A menswear store under the influence

Entitled “a CONSTELLATION within“, the Spring/Summer 2012 collection from Our Legacy takes the brand’s renowned and successful formula to a new degree. Ranging from menswear staples to more conceptual items, and covering the range from casual to formal without forgetting everything in between, the motto remains to produce quality, well constructed garments for everyday use. Among our first drops is a revamped version of everyone’s favorite and already a Legacy trademark piece, the Great Sweat. This upgraded version features a smooth cotton/silk blend fabric and washed finishing for a vintage look that just gets better with time.

See more from Our Legacy here

Worn mostly for their functionality, belts are often underated as stylish accessories that can improve your overall look. Bearing in mind that most of the times you’ll be sporting your shirts tucked in, Paul Smith delivers a variation on the surcingle belt, with leather trims on both ends, golden metal buckle and a mixed body of leather on the inside and cotton canvas on the outside. Available in three colorways: moss green, camel and off-white, just pair them with your favourite jeans or later on, shorts.

Shop Paul Smith Belts here.

Japanese ts(s) first drops are already here and this time around we’re presented a different take on their garments, drawing inspiration from oriental workwear. Making use of exquisite original indian fabrics such as madras and resorting to traditional pigment dyeing techniques, the result is a refreshingly rugged take on garments which includes a lightweight madras blazer, a linen blend shirt/jacket, cropped work pants and an unexpected tool apron to complete the look.

While the AW11 Sale are coming to an end, the first batch of new season items has just hit us. The first SS12 drops from Paul Smith, Acne and Maison Martin Margiela are a promising start and already grant us a small glimpse of what to expect: faded tones and pastels are mixed with eye-popping colors for an overall chromatic balance, perfect to receive the upcoming season. Some of us are already setting a few favourite pieces aside…

Shop New Arrivals here.

The last, but not least, of our Xmas Collabs came naturally as the result of a series of sucessful joint projects with our friends over at Os Suprematistas. Bet on creating a unique experience where gardening and nature meet design and functionality, their forward vision was most welcome in assembling our Green and Flowing Windows. This time around, we’re housing some of their most original designer jars and vases to help you get the most out of your plants and surroundings as well.

With its artisanal perfume making formula, we knew Mad et Len was going to be a hit, the moment we first set our eyes on those alluring black vials. Standing a long way from massive perfume making, the french brand focuses on sourcing the best natural raw materials, traditional craftsmanship techniques and small batch production, while keeping up with high quality standards. The rugged aesthetics of the candle’s wrought iron containers, contrasts with luxurious spun brass or the sophisticated black glass used for the perfumes and home aromas. Introducing some new amazing fragrances and scents this AW11, like Acajou, Petites Papiers or Bois de Sycomore, Mad et Len carries on with its new old school tradition.

See all Mad et Len in detail here.

Inc. is the first Portuguese bookstore fully dedicated to contemporary art editions and books. Founded in 2008, this unique project originally brought together six friends with a mutual passion for art and music, later becoming a full time job for some. Driven by impeccable taste and the will to counteract the ever growing mainstream digitalized media culture, they are but a few who still consider the rough texture of printed paper, or the flipping of the pages some of life’s pleasures. This Christmas we are carrying a small eclectic selection of their books and publications, some of which are numbered and signed by the authors, such as “Ontem” by André Cepeda or “Hard Coeur / Undisclosed Recipient” by Vasco Barata. These books and more are now available at the shop as part of our special Xmas Collabs.

Hugo Passos is a Portuguese born, London based designer who has worked for english design furniture company SCP in the recent years and before that, as a design assistant at Fredrikson Stallard where he worked on their projects for The Swarovski Crystal Palace, Bernhardt Design, Droog Design, David Gill Galleries, etc. Hugo also exhibited at the 2006 Salone Satellite in Milan and London Design Festival 2011.
Bringing together the principles of good design he learned along the way, and the best of Portuguese craftsmanship, he created the Piet side table, featuring an asymmetrical leg structure in solid walnut with contrasting colored tops in matt lacquer. Available in four colorway, black, red, yellow and blue, the tables display other fine details like the exposed joinery between base and top, which was designed as a key feature, creating honest visual character. Its form and structure appears to change when viewed from different angles in a play with tridimensionality. The Piet side tables are currently available at our shop, as part of our special Xmas Collabs.

O.k., this concept might not be entirely new and maybe (just maybe) we’ve already seen it from a couple of our favorite designers in the past but, since everyone seems to enjoy it so much, we decided on doing a video about how it works (tutorial style!). Although quite easy to manipulate, the dashing hand action involved still gets people curious and you looking like the next David Blaine, hence the name.

You can shop Natalia Brilli’s featured wallet here.

Since the menswear outerwear alternative’s spectrum is a bit limited when it comes to classics, innovation is a crucial part of keeping the momentum going. When it comes to providing unexpected takes on traditional items, few others are able to do it in such a refined way as japanese ts(s). Made from high-end double faced wool, which is then washed to give it a rugged feel, this chesterfield coat features a soft ribbed shawl collar, double breasted closure, rolled up buttoned cufs and large broad side pockets.

As part of our Xmas Collabs, the limited edition “Generation H” sculptures are the result of a collaboration between Round Square and Salão Coboi collectives, inspired by the AW11 collections of several brands and designers. These one off pieces are aimed at portraying a generation that finds their own personality on intense research and immediate absorption of any trend found on different sub-cultures. Each one is unique, hand sculpted from polymer clay, hand painted and signed at the bottom. Available at the shop and online.

Although workwear and rugged are both heavyweights in when it comes to menswear inspiration in recent years, Paul Smith is one that usually strays from that path. This season however, it was a nice change to see the Jeans line delivering some strong revamped takes on a few staples, such as the donkey jacket. Making a strong comeback, this heavy wool jacket is given new life through an iconic blackwatch plaid and features a rope and wood toggle closure. Large patch pockets and working cuff buttons add the final touch to this updated classic.

See more from Paul Smith here

Following the release of Chalayan Airborne, Comme des Garçons brings us a new addition to their wide range of fragrances. The new Eau de Parfum features a unique partially handblown bottle made in France from recycled materials, creating an organic visual piece inspired by traditional glass blowing techniques. The simplistic design box consists of a single white piece of carton, folded over itself with the brand’s lettering on the side. The fragrance is a mix of man made organic composites and nature’s own scents, resulting in an eclectic blend containing the following notes:

Industrial glue, Brown scotch tape, Aldehydes, Safraleine, Hawthorns, Lilac, Flower oxides, Musk and Styrax.