The Bengal Stripe: (capsule) New York

Myself with Shaun of Port Authority & Co.

As many of you know (either from following my personal Twitter account or seeing me there in person), I spent the past couple days in the city with some fellow bloggers. A surprisingly small amount of my time was dedicated to exploring (capsule) since I didn't really have an agenda and ended up getting swept off into other corners of the city with new friends, but there were a few brands I got to check out that stood out from the pack. Lawrence pretty much covered all of them, but here's a quick summary of my top 3 picks:

First up was Schott's new line dubbed Perfecto. Included in the collection were some revised versions of the classic motorcycle jackets, A-2 bombers, and, of course; double rider jackets for both men and women. The difference in these iconic jackets is in the fabric; washed or unwashed leathers and cotton twill, waxed cotton, leather stained with both black and brown dyes, and gorgeous suede. There were also toggle coats and parkas, as well as two denim coats; a sort of toggle/chore coat, and a peacoat resembling something of a more minimal/traditional version of the infamous Mister Freedom version.

Next was Eastland Shoe Co. which really surprised me. I knew they had the resources to produce a solid line, but I had no idea they had already begun to do so. Everything they had to offer was stellar; a solid line of boots, the kiltie moc is already growing on me, and James and I were discussing and we're pretty certain olive green leather is only going to grow in popularity this fall. The collection is made entirely in Maine, and just by looking at the shoes you could tell they were top notch.

Finally there was CAMO, an Italian brand that Joe, by way of Paul, introduced the rest of us to. CAMO's strength lies in their uniquely tailored basics. Casual, traditional suiting with a twist. They had some strange harem pants I wasn't so keen on, but their knit ties, linen sport and waist coats, shirting, and pleated cotton-poplin pants with "button-flap hacking pockets" were all on point. The overall vision I got from the lookbook was traditional Italian workwear; clothing inspired by what you might see an Italian farmer or a shepherd wear. That whole aesthetic is definitely something I see selling well with the current workwear trend, and their attention to quality and details is commendable.

Stefano Ughetti, the designer wearing his collection

Honorable mention goes to: Post O'Alls, who had more of the same stuff you'd expect but in some colorful corduroy and new vintage patterned fabrics; Mark McNairy, who also had more of the same as well as a new denim chukka and some kiltie mocs I liked; Monitaly, whose linen double breasted jacket with vintage brass buttons is currently occupying a space in the back of my mind (it should be in the forefront of my closet); Kitsuné, whose wholesale price was found to be just a fraction of the retail but still had this one cardigan that James and I fell in love with; and Yuketen, whose Horween shell cordovan products made up for the majority of the shoes that were too eccentric for my taste.