Tactical Vest are very fine if you are rugged!

Another piece of kit that is in my favorite list is the ROTHCO UNCLE Olive Drab travel vest.

I have buy this one in Japan @ Ueno Market, a special place for me ;)


I wear it with a corduroy jacket, oxford shirt and a pair of vintage Levi's Blue Jeans: The perfect travel kit.
This is, however, a piece that I love.


Talking bout tactical vest, I have also the 5.11 model that is made at another level of construction and is expressly made and in use by special contractors that work in very hard environment.

The 5.11 tactical vest is made in heavy canvas and have  a full selection of pocket that are perfect for your every day accessory of for your necessary and lifesaver kit when on the field.

Stock Number Roots

Another interesting old piece of my archive that is very interesting because is making the roots of the Stock Number method.

This is a set wich I have design about ten years ago, for the No evil collection. It's a rare example of woman style, because I only work for woman collection that want to express new and innovative mood and I run away from those "ready made, ultra-fashion-commercial" collection for girls and woman that was often offered me.

For the shirt I have worked with a very poor "mussola" fabric, very light, often made for rough bags for the underwear, I have noble the fabrics with a was with "marseille soap" essence and soften the fabric a lot. The Skirt is inspired from a man chino trouser, made in heavy weight triple ply gabardine fabric, and I have add a corduroy insert in the front to add movement.

No eVil was the first collection here in Italy to present in 1999 the "chino trousers" for woman made with gorgeous feminine fit, and with a very chic selection of material and detail, but always rugged in their heritage because the treatments, the materials and the style.

Stock Number will make few selected womans pieces in the future, and for sure, both this rare No eVil sample will be the right startpoint.

Stock Number Project is ready!

Stock Number is my new project, made in cooperation with Only T-Shirt Company, for the Topten initiative. Stock Number is intended like a "data-base" of clothes who form the backbone of an imaginary travel bag, that any person should have and which are examples of a style where prevailing pragmatic design, good materials, accurate manufacturing.
Following the historic knowledge of Cristiano Berto, owner of the brand and designer of the collection, It is based on the concepts of simple and authentic items, made with the best quality, inspired from vintage and modern military and tactical garments, utility clothes, authentic denim, workwear, travel and sport clothes.

There is a “no season concept” in the materials, Stock Number have basic continuative materials and also is possible to have special materials, based on season.
The look of the collection will be, always and forever, non ironed, regular and easy fit and worn out style. Stock Number will always offer a color card based on the classic and institutional basic and army colors: Navy Blue, Olive Drab, White, Kakhy, Carbon and a range of melange colors based on the classic grey tone.
Denim is very important in the collection and we will develope the denim range season by season.

The graphics will always be minimal, clean and with technical design based on “Helvetica” type lettering: Stock Number does not want follow trends or themes, forever!

The packaging is a key element: the clothes are sold vacuum.

Stock Number will offer also a line of stationery products inspired by the workers and military note pad, accessories like belts and handbags and is currently on studying a watch inspired by military and technical style.

A Fine Paul Smith Jacket

This is another fine piece of design from Sir Paul Smith.

I've bought this jacket in my recent visit at the Paul Smith Jeans Shop of Covent Garden.
First of all I was captured by the style, the irregular pocket attract me because those details are a perfect signature of the Paul Smith design… he love to work on classic form, changing size, proportions and position, so we can have a new perspective when the jacket is worn on…

Color is also nice, a fine shade of very dark Grey, with red brown natural color buttons in combinations of the black press buttons for the pocket.
Another interesting point is the material. This jacket is made in a special nylon fabric, extremely light, but extremely protective. Water just simply slide on the surface of the material, wind have no chance to pass through the membrane that is coated inside the external shield… the result is a perfect warm and dry combination when you are out!
You can put this jacket in your travel bag, take a flight and wear when you arrive at destination: the special fabrics will be perfectly free of any wrinkle!

Just perfect for me!

A Very Fine Military Blouse

This is one of my favorite, it's a tropical female military blouse produced by Compton, Sons & Webb Ltd. from the R.A.F and it's dated from around 1965. I have buy this blouse as my intention to make deeper research about female military garments.

It's no easy to find female military issued clothing, but to discover one is always a great find.

The R.A.F. Blosue is very rare and have a intonse beautiful labelling with all the issue inscriptions, also the hand-stamp mark is very nice and interesting.



Note the sought after fabric wich is made this blouse: it's a satin-based weave, with a kind of micro design on the surface, I have never seen this fabric before, and I'm tryng to reproduce it with one of my fellows friends that own a fabric company.

The neck also is interesting, it miss the back and the two lapels are inserted in the cut of shoulder.

A Simple Pair Of Glasses

These are my new glasses. I was searching for some new frames from a long time. I was tired of the squared, bold and heavy frames, is usually to see on the nose of designers, architects… and fashion victims, of course.
I have seen these glasses for the first time in the back of the cover of the last album of Donald Fagen, Morph The Cat.
Mr. Fagen is well know for his understated elegance and for the clear concept of style he have from the early days.

He put this glasses on a windows of a loft, where you can see some end of Manhattan.
This image capture me, and listening the CD give me the finishing stroke!

It was no easy to find it, but finally I find this model from a company called EPOS-MILANO and I think it's perfect.

I love the rounded lines, and the turtle shades on the new frames, they are a little bit 80's style, in fact I remember that when I was thirteen I own a pair a frames like this…

My New Stole

Few days ago, my friend Tom from the 45RPM shop of Paris, send to me some pics of the new stoles they are just receiving from Japan. I have choose this one, and yesterday it's coming to me.

I love the basic colours, the softness of the wool, the perfect size.

This stole is perfect for that cold days of november. I love the simplicity of the checks, it remind me the old artisan and farmers of the place where I leave. I love the way they dress.
They wear older classic elegant coats and simple striped shirts, but used and abused, and instead to throw away they put on for work. They wear simple work trousers in a shade of blue that is coming from the industrial workers, a perfect shade of blue, it's like an indigo, but more brilliant. They always wear a hat. Is a simple hat in Herringbone Twill, Prince of Wales Checks, or plain Brown.

Sometimes, they wear a stole like this.

The boots they wear sometimes are very dirty, but they dont' care, they show a kind of elegance that is very difficult to see.