Broccoli Holders & Cardholders

I had a client -- now a good friend -- who used the rubber band from Broccoli stalks to hold his credit cards.  He also traveled across the US on $2.00 and is the cheapest and smartest man I know.  Chuck would die laughing at a 44€  replacement for his rubber band but I like these sexy little cardholders from the little known French company of ideas, Striiiipes.  Designed and made in Paris, what's not to like...

I've discussed Striiiipes before here and there.  I've made a big deal of the owner, Arthur.  And one day soon, I suspect, Striiiipes and Arthur will make it big and the dump trucks of cash will pull up to their doors.  Until that day - however - they cannot be expected to go beyond a certain a point.  Which means they sell out of stuff fast.

This magnificent little alligator number at 95€ is history.

There's a lot more out there for bet. 44 & 62€  but who knows for how long.


And that's what's great about Striiiipes.  That what you buy isn't coming at you from every direction.  The uniqueness of some every day tool that makes reaching into your pocket for a card that much more exciting.  Well, exciting is probably the wrong word.  "Awesome." That's the word.  Overused hyperbole to define the understated and hushed quiet of gravitas.  Thats the contrarian ticket I love. Which would fit into this cardholder but not broccoli

Turning Lemons Into Friends

One of the things I like about Arthur is the distance he's managed to travel so far off the reservation. Unashamedly original, Arthur Lhermitte is the owner of Striiiipes, a small on-line shop in Paris.  I've written about Arthur before and I believe he stands on the firmest ground when it comes to matters of taste - without being pretentious - while being just a little crazy. No small feat. Unlike the Chinese who have very small feet. Why is that?

This pocket square (I rarely wear pocket squares, or tie bars, or dental floss around my wrists) is one of three (Pico, Tonic & Peps) echoing vintage fruit wrappers back when fruit was important enough to be have a wrapper of its own. It's a voile-like silk perfect for Summer. So light it almost seems to fly away in the pocket.

Perfect for an unlined blazer of hopsack or a linen jacket and open collared shirt. It would make a great gift when someone least expects it. Not for father's day or a birthday but just because… Give one to an old friend you recently pissed off. That's the title of the post, you know; "Turning Lemons Into Friends." Life's too short to hold a grudge that can be gotten rid of for a lousy 36 Euros. Although, I may not have enough to buy for the Chinese.

MY FW: Striiiipes

There's a spectacular restaurant in Paris within eye shot of the Eiffel Tower and while it's not much to look at, the food and wine are amazing. Only seven tables -- Only one seating a night. Vin Sur Vin or, "Twenty over Twenty," a French expression for, 'best of the best' is one of my favorite restaurants. But this isn't about a favorite  restaurant -- This is about a favorite web site, Striiiipes,  in which the owner, Arthur Lhermitte designs some of the most amazingly creative play things to wear.

My favorite, and sadly gone for now, but who knows, is this lobster shirt. Perfect for explaining my favorite expression from Spain, 'Que Langosta' for a woman's rear end (Where's the sweetest lobster meat? In the tail). It wasn't cheap but I'd rather wear it more than anything else nowadays. With a little shouting maybe Arthur will bring it back.

If you really like the lobster shirt -- There's always the lobster belt.

Not being a pocket square guy but unable to stop buying them -- Arthur's Air Mail pocket square connected me to my childhood and growing up with a military father and lots & lots of air mail envelopes. Mostly from Asia -- The paper was thin like a whisper and bordered in red, white and blue. I don't remember being excited by anything today as much as I was by seeing an air mail envelope with the old man's scratch on it.

Back in Paris, I remember having dinner at Vin Sur Vin and seeing an older couple in their 60s...he, with a huge head of grey hair over a DB navy blazer, rep tie and grey trousers -- She, silvered as well in a red knit St John the color of Georgia brick -- Neither, what you'd call in shape but happily exhibiting bread, butter and wine in their profiles...They are what I aspire to.

A pony tailed Englishman in a t shirt and his anemic blonde wife sat next to the older couple and when my hero ordered a second bottle of champagne, Pony Tail said laughingly, "You sure do drink a lot -- What are you celebrating?" I would've said, "My first blow job," but my hero did something I'll never forget. He turned and looked at Pony Tail... Held the look for at least five full seconds...and, without uttering a word, turned back to his companion. Pony Tail looked like a confused 12 year old. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen...

And so are these cashmere gun gloves. Jesus, when will someone hire me to write catalog copy...Probably not the most PC thing to don on the Upper East Side but, like my hero at Vin Sur Vin said, without saying a word, "Screw em." There are only five pair, and there's just one size but Mon Dieu, are they ballsy. There's not much to buy but there's a lot to love about Striiiipes. As the monster-huge retailers beat you over the head with the obvious -- It's always the small guy who whispers.

Arthur Lhermitte, You gotta love this guy.

"As for the Striiiipes website, I created and launched it in September 2012.
The idea is to showcase new products (fashion design, product design...) that trigger imagination.
We try to select a wide variety of products from different designers.

As for me, I was studying in a business school in France, and had the opportunity to work and study in other countries (Netherlands, USA, China...). A few years ago I decided to learn about fashion design, at the Studio Berçot in Paris.

Working in the fashion industry since then, I created Striiiipes.com along with other projects.
It started as a hobby but rapidly grew into a success. I am now working on new products (accessories, apparel...), and looking for new designer who would showcase some of their products on Striiiipes.com

As for the next steps, we'll try to have more retailers throughout the world (we had a special collaboration with Selfridges in London, and in other concept stores in Europe).

As for my favorite restaurant, when I was living in Shanghai I used to have dinner at some really small restaurants on the side walk of the streets. Really small, not really clean but very good traditional Chinese food. I am now in Paris, when I have some time, I like to go to Angélina tearoom rue de Rivoli, and have a Mont-Blanc for an hour or two.

I hope I answered your questions, let me know if you need anything else."
Best,

Arthur Lhermitte

Bill Cunningham Will Take Your Picture

Shore Leave

No need for Brasso

Gym bag or a lunch bag

It's a big mother -- 24" long, 12" wide and 12" deep. You see a lot of bags like this in NYC. Always a guy who's in shape and lives at the gym. I don't go to the gym anymore and when I did I had a locker. Even had a laundry service although it could turn a black t-shirt light grey in one washing. Anyone looking to distress t-shirts should go no further than the Union League in Chicago.

I like this bag despite it looking somewhat "Tommy Hilfiger-ish." At least it's not "Vera Bradley-ish."  Made of Dacron sail cloth (not cheap stuff), it's roots are nautical but it's not gonna look outta place on 57th and 5th Avenue. Heck, Bill Cunningham might take your picture if you're carrying this bag -- and you look like you work out.  I think it's the perfect size for a lunch bag. 

I gave the Americana bag by True Wind to a young Navy lieutenant who's gotta thing for socks. He was in town on shore leave -- so to speak -- and volunteered to be my model. Anchor Crankers are like that. Always volunteering. After I volunteered for the army I never volunteered for anything again... I only wish he was wearing dress whites. That'd be a snappy look with this bag -- Bill Cunningham would be all over it.

The Americana Bag
$220
Get it here.

Brooks Brothers Global Citizen

Brooks Brothers Catalog, Spring, 1990 


During the bad old days of Marks & Spencer ownership (1988-2001), Brooks Brothers went through a number of bizarre...lets call them 'schemes.' A word with darker connotations in the US than in the UK.  The '90s seemed especially dark and it was hard to tell the difference between the windows of a Banana Republic Store and Brooks Brothers.  Thankfully, that has changed. 

A Roger Sterling moment with London Club tie

Back in the early '90s, I was hanging my clothes somewhere on the North Shore of Chicago and would frequent a popular Chinese restaurant in Highland Park on Sunday nights. It had the highest concentration of Coogi sweaters I have ever seen.  "Not Hot!" was the loud instruction of so many diners that I asked for everything, "Very Hot!"  Much to my own detriment a couple hours later.

Brooks Brothers calls their "Golbal Citizen" collection, "Urbane and cosmopolitan." I call it, "Not hot." The company release goes on,  "It is the blending of seemingly opposite ideas of luxury-technolgy, dressy-casual and modern-classic that sum up the philosophy behind this season's offerings."  Well, I guess that beats my summing it up with a Chinese restaurant.

Miles Davis, "Sketches of Spain."  Slim Keith in Madrid.  Marcona almonds and ice cold Manzanilla Sherry.  Seven and watching a bullfight with my father on a Mexican station in El Paso.  I want every woman I know to buy this.

A TV anchorman suit and tie. Without prejudice -- without character.  Matt Lauer comes to mind in ice cold Zegna.  Thin and neat.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  The Trench saves it with wide lapels and a look of old Hollywood.  Not '40s Noir but '30s Thin Man.  Elegant and full of motion even if it's not moving. 

Ice cold but warm in a 20 room apartment on Park.  Tiny and anemic, she never serves red wine to her guests.  Only white and champagne.  The TV in the oak paneled den is going on 20 years and the bookshelves are filled with yellowing jackets faded from sun and the 1970s.  Her nail polish is white...when she wears it. Her favorite book is a collection of  celebrity dog food recipes.

He wanted a Chesterfield but his wife told him he couldn't have one until he could afford a house with two bathrooms.  He bought one anyway and hung it on the back of his office door for a year before she found out.  Perfect with evening wear. Sternly confident in a navy or grey suit. Make do classic in jeans, suede paddock boots and a white button down on a business Sunday brunch in London.  

Replace the suede paddock boot above with a pebble finish chukka and generate contrast while tweaking the anal retentive 30 year old IT know it all from Schaumberg who tells you to wear only black shoes with a Chesterfield.  You proudly call it 'pebble' while the youth refer to it as football leather.  Or worse, 'awesome football leather.' Equally at home in the First Presbyterian Church on Michigan Ave or under a bible revival tent somewhere in Kentucky where your host is speaking in tongues.

Women always know what hat will look best on them. I don't know how.  It's Godlike.

Pretentious B&W that can be salvaged by inclusion on a NYC gallery web site.

After party at the Four Seasons bar in Chicago.  She likes Beefeater martinis and tells you she always wanted to do it in a coat room.  The simple slit of her dress hides behind her bracelet.  No designer names.  No expensive watches. She's got a good head on her. 

"Camel with fur trim," I tell the coat check girl.  Walking towards the lake past the Drake, she stops at an antique store window and points to an 18th century silver creamer, "No one buys silver anymore. I wonder why?" You smile and say, "Things change. Is that Revere?" 

Big Jake Watch Review - How Big Is Yours?

As I pack away what's left of a 21 year insurance career, old pal, fellow infantryman and adult entertainment star, Jake Rhodes (his porn name)  volunteers to review the TSOVET SVT-AT76 --  Smoke 'em if you got 'em. 

Tinseth asked me to review a watch by a manufacturer that I'm not familiar with - "TSOVET." I google and discover a southern California watch brand (wait, sorry - it's a "Timing Gauges" brand) which smacks of in-your-face machismo. Words like "industrial" and "utilitarian" are heavily used in their marketing copy. Black and white images of vintage aircraft cockpits, combat watercraft equipped with .50cal machine guns fade in and out. Are you eyeballing me boy! Show me your War Face!

I'm getting pumped! My BDU camo boonie hat left over from days humping an M16A2 around Central America is around here somewhere. Ah, there we go, a little snug...Taking a look at the black box Tinseth handed over it says "Designed in America, Built in Switzerland". This is just getting better and better. Some of the great American design classics run through my mind - the 1940 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead, the P-51 Mustang, the '69 Camaro. However, as I pull out the TSOVET model SVT-AT76 I'm sadly reminded that we're the same shmucks that came up with the Pontiac Aztek, the Snuggie, and Hair in a Can. The size of this watch is RIDICULOUS!

This is an enormous hunk of gunmetal brushed matte 316L stainless steel, the same steel type utilized by many of the finest swiss watches (although Rolex switched from 316L in the late 80's to more expensive 904L) but simply way too much of it. Tsovet states a case diameter of 48mm and a thickness of 14.55mm. Just to give you an idea for comparison purposes, my  Rolex Sea-Dweller has a case diameter of 40mm. Now, I can appreciate that watch designs through the last 75 years have been getting larger and "the youth" of America prefer a super-sized watch, but where does the insanity end? Right here with the SVT-AT76 - knock it off kids, this thing weighs an exhausting 5.8 ounces.

The design of this watch is an homage to the aviation models of the great Swiss Bell & Ross brand and presents the square-ish aircraft instrument-like shape B&R made famous. Given it's massive heft Tsovet wisely chose switch the knurled crown from the traditional right side of the case over to the left in an effort to eliminate it digging painfully into the back of your hand. The crown and case back are a screw down type providing ample protection and a 100 meter water resistance rating should you attempt a challenging one armed butterfly stroke. There are four exposed screw heads on the front and back of this model further providing an industrial look to this "timing instrument". Opposite the crown the 14.55mm thick sided case has a small plate containing a faint engraving of the model number set flush into the body of the watch held in place by two small screws, a neat feature.

The dial is clutter free  in matte dark gray  (which I like quite a bit) displaying bold luminescent 2-4-6-8-0-12 numbers. (Did you catch that? Where the number "10" is supposed to be there is a "0" instead, you would think that given the goliath proportions of the dial they could somehow slip in an extra number). There is a small date window near the 4 o'clock marker and large sword-shaped hands with a great deal of yellow/green lume providing excellent low light visibility. An interesting note, the Tsovet name written small under the 12 o'clock marker although written white instead of yellow/green also contains luminescent material and glows well in the dark (another cool nerdy feature I haven't seen before). All this is covered with a hardened mineral crystal without an anti-glare coating, both of which is most likely a cost savings measure when compared to a more expensive and more scratch resistant sapphire.

The movement is quartz... whatever. This particular model comes with a soft thick  22mm tan leather strap with contrasting white stitching and a large stainless steel tang buckle laser engraved with the brand name. The strap appears to be held in place within the case lugs by two very, very small screws. If they are actually functioning parts rather than simply cosmetic I strongly advise that you don't take this to the mall jeweler to change out the strap as their size and positioning no doubt invite deep scratches and hurt feelings. 

In review, the box itself gave me a hint as to the dichotomy of the Tsovet brand - a watch "Designed in (a bloated) America, Built (quite well) in Switzerland". Would I wear this watch, let's just say I'm not a member of its intended target market... real men.

Trad Xmas List: Carroll & Co Cashmere Sweatshirt

Full disclosure-  I have a huge prejudice against most things California.  Whenever I see a Los Angeles address for a PR pitch, I delete it without reading it. Why?  Because I know it will have something to do with celebrities and I don't give a shit what sunglasses or t-shirt a celebrity wears much less what magazine cover they're gonna be on. What really amazes me is why so many people do care.

Carroll & Co Wall of Cashmere

John Carroll, third generation owner of Beverly Hills haberdasher, Carroll & Co., isn't all that crazy about naming his celebrity customers and that's refreshing.  The 48 year old self proclaimed traditionalist does want you to know that, while his tailored clothing (suits) business is down, casual sportswear is up. Way up.

Keep it simple

Unique, at least to me, is Carroll's cashmere sweatshirt.  Knitted in Hawick, Scotland, Carrol has been selling 32 colors of his contrarian cashmere for 30 years.  At $450, its become something of a collectable among his regular customers and I think it's over due for some East coat exposure.



Mama warned me about girls like Evelyn

Color selection is generous but I'd prefer white -- With jeans and dark brown suede paddock boots -- I think it's something Clint Eastwood's character in the actor's 1971 directorial debut, Play Misty for Me, might wear cruising Hwy 1 south of Montery in his convertible Jaguar with Donna Mills at his side and Jessica Walter waiting for them both in Carmel...Poor Jessica was robbed... robbed, I tell you,  from a Golden Globe by Jane Fonda in Klute that year...not that I'm, uh... into celebrities. 

Carroll & Co.
425 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, California 90210
Phone Orders:  (888) 331-9060

Christmas Party Sport Coat...

With party name tag

The Friday Belt: Corked on Mezcal

Vida Mezcal ($36) from Del Maguey

El Bebida:
There wasn't a worm in the bottle and I didn't get stinking drunk and wind up with a dead donkey in a ditch. Although, it could've happened. Vida ($36) is considered entry level Mezcal.  I consider it a huge value. Firstly, I like that Mezcal is smokey. If you like Islay single malt or back bacon or smoked almonds or Lapsang Souchong tea, this, my friend, is the stuff for you... and most certainly for me. It's like drinking a Cuban cigar.

Two - I discovered Mescal only recently -- It was about the time I started pissing everyone off. Kidding.  I've been pissing off folks for years. I saw John Huston's 'Under the Volcano' and was both terrified and awed  (Awed is such a better word than awesome) by the main character, a complete pile of whale shit played by Albert Finney. As we used to say in the Airborne, "Nothing's lower than whale shit."

Three- Because of the single malt smokiness, I tried Mezcal as a Rob Roy.  Didn't work. I also tried it with  Campari, sweet and dry vermouth and too many tequlla recepies to mention.  I think it's best sipped straight with a big plate of Puerco Pibil and a couple beers as a chaser. Keep your consumption to that and you'll be awarded with increased clarity of vision.  Drink too much and you'll wind up in a ditch with a donkey.




"A dish so good, you might get wacked just for making it." Robert Rodriguez

Cork belt ($40) from Cork Design

El Cinturón:

As a kid living in El Paso, my family would go into Juarez all the time. This was long before it turned into a war zone. I remember eating tacos from street vendors.  Hand made corn tortillas, beef, cilantro, diced raw onion and a squeeze of lime juice.  That was it and it still is.

I remember the Mexican men wearing belts that were cowboy in origin and the leather was always a light tan. These belts were a real contrast against blue jeans. Many miles from Juarez, a couple ladies in Fernandina Beach, FL are making belts and lots of other stuff outta cork.  I love the color of cork and this belt takes me back to those days in Juarez.  I'm gonna suggest they look at making a belt with a detachable buckle.  That would open up all kinds of possibilities.

It's nice to know cork is fire resistant 'cause if you drink enough Vida Mezcal your belt might catch on fire...

An Afternoon with Alice at The Carlyle

All photos by Alice Olive (click to enlarge)

Friday afternoon just before 6PM. A second floor ballroom in the Carlyle Hotel with an iced G&T and Alice Olive. We look around. Costume jewelery designer, Lisa Salzer of Lulu Frost is footing the bill and the room as she grips and grins the crowd under a beautiful short shock of white hair that takes me back to Sydney in 1987.

I tell Alice the pictures I want. Only a certain cool blonde and a Islay single malt redhead. I recall a favorite bumper sticker in London, "Warning! I Brake for Blondes but Back Up for Redheads." I stand alone by an unused kitchen entrance and watch Alice shoot the room with a memory card clenched between her teeth and an extra lens in the crook of an arm.

No one sees like Alice Olive. In a world of self professed photographers, whose only pictures are ripped off cliches of Steve McQueen, Paul Newman & James Dean pasted on Tumblers with hackneyed Gore Vidal quotes (What is with these guys?) -- Miss Olive is the real deal.

After the show, we step off an elevator and into the lobby. A woman in a hat, in front of an 18th Century painting, stops me cold. I ask if Alice can take her picture. She agrees. I tell Alice what I want. Alice shoots it the way she wants which... if you see like Alice -- is the way it should be. But I crop it anyway...