I like what I like....

The newest addition to my leather goods collection comes in the form of one BillyKirk belt. This specific item was a colab with J.Crew (one of my favorite suppliers). Here is the J.Crew write up on it. Founded in 1999 by the brothers, Billykirk's ruggedly minimalist leather goods are some of the handsomest we've seen. Each piece is made by hand in the heart of Amish country using antique tools and master-craftsman techniques, including this expertly crafted cowhide belt. It's proof positive that you can't fake quality. Solid brass buckle with nickel plating. Width: 1 1/4".

This is my 1st belt "investment piece" and I must say I am really pleased. The Leather is thick and and the hardware is sturdy. In the last 3 years I have had a desire to purchase more items made in the U.S.A and actually crafted. This Belt fits that bill. Looking forward to passing this along to one of my sons when the time is right. Buy yours here

http://www.jcrew.com/mens_feature/NewArrivals/accessories/PRDOVR~33926/33926.jsp

For Your Pleasure : Halley Stevensons Woodland Jacket For J. Crew

Waxed Cotton is the original performance fabric – beginning life over 200 years ago with sailcloth cloaks created to provide protection on the worlds' oceans. Today, it's more than a tough shield against the elements: it's become an icon of natural style, seen both in the countryside and on city streets around the world.
Halley Stevensons are specialist manufacturers of Waxed and Oiled Cottons, with proven expertise and years of experience developing new, and refining traditional waxed cotton finishes, all to the highest quality and performance standards. As this unique fabric has moved beyond the traditional waxed jacket, and into new and exciting markets around the world, our product range has adapted and expanded – offering a bespoke product to match any design.
     I basically pulled the above directly off the Halley Stevensons website, if your more interested in them and the waxed cotton process please visit their website here http://www.waxedcotton.com/
I'm very pleased with this jacket, it looks great, feels great and offers quite a bit of versatility.  It's been cold a couple mornings here in Houston and I'm glad I've got this Jacket because it's warm indeed.  I snagged it from J. Crew in the Galleria for around $195.00 after a 30% off promotion and another credit card offer. Not bad considering original price was 290.00.  Jamie has the Barbour and it's a great piece, but I prefer this jacket because the collar flaps were a little smaller.

here are a few pics for your pleasure 

1000 Mile Boot

I'm excited to blog about my recent purchase of Wolverine's 1000 mile work boot.  I was able to snag these from Neiman Marcus here in Houston in the galleria last Thursday.  Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans was also doing a little Christmas shopping, Awesome, Indeed to see a star like that in the flesh. 
     Anyway, back to the boot.  What a great boot!  I really can't say enough about the quality, feel, aesthetic and smell, (yes the smell).  The Horween Chromexcel leather actually has a strong fragrance that filled up my entire room.  I just basked in the ambiance.  I opted for dark brown as I felt the russet wouldn't accurately mimic the original.  This boot is handmade in America and as I stated above features Horween Chromexcel leather technology.  If you are more interested in the Chromexcel leather process please visit Horween's website here http://horween.com/index.php/leathers/

Horween has been using this time honored tradition for over 100 years and the end result is something.  The bends and folds in this leather are soft yet strong, durable yet pliable.  A quick brush of the palm and you can really tell the time and detail that's gone into the manufacturing process.  This boot also features "Goodyear Welt" technology ensuring durability top class performance and years of pleasure.  Wikipedia offers some great info on the welt process here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodyear_Welt


 Fit - Accurately and comfortably fits the foot.  In fact when I went to buy the boots I had a pair of Gifford  wingtips on and was of course sock less.  The salesman had me throw on some of those "pantyhose" socks and obviously I had to wear the boots immediately so I walked the galleria with Bill in these boots basically with no socks.  Let me stress, no socks are needed with this boot as the interior is just as high quality as the exterior.

Aesthetic - Beautifully pleasing to the eye.  The boots are the nicest pair of shoes I've purchased yet. They are soft and feel like tennis shoes on the foot. I've only had redwings to use a point of reference and I admit the quality of this boot far exceeds that of a redwing boot.  I've yet to compare them to the Alden #405, but I will have the pleasure of doing that soon as my good friend is a possessor of such.

Over 125 years ago G. A. Krause founded his footwear company with quality & aesthetic in mind.
Well done Mr. Krause, Well done Wolverine.
Hugh Jackman would be proud to wear these boots.
My props to Neiman Marcus as well for carrying these and proffesionally putting these boots on my feet.  I felt like Andre Johnson!!!!  :)

Merry Christmas all, celebrate the risen Savior.

Here's a link to Wolverine's website highlighting the collection : http://www.wolverine.com/us/1000mile/


Here are a couple photos I took during the Christmas break, enjoy!

Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale 2010

Over the years many traditions have developed around the Christmas holiday season. Among them are the production of tasty special ales simply categorized as "Christmas Ales". Craft breweries around the country have taken their turn at brewing up a special holiday offering. However, Anchor sets the standard for holiday beers. Theirs is 36 years old and brewed different each time (with a revamped logo to match). Black as coal but brightly flavored, it's heavy on the coriander, backed by mint and notes of juicy pineapple. The past few years I've made Anchor Christmas ale a part of my holiday traditions. I hope you'll consider my counsel and make Anchor Christmas ale a part of your holiday for years to come. Here is my take on this year's offering.
Serving Type: 12oz poured into a frosted mug

Appearance: Dark brown with a fluffy finger nail length brown head, when held to the light the beer takes on a red hue. The head does not last long, though it does leave decent lacing.

Smell: Fruity, pine needles, toffee, slight coco, and cake.

Taste: It starts out with with bread and nuts, then moves to fruit and floral, a bit of hops comes with a crisper finish and a bit of roasted malts stays on the tongue.

Mouthfeel: Heavy, smooth, and creamy.

Drinkability: Smooth and moderate alcohol.

Overall: A great Christmas beer. If you are looking for a holiday beer, look no farther. This one is great!

The well-dressed gentleman - Fall 2010

A few weeks ago, it was actually "black Friday", the fellas and I had the opportunity to catch up with fellow Houstonian and professional photographer Kara Hoey for a few hours. The idea was for each of us to put together 3 of our favorite kits for Fall/Winter and have Kara capture them for us behind the lens. We couldn't have asked for a better fall day in H-town as we had one of our customary "arctic blast" blow in that morning leaving us with a high temperature for the day of only 48 degrees. The "shoot" was set in Heritage Park right in the heart of downtown Houston and we had a blast. As expected Kara's work behind the lens did not disappoint. This picture is just a little glimpse of what went down. Be sure to check back in soon for more details regarding our favorite kits.

Lands' End Canvas duck boots

For my first blog I wanted to draw attention to one of the newest selections in my footwear collection; my duck boots from Lands' End Canvas. As far back as my mid teenage years I can remember falling for duck boots. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe I was first introduced to duck boots by Eddie Bauer back in the early 90's. It was then that I made the decision to add a pair to my collection. After literally wearing my first pair out over 10 years and misplacing my most recent pair last Fall, I decided it was time to re-invest in a new pair.

The most obvious place to begin my quest was L.L. Bean, after all the Bean Boot has been around for almost a century and is a fashion icon. I dig the history and legend of the Bean Boot, but I've always had a personal preference for a duck boot with navy colored rubber bottoms (L.L. Bean does not currently offer an 8" bean boot w/ navy bottoms). So, whenever I came across the latest arrivals on the LE Canvas website with a color option "Pacific Blue" it seemed my quest was over. I did my homework and patiently waited for an LE online discount and a free shipping promo and I ended up scooping these boots for only $45 in mid October!

Upon arrival these boots did not disappoint. The pacific blue waterproof bottom was just what I was hoping for. The genuine leather upper was a shade lighter than anticipated, but not to a point that I was less than pleased. That first day I received them I immediately applied mink oil to the leather uppers, which I've learned over the years is excellent for conditioning, darkening, and waterproofing. Mink oil is one of my go-to footwear conditioners. After the oil set in I put them on and began wearing them around the house and they were comfy from the start. The quality is what we have come to expect from LE over the years and at this price point ($69) these are a definite winner. These duck boots aren't overly insulated, which being from Houston I like, since we aren't negotiating cold harsh winters. It's been a little more than 2 months now and I really dig these boots. They are versatile and I can pair them with chinos, selvage denim, or 5 pocket cords. All in all, this was a great buy and it looks like I'll be sporting these boots year round for many years to come.

Just what is "selvedge" denim?

Selvage

Selvage (or Selvedge, Self-edge) is a type of denim made on a vintage narrow loom which creates the unique edges that is typically used on the out seams of jeans. Selvage denim is put together on an old style shuttle loom. The result is a clean edge on where the denim fabric is stitched together that can't by frayed like non-selvage, and give the jeans a more natural look. Shuttle looms which make selvage denim are smaller and produce fabric which is narrower (about 23”) than wide looms. selvage looms also use one long weft thread and loop it back while weaving, while the wider ones use multiple weft threads which aren't connected 0 thus the need for the stitching on the end to keep it from unraveling. Selvage is just an indicator of the weaving technique used and less so the size of the loom. Selvage does not affect the quality of the denim. So why do some jeans have selvage and some don’t? Well it is easier and cheaper for companies to make non-selvage than selvage. The selvage stitching is located inside the jeans, and can be seen when the cuff is turned up (the outseam). The selvage can be any color thread – from red, blue, green, etc.

Fall Photo Shoot Success!!

We the fella's and I hit Heritage park in Houston near the Allen Parkway and it was awesome!!!! Kara takes amazing photos and I / We can't wait to see how they turn out.  A great day to boot, black friday in Tow. We hit the galleria for some good deals, snagged some additions to the wardrobe and set up shop.  The black and white photo's on the page are a sneak peak.  I'll post more soon.

Note:  A Selvedge denim post from Mr. Cortez will be N tow soon.

Soli Deo Gloria