A seductive 90s steel frame Bianchi road bike hangs in the office. Handsome Brooks England leather handlebar tape, saddle, toe straps, and saddle bag flatter the celeste frame. Exquisite ride. There’s only one problem. We can’t lock it up anywhere. The city would kidnap our baby in a heartbeat. And if not the entire bike, at least the Brooks saddle. We’ve been relegated to the subway for the better part of three years, blind to the winsome corners this city only shows those on two wheels. Brilliant Bicycle Company is seeking to change that...
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Fred has this recurring fantasy where he flies home for the holidays, pulls up to his childhood home, and fishes his bags out of the trunk amidst a light snowfall. The warm glow in each window a flickering neon "vacancy" sign after a long stretch of flight delays. Floating into his old room, it's exactly how he left it in 1999. The plastic trophies, acoustic guitars, foosball table, love notes, and trading cards—all waiting for him like old friends. Here, the 17 year-old him never ages, immune to the years, months, and days. Weezer's Blue Album is on compact disc while My So-Called Life reruns (he secretly wanted to be Jordan Catalano) flicker on his television. Time just…stands....
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Makins Hats was started by Marsha Akins in 1974 in her one-room, 4th floor walk-up in New York's East Village. Using a Jiffy Steamer, she molded the raw hat bodies over her own specially designed wood blocks and then baked the hats dry in the apartment oven before trimming them. Now, more than 40 years later, Makins still makes all of their hats the old fashioned way...by hand. Under the new ownership of Satya Twena (a new near and dear friend), Makins Hats still takes great pride in their craft and hard work, making the finest handmade hats in New York...
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Technical outerwear is having a moment, a shining moment...literally. In fact, the shinier the better. We like that it pairs really well with the hardy tweeds, scruffy herringbones, and woolly flannels we're wearing this winter. While goose down parkas and puffer vests over tailored clothing isn't necessarily virgin territory, what seems to be feeling really good right now is layering on a lacquered piece...
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The provenance of the chukka boot hails from the fields of polo, as early models were akin to the boots worn by British polo players after matches. The moniker was adopted from the seven minute period of play of the same name. While hugely popular in the 1940s and 1950s as casual wear, modern iterations have rebooted (pun intended) the boot's popularity and timeless appeal...
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