post by Ryan Willms

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The Look!

TREND TO WATCH:

-Refreshing

Once again the weather has been teasing us in Vancouver with some of the warmest days of the year. I actually thought about wearing shorts yesterday, so I am today – at least in this post. Along with the warm weather you need to stay refreshed with fluids and since the bottle of water didn’t go over too well last time, I’ve opted for a new Inventory favorite. As well, we have a couple of new items in, and coming into the Inventory Stockroom, including these great looking peanut grizzly canoe moccasins by Quoddy and our recent Inventory Tattersall BDs by Gitman.

Special Thanks Post by The Sartorialist

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Prêt-à-Porter

“ Ready to Wear ”

the portastylistic