It’s another twist on classic American workwear and while everybody seems to be coming out with an of-the-moment chambray, we’re particularly fond of these two color options (gray and black) from Japanese-brand, South2West8. Aside from it just being a much darker color than we’re used to seeing, we’ve fallen hard for the green interior and cowboy-inspired shoulder patches. Chances are people won’t be seeing much of the flashy interior, but at least you’ll know it’s there. Available here.

With all the influx of high quality, cut and sewn canvas bags as of late, it’s been great to see other brands entering the market that are more accessible. In God We Trust is keeping their offerings simple and classic, in a color scheme that just works – black and white. The tote is the perfect size for your laptop although we can’t help but think a two way covered zipper would be more practical in terms of protecting its contents. While canvas comes naturally water repellent to a certain degree being tightly woven heavy cotton and all, you still might want to spray these bags with an all weather spray you’d normally shoot over your sneakers. Available here.

While the news of these quickstrike release came late last month, we’re taking Halloween Eve as an ocassion to tell you that these are now available. The tradition of Nike’s Halloween quickstrike releases are, for some sneakerheads, as legendary as any vampire, werewolf or witch. For a good number of years the Beaverton company have been releasing ‘horror’ inspired versions of their classic shoes with a tongue-in-cheek twist. Hallowe’en 2009 is no exception, but the inspiration veers away from the Frankensteins and pumpkins of late, instead coming from the classic Looney Tunes character Gossamer. One of the legendary Chuck Avery’s less famous creations, the orange haired creature wore over-sized white sneakers and the Savage Beasts are a tribute to this hirsute trend-setter. Features include: faux hair upper, Savage Beast font Nike lace jewel and Savage Beast logo on heel. Available here.

We’ll start this off with a little Quoddy 101. In 1909 Harry Smith Shorey started making his own shoes in Downeast Maine. Till this day the tradition continues in Perry, on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay. Craftsmanship combined with a high level of artistry are what made Quoddy products special and allowed them to perform so well in the sometimes harsh conditions encountered in the big woods and ever changing ocean of Maine. The Quoddy Moccasin shown above is legendary to those who know and love American heritage production. On the left, the Deck Boot in Horween Chromexcel black leather with a honey camp sole and on the right, the Grizzly Boot in peanut leather with sheepskin lining and crepe handsewn rubber sole. And yes, still made by hand in Perry, Maine. Available here.

Bubble lamps were originally designed in 1947 by George Nelson and then manufactured by Howard Miller starting in the 1950’s.  They have had a near permanent place in contemporary design ever since, and were subsequently given a spot in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  Modern design and manufacturing brand Modernica currently reissues the full line of bubble lamps to Nelson’s original specifications, even using the original tooling.  They are constructed of plastic polymer and steel, are surprisingly affordable in many cases, and can lend any space an immediate air of contemporary refinement.  Available direct from Modernica here.

More pics after the jump.

Shot entirely on a Canon MKII with a 50mm F1.2 lens (our favorite lens by the way), British filmmaker Philip Bloom’s San Francisco’s People is the third in his People series. Not only does he capture human nature very effectively, but he does in stunning fashion. The colors are vivid, crisp and brilliant -surprisingly, they’re exactly how he is seeing them through the lens as there is no post-production done on the coloration. A magnificent way to spend 4 and a half minutes.

Check out Philip Bloom’s work here, or view the entire Series collection (Sofia’s People & Dublin’s People) after the jump.

While we’re not sure you need one this pricey, a malleable pocket is a must for travelers who want to keep coins, cards and keys all in one place in their hotel rooms. It probably wasn’t invented for that reason, but that’s at least what we’ve been doing with ours – only our version came included in a Porter Baby Boston bag. Highly functional and conceptual fashion label, Bless, is behind this square-shaped malleable leather covered metal pocket that you can fold and shape around whatever you want to keep securely in one place.  We like the idea of using it as a place to keep lose items from your pocket before airport security. Most of the time we find Bless pieces too influenced by art, design and architechture but in this case, it just works. Available here.

In collaboration with Japanese company Journal Standard, Lee has created a workwear inspired collection in an effort to get in on this heritage rage. This denim jacket stands out alone as the best of the four pieces which includes two jackets and two jeans.  If you want to wear a denim jacket that isn’t a certified copy of a Levi’s jacket the Lee for Journal Standard one would make a great addition to your wardrobe. The golden buttons and the four pockets remind us of work clothes, but the notched collar and the contrast stitching makes the piece a lot more casual while keeping it simple. After a good six months of wear the jacket should have a perfect fade. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, only available in Japan even though Lee is headquartered in Merriam, Kansas.

More than just the style – we’ve always dubbed Veja high tops as righteous Lanvin’s – we’ve always loved and supported Veja for what they stand for. The ecological/fair trade sneaker brand, was set up in 2003 by two Frenchmen determined to fight worldwide deforestation, exhaustion of natural resources and Labour exploitation. Using organic cotton from north-east Brazil, ecological chrome-free suede and Amozonian wild latex, Veja produce simple sneakers in a variety of models and colors, produced to a very high quality. Clean conscience comes standard. We’re liking the choice of quality materials, the silhouette, and yes, the camel color is of course perfect for Fall. Available here.

Nobody can know for certain if Activision’s new game DJ Hero will live up to the hype or success of their franchise star Guitar Hero, but however good or bad the gameplay is, they’ve certainly pulled out all the stops in their marketing efforts. Here we see a mash-up between Jay-Z and Eminem, one of the many available mash-ups in the game. We’re interested to try out the multiplayer gameplay; DJ battles and DG-Guitar combos as games like this are best enjoyed in the company of others. DJ Hero dropped yesterday and is available here.

Never ones to post about a scent unless having tried it ourselves, we couldn’t help but fall hard for the design of the Visvim Subsection room spray the first time we saw them awhile back (sorry we forgot to give it a mention). The No. 7 ‘Kyoto’ scent is the newest creation in the Visvim series in collaboration with Parisian perfumer Blaise Mautin, who normally creates scents only for royalty, diplomats and luxury hotel chains on a strictly made-to-order basis. Naturally, both go well together. As far as scent packaging goes, these glass chemistry beakers normally found in laboratories (Erlenmeyer flasks, for those with a close eye) trumps Comme des Garcons’ any time of the week. Available here.

There’s something inherently comforting about this Hooded Parka by Japanese brand nonnative. Like a home-cooked meal from your mom, this loose knit pullover made from soft 100% wool evokes the same kind of warm feeling you get from putting on your favorite pair of jeans, or wearing that raggedy sweater from your junior year around the house (much to your girlfriend’s dismay). Yet this Hooded Parka is a tad more stylish than Fruit of the Loom, and in typical nonnative fashion the minimalist detailing sets it apart from the rest. From a deep pocket front pouch, to thumb-holed sleeves, to a large neck, everything is designed to completely and totally envelop you. Available here.