I’ve been thinking about “factories” like Maine’s Quoddy for a while. For those not aware, Quoddy is located in Lewiston, Maine, a town pretty much in the middle of nowhere. As in literally in the middle of no-where. Imagine one day, you start getting an increase of orders and the next season, you are in Paris and Europe showcasing your hand-made, made to order footwear – it is a pretty incredible idea. They should be riding this run as hard as they can, and it looks like it is not slowing down.

Showing images of the line is like opening up their catalog of options. This is not a collection view: this is a small example of what Quoddy can build for you. And do hear me correct: ANY OF YOU can contact Quoddy and have an individual pair made for yourself. Support Maine. Support Quoddy.

Photography: Jeff Carvalho/Selectism.com

View more looks in our gallery…

The “exotic shoes” collection from Russell Moccasin Co. is perfect for nights out with ultra-liberal family members. “Kick it up a notch” (their words, not ours) with a Oneida Camp Moccasin crafted from Hippo. Elephant and ostrich are also popular materials in the line. For those that really want to show out, send in your own big game catch – Russell is a custom order company and  encourages customers to supply their own hides. Pick any shoe from the catalog, and they will provide you with trophy worthy footwear.

In all seriousness, the “exotic shoes” are a great reminder of Russell’s heritage as a real hunting outfitter. On a style note, some of these will make you look like an asshole. Then again, if you choose to wear them (for style) that is probably the point.

More “exotic shoes” after the jump.

Our friends at Valet have produced a tidbit pertaining to the ‘most deadly weapon’ in a man’s closet – The Button Down Shirt. Valet sits down with Carl Goldberg, custom NY tailor, to discuss the finer details and must-ask questions of a bespoke tailor. “Some customers want details that can’t be found off the rack and some just enjoy the experience. Mostly, it’s for the fit. I do have some real physical misfits, but those are rare. Today most of the guys just want slim fitting shirts. In my opinion, sometimes too slim.” Valet proves that every man should have a tailor and every man should make the most of it.

Read in full at Valet.

We’ve featured a few shirts by custom shirts of Alexander West before, and being as interested in process as we are garment, recently took the opportunity to get a sense of the Alexander West experience.

Appointments begin with a comprehensive consultation about what YOU want and need out of a shirt. This includes a full introduction to the types of fabrics available (weaves, etc.) and discussion of styles fit for casual and dress usage. From there, measurements are taken. After that, it is time to pick options. Collar type (aided by a little chat about what best suits your face), style of cuff, and placket look are all part of the parcel. Once these tasks are completed, you pick your monogram placement and after the West team cuts your unique shirt pattern a perfectly fitting custom shirt arrives in 5 weeks.

The whole experience is designed to instruct the customer and provide the ultimate in shirting needs

The images after the jump will give you a little idea about the look and feel of the Alexander West fitting process.

Designer, Paul Smith, speaks with Guardian about making a vintage shirt into a modern look – and he even gives you a downloadable PDF pattern of the collar! “Paul Smith says: Making a shirt is complicated. It takes a specialised factory months to develop even our simplest shirt pattern, requiring specialised press irons and sewing machines. Of course you can make your own shirt and there are countless patterns but, to be honest, for so much work they never look particularly good.”

Read the full story, “Make Your Own Paul Smith Shirt” at the Guardian UK.

Coming later this year is the Aston Martin One-77 automobile. As Luxist describes it “the new One-77 model … will feature a hand-built 7.0-liter V12 engine, an aluminum and carbon fiber chassis, a top speed of 200+ mph, and a 0-60mph time of about 3.5 secs.” More importantly only 77 One-77’s will be made in production; each to be customized but the individual buyer. At 1.8 million $US, we would hope we could at least choose one cupholder over two.

More views of the Aston Martin One-77 automobile after the jump.

We have seen more flannels this Fall/Winter season than in the past 10 years all together. They came of course in the form of shirts, sneakers, bags, accessories, jackets, you name it. Without wanting to bore you, we still do have to show you this fresh flannel shirt by PRPS. The sea blue color looks nice, but what makes this shirt stand out is the approach and amount of customization. It almost feels like the people from PRPS took the same approach as with their denim – lots of custom work, adding value to an otherwise pretty basic product. On the pockets, cuffs and other spots there are nice embroideries smartly changing the look of the shirt.

Definitely one of the best flannel shirts we have come across this season. It is now available at Commonwealth.