Common People are a brand we’ll be following up on in later posts, but to introduce we start off with their Autumn/Winter 2012 video. Creative director Kestin Hare worked as Head of Design at Nigel Cabourn for 4 years and you’ll see some of those influences throughout the collection. Another dedicated vintage head, he has picked up an impressive collection from around the world, the details of which underpin this first offering. “Inspired by the film There Will Be Blood and his archive of vintage American workwear pieces, the collection has been given an all British, almost dandy-esque treatment.”  Stay tuned for more on the Brit label.

We sift through some looks from Barnaby Black, the more fashion driven end of CXXVI, the New York t-shirt and accessory company. The kind of ‘Rugged Man’ collection you’d expect from the guys whose imagery often centers around nautical themes and the idea of the hardworking man of old. Buffalo plaid, checks, canvas and chambray – all the usual suspects found in the modern translation of workwear.

Barnaby Black tell us more in poetic style. “The idea and concept of Barnaby Black was discovered while on a jaunt, somewhere deep in The Mighty Appalachians of New York State.  Melding the journeyman’s necessity out in the great beyond, a boxcar drifter’s function, both with a far-fetched idea of Armageddon, Barnaby Black walks that same line in distinction, style and chaos.”

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Penfield look to sunnier times with their Spring/Summer 2012 collection. This ticks all those easygoing boxes with words like wearable, relaxed, casual and laid-back applicable to pretty much every piece. With Penfield you get what you sign up for so if you’re looking to reinvent yourself as a future ninja or new romantic pilot then side-step these guys.

What we’re dealing with here are good solid basics with an American outdoors feel. Parkas, button down shirts, sweats and slim chinos as well as a denim apron, an object which is shaping up to be the new blanket in the miscellaneous accessories world. More on that subject later. For now, click on to see Penfield do their thing in consummate style.

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A look at Frank Leder Spring/Summer 2012 via HUH. A returning favourite, we admire his dedication to encorporating German heritage, one way or another, in all his collections. Having such a strong aesthetic has served him well, rarely falling victim to passing trends, he has continued to keep an air of weirdness about everything he produces whilst creating clothing that could generally be labelled ‘wearable’. As always there’s some strong knitwear throughout as well as a colour palette that won’t present too many challenges.

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Smith-Wykes, newcomers on the scene, look to steal a bit of the limelight from those brands sitting in the ‘Modern Classics’ category (A.P.C., Albam…we’re looking at you). Based in London and Paris, they’ve put together the kind of Autumn/Winter collection that promises good things for the future. You know the score with these kind of labels; good knit-wear, sold shirting, slimmer cuts and the ability to wear everything with anything. They describe, “Driven by shared values of creative independence and generosity of spirit, we created Smith-Wykes as a celebration of character. We are rooted in the belief that men’s clothing should work to compliment, rather than overshadow the individual”

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Japanese store Tomorrowland put together a lookbook full of spot on summer layering, the kind of images that make you hate winter with a vengeance. An interesting mix of silhouettes and proportions. Super wide trousers to make the most of that warm breeze are a particular favourite. If you prefer to keep things slim check out their suiting; traditional fabrics with a modern cut.

The store carries stellar labels such as Gaziano & Girling, Mackintosh, Adam Kimmel, Casely-Hayford and Mismo to name just a few. Even with such an incredible list to work from we still have to acknowledge their lookbook skills. Well done Tomorrowland, we want it all. Now.

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Imagine stepping out of a hot shower and instead of reaching for a terrycloth robe, grabbing a pair of terrycloth shorts, a terrycloth shawl-collar jumper and a nice little terrycloth chapeau. We like this idea even more than we like typing the word terrycloth.

Our new-found dream of a spring terry takeover comes to us from PIOMBO. The company’s first collection released in the wake of founder Massimo Piombo’s departure shows an allegiance to his rough-and-tumble aesthetic with a broad but cohesive array featuring loose denim, some delectably sleazy pajamas, smartly patterned shorts, a bit of homeless layering, a particularly devilish beard and more. (cs)

More looks in our gallery…

Ursus, part of the Bape kingdom, might not be our usual fare but this Spring/Summer 2012 collection deserves a look. A relatively new line, established in its early days by Tetsu Nishiyama of WTAPS fame, this is a version of ‘casual’ that really appeals. Of course, it’s got that whole Americana thing happening with bits of naval here and rockabilly there, but it’s all executed in a laid-back manner and with enough good, solid staples that it works perfectly.

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SOPHNET, we like the way you do your thing. Spring/Summer 2012, follow these guys and you won’t go far wrong. Double madras with a shirt and short combo, dyed and faded indigo blazers, plaid overlaid with polka dots, stripes big and small and a whole lots of chinos. A brand which happily encourages mix and match, everything designed to work well with everything else.

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I never gave Club Monaco much of my attention until my wife spotted a pair of their plaid, lambswool trousers on a thrift store rack in Wanatchee, WA for a cool buck. They’d never even been worn, but that’s been made up for over the past six months, as they’ve become something of a weekly staple—warm; perfect fit; khaki with peach squares; real winners.

Club Monaco’s Spring 2012 collection is rife with more versatile and perfectly pleasant wares. Standouts on initial glance include the Timothy Shirt Jacket (especially in the Southwestern blanket print), the Lightweight Chinos (why not go for it in the yellow?), the Edward Shirt and matching tie (mad for plaid) and the Jorn B. Trouser (is that chambray?). Complete looks from this collection aren’t going to blow any minds—and the Miguel Shorts looks a little diapery—but there’s plenty of solid stuff to mix in with whatever might be waiting for you elsewhere as the weather warms, thrift stores included. - jt

More looks in our gallery…