Hasta La Ideas

Wilderness-inspired men’s collections

Of the many noteworthy designs to come out of 2012 Paris Fashion Week the spatially inspired Fall/Winter collections of Sruli Recht and Inaisce were particularly captivating.

Sruli Recht presented a highly spirited line of garments featuring graphics of horses running across wild Icelandic landscapes while conveying the warmth needed to face such harsh climates.

The Field Dressing collection comprises luxury-quality natural animal-based materials like felted and knotted Icelandic wool, reindeer leather, calfskin and hand-loomed satin made from single strands of horsetail hair. For his third complete menswear line, Recht employed a hunting theme, but tailoring is decidedly urban, with impeccable detail from innovative silhouettes to precise pleats.

The 35-ensemble collection centers on a color palette of rusty orange-red, black and a spectrum of beige shades. The spirit of hunting shines through in audacious accessories, from a dolphin-skin belt to bird-wing collars and glass-blown slippers. Shorts over light knit leggings were shown with transparent shirts made with spider silk. Coats feature oversized pleats and enveloping hoods and jackets stay more closely cut, offering an asymmetrical line to the overall ensemble.

New Yorker Inaisce finds his inspiration in Far Eastern wonderlands like Mongolia, Siberia, Armenia and the Silk Road for his Pilgrimage collection. His story, documented in beautiful photography, follows some kind of rough warrior traversing land and sea to reach a kind of hidden heaven.

The waterproof garments are stiff and durable outside, disguising sensuality in soft and delicate materials on the inside. Paying close attention to fabric, Inaisce plays with contrasting textures on lambskin, wolf wool, cotton, silk, fur and leather smeared with resin or carbon.

Conceived as a whole, the architectural unisex collection is highly cohesive. The wraps and coats, caftans, leather blazers, monastic tunics and warrior skirts work together seamlessly.

The Swiss ski makers join Italian garment maker for a technically driven set of understated wool outerwear

On a recent trip to Gstaad with Bentley (more on that next week), I had the pleasure of meeting the team from Zai, the high end, handmade Swiss ski manufacturer. Patrick, Daniela and Thomas (pictured here) all happened to be wearing incredible ski suits. As it turns out, Zai has recently branched into outerwear with the Cassacca, an aesthetically subdued, technically advanced outfit for the slopes. In teaming up with exclusive Italian garment and fabric manufacturer Loro Piana, Zai is able to select from the world’s finest wools and cashmeres for the Cassacca. This complimentary alliance is founded in Zai’s commitment to innovation and design and Loro Piana’s uncompromising dedication to material standards and craftsmanship.

For the main upper Zai uses a combination of 94% wool, 5% cashmere and 1% elastane to give the wearer proper freedom of motion while skiing. The fabric blend is treated by Loro Piana’s Storm System, laminating a pliable membrane and sub-layer of microfiber for additional insulation. Once completed the fabric is treated with Rain System, a unique waterproofing process effective at both keeping moisture out and allowing the material to dry surprisingly fast.

As a garment first and foremost it’s engineered to enhance one’s skiing experience, however the Cassacca caters quite well to the Swiss tradition of après activities. The understated aesthetic is sleek, while avoiding being too sporty—a mark that’s not easily hit in the outerwear world. This “essential” design is limited to just four earth-tone colorways to keep in line with Zai’s traditions in wooden ski making.

Zai’s limited production skis expertly blend natural and man made materials for a superior ski. While the weekend warrior can appreciate the beautiful crafstmanship, these skis will be most appreciated by those working towards a triple digit day season. Standouts from the winter ’12 ski collection include the classic Testa with a walnut vaneer and the revolutionary Nezza, made almost entirely of an innovative compound called Zaira.The two hand built skis represent Zai’s superlative use of material on opposite sides of the design spectrum.

As with all superior things in life, quality comes at a price. Zai’s Cassacca sells online for $4225 while their handmade skis are officially sold through retailers in over 19 countries. Use Zai’s national directory for a list of dealers in your region.

Functional simplicity and clever detailing from a modest Japanese designer

Founded in 2002 with a focus on the symbiotic relationship between our environment and style, Japan’s Yaeca makes supremely simple and highly functional garments accented by cleverly subtle details. We recently came across one of the latest urban outerwear designs called the Ergonomic jacket, a mid-weight top layer featuring an internal carrying sling. This simple strap allows the wearer to drape the jacket on the back and out of the way when they’re not wearing it.

Further playing to the jacket’s name, the off-center main zipper keeps the chin covered and catch free. The woven, water-repellant fabric of the body has a slight elasticity to it for a comfortable fit that won’t restrict movement, and the main chest, shoulders and upper arms are paneled with an extra layer of waterproof nylon for added weather protection.

Although hard to find, the elusive Yaeca Ergonomic hooded jacket is indeed out there. Find it online through Japan’s Eureka where it sells for ¥35,280 yen—or roughly $460.

Keep your digits cozy and usable this winter with touchscreen-friendly gloves

The latest Freehands gloves are now available just in time for winter to come blowing in. As the resident glove of choice here at CH, Freehands was born out of collaboration between our founder Josh Rubin and his father—expert glove manufacturer Stanley Rubin. New for 2011 are a handful of styles featuring new materials and upgraded tech with the same touch screen friendly design, including two new knits and a redesign of the top selling soft shell.

Particularly noteworthy is the new leather collection, with a style for men and women each. These supple leather gloves sport a sleek design lined with a soft knit blend of cashmere, wool and nylon. Like most Freehands gloves, the leather collection features a foldable tip on the thumb and forefinger to allow the wearer free use of touchscreen devices or simply find the right key in your pocket.

Also new is the youthful Hearts and Stripes glove for women. The playful knit is made with a cozy wool and acrylic blend and comes in black, purple and red color combinations. Dots on the palm help keep your phone from slipping and foldable finger tips hold back by magnets to allow for easy texting. Made of the same knitted blend and grippy palm detail, the new Solid Knit has conductive silver thread woven into the index and thumb—instead of the usual caps—for device usage without exposing any digits. Plus it’s available in bright pink and benefits the National Breast Cancer Foundation with each pair sold.

As an update on their top seller, the Soft Shell for men has been redesigned with a “swipe and flip” feature. This hybrid solution has conductive material on the forefinger tip that allows you to swipe to answer with the finger caps on, but still can be folded back for texting or other things that require a bit more accuracy.

Prices range between $18 for the simple knit to $75 for the leather collection. For more details and to see the entire line head to Freehands online.

New American classics from the Brooklyn-based menswear brand’s “Pompous Circumstance” collection

Going strong in its third year of production, Brooklyn-based fashion label Feltraiger makes what they call “New American Classic” menswear with a healthy sense of irreverence. With each collection the label takes on a different subculture—for Spring/Summer 2012 founder and creative director Daniel Feldman was inspired by the way high society spends their leisure time. The “Pompous Circumstance” collection offers a clean, well-trimmed look reminiscent of days spent quail hunting at the country home.

After a quick look at the line we were most intrigued by the label’s outerwear, which includes key pieces—a trim-fit, anorak-style pullover; a slim camouflage bomber and a lightweight classic hunting vest—blending classic and contemporary design. The vest in particular goes easily from the country to the city, with an urban-appropriate aesthetic and all the essential technical features a hunter may need, down to a detachable rear game pouch.

Run by Feldman, along with his brother Jon, Feltraiger—named for the family’s original Russian surname prior to emigration—is made entirely in America to ensure control of the highest standard of material and craftsmanship. For the time being Feltraiger is sold exclusively through their online shop; come Spring 2012 the duo will expand by opening a brick-and-mortar flagship in New York City.

Photography by Gregory Stefano