With all the variations of the Lunar Rejuven8 it’s kind of hard to believe these only made their debut a little while ago at the Beijing Olympics. From humble beginnings and inspiration from the protective netting from a pear to the Quickstrike 10AC to leather and a recent preview of a camoflauge edition, it’s certainly come a long way. The newest available Lunarlites are available in a neon yellow-green, dubbed ‘Cyber’ and thankfully/hopefully not a Tiero release. More information here.

For day to day travel in the city, a messenger, tote or even a canvas rucksack should serve you well, but when it comes to travel, a rucksack with some support and technical elements can go a long way when you’re en route. Backpacks tend to gradually phase themselves out as people tend to get older for fear of still looking like they’re headed to school but that’s not to say Porter, Duluth and Seil Marschall haven’t been doing some terrific things to cater to the older folk who can’t do without. While the aformentioned certainly look great, our shoulders, lower backs and wallets sometimes require something with a little bit more form and function.

Our search eventually led us to the Côte et Ciel Rucksack which is more of a two-in-one backpack designed to house a Macbook and a ton of other peripherals in separate front and back compartments. The front, main compartment opens like a large duffle making it quick to load and unload whereas the rear, cleverly hidden with a concealed zipper, provides easy access to a soft cotton inner-lining for laptops. But if that won’t suffice in protecting your Mac, the exterior shell made from durable, water resistant CetCcycle (recycled PET bottles) certainly will.

The chances are you’ll never be hard pressed to find a backpack. Or even a good, technical backpack at that. From a utilitarian perspective, one from Mountain Equipment Co-Op or L.L. Bean should, by all accounts, last you a lifetime. Though some days you may not always want to look like you just crushed the Elgin Hiking Trail in 45 flat. For all other occasions, we’re big believers in canvas with some leather a la Duluth, but for those prone to overfilling, over-packing and over organizing, Côte et Ciel is the truth.

Available here or direct from Côte et Ciel.

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Yuketen designer Yuki Mastuda makes it a point to saddle his line to American craft and traditions.  It is said that he spent years hunting for local American treasures like footwear and luggage in remote locations from “the Appalachians to the high Sierras”, and now his designs are conceived and constructed using the knowledge he gained on those hunts.  One thing is for sure, his pieces are made in America using only the finest in raw leathers.  We really dig these suede Blutcher Kilties.  They are a bit like a cross between a boat shoe and a moccasin, with a higher ankle like a half boot (in other words, a ‘blucher’).  Of course, as the name suggests, they also feature a kiltie over the tongue.  The denim-like color is important here, as it’s ultra versatile.  Available at Colette.

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There aren’t any shortages of chambray’s but classic chambray’s, that is, with some history, can be difficult to track down depending on the stock of your local independents. If there’s one to get this season, it’s the one from the iconic Levi’s Vintage line. Incidentally, Levi’s Vintage is also doing some great things below the waist too with raw denim in keeping with its heritage. The 20′s shirt also lives up to Levi’s heritage with a 100% English cotton broadcloth and selvedge edge detailing. Available here.

Back for Season 2 is Timberland’s collaboration with Abington sitting on top of the industry-standard Vibram sole. This season they’ve decided to go with a two-tone upper in a mix of rugged canvas and leather which ought to add a little bit more durability against the elements. The rest of the collection features a nice little line up of work boots and a boat shoe which is completely new this season. Available here.

The garment bag really doesn’t get as much love online as carryalls, backpacks, and messengers.  That’s probably because they’re more functional, and less of a style ‘accessory’, if you will.  They do, however, serve a very good purpose (which is, of course, keeping your clothes crisp), and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have one that looks as fresh as your carryall or messenger.  Moore & Giles are certainly bringing both style and function here with their black waxed canvas garment bag with honey leather panels, handles, and zipper pulls.  It features a pinstripe interior with small pockets for extra accessories and an adjustable strap to hold your hangers in place.  If you don’t already have a garment bag, this one will keep you looking sharp on your travels, as well as at your destination.  Available here.

We can’t recall the last time we fell for a pair of Alife’s but there may be no better time to do so than with the availability of the Public Naval Leather slip-ons. Our first impressions lead us to believe this was the product of Common Projects and Vans having an illegitimate love child with premium leather uppers, numbering on the side and slip-on profile. However, coming it at a third the cost of a Common Projects and double the cost of your typical Van’s, having an affair never looked so good. Available here.

For all the attention Opening Ceremony gets regarding their in-store displays and stock, nothing gets at us as much as the art direction of their online store that’s always perfectly inline with their brand and image. Colorful and neat. A description that sort of applies to this season’s Sperry Topsider collaboration with Band of Outsiders. For us, the winner has always been in the chukka but that’s not to say the line up of loafers and deck shoes miss the mark. Incidentally, those are colorful. The chukka’s however remain relatively muted and noticeably missing a leather option this season although, we’ll concede Scott Sternberg knows better than we do. Available here.

Officially known as the M-1965 Field Jacket when it was first introduced in 1965 to US Troops, the M-65 underwent several light changes before it was retired last year by the military and replaced with the Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS). Regardless of changes either surplus-wise or commercially, its packable hood, four large cargo pockets, shoulder epaulets, Velcro tab storm flap, and button snaps over top of a zipper enclosure have remained largely intact and widely recognizable. Incidentally, the upper cargo pockets were originally designed to house rifle magazines and banana clips whereas the larger, lower pockets were created large enough for quick access to grenade supplies. As far as recent reincarnations go, NSW’s M-65 Zizo stays relatively true to the original standard issue with a removable, insulated lining but that’s not to say NSW Pinnacle’s Storm-Fit M-65 doesn’t hold true.

The NSW Pinnacle line from Nike Sportswear represents their finest innovative, performance and technical pieces, although you may remember a similar bio back in 1996 when it was known as Nike Tech Pack. Under the Global Design Director, Jarret Reynolds, its evolution into what it is in its current form as a capsule collection mixes the very best of athletic inspiration, engineering and fashion.

Our search for the perfect, lightweight, technical, outdoor garment eventually lead us to NSW Pinnacle’s Storm-Fit M-65 late last year. Efforts to track down a comparable M-65 were relatively fruitless despite finding a version from WTaps and Head Porter, neither of which included the technical aspects we were looking for. Not that we were going to be taking it to Southern Vietnam for monsoon season like the original standard issue, but it’s always nice to know you could. Never having ever been thoroughly impressed with the engineering of any Nike garment, NSW’s M-65 was a pleasant and welcome surprise with no-sew, seam bonding and 100% nylon materials for complete waterproofing.

Every year seems to bring some changes to this classic and this season is no different. Aside from new color drops, this season’s M-65 from NSW Pinnacle will include a back pocket for stowing and interior chest pocket, something noticeably missing from ours. From Vietnam to Nike, the M-65 has been around the world and back. While the standard issue may have been  permanently relieved from duty, chances are you’ll never be far from calling on its services.

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Some argue that New York’s Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos make a near perfect button-up shirt, and those of us at LH with a couple of their shirts in our closet will offer no counter argument.  Shipley and Halmos have made a name for themselves by realizing finely-tuned designs, where the smallest details seem to have been pored over.  Here they bring us one of their signature cuts in a buoyant bright blue, navy, and white check print.  The pocket shape is fresh with the faux button closure above, and the signature stitch at the hem hints at the subtle detail throughout.  Available here.

Chronicles of Never designer Gareth Moody was one of the founding members of another Australian original imprint Tsubi (now Ksubi) over ten years ago.  In 2005, he left Tsubi and went out on his own, starting Chronicles and making great use of his eye for dark, androgynous designs.  One of his newest creations is this hooded t-shirt.  The loose hood is rolled in a unique fashion around an oversized neck.  The entire slim body is also offset, along with the sleeves, down into a gathered hem.  A simple yet unique design, for sure, and exactly what you expect from Chronicles of Never.  Available here.

For the past 11 years, Michael T. Nartey has been doing some quality things with quality materials out of Western Norway’s largest city, Bergen. As a bespoke tailor, he’s been known to add a quirky touch to traditional sartorial heritage with elaborate detailing, precise pattern cutting and hands on manufacturing. Most will remember him for the small collection of bags he put out last year in the form of the Office Carrier and Singer Getaway in vegetable tanned, British racing green, ebony and oxblood leathers.

T-Michael has since parlayed its success into footwear with 3 different styles – a derby, chukka and boot – in a variety of different colors, not skimping on the sumptuous leathers. For the 5-hole lace-up derby dubbed the T-Lace, they’ve gone with a Blake construction and full grain vegetable tanned leather inside and out, right down to the leather stitched soles. Blake construction has been passed over outside of Italian circles in favor of a Goodyear welt normally found on American and English shoes and there are pluses and minuses to both. Blake construction involves the shoe’s upper being folded over at the edge and sewn directly onto the sole, allowing for the sole to be cut much closer to the upper, leaving less of a lip and making the shoe sleeker. Goodyear welts by contrast, involve the upper being sewn onto a new ridge of leather before attaching it to the sole which makes the shoe harder wearing and tougher. Not to mention, easier and quicker to resole. In this case, we would argue that it comes to taste. After all, brogues aren’t any more universally loved than its sleeker counterparts – regardless of durability.

The future and what-if’s aside, having not got our hands on the entire collection from T-Michael, first impressions are strong with the T-Lace in terms of quality and design. We’re particularly enthralled with the decision to go two-tone (gray-navy) and the stitched detailing on the interior of the uppers – that are an ode to Nartey’s bespoke background – that carry through into his logo. Having also recently picking up a pair of Grenson brogues, we’ll no doubt be revisiting both in the near future to document and compare their wears.

The T-Michael T-Lace is available here.

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