Men's Second Style

First off, my apologies for the relatively low level of activity on the blog recently.  RL is taking its toll in the unhappy form of me being pretty much slammed at work, and also in the happier form of general holiday busy-ness.  As my granny used to say, it never rains but it pours.  Balance is the key and I’m working to keep mine, so bear with me through a crazy time.

Now on to more important things.  It’s been a while since we featured any of the retro/vintage stylings of designer Antonia Marat, and she’s got some new items out at Artilleri that I think are well worth our L$.  Here you see Antonia’s new Lumberjack Jacket, which I’m wearing with her new Cargo Pants, both in Black.  This pairing is one that would have suited James Dean, although it does seem, at least in retrospect, that he was iconically committed to his red canvas zip jacket, white tee and blue jeans.  If only he had known about Artilleri.

The Lumberjack Jacket (L$160) comes in restrained Black and brighter Red, both with ribbed cuffs at wrists and waist, front slash pockets and a visible zipper tab.  The Black jacket above is shown in the version that includes the collar as part of the fabric texture, but for my money, and trust me on this, you want to go with the prim-collar version, shown at right in Red.  The “sherpa” style collar is sculpted to look like it’s standing up just enough to make you Tool Cool For School, and the corresponding jacket clothing item is shaded to give the appearance of a shadow cast by the collar–very nice.

Antonia’s Denim Jacket (L$150) comes in Blue and Black.  Flap pockets on the chest and front and wrist snap closures are just like the real thing.  Heavy stitching shows at joins where the jacket has been pieced together, both front and back.  The hand-drawn cloth textures have a soft look that’s just right for comfortably broken-in denim like this.

Both jackets come with the simple shirt-layer white tank I’m wearing here.

Also new are Cargo Pants (L$120) in five colors: Army, Black, Gray, Khaki, and Navy.  These are simpler than some other cargos I’ve seen, as they’re made up of just the pants-layer clothing item and don’t include prim side pockets.  I think this is the right choice for a vintage look, and that prim pockets would have been overkill for these pants.  The pants are nicely detailed, with front and back squared-off patch pockets and a button-flap cargo pockets on each thigh.  They’re full height, which may seem a bit high if you’re used to and prefer low-rise jeans, but this is entirely approporiate to the era of which Antonia’s designs are reminiscent.

Just for fun, I’m also wearing Antonia’s Buddy glasses (L$130), which are fun enough in their pristine state but also come in a version that’s been none-too-expertly taped back together.  The frames snapped clean through right at the bridge, broken by a lucky punch thrown by that so-and-so who was hassling my girl at the sock hop last week.  Just let him try that again and he’ll see how far it gets him.

All items available at Artilleri (Artilleri 92, 123, 26).  New stuff is conveniently located right at the front of the store.