Dress as Smart as You Are

Robynn Molino Wrap Ring

It is known that I have an obsession with type, with words, with their ardent abstracted symbolism, with their soft sounds as they glide off the tongue, or a gutteral bark that does more damage than a burly Norseman with a maul.

I quite love the way designer Robynn Molino’s Number Band Wrap Ring wraps around your finger in a single brass french fry curl. One is sure to absentmindedly rub one’s fingerpad along its elevated font, and there’s something delightfully nostalgic about it.

The nostalgia could be from many ages – Gutenberg sets to the charmingly complicated linotype to the modernist metal rollerball of the IBM Selectric typewriter. I like the idea of wrapping myself in metal and letters, feeling a bit like I’m wearing armor, but also a blanket.

It’s available in a variety of colours, but I prefer the antique brassy look to the shiny silver or gold. A must for budding writers, or simply your garden variety bibliophile. Available for an extremely reasonable $30 from her website. Perfect thing to wear as your fingers curl around that novel on the metro, or your Kobo in the park.

I like the environment. I’d like the world to not fry up in a hot ball of burning death. Though if it does – please Lucifer, make it Mad Max-style. Or at least give me zombies.

Unfortunately in the past most environmentally friendly products have looked like they’ve been made of wool, granola, and hemp tape with a stencil of a bird poorly stitched onto it. I’m not sure how Suzanne Park manages to turn recycled bottles into happening argyle printed messenger bags, but she’s doing it.

The bags are handcrafted in downtown Seattle so after you pick one up you could fill it with anarchist books or from Left Bank Books or perhaps a delicious fish from Pike Place Market. For those of us not rockin’ it in the Pacific Northwest, Plaid Doctrine also has an online store.

Durability is a byword strongly emphasized on the Plaid Doctrine site, the founder of the company was inspired by just how many expensive travel bags she was shredding in the course of her extensive boogying around the planet. The bag is made of a blend of water and stain resistant fabrics such as recycled polyester, recycled nylon, and ballistic nylon.

Big enough to fit a few books and a 15″ laptop, or possibly a bottle of water, a small coil of rope and some battle hatchets for when the zombie flood the streets and you want to make your way through the end times looking like a stylish badass. They won’t be expected your weaponry to be hidden in stylish Argyle. Free shipping within the US.

When Etsy debued as a website, I was somewhat hesistant to browse it. I didn’t need a knitted pillow with a colourful bird on it it, so I stayed far far away. The site has expanded greatly since those early days and now there are many interesting things to be spotted.

I originally came across this necklace while searching eBay for tie bars, of which Victorian Curiosities makes a few that I quite enjoy. In fact I’m wearing one right now.

The necklace itself is quite solid, although not quite as heavy as I anticipated. The whole thing is made of antique looking American brass. The brass seems solid however, I’m not concerned that getting bumped into it is going to damage the design in anyway.

So far I’ve worn this necklace to work, to a mad scientist themed birthday party and a date – it went over well in all circumstances (perhaps because I work with, circulate with and date a geek crowd). The design itself is fantastic, the wheel & anchor, the coiled tentacles, the steampunk submarine eyes. I’ll be wearing this necklance with a open necked striped shirt when I’m piloting a golden submarine, smoking Acapulco Gold cigarettes, and buying my dress shirts with five tons of flax.

Victorian Curiosities is putting out a selection of nice items, although I prefer the work above to some of the more gear-heavy steampunk accoutrements. The only qualm I have about this piece is the way the chain is attached at the back, I would have preferred a weld or metal link to glue, but that’s just me. For the excellent price I wasn’t really too perturbed.

Available online from the Victorian Curiosities Etsy Shop. Keep up the great work.

DropDead 'The Cosmos' Shirt

Why settle for being a star when you can be the whole cosmos? Chris Bell knew it might not might not help you win back your woman, but at least it gives you an inflationary moment of expansion.. where your spirit has been uncorked and you’re just champagne fizz streaming at the sky.

Whether it’s the moment of a first kiss, that chord at a rock concert that briefly dissolves your mind into mere molecules, or the last step of an incredibly long hike, there’s nothing wrong with feeling a little cosmic from time to time.

This post is classic street-spotting, I was at a friend’s house party when I noticed my pal Simon Foxx (local DJ and formerly keyboard player of Christian glam metal band Blessed By a Broken Heart) wearing this shirt.

I was previously unfamiliar with DropDead Clothing, who have kind of a cartoon punk aesthetic mixed with a soupçon of the Illuminati. If DropDead is planning on leading the New World disOrder, I don’t think I’d mind too much.

I love that DropDead has taken such a fun design and decided to match it with a more serious polo shirt, than the standard tee. Might as well give your own personal cosmology an air of gravitas.

'The Cosmos' Polo Rear View

Remember you don’t always have to be serious to be smart.

You can pickup ‘the Cosmos’ at DropDead’s online store or if you put the right energy out there man.. you might just.. you know.. find it.

Stacy Adams Tennyson Shoe

Unfortunately there’s been another heavy snowfall in Montreal, so my step has once again been made heavy and likely to slip on a plethora of ice. For those in warmer climes or perhaps the April version of myself this year, it’s time to start considering a spring shoe.

The saddle shoe is a classic, often under-deployed in many men’s wardrobes. Stacy Adams, my shoe-wife, has this two tone white and blue Tennyson saddle shoe now available. Not only is the price extremely reasonable, but they would go great with a variety of looks. Versatility is always nice in spring.

The cost comes down on this pair with the rubber sole and the canvas and suede upper, as opposed to being entirely in leather. If you’re lucky enough to live near a Stacy Adams store, not only am I jealous, but you should be able to find your size in a breeze. For those less geographically fortunate we can rely on the webstore, which offers excellent deals for shipping to continental American and Canadian customers.

This are the kind of shoes that will get you stopped in the street – where did you get those shoes? The blue and white two-tone makes Craigslist Missed Encounters posts directly to you easy to spot. Mix these up with some Naked & Famous Unbleached Denim or the light blue jeans of your choice.