The Family Portraits, Vintage Photo Contest

The date is January 3, 1954. Pictured in the center is my grandfather Yukio (known to me as Ji-chan, Japanese for Grandpa). My dad (pictured on left) is 9 here, his brother a couple years older. The three of them are getting ready to leave Japan for the first time and emigrate to California. My Japanese-American grandmother (born/raised in Calif.) had earlier left her family in Japan in order to find a job, a place to live, and get settled here. Then she sent over for her husband and kids to come and join her in the States.

This photo of Ji-chan reminds me of a Japanese Indiana Jones with the leather jacket and fedora, ready to go on an adventure in a far-off land. He always looked sharp when he went out.

Ji-chan was always a bit of a mystery to me as there was a language barrier (he spoke only Japanese) and he was a quiet man. But I really loved him. He would sneak behind my grandmother's back and smoke cigarettes in the garage or in the car. I'd always laugh at him becuase it was so obvious. He would awe me with his yo-yo tricks. When I was little I'd hold his hands and he would let me step on his toes while he'd walk around the house. And he was a highly regarded gardener in the Japanese community and won awards for his amazing bonsai plants. He was in his backyard garden, sitting at a chair next to a little table tending to one of his mini-tress when he passed away when I was 14. When my grandmother discovered him she thought that he was simply taking a nap because he looked so peaceful.

When I saw the pictures of my graceful compatriot on your site, I felt the urge to send some of my most cherished family photos too, those of my paternal grandmother Theresa Moreira Reis. She was born in 1903 in Recife, Northern Brazil, daughter to the city's most sought-after tailor. Politicians and other affluent people were part of his clientele, and her father's work influenced her sense of style throughout her life. Grandma Theresa was congenitally chic, and unpretentiously glamorous before fashion was in fashion. Her European taste in dressing must have made her stand out there and then.

At Al Bazar

Al Bazar owner Lino Ieluzzi
He just oozes charisma.
You know what I really like about Al Bazar? I like the fact that that it has an aura of quality and style and yet it is not about being the most expensive or most exclusive.
As much as I love Domenico Vacca and Luigi Borrelli here in New York they both have a very elitist sensibility.
Maybe it is just me but I don't think a person should have to pay a boatload of money to get good quality clothes that also have a certain amount of style.
As I mentioned in the previous post I also love the commitment to good service at Al Bazar. When I visited Al Bazar in January they had a specific salesperson to work with their large number of Japanese customers.
Lino is like a rock star in japan. I bought a copy of Leon, a super sartorial japanese mens magazine, and he was voted the top mens store in Milan. Well I'm guessing he was voted top, I don't speak or read Japanese but he was listed first and had a big number 1 next to him.

I will do another post about Al Bazar when I visit again to do some Summer shopping.

Here is a link to the Al Bazar website Al Bazar

I Kid You Not..... Some of the Best Men's Magazines in Japan

Oily Boy..well...well...what to say about Oily Boy.

The magazine is produced by the people that create Popeye (which is like a Japanese version of Nylon magazine).

Oily Boy, however, is for the "elder boys" market. I am a little troubled that it's surprisingly so good. I would love to shoot something for them but if I stop someone on the street and say "Hi. you look great..can I shoot you for Oily Boy?" I'm positive I would get punched out.



Click to enlarge any of these magazine pages.



Men's Ex is the magazine in Japan that I contribute a page to every month.

It focuses more on the Italian style that I love rather than all the typical runway stuff. Actually it's more of a shopping guide for Sartorialists, except most the the items are only available in Japan. It is one of the few magazines I would subscribe to if I wasn't already working for them.

I'm also proud of the fact that the guys who work at Men's Ex are very, very stylish and appear on my blog often.



Leon...another great men's magazine that focuses on classic Italian style.



Mens Fudge, I don't even know where to begin...so I won't



I buy these magazines at the shops listed below.

Supposedly you can buy the magazine over the phone with your credit card and they will ship it to you. I'm sure it works fine, but I can't vouch for it myself.

Kinokuniya
1073 Avenue of the Americas, New York NY
212.869.1700

Asahiya Bookstores
360 Madison Ave, New York NY
212.883.0011

The Show-Off, Milan

This is Gianpaolo Alliata, he is the type of salesperson a Sartorialist dreams about. (wait, I'm not sure that reads the way I meant but hear me out)

The first time I went into Al Bazar , my new favorite store in Milan, I was overwhelmed by the selection of beautiful shirts.
Guy Rover shirts sold at Al Bazar come with an extra set of collar and cuffs and are available in only spread collar (below) and extreme cutaway collar (as Gianpaolo wears above) or button-down. ( Point-collar shirts do not exist in the best menswear shops of Milan)
Gianpaolo ,with an actors flair for the dramatic, showed me the variety of fabrics that were available in my size.
He had a very particular and graceful way off pulling out each box from the wall, flipping over the lid and peeling back the tissue paper to reveal the woven treasure inside.
Once I decided on which shirts I was going to buy I started toward the dressing room to try the shirt on for the sleeve alteration - this is where he really got me.
He just looks at me and says "what are you doing?"
"I'm trying the shirt on so you can shorten the sleeves" I said.
"It's ok, I have it" he said
"I'm really particular" I warned. To this point I had not said anything about my blog or anything about my background.
"I have it " he said with a with a slight arrogance that comes from years of experience.
"Well, understand I want the length to be right here" I said pointing to the base of my wrist.
"I have it" he repeated.
"Ok, but if it is wrong you won't have time to fix it before I leave Milan." I warned again.
"No problem" he assured me.

To be honest, I could not decide to be pleased or pissed.

I loved the fact that he felt so confident in his ability to offer a perfect fitting shirt (which is rare for a salesperson these days) but I was also a little put off at the idea I was so easy to visually measure up.
A small part of me wanted to sleeve length to be a little off just to show I was more complex than he thought (if that makes sense?)

I went back to the store two days later and damn! if the sleeve length wasn't perfect!

Mr. Show-Off!

Needless to say since then I have bought about six shirts at Al Bazar and several pairs of pants (which I did try on).

When I got the pants back from alteration, twill tape had been sewn in the hem of the pants to protect the fabric from being stepped on by your shoes(this is a very high-end detail). I asked if this was something that they always did and Gianpaolo looked at me like "of course, dork, this is Milan."

The Guy Rover Shirts are about $105Euro and the pants are about $195Euro.
To me they are just about the best menswear deals in Milan.

Tonight I will post the photo I took of Al Bazar owner ,and Japanese fashion icon, Lino Ieluzzi with a few more photos from the store and a link to their website.

In the Hotel Room Refrigerator, Tokyo

After having arrived in Tokyo from New York, it's 2:45AM and I can't sleep.

Already drank the can of Coke that was in the mini-bar and all that's left is Pocari Sweat.

Pocari Sweat???

Everything but the name is written in Japanese.

As you know, I am American and I like to eat as healthily and as naturally as possible. I can only hope that the sweat in this drink is organic and not artificially flavored sweat.

On the Street.....Shorts & Cardigan, Here and Abroad

I love wearing shorts in the Summer but it is often hard to feel "dressed" wearing shorts while maintaining the casual feel that you want from shorts.

Working shorts (especially the dressier wool shorts I've been seeing a lot lately) back to a cardigan seems like a great solution. At least everytime time i see it done it usually looks really good.

For me this Summer I'm wearing a lot of shorts with super-lightweight, unlined jackets.
They work even better for me because they fit a little looser and when I am out shooting all day I have more to carry (extra battery , CF cards etc) than I can carry in a cardigan.

I have recently bought jackets from Engineered Garments, Junya Watanabe, and 45 RPM. I find I'm having an Italian Winter and a Japanese Summer.

I will have to do a separate post on these jackets soon, maybe during Pitti when I am really putting them to the test.

The Sartorialist for Men's Ex

I am very pleased to announce that I have begun a monthly page for the Japanese magazine Men's Ex.
It is a really great magazine with a flair for classic but hip Italian clothing which is very close to my personal style.

here is a link to the blog run by the Editor-in-Chief of Men's Ex Kentaro Matsuo Men's Ex blog

American Style, In Italy, On Japanese

Grapes of Wrath & Sullivan's Travels

The big discussion about overalls the other day reminded me of this photo from Pitti.

More than just about overalls ,to me, this look is about how Japan sees our (American) historic costume - i.e. 30's Dust Bowl - in a much more romantic way than we even see ourselves.

As I have shown on this blog, there is a big American trend going on in Japan right now.

They romanticize us (Americans) the way we do the Italians or French (except there is also a big classic Italian trend in Japan right now also).

So instead of focusing just on just the "yes" or "no" of overalls maybe this post will get you thinking of other ,seemingly, forgotten American classics that might make it back in our closets this Fall.

This is how a look ,that I might not wear myself, can inspire me to look at a movie or book or see a related but completely different item of clothing in a different way and maybe work that item into my wardrobe.

From this look, I might only see the white collar shirt in a more casual way than I usually think of it.

Speaking of books like Grapes of Wrath...





... this photo also reminds me of that great Preston Sturges movie Sullivan's Travels (1941) with Joel McCrea and the incredible Veronica Lake







Here are some of the other images from January's Pitti of Japanese doing American classics

Vintage Photos

My father is a gentleman, brought up in an era when one dressed for occasion and where clothes were cared for and tended. This photo was taken about 1954 when he was posted to Japan in order to assist with the return of Australian troops from Korea. My mother, not wanting to miss out on the adventure, jumped on a freighter and managed to get herself to Hiru where they found a traditional Japanese house and embraced the experience together. I should add that my parents were extremely tall for their generation, my father at 6'2" and my mother 5' 10" so they would have created a stir within the local community in which they lived so perhaps he felt he could be bold in a foreign land.

- Alison

Reconsidering Jeans

The post above made me start rethinking my personal denim strategy.

I have finally found a jean that fits and looks good on me...the APC New Cure. The New Cure has a great slim leg and doesn't sit too high or low on the waist. Of course my cleaning lady washed my "unwashed" hard denim jeans recently which I thought would ruin them, but actually it just gave me a new "rinse" and a great reason to buy a new pair to replace the old ones!

However, just as I got a handle on the slim leg jean I have started seeing guys doing a slightly fuller leg jean again - and looking cool doing it.

I think this picture I took last winter is looking more and more interesting now.



Also, yesterday I was at a Japanese bookstore and finally bought a copy of Free & Easy. A great denim magazine that all the denim and casual wear designers I know swear by for design inspiration.

At the Photo Shoot......Brutus Fashion Editor

On Tuesday I was being photographed for an article on The Sartorialist that will appear in the Japanese mens fashion magazine Brutus.
Mr. Kinoshita is the fashion editor and he really looked great - I love the overall fit of his suit and how he wore his cardigan draped across his shoulders - when I first met him the cardigan was more draped over his left shoulder in a very cool way but not too forced.

Update from Style.com shot

After i posted this shot on Style.com, I was told that this gentleman is a quite the interesting character. Apparently he has several tattoos under his bespoke facade, is a big time surfer, was born in New York but works in the Far East because he speaks fluent Japanese. I will have to do a profile on this gentleman because he seems like just the kind of guy I would want to learn more about.

September Vogue

I am no where close to to really looking at the new September Vogue the way I want. So what do you think are the best articles? Overall the issue looks good on a flip through.
What about the "Fight Club" article by Sarah Mower on Japanese designers? The Irving Penn photos look incredible

On The Street.......Black Shorts, New York

I can't remember if she said this was Dries or Comme or a little of both. What really made this look work was that the hose were thigh-highs so when she walked it showed just the slightest bit of skin. It is almost impossible to bring sexiness to the austere Japanese aesthetic but this young lady did it.

On The Street........Looooong Jeans, NYC

It is hard to describe why some things are sexy. This long jeans over shoes look has a bondage-y, Japanese footwrapped kinda thing going on.

Style Profile.....Derrick Miller, Barker Black

For The Sartorialist, I have profiled several Italian gentlemen that have grown up with elegant dressing as part of their molecular structure. Now, finally, I have found an American with the same kind of sartorial DNA. Derrick Miller, the creative director of Barker Black, recently told me about growing up with a true Sartorialist as a father. Derrick's father, an artist in Minnesota, still changes his outfit three times a day. When he began research for the revamp of Barker Black, Derrick went straight to his Dads closet for inspiration. The Sartorialist asked Derrick a few questions about his personal style, and his Dad seemed like a good place to start.


Best Sartorial advice from your Dad ?
The idea of self-expression through clothing, using pattern and texture to create an individual look and style.

I only buy __________ in Europe.
Umbrellas (England)

You build your daily look around your ?
Now it is shoes (for obvious reasons), it used to be my socks!

The first thing I look at in another Sartorialist’s outfit ...
Fit of coat and shoes are always first.

I skimp when buying ...
Food.....so I can afford the tailor!

I splurge on.....
having a good tailor.

I always break this fashion rule.
Argyle socks and pinstripes

I never break this fashion rule.
Tie must always have a dimple and end at the belt line.

Must have item for Fall 2006
Barker Black shoes and ties....oh, and a great Filson bag.

Favorite store
Eral 55 in Milan...Genius!
Old English meets the Old West on Corso Como

Style icons
My Dad, Fred Astaire, Pharrell Williams

Most cherished item
Bull Dog cufflinks and tie pin from my amazing girlfriend, Jennifer.

Favorite item of clothing
Vintage custom suit purchased at the Salvation Army for $12.99
(Derrick is wearing the suit in the picture above)

Guilty pleasure
Action movies and the NFL....Sunday morning series A soccer from Italy

Describe your personal style
Sophisticated, with a touch of fuck you.

You feel best wearing?
A custom suit with high armholes, and vintage Barbera khakis

Personal Style quirk
Bright socks and pocket squares...oh, and my vintage welding glasses.

Dress to impress who?
I dress to express, not impress

Most underrated item in menswear
A beautiful pair of braces and a brilliant umbrella

Most stylish city (Milan, Paris, London, New York, other)
Antwerp.....everyone there is cool.

Never caught wearing?
A suit or sportcoat that is too long; I wore hand-me-downs while growing up, and it is now my pet peeve.

When I was high school I wore?
One pair of jeans and hand-me-down Savile Row custom shirts of my Dads

Shine your own shoes?
Always!

Sports?
Soccer, is there anything else?

Favorite fashion magazine?
Italian Vogue, Japanese GQ, and W

Cologne, skincare?
Bond 06....The one that smells like musk and coffee.

Derrick Miller Of Barker Black

Prior to The Sartorialist I owned a showroom that specialized in young womenswear designer collections. I represented designers like James Coviello, Peter Som, and Shelly Steffee; all of whom continue to be an important voices in New York's design scene. When I first opened the showroom in 1999 there was such an optimistic feeling in the air. Every new designer felt they had a chance to make it really big, and several did (at least for a while), like Miguel Adrover, Daryl K., and Zac Posen. Then 9/11 hit and the bottom just fell out overnight. Since then it has just been different; opening a new design house felt a lot more risky. Recently a few young women's designers have shown the talent for staying around awhile, like Proenza Schouler and Derek Lam, but it still isn't the same.
Surprisingly, where I have felt that air of confidence is in menswear, and even more surprisingly, New York menswear. Maybe ,in part, that helped the creation of this blog. I've met and profiled several of these young menswear designers, and I'm so impressed with the unique vision each one has for themselves, and how they plan to develop a profitable business.

In meeting so many designers through my showroom, I learned a few things: prices can be adjusted, assortments can be refined, distribution can be managed, and fit can be altered, but vision, real vision, for a unique product cannot be faked, either you've got one or you don't.

I kept thinking about vision after I met Derrick Miller, the creative director for the super hot shoe collection Barker Black. I didn't get the sense he had grown up dreaming of creating a shoe collection, but when two investors bought out a traditional and very old English shoe manufacturer, they started looking for someone to help them revamp the image. Through a typical series of twists and turns they ended up meeting with Derrick, who at the time happened to be working at Polo (all American designers have to graduate from R.L.U., it seems like). When the opportunity presented itself, Derrick took the proverbial ball (or in this case shoe) and ran with it. He quickly redesigned the entire collection of ugly English shoes into a line of really, really cool ugly English shoes. He incorporated an authentic crowned skull and crossbones logo that he had found while doing his design research, and upgraded everything in the make and design of the shoes. One of the original details that he did keep, and seems quite amused with, is the funny little bump at the toe cap of the shoe. He has also complemented the shoes with his own, very personal, take on colorful ties and pocket squares. Now this is where the vision comes in; most designers would be thrilled to have the quick success Derrick has had, but he is just getting started.

Derrick gave me a quick preview of the new prototypes for the Barker Black clothing line. It looks really good; I begged, but no photos yet. It is a perfect extension of the brand. It's modern but classic, suit based, and it fits into this new school of American design in that the overall fit is slim and the jackets are a little shorter, but there are enough specific design details that give it a very distinctive look. I can only imagine, that once he finished the design for the very first shoe he knew exactly what the entire look would be. The vision also shows up in how intelligently he talks about expanding the brand; which stores he does and doesn't think he can be successful in, and how he chooses to promote the brand( no ads, no fashion shows, yet). It sounds so basic but you would be surprise by how many designers begin companies without these basic concepts in place.

To get a first hand look at Derrick's work the first Barker Black store opened last October, it is a perfect jewel box of a space in one of Manhattan's coolest neighborhoods, Nolita. Using old upside-down shoe lasts (from the Barker Black factory) for the display of the shoes was a stroke of genius.

I really can't think of another designer that literally started at the bottom and worked his way up the customers body.

With designers like Barker Black, Thom Browne, Michael Bastian, Cloak, and Duckie Brown there is enough young talent in New York menswear right now to create a really special moment. Like the Belgians of the 90's and the Japanese of the 80's, for retailers to have a group to buy into and present as a movement in their stores will actually make it easier for these individual designers to succeed. I can't wait to see how this whole thing plays out.