new at the merchant company

Herringbone denim coveralls

Tall boat boots, ankle dress boots, Red Wing work boots

Woolrich Native print sweater

Reversible knit cape

'90s long slouchy jacket

Selection of leather and suede handbags 

second pop-up in belfast next saturday

in stock: charcoal

  

1960s open plaid 3-button wool jacket

wool stripe tie

wool camp blanket

1960s glen plaid wool button-up shirt

low heeled oxford with brogue flap

crop open front wool jacket

cloth wallet with leather pocket and rivet detail

1960s 3-button trim fit suit with brown stitching, ankle cuff pants

built on squares

Kaftan, tunic, serape... I like the simplicity of the construction of these garments - based on single squares and rectangles - and the resulting fit. Two contemporary artists/designers inspired by these restrained patterns come to mind.

Mexico City-based designer Carla Fernandez gains inspiration from the indigenous clothing of her country. Geometric patterns demonstrate an economy of materials as the dimensions are based on those of the backstrap loom on which the cloth is woven, and folding rather than cutting is used to manipulate cloth. Fernandez works directly with artisans through her fashion line and mobile laboratory, Taller Flores, to design and produce clothes that combine traditional and modern processes. 

According to fashion writer, Sass Brown, by "having a pedagogy for artisans to communicate through design, Fernandez's philosophy is that tradition is not static and fashion is not ephemeral." In her book, Taller Flora (download here), she describes how a fresh approach to indigenous clothes resulted from her studies in art history that included avant garde movements like Russian Constructivism that merged with design. 

The geometry of Constructivist uniforms are also what influenced pioneering artist, Andrea Zittel. Along with every other mode of living - homes, furniture, vehicles, food - her clothing experiments adhere to strict guidelines for prolonged periods of time. Her Personal Panel and A-Z uniform series not only reference the utopian ideals of these movements, but also a method of assembly that rejects the cutting of fabric, altering it from its orginal form. In her Smockshop project, she works with artists to produce income by reinterpreting her single panel garment into something original, working by her principle that 'rules make us more creative.'  She references the indigenous Huipil form as a basis for one iteration of the smock. 

Click here to see more of the latest uniforms produced at A-Z West, her Institute of Investigative Living, located in Joshua Tree.

Now from the County Seat Supplies collection:

silk stripe blouse, two square panels

knit serape, single square panel with added shawl collar

hand-knit bird tunic, two rectangular panels

cotton blend huilpil-form crop top, two panels each bisected at a diagonal 

women: for head and toes

black leather lace-up cap toe boots, plaid head scarf with chin loop closure, hand knit cap with chin button closure, brown leather oxfords with stitching

his & hers

1950s Melton hunting coat with back game pouch
Unlabeled hand knit sweater with loons

selected stock this week

felt fedora, womens denim barn jacket, mens wool-lined leather ankle boots, womens Woolrich hooded jacket

                                                                             

purses pointing south and west

Felt handbag with Mexican geometric embroidered panels - front and back - and wooden handle...

Floral tooled leather shoulder bag...

in stock today

Short sleeve crochet sweater

High-waisted wool pants

Brown leather moccasins

Little acorn print blouse

Ankle boots with buckle

Wrangler denim jacket

Goose down vest with braided cord trim

Woolrich hooded rain jacket

Brown stitched leather work boots

there, wearing this

Québécois sugar shack (from The Arctic Post)
French Canadian fleece-lined jacket

womenswear in stock

high-waisted tribal print wrap skirt

'50s crop tweed jacket

brown leather oxfords, black leather lace-up boots

plaid pleated sleeve blouse

wool crop asymmetrical vest with wooden buttons

Woolrich Woman plaid hooded coat

stripe 3/4 sleeve shirt dress

bundling up

Picked up along recent travels in Maine, New Hampshire and upstate New York, these are a few staples for this winter's wardrobe.

Woolrich cable knit sweater with shawl collar and brown leather knot buttons.

I'm always on the look out for good thermals that balance worn-in comfort with a good measure of secondhand neatness. Maybe not the star of the show, but simple finds like this make me happy... an ivory henley, soft and clean with a label faded into anonymity.

Women, you are not forgotten...

UK-manufactured pale peach pointelle long underwear, very delicate and feminine. Size small.

Late '80s/early '90s - made in the US - wool tribal print coat. Hooded and tied at the waist to wrap up for optimal lovability.

Wool plaid shirt that is cut long like a jacket, making it the perfect layering piece.  Better yet, it's equipped with suede elbow patches. Unlabelled, small-ish in size.