Breathnaigh

Alone in the wilderness.

How I hadn't seen this before last weekend, when I saw my dad watching it on his phone, I don't know. In 1968 the rough-hewn Dick Proenneke, a retired (at 52) mechanic and carpenter, traveled to Twin Lakes, Alaska and badassed built himself a log cabin. There he lived, off the grid by at least a few picas, for the next 30 years--like Into the Wild but with more competence and less death. Proenneke brought along a tripod and 16mm camera and filmed some of his exploits to help illustrate his story for the folks back home, footage which was later compiled into several documentaries. I haven't seen all of it--and what I have seen, just on YouTube, seems somewhat compromised by documentarian choices--but the old footage is at least a rare window into the methods (and of course, gear) of rugged life in the midcentury wilderness. Check out some stills below for tools and clothing that would make the RRL guy drool.

This last shot is from a film documentarians made when they visited Proenneke 20 years into his adventure.

Dick Proenneke, 1916-2003.

Beams Plus at Mr. Porter.

One of my favorite brands from the last few years is now available at one of my favorite web shops. Beams Plus is a house line from Japanese chain Beams, and their script of tweaking typical American clothing with a Japanese point of view should be familiar at this point (in casual conversation, "getting me interested in Japanese takes on traditional American sportswear" is now an acceptable substitute for the cliche "shooting fish in a barrel"). Really, it's essentially what J. Crew and dozens of other brands and shops have been working toward with their men's gear for the last couple of years. But Beams just seems to do it better. Their cuts are trim but not unwearably so, and even if their design philosophy is no longer unique, their design output does not overlap with other lines much. This past F/W I picked up a fuzzy fleece cardigan jacket with Dupont ActiveLayer that is warmer than you'd expect, looks rad, and makes everyone want to hug me. And their accessories, often collaborations, are perfect--Kelty packs, Ghurka leather goods, Canadian Sweater Company knit stuff, or Beams self-labeled stuff.

Mr. Porter continues to add otherwise hard-to-find brands (devils advocate break: Beams in particular has broadened distribution considerably over the last few seasons) and price them competitively, with the solid customer service (free ground shipping, easy returns) that comes from being an offshoot by women's online shopping juggernaut net-a-porter.

Travel, documented.

I had the good fortune to travel through Florence and Paris last month, partially on business. I can recommend: Italian concierges, Frasi, Mario's, negronis, the Hotel Excelsior (not that I stayed there), EasyJet, Orly airport, Rue des Canettes, Gerard Mulot, and Cafe Verlet. I recommend against: early flights, CDG, European breakfast (related: European Starbucks), Versailles when the weather is bad, Verizon's international service. If you know me on Facebook or follow me on tumblr, you've probably already seen most of my travel snapshots.

Mont Blanc pastries at Angelina.

Musee d'Orsay.

Parked bike in Florence (possibly a marketing gimmick).

English graffiti in Florence.

Scooters in Florence.

Mulot macaron (I don't generally care for macarons, but... woah)

Classical sculpture in storage at the Louvre.

Sunset in Paris from the Louvre.

Lovelocks near Notre Dame.

Kopi Luwak coffee at Cafe Verlet.

Rebuild by Needles.

Although my love for vintage is as undying as the blue haired Catholic ladies who volunteer at my favorite thrift shops, I'm suspicious of vintage profiteering--Urban Outfitters marking up standard Goodwill crap, or cheeseball use of mediocre deadstock fabric in new pieces. But, frankly, Nepenthes has earned the benefit of the doubt, so I'm looking forward to seeing some of "Rebuild by Needles," a new line of clothing cut and sewn into new shapes from vintage, mostly American military, clothing. Course, "No idea is original, there's nothing new under the sun, it's never what you do, but how it's done" (Nas)--Temple Bags and others have attempted this sort of thing before to varying success.

According to Needles and Nepenthes founder, Kizo Shimizo, the concept of rebuilding seemed appropriate after last year's Tōhoku earthquake. Although the Rebuild fabrics are mostly American, the production is done in Japan. Nepenthes NY will be carrying three styles of jacket, a vest, and pants for spring 2012, all cut from military overpants. Unlike some similar ventures, which merely use surplus fabric, these pieces will incorporate features of the original cut-and-sew pieces, so you may find zippers or pockets in unexpected places. Although the designs are consistent, the nature of the source material means each new piece is one of a kind.

Photos from eyescream.jp and Nepenthes Osaka.

Keizo Shimizu, who founded Needles and Nepenthes in the late 1980s.

Rebuild by Needles military long coat.

Sarouel (or harem shorts)--not entirely certain these are men's, but I'll keep an open mind.

Three panel shirt.

Military peak lapel jacket at Nepenthes Osaka.