If you know me, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of Ewen McGregor’s “motorcycle diaries,” a.k.a. his buddy documentary Long Way Round. That’s why I jumped at the chance to test out some new bikes this past weekend on Long Island, with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. The organization invited a bunch of editors and creative-types from New York City to take its “Basic Rider Course” in Farmington, NY. It was a great weekend to learn about the basics of motorcycles, while catching up with our friends at Surface to Air and City Magazine, among others. Along the way, I got to fulfill my very own Ewen McGregor-like fantasy, though I don’t think I’ll be biking halfway around the world like he did anytime soon.
Thanks to Mark Buche and Shayna McLelland for hooking us up, and thanks to our rider coaches Ty, Chris and Miriam for keeping us safe! Now that I’ve had a taste of life on two wheels, I’m thinking up whole new photoshoot ideas for Corduroy. Anyone with me?
Jean Touitou, creative director for French label, A.P.C., on why he hates the word “basics:”
First of all, that word doesn’t even exist in the French dictionary. And in English, nothing done well is ever “basic.” If I had the mission to finally achieve a perfect white T-shirt, it could take me three months of yarn research, knitting tests, designing and cutting. I see a lot of clothes with tons of “fakely-complicated” details -– things that robots can do now at plants -– that are much more “basic” than a proper grey flannel men’s jacket done properly. Okay, most of all I hate to hear that our work is basic, since I consider it very deep.”
(Jean Touitou photographed in Paris by Peter Ash Lee)
- To read our full interview with Jean Touitou, pick up Issue 7 of Corduroy, coming next month…
The New York-based Corduroy Appreciation Club showed us its appreciation at its annual meeting this week (on 11/11 — the day that most closely resembles corduroy) and we were honored to be one of its award recipients for 2009. Our creative director Peter Ash Lee was on hand to accept the award for “Excellency in the field of CorduroyJournalism,” at the rather prestigious event, held at The Old Can Factory in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn.
Hundreds of Corduroy enthusiasts packed the factory’s slightly ominous garage for the meeting, which was really an excuse to catch up with old friends, admire everyone’s corduroy duds and indulge in a few corduroy-like snacks (think Ruffles chips, celery and churros). The night was capped off with an address by keynote speaker Sloane Crosley, author of “I Was Told There Would Be Cake.” Thanks to Miles Rohan, the founder and current president of the Corduroy Appeciation Club (pictured above with Peter) for inviting us. Make sure to check out the video below (produced by our friends at Revel In New York) to find out more about Rohan, his role in the club, and why he agrees with us that corduroy will never go out of style.
Our own creative director Peter Ash Lee is one of the photographers featured in this year’s “Drawn to Develop” gala in Toronto. The annual event pairs some of Canada’s top photographers with former street kids, who submit drawings that represent their past lives. The photographers are each assigned a drawing and then challenged to re-create the work as a photographic print in their own individual style. The original prints will be auctioned off at the upcoming gala, with the proceeds going to charity. This year’s charitable partner is Street Kids International — a non-profit group based out of Toronto and the UK, that supports street youth through business skills/career training and health awareness programs and outreach.
The “Drawn to Develop” event takes place this Thursday, October 15, from 7:30 pm – 1am at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District in Toronto. In addition to hearing from some of the participants, there will also be music from Kevin Drew, Jason Collett and a special DJ set from Broken Social Scene member Brendan Canning. Find out more about the event, read up on the participating artists and photographers and get tickets for the gala at drawntodevelop.com.
While we were in Venice last month, we had a chance to grab lunch with Micah Cohen, the founder and designer behind L.A.-based menswear label Shades of Greige (pronounced /gr?zh/). Cohen launched the line two years ago, at the age of 26, and Shades has become a must-have staple in stores and closets alike ever since. The clothes are a fresh, modern-take on menswear basics and wardrobe staples: knit cardigans, button-down shirts and tailored jackets made-over with unique details and shapes (One of our favorite shirts this spring was a Shades funnel-neck plaid shirt with extra-long cuffs; and on the day we met him, Cohen was wearing his own Oxford shirt, which we loved for its narrow collar and buttons).
A fashion school graduate, Cohen started the line partly based out of frustration with finding nothing to wear. Tired of graffiti-print tees and over-embellished jeans, he set out to bring back classic, yet contemporary menswear that would outlast the trends while remaining affordable. The result is a collection that’s versatile enough to wear to a summer wedding, or all rolled up for a day at the beach.
In an industry where designers sometimes let their personalities overshadow their clothes, Cohen is the exact opposite — he’s laidback, soft-spoken and genuinely a nice guy. He played gracious host and tour guide after lunch, and even took the afternoon off to hang out with us at our Corduroy photoshoot with Brandon Boyd, who we later found out wore Shades of Greige in his latest music video. It was quite the coincidence. But then again, maybe we shouldn’t have been too surprised. It seems as though everyone is talking about Micah Cohen and Shades of Greige these days. And with his deft eye for menswear and the right attitude to match, it looks like they’ll continue talking — and shopping! — for a long time to come.
Shades of Greige is available in select stores and boutiques, including Revolve Clothing, Urban Outfitters and Oak (New York). And check out more photos of Micah in our gallery.
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While we were in Venice last month, we had a chance to grab lunch with Micah Cohen, the founder and designer behind L.A.-based menswear label Shades of Greige (pronounced /gr?zh/). Cohen launched the line two years ago, at the age of 26, and Shades has become a must-have staple in stores and closets alike ever since. The clothes are a fresh, modern-take on menswear basics and wardrobe staples: knit cardigans, button-down shirts and tailored jackets made-over with unique details and shapes (One of our favorite shirts this spring was a Shades funnel-neck plaid shirt with extra-long cuffs; and on the day we met him, Cohen was wearing his own Oxford shirt, which we loved for its narrow collar and buttons).
