Preview: Menswear Designers do Duffels for CFDA x Details

Last Fall the CFDA and Details magazine partnered to have men's designers create an exclusive pocket square. One was framed and signed and auctioned off... 100 more of each design were available through Bonobos. Not only did I bid (and lose) on a number of them, I ended up buying the Billy Reid design for a friend.

Well the collaboration has returned and this time the accessory of choice is a duffel bag. An Army standard issue duffel bag. Twenty designers participated, making the duffel their own, including Marc Jacobs, Ovadia & Sons, Michael Bastian, UNIS, Gilded Age, and many more. 

Details gave me an advance peek at the bags and here are my favs (and the ones I'll most likely be bidding on!)...

Public School -- before I even knew who designed this bag it stood out to me. Turning the whole bag + hardware black, I loved the quilted leather side pocket. Oh and these guys just want the CFDA Swarovski Menswear Award.

Tommy Hilfiger -- I saw the photos of this bag and loved the bright red leather handles, and the black leather end caps. Then I looked closely at the blue patch on the side and saw that signature "TH". Classic, subtle, sophisticated.

Simon Spurr -- while his own line shuttered (fingers crossed for a re-launch), Spurr has continued to consult Hilfiger's men's collection and I've long been a fan of his work. He took the duffel and added some lux touches -- a white leather handle and leather croc-print side pocket. The studs on the Army issued strap (see below) add a touch of punk.

Todd Snyder -- saving this one for last because I thought Snyder had the most innovation in his design. Literally turned it on its head... the bag now goes vertical and the top and bottom are trimmed with leather. A leather shoulder strap and rope closures give this a vintage military feel, and the TS brand stencil rounds it out.

The bags will be available for auction via eBay and go up on Monday, June 10. So just a few more days + you can start your bidding!

Ovadia & Sons Fall 2013: Things I Love

The brothers of Ovadia & Sons continue to deliver the necessary pieces for a gentleman's wardrobe -- high quality, well crafted, classic pieces. But they deliver these collections season after season in a way that makes men of all ages want to look sharp and thoughtful about what they're wearing. 

Fall 2013 is no exception -- suiting, jackets, outerwear, knits -- all designed and styled to be completely approachable and easy to mix with anything else you've already got. There was also some whimsy -- jacket and pants with two-tone panelling gave an optical treat, and zig-zag striped ski sweaters took me back to the 1970's.

A key look for me was this navy blazer layered with red and black sweater and gray trousers. Simple yet neat. The double breasted military style coat in the background could easily be thrown over it all as it gets colder.

From the looks of it three-piece suiting is on a rise, and this version with the high-buttoned vest seems a good investment.

Finally, I couldn't resist the windowpane suit (so good), the tartan shawl, or the beret... the francophile in me just leapt at this whole look. 

You can see the rest of the collection here... all shot by rising star photographer Justin Chung. and given the Ovadia brothers are now also designing York Street for J. Press, expect to see more of them and their work.

GQ X Gap Collaboration: Things I Have

Ever since GQ announced this year's Best New Designers in America I've been anxious to see what these designers would create in partnership with Gap, who was the co-sponsor for this year's awards.

The list of those selected included a number of my current favorites: Todd Snyder, Saturdays Surf, Ovadia & Sons, Ian Velardi...  so it was with no small amount of anticipation that I got up today to finally buy some of the pieces at a Gap store.

Since the GQ October issue included a 12 page spread showing all of the pieces available, along with photos of the designers wearing some of them, I had made a mental list of what I was after. And after a brief chat with GQ Fashion Editor Garrett Munce, I ran in and made a grab!

First up was this ampersand sweatshirt in green, from Saturdays Surf. These guys have far expanded from their well known line of tees, but the icon hash mark or the constant play on their logo have given them an easily identifiable visibility. The sweatshirt's simplicity is its brilliance and it fit me perfectly.

Next on my list were the cargo pants from Todd Snyder. I can't seem to stop talking about this guy and how much I enjoy his well designed and crafted collections. I threw these on and they were slim but with enough room to move around. And I grabbed a 30 inch length to keep them a little above the ankle.

The other TS item I'd been eyeing was this uber-soft and perfect for Fall patch crewneck sweatshirt. Even though I knew it would fit I tried it on in the store and decided it may bump my James Perse sweatshirt out of the "most comfortable thing I own" category.

There were a lot of other pieces I could've grabbed but tried to restrain myself. Be sure to get online or to a nearby Gap store to check it all out for yourself!