Photo credit: Ron Galella
Photo credit: Fan Pix
Class is one of those words that's impossible to define. But whatever it is, Jackie O. had it in spades. Her remarkable style seemed to be a direct expression of her natural grace. She was probably one of the most photographed women in the world, yet we've never seen any image of her where she fails to exude poise. If America had a princess, it would be Jackie O.
In our constant quest for vintage inspiration, we came across an amazing authentic Harris Tweed coat, the real deal, handwoven of local wool in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, dyed with vegetables and lichens. And lo and behold, look at the tag.
Photo credit: Verve Music
Photo credit: Chuck Stewart
This amazing album begins with the simple bang of a gong, then it proceeds to soar. What's so great about "A Love Supreme" is that as soon as you listen to it, it inspires you to get deeper into whatever you're passionate about.
Photo credit: The Sartorialist
Photo credit: The Sartorialist
Photo credit: The Sartorialist
One of our favorite sources for street-level inspiration is The Sartorialist, a photo blog dedicated to photos of people on the street whose style is worth noting. Lots of times, our favorite ideas are inspired by ways we see people putting their clothes together to express themselves in an effortless way. Our motto for the Lands' End Canvas collection is "real clothes for real people."
Photo credit: SJ Design
Photo Credit: JaneBirkin.net
So far, Jane Birkin has been a movie star, chanteuse, screenwriter, film director and social activist - it only makes sense that her style is characterized by multiple possibilities. She pulls things together effortlessly and beautifully. We can't wait to see what she does next.
Photo taken in April 1959 during a session for "Kind of Blue." Prints can be ordered online at Icon Collectibles.
Here's how it went down. Miles Davis called his favorite players into the studio. No rehearsals. No compositions. He gave each player a sketch of scales, a melody line and told them to improvise. And in just two sessions, they went ahead and reinvented the possibilities of jazz.
We've listened to this album an uncountable number of times and we hear something new every time.
Photo credit: Taliesin West, one of our favorites, thanks to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
"The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright fought for what he believed in no matter how uphill the battle was. What mattered to him was not that they were his ideas, but that they were ideas which had a place in the world. Wright was born in 1867. He died in 1959. But his work will be "modern" forever. His buildings aren't beautiful because he was trying to make them beautiful, but because he designed them to be true to themselves and their surroundings.
Anytime we get a chance to see his work up close - we take it.
Jasper Johns takes the familiar - the kind of things you tend to take for granted - and re-imagines them in a way that wakes you up. He doesn't just make us see things, he makes us re-see things. After looking at his work (there are excellent collections at MoMA in NYC and in the Cleveland Museum of Art), the entire world feels more filled with possibilities.
If you could see the original of his "Flag," you'd see that its texture is almost incomprehensibly dense. First he made an elaborate collage of newspaper and other materials. Then he created the color by dripping wax infused with pigment over the collage. Johns' work looks simple from far away, but the closer you get, the more intricate and complicated you notice it is. Just like with human beings.
Flag, 1954-55
Target, 1974
Vintage clothes come from an age when companies were small and a sense of craft loomed large. They come from a time when people bought clothing for function, not fashion. The details aren't decorative, they're about making the clothes more resilient and more capable. They were designed to be the kind of possession you have a long-term relationship with. Like a close friend.
Basically, we think the best kind of clothes are the kind that make you feel more like who you are. Studying and respecting vintage clothes helps us make clothes with that kind of honesty.
Some of our favorite magazines about American style come from Japan. Every time we get our hands on an issue of Free & Easy magazine, we devour it from cover to cover. The Japanese have a reverence for American sportwear like no one else.
