Thursday, December 31, 2009

Wednesday, December 30, 2009




Our good buddy Dave has endeavored to ruin these beautiful Esquivel hobo shoes by sticking his nasty feet in them every day of 2010.

What jeans you gonna break in with those?

Looking forward to updates sir. George makes an awful purty shoe.

These remind me of the Chausseur undyed Cordovan chukka's I bought from Blackbird a few months ago...



Monday, December 28, 2009

Thanks Emil! Stuff looks great!

Sha-pow! Hill-Side has landed. Pocket Squares, Bandanas, and the New Scarves!

Scarves in Indigo, Black and Red $82

Pocket Squares and Bandanas: Black and Indigo $36 and $46

Ties: Red, Black and Purple $82

As usual with Hill-Side, quantities are limited and sure to go fast. Call or email the shop to get yours before your jerk-neighbor up the street, who totally jocks your style, calls in and gets his.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

White Kloud Custom Boots: Tough as Wesco. As finely finished as Edward Green. Boot porn at its finest! (The pics are slightly big. Click them)









Back in stock: Our popular Navy Surplus Beanie. Still only $36

(Ford Motor Compay's Detroit, Michigan plant c.1916)


Tried to take my '01 VW to Fat Burger during halftime of the Eagles game...... Flat tire. Again. Took the truck instead.

Once again, my 52 year old American made car has proven itself more reliable than my 8 year old German car.

Just sayin...

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Santa put Sour Diesel in my stocking...


1. I think instead of anger management and all that new age hooey, aggressive types should be forced by law to wear a red ballon tied to their wrists and a length of 4 feet of metallic ribbon. I mean, try being all pissed off with a balloon tied to your wrist..... Its like being angry and eating cotton candy... can't be done. Not to mention, who's gonna be intimidated by the big baby wif a bawoon on his wist!

2. The myth about George Washington's famous wooden teeth is true..... Well...... Except that his dentures were made of human teeth......That he bought from his slaves....... True story. Google that shit





Dear Levi's,

Despite the fact that I own a clothing store, that sells Japanese jeans that are widely accepted as superior to current LVC (i.e. Sugar Cane...), I found myself feeling weird about not currently having a pair of actual Levi's to break-in. For nostalgia's sake. To show due respect to a garment that is an uncomfortably and awkwardly big deal in my day-to-day existence, both professionally as well as personally.

So I went to pick up a pair at my local LVC account (ahem...rhymes with Shamerican Shmag). They stock '47's raw, and thats what I wanted. My complaints are as follows:

1. Stitching is erratic. Comparing three pairs of the same size I found different fly stitching, different thickness stitch spacing on the coin pocket (i.e. 1/8'' vs 1/4''), and general sloppiness.

2. First pair I tried on, the waistband button came off in my hand. Not a big deal, but still. Not inspiring confidence

3. Sizing. Really guys? Really? This is what late 40's jeans fit like? I've worn 1940's Levi's before; had them on my person. I'm a true 34, and wear anywhere between a 32 and 34 in all the major Japanese brands. Your 34's were so tight, I didn't even try to button the top button. And if they ever touched water, it would've been a complete joke. I had to buy 38x38's to get a flattering, vintage-straight fit. A fucking 38?! Seriously? Why are these so undersized?

But you know what Levi's? I bought them anyway. I bought them because I wanted a pair of Levi's. Your brand is legendary. Your brand is important. I know LVC has been a circus for years, and its a tiny, infinitesimal fraction of your total business. But if you could fix it, that would really be swell.

Yours Truly,

Seriously?? I mean........ Seriously??! I smell candidates for government sanctioned sterilization.



















Inventory Magazine back in stock! Email them and join the growing movement DEMANDING a feature on our very own Peter Arbelaez

Denim Sale:


















20% off X-mas flash sale still has 4hours left! Whats in-stock you ask??

Sugar Cane:
1966 (Raw and O/W)
1947 Raw
Union Stars Raw
Rainbow Okinawa (Raw and O/W)

Rogue Territory:
Stanton Straight
Double Indigo Work Trouser
Brown Denim Work Trouser
Double Indigo Mechanics Shirt (Its denim, so it counts!)

Kicking Mule:
1950 Raw
2010 Raw

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Just Arrived: Blk Pine Workshop

"BLK PINE is a creative workshop based in Seattle with a desire to preserve the tradition of producing quality goods manufactured within the USA. Their products are rooted in classic silhouettes, but constructed meticulously with edited simplicity and longevity in mind. All products are individually hand crafted by artisans with a long history of American production.

BLK PINE bags are made in the USA using the highest quality materials, including heavyweight duck canvas, canvas webbing, military spec nylon webbing, hardware, and leather. The bags are intended to wear naturally and develop character with uses over time. " -Highsnobiety


Blk Pine Briefcase Bag Avail. Wht/Blk or Blk/Blk $143








Blk Pine Tote: Avail. in Wht/Blk or Blk/Blk $68



Blk Pine Waterproof Messenger $153



Blk Pine Boston Duffle: $143



20% Off all denim till Christmas. If it's indigo dyed, it's on sale. Get crazy

Sunday, December 20, 2009

This shit hurts my brain..... And my colon

The Carl's Junior Six Dollar Burger is now on sale for $2.79.

I guess I should pitch bringing back the $64 Thousand dollar question, but the prize money 15g's.

Our Country is in shambles. Let's get this shit cleaned up. It's embarrassing

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Things you're missing out on in the shop!

A few shots of stuff in-store that hasn't gotten any inter-web love yet....


Hudson Bay print wool Peacoat and scarves from Monitaly....

New stock of vintage has finally arrived. Patina so nice you'll smack yo' Mama!

Deadstock Navy issue beanies in black. Only $36! Three left. Call the store.



Sugar Cane Light, Corduroy carpenter pants. Lined back pockets. Hammer Loops. Button Fly. Comfy as a sum' bitch. The Navy blue is the same fabric seen as lining of the Mister Freedom Mulholland Jacket. $246



Buzz Rickson Officers Chukka. Only three pair left! 8E-9E (Buzz shoes run big. Buy your RedWing or Alden Barrie/Trubalance size)




Saturday, December 12, 2009

Thursday, December 10, 2009

A tale of two cities


So, two nights ago, I was blessed with a ticket last minute, to see the man, the legend, the stoner, Willie Nelson. Did I want to go? Fuckin' aye right I did. That selfish cock-sucker Johnny Cash up and died before I ever got to see him in concert, and I can only assume the Willie has been holding on, waiting for my bearded mug to show up in the crowd so he can finally hang up ol' trigger and smoke a bone.......

But here's the rub: The show was "Club Nokia", in the heart of the LA Live corporate circle jerk over by Staples Center. That whole area gives me the willy's (Pun Intended). What an unfortunate, but fascinating juxtaposition that evening: The Salt-of-the-Earth, good natured, sweet old stoner vibes of Willie Nelson and his followers set against this backdrop of ESPN/Nokia/Staples/Lucky Strike big money teat suckling!

Sixty five year old men in crisp white ten gallon hats, jeans with a crease, and their good boots. Escorting their wives of thirty years........ Bald-headed, suited, doormen working velvet ropes....Outside of a goddamn, fucking bowling alley! I mean, are you seeing what I'm getting at here?

So, we arrive at Vegas-LA Live Fuck-Fest a little early, and we have to walk around for a minute once I see the metal detectors at the front door (seriously! like its a fucking high school or something). While I'm hiding my Spiderco in my girl's purse we decide to grab a drink at the bar at Lucky Strike..... At which point this fat fuck, bald, all black suited, douchbag, eye fucks me up and down for a few seconds to decide whether "I'm in dress code for the evening"....... for the bowling alley bar mind you..... Instinctively I reach for my knife.....but shit, its in homegirl's purse...... better be diplomatic here. Its determined that as long as I take my beanie off, I can come in. Thank god, I mean, I don't know if I could have lived with the rejection of Lucky Strike hanging around my neck..... I'm trying to be a nice guy here.... Its cold outside and I have a chick with me, and we just wanna get a drink before a Willie show.... Otherwise, everyone at that motherfucker would have heard what I thought of their exacting standards here at THE FUCKING BOWLING ALLEY...... Not that I would've been heard by any of them.... Take a look in the eyes of the employees working at these huge corporate entertainment mecca's..... They make strippers look like bright eyed baby does......

Ok, I feel better know. And fucking Willie was amazing. An absolute American treasure.


Saturday, December 5, 2009

Mister Freedom Bronco Champ


Finally found a buyer for my kidney so once the cooler was dropped off in Little Odessa, I took my cash and went straight to 7161 Beverly to turn it into horsehide. The jacket is striking. Love the two tone and the D pocket. Definitely an attention getter. Wore it to the bar last night and got atleast ten compliments on it...... Some of them even from women! The front quarter horsehide is stiff when new, but not terribly heavy, and with a light cotton lining (deadstock hbt plaid, ofcourse), its very wearable in L.A.


I'm 6'2'' and 185 lbs (of pure muscle), and I took a size 42. I'm thrilled that this jacket is plenty long enough for me; a problem I often have with cafe racer style jackets. The 42 fits correctly snug with a good warm shirt underneath, but still fits clean and close with only a t-shirt under. I'd imagine once its a few weeks old, it'll be just a hair stretched out as well.

Yeah, thats right, I got the fucking stars on the sleeves. You're all haters. The stars make it go faster anyway.... didn't you know that??

D-Pocket steez. Conmatic zipper here, on the chest pockets and the sleeves.

Good shots that represent the colors of leather, and the red plaid lining (not pink...ahem.... red)


The horsehide is aniline dyed, as it was back in the 40's-60's. This is a surface dying treatment, that will crackle and fade overtime. It will reveal the fleshy colored inner part of the leather in the areas of abrasion and wear. These areas will also darken down once oiled, as the pores of the leather have been opened up from the abuse. I also like how the stars are sewn in with a slight allowance outside of the stitch lines. The corners will start to curl and age quickly. Keeps them more on the rugged side.... not too tidy.
Double snap collar closure.

A detail that I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere yet: The pocket bags for the chest pockets are raw 11oz Okinawa denim.



The main zipper is a genuine Hookless fastener. The base of which is riveted into the hem of the jacket. These can be a little tricky to operate at first. The trick is to make sure the male end is all the way into the female end before you start to pull up on the zipper-pull. Once you've done it three times, and know to feel for the second little *click* as it slides in place, its not any different from any other zipper for functionality.



Button tab at the hem. Covers the base of the Hookless when buttoned shut. The leather zipper pull illustrates the aniline dying well.... Notice how the black color is only surface deep.





Why romanticize the past??


Do I like certain things just because they're old? Yeah, probably. There's a life and a depth that the accumulated patina of 70 years of existence will exert on a piece of wood/leather/metal/denim....... But. I'm also not wrong to say that shit was probably also just a lot fucking cooler back in the day too. No federal governement and corporate media doing everything they can to infantilize the populous....

I mean, is there anywhere in the "modern" world where you can go see a motorcycle and a roadster with a fucking Lion in a fucking side car zipping around in a globe of death?! Nowhere! We get instead blonde drunk-tards from the OC with their own tv shows.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Drinks Are On Us

Come down to Miami this weekend for Art Basel and celebrate the 20th anniversary of an institution partially responsible for much of the street fashion/scene in NYC...Max Fish

Starting tomorrow through December 6, legendary Lower East Side bar Max Fish is setting up temporary shop in Miami. The pop-up Max Fish is the brainchild of Aaron Bondaroff (“The Downtown Don”) and Al Moran, the creative directors of OHWOW, an Art Basel Miami Beach satellite fair known for showing the work of downtown darlings like Terence Koh, Nate Lowman, Dan Colen, Agathe Snow, and Ryan McGinley.

Regulars at Max Fish in New York, Bondaroff and Moran knew the dive’s twentieth anniversary would coincide with Art Basel and its attendant debauchery, and so approached owner Ulli Rimkas about bringing it south for the week. Bondaroff rented out a small bar that had just closed up shop, and Rimkas agreed to staff the space with all of his regular New York bartenders. Max Fish in Miami will be outfitted with artwork by patrons of the regular Max Fish scene, including Neck Face, Mark Gonzales, Steve Powers, Angela Boatwright, Andrew Kou, and Wes Lang, and will feature live performances by bands like Gang Gang Dance (Saturday night promises a “special secret performance”). The bar will also host the after parties for OHWOW’s “It Ain’t Fair,” which features work by Rita Ackermann, KAWS, and Harmony Korine, among many others, as well as for Lance Armstrong and Nike's “Stages” show, which makes a stop in Miami this week.


Max Fish, 28 N.E. 14th St., Miami, Florida. Open December 2 through December 6, 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.



For more about the fish as well as everything else our friends are doing down there this weekend be sure to check: