01. David Orr: Lost in the Archives, December 1985

“Philip Larkin was the first poet I understood. He wasn’t the first poet I could write a reasonably coherent college essay about (that was probably George Herbert), nor was he the first poet whose poems I memorized (Vachel Lindsay, although in fairness, I was twelve). But Larkin was the first poet whose sensibility I felt I grasped in most of its dimensions: he appeared not as a blueprint, but as an actual structure. And a very peculiar structure at that. When I think of Larkin, I imagine a cathedral filled with cheap gray metal desks, or possibly a strip mall with a belfry. Indeed, Larkin combines so many opposed elements of lyric tradition and modern consciousness that he comes close to being the writerly equivalent of a folly—and he has a folly’s ability to seem simultaneously monumental and embarrassingly personal.” (The Paris Review)

02. Crowdsourcing: sabotaging our value

“Does it make sense to walk into a restaurant, ask the chef to make you three entrees, eat from all three plates and then skip out on the bill if you didn’t like any of the options? The answer is no.” (iDsgn)

03. Carson the magazine, Carson the designer

“The much-anticipated new magazine Carson turned up in the magCulture post late last week. There’s been a huge online surge of excitement around the project, primarily I assume from ex-students of a certain generation with a soft spot for David Carson’s design work for Raygun. You could almost sense a mass ransacking of bookshelves for dusty copies of his book ‘The End of Print’. What could this new project be? Where would Carson the magazine and the man take us next?” (Magculture)

04. Railroad (Pictured)

“Today, I’m excited to share photos from a little shoot i did at Railroad, which has become one of my favorite spots in london.” (The Blue Hour)

Outlier’s latest trouser takes on a classic – the 5-pocket dungaree. As we’ve come to expect from the cycle inspired New York brand, inspiration pulls from classic garments and twists with cutting edge contemporary fabric. Here they present a tough, casual five pocket pant built with Outlier’s rugged Workcloth Doubleweave Canvas.

Available in black and blue.

Shot in San Francisco, the Spring/Summer 2011 lookbook from Aether shares the brand’s commitment to a range of outdoor pursuits. You’ll find boating, cycling, and most importantly good old fashioned kicking back at the beach. As expected, the garments meld functionality with sleek silhouettes created to work equally well on a yacht and on the block.

While Aether is based in LA, you’ll find no SoCal/NorCal rivalry here… in fact, there is sound reasoning for the decision to capture the Northern climate. With that in mind, we caught up with the Aether team to discuss their inspirations for the current season and to find out who owns the worst boards shorts in the world.

Read our Q&A and view the full Spring/Summer 2011 lookbook from Aether after the jump.

More love to keep focus on the relief effort in Japan. “Yohji Yamamoto created a special WE LOVE JAPAN tote bag for Y-3 to help the Japanese population affected by the earthquake and tsunami… The tote bag will be available in select Y-3 flagship stores across Europe, the US, in Hong Kong and Indonesia, retailing for $15 of which all proceeds will be donated to benefit relief efforts.”

This was a common shoe choice during my stint in Catholic school. Why? I have no idea. I tended to go with the easy wear Eastlands. All the cool kids would have on a pair of suedes, unless of course your mom and dad were smart enough to know that any 12 year old in a pair of suede shoes was a sure sign of trouble. I moved onto Dr. Martens, which made me a bad plus. Paraboot’s French made Sanary shoe should work for most. CHCM has them.

More looks after the click.

A quick video from Burberry “exploring” their Spring/Summer 2011 collection of accessories for men.

END offers a wide assortment of MM’s for Bass Weejun shoes just in time for Spring/Summer 2011. The leather mocassins continue to rule the roost, as they say. The collaborative effort between NY’s modern day shoe wizard and G.H. Bass looks to bring well-priced models that look and feel great. Eddie Rabbit would recommend avoid wearing them on a “Rainy Nights” (watch for aggressive lightning).

More looks after the click.

Openers Japan comes through with a few looks at the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 15 mission celebration Omega Speedmaster. It’s dropping this Summer and features an engraving case-back as well as the mission’s colors used on the front face: ” red, white and blue.” The symbolism….

Another look after the click.

History fuels all fashion, clearly. Laureano Faedi, head designer for Gangs of San Francisco, gives us a little history lesson with their line. With a strong background in fine art and photography, Faedi specialized in graphic design for many large companies before starting his own. “I’m always amazed at how people in New York have this sense of pride and knowledge of the history of their city whereas here (San Francisco) people don’t seem to care as much.” The brand name and the designs pay tribute to the works of Herbert Asbury author of the book, “The Barbary Coast.” All shirts are printed with water based inks which give each garment a rustic feel. Each piece comes with a brief explanation of the design’s influences.

Made in the U.S.A. from red-line 14 oz Dry Kurabo Japan selvedge denim, this Baldwin wallet will hold everything that you usually stuff into your five pockets (including your pill case). It’s a well done wallet that is sure to break-in with class. Get it direct from Baldwin.

More looks after the click.