QUICK NOTES JUSTICE

• FJ HOUSE member Dylan Sittig did some work with Food Forward this weekend, an organization that harvests unused fruit from participating private owners and redistributes it to local charities.  Maybe he can tell you more about it in the future.
• Considerable work has been done to the FJ GARDEN.  Look for photos and updates in the future.
• The New York Times has published two interesting articles about Apple and the cost of foreign manufacturing.  First was their unsettling look at the dim future of American technology manufacturing, followed by an equally dark look at the human costs of Apple's Chinese production.  Both are interesting looks at the other side of a company that's generally regarded to be not evil, and reveal the high costs of affordable luxury items.  
• On a similar note, awesome blog Well Spent posted a piece called Why Clothes Cost What They Do, which explains why its worth it to pay more for quality.  It compiles the commentary of some of the coolest designers and manufacturers out there, including another brilliant exposition from American hero Eunice Lee.  Fellow Minnesotan Kat McMillan (from Pierrepont Hicks) hits another one home in the comments section.  Well Spent have also put out a feature on American-made slippers, something I didn't believe to exist until two minutes ago.
• I had a really good orange for breakfast this morning. 

MENSWEAR JUSTICE: Milan and Paris Fall 2012 Round-up

Menswear was weird this year.  Suits?  Dark grey suits?  With slim tailoring?  And black overcoats?  And portfolio bags?  What are they trying to do here, sell me something I want?  I'd rather dress like a Mongol warrior and wear full-length skirts, #thanksnothanks.  It was bizarre though, I actually enjoyed more than 50% of the Paris and Milan Fall 2012 shows.  Even perennial least-favorites like Dries Van Noten and Acne put together pleasant ensembles, not only featuring items I would consider wearing, but entire outfits that actually looked nice.  I was disappointed by Kim Jones's second showing for Louis Vuitton (but then, his debut was an awfully tough act to follow), and Mark Jacobs didn't put forward anything especially remarkable (but then, how could you beat his Spring RTW?), but everyone else, from Prada to Alexander Wang, put on sharp, respectable, almost (gasp!) traditional shows.  I could go on about this for hours (that Valentino hair styling!  Those Carven pocket protectors!), but there are few businesses less FOOD JUST than the fashion industry, so let's focus on the good guys. That's limited, if my scan is correct, to...two.  I suppose a lot of American designers do their menswear shows during New York RTW week, but it's still a bit discouraging to see the absence of American-made lines.  There were a couple of them, though, and they both put on fantastic shows this season.  Let's hear it for Mark McNairy and Thom Browne.

I haven't warmed up to Mark McNairy as much as the rest of the menswear world has, but I thought his collection for Woolrich Woolen Mills this season was fantastic.  He blends the urban styling of his sneaker-head days with the preppy sensibility of his tenure at J. Press, and brings both to the forefront of his WWM American-heritage base.  The result is very modern, very timeless, and, most importantly, very American.  Look at the ensemble above.  The oxford is straight out of Take Ivy.  The boots are back-country work shoes in their simplest incarnation.  The hood, the bunched ankles, the buttoned top button are urban tough-guy white-boy staples.  McNairy's WWM man can do anything.  He's equally happy stomping your face in at a New Jersey bus stop as he is chopping down trees.  And he does it all wearing the cute wool cardigan his grandmother bought him.  Underneath the cute wool cardigan he inherited from his grandfather.

He even reads the newspaper!  And he wears a tie with his Timberlands!  Once again, Ivy league charm gracefully paired with working class grit, anchored by self-aware traditionalism.  McNairy isn't trying to fool anyone; the newspaper fits into a mesh pocket on a bright yellow quilt-knit.  He's not denying modernity.  He's just trying to find a spot where traditionalism still has a place. 

 

In the end, I think this collection will best be remembered for its use of the baseball cap.  McNairy, like Ebbets Field, returns the cap to its roots.  He constructs it from wool, maintains its traditional shape, and wears it like its meant to be worn: straight and low.  The result is something tougher than any absurdly-angled, straight-billed fitted could ever produce.  The drab flannels and the thick laces just add to the effect.  The future of street fighting is American traditionalism.  

That's certainly the case with Thom Browne's latest collection.  Bizarre and unsettling as always, Thom's latest was slightly more comprehensible than usual: it's just punks vs. jocks, obviously.  What's interesting about the whole show is that the punks and the jocks are basically wearing the same things.  Every look is made up of traditional, extremely preppy standards (blazers, anchor prints, green and pink striping).  It's not even as if the punks wear them all that differently than the jocks.  Sure, they add spikes, bondage masks, and disgustingly low waistline, but the general look is essentially the same.

If the punks didn't look like that scary guy from the American Horror Story commercials, and the jocks didn't look like disfigured steroid addicts, all of these clothes would be completely respectable.  The letter jacket on the first jock, the critter blazer on the second punk, the tuxedos on the last two looks are all timeless classics, and I imagine Mr. Browne will be selling them in more reasonable forms in his New York shop this fall.  On the runway, however, they've been distorted into something horrific.  Maybe it's a commentary on postmodern young people and their ability to manipulate materials to their specifications, no matter what the original purpose was (what's less punk than prep?  What's more punk than slashing up preppy staples?  What's the meaning of either to the deconstructed mind of technology-addled youth?).  Maybe it's a commentary on the traditionalist roots which continue to run through all American style.  I like to see it as a commentary the importance of size and build, and how that impacts one's overall style and look.  Half the time, skinny kids look like punks because they're skinny, and kids with broad shoulders look like jocks because they were born with broad shoulders.  They can both be wearing a flannel, but it's the scrawny one who's going to be called a hipster.  Anyway, I liked this collection.  I thought it was Thom Browne's funniest, most thought-provoking show in awhile, whacky without completely going off the deep-end, like he did last June.  I usually hate this sort of thing, but I have a soft-spot for Thom.  What else can you really do after reinventing the suit?        

Thom Browne and Woolrich Woolen Mills are both made well in the USA.  Woolrich is conceivably affordable; Thom Browne is not.  Both are doing awesome things in the world of menswear.  Fight on, America.

-Ben "The Most Awesome" Tuthill

MENSWEAR JUSTICE: Tory Leather

The belt I've had for the past few years (I stole it from my Kindergarten best friend's dad, I think) finally broke, finally giving me the opportunity to buy a new one from Tory Leather.  All the cool kids have known about Tory belts for years, and I felt left out without one.  I opted for the 1-inch Havana leather with a standard brass buckle.  I have nothing but undying praise.

Why are you so great, Tory Leather belt?  Why are you made in America?  Why are you bench-made from American leather?  Why are you only $30 with shipping?  Why does anyone buy any other belt but you?

Your quality is impeccable.  Your English bridal bridle leather is so smooth.  Your stitching is beautiful.  Your brass fastenings ensure me that your buckle won't eventually fall off, leaving me with nothing but a stylish DIY key fob.  You are solid and durable, yet slim and stylish.  You are made in America.  You are the best belt in the $20-50 range.  You are probably the best belt in the $50-100 range, but you are not in that range because you are $30.  You are the best belt I have ever owned.

If you are looking for a standard leather belt, there is no reason to buy anything other than Tory Leather.  They're affordable, they're well-made, they support the American workforce and economy.  Why buy a poorly-made, foreign-manufactured belt from Target for the same price?  Why buy a similarly cheap, similarly foreign belt from Gap for more?  Tory Leather: the best bang for your buck.  Tory Leather: 21-century American heroes.  Tory Leather: FOOD JUSTICE.

Tory Leather belts are a bit tough to find, but are usually available at online equestrian stores.  Check out their website for styles, and search the tack store circuit for what you want.  I got mine from horseloverz.com.  

MENSWEAR JUSTICE: Pitti Uomo 81

Certain annual events make life go by so fast...state of the Union addresses...the Grammys...fashion weeks...is it already time for another Pitti Uomo?  It seems like just yesterday that made-in-USA-all-star label Band of Outsiders was taking center-stage at Pitti 80...

It doesn't look like Scott Sternberg and crew are making a showing this season, but keep an eye out for American-made heroes Wolverine, Red Wing Shoes, Alden, Jack Spade, and Woolrich Woolen Mills...pretty soon it will be time for another set of F/W shows...and another State of the Union...time keeps passing...what does the future bring?...what is the future of FOOD JUSTICE?...what is the future of me?

MENSWEAR JUSTICE: Shelter Half

Menswear shops featuring giant American flags seem to be becoming a bit of a thing, and the (temporary?) made-in-the-USA shop Shelter Half furthers the trend with its new South La Brea storefront.  Already featuring Union and the newly opened Unis outpost, the 100-block of S La Brea is quickly becoming the coolest street in LA (after Stratford Rd. past 49th, of course).  FOOD JUSTICE HOUSE will definitely be making a trip once we get back to California.  Photos via ACL.