Professors: Underrated Icons Vm. 2 — Archie and The Gang

-I'd completely forgotten about the time I spent flipping through my neighbors stack of Archie comics as a kid until I found one laying around at my girlfriend's parents house over Thanksgiving break. Archie has been entertaining kids since he was created by Bob Montana in 1941. Another thing Archie and his crew have been doing since World War II? Keeping it steezy in the clothing department. Archie's style has the unique quality of showcasing the best and worst of each of the decades in which he's been drawn. Archie is always daring and sometimes ridiculous (see: pink bell-bottoms) but he always gives a nod to the classic natty style of his early days. Follow me after the jump for some more photos of Archie and The Gang's iconic style and some more random Archie trivia (I got a little obsessed researching Archie for this post.)



-Even though Archie is never shown to be on any sports team, he often rocks Riverdale High gear with pride. In the vintage cover I used for the lead-in image we see Archie in a Riverdale sweater-vest with a polka dot tie. Lose the plaid pants and that's an outfit I would walk out the door in right now. Ignore this huge gap, scroll down.

-Besides varsity gear, Archie's most consistent quality look is his white shirt under crew neck sweater get up. Though I rarely rock a non BD-collar under a sweater, this is the look I most relate to. Keep it simple, keep it consistent. Archie and his friends are based on real-life people from Haverhill, Mass. where Montana attended high school from 1936-1939.



-Mr. Weatherbee is boss-status. Literally and stylistically.

-Sometimes Archie makes a mistake when dressing. The day he pulled out the polka dot sweater, orange plaid pants and cowboy boots was one of those mistakes.


-Dilton Doiley! My, and now your, favorite Archie character. Actually, Cheryl Blossom is our favorite Archie character (she was removed because she was deemed "too sexy".) You remember that Asher Roth mixtape jam about which cartoon characters he would fornicate? Yeah. But anyway, Dilton —Riverdale's resident nerd/genius, is by far the iciest cat in the Archie crew.

-What really strikes me as interesting is the fact that Montana, and the artists who continue the Archie legacy, have to pick clothes for Archie and his friends for every story. I just wonder how much thought goes into those decisions? Whatever the case, the 70 year old comic has definitely been a stylistic influence to generations of kids, and he's hasn't got the sartorial respect he deserves.

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School Supplies: Spring Quarter, Band of Outsiders Polos

-The new Band of Outsiders polo shirt collection, "This is not a polo shirt collection" (dumb name, I know, they probably know too) will probably show up on a shitload of blogs because that's usually what happens with BoO stuff. But I'm inclined to post because the polo shirt department is an area where I've been seriously lacking since I lost my favorite Penguin polo when I was 12. The only polos I currently own are an Abercrombie one from 2004 and a $7 white one from Wal-Mart. I've actually have a few of the latter because they're pretty much disposable — given the price, and my inclination toward spilling chocolate on white shirts. Anyway, the point is that I've neglected to upgrade my polo selection as I've continuously sought to upgrade the rest of my wardrobe and, come springtime, I'll be in the market for a quality polo. The new Band collection looks pretty good to (I grabbed my favorites above.) I love the nautical wavy stripe and the Baumer-worthy white piece. The price points are pretty high ($150-$200) but that's to be expected from Band. Normally I wouldn't consider dropping that much for a polo, but these are made in Japan and I'd wager that one would last me quite awhile, so we'll see how I feel this spring. The collection also marks the start of Band of Outsiders online shop, which is something many of us have been asking for for a couple years now.
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School Supplies: Timber Preservation Society + Miniview

-I first encountered Timber Preservation Society at our friend Heather's basics boutique Swell. I bought the "Old Man Maze" shirt (top right) and probably got more comments on it than any other t-shirt I have. A few months later I bought the "jugs" shirt (top left) and encountered the same interest from people I bumped into. As I began to accrue an interest in the brand, TIMBER! shirts became like Pokemon to me, I want to get them all. Graphic tees aren't something we feature often here, but the TIMBER! style just resonates with me for some reason, probably because my love for the Pacific Northwest lumber culture is something that influences my style heavily. I spoke briefly with TIMBER! artist/creator Chad Eaton about the roots of his lumberjack theme. Check out his answers and a few more of my favorite TIMBER! shirts after the jump. 






CA: What's the root of the timber/logging/lumberjack theme? Is it something that emerged early in yoru artistic career or a later development?

T: Forest related things have always interested me, so it made sense that the first shirt I ever designed for myself had a lumberjack on it. Really the whole concept just grew from there.

CA: How did you become involved with Element and other skate companies?

T: I started printing TIMBER! shirts first, while a friend of mine was interning at Element. Lucky for me, he wore a TIMBER! shirt to work, and before I knew it, I was submitting designs for them on a freelance basis. It has proven to be a great relationship so far, and I get to see my art made into things that I couldn't make myself.

CA: When did you decide to adapt your art to clothing? Did you always intend to make shirts or was it just a logical step for you?

T: I started out working as a screenprinter, so it was clothing first. Once I got serious about designing for clothing, I took my art a little more seriously too.

CA: Tell me a little bit about the Timber book you're working on. What else can we look forward to from Timber in the future?

T: The TIMBER! book has been coming together very slowly. I have always been a visual person, and created different aspects of the TIMBER! story visually, but I am excited about  articulating how my designs are related. Maybe it will be ready sometime in the next decade or so.

-Be sure to check out the TIMBER! site and their Etsy store for all the shirts and some other original TIMBER! pieces of art.
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Dress Code: LIFUL, and a Discussion of Varsity Jackets

-I recently learned about Korean brand LIFUL through Hypebeast and was very impressed by their collection. Their varsity jacket variations, two of which are seen in the bottom image, are stripped of the typical letterman adornments—leaving just the essential wool, leather and color. I always see varsity jackets and think that I'd like to buy one, and the LIFUL versions are probably the cleanest that I've seen, but I started to wonder why they appeal to me. Varsity jackets, and their appeal, seem to be more a product of the idealism of high school in America than a product of well-thought style. Let's examine further after the jump.




-I've got two secondhand lettermans that I purchased at vintage/resale stores. Both have goofy names, interesting patches and great color combos — but I don't wear them ever. I think I want to avoid looking like these jackets are actually my lettermans from high school and I'm still wearing them, refusing to let go to past glory. So why then, would I choose to rock a new varsity jacket? Well, nobody's really likely to confuse a Supreme varsity with some high school, but I think it's just the idea. My group of friends in high school, though most of us lettered in something and some of us actually bought the jacket, would never actually wear ours. We didn't want to be those douches with letterman jackets. We didn't like those douches. I'm not saying that every athlete who wore a letterman is a douche, but in American cliche movie culture, that's pretty much the idea. We had an image to protect: Even if we we lettered, peopled needed to know that we cared a lot more about skating, rock and roll, and drinking and partying then we did about our athletic/academic achievements. I don't know if all those things are at play when I see a dope piece like the LIFUL or the Supreme, but it's interesting to consider.

-On a more concrete level, there's the issue of actually working a varsity into an adult wardrobe. We see almost every streetwear brand with a varsity this year, and your stock streetwear kid can easily pull one off. But how does a responsible, but still young and risk-taking, sartorialist pull one off? I'm thinking I could do the red/white LIFUL with a white BD and black tie, maybe even a bow tie. I think scarves and varsities are always a good combo, especially if you can play the scarf color off one of the minor colors in the jacket. As far as adornments go, I can see the appeal of both. The Supreme piece is more traditional, it harkens more to the high-school ideal. The minimalist LIFUL reduces the jacket to the essentials – but does removing the patches and names also remove the context of why people in America (and Korea and Japan) are so intrigued by the aesthetic of a varsity jacket? Share your thoughts.
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Dress Code: You Won't Catch Me In... Vm. 3: Humor

-Spending the last semester in Denmark has allowed me to get a firsthand look at the country's fine fashion and design offerings. I have been truly impressed by brands like S.N.S. Herning and stores like Wood Wood and Norse Projects, all of which I will have more on later this week. However, one of the more popular brands in Denmark has nothing to do with shoe collaborations or maritime sweaters. Instead, Humor specializes in clothing that is pretty much ridiculous in every aspect. Their collections are dominated by tacky patterns and outlandish color combinations, while their obnoxious "drop-crotch" jeans (see above) are often worn tucked into socks. I respect brands that do original things and have the ability to start such dominant trends, but I am still completely perplexed as to how this company became so popular. I can at least say that Humor got their name right, as I have spent that last four months laughing at teenagers with Euro mullets and jeans that give the illusion of a full diaper. more

Professors: Underrated Icons Vm. 1 — Malcolm McDowell

-I quit reading A Clockwork Orange about 60 pages in. I should probably give it another shot. But I've seen the movie, and I watched a bit of the movie on cable the other day. When I clicked 'info' I learned something about which I was not previously privy: The actor who plays Alex is Malcolm McDowell. I've become a fan of McDowell in the past few years from his roles on Entourage, Heroes (I only watched 2.5 seasons, I swear) and Rob Zombie's terrific Halloween remakes.  After his performance in If..., which impressed Kubrick and won him the role in Clockwork, and his leading role in the controversial Caligula, McDowell's career descended into a series of typecast villains in b-list movies. Now, as an older man, McDowell's career is again flourishing. Hopefully others will take greater notice, as I have, of this incredibly underrated, authentic and iconic actor.

-I will be continuing the Underrated Icons series in the near future.

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Winter Break: Seinfeld Postal Parka

-Taking a train ride today so I'm just dropping a little post. I recently bought a vintage L.L. Bean parka on eBay, but I spotted Newman's Postal Service parka in an episode the other day and now I'm thinking of trying to find one on eBay.

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Peer Review: My COE Favorites Series Contribution

-Head over to Components of Enthusiasm to read my guest post for The Favorites Series. Be sure to check out the previous guest posts and check back because there are still some great ones coming.  Thanks again to Paul for asking me to be a part of this collaboration. more