It seems like almost every store in the last year has gone through a website redesign. Context and SSENSE are now mobile friendly, Frans Boone is faster loading, and Self Edge introduced a clever feature they call their “Jean Finder.” 

No revamp, however, has been as dramatic as Quoddy’s – the popular Lewiston, Maine maker for handsewen moccasin shoes. The old site was fairly straightforward. It showed their basic models and the limited number of options for customization. It didn’t seem to inspire much, which is why I imagine most people (including me) went to stockists such as Leffot, Unionmade, and Need Supply for their orders. 

The new site, on the other hand, is really impressive. You can now design shoes online and see how they’ll look in-real-time as you click through the different options. Being something like Nike or New Balance’s interfaces, this takes all the guesswork out of designing something custom. 

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NPR had a story a few weeks ago about how mail order catalogs have surprisingly survived in the Internet age, despite other things having gone by the wayside (e.g. the Rolodex, multivolume encyclopedias, and even physical maps). In the last year alone, there were 11.9 billion catalogs sent to US addresses. Supposedly, they’ve stuck around because they help inspire people’s purchases. Mary Winter, a woman who was interviewed for the story, said she enjoys the tactile sensation of thumbing through catalogs at her leisure and marking them up. “I typically go online […] and order whatever I’m getting,” she admitted, “but I still get my ideas from catalogs.”

Maybe this is a story about how old habits die hard (anyone over the age of thirty can probably remember ordering much of their wardrobe through such books). Or maybe there’s something special about catalogs themselves. Compare Ben Silver’s catalogs to their website, for example. We skim things when we see them online, but linger when we see them on a printed page. There’s just something about how things can be laid out. (Incidentally, Ben Silver’s catalogs might be the best in menswear today, and I’m not the only person who thinks so). 

Pictured here are some scans of Brooks Brothers’ catalogs from the years 1979 to 1983 (before the Marks & Spencer takeover). Even when illustrated, oxford cloth button downs look better laid out than they do online, as do Shetland sweaters with little wool swatches set next to them (perhaps encouraging you to imagine what such colors might look like as a full sweater, rather than revealing directly). Most of us probably get our inspiration from online forums and blogs nowadays, but there will always be a special place in my heart for catalogs. 

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If you’ve ever enjoyed rummaging through a box of old photos at a flea market, then you’ll probably enjoy this fantastic photo archive over at Flickr. Put together by The Boston Public Library, it has hundreds of albums centered on themes such as anti-war riots, aviation, and baseball. There are even collections for Victorian-era trade cards (advertising shoes and accessories) and war posters, for those who like vintage artwork.

Shown here are some beautiful images from the set titled “Boston in Winter,” which documents how the New England city looked during the first half of the 20th century. There are lots of charming pictures of kids sledding down hills, families celebrating Christmas at home, postal workers sorting through holiday mail, men and women pushing their way through blizzards, and landscapes of the city covered in snow. Should your town be cold this month, may these images warm your heart as they did mine.

Happy holidays, everyone.

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End started their fall/ winter sale last night, with 40% taken almost across the board. There’s a ton of great casualwear from a number of brands. Here are some notables:

• Barbour: Discounted Barbour (this time available to US customers). Nice, basic waxed cotton jackets starting at about $200. 
• Buttero: Minimalist sneakers for those who want something different from Common Projects. 
• Mackintosh: Rather than going for the poly-blends and cotton twills, I recommend ponying up for the bonded cottons (they’re the ones that retail for $1,000+). The upcharge is worth it. 
• Elka: Casual raincoats that are a little more affordable than Stutterheim.
• Levis Vintage Clothing: Tons of vintage inspired jeans, flannels, and sweatshirts.
• Mt. Rainier Design: Some nice 60/ 40 parkas to help get you through this coming spring. 
• Ten C: Military-inspired outerwear line that I’ve been really into lately. Made from interesting, but highly wearable, fabrics. 
• APC: Tons of shirts, jeans, outerwear, and knitwear.
• Nanamica: If you don’t mind the price, this Gore-Tex parka is amazing. 
• Crescent Down Works: Quilted outerwear for the chill. 
• Our Legacy: A European brand with very simple, wearable basics. Fairly easy to incorporate into any wardrobe.
• Nigel Cabourn: Maker of the coat you see above. 

You can also go through their sale section, which is organized by types of clothing (shirts, jackets, shoes, etc). Possibly easier if you’re shopping for something specific. 

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A surprisingly early price drop just happened over at Mr. Porter. Select items have been discounted by up to 50%. There’s a lot of great stock left, although I imagine most of it will be cleared out by tomorrow morning.

Some notable finds:

• Outerwear: There are some great discounted outerwear pieces, such as this shearling lined 5-zip leather jacket from Margiela, leather A-2 bomber from Polo Ralph Lauren, field jacket from Aspesi, navy topcoat from AMI, Donegal bomber from Private White VC, suede A-1 from Todd Snyder, and raincoats from Mackintosh.
• Knitwear: Among the knitwear, there’s a handsome burnt ochre sweater from Hardy Amies, chunky shawl collar cardigan from Ovadia & Sons, and lots of textured sweaters from SNS Herning.
• Shoes: A few footwear brands are included in the sale, such as George Cleverley, Heschung, Yuketen, Car Shoe, and Common Projects.
• Shirts: Neat patchwork shirt by Neighborhood, red flannel shirts by Saturdays NYC and Ovadia & Sons, and a boiled wool overshirt you can use as a lightweight outerwear piece. Also, check out of some of the shirts by Ralph Lauren, Aspesi, Gitman Vintage, Alex Mill, Emma Willis, and J. Crew.
• Jeans: Some denim available from APC, Levis Vintage Clothing, and Jean Shop.
• Accessories: Lastly, there are some Drake’s ties and pocket squares, Bresciani socks, Anderson belts, and Trianon cufflinks.

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Brooks Brothers started an unexpected sale today. For the next week, you can take 25% off almost everything, which means this is another chance to get something nice if you missed their mid-season Friends & Family sale. Some notables:

• Shoes: These suede cap-toe boots might be my favorite, but equally great are their Alden-made suede bluchers and tassel loafers. The whole footwear section is worth a browse, really. 
• Beretta Outerwear: Lots of sturdy outerwear from Beretta, such as this hunting coat and waxed cotton jacket. 
• Filson: Brooks Brothers’ sales remain the best time to get Filson luggage, including the company’s popular 0256 model briefcase.  
• Shirts: One of the better oxford-cloth button-down models around. 
• Umbrellas: Handsomely designed, reasonably well-made, and very well-priced (especially on sale).  
• Sale Section: The discount also stacks on sale items. This suede jacket looks nice, and there are a ton of shirts and pants in the Black Fleece sale section. Just note that Black Fleece trousers have a fairly high rise (which I like, but it’s not to everyone’s taste). There’s also a silly locker loop attached to the back, but an alterations tailor can remove it for you. 

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San Francisco was hit with a pretty big storm yesterday, so I broke out my Mackintosh again and was reminded of how I love this coat. Like most people, I mainly wear wool, cotton, and linen, but rainy days offer the opportunity to wear something unique – something like Mackintosh’s bonded cotton. Here two pieces of fabric are bonded together using a rubber adhesive, the pieces are then cut and sewn, and the resulting garment is made waterproof by taping the seams. Andrew Yamoto over at A Suitable Wardrobe recently described Mackintosh coats as clothes that “rustle like sails,” and said they have an oddly comforting smell – like that of old, reliable camping gear – with their mix of rubber, canvas, and glue. I don’t think a better description can be given, but you have to wear a Mackintosh coat in order to understand the appeal. The specialness of the cloth just doesn’t come through a computer screen. 

The company has expanded a lot in recent years. Along with their main label, they have two growing sublines in Japan aimed at hipper, younger customers. There's Traditional Weatherwear (the company’s original name before they changed it to Mackintosh) and Mackintosh Philosophy. Both include things such as Mackintosh jeans and sweaters, which – thankfully – are not made from bonded cotton. Distribution is limited to Japan.

The company’s best offerings, however, are still their mainline, traditional raincoats, which are available throughout the world. Some notable models to consider:

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Anyone with an internet connection and an interest in tailored clothing is sure to be familiar with A Suitable Wardrobe. Will Boehlke was one of the first to blog about classic men’s style, and in his eight years of doing so, he’s always been one of the best. I recently had a chance to visit his online shop’s headquarters – located just an hour outside of San Francisco, up in wine country – and chat with the writer about his operation. 

As regular readers of A Suitable Wardrobe will know, Will is moving his blog into his store, so that his editorial and commercial offerings will all be under one URL. It’s a move I’ve always thought he should make, if only for the convenience of his readers and customers. Unfortunately, his editorial content will also be shifting. Future posts will be more focused on his store’s products (like Mr. Porter’s Journal) and less free ranging. Certainly sad for those of us who have enjoyed Will’s daily musings, as well as those of his contributors. 

On the upside, his store will be moving up-market. In the last five years, store buyers have been following in his footsteps (sometimes literally) as they track down where he buys his goods. Drake’s, EG Cappelli, and Inis Meain, for example, were all stocked at A Suitable Wardrobe before they became commonplace everywhere else. To distinguish his store, Will has been depending less on Pitti Uomo (the menswear tradeshow where buyers meet brands), and instead has been scouring Europe on his own in order to find hidden artisans and craftsmen. A little hearsay from friends about a little-known, but exceptionally skilled, maker, for example, can lead to some great private label collaborations. 

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It’s a shame how many classic styles of tailored clothing disappear as time moves on. Topcoats and overcoats, especially. With fewer and fewer men wearing suits and sport coats nowadays, retailers have little incentive to sell the kind of outerwear that traditionally accompanied them. We have a hundred companies at this point offering designer versions of the Army M-65 jacket, but perhaps a quarter of that number selling classic overcoats.

Some styles have fared better than others, however. The generic, single-breasted topcoat is sold everywhere, and many American stores still offer the polo. Tweedy Ulsters and wool Loden coats, on the other hand, are near impossible to find.

One coat that seems to hang by a thread is the Balmacaan – a long, loose-fitting style made with a fly front and raglan sleeves. Since it was designed to keep the rain and wind out, the collar can be buttoned all the way up to the neck, and the coat’s shell is typically made from a densely woven gabardine (like you’d expect for a trench) or heavy tweed. Supposedly, those raglan sleeves are also better at keeping the water out than set-in sleeves, but I’ve always thought that was marketing speak.  

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Denim and leather go together like flannel and tweed. This past holiday weekend, I’ve been wearing leather jackets a lot with jeans, often with a textured sweater underneath and just the tiniest bit of t-shirt peeking out from beneath the hem. Nothing overly long, like what seems to be in fashion nowadays, but enough to make the look feel more relaxed and casual. Shoes also tend to be minimalistic, such as Chelsea boots, side zips, or plain white sneakers. 

In the above, I have a tan, suede Harrington with a navy Donegal sweater, pair of beat-up jeans, some white high-tops, a checked gray scarf, and a brown saddle leather belt. Harrington jackets are tricky things. Once part of the uniform of British working-class youth – such as mid-century mods, skins, and soul boys, all the way up to the Britpop scene of the 1990s – they feel a lot tamer in recent years. More aligned with their Ivy Style roots than the British streetwear scene that gave them their edge. I’d like to think mine looks a little less dad-ish than the ones made by Baracuta, but it’s still a conservative jacket. 

The other is less conservative. A black leather piece by Maison Martin Margiela, it riffs off the classic cafe racer by placing two large diagonal zippers across the front body. I’ve been surprised by how easy this is to wear with jeans, t-shirts, and knits. In the photo below, I’ve paired it with a textured wool-mohair sweater, which plays off of the more minimalistic leather jacket, jeans, belt, and side zip boots. I’ve liked this piece so much that I’ve been hoping to get another at some point – preferably in navy. If I do, it’ll of course be worn with jeans. Denim and leather is an unbeatable combo.

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