A casual day brief from MEI. They are a stray away from the more traditional briefs and bring a more outdoorsy casual by making them with ripstop material on the outer. Great for your next weekend trek where (unfortunately) you need to get some work done. (nepenthes)

More views of the MEI Small Briefcase after the jump.

Today is “bowtie war” day at Selectism. Mr. Dike posted the Hackett bowtie this morning. I challenge him to a duel with this selection of bowties from Saint Augustine Academy of Australia. We featured their menswear collection yesterday but felt it necessary to show Mr. Dike that the other side of the hemisphere is emerging quickly as a fashion powerhouse.  Who will reign supreme? 

More views of the Saint Augustine Academy Ties and Accessories Spring/Summer 2009 after the jump.

Let’s say your spending a few days in the beautiful White Mountains of New England. Your short coat may give you some protection from the brisk winds but this Marka Deck Jacket could be a better solution. It’s probably best for Autumn weather but the elements change quick up here. It’s a military inspired jacket with wool collar. It’s warm and casual. We like. (wiseark)

More views of the Marka Deck Jacket after the jump.

Jonathan Glancey focuses on the $1 bill today, for no. 60 in his Guardian series “The Classics of Everyday Design.” Enough to make an American proud, Glancey breaks down the elements of the note, which has been in current form since 1957. A bit of education, and a lovely reminder of Gilbert Stuart’s role in the history of American portraiture.

Despite their popularity on the catwalks, bow ties are still a piece that garner mixed reactions. In our experience, this tends to be because people have extremely strong stereotypes of bow tie wearers that they didn’t have with other out of style pieces that made a comeback (ala cardigans, boat shoes, etc). For one reason or another, a bow tie is one of the few pieces that  can still elicit a ‘you’re wearing a bow tie?!’ response from a stranger. This alone is reason enough for most people on the fence about bow ties to lose all confidence and stick to buttoning up the top button of a shirt instead. If you can get over that hump then this Hackett bow tie would be a great purchase when Fall comes around.

With all the fair isle hype going to Arne & Carlos, it can be easy to forget that other companies can do them just as well. Take this Hackett jumper for instance, the pattern is a great mix of complimentary colours and the knit itself is great quality. The only problem with this is that the V may be a little too deep for some, especially as crew necks seem to be coming back into fashion. If that doesn’t bother you then we’ll tell you about stockists when this becomes available.

Robert Geller’s profile has been steadily rising for a good while now and it seems to have spilled over from Thom Browne-like adoration for his designs to people actually wanting to purchase his pieces. Unique detailing such as the flecked wool and smoking-style lapels (hence the name of the jacket) make this a great piece. The price is far from recession friendly, but if you’ve got it, get this. Get it from Farfetch.

Take a look at further shots after the jump.

01. Harvest Green Project / Romses Architects

“The ‘Harvest Green Project’ by Romses Architects was a winning entry in a recent competition held by the city of Vancouver: ‘The 2030 Challenge’ to address climate change plans and to guide greener and denser development, reducing carbon emissions for the future.” (archdaily)

02. Youth in Japan  (above)

“My most recent find was photos from an article called Youth in Japan, which seems to document a day and night in the life of a group of scooter kids in 1964. The photos are so neat to see, and I love everything that they’re wearing. I’m also jealous of their bikes, I wish I had a sweet little scooter like that to run around LA on!” (+kn)

03. OFFF Reports – Day 1

“The theme of OFFF 09′ is “Fail Gracefully”, but I am hearing over and over from the keynote speakers this need to remind ourselves that behind all the digital matter, we are still human with human tendencies…” (cpluv)

04. Hajek Motorsports attempts to topple 22-year-old NASCAR speed record in E85 Mustang

“The current NASCAR top speed record sits at 212.089 mph and was set by Bill Elliot at Talladega Superspeedway in a 1987 Ford Thunderbird. ” (autoblog)

A nice alternative to the classic Fedora is offered this season by Engineered Garments. The natural linen Fedora comes in a dark beige colorway and features a navy/red plaid stripe. Produced in the US, it is the perfect companion for the summer. The hat is now available at Hejfina.

More images of the Engineered Garments Natural Linen Fedora follow after the jump.

Dazed Digital sat down with the editor of Academy for Men Magazine whih focuses on the lifestyle of the world down under. “Rhys Ripper has a mission, the Editor-in-Chief of Academy for Men, a new online men’s magazine aims to offer a forward thinking view of Australia to his young predominantly male readership. The education is now almost three publications in, with each issue downloadable for free (including in the UK) it is only a matter of time before it’s teachings spread like bushfire…”