House of 950's Maiden Voyage

House of 950 is a new label started by my friend Eric Holbreich, a designer I used to work with, and his partner Alice Spies. I would describe their clothes as experimental, clean and minimal, awkwardly charming, and ultimately very wearable. I had a little chit-chat with co-founder Eric about starting his new line, his inspirations, plans for the future, and wishes of dressing the almighty Tilda Swinton.

House of 950's debut collection lookbook

Tell us about your line and why you decided to start it.

House of 950 is a collaborative workshop that focuses on garments that are often unisex and multifunctional. We think about the use of garment. How can people interact with it, how comfortable is it? We wanted to bring back the innovative craft where the make and finishings are just as important as the original idea. We manufacture everything in New York City so we can monitor the process and make sure everything is the highest quality possible.

Where are you two from and how do your roots influence the way you make clothes?

I’m from Indianapolis and Alice Los Angeles. Alice thinks about simplicity and comfort all the time she thinks that is what L.A. is all about. Indiana is a really clean, flat place with lots of trees and open spaces. I don’t feel comfortable in very fitted clothes, but I like everything to have a clean look.

Who/what else influences your design?

When we start designing a garment, we will have a general idea of what it should be. We don’t really draw, or if we do it is usually of a pattern piece. When we make the garment, that’s when we play with it, what could it be, could it be something else. We then think about what is missing in clothing that we think should be there, like a detail on the cuff, or a hidden pocket in the seam. We want the clothes to be convenient and recognizable but at the same time different and simple.

Tell me about the odd, graphic shapes that your clothes are made out of.

The shapes that our clothes make are usually related to the function of the garment, or the elimination of a conventional seam and the replacement with another type of seam. Most of the garments have no fixed closures. To close the garment a person has to first choose a way to wear it. The clothing allows the user to express their own idea of how they want it to look like. The Amish shirt for example has four different silhouettes. The user has the option to choose which one is right for their mood.

House of 950's Amish shirt

And the prints?

This collection we collaborated with the artist Alphonse van Woerkon. We transformed his portrait of Kiki Smith into a textile, and then turned it into a shirt. We didn’t want it to be a recognizable face, but we wanted elements of Kiki to show through. You can see her eye and her nose, but the panels of the shirt cut it. It makes it more abstract and interesting.

the Kiki Smith shirt, one of my favorite pieces in the collection

You deal a lot with interactivity and customer participation (in your presentations, the lookbook). Why do you think this is essential to your brand?

Our brand is about the customer. We want them to feel involved in the process as well as the company itself. We are building the House as a collaboration between us as designers and the customers. We don’t like the idea of being singular, or alone. Interactivity, I think, would be the perfect one word description of who we are and what we want to be. We created this idea called the Minute Museum, where the traditional museum is reversed. The people who come to the exhibit, are the exhibit themselves. We use this to allow the people to interact with the clothes as well as showcase the clothing on real people.

the drawstring jacket, which I had dubbed "the noose jacket"

Tilda Swinton comes to you the day before a big premiere and begs that you dress her. What will you put her in?

First of all we would die. Then we would pull it together and put her in the Portrait Shirt and the Thai-Tie Pants hands down. Then we would probably die again. We know she would look amazing wearing those two pieces!

Plans for the future?

We are going to keep doing what we are doing! We are just starting and we have a long way to go. Every day is exciting and a new territory for us. The idea of creating our own path and it working, is amazing. (and frightening!)

photographs via House of 950

Boxers, not for Boys

I love the idea of buttoned-up underwear. Irony is nice, but looking debonair in and out of your outfit is much more of a feat.

Gässling's Falsterbo button-up boxers, named after a posh area just outside Malmö

Malmö-based Swedish underwear designer Gässling makes underwear for men who have grown tired of teen-boy briefs and want something new. I applaud their attention to detail; for example, the care instructions are printed inside to avoid that annoying tag, and the waistband is covered in fabric for ultimate comfort.

photographs via Gässling

The Jante Law

French-based pan-European brand The Jante Law was one of the clear standouts for me at the men's trade shows; they were all about creating simple, beautiful men's pieces and had a charmingly irreverent attitude towards their work. Rule one, they say, is: "Don't think you're anything special." It's this pragmatic, no-frills approach that drives them to create pieces as beautiful as these.

I immediately gravitated to this marbled grey turtleneck made out of Alpaca-blend yarn. It's big and chunky but feels much lighter than it appears to be.

Continuing my obsession with mint, a loosely fisherman-inspired mint green sweater in Australian wool. Apparently this one is naturally water-repellent and they say it'll be the sweater of a lifetime. Give me this one with loose white cutoffs and floppy beige suede shoes (and perhaps a little family of Hermés weekend bags all in etoupe) and that'll be the sweater of Spring 2012.

photographs via The Jante Law

The Bag Maker's Project

A few weeks ago, I met this guy at a party at the Soho Grand, a bag designer, and he pulled out his phone and he showed me his stuff, and it was minimal and masculine and elegant---New York is great just like that, filled with brilliant, creative people who make beautiful things. Last week, I paid a visit to Will Lisak, the designer, and while he let me watch him craft a custom-order for a client, we had a little chat about his line ETWAS.

the ETWAS Standard # 1, the company's first bag (photograph via ETWAS)

The bags are elegant and minimal and simply crafted out of thick, sturdy leather. They are certainly heavy, and though the brand has plans of doing bags in lighter, thinner leather, there is a charm in carrying the rugged, thick-skin leather bags that only become more beautiful with age.

Tell us about ETWAS. What do you make, and what makes it different?

ETWAS is premised on the idea that the design of systems has more impact than just designing products. We want to make graceful objects in an equally graceful way, using means of production to reflect and manifest the aesthetic of our customers. When you buy an ETWAS bag you are not only conveying your sentiments through image, your aesthetic will is acting upon the world in more tangible ways.

ETWAS' designer, Will Lisak, at work

What made you shift into crafting bags after working in graphics and illustration?

I never wanted to make fake things. I decided I needed to pursue a project where I had total control and could design every step of the process. It was impossible for me then to tell a beautiful story via the medium of an ugly publishing industry. I'm not creating stories with vast and ephemeral worlds anymore as I was with illustration, but I am creating a small world and small narrative that is very tangible.

Will walked me through a few of the processes involved in making a bag. Holes are pre-punched into the leather before hand-sewing.

The corners on the thick leather are shaved off and rounded for a better hand-feel.

Lisak uses his own vegetable-based recipe to burnish and condition the leather.

Holes on straps are hand-punched as well.

What inspires you?

People. People with inventive ways of living that allow them to enjoy their lives to the fullest. They are the greatest designers.

my favorite piece, the ETWAS light pack in the special rough out black wax leather

The briefcase can be converted into a backpack by simply untucking the shoulder straps from under the flap.

Your bags are simply made and free of embellishments. What are your views on minimalism and design?

I think for what we are doing it is necessary. We are an egalitarian process, our workers are paid well, we are comfortable, but no one is getting rich. It's not a decadent process. It is empowering to the worker, and on the consumer end it is a bit rugged. Our customers are not afraid to get their hands dirty. So it's a bit socialist in that way I guess. There's not much decadence about it. The design needs to be clean then to be honest, and reflect the values of all involved. Not that I'm against decadence. It's just not suitable for this project.

a tote and the toolbag, which was originally designed to carry tools on vehicles, but has captured the fancy of many a menswear-loving woman

hardware finished with a hand-aged patina

I came across this quote on your website: "Consider not only the things we are making, but the things we are destroying." Tell us about your project, and why you choose to work this way.

I think I may have touched on this in the earlier questions, but basically we are interested in creating the most beautiful thing, and I feel it's cheating a bit when you make a beautiful product in an ugly system, which is easier, but you are making the world uglier at the same time as you are making something beautiful, so you're stuck. Not having much impact, just moving things around. I want to make the world less distasteful.

a sketch of a custom-designed duffel bag for a Canadian client

What are your plans for the future?

Our major plan is take advantage of our means of production in another way--because we are manufacturing ourselves we don't have to place large factory orders, and therefore do not have to standardize so much.

trying out a new mechanical (electricity-free) hand-sewing machine for the possibility of offering a line of machine-sewn bags at a lower price point

I want to make a line of bags that is scaleable, where customers and stores can alter the dimensions to their liking though an online interface. There is a lot of potential in giving people a little freedom, and no one else is really doing anything like this.

Will Lisak, Williamsburg, 1/11/12

ETWAS bags are available here.

The Leather Blazer

The leather blazer gets a bad rap. I've never really seen a leather blazer that is to my taste; often they're unflatteringly cut, poorly made, and just plain unimaginative. But my Hisham Oumlil blazer in the butteriest burgundy lambskin, cut sharp but still swingy, half-zipped and vaguely detailed like a perfecto, is an impeccable rendition of the infamous jacket.

Number Nine sunglasses, leather blazer c/o Oumlil, Brook & Lyn harness, DIY-overdyed Alexander Wang top, sifr band pants, Number Nine shoes

Brook & Lyn's silk rope and Brazilian agate harness is deceptively wearable. Not wearable for me are clothes in olive green and brown, the colors that my top and trousers originally came in. Both natural/synthetic blends, I dyed them in both Jacquard iDye and iDye poly, both in black, and they're now in my daily rotation.

ring of my own design, Cartier Chronoscaph 21 watch

photographs by Mikee Tuason

Afternoon at Atelier Oumlil

I paid a visit to Hisham Oumlil's studio last weekend and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Oumlil, who had started his line in the fall of 2006, had been relatively under the radar since, with the business being mostly made-to-measure. Notable among his private clientele is the legendary Andre Balasz, owner of the Standard Hotels. The designer had been doing ready-to-wear for a few seasons now, and though the clothes didn't exactly make love to me through the lookbook photos, seeing and feeling how well-made the pieces were and hearing Hisham's passionate and inventive thoughts on menswear made the brisk Saturday showroom visit all worthwhile.

the most glorious swingy Oumlil zip-up leather blazer in burgundy-prune: a shade of maroon with touches of brown and an ever so subtle hint of purple

A signature of Oumlil's is this hand-pleated silk blend fabric, here used as a highlighting touch on the back panel of a jacket.

Oumlil is especially fascinated with the shape of the back of a man's jacket, and curve by which his jackets hug the back is just exceptional.

He uses the same pleats on a pair of powder blue shorts, perfect with a white button-down, or a diaphanous white t-shirt, espadrilles by Hermés---on the Riviera (!), a fruity drink, and a new blue Rolex Submariner won just last night at the Monte Carlo.

The pleats lend a vaguely military vibe to a jacket in bluish gray wool.

cap-toes in denim and leather

bottoms

Oumlil is very passionate about the work he does; he does all the sketches and is very heavily involved in pattern making and finishing. Here the designer explains the many layers of linen canvas that go inside a jacket, and how these can be lessened or added to according to the climate in the area where the client intends to wear the jacket.

doodles: ideas for collars, gloves, jackets, and even womenswear

Oumlil's official site

Supermarket Shoes

I have been known to wear dress shoes to just about any occasion, but there is a time and place for sneakers: long walks of food guilt, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, the morning after. Though I wouldn't normally wear sneakers past sundown, I do think that the mark of a well-dressed man is in looking just as fine off-duty as he does suited up. At Whole Foods on a lazy December Saturday, with black upon layered black Comme-Yohji and Comme-Yohji-inspired vintage piled over my sleep clothes, these shoes will be as cozy as they are sharp.

Roc two-eyelet stitch down boot in off-white full grain leather by ohw?

ohw? (pronounced who) is a new label from footwear fanatics Stephen Gill and Hiro Chen launching this line of shoes and boots, with moccasin, hiking, baseball and desert boot influences, all produced in a company-owned factory in Zhuhai, China with sustainable, employee-empowering business practices. It's an interesting proposition, and with business in China booming at a pace quite difficult to keep up with, this seems to be a step in the right direction.

I tend to favor low-tops over high-tops for ease of wear, so I think I'll go for these Hiro single-eyelet stitch down shoes. The cleanliness of the single lace line, the full-grain white leather, the tech rubber sole---grocery day perfection!

photographs via ohw?

London Lunacy

A recent visit to the London Show Rooms to view the designers' Spring 2012 collections reminded me of the boldness, originality, and oftentimes lunatic charm that I find lacking in New York's more sober, commercial fashion scene. "So bad it's good" was a recurring theme among my picks, and depending on your degree of risk-aversion---once-in-a-while or once-and-for-all---it's mighty fun to break the rules.

So wrong it's right: studs, tattoo prints, and a huge "ELVIS" sign seemingly DIY-sewed on to the back of a faux-denim knit jacket sound like a recipe for chaos, but with summer blacks and beat-up black lace-ups, I think this Sibling jacket could be next season's beautiful disaster.

Cozette McCreery, in a Sister by Sibling neon leopard-print sweater, holds up the jacket to show the circus-font "YES" on one sleeve and the tattoo prints on the other.

The time for leopard print (at least in my world) has passed, but the mirage-like quality of the digital cheetah and tiger prints on this Katie Eary silk shirt is enthralling. With the gold buttons, and the peek-a-boo detail right under the collar, tucked into sharp navy trousers, this would be perfect for hosting a summer soiree.

Katie Eary's eagle-headed cheetahs are as absurd as they are beautiful.

exaggerated epaulettes by Katie Eary

Lou Dalton's inspiration was the miners strike in the UK during the 80s and the Pitman Painters, livened up by the idea of the swan and the duckling, and it was fascinating to see how clearly this inspiration was translated into her clothes.

These fully-lined white denim bermuda shorts by Lou Dalton are carefully hand-frayed all over to resemble feathers.

This Lou Dalton Swarovski crystal-encrusted chain mail cummerbund/apron is regal, warriorlike, and gentlemanly all at the same time.

Lace panels bring a subtle gentleness to this easy white t-shirt.

photographs taken at the London Showrooms in NYC

The Zookeeper of Jewels

I recently discovered the work of jewelry designer Marc Alary at a show in New York, and was very much drawn to the his mostly wildlife-inspired and mobile pieces, and the passion with which he spoke about them. “I’d like my menagerie to be interactive,” says Alary. “I hope people will not only wear my jewelry but run their fingers over the zebra's patterns, play with the moveable limbs of the monkey, spin the panther ring for good luck, or because they are lost in thought. Animals are very comforting to us, they are our friends and protectors.” Marc Alary's pieces are filled with childlike wonder, crafted out of the finest of precious metals and stones, all made in New York City, and are subtle and wearable. Let me share with you my tête-à-tête with the French jeweler.

Marc Alary, face obscured with a wooden hand filled with his rings (portrait by Robbie Fimmano)

You spoke about childhood and the comforting nature of animals as the inspiration for your collection. I was obsessed with animals as a child. What was your favorite animal growing up? What are your favorite animals now, and why?

I grew up with two dogs that were following us pretty much everywhere, I guess they were so comforting in the fact that I knew they were here for me at all time should I needed them. Something I also realized pretty young is that you can be surrounded by your owns (humans) that talk your own language but still you can feel quite alone at time, a feeling I never sensed when I'm around animals. I like to think animals understand our state of mind. There is something incredibly soothing about animals, it is really hard to really define what it is. But when you think about it, we tend to give stuffed animals to kids and baby when they are growing up, we rely on those animals as they were alive to protect us and to be with us while we grow up.

For me it is the same with my menagerie of precious animal, I rely on my monkey necklace and panther ring for protection. I think I just love animals, it is something inside me. Maybe for their wilderness? I just like the way they are, how perfect they are, the variety of each animal. The way each of them are different but adapt perfectly to their environment. I also believe in Talismans and animal being protectors of us. That is why I like to carry them with me on my neck or around my finger as good luck charms. For me they are my protectors.

monkey pendants in yellow and rose gold by Marc Alary

As for my favorite animal when I was a kid, I think I would have loved to have a panther, as it is majestic and incredibly beautiful. As for now, I'm not sure I could answer what would be my favorite animal, I think I like them all, each with their individual character, whether it is their particular anatomy, their colors, their skins or feathers, the fur, the prints. I just love the variety, so all of them!! Though I might have soft spot for monkeys!

How do the French like to wear jewelry? Do they like to pile it on? Or wear just one special piece?

Well, I guess the thing with French is when it comes to fashion there is not much rules, it really depends what you like and what you believe. Some people are very traditional with their jewelry, they like to wear one special piece very dear to them and that will be the special touch to a lot of their different outfits or style, it will somehow the common thread to all their styles. Those people will be able to mix their special piece of jewelry with very dressed up traditional outfit as well as with very casual outfits. Some people also start to wear one piece of jewelry and they will never be able to take it down for many years or even to change it. There is a lot of mystic beliefs when it comes to jewelry and even more with precious metals and precious stones.

an assortment of Marc Alary's rings: the panther, the leaf, and the articulated monkey in various metals and stone settings

Some other people like to pile it on, in general I observed that the people who can pile their jewelry have more 'natural dispositions' (if I can say) to change or switch jewelry more often, but there is always exceptions to the rules.

In my case, I used to pile it on for a while, never too much rings though, it was more pendants on a single chains, I use to like make groups with themes. Now I'm more into the idea of wearing between one to three pieces, I always wear my lucky charm panther ring, I have been wearing it since I first designed it two and a half years ago, I traveled to many places with it. I also usually wear my monkey, and from time to time I accentuate those two pieces with another more complex piece, whether it is my articulated monkey ring or articulated elephant caravan ring or something else.

The leaf ring is the one Marc Alary piece I covet the most. He made them to represent the four seasons (portraying summer, laid on top of spring, winter, and fall, respectively). I think the spring leaf ring in white gold with green diamonds (!) is immensely exquisite.

Who are the jewelry designers you look up to?

I'm very classic in my tastes and usually like old designers, one of my very favorite being René Lalique, his jewelry and work was simply stunning. I like the work of past designers, cause they use to take the time to work on piece and mostly their work was dictated by the idea of creating something beautiful and truly unique rather than selling, but I guess it was also a different time, as back then most piece of jewelry created was made after private commission. Though I think it is definitely possible to achieve commercial success and at the same time doing something truly creative and beautiful. I also like the work of Faberge, for the quality of their products and some of the stories they were telling through their pieces. One of the jewelry designer I really like, but he is mostly famous for his art is Alexander Calder, his pieces and his work was absolutely genius. Otherwise I don't know much about other designers, it isn't that I am not interested, I just avoid looking too much around me so I don't get my head polluted by other ideas. I usually try to find my inspiration somewhere else, clothes. toys, everyday objects, books, music... Still I absolutely recognize the talent of the people working for huge companies like Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Chaumet, Boucheron.

Alary's articulated monkey ring in yellow gold would add just that little hint of whimsy to ruffle up a trim navy suit.

How do you deal with the rising price of gold and diamonds?

That is a tough question, cause it is a real problem for us jewelry designers.

At some point the price of the gold doubled from what it used to be a year and half ago! So it definitely makes our work really difficult. Personally I'm not interested in doing much smaller piece in order to use less gold, I'm not saying it is a bad idea, not at all, it just isn't part of my vision as a designer for now, I'm much more interested in finding some other alternatives, which I'm working on at the moment. What I tried to do is to stick to what I believe: working on some truly original designs with real integrity and an authentic story behind it (and you have to be honest about this, I really dislike people who try to create that feel of authenticity when it isn't true) I want my design to show my passion and dedication to my work, last but not least, you have to try to give the best quality to serve your designs. I think customers are very sensitive to those things.

for the ladies in your lives (or men who like their earrings dangly): Marc Alary monkey earrings with citrine bananas

What piece of jewelry do you wear everyday? To special occasions?

I wear my panther ring, I always have it with me, wherever I go, even when I'm traveling or doing exercises I never take it out. I also usually wear my monkey pendant everyday. To special occasions, depending on what clothes I'm wearing, if it is a bit casual, like a nice t-shirt with a jacket I wear my regular monkey pendant. If I'm wearing a buttoned shirt with tie, I will probably wear a monkey pin on the collar of my jacket, very chic! Then I have a couple of Rings that I wear alternatively, to suit my mood or the event, it is the one truly great thing of being a jeweler you have a wide collection.

Marc Alary wearing his monkey pendant in a self-portrait for The Dandy Project (New York City, 10/26/2011)

Marc Alary's jewelry is available at Colette in Paris and at Liberty in London.

photographs via Marc Alary