Tanner Goods Camera Strap

-I've been looking for the perfect leather camera strap for years, and almost every photographer I know has been on the same search. Stock straps are made of neck-gouging nylon and turn you into a walking advertisement for your preferred brand of camera. There are a few solid looking leather versions on Etsy and a from a few leather crafters on the web, but I'd never seen any that I thought I could buy for life and be done with it.

A month of two ago I heard through the grapevine that Tanner Goods would be making a camera strap and I effectively ended my search. Given the quality of their previous products, I knew that their camera strap would address my needs, my preference for local goods notwithstanding. The 4/5 oz Horween Chromexcel (the color I purchased is "Russet,") is soft but durable enough to carry a heavy kit. More importantly the guys at TG found away to get rid of the metal clasps used on most straps, which scratch up your camera body, opting for heavy-duty cord attachments instead.

Yesterday I slung my FE2 around my shoulder and went out shooting for a few hours to give it a test run and as expected it was comfortable and unrestrictive. I'm stoked too see how the leather ages with use. It wouldn't be too much of a hassle to switch the strap around between my three camera bodies, but I'm contemplating getting two more colors so that each camera has its own unique accoutrement. A few more photos after the jump.









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Mark McNairy San Salvador Burro Boot

-Awhile back Lawrence at Sartorially Inclined offered a first look at an unexpected shoe from Mark McNairy. The San Salvador Burro boot, inspired by the footwear of Central American working men and manufactured by ADOC, the largest shoemaker in Central America, the boots sparked a bit of controversy in the comments. McNairy's designs are no stranger to criticism and style blog comment threads are well-known for hyperbole and dissent, but I was nonetheless intrigued by the boots.

-When I got the opportunity to check out the boots hands-on I was stoked, but in knowing that 90 percent of the blogosphere wouldn't dare criticize a McNairy product for fear of... (I'm not quite sure? Page view retribution?) I was a little excited at the possibility that these boots would in fact be trash and worthy of a thorough trashing. But alas, after wearing the San Salvador's around for a couple weeks, I found that they are exactly what they were purported to be, what my grandpa might refer to as "real, shit-kicking boots." My thoughts and more photos after the jump.




-All the other boots I own are high and heavy, so I was keen on having an option that bridged the gap between work boots desert boots or chukkas. The suede uppers are soft around the ankles, but make no mistake, the toe box and sole are substantial and can take a beating.

-The two above photos show what seems to be a sticking point for a lot of people on these boots, the ADOC tag on the side. While I agree with most that footwear should remain free of tags and branding, in this case the adherence to authenticity gets the nod. It's not a McNairy tag, it's an ADOC tag, just like on all of ADOC's other boots. If anything, the tag just solidifies that the Burro is definitely not for the office, a true workman's shoe. Some may be inclined to comment "Didn't you hear? The workwear trend is over!" But to those of us who sometimes do work that doesn't consist only of car->cubicle->repeat and (gasp!) actually need a rugged ass shoe, the affinity for workwear was never about trends. Being that they are true to their roots, the one addition I'd make to the boots is an insole, as the construction is pretty bare-bones; suede, sole, done. (aside: look up Mitch Hedberg's Dr. Scholl's joke.)








-I've been testing these out during the (albeit tepid) summer, which isn't really the ideal season for boots. Come fall I expect to choose the San Salvador's often when the weather and circumstance calls for something in between hard-bottom and high-boot.
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Spring Quarter: SS Looks featuring Wharf Shirting

-I've written a few times about how I prefer fall/winter style, but this winter has been brutally cold and wet, and I'm ready for some sun. With graduation (and having to find a job) on the horizon, I needed to upgrade my SS shirt game, so I turned to my friends at Wharf for a helping hand. Having been thoroughly satisfied with my Wharf "ONE" last season, this year I sprung for the THREE linen spread-collar and the TWO BD club-collar in seersucker. Aside from my purple chambray Gitman, I didn't have any shirts that were both light enough for the summer heat but refined enough for whatever formal tasks the summer might bring (job interviews, weddings, etc.) But I am legitimately stoked on these two shirts. The fabric choice is perfect for warm weather and collar type is versatile in its own way. I built a few SS looks around the two shirts, check out the photos and further commentary after the jump.



-On the new episode on No Logos (which will be out soon!) my colleagues express their affinity for an unbuttoned spread-collar. I have to respectfully disagree, I think spread collars should really only be rocked with a tie. That may limit the shirt's versatility, but I like that it forces you to dress up your look a bit, especially in the SS seasons when people tend to lean toward casual too often. What I like about the linen is that from any distance it looks refined, but it feels a bit rugged and breezy.
-Above: Jacket - Rugby. Knit - The Tie Bar. Tie Bar - Vintage. Pocket square - The Hill-Side. Belt - Vintage. Pants - Topman. Shoes - Alden. Watch - Bertucci. 

-Above: Some random leftover shots with the spread collar. The spread on the Wharf version isn't incredibly dramatic, which I think is a more accessible shirt for most guys, especially those making their first spread-collar purchase.
-Above: Jacket - Rugby. Pocket square - The Hill-Side. Jeans - Naked & Famous. 

-This was my first club-collar purchase and what I'm really digging is the ability to go from dressed-up to casual easily. The BD club can be worn just like any other button-down collar.
-Above: Tie - Blackbird. Tie Bar - vintage. 

-Above: Vest - vintage. Tie - Topman. Socks - Happy Socks. Sweater - J. Crew. Bow - Rugby. 

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School Supplies: Navy Waxed Canvas Bean Boots

-I was ready to post some spring content, but then the weather extinguished my preemptive enthusiasm and dropped some flood-warning inciting rain, forcing me back to my bean boots after a few weeks of Vans and Sperrys.
-When L.L. Bean Signature first launched their waxed-canvas hunting boots, I saw a lot of people talking about wanting them, and I saw a few people who picked up the tan pair, but I hadn't seen many people talking about the navy. To me the navy option jumped out immediately just because it's not in the same brown/tan tonal range that we're used to seeing on beans. Washington is more wet than it is cold, so the waxed canvas has worked fine in place of the heavier versions of the boot.

-Bean boots, and L.L. Bean in general, inspire a sense of nostalgia in a lot of people; but not me. Despite growing up in the perpetually rainy Northwest, I never saw bean boots as a kid, or if I did, I didn't notice them. I think the first time I ever heard of the name L.L. Bean was on one of those bean Subarus they used to have, and even then I probably wasn't aware of what the company actually was until sometime in high school. Despite a lack of history with the product, I've fully embraced this pair. The purchase, and the aesthetic attraction that precluded it, was definitely influenced by things I read and learned on the web. You could call that being "dressed by the Internet." I call it making an informed purchase. Traditions have to start somewhere. 

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Home Ec: Eat Local

-The best milk on the planet. It was in a cow 15 miles from here last week.

-Obviously I, like you, get annoyed by food snobs and eco-yuppies, but I'd be stupid not to take advantage of the vast availability of great local food that exists in this hyper-eco-conscious community. If you like good food, then you want to the freshest food available. If you're reasoning is based mostly on matters of taste, then you remain pretty much free of the well-intentioned but often blowhardy moral arguments made by most organic advocates.
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School Supplies: Nikon FE2

-My favorite purchase in a very long time, I got this Nikon FE2 (1983-1987) on eBay last month and have been making my way through my first roll. I'd shot film with an FM10 a bit but the weight and the feel of the FE2 are unmatched. The lens pictured here is one I bought a few years ago, but I'm researching for my next lens investment, and still looking for the perfect strap.


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Yearbook: Winter Whites and Nostalgia

-In the first episode of No Logos I talked about being a clothes hoarder and the fact that I still have a few things from high school (2002-2006.) The conversation got me wondering if I had a whole cohesive outfit of remnants from high school. Aside from the Sperry's here, which are new but basically otherwise basically the same as the pair I bought in 2005, this whole fit is from high school. I don't think I ever wore this combo together, but I did pair this tie and sweater pretty often. Abandoning guidelines, I'll probably wear this with loafers and different socks in the future.

-Pants: Levi's 514
-OCBD: Polo, thrifted
-Tie: Marquis, thrifted
-Sweater: American Eagle
-Socks: Gift

-In breaking out the winter whites I remembered a good tip I learned from a fellow Grime Time All-Star, my friend Goody, who told me that white jeans should never be pristine. If you're walking around fretting getting something on your pants, you're doing it wrong. Don't be afraid to let them get, and stay, a little dirty. They are jeans, after all, regardless of color. more

Phys. Ed.: Nike Zoom Hyperfuse

-If you follow me on Twitter you're probably aware to the point of annoyance that basketball is a big part of my life. As a kid, throughout my teens and during my first few years in college I made a point to play about every other day. As my schedule has been unceasingly hectic for the past two years, I haven't been able to play ball as much as I'd like, and so have consistently refused my desire to update the ragged pair of RBK kicks I'd been hooping in since early 2007. Partly to motivate myself to get back into dunking on fools¹, I started shopping and finally decided on picking up the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse. It's the first time I've had Nike basketball shoes, but I was sold on the overall lack of weight and excess mass of this model. The main reason I wanted to post though was just to mess around with my new Speedlight SB-700, and because I'm pretty stoked on this top picture. More photos after the jump.
1- By "dunking" I mean "laying it up soft."



-I'm morally obligated to only buy athletic gear that accords with the Trailblazer color-scheme.

-The light wasn't as great in the color photos, but I'm still getting a hang of the Speedlight (I think these look pretty good for shooting in my kitchen.)

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School Supplies: My Denim

-Here's a look at the jeans that I own. Not much to say, I just thought it would be interesting to compare them via their patch. Given my current hectic schedule, many of my posts for the foreseeable future will be mainly photographic. more

Winter Quarter: Authentic Upgrades

-This quarter I've had to cycle more than ever, and it being winter in the rainiest part of the country, the commute usually involves a good deal of precipitation. I decided to take a cue from Ryan of YHBTI and wax my Authentics. I was about to apply some Martexin wax that I purchased from the Archival Clothing store, when I realized it would be pretty pointless to wax my sneakers given that they had holes in the toes. I've got a big pair of Carhartt pants I bought at a thrift shop specifically for use as a patching fabric, so I just cut out a couple squares, superglued them beneath the holes, and then applied the wax. I've been wearing these exclusively while commuting for about a  month now and they've held up pretty well. I expect the wax will have mostly worn off by the time summer rolls around.

-In related news, I picked up my second pair of Authentics, though I probably won't break them out until the weather warms up so they don't get needlessly muddied. Follow me after the jump for a few more photos of both pairs and some info about my choice of laces.





-I I bought these red laces at J.Crew. I'm not ashamed to admit I was straight copying what they've been doing in their catalog with colored laces in desert boots. I don't have desert boots but I have Wallabees and I planned on putting these laces in them. I was disappointed when I brought them home to find that the laces were way too long for the Wallows. I wasn't really feeling the white laces that came with the new pair, something about true white against off-white was amiss, so I decided to put my forgotten red laces to use.

-This post was a little dry. Sorry. I'm busier than ever, so upcoming posts will probably be more photographic than textual. Check back soon.
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