A menswear store under the influence

Our first Hixsept collection is finally here. The new clothes are already getting their place on the racks at the shop and the pole position online. What better way to celebrate this than to enjoy Hixsept’s artful lookbook for AW11, showing there’s more to this brand than the mere cloth and thread their items are made (in Portugal) from. Paint splattered floors, wooden ladders and scattered artistic elements make the backdrop for nice Liberty print shirts, oiled canvas jackets and colorful pants and tees. All imagery has the art direction of Hixsept’s founders, Aurélien Arbet and Jérémie Egry, who’s other work is also worth checking.

Browse the looks by repeatedly clicking the main image.

After going on and on antecipating the arrival of more of Raf’s pieces, it’s about time we showed our love for one of our season’s favourites. Just in at the shop are the iconic hooded sweatshirts carrying the collection’s motto in bold prints which read: “Rise of the Craftsman, Fall of the Prince”. Made from a super soft structured fabric and available in three colorways, these sweaters perfectly express the designer’s take on volume and proportion, embracing a short, boxy silhouete best paired with slim fitting bottoms for added emphasis. The functional aspect has not been left out of the equation as the pieces are both comfortable and warm, making them a perfect outerwear alternative. Trully outstanding…

See more from Raf Simons here.

Most likely taken in France, as the message written on the back suggests, this one became an all-time favourite the moment it came out of the box. We love the look’s ecletic mix, blending classic elements as the tall hat, crisp white shirt and black bowtie, with the contrasting pimped out nature of the bold fur collar coat and oversized finger bling. Even though smoking is bad for you, that smoke curtain coming out of his mouth just tops it off brilliantly. It takes a man to sport that much fur and we’re left wondering how many women would be willing to fight over that flower bouquet…

Alyssa Norton is back in stock with some colorful braid and chain necklaces and bracelets. For the newly arrived pieces, she uses hand painted or dyed leathers, suedes and silk threads, intricately mixing them with shinny silver or oxidized brass. This usual play with contrasts gives her work a strong and unique identity that results in high visual impact. As before, details are key in these highly elaborated pieces, featuring complex braiding and chain wrapping, further enhanced by the use of rose and horn lucky charms. All these elements, together with Alyssa’s trademark tassels, bring the pieces a refined tribal and ethnic vibe that take it to a whole new level.

Check out more from Alyssa Norton here.

When it comes to video promotion, few designers receive Adam Kimmel’s flow of undivided attention. Scoring an assortment of unique, original video collaborations for his collections, he’s constantly making it into the headlines of all sorts of media. However, even with such eye-popping footage on his list, none other reaches the visual impact of “Dressed for Dinner”. Making use of famed illusionist David Blaine’s unhuman breath holding abilities, Kimmel sets him up in outstanding formalwear to meet his date: great white sharks. Although it’s been shot an year ago, the stunt’s footage only surfaced recently and no matter how outdated it may be, it’s definitely worth checking…

Rio, Paris, Montreal – what if all these cities were in Sweden? For AW11, Acne delivers a twist to their basic style College sweater, with the long sleeve cotton pullover now featuring a shuffled printed front with a play on classic souvenir sweaters. Images from some of the world’s most renowned places and iconic symbols, like the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty, are the backdrop for mixed city names thus placed out of context, but always with Sweden as a subtitle. Available in grey melange, navy blue or wine, these smart sweaters show that fashion can also be humorous.

See all details here.

We’re starting off a new feature here at blog under the Things We Love category. One of the reasons for this is that there’s always one or more of us humming some tune at the shop and we’re getting tired of asking the song’s name. From now on, we won’t need to, and we will also share it with you people. While there’s still debate on which player to use, we decided to go on and publish the first list of songs we’re listening to or currently obsessing about. There’s one for every taste, with the last one being clearly the obsession…

1. DJ Quik feat. Ice Cube – “Boogie Till You Conk Out”

2. Sun Araw – “Heavy Deeds”

3. Teenage Fanclub – “I Don’t Know”

4. Mayer Hawthorne – “The Walk”

5. Shriekback – “My Spine is the Bassline”

6. Nicki Minaj feat. Eminem – “Roman’s Revenge”

Although Summer doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon here in Portugal, our wake up call to the reality of Fall is ever present as AW offerings continue to arrive at the shop. One of the best ways to go through this unstable transition period and slowly cope with temperature changes, relies in the art of layering. When it comes to it, few other items are as versatile as the time tested cardigan. Available in a variety of amped designs, fabrics and colors, we’ll make sure you don’t look like your gramps. From lightweight inner layer alternatives to heavy knit versions perfect to top your blazer, here are a few of our personal favourites.

Acne Atlas C Knit Cardigan Wine

Adam Kimmel Timberline Plaid Heavy Knit Cardigan Black

Maison Martin Margiela 10 Cable Knit Detail Cardigan

Paul Smith Contrast Detail Knit Cardigan Red

For AW11, Maison Margiela features a sublime game of textures and materials with these cricket inspired v-necks. Emulating the artisanal processes of line “0″, the two different fabrics are put together to create one piece, with a strong cable knit bib detail playing a contrast with a rich wool blend knitted body. These singular and remarkably detailed knits are available in two colors, beige with a navy and red striped neck or full grey. Get them here.

Last time we went on a buying trip, we ended up placing an order for a brand we had been spotting for a while, called Hixsept L’Oiseau Gris. Along with the nice clothes they make, they create great imagery around it and that’s also what got us into the brand. Another great thing about them is that they do all their production in Portugal, which works as a real treat to our ears. To cut a long story short, we couldn’t wait until next summer to carry their styles so, the guys at Hixsept were cool enough to prepare us a small selection of their AW11 styles which have now set sail and should be arriving next week. While we wait, here’s a video they made for the current Etudes collection.

Following last year’s success, Buttero re-edit their incredible hiking boot now with premium suede uppers and sheep wool tongue and lining. Handcrafted in Italy and available in beige or brown, the new wintery styles also feature brass eyelets with leather lacing and a contrast leather detail at heel. Leather midsoles and some strong Vibram® outsoles with stitched welt give these boots a real sturdy construction.

Working with Cornelian Taurus by Daisuke Iwanaga for a couple of seasons has given us the insight needed to explore deeper into his work and understand what it is all about – strong individual pieces built from originality. Anchored in Japanese traditional methods and techniques while fully expressing the designer’s sensibilities and background, all products are handmade following intrincate designs and enjoying durable construction. Great skill and attention to detail result in unique, excellent leather goods that make a refined brand of seasonless trend free appeal. As part of our new delivery for AW11, this amazing backpack clearly underlines all we’ve said before with its strong black canvas, brass trimmings and horse leather fish tail.

More details here.

If God is in the details then Isaac Reina must certainly be in God’s domain. Manufactured by highly trained craftsman in a small atelier in Paris, these leather goods exude a truly luxurious feel. Using supple high grade box calf leather, the AW11 collection is all made in dark blue and embodies the perfection and minimalist touch Isaac puts into his creations, with extremely well made pieces and superb finishings. The folding concept specially developed for this season highlight the brand’s sense of purpose, innovation and design while deeply grounded in the french savoir faire.

More Isaac Reina here.