Imogene + Willie: A Common Thread

Dark Rye, the online magazine from Whole Foods Market (yup!) recently posted an interview with Carrie and Matt Eddmenson of Imogene + Willie.

Theory 11 Playing Cards

During winter vacation, my wife and I got sick of watching TV and decided to play Crazy Eights. Our son asked if he could play and we decided to teach him. My wife had bought a special deck of cards specifically designed for the game. However it was one of those “modern-artsy” decks you find at a museum gift shop that was made of clear plastic instead of paper, with the art silk-screened on it. The plastic doesn’t shuffle as easily as paper and the cards tended to stick to the coffee table.

So later that night, I went online to Theory 11 and ordered 2 different decks from them. Theory 11 specializes in designer playing cards and magic accessories. They have partnered with different designers and artists to produce their limited-edition, high-end playing cards. The cards are printed by the U.S. Playing Card Company in the U.S. on premium coated stock, with custom colors, inks, etc. The boxes are usually embossed or letterpressed and equally gorgeous. They also offer the standard and titanium editions of Bicycle and Bee brand cards–the kind you can usually find at a grocery store. What makes Theory 11 great is that most of their “high-end” decks sell for the $5.95 to $6.95 range, leaving you with plenty left in your wallet to lose on game night.

I bought the Animal Kingdom deck, with art by Hatch Design San Francisco. A $1 from every deck sold goes towards the World Wildlife Fund. All the cards had custom art, and even each icon on high number cards like a 9 were different and hand-drawn.

Even the interior of the box is finished:

Detail showing the basketweave texture on the cardstock:

I also bought a deck of Monarchs in the silver finish–they also come in a gold on black finish. I had been wanting these ever since I saw them in a design magazine last year. The art on the cards is your classic playing card art, with the exception of the ace of Spades and the Joker. The cards come in a lovely white box, with all the art embossed and foil stamped in silver:

Same basket-weave paper texture:

GQ Japan’s Gentleman of Style

GQ Japan and Guerreisms filmed these portraits of some menswear legends from the last Pitti Uomo. They’ll provide style inspiration, or as my wife said after seeing Nick Wooster in the second video, “You have got to be F-ing kidding me.”

Review: Johnston & Murphy 1850 Collection Burchfield Chukka

Back in early December, Will over at the blog The Momentum launched a contest for a free pair of shoes from the new Johnston & Murphy 1850 Collection. The catch was you had to be able to pick the shoes up at the Sy Devore menswear boutique in Studio City just outside Los Angeles. I entered and won. So on a rainy Saturday morning, I dragged my family up to Sy Devore to claim my prize. Unfortunately, the PR firm who organized the contest didn’t inform the store, but owner Danny Marsh and salesman Vincent were very kind and gracious, allowing me to pick my shoes and offering to ship them to me once they had cleared everything up.

So out of the offerings at the store, I chose the Burchfield Chukka boot. I had been looking for a chukka boot for a long time and liked the look of the Burchfield. It has a crepe sole like a classic desert boot, but a stacked heel and narrow, refined shape closer to a dress shoe.

While the vamp and tongue were initially tight, the store stretched it for me, and after a few hours of wear, it fits fine. Adding to the comfort is the padded insole and arch support.

The heel and toe are burnished, giving the brown full-grain leather a dark, vintage appearance.

The shoes have a slightly lower profile than previous chukka boots I’ve owned, coming up just to the bottom of my ankle bone, but seem to be sturdy and are very comfy. I look forward to wearing them for years to come.

Thanks to Will at The Momentum, Danny and Vincent at Sy Devore, and Johnston & Murphy.

On the set of “Skyfall”

Photographer Greg Williams does a lot of “behind-the-scenes” photography on movie sets, documenting the process, and has become a talented filmmaker as well. He was on the set of the most recent James Bond film Skyfall and got some amazing photos. He also shot the marketing photos (one-sheets, billboards) for the film as well. He’s done a lot of great work–his site is definitely worth checking out.

These are two of my favorite photos of his from the Skyfall shoot.

photos by Greg Williams

Hickey Freeman Made in America Report

Hickey Freeman created an infographic of the “Made in America” movement in the garment industry:

image via Hickey Freeman

Ivy Style exhibit at FIT

The Fashion Institute of Technology is currently running an exhibition on men’s Ivy League style. Co-curated by Richard “Dick” Press, from the family that started famed menswear store J. Press, the exhibit looks great and quite comprehensive. Unfortunately it only runs for a few more weeks, but this video tour with Richard should give you an idea of the scope of the exhibit.