WHEN DOES A PANT BECOME A LEGGING?

I'm not sure but this was a close call. Seen on 5th Ave and 13th St this afternoon.

WAS A LITTLE COOLER THIS MORNING

...made me think it was just about time to break out the cardigans again. 

FT. GREENE, MY NEW FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD

...great area to stroll around. Lovely streets, restaurants. And a great store I stumbled on - Stuart & Wright. They carry APC jeans, Band of Outsiders, Engineered Garments. 

If I had a store, this is what it would look like. Nice vibe...

I LOVE VINTAGE SHIRTS

...I found this beauty at the Brooklyn flea market (www.brooklynflea.com) yesterday. The guy - Conrad Tulek - has a booth where he sells offbeat preppy-ish stuff. The shirt is German - about a gazillion stitched per inch, and many wonderful details. 

Conrad has a great eye, but this was the killer: he guessed who made my shirt - a 15 year old Hilditch & Key mini-check. Said he could tell by the collar. 

I don't think I've been that impressed in a long time...

THIS IS ZAN

...DJ, art restorer. Party thrower at Nowhere. What's interesting is the kind of adornment of guys now. Chains. Ink. Scarves.

The ink on Zan's chest is from The Magnetic Fields.

NEW J. CREW MEN'S: I HAVEN'T EVEN HAD MY DINNER YET

Jack at the window

This fall is gonna be all about Tie Clips

Friendly Jack O'Toole

Love a purple cardigan

The Store

...but I was so determined to get this out that I just kept blogging. Anyway, I was downtown today when I got a my Men.Style.com email about the new J. Crew men's store opening. And when I get a message from Men.Style.com telling me to do something, you better believe I'm gonna drop everything and do it.

So I headed to the store. I neglected to read that it opens tomorrow, so they wouldn't let me in. But I did take a look, and met some nice people. One guy let me take his picture - he's sketched here. His name is Jack O'Toole, which I swear must be a name they gave him when they hired him (the O'Toole Pant. The Jack Shirt).

A punk club turns into a men's store. A liquor store turns into...Anyway, I gotta hand it to Mickey Drexler, the guy is a merchant who knows product, knows his customer, and what to give him.

Here's my travelogue-blog...

SKETCHED ON THE L TRAIN (NO BIG SURPRISE THERE)

...this black guy with a kind of 'Flock of Seagulls' hair, black hoodie worn up, some layers of black t shirts under that. Pretty amazing look. He didn't seem thrilled that I was doing this quick sketch as we waited for the train.

It was just too good to pass up...

NELSON IN ORANGE LEATHER VEST

...white T shirt and jeans. 

MORE DIDDY

...orange silk raincoat, white cotton pants with navy tux stripe. No bitchassness here...

PUFF & GIR HAD MY ATTENTION

...was working for P Diddy the past week on a fashion presentation. Always love working on projects there because the people are great. 

Here is this amazing model from Sudan named Gir, in one of the spring parkas and shorts. The guy is amazing.

I'M WALKING UP EIGHTH AVENUE...

and the last thing on my mind is fashion, but suddenly out of a store appears this guy - double vent jacket with shorts. Out. of. the. blue...

WHEN I SEE A GUY WEARING A VEST I THINK

...there's someone who's really making an effort. Good for them. 

Saw this on the corner of 7th Avenue and 39th Street today. 

I'M LOVING ME SOME EPAULETTES

...for Fall.

WORDS ON HIS SHORTS

...this is one of the first sketches I did when I started the blog. I never posted it because I'm still not sure how to describe it. 

A couple of months ago I was sitting in the Starbucks on Greenwich and 12th Street and this guy came in: beautiful linen jacket, white shirt, and shorts with words either written (or embroidered) on the shorts. 

The line at the counter moved quickly so I never got a chance to really study the detail, but it's worth recording none the less.

IF YOU HAD TO HAVE ONE THING FROM FALL

...what would it be? For me, this Lanvin trench coat. Hands down. 

What about you?

BOW TIE #3. UNIVERSITY AND 12th STREET.

...saw this guy yesterday. Red/white gingham shirt (that in itself is an A+), khakis, black patent boat shoes (another A), and a tiny maroon bow tie. 

I would be happy if he was a guy who just wanted to look that way, as opposed to someone who works at nearby Rugby. But it deserves a sketch either way.

BRAD X 3

...and I love that underwear has become part of the design statement. 

ONE OF THE MANY THINGS I LOVE

...about doing this is meeting people and hearing their stories. This is Brad - vegan, runs marathons. Turns out he went from over 300 lbs. in high school to this at 25. If that's not a reason to go back to a high school reunion, then I don't know what is.

Great style too. APC jeans, cool chain thing hanging from a belt loop...