Brands I'm current1y impressed with

[LA Guy]

I went to Alan Bilzerian yesterday to get a belt. I had a Margiela belt in mind, but came away with an single o-ring belt that Alan had made for his own store, in the dusky gray that is seen in a lot of Drkshdw pieces. He was having a sale, with prices anywhere between 30 and 75% off, depending on the season (Alan has great backstock) and so I looked around for loot I liked. I tend to like darker, more somber labels with a slightly distressed, worn look, so my picks were obviously in this vein. I may go back and pick up some Martin Margiela 0 pieces - he had some great older season outerwear pieces, but I was also very impressed by some of the stuff by Drkshdw, which I don't think I really appreciated until recently, and outerwear by Kiminori Morishita, which is Japanese for "****, stuff is nice, I really wish I had more cash." The testament to the excellence of these brands is that I was seriously thinking about dropping cash on outerwear, when I'd just been biking in a layered thermal and jeans in 90+ and humid weather.

There were plenty of cool hats, including a military cap I would have bought if it had come in any color but green (Chinese men do not wear green hats.) There was also a lot of Y's Yamamoto that I really liked, an a good selection of Lanvin that is not seen in the more pedestrian selections found at Barneys, but for me, Margiela, Drksdw, and Kiminori Morishita really took the show. Well, Alan's brand is great too, but I don't think that it is available anywhere else. Of all the stuff that I will miss in Boston and NYC, I think that Alan's stuff, which is found nowhere online, will be the most missed by my wardrobe. Maybe I'll have to get him to send me out a military cap once he gets more stock in...

Oh, and lots of small sizes (i.e., smaller than a 48Eu) too, for those who care.

What brands, not discussed here much, have you guys been impressed with. We are always talking about 5EP. Engineered Garments, Band of Outsiders, W&H, Kicking Mule, and Rag&Bone, and these are great (probably form the backbone of my wardrobe) but it would be nice to talk about some other brands as well.

 

[Get Smart]

A brand I've always been impressed with, but it dropped off my radar for a while and is now back, is agnes b

The LA store used to be one of my go-to places for clothes in the 90s and I've had a resurgence in interest again with the label over the last year (just bought some gear last weekend from their sale)

I like that they don't follow fashion trends and every season tends to have a similar aesthetic with no dramatic departures from their "look", other than a few experimental pieces here and there. Their core collection always has the simple minimalist French cool vibe to it. Shirts are well made, well fitting, most use MoP buttons, and the pricepoint isn't bad at $250 for their most expensive shirt (which can be bought on sale for 50% off if you wait). They do a lot of jean cut 5 pocket trousers so those who want an alternative to jeans can get their fix.

Similar in feel to APC, but whereas APC is a bit more youthful and hip, Agnes b is more sophisticated and cool.

 

[keykoo]

I saw a bunch of Y's stuff today and I too really liked what I saw. Does anyone know about the quality of the pieces?

 

[Fuuma]

Here's something I posted elsewhere on Kiminori Morishita; I know we've got a lot of cross-forum posters but for those that aren't and the various lurkers here's a translation (mine so don't hate) of what this website had to say about Morishita:

http://www.la-couture.com/defonline/.../morishita.htm


Kiminori Morishita

When a Japanese man looks at the old country


Kiminori Morishita learned his designer's laurels working for the Japanese company "Tete Homme", first as a modelist (sp-can somebody tell me how you anglos call those because it's not the first time I tried translating this) then at confection and finally as a stylist. In 2003, he takes the plunge and starts his own brand, hoping to make his mark on the international fashion scene. A few seasons later he reaches his goal with a very accomplished F/W 05/06 collection that shows a real mastery of clothing and how to present it in the best light. His leitmotiv; fallen aristocracy, which translates Morishita's vision, his imaginary perception of the European man, finds a magnificent reflection in this collection through a meticulous customisation of clothing. "I imagine broidery as an integral part of a garment", explains the designer. Obviously, if customisation was limited to adding embroidery here and there, on the hem of a pair of pants or at the back of a straight jacket (note: meaning a jacket that is in a straight line, whatever that means, not the latest in asylum chic) it would show. Kiminori Morishita became a master of personalization with lacquer tinted jackets, forever freezing thread, textile, material, and clothing. The end result reflects the high level of craftsmanship, requiring two hours of hand work on each garment, with a design that is on-point, all in subtlety, almost collectable.



(The rest of the text is about how they're the only store carrying the brand outside Japan which isn't the case anymore from what I've seen on the Tete Homme website). Keep in mind this is a quick and dirty translation, which doesn't look that bad considering the original phrasing is quite awkward in some places.





Here's where they're sold:


http://www.tetehomme.com/cate/kiminori_morishita.shtml

 

[gdl203]

Brands I'm impressed with but don't get as much SF coverage/love:
Nicholas K (especially outerwear)
Udeshi (dress shirts)
Lincoln Mayne (hoodies)
Loomstate (tees)
Gola (sneaks)




(btw LA Guy, the link in your signature doesn't work)

 

[Fuuma]

Does Bilzerian carry any of the lacquered pieces and are they available on discount right now? I may give the store a call...

I also like Gustavo Lins for some architectural, sharply cut goodness. Not as decayed and military inspired as Morishita but still worth a look:

http://www.gustavolins.com/index.html


If anyone knows where to cop a pair of heavily discounted plain black GL pants, feel free to inform me.

 

[drizzt3117]

Not sure if this falls into the doesn't get alot of love category, but I'm a big fan of Dries van Noten jackets and shirts.

 

[dusty]

Why did you spell 'currently' with a 1?

 

[gdl203]

Originally Posted by dusty

Why did you spell 'currently' with a 1?
why n0t?

 

[Fuuma]

Dries is definitely unloved around these parts, although I must say it takes a special man to wear a white leopard dress shirt with poise.

KosmÃ

tique by Kanya Miki also looks pretty good although I must say I have only seen pictures of the collection. He's another one of those Japanese designers working in Paris.

 

[Bergdorf Goodwill]

These "burlap-feel" stain-resistant quad-pleat Savane trousers have kept me from getting arrested for nearly two weeks now!

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

Originally Posted by Fuuma

http://www.la-couture.com/defonline/.../morishita.htm http://www.tetehomme.com/cate/kiminori_morishita.shtml
thanks a lot fuuma, sir! the links 404'd on me, though interest peaked

 

[Fuuma]

Originally Posted by denimdestroyedmylife

thanks a lot fuuma, sir!
the links 404'd on me, though

interest peaked

Yeah it changed to:

http://www.tetehomme.com/start.shtml

I tried to modify it earlier but I've been unable to edit long posts for some weeks now, something that is especially annoying when using the buying/selling section.

 

[Edward Appleby]

I think Flippa K is underappreciated. Sure, it's not the most high-concept stuff ever, but it's reliably clean and tasteful and the pricepoint is actually reasonable.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by Fuuma

Does Bilzerian carry any of the lacquered pieces and are they available on discount right now? I may give the store a call...

Bilzerian has a fair bit of the outerwear, and I thought that I saw some lacquered pieces, but the store was closing as I was in there, so I didn't get to look at everything in as much detail as I'd have liked. The stuff was either 30,40 or 50% off. I just saw that it was expensive

[UOTE=Fuuma;570412]Dries is definitely unloved around these parts, although I must say it takes a special man to wear a white leopard dress shirt with poise.

KosmÃ

tique by Kanya Miki also looks pretty good although I must say I have only seen pictures of the collection. He's another one of those Japanese designers working in Paris.[/quote]

I dunno about no love for Dries, although people are probably (for good reason) generally more interested in him more wearable pieces. I have a few Dries pieces I love, and my wife is into vintage Dries, back when he had a stronger focus on textiles and drape.