United Style

Vitale Barberis Canonico

unitedstyle — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:33:44 +0000

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

unitedstyle — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:00:22 +0000

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.

Review: 800Razors

unitedstyle — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:33:42 +0000

A new company called 800Razors recently provided me with some razors for a review. The company was started by two businessmen who, after losing their luggage on a business trip, were shocked at how much razors and blades cost.

So they decided to try to bring the costs down. After investigating overseas manufacturers, they found an American manufacturer who had been making razors since the 1800s.

The “Made-in-the-USA” aspect is what made me decide to try these out. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the razors. The company supplied both of their models–the H3O and the H5O, which are inspired by the Mach 3 and Fusion 5 respectively. The handles are made from steel with rubber grip points. The steel has a very nice weight, giving the handle a sense of quality that I don’t find in most mainstream brands.

So, over the past 2 days, I tried out a different razor each morning. I do a wet shave with a badger brush and The Art of Shaving’s Ocean Kelp shaving cream. Each razor gave me a nice, smooth shave. The weight of the handle definitely helped keep the blade moving nicely. I preferred the H3O versus the H50 based on the size, as I found the smaller blade easier to work with in tight spaces under my nose and on my chin.

Still, both razors performed well and I recommend trying it. 800Razors packages start at $9.99, which gets you a free handle and either 5 H3O cartridges or 4 H50 cartridges. Not bad for an American-made razor.

Made in Brooklyn: 91 Year Old Shoemaker Frank Catalfumo

unitedstyle — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:06:38 +0000

Frank Catalfumo is a 91, correction, 90-and-a-half year old shoemaker whose lived his whole life in Brooklyn. He runs F&C Shoes with his son Michael. Dustin Cohen shots this beautiful portrait:

The Shoemaker from Dustin Cohen on Vimeo.

via Kottke

Made In The USA Goods from Cannon River and Lands’ End Canvas

unitedstyle — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:33:07 +0000

Came across some nice Made in the USA goods that are on sale. First up are some throws by Cannon River by the Faribault Mills at JCPenney. They’re made from a lighter weight wool, but still warm and soft. I had a chance to see a few of these in person and the grey and white stripe throw was my favorite. Best of all, they were on clearance at $30, down from $75.

Last fall Lands’ End Canvas launched a small collection of Made in the USA jeans. The 608 Slim Fit Rinsed is $75, down from $98. It’s not selvedge or raw, but it still should give a decent break-in. As of this writing, there are plenty of sizes.

Gap x Seavees 0769

unitedstyle — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:13:27 +0000

The Gap will launch their collaboration with Seavees this Monday. The shoes have a classic 60s vibe of California beach culture–think early Beach Boys. Priced at around $55, the shoes sell for less than Seavees’ mainline but hopefully this is due to the massive quantity Gap can afford to produce and not because of lower quality.

The shoes are named the 0769 in reference to July 1969, the month and year Gap started operating.

How much personality does the exterior of the original Gap store have? I’m not saying that would necessarily work with today’s customer, but their current identity (or lack of one) could benefit with a stronger point of view.

Poetry In Motion – 300SL Gullwing

unitedstyle — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:33:09 +0000

Beautiful video by Depth of Speed and eGarage

Take My Picture

unitedstyle — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 10:33:47 +0000

Garage Magazine produced this interesting little film on the state of “street-style” photographers. I used to frequent the Sartorialist everyday–it was a “must-visit” on my lunchtime browsing–I now visit that site 4 or 5 times a year. I think an editor explains it very well in the video that there’s a lot of “peacocking going on” and that frankly turns me off.

Brooks Brothers Fall 2013 preview

unitedstyle — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 10:33:47 +0000

Brooks Brothers recently posted pictures from their Fall 2013 preview.

Black Fleece by Thom Browne. I always think the women’s looks are more wearable than the men’s. As for the men’s, I would never wear a complete look but I think individual pieces are cool.

Looks like Thom has finally rediscovered the color brown:

The brand is relaunching the “Own Make” label, primarily made in the US, with higher price points and aimed at an older consumer.

images via Brooks Brothers’ Pinterest

‘Born & Raised’ Album Artwork

unitedstyle — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:36:42 +0000

I’m not that familiar with singer John Mayer. I’ve heard a few of his songs and know that he has had a string of famous girlfriends, but other than that I couldn’t tell you a thing about him.

But I do like the artwork for his latest album, which was done by David A. Smith, a sign-painter in England who practices the almost forgotten art of reverse glass painting and etching. I could write a little more, but this gem of a film by Danny Cooke pretty much covers it:

The Making of John Mayer’s ‘Born & Raised’ Artwork from Danny Cooke on Vimeo.