The sales are great, in particular Garbstore which is always belting. I was in need of another bag for my new slightly more serious DSLR camera. This 'Outdoor Code' one made with Peters Mountain Works works nicely, ace colour combo. Made from one single piece of ballistic nylon it has a removable inner so it doubles up as a nice paperback and picnic bag for days out too.
Only a couple of weeks ago I was lay in bed watching The Thing, John Carpenter's 1982 version of The Thing from Another World, a modern classic and another one which was recently unnecessarily remade (prequel) again, which Hollywood seems to do every other week now. A great film regardless, it's both atmospheric and chilling, quite literally, this was also a forerunner for state of the art special effects. But then there's the style of it, the gear, the looks, the unintentional coolness it created - it's like The Doors do Alaska, and that, I'm sure you agree is a fucking good look. With Kurt Russell as MacReady, the main man in a research team at an Antarctic outpost, there's some seriously cool looks on show, big parkas, down jackets, leather bomber jackets, aviators, goggles, thick facial hair and some ace hats, especially the curious cowboy hybrid hat Kurt Russell wears. I was wondering (like you do) why this film didn't seem to get much love in the style stakes, you never see much said about that, though it appears to be a popular choice of fancy dress outfit amongst American kids. Coincidentally, last week it was cool to see a local (UK) hip hop group Burgundy Bloodmaking a track all about just that , not to mention a commentary on some modern day rappers' shit sense of style. Great video too.
Sheffield based Mamnick are a fairly new label making their own product via the UK and Japan immersing itself in the nearby scenic Peak District. This accessory caught my eye as a cool idea, maybe it's because I like beer and chips way too much, but it's the sort of thing you'd always want in your pocket. An uber posh double-use chip fork made from laser cut stainless steel in the Steel City itself. At the other end you can open your fave bottles of beer, so no more knackered teeth from here on in. Available from Mamnick themselves and one of a few nice new bits available from our site too, very shortly.
I love the smell of Goretex in the morning...whilst the BerghausTrango (aka Alpine Extreme) has always been a favourite of mine, it's certainly become a lot more popular in the last few years, not to mention a re-release recently too. Put it this way, you'd pay a lot more than the thirty odd quid I paid for mine many moons ago right now. It's an iconic coat and one I've got much love for. So I had to snap up the seldom seen counterpart to it, the Fitzroy when it popped up recently. I've not seen many of these about, it's a near identical coat, but lined and with a button down hood. Sitting somewhere between Bonington up a mountain and scally down the shops, look at those beautiful colours, a strong look I'm sure you'd agree. So here's loads of pics of me (mainly from the back) trying not to be flustered in it on a dead hot day. Nice views eh?
My favourite coats are the ones nobody else has, that's what it's all about for me, between myself and our kid we do like this jacket model: the Capandula, see Proper issue 12 for my article on that. Nabbed this off ebay this week and we'll fight over it soon no doubt. This was an early collab with Maharishi from quite a few years ago, made from a lightweight 'honeycomb' nylon with bright orange lining, finished in 'Bonsai Forest III DPM'. Originally released in White, this one is such a rarity that 6876 manin man Kenneth Mackenzie told me he'd never even seen it himself. Certainly one for the collection. Check out this recent interview with Kenneth via our friends at Our Culture.
Pub crawling, sightseeing, walking until it hurts, drinking until you're sleepy - the capital city. Pimlico, Notting Hill via Borough. Never gets boring.
