Archival Restock: Billykirk Leathergoods

We've restocked the AC Web Shop with more best quality leather goods by our friends at Billykirk. We now carry the Abstract and "Handmade in USA" skinny cuffs in dark brown with brass hardware. The card/cash case, one of the few small wallets on the market, pairs well with our new, comparatively voluminous AC flap wallet.

"Handmade in the USA" skinny leather cuff

Billykirk card/cash case

Abstract cuff in dark brown with brass hardware

Archival Progress Report

Shawl collar cardigans (late November delivery)

Archival Clothing web belt with Horween leather tip (next week)

Billykirk Abstract cuffs (available)

Saint James cotton and wool scarf restock

Steele Canvas Basket tote w/revised stencil (next week)

Archival Field Bag (coming soon)

On Thursday, we're heading out to NYC to see Tom and visit shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Tom and I will set aside time to review notes on the waxed jacket sample I just picked up from our sewer in Portland. Here are a few more Archival Clothing projects that will be making their debut in the coming weeks and months.

Next week, we'll have a restock of Archival Clothing web belts. For this production run, we've die cut a lightweight Horween hide for the belt tip. The belt will combine three of our favorite archival materials: Horween leather, mil spec cotton webbing and solid brass hardware.

I just received the first sample of our pure new worsted wool, shawl collar cardigan. Centralia Knitting Mills should deliver our full shipment by mid to late November. Look for the sweater in four colorways: multi-weave gray, cardinal red, navy and light gray. We've sized the sweaters for everyone from petite women to semi-sizeable gents. I'll be sporting my sample during shop visits this weekend.

Terry is busy sewing up new runs of our Archival Clothing Rucksacks and Flap Musettes in all colorways. He will also be working on our first small production run of Archival Clothing Field Bags. I'll file a separate report on this project closer to the release date.

In the next two weeks, we will be taking delivery of more Steele Canvas Basket totes with a stencil based on a vintage company pattern. Our custom janitor's tote will probably be available by mid-November.

We're waiting to see the first samples of our discharge printed, US made, all cotton kerchief. Progress report on this project to be filed shortly.

Check back in the next few weeks for more product pix and updates.

And look for an Archival NYC field trip report next week.

Archival Report: Winn Perry Spring 09

Loden Dager car coat

Spring cottons

Internal snap cuff detail

Loden Dager M50 jacket

Mjolk trousers

sQuoddy chukka

Columbia Knit rugby shirts and sweaters

Shirting

Common Projects and Quoddy

Our Legacy corduroy jacket

Jordan in SNS Herning cardigan

Here's a brief, June-in-January visual update from Winn Perry in Portland, Oregon. In addition to carrying exemplary brands like Quoddy, SNS-Herning and Obedient Sons, Winn Perry sells a number of unique, Portland-made items like Columbia Knit rugby shirts and this handmade cowhide satchel by "friend Steve".

Custom leather satchel (sold, I believe)

Here's the Billykirk card case I purchased during my last visit:

Billykirk in Lane County (after this project)

Check the Winn Perry website for general sartorial wisdom and up-t0-date product offerings.

Looks like h(y)r collective has a new favorite store too.

Another blog report on Winn Perry and Duchess from Design*Sponge.

Archival Baggage: Billykirk Field Bag

Billykirk waxed cotton field bag

Although I have no earthly need for another bag of any kind (messenger, musette or otherwise), I'm coveting this new field bag by Billykirk. In my mind, the BK bag fills the niche between my Frost River cartridge bag (flimsy) and Filson medium field bag (heavy on the shoulder for cycling). The Billykirk bag combines a waxed cotton main body w/soft leather side and back panels (resembling, through bag ancestry, this Orvis Battenkill field shoulder bag). It has the light (nearly foldable) weight of a musette with the more advanced pocketing of a traditional shoulder (or shell) bag. Although the leather paneling dresses up the bag, it makes it a bit luxe (for me) for daily use. However, I've heard that future iterations of the bag might be made in full waxed cotton. Trying to decide on color options: olive, tan or black?

I was chirped at by a Portland "concept store" for taking photos of the Billy Kirk bag--so I apologize for their hurry-up, spy shot quality (no privileged access for me).

For context, a few other field shoulder bag examples:

Frost River shell bag (poor shoulder strap design)

Filson tin cloth medium field bag (nice save for those plastic clasps)

Military field bag (austerity model)

Hunting World options

Archival Field Trip: Winn Perry

Jordan Sayler, owner and operator of Winn Perry, is one of the nicest, next generation archival gents you'll ever meet. On Saturday, friend Erin and I drove up to take photographs of Sayler's shop and browse his Billy Kirk bag selection (and Obedient Sons dress shorts) .

Erin originally found Winn Perry while tracking down Duchess, a vintage inspired, made-to order-clothier sharing retail space with Winn Perry.

Winn Perry carries such admirable, hard-to-find-in-the-Northwest brands like Makr, Billy Kirk, Baxter of California, Alexander Olchs, Our Legacy, Obedient Sons, Gloverall, SNS-Herning, Grenson and Alden, as well as many original garments (pants, jackets and vests) created by Duchess. The shop also carries some cryptic gents' accessories like shaving supplies, tie bars, cuff links, etc. , which I admired from afar but failed to fully document.

Duchess jacket lining

Sayler kindly permitted us to distract him with questions about his product offerings while customers streamed in to shop from the Winn Perry racks or coordinate fittings with Duchess. Sayler spoke with us about his future focus on primarily stocking USA-made products and our shared obsession with a low-top version of the Alden Indy boot (he produced a photo of a custom made pair, found online, in brown aniline calf leather).

Alden Indy shoes (custom jobber)

Sayler seems to still be sorting out Portland/Northwest demand for more premium menswear brands (we talked about Edward Green) while making sure his current customers have access to the kind of well made but reasonably affordable, heritage items offered for sale in his shop. Sayler is also interested in producing Winn Perry originals. For starters, he mentioned a potential collaboration with a friend on a Winn Perry canvas bag.

Live field report: during our visit, a not quite my size, SNS-Herning fisherman's sweater was sold to an actual customer and might be now sighted on the streets of Portland.

SNS-Herning sweater (sold!)

Although the Winn Perry shop is quite compact, Jordan has staged the space to highlight individual clothing categories without overcrowding the total space (again, in split screen mode with Duchess). An old dry goods cabinet (purchased from Craiglist in California) functions as the central display area for Sayler's well curated selection of footwear. Winn Perry is located in a historic, brick building with high windows, double doors and a fetching, white tile floor. The total effect is that of a classic (but not fabricated) menswear shop that you might have visited with your parents during a childhood day trip into the city.

Sayler's vintage, benchmade shoes

After I visited Winn Perry, I emailed Sayler to see if he could elaborate on his concept for Winn Perry and any specific, future plans he might have for his shop (and brand). Here's what he had to say:

When I was starting Winn Perry, I wanted to create a sort of emporium for men to find quality items (clothing, shave products, etc). I also wanted it to incorporate custom clothing as that had become a much greater proportion of my own wardrobe, thanks to Duchess. When it started, it was really a place for men to get a custom suit made by Duchess and find accessories or a ready to wear suit if they didn't have the time or need for custom. As time goes by, the store is slowly evolving into a place to come and find quality products that I think other people might find interest in.

Made in the USA is becoming an ever expanding part of the store's ethos and I hope to continue that trend, although I am not against a well-made, well-designed product that is produced outside the USA. I do believe that it is important to support the local and domestic community, because as more manufacturing gets shipped off shore, we lose crafts, skills, and jobs that have supported Americans for generations and we become 'reliant' on a service economy -- never a good thing. Made in the USA used to mean craftsmanship, reliability, and longevity. I hope that Winn Perry can do a little bit to help revive those ideas.

Billy Kirk bag on model