simply oklahoma style

a sale shopper.

ever since i have stepped into the clothing business, i have lost my ability to shop most everywhere but the jobsite. blue seven. this is a mix of wanting to wear the goods that im selling, and loving everything we have in the shop. 

on rare occasions, at my favorite of places i will break down and buy something. but really, only in the sale section. 

this is me admitting i am a sale shopper, and showing off a handful of my recent steals. 

we wandered into the levi’s store while we were in the Vegas last week.  from left to right we have the levi’s 511 Made in the USA raw selvedge jean, the 510 olive green wide wale cord, and the 511 light blue cord.

for whatever reason, all of these beauties were marked at half price.

both of the cords are a 30” inseam, so i am looking forward to wearing them cuffed a little high on the ankle this summer. (that is, when i can take a break from these 22oz elephant skins) 

the jeans were the real prize. they are part of the new levi’s made in the usa waterless project. the jeans are a selvedge denim woven & died at white oak cone mills in north carolina. the jeans are then cut and sewn in a San Fran levis factory. the waterless part is an interesting task.  typical jean washes use up to 42 liters of water per pair.  multiply that times how many pairs are out there, and these companies are throwing water out the window in the tons. this pair being dry requires no water washing, but the other styles in the program rely more upon hands on and environmentally friendly techniques.

i am excited to get them back form the tailor, i am having them trimmed up a couple inches short to break in during the summer.  think manly cropped jeans that work well with 100+ temperatures. (photos will absolutely follow)

the next find was at a place i love to shop, Scoop NYC.

i first fell for scoop while i lived in NY and came across a PRPS leather jacket that they were essentially giving away. ever since i havent been able to get the shop off my mind.

this is what i landed on the most recent visit.

a Richard Chai for Original Penguin shirt. 

Chai is a young NY designer who has a great taste for classic americana, but adds eye catching yet understated details along the way. which means he was a perfect match for a penguin colab.

the shirt is a slim but not too slim cut, with a hidden front button placket that changes patters 3/4 of the way down. also the off colored buttons add enough pop to set off the plaids.

now you know where to catch me, either at b7 from 11-7 or scouring the sale section of a shop that catches my eye.

see ya out there. 

washing off the vegas.

twice a year every year, i get to spend a Magical week in the Vegas.

(the soap pictured is a gift from the ever so rad Crate Denim)

every february & august clothing brands from all over the world congregate in the trashiest of cities to spread their goods among the clothing stores of america.

the three shows we make a point to visit are Magic, Capsule, & ENK.

i wanted to share a couple of my favorite moments captured on iphone from the trip.

the first step to any trip, planning a wardrobe you can take on the road & fit in a bag.

insert my A-game here.

the first day was capsule. the show was a great mix of true americana brands & almost a modern & stylish outdoorsy vibe. 

didnt get many photos, but we did spend some time at the naked & famous booth. 

here is the owner, Brandon Svarc, with the heaviest jeans ever made. 32 ounces of “those jeans cant really stand on their own, right?”

next up, amy & i are trying out the raspberry scratch & sniff jeans. and yes, they smell very raspberryish. our friend bahzad seems to have stolen the spotlight in the background.

these guys fall line is almost too unbelievable to believe.

day two was ENK, and i have to admit that they have the best free breakfast & lunch of any of the shows. 

did not snap any mind blowing photos, but trust me on the food.

the magic shows were day three & four. 

had the chance to see a little bit of everything during this show. magic breaks everything down into small sub-shows that give an idea of which brands will have a booth there.

project is by far the most produced show. 

shopping carts & small to large conifers were strategically sculpted all throughout the show.

here you can barely make out the dining area on the left in the fir forest and the dj table nestled among the trees & carts on the right.

the dj’s always seem to be playing something that makes me move. i cannot even count how many times i would break into dance mid conversation with somebody. 

for the past two shows mister nick wooster has merchandised & designed a section of the show called project wooster. this year he used all japanese designers who seemed to have a classice & timeless grasp on true americana style. 

everything he choose this year seemed to come in camo. 

below nick is pictured, from afar, looking at the camera in the navy sweater & camo pants.

another highlight of the show was the nudie appointment.

by this fall, everything the company makes will be 100 percent organic.

plus, they are still making the best fitting pair of jeans ive ever owned. the grim tim. looking forward to slipping into my next pair.

here is the blue seven  vegas family photo. 

without these two incredible people, this show would have not been the same. 

thank you mister caleb arter for trusting & investing in me to help run and stock your too good to be true clothing shop. and thank you amy lacher for always making me smile & feel like i can do pretty much anything. you guys truly made this trip come true.

lastly, a little message from project.

already cant wait for august.

gilded age.

a confident man should rock jewelry. 

i have always been very partial to man jewelry. 

for me it began at a young age. making and selling hemp bracelets, anklets, & necklaces as jr. high church camp. 

nowadays i am always on the lookout for the perfect piece for my collection. 

mens jewelry is tough, you have to find that perfect balance of not too feminine & not too skull & crossbones. 

bracelets have always been my downfall. 

clockwise from top left:

an old paid shirt sewn by me to a great red leather, a quadruple wrap bracelet from a shop in ohio called Next, leather bracelet by Col. Littelton, metal bracelet from santa fe NM, both bracelets made by local legend Emily Reid. 

the trick with bracelets is mixing & matching without overdoing. 

my lady regularly reminds me not to overdo it on the wrist bling. 

a good watch is also always important.  

i try to keep it basic. casual, semi casual, & dressed up. 

most importantly, all men need rings. 

just admit it, rings are powerful.

and if you dont already wear one, you want to. 

i really do love both my OBEY rings.  

they are simple & distinct. plus, they are surprisingly affordable. 

gild yourself a little.

espresso yourself.

i have always had quite an affinity for a tasty dark coffee. 

but i dont always have time in the a.m. hours to wait for the water to heat & joe to brew in a coffee press. 

this little guy is the answer to my problems.

the Bialetti Moka Express 3.5 oz espresso percolator.  

in less than a minute i have a perfectly brewed double espresso. 

the whole process is incredibly simple. 

 

water goes in the bottom compartment, ground espresso in the middle.

set the percolator on the stove and it will “percolate” or volcano up into the top compartment fully brewed. 

now i cannot use “my coffee was brewing” as an excuse for being late anymore. 

wishes granted by craft beer.

just last week COOP Brewery turned three years old. 

to celebrate they threw a little shindig. 

they opened up the doors of their fine brewery & offered all six of their well known beers as well as eleven small batch. also Wedge Pizza catered buffet style meatballs & pizza.

literally a tasty dream come true. 

the event partnered with a local non-profit called Wishing Well. Wishing Well raises money to build water wells all over the world in villages that do not have access to clean water. 

make a wish.

they have already built 65 wells in nine different countries. 

all of the money raised from the event went directly to this cause. 

Coop is by far the most involved local brewery in the okc area. they are carried by over 100 local restaurants & have a presence at most local events. 

i have been a fan of their brews from the start, but after tasting their small batches i may have a new favorite brewery. 

coffee infused porters, extra hop infused ipa’s, sweet potato ale, white tea & honey ale, ancho chipotle pepper stout, & one ipa made with 12 different hops give you a small taste of the brewing capabilities these men posses. 

sure do wish they would brew those for general consumption.

flannel lined.

allow me to introduce the perfect wintertime pants. 

the Toddland Shipwreck Flannel Lined Pants. 

Toddland offers a wide array of very rad things. from the worlds largest gummy bear to cheeseburger wallets.

these pants are not quite as outlandish as those.

but they are a comfy slim straight with a loud plaid pattern lining the whole pant.  extra warm with a pop of color to catch the eye.

 

they dont just stop there. 

small plaid details on the belts loop & back pocket add extra character without being too much. 

i picked up a pair for my brother, Sam, for the christmas holiday. 

he has a long, cold walk from the dorms to his first class every morning. my guess is these are worn quite regularly. 

you can pick them up online, or locally at SHOP GOOD. 

ohio knitting mills pop up shop.

last week i had the opportunity to spend some time in ohio. 

a good man named trevor filled me in about a pop up shop in the ohio city area.

the shop was put together by the new owner of Ohio Knitting Mills, Steve Tatar. 

here steve is chatting about his future plans for the company. 

OKM was a thriving business from 1927 - 2004 that did contract knitting for all types of companies. everyone from pendelton to saks. 

the pop up shop offered vintage pieces that had been in storage, unused & untouched, since their creation.

all of the pieces were made between 1947 and 1974. 

walking into the store felt like stepping into a time capsule. 

they had even repurposed vintage fabrics to make scarves, beanies, and gloves. oh yes.

another of my favorites i found in the shop was their OKM knitting book. 

the book highlights the past of the mills and offers some pretty great patterns for the home knitter. 

the shop was located in the twist creative  space in the ohio city district. it was also a short walk to the best brewery in town, great lakes.  might i add a, hooray local beer, here. 

the pendleton pictured on top was a gift for my lovely lady back home. all the store offered at the time was womens. but get excited, in the spring OKM will be launching a menswear line as well. 

one last note. i was truly impressed with the overall aesthetic of the space in concert with their graphic design & advertising. 

hats off to a job well done. 

clearly warby parker.

recently i have become a daily glasses kinda guy.

my two daily wears are both Warby Parkers. 

left are Begley’s in Greystone & right are Huxley’s in Sandalwood Matte.  

Warby’s go above & beyond for many reasons: 

one. cost is a mere 95 dollars with prescription included.

two. the styles range from bland to bold. 

three. they are a one for one company. for every pair sold, they give a pair to those who cannot afford them.

four. they will send you up to five pairs to try on at home before you purchase a pair.

luckily here in okc we have a local show room with all the styles available. SHOP GOOD.

its easy to get lost in the endless possibilities of glasses goodness.

over a hundred different color & style options literally lay at your fingertips. 

from mens to womens & optical to sun, youll find it all here. 

i have my eyes on the Fillmore in Tennessee Whiskey for my next pair. 

Jasper in Whiskey Tort is my favorite pair of shades.

the womens Liv & Mabel are classic as well as Jakie-o-esque.

the Winston in Lunar Fade is what my lady decided on for her first pair. 

i purchased her the five pack trial with a gift card to pick a pair. 

the whole process was surprisingly painless. they came with a box & shipping label, & everything. 

do i really need three pairs?

i believe so.