UNIFORM | GANT

Photos exclusive property of GANT.

GANT has just opened its doors on the beachy bicycle-laden street of Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA. It's a world away from the label's New Haven roots, but yet, not a crazy fit for the street that GQ called the coolest block in America. I was in the store a few weeks ago as they were just setting up the women's section, so I didn't get a good look, but I have already stolen the perfect t-shirt I bought for my husband that day. More on GANT soon, as I'll be returning next week to meet Christopher Bastin, the newly appointed Creative Director of GANT, and talk about his forthcoming designs. Until then, three items I'm eyeballing from the 2012 Fall/Winter collection that will satiate my East Coast cravings while living in L.A.

GEAR | 1970 Range Rover

Photos via Net Car Show.

1970 was Range Rover's deb year. Throughout the year the car was exhibited at the Louvre, as an “outstanding piece of modern sculpture”. According to John Sweeny at Automobiles Deluxe, the directors of the Louvre intimated that the design was such that either to add or to take anything away from it would be to its detriment. With praise like that, it's not surprising that the first generation Range Rover was in production for some 26 years. The same design which was current in 1970 managed to remain relevant until 1996 when the body type finally changed, a true rarity in the car world.

Personally, I still think the Range Rover Classic looks relevant and magnificent.

UNIFORM | Tycoon Neckwear

I love Tycoon Neckwear. I think it was when I was working on the June/July issue of Foam Magazine when I first spotted one, and remember thinking they were pretty special. Tycoon's repurposed bow ties ($58-$62) are so chic and just keep looking better and better with every collection they produce. I also love Tycoon for their philanthropic spirit. They donate a portion of every sale to Women for Women International, an organization that helps women in war-torn regions transform their lives by providing financial and emotional support, rights awareness and leadership education and job skills training.

NOISE | Sydney Wayser

 
Purdy.

GEAR | Wheels

Truck in Barn, Wisconsin by Robert Natkin, 1973.

Guys! I need help! I need to get a new car and am having a complete identity crisis in the process. Vintage truck? Something green? What cars do you love and hate? Any suggestions? I don't drive much, but do live in Los Angeles, so I need something reliable. I've looked at a few things on Craigslist and eBay but have not had the guts to pull the trigger.

Q&A | Robyn Wilson

All photos by Matthew and Sara Kent of Penny & Finn.

There's something about Robyn Wilson of The Poor Porker, she is the perfect modern embodiment of Huck Finn—driven by adventure and turning good things into great things. Her new business started simply. Wilson and her partner Jarrid Masse went on a crazy scavenger hunt for good beignets and chicory coffee in Los Angeles. Not surprisingly though, they couldn’t find anything that came close to the ones they had in New Orleans. So, that was it. They packed up the car with a few tools and a couple suitcases and set out on a mission to start a business with nearly no money to prove that while it seemed insane, it was possible. How great is that!? This quick video really tells the story well (I swear I almost moved to Lakeland, Florida after I watched it):

We know more great things are happening in the future for The Poor Porker, so now's the time to get to know Robyn a little better, whose style and spirit could not be more Tomboy Style. Thanks Robyn!

If not in Lakeland, Florida, I would live in...Los Angeles.

My dream holiday would be to...Tuscany. A bike riding food tour through
fields of sunflowers with a fresh baguette and bundles of cheese in my basket sounds like heaven.

My current obsessions are...
 
Food: The beignets we make at The Poor Porker. They’re like fried joy for my belly.

Music: Stevie Wonder. I think I’d cry if I met him.
 
Fashion: My trusty old 501 cut offs, duck boots, 80’s safari Banana Republic and vintage Ralph Lauren.
 
Retail Store: The Salvation Army is full of so many treasures. Once upon a time I found three Chanel cashmere sweaters and a vintage Yves Saint Laurent dress all for $25. True Story.


I channel my childhood self when I…am fishing. I’ve always had a serious thing for waders and baiting my own hooks.

The fictional character I most relate to is...G.I. Jane. I’m still working on that one armed push up. Damn, Demi’s a badass.

If I had to be outdoors all day I would...be a very happy camper.

My favorite qualities in a man are...ambition and a wicked sense of humor.
  
My favorite qualities in a woman are...strength and sensitivity.

I'm terrified of...losing the people I love.

My dream car is a...a 1970 Land Rover Leyland Defender in Hunter green.
 
My cocktail of choice is...a Sazerac Fix with Rye lemon, Pastis, Angostura bitters and Peychaud bitters—a ridiculously yummy creation by mixologist Devon Espinosa of Por Vous on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.

My celebrity crush is...Rachel Mc Adams is adorable. Robert Redford is too.

My beauty product of choice is...DDF sunscreen, gobs of it.

My friends and I like to...go on treasure hunts.
 
If I could go back in time for one decade it would be...the 60’s, definitely. They had some serious style back then.
 
As a teenager I was totally into...wearing Doc Martens with vintage dresses and listening to Joni Mitchell.

I tend to splurge on..good books. Especially vintage DIY and cookbooks.

My commitment to dreaming big, diving in, building that dream with my own hands and happily getting dirty as hell while I’m at it...is what makes me have Tomboy Style.


 

GEAR | Sarah Rainwater badges

 Digging these patches inspired by heraldry, buttons, nautical symbols and scouting designed by Sarah Rainwater. Available at her Etsy store ($12 for a set of four or $3.50 each).

UNIFORM | Westbrook Maker Hats

In a fenced off area of an underground parking garage right off Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice, CA lies a hat shop like no other I've stepped into. Westbrook Maker consists of two maverick hatters Nick Fouquet (an old pal) and Gregory Westbrook are hand-making hats the old-fashioned way with beautiful materials sourced in from the United States. All of their lids are unisex and have already been spotted on tomboy icons like Charlize Theron. The hats are available for purchase at their underground unmarked garage location across from Gjelina (black door is all I can say in terms of an address?) or by custom order through on their website.







I convinced Nick to let one of his own personal hats go home with me, but had no one to model it once I got back. Hare totally nailed it though!

GEAR | Y∆CHT merch

I have much respect for writers who can write about music. Using words to describe sound is really tough. So instead of commenting on Y∆CHT's newest album Shangri-La and the remixes with anything beyond "they're great!", I wanted to show you some of their incredibly smart and well-executed band merch.

Y∆CHT has really elevated the idea of what band merch can be. Some, (I'll count myself in that camp) consider it art.
 
A little bit from Claire on the subject:

We wanted to make a whole line of merchandise for this album, which we wrote and mostly recorded in West Texas before moving back to L.A., that really spoke to what Los Angeles means to us visually.

The neon sign installation ($600) and the lyrics poster ($20) are a way that we played with LA iconography. Two of the most classic visual associations with L.A. are the Dodgers logo (and the entire universe of that iteration all over the city) and posters made by Colby Poster Printing Co., a family operated letterpress that's been in business since 1946. We saw these as building blocks of visual culture in L.A.

The background to the lyrics poster starts with a guy in Marfa named Cowboy Joe who drives a decadent Cadillac with a rodeo scene painted on the body and horns attached to the grill. On the back of his car, in rope font, it says, If I can't go to heaven, let me go to Texas. We adopted it for the chorus of our song Shangri-La, which is a song about building your own utopia wherever you go and essentially feeling like heaven is a place on earth. It's very simple and earnest in that sense.
 
Y∆CHT merch can be purchased online here and in Hollywood at the newly opened Otherwild.

ICON | Justine Johnstone

Photo of Justine Johnstone and photo notes from The New York Times' tumblr The Lively Morgue. Thanks for the tip, Meg.

Transcribed photo notes in case it's hard to read:

"Miss Justine Johnstone ("The World's Most Wonderful Woman"), former musical comedy star, and at present headlining on the Orpheum Circuit, is a lover of all outdoor sports; golfing, swimming, and football being her favorite hobbies. Extremely proficient in the first two and enjoying them to the utmost in her leisure hours, her greatest love is for the game made famous by "Red" Grange. Although game to the very core—"How I'd love to get 'roughed' just once" says Miss Johnsone—her manager forbids the hazards of tackling and running with the ball; and Miss Johnstone is confined to kicking. But—oh how she can kick!"

GEAR | Summer Accessories

Just a  few things I've been eyeballing this season...

Nixon watch in Matte gray ($108); John Robshaw indigo dye pillow ($150); Oakley Frogskins ($100); Cleo beaded necklace ($30); Canvas tote bag by Denim & Supply by Ralph Lauren ($110); Purple Gingham Belt  by Earnest Alexander ($85); ASOS floral print smoking flats ($27).

GEAR | Pocket Knife Necklace

Ok, so this is seriously one of the coolest things I've come across since writing this blog. As if Kaufmann Mercantile wasn't already one of the most spot-on online stores in their field, they've just launched the Kaufmann Mercantile Pocket Knife Necklace ($490), a collaboration between Brooklyn jewelry designer Shana Tabor of In God We Trust and Watts, Oklahoma knife-maker (and former horseshoe-maker) Gene Wiseman. Each knife takes two full days to make and the chain is made with a hand forged brass rod. I am so in.

Oh and just a quick but important note: It’s technically illegal to walk around New York (and possibly other cities?) with a visible knife, so...if you do, you're technically a bad ass mother f@#$%^&.

Q&A | Jessica Williams

 Photos of Jessica Williams by Tony Infante of Heroes & Heroines.

If you watch The Daily Show, you know who Jessica Williams is—the show's newest and youngest correspondent and one of the most hilarious people ever. We had breakfast at 1pm yesterday while she was in town from New York and talked about all the things a style blogger and a comedienne have in common (dogs). But seriously, Williams is a genuinely cool, positive, nice, and energetic person who just happens to be conquering the comedy world at the age of 22. I very much enjoy laughing with her on screen and off and also very much enjoy her playful tomboy style that matches her personality squarely. Oh, and her blog is pretty dope too. Thanks, Jess!

If not in New York, I would live in...Los Feliz. I'm a California girl at heart. And if I wasn't doing my dream job I would be chillin' with my friends and soakin' up the sun in some dope bungalow in those Los Feliz hills. 

My dream holiday would be to...go completely off of the grid and travel around Europe for like, four months. 

My current obsessions are...

Food: Breakfast. If there is breakfast on the menu I HAVE to get it. Also, Strawberry/Cinnamon Pop Tarts for Dessert.
 

Music: The Jackson 5, The Go! Team, The Strokes, Kanye West, The Unicorns and a little Al Green when I'm feelin' sexy.
 

Fashion: Preppy shorts, bright colors, Mickey Mouse, stripes, Topsiders.

Retail Stores: Madewell, Lazy Oaf, J. Crew, Bloomingdale's.

I channel my childhood self when I...play-fight with friends. I used to do that when I was little and I kind of just NEVER grew out of it. Goofing around and pushing each other is still beyond fun to me.

The fictional character I most relate to is...Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That's my girl.

If I had to be outdoors all day I would...be sipping a mimosa while reading Game of Thrones.

My favorite quality in a man is...it's a tie between being authentic, funny, and super playful.

My favorite quality in a woman is...toss up between being adventurous, feisty, and again, playful.
 

I'm terrified of...butterflies. I hate the erratic way they fly. They are my nightmare.

 
My dream car is a...An early 70s Ford Bronco. Also, when I'm feeling badass and Beyoncé about everything, it would be a dope Café Racer.

My cocktail of choice is...a Whiskey Ginger.

My celebrity crush is...The Fresh Prince. Growing up he was my first love. Without a doubt.

The beauty product of choice is...Lush Flying Fox soap. I just cannot get enough of that stuff.

My friends and I like to...laugh a bunch, watch Ghost Adventures on Netflix and dance until we sweat at bars.

If I could go back in time for one decade it would be...the 1960s. Aside from all of the super racist stuff, it seems like it'd be a pretty rad time.

As a teenager I was totally into...MySpace, The Real World, and talking to boys on the phone late into the night.

I tend to splurge on...food. I love the concept of like, going to restaurants, sitting down and enjoying a delicious meal. I spend so much money on food.

Being bold, badass, and very much into eating burritos...is what makes me have Tomboy Style.

UNIFORM | Skating with Hepburn

Photo of Katharine Hepburn skateboarding via Jessica Williams.

"I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun." —Katharine Hepburn

 A.L.C. Kyla blouse ($355); Comme des Garçons CdG Play X Jack Purcells ($122); Vintage Surfer Skateboard (Call for price).

SCENE | Mexico City, 1968

Photo of Mexico's Norma Enriqueta Basilio, the first woman in the history of the modern Olympic Games to light the Olympic Fire by Darryl Heikes, October 12, 1968.

SCREEN | Manhattan

Screenshots of Manhattan, 1979.

Diane Keaton: Buttoning to the top since the 1970s.

UNIFORM | American Summer

 Photo of girl climbing signpost near Lincoln's birthplace by William Ralph Gray for National Geographic, 1952.

Steven Alan Boyfriend shirt ($168); Madewell Midi shorts ($59); Denim blue Vans ($55).

Off to Illinois for parades, fireworks, and corn on the cob, see you next week. Happy Fourth!