School Supplies: Winter Greys

-Last week disaster struck. The solid grey wool Prada scarf that had served as one of my favorite and most-worn items for the past 2 years was lost and/or stolen at school. I'd become very reliant on having a perfect short, light grey scarf every day and I'm now intent of finding a suitable replacement. The budget is a little bit tighter this time around, and even if it wasn't, I doubt I'd be able to find the exact Prada scarf from 3 seasons ago. In addition to a new scarf, I'm looking for a grey, or maybe red, chunky knit cap.

-My first choice might be the Pria herringbone scarf from Blackbird at the top of the post, but I don't know if herringbone is versatile enough for everyday use, and I think it might not work with my (dope, just got here) cashmere herringbone jacket from Company of We.

-So that gets me to the classics, J.Crew and J.Press. The top half of this image has J.Crew's cashmere offerings. When you can get cashmere for not too much more than straight up wool, why not?  The hat is $48 and the scarf is $68, and if I can hold off till the next time I'm near an actual J.Crew location, I can get the 15 percent college student discount.

-On the bottom are the wool J.Press options I'm considering. The prices are pretty similar, and the slightly more rare (at least here in the Northwest) nature of J.Press is appealing. The J.Press hat is a chunkier knit and I prefer it to the J.Crew version.

-I'll probably snag the J.Crew scarf and maybe I'll hold out for the Inverallan for Inventory Items red knit cap, I'd like both a grey and a red knit cap. I'm pretty much out of money right now though, so we'll see how it goes.

more

School Supplies: Vintage Vest

-I'm posting again on another of my favorite items from my closet. This one will be a bit more brief than my Sperry post. I found this vest at Magpie, my favorite vintage/resale shop in Portland, a couple years ago. The label says Cal-Craft by California Manufacturing Co., but I don't know anything about how old it is or where it came from. What I do know is that it has kept me incredibly warm for the past few Northwest winters. It has a great flannel lining and big solid buttons. The best feature by far is the oversized, 70s-ish collar. A great, longlasting find for about $22. 

-Magpie can be found at 520 SW 9th Ave. in Portland, Ore. It's one of the few shops at which I've bought something probably every single time I've ever been in. One more unnecessarily Photoshopped image and a little bit of semi-cool news after the jump. -What was I going to say? Oh yeah, I've been inclined to show photos of things I'm wearing lately, I did a couple weeks ago with my windbreaker post, but I also feel like it's a slippery slope. Posting images of yourself of  public blog is only a few steps away from Myspace. What I have done though, is added a link to my Lookbook.nu page on the sidebar next to the youtube and flickr links. I know lookbook is kind of a juvinile, stock-hipster site. But I feel it's necessary to let our readers know WE PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH, which is ballin, cost-conscious neo-prep style.  Check out my lookbook if you're at all interested in what I'm wearing and where stuff is from and how much it cost and whatnot. 

-Other news: Class Act blogger Maria is heading to Massachusetts to visit some friends at Smith for Spring break. She's taking my camera along to try to capture some solid east coast prep style. It's always been my opinion that east-coast style relies a bit more on money rather than actual creativity, so it will be interesting to see if she can bring back some Class Act approved looks. That's all. 

more

School Supplies: Foul Weather 574s

-The weather up here is getting nastier by the day, so I've been looking for ways to get to class with my socks dry. Sorel and Bape just collaborated on some classy duck boots, but you may find that our mild winters call for nothing more than some tough sneakers.
-New Balance 574s have treated me well over the years, and they are slowly overtaking the recently re-released Koston 1s as my all-time favorite shoes. Now the already consistent 574 is getting a few wintertime adjustments. First came the announcement of a high-top version, which is set to drop in November. Also, the 574 Trails are back and better than ever. Some good additions to an already solid shoe make these perfect for the miserable coming months. more

Dress Code: Fight the Northface Monotony

-Pretty soon it's going to be raining every single day. I was already thinking about how I may have to finally concede this year and buy a Northface, since my only waterproof jacket is my badass coast guard jacket, but it doesn't have a hood. That being said, the announcement of the Penfield colorblock line the other day (from Hypebeast) couldn't have come at a better time. With comparable prices to Northface the color block line offers those of us who want to stay warm and dry a more creative option, as Tim noted earlier this month. Check after the jump for a bunch more photos from the line, including vests. Also check back soon for an examination of some of my Northwest winter essentials.






more