The strangest gift I ever received through mail was a Reuben Sandwich Kit from Zingerman’s. The Ann Arbor outpost does a terrific job, however, of sourcing foodstuffs and preparing packages that defy the limitations of ones local markets. That same principle can be applied to mail order steaks. Do local steakhouses have better cuts than you get at your nearby butcher? Do you even have a nearby butcher these days? Yes and no are the typical answers to those questions. Mail order solves the problem.

Having sampled steaks from a full range of mail order meat providers (from the ubiquitous Omaha Steaks to Allen Bros), my favorite is certainly New York’s Lobel’s. Above is their dry-aged Cowboy steak. They’ve also got a fine line in Berkshire and Durac pork, and will happily service a need for American Wagyu.

Another mail order favorite comes from New Bruanfels, Texas. The smokehouse’s sausages are highly recommended.

Leather goods masters, Tanner have worked with NY’s 3sixteen on two solid tote bags. They are “crafted of 10oz. waxed canvas and also features black English Bridle leather handles and accents. The top of the bag has a lift-a-dot nautical closure system and the front also features two top-access pockets (one with a zip closure). We’ve sourced the waxed canvas and leathers from US manufacturers, and as is the case with everything else Tanner makes, the bag itself is also constructed in the Pacific Northwest.”

More looks at the Tanner for 3sixteen Tote Bags after the click.

Kitsune works with Weston Footwear on an interesting collaboration curated by French magazine Jalouse. Moccasin model 180 and Boot 722 in blue petrol will be available for order from Colette and Boutique Weston.

More looks at the Kitsune for Weston Shoes as Curated by Jalouse Magazine after the click.

A wise man once said ‘you can never have enough accessories’. Mismo have taken those words and ran with it, releasing three new additions in the form of a tote, wallet and laptop case. Whilst we know the bags look purdy and all, the most promising aspect of these new styles are the little added details. The laptop case is the perfect size for a 13″ macbook and has two pockets for business cards and a mobile; in other words, it’s built for the travelling businessman (or menswear blogger). The tote has adjustable handles and the wallet has an inside pocket that keeps coins away from notes. The diety’s in the details. The collection will launch in December, expect them at the usual retailers.

Take a leap to take a closer look at the collection.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – we’re all corduroy everything this season. Uniqlo are satisfying our needs with an array of colourful corduroy option; last time out it was the cord shirt and now it’s the corduroy jeans. As you’d expect from Uniqlo, the colour selection looks like a packet of skittles: there’s pea green, purple and orange as well as the standard navy and khaki. And to top it all off, they’re £20 each. It’s only available online at Uniqlo Japan, so you’ll have to visit a store to get a good look at these. (Uniqlo)

Take a leap to look at the other colourways.

Remember a couple of years ago when designers were racing to make the best shawl neck? Well, this year the piece to make is the sweatpant. Throwing their hat into the ring this time are Viktor & Rolf, who’s name is now alongside the likes of Band of Outsiders and RRL in the sweatpant stakes. All the sweatpants we’ve seen so far have followed the same brief – slim cut, light grey – and this one is no different. Our only worry is that someone with thunderthighs (i.e, us) could easily look like they’re exposing far too much if the cut’s a little too slim. (The Corner)

Close up images after the leap.

Running now, Lodger Footwear’s inaugural “reverse auction” finds a pair of the beautiful Kudu Brogued boot dropping in price every minute. The start is at 415 quid, and the winner will be he (or she) that’s first to call, email, or visit the Lodger shop. Follow the auction on twitter, and send an email to info@lodgerfootwear.com when you feel you’ve captured the perfect price. The auction started at noon (GMT), so already you’re winning.

The winner will get a pair of custom made Kudu Brogued boots

Mr. Hare’s blog, which is always a good read, played host last night to the online display of his SS10 collection. The collection focuses on a smarter type of summer shoe – boat shoes just aren’t gonna cut it in this collection. Loafers, suede bucks, mandals and even sneakers are all given the Mr. Hare twist.

As Mr. Hare stated himself in a Q&A we did recently with him, “My SS10 collection is named ‘Hot Steppers’ and all the styles are named after dancehall generals who have burnt down dancehalls all around the equator. Cachao, King Tubby, Phil Spector, J.Dilla, Jerry Lee Lewis etc. So yeah – don’t test the champion sound.”

Take a look at the collection after the leap.

01. Brimfield Antiques Market Fall 2009: The Finds

“Visiting Massachusets’ tri-annual antiques fair earlier this month brings out the inner collector in everyone, including myself and my trip mates photographer James “the eye” Ryang (who took all of these awesome photos for us) and illustrator Keren Richter, whose art director ways help out big time in an overwhelming market like the miles of booths at Brimfield…” (coolhunting)

02. Honda Unveils U3-X Electric Unicycle Futuristic Transport Alternative

“Ever wished you could zip down the street on a self-balancing electric unicycle? So have the engineers at Honda. The Segway-like U3-X developed by the Japanese company, travels at 3.7 MPH on an hour of battery life. It also folds up easily so that you can carry it with you when it’s not in use. Could this be the easy, green transportation mode of the future that we’ve been looking for?” (inhabitant)

03. Airstream House / TANK Architectes

“This project is located on a narrow and sloping plot, on the edge of a village. The way the house had to be laid out wasn’t an easy staff since the regulations and neighborhood limits were restricting… to avoid a very long and narrow house, the project is splited in three parts, on semi levels using the natural slope.” (archdaily)

04. Kings Of Convenience – Boat Behind video (above)

The heavens have given us another Kings of Convenience record. “Declaration of Dependence” drops October 20th. Rejoice.

Wallpaper*s addition to London design week is an ode to the Victorian tradition of building arches out of locally manufactured goods. They call it a “pat on the back” for Britain. To get it together they employed the talents of Martino Gamper (a pretty good designer) and Ercol (a pretty good chair maker). Learn more from the video above.