Spellbound of  Okayama Japan continue down a familiar road for Spring/Summer 2012. A collection with few surprises and many appearances of chambray, check, denim and, whisper it, ‘Classic American Clothing’, this would have us yawning if it wasn’t executed so perfectly. Some brands are pushing things forwards, others are perfecting much loved standards – we welcome both schools of thought on these here pages. So, Spellbound for the summer months? A huge collection comprised of light, airy, easy wearing, no iron needed garments to throw on and forget about. Nice. Fans outside Japan may wish to head here for more. (GT)

Lee 101 present the Field & Country collection for Autumn/Winter 2012. Digging back into their sizable archives, 101 continues to breath life into some genuine classics – the ‘First Jacket‘ from the Spring collection a great example of this denim legend’s impressive history. Looking towards colder days expect cords, flannel,  heavy knitwear and leather outerwear amongst their standard denim and chambray pieces. Accessories follow a similar theme, also featuring their classic blanket fabric most famously used inside the Storm Rider jacket.

Lee 101 describe; “Breathtaking country, abundant nature and long dusty days in the fields inspire us as we journey to the heartland of America. Lee 101 brings you a fine collection of sharp clothing for men that is inspired by the rugged American terrain; field, country and ranch.” Lookout for some truly heavyweight denim in the form of the 101z 23 ounce edition, a winter appropriate Japanese selvedge denim built like a brick wall.

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Soft and subtly pink, Levi’s Made & Crafted One Pocket Chambray Shirt is simple in the best way. A well-fitting shirt that’s just as ready for casual wear as it is for tucked-in-and-tie time. Hewing to the line’s creedo—“Modern items based on the principles of good design”—this is a shirt with minimal details that are well attended to. Caliroots has it.

More looks in our gallery…

A couple of wallet friendly shirt options from Duffer. The meadows shirt to our left; A light hickory fabric with a button down collar and single breast pocket, the smarter option of the two with a little less of that workwear feel. On the right, The Yarrow, chambray with two breast pockets, one little one big, with contrast white stitching and more casual feel. Two nice shirts. Simple. Find them at Duffer.

Workers return with a new selection of goods. The Japanese company holds a place in our hearts with its no-nonsense approach to repros. This time round they are offered two shawl collared deck jackets, one in pinstripe, one in brown herringbone; USN shirts in chambray and khaki green; a 70z cotton tool bag, and two selvedge ties. Everything is made to order, inspired by the original as well as the wealth of knowledge accrued by the label.

Hit the site and click on the ‘Work Clothing‘ section to see where these Workers are coming from.

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Oh Warehouse, you really are spoiling us. Let’s not pretend we’re tired of chambray. We weren’t even going to mention the C word but it’s time to be loud and proud. The fact is it’s a really nice fabric and it’s that bit more flexible than denim when it comes to shirting. It goes with everything and sometimes, when we get together with friends and we’re all accidentally wearing our chambray shirts, we pretend we’re in an old prison movie planning our escape using our enamel gruel dishes and some hand drawn blueprints. Erm, anyway, Mr Mudd & Mr Gold will help you out on this one.

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The idea of pre-distressed jeans have become something of the past. But recently, there’s been a resurgence in this distressed styling. PRPS has been creating amazing washes on all their jeans and jackets since their inception and they’ve withstood the fad of “raw” DIY jeans. The “Chambray Denim Jacket” is one example of true PRPS styling. They offer a very dark wash with detailed washed accents throughout the piece. The jacket features “a folded collar, button down front and four front pockets.” The secret internal pocket is my favorite detail on the piece. Atrium has them.

More looks after the click.

J. Lindeberg delivers a three-layer chambray blazer and overshirt in indigo. Japanese fabrics are used on the exterior while technical taped seams are implemented on the interior. Both are water and wind proof – an added bonus on these fine garments. Expect plenty of pocket room as well for your gadgets.

More looks after the click.

This season, a plain white shirt can officially count as a curveball (the world’s gone mad, etc etc). But this is a chambray, so there’s a bit of a twist there, right? If nothing else, you can always throw paint on it if you feel it’s missing some colour. (Mr Mudd & Mr Gold)

Our first look at the Spring/Summer 2011 Levi’s Chambray by Opening Ceremony Collection features styled looks on some well known models shot by a well known photographer. We figure it was time to show some individual looks from the collection, which drops in shops this week.  The pop-overs and trucker jackets come in some unique offerings. Dig in.

More looks after the click.