Today's outfit: Triple Tweed!

Today's outfit:

• Jacket: Vintage Harris Tweed in green barleycorn with orange and maroon over-check
• Trousers: Puppies-tooth Tweed made to measure by Spencer's Trousers (they've got a great new website:-)
• Boots: Fred Brogue boots in Tan by Grenson
• Jumper: Aran in Ecru by Michael Ross
• Scarf: Harris Tweed tan herringbone with orange and blue over-check by Ten10creations

Plus: Breitling Seawolf on Sahara Tan African Goat skin strap from Dangerous9straps' Manufacture Collection.  These straps are in stock and available for immediate purchase.

Nice detail of the watch and strap as well as the Tweeds I'm wearing today for my fellow Tweedheads:

Love these trousers from Spencer's Trousers - I'll be doing a review on them very soon and the Grenson Fred boots as well - 7+ years in service and still going strong.  I think I've got them burnished up nicely:

Review: The Shackleton canvas box jacket

Inspired by photographs of Earnest Shackleton's on the journeys to the Antarctic, this jacket has been reinvented for modern day living, with an innovative design built to conquer the elements, the traditional Shackleton canvas box jacket is a beautifully made chore jacket. Build from light tan heavy duty canvas with a blue quilted poly/cotton lining, it will keep you warm in freezing temps if layered with a good sweater and will look great doing it. It's essentially a great layering option for when you want something a bit more casual/work wear than a tweed sports coat or overcoat. These jackets have been discontinued by Shackleton, but you can still find a few in Extra Large on the Shackleton website and at the Natural History Museum Shop.  Perhaps with enough demand, they will bring it back.

Made with genuine horn buttons with the Shackleton logo etched along the edge and with three large button patch pockets. The collar as well as the diagonally cut hand warmer pocket, have a great leather detailing that really sets this jacket apart from the run of the mill chore coat.  This British Made jacket features our exclusive centenary label and a limited edition emblem on the front pocket.

The Jacket exudes a casual, masculine aesthetic, and is built tough enough to withstand years of hard work and country walks.  Of course with its large patch pockets for holding maps, and cameras, etc., it also works very as a travel/tourist jacket as well.  Here are a couple of photos taken this past fall of our visit to Nuremberg (it's a beautiful city, I highly recommend). 

The Daughter has discovered her love of photo-bombing:

Easter time 2017 enjoying a walk on the grounds of Schloss Nymphenburg:

Product Review: Persol PO3007-V 1056 with Clip-on Persol PO3007C-905/55 Light Gold

Sadly, I've reached the stage in life where I find myself to be blind at any distance.  I need glasses to work, read, to be on the computer, to watch TV,  and to drive.  Thankfully There is any number of high quality and stylish solutions to my predicament.  For the last few years, Persol has been my 'Go to' brand for all types of eyewear.  Last year, having finally admitted defeat and concluded that for my own safety and that of the general public, it was high time to break down and get some corrective eyewear for driving.  This, however, is complicated by the fact that my vision is as I have previously mentioned, is crap at every distance and I wanted to be able to use them in bright sunlight and at night as well (low light and darkness my eyesight has become alarmingly bad).  I also wanted to be able to read my car's navigation system and to be able to read a bit if necessary.  As luck would have it my optician had the perfect solution to my requirements - the 'Lifestyle' lenses (Aptly name since I guess my lifestyle is 'blind').

Persol 3007-V 1056

With these new lenses, I can see great at a distance while driving and also medium distance as well as easily read my navi and if necessary do some light reading (I have a separate pair of Spectacles for work and heavy reading).  The frames I chose were the Persol 3007-V 1056, which is part of Persol's 'Vintage Celebration' collection.  They've got a great traditional shape, which will match my overall wardrobe style and have a great mottled Brown/beige Tortoiseshell color, made from Acetate, which has (like all Persol glasses) been handcrafted in Italy.  No surprise from Persol, the overall fit and finish are extremely fine.  The hinges and hardware are perfectly finished and the color mix in acetate is wonderful.  These frames are also quite light, which is important because of the extra weight of the clip-on's.

Iconic 'Arrow' hinges - the symbol of Persol quality:

Of course, all Persol glasses are handmade in Italy:

My only other requirement had been the sunglasses issue.  This was easily solved with the addition of a pair of Persol PO3007-c clip-on lenses in light gold metal, which are designed to fit my frames of choice.  Benefit: they look really cool.  These clip-on lenses are in blue, which is great for driving and seem to actually enhance my vision not just make everything dark (the sure sign of quality optics).  Also, these lenses are NOT polarized because this would make reading the Navi screen or mobile phone very difficult.  I've been very happy with these high-quality frames and clip-on lenses from Persol.  They've become my constant stylish traveling companions.

Today's outfit

Today's outfit consists of:

• Sunglasses by Persol (PO649 -Madreterra)
• Vintage Harris Tweed jacket in multicolor Houndstooth by Burberry.
• Blue with pink stripes Oxford cloth Shirt by Samuel Windsor
• Aran pullover in Charcoal by Woolovers
• Japanese Okayama Selvage Denim jeans by Weargustin
• Penny Loafers in brown pull up leather by G.H Bass
• Charcoal Wool socks by Goldtoe 
• Peccary Driving gloves in Cognac by Hungant

Plus: 

• PAM 288 on Racing Tan Teju Lizard strap from the Dangerous9straps Manufacture Collection.  These straps design specifically for PAM Radiomir looks stunning I think on my PAM288.  Dangerous9straps has these straps in current stock and available for immediate shipping.  

I really like the dark brown Weejuns made from the Pull-Up leather, it's very nice leather and much softer and with a more natural feel finish than the high-gloss leather versions that they are making:

I love these Persol PO649 Sunglasses. The Color is called 'Madreterra' with Green tint lenses and as you can see they just glow in the sunlight. I'll be doing a review on these as soon as I can figure out how to take a decent photo of sunglasses (much more difficult than I would have thought)

Denim Review: 15 oz. Cone mills Selvage by Bravestar Selvage

This review is of my favorite pair from Bravestar Selvage out of Los Angeles.  I've had this denim for just a little over 2 years now and they've been in my regular rotation.  Now, I know that the thought of wearing Pantaloons de Nimes for some traditional dress guys in 'verboten', but I really like the look and feel of a great pair of denim and so, I'm just going to have to be a bit of a rebel on this issue.

Bravestar is a great little company as I said based out of LA, and run by a Mik, who's real dyed in the cotton denim head.  All their denim as sewn in LA, all the hardware is Kentucky made, even the wonderfully thick vegetable tanned leather label patch is hand stamped in Los Angeles.  My pair is made from Cone Mills 15oz  (may Cone Mills rest in peace - they has since closed down their mill, which is a real heartbreak for denim lovers everywhere).  Brave star builds a stout pair of jeans and always at extremely reasonable prices (often way more than half the price of what you will pay in a denim boutique (I never thought I would use the words 'denim' and 'boutique' in the same sentence).  This pricing is made possible because they're selling directly from manufacturer to the consumer, which for those of us who have more sense the money, is always a great thing.

Starting to show the unique fade that each pair of raw denim develops to the wear of patterns of each owner:

Cool detail on top stud button:

Really Great looking and super thick vegetable tanned leather patch:

Now the thing I like about these jeans is the cut, I purchased the Slim taper in 34inch waste, tapers nicely to the ankle without being what anyone would call 'skinny jeans'.  Yes, they are snug around the waist to start, but they have broken-in nicely and have taken on that perfectly tailored fit that I love.  I typically wear a 36 inch in standard trousers and this size fits me well.  They have just released a new cut they're calling 'Regular Taper' that is more of a roomy fit through the waist and to the knee (Instead of slim) then taper like my pairs to the cuff.   I think for my next pairs I will try those.  Just because, well I'm not getting any younger or skinnier;-)

Keeping is genuine with great selvage ID in the leg and coin pocket:

Care: 
I've given them a couple of rinses and a couple of full washes.  To be honest, I've lost patience for the whole soaking the bathtub/hand wash jazz, so I've taken to just putting them in the washer (inside out) with just a little detergent and fabric softener and giving them a short wash in cold. Then hang them to dry.  I know is heretical to true 'denim heads', and will most likely affect the fade, but the hand wash method is just too big a pain.  Plus, I wanted to move the fade forward a bit and so far, I've been really satisfied with the results.  Please bear in mind that these photos were taken in my workshop in full sunlight, so they look several shades lighter than in real life.

Honeycombing at the backs of the knees (Yes honeycombing is the technical term;-)

'Whiskering' at the crotch, given then that nice broken-in look:

Some wear and fading where my upper thigh rubs my work table and some fade where my pocket knife sits:

Altogether these Bravestar Selvage have been a great pair of denim than I'll enjoy wearing for years to come.  If you could use a sturdy pair of raw denim and you'd like to try some of what the Cone Mills had to offer before they're extinct, I suggest you head over to Bravestar Selvage PDQ!

Bonus write-up:
I built this belt to wear with my denim about a couple of years ago when I was building its twin belt for a local customer and I really like it.  It's a honey-colored 8-10oz vegetable tanned leather that has been the packed with oils and tumbled by the tannery to give it a great hand and a very cool large pebble look.  The buckle is a brushed nickel plate finish and the hand saddle stitching, of course, is done by me using heavy gauge French Ecru linen thread.  It's been the belt I wear most to keep up my more casual chinos and Pantaloons de Nimes:

Today's Outfit

Here is the first in series of my 'Today's Outfit' posts, which I will be doing fairly often, although not every day because Often I'm busy and won't always have time to post or perhaps, my outfit on a certain day isn't worthy or whatever.  These are mostly larger images of Instagram posts often which I have made into a collage for Instagram

Today's outfit consists of:

• Harris Tweed jacket in Blue/Grey Barleycorn
• Blue Chambray Shirt by Charles Tyrwhitt
• Navy pullover by Lochcarron of Scotland
• Grey tweed Scarf by me
• Camel herringbone chinos by Weargustin
• Chocolate suede brogues by Gordon & Bros. (These shoes are not expensive, but are nice for what you pay)

PAM351 on Tourbe Brune Alligator strap from Dangerous9strap's Manufacture Collection. These straps are available for immediate purchase.  Please contact me at Dangerous9straps@gmail.com for complete details and pricing.

Pocket Knife Review No. 1: Couteaux-Tisseyre

One of the things that I wanted to do on this blog, is that while I expect to focus on gentleman's style is to highlight products other than just clothing. Such as leather goods, Whiskey, accessories and occasionally that will include EDC items such as pocket knives.

I've always been a lover of knives of all sorts, but the pock knife is one of the most useful tools a man can carry and can often be made into a thing of beauty by the myriad of craftsmen out there building knives they are useful and luxurious too.  My recent particular interest was peak a couple of years ago when I was lucky enough to discover the YouTube channel of Stefan Schmalhaus.  Stefan is a knife collector and knife journalist who is German and writes for German language knife collector magazines.  However, for me, the great thing is that his videos are in English and extremely well produced - mostly featuring French, Italian and English knives - a what I would consider 'Gentleman's knives'.  Well, I was hooked and as a result of watching these, my interest in knife collecting and especially European 'gentleman's knives' was rekindled.  By now I have acquired six or seven of these by now and I rotate them as part of my everyday carry.

The knife I'm featuring today is the Couteau pliant artisanal Peyrecave buffle acier inox 12c27,
made by the French knife maker Couteaux-Tisseyre.  Founded by Jean-Paul Tisseyre (a recipient of the prestigious award Meilleur Ouvrier de France).  The Tisseyre workshops are located in small village of La Bastide-sur-l'Hers, which is in the South of France in the French Pyrenees, about halfway between Toulouse to the North and the Spanish border to the South.

Jean-Paul's knives are beautifully made and mine is a fine example of what he builds.  Mine is a slip-joint knife with no locking mechanism and with raw buffalo horn crust (a bit raw and unfinished - which adds to it's rustic, old-world appeal) scales.  This knife, while nowhere near the most expensive that Jean-Paul makes is extremely well made, with great hand balance and smooth action with a strong spring and a 90 degree stop.  It's become one of my favorite knives and probably the one I carry more often the all my other pieces combined.

One of the reasons for this is that it's both beautiful to look at and also perfectly proportioned.  Measuring it at only 11.7cm long folded and 1.5cm thick including the buffalo scales, it fits easily into my front pock without being too bulky.  The blade is slightly less than 9cm and overall the knife comes in at 21cm open.  The 'inox 12c27' in the model name refers to the stainless steel used for this knife, which is one of the most widely used in French knife making and holds a good edge.

If you are looking for a great quality knife honestly made with the finest materials and craftsmanship, you could do a lot worse than getting a Tisseyre.  Jean-Paul is clearly a master of his craft and I'm sure you'll enjoy it for many years to come.