Ralph Lauren Men’s Store Hong Kong

Ralph Lauren just opened a huge men’s store in Hong Kong. As is par with Ralph, it’s a handsome store.

Barbasol Field Guide to Manhood

I think at some point in their life, every man has owned a can of Barbasol shaving cream. The company has been around since 1919 and this Father’s Day is releasing their Field Guide to Manhood, with 100% of the profits going to Veterans of Foreign Wars. The book is initially available on Amazon for a little below its $19.19 cover price.

I had a chance to read an online preview copy and it’s pretty good. While it’s currently aimed as a Father’s Day gift, it’s probably something that a father would give to his college-age son. Concise and witty, with some nice graphic design, it’s 128 pages that make a nice addition to any guy’s bookshelf.

Behind The Brand: Raleigh Denim

Apartment Number 9 went behind the scenes at Raleigh Denim. It’s great to see how much this company has grown in a few short years and to see all those people at work making some beautiful product.

Angel’s Envy Rye Whiskey

The folks over at Louisville Distilling Co. were nice enough to send me a sample of their Angel’s Envy Rye to review. I am relatively inexperienced with whiskey but I think I may be ruined with other whiskies, as this was exquisite.

The whiskey is aged for 6 years in new charred oak barrels, then finished off in Caribbean rum casks for up to 18 months. This tempers the spiciness of the 95% rye and 5% malted barley with a sweetness from the rum. This gives the whiskey a nice, sweet aroma and a smooth sweet/dry finish.

I’m admittedly a lightweight, but I poured a finger or two on the rocks for my initial tasting. I liked it, but at 100-proof I could only manage a few sips before I was afraid of turning into Mr. Furley. Wondering if I might be unleashing my inner-Barney, I mixed it with some cola and was quite pleased. My wife had a sip and asked me to make her one as well. She said this was something she could definitely drink, as she requested it for the next couple of nights until we finished the sample.

Since it is a super-premium whiskey, Angel’s Envy Rye is limited to just 2,500 9-liter cases and only available in select states in the U.S. It’s packaged in a beautiful Italian-glass bottle that’s hand filled and corked in Louisville. The suggested retail is $69.99 for a 750mL bottle, but it’s worth searching for. With Father’s Day coming up, you might just bring a tear to the old man’s eye if you give him a bottle.

Batik Fractal by Nancy Margried

Came across this film by Richard Gorodecky that Intel commissioned about Nancy Margried, an Indonesian designer/artist. She combines modern computer design with traditional batik printing methods for her company Batik Fractal. It’s a beautiful way of exposing new generations to ancient traditions.

Vitale Barberis Canonico

Gianluca Migliarotti , director of O’Mast, shot this documentary on Vitale Barberis Canonico, a family-run Italian fabric mill. They specialize in “fabric for gentlemen” and produce all of it in Italy. Beautiful stuff that you can find on Savile Row and even J. Crew.

via Die Workwear!

A Visit with Sean Woolsey

Back in January I had a chance to visit Sean Woolsey, an artist and woodworker in Costa Mesa, CA. Sean’s a cool, down-to-earth guy whose been lucky enough to create a business that allows him to follow his passions.

I spent almost 3 hours filming and photographing him in his workshop/studio and was privileged to be the first person to see him “finishing” one of his art pieces.

What follows are photos from that day. You can hop over to Cultivated for a short film that shows all the work that goes into his art.

Details around his workshop/loft:

Sean marking one of his cutting boards before trimming

Finishing a cutting board

Sean has a small retail space attached to his workshop where he sells stuff from friends as well as vintage items and his own work:

Sean uses sheet metal as his art canvas and treats it with a variety of substances to create a chemical reaction, creating the colors and patterns seen here. This is prior to his finishing with resin which seals and protects the art:

This was my favorite shot of the day. I love how the art looks like a topographical map:

Sean woodworking skills come in handy when he attaches a black walnut frame to another piece of art. He then applies a natural oil finish to the wood:

Definitely check out Sean Woolsey’s site for more of his work. He makes beautiful lamps, cutting boards, furniture, and art.