Handcrafted, Big Stitch, USA Man-Boot scene, say hello to your handsome Eastland brethren here. This takes a little of the moccasin, a little of the Chukka, a little of the desert boot and manages to avoid looking like a mash-up disaster. Chestnut leather, two eyelets, handcrafted, 360 double welt brown leather midsole and a natural crepe rubber sole. These are handcrafted in Maine.

Blackbird explain “These loafers are bench made using genuine true moccasin construction, meaning the leather from the upper fully wraps under the wearer’s foot. This is the traditional method of making handsewns and is a sign of quality” Find them at the store.

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Bear with us on this one. We know that for many of you, slapping a shiny gold tone metal plate onto a perfectly good pair of Marc Jacobs oxford shoes is the kind of shoe sacrilege that makes you want to throw your George Cleverleys at the screen. In many ways it is wrong. The strongest case being that yes, these are indeed a perfectly good pair of oxfords. In fact, they are a great pair, sitting on the right side of slim and substantial whilst keeping detail (heel aside) to a minimum.

The fact is though, sometimes you feel like putting snobbery aside. We stare at endless pairs of shoes, good, bad and ugly, in order to bring you the latest. Whilst our hearts skip a little when we see those bespoke classics, in all their rigid, conformist beauty – we can’t help but fall for the sheer defiance and bloody mindedness of this slightly silly shoe.

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Vim Beget, a small accessories line out of Seattle WA. presents the  Cervidae VT Wallet. A single piece of 2oz vegetable tan leather is moulded into a five compartment accordion style wallet  for cash, loose change, cards and anything else you wish to store away. The entire line has a dark, more modern feel than most handmade leather goods on offer at the moment, but there is a nod to the past with the fastening;  lift-the-Dot snaps on the front flap were originally used to secure WWII military utility pouches. Find the Cervidae VT here.

We featured Haerfest a while back, a brand who bring a bit of  understated luxury to the man bag game. Leather packs can often come off a little 70s music festival, especially those of the tan variety. Using some less expected colourways the New York brothers, Dan and Tim Joo, avoid any dowdy associations. Modern through and through, all their goods come with practical little touches such as two way back straps and handles that go from long to short with the twist of a clasp. This all cowhide number is a great example of keeping design simple is often a winning line. Find it at LN-CC.

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In the heat of stump speech season, “American Ingenuity” is centered on whatever manufacturing plant a candidate is standing in, but there’s a spring well of the stuff on Etsy year-round. Case in point, this Bicycle Can Cage that comes our way. It does not take much explaining to make the sale: a handsome leather drink holster that sits right where you need it. That it looks like a deconstructed football is just icing. Beer is probably going to dominate it’s useage, but the Cage’s Etsy page notes that a flat can of Coke is a cyclist’s secret weapon—a splash of sugar and caffeine to push you up and over the last hills. -jt

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Veja meet French Trotters once again with a selection of men’s footwear. We previewed the collection a while back and this addition of a black hi-top is a welcome one. Veja don’t bang on too much about their eco credentials but it’s worth noting that each pair is made with the environment and the workers who produce them in mind. “The leather used has been tanned naturally using acacia extracts. The soles are made of wild rubber originating from the Amazonian rainforest. ” Take a look below for a little background into this time heavy process. Polished and waxed leather with a contrast tan stripe running up the back, these are sure to age perfectly. Find them here.

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A bit of old news (this collaboration came out back in 2010) but… Out of the all the headphones to be housed inside of the beautiful Swift leather case from Hermes, why does it have to be the Bose Noise Cancelling headphones? No disrespect to the very popular travel headphones from the Massachusetts maker, but Hermes aligning themselves with Bose does not seem like a proper fit for me. Hermes speaks luxury. Bose does not.*

Rather than discuss more proper headphone manufacturers to align with Hermes, I’ll focus on the wonderful work the leather maker did on the bag: each leather case is hand saddle-stitched with protective pads to keep the headphones in place. Special cut-outs are ther for all the accessories as well. Finally, the finish off the interior with goatskin lining. Beautiful work from Hermes. (wallpaper*)

*consider the Audio Technica Active Noise-Cancelling headphone at half the cost of the Bose if you really need noise cancelling options.

Wingtips come in all forms. Thom Browne does his with signature stripes; this pair on the sole. The real win on this pair of Browne’s is the pebbled leather upper. It is pretty damn beautiful in person. The price-tag is high but in some manner, you know what you are buying into. SOTO has them.

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A Spring Summer 2012 leather tote from Dries Van Noten. Horizontal beige and brown stripes, adjustable straps, cotton lined with an interior pocket. This sizable carrier has a ice cream sandwich feel which seems appropriate given the season. The navy canvas trim around the zipper is a nice touch. Available in black and purple, find it at LN-CC

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Veja continue to do good things with accessories. This simple ‘Cabas’ tote is a favourite. Here in red and also available in tan, a piece made in collaboration with designer Regina Dabdab, it also comes with a handy removable wallet. The collection includes smaller wallets, credit card holders and coin purses in a range of earth tones with everything kept minimal and unfussy.

Veja explain; “The capsule collection introduces ‘Soleta’, a new premium leather which is waxed and polished revealing a mottled finish. All leather used in Veja’s bags and accessories is ecologically tanned. Contrary to most leathers that are processed with heavy metals, it is chrome-free tanned, using acacia tree extract. This helps to reduce
water pollution.”

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