Broark

Yeah, I'm kind of feeling the same way honestly. Not sure how much of it is real versus fabricated scarcity. Hadn't really heard of these before, seems like they might be full up at the moment.

I think this is going to be the year I finally get some black engineer boots. Walking around Paris, I gained an appreciation for all the people wearing chunky soled black boots. While that's not really the same vibe, it gave me some inspiration to seek something similar out. I'm not into side zips or anything more hip like that, so black engineers seem to fit the bill. On the short list I'm looking at Attractions, Clinch, Ol' Shanks and maybe Lofgren. Attractions seem to be the best option, decent price and they go up to size 12. Not too pointy of a toe or too narrow. Clinch seem to be very pricey these days and almost impossible to get ahold of. And even if I did get a pair I'm not sure the last would work well for my feet. Ol' Shanks seems to be an outlier, I saw an international guy on Instagram was able to get a pair. I just reached out to see if it's possible to order, I don't mind a long wait. I find the black horsehide leather that Lofgren uses to be a bit too irregular in grain, which is why they're probably at the bottom of the list. And the pair that I have are so difficult to get on and off, causing me not to wear them often. So that might just eliminate them entirely. Any other brands that I'm missing? Maybe Keystone? Not really interested in Wesco or Brian the Bootmaker.

Interesting, never heard of that varietal. I'll keep my eyes peeled! Typically most shops here focus on domestic craft beers, most people (at least in Texas) don't typically seek out Guinness.

Evidently there were two separate collisions with people that impacted the trains that day in the same region. Our friends were heading from Manchester to London and we were supposed to meet up with them, didn't end up getting in until super late that evening. We sat at Reading station for like...2 hours waiting for the train to arrive. Once we were able to get on we just went one stop up to Oxford and said that'll do. Pretty town at least!

Every pub we went to I tried to get something different. I don't think I captured every one, but here's a few: St. Austell Tribute, Fuller's London Pride, had a few different styles at Battersea Brewery, Nicholson's Pale Ale, loads of Sam Smith and of course many pints of Guinness. I much prefer these to the IPAs that we seem to love brewing stateside.

To be fair any place with more than the occasional shower is more rain than we get in Texas.

Recapping from our trip to London and Paris, had a great time in both cities and thoroughly enjoyed both for varying reasons. Thanks to everyone who reached out and suggested places to go and things to do, 10 days wasn't enough time! A couple of notes, won't overload the thread with too many photos but here we go. 1.) Y'all deal with a lot of rain! The N1 held up well, in hindsight something a little lighter weight but water-resistant would've been better. 2.) Everyone we ran across was very friendly, would definitely visit both cities again in the future. The whole "entitled Parisian" thing is completely overblown by people online. 3.) We had to deal with some serious travel and transportation woes. We were supposed to visit the Cotswolds on the 28th, but someone was tragically hit by a train. So we tried gaming the national railway system and going around through Reading, only to get stuck there for hours. Missed the tour we had booked, ended up exploring Oxford instead. Then on the 30th we were supposed to head to Paris, but there was flooding on the line, total chaos at St. Pancras. Couldn't book another train until the 1st (the whole point was to spend NYE in Paris) so we booked a stupid expensive one way flight to Paris on the 31st...but we survived and have the stories to tell of it. 4.) Food in both cities was fantastic, gotta give it to Paris though. It felt like it didn't matter where we ate, the food was amazing everywhere. Same goes for shopping, didn't do much in general but looking around some of the shops in both cities was really fun. The 45rpm shop in Paris was so well merchandised, everyone at Son Of A Stag was super friendly. 5.) Love having accessible public transit no matter where you go. The London Underground was top notch. I enjoyed walking and getting around without a car, we averaged about 20k steps a day, the Limmer Lightweights didn't skip a beat. But by the end of the trip my feet were exhausted. 6.) We love visiting old cities so the history that was everywhere was very enjoyable. And just the sense of history and culture everywhere was refreshing. Everything in Austin feels so new and fresh, so it was nice being in a place where there was some real history. 7.) I love English pub culture and French dining culture. Take your time, enjoy it with the people that you're with and don't rush off like us Americans are always seeming to do. 8.) It was refreshing being in a place like Paris where nearly everyone seems to care about how they're dressed. No workout clothes, yoga pants or joggers in sight (outside of people actually working out). And the Parisians really do love their super chunky black Chelsea boots / side-zips. Made me want to get a pair of black engineer boots. Next trip I think will be Tokyo, trying to scope flights out already!

Happy New Year! Technically this is from a few days ago but who's counting. FW watch cap, N1, heavy sweat, 661xx. Limmer Lightweights.

They were closed that day! We walked by but they were on holiday break.

Bit of a nutty day today (more on that later) but we’re making the most of it. Visited Oxford on a whim (kinda). Freewheelers watch cap, N1, pocket sweat, 661xx. Limmer lightweights.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to y’all! Heading across the pond here in a couple hours, will post plenty of photos once we’re back.

And here you go, open and closed. I can't imagine ever needing to wear both!

^ Spot on!

@MJF9 I tried fitting my 1922 jacket under the N1 with a t-shirt on underneath, I can fit it and zip up just fine but the forearms feel very snug. Not sure if this will subside with wear and break in, but it’s giving me Michelin Man vibes right now.

I would've loved a pair of those Buaisou jeans, but I think he only made a couple pairs for himself and maybe a few for people in Japan.

Usually I'm not a fan of Wrangler style jeans, but those broken arcs are really cool. Good work Julian, glad you have a second pair!

Haven't tried yet but will report back, it's a little slimmer than some of my other FW jackets but It might work. The wool pile seems a little less thick than the MF deck jacket that I sold (which is a good thing IMO) so there might be enough room. Duke I've been thinking about tracking the purple one down, the fit is perfect. Fabric drapes nicely too.

Man I wish.

Final care package of the year arrived just in time. Gemsa. Hoodie in old brown (much more maroon in person). N1 in dark red beige. Going to give this one a workout next week.

Which one is better?

And here they are: https://www.ground-alls.com/shopdetail/000000000015/ct6/page1/order/ Not crazy about the arcs, but the jeans look nice overall.

I'll have to bring some of my Self Edge stickers next time I'm there.

I love Bender's, a must visit whenever I'm in San Francisco! Oddly enough we have a Bender here in Austin, similar vibes.

Organizing my FW hang tags (and throwing out ones from other brands I’ve sold…) and came across a bit of printed Engrish. “Ultima Thure”.

A few comparison shots of the WW2 denim and 30s.