China

I'm off to China for a month. Lots of good food and shopping ahead.

Pickup: Paul Smith Fiorito

I treated myself to these loafers after getting some test marks back yesterday. Paul Smith was one of the brands, if not the brand, that got me seriously into clothing and now I can say that I have a pair of his shoes. Made in Italy with a suede upper and a leather sole these are very comfortable. Getting them for less than a quarter of the original price didn't hurt either.

The Casuals

When mentioning "The Casuals," you can expect to get one of two responses. If you're in North America, you'll generally get a blank stare as most of us are unfamiliar with the term. If you're in Europe, you'll probably get a variety of responses including references to hooligans, delinquents, criminals, skinheads etc. However, The Casual subculture began with more than just young adults looking to throw down with opposing fans at weekend matches. It was a fashion movement like none other. The Casual subculture originated out of the Mod subculture and it began in the 1970s when British youth began wearing designer clothing to weekend football matches. While this was originally done to avoid the attention of police, dressing well soon became a way for firms to show their superiority to rival fans. By the late 1970s, The Casuals sported a pretty identifiable uniform that incorporated brands such as Baracuta, Fila, Sergio Tacchini, Diadora, Burberry, Paul Smith, Levi's and Fred Perry. I don't condone any form of hooliganism and I don't necessarily use all "Casual" attire as a point of reference for my outfits today, but I got to admit, these guys could look real good doing what they did.

Naked & Famous Natural Indigo Slim

My household just got a new camera and to test it out I shot some jeans. I got a pair of these Naked & Famous natural indigo jeans about a month ago and have worn them on average 5 days a week since. They started out quite a bit rougher and stiffer than my apcs but are softening up and already starting to show some fade lines. 

Willmore National Park

I took this picture while driving on the highway.

View from the hike up.

The view we woke up to both mornings.

Breakfast

Camp

Chris climbing a tree to hang the food.

This is the only water source we could use to filter water. We also filled zip-lock bags with snow to carry it around until it melted.

View from the peak we reached for lunch. If you look close enough you can see our tents.

Sam hiking along the ridge.

Taking in the view from the final peak we reached.

Chris hiking along the ridge.

Relaxing after getting back to camp.

Supplies

Dinner

Sunset

Fully packed pack.

We got lost on the hike out.

Paul following some animal paths.

Hiking attire.

Finally reaching the road.

Lunch at rock lake

The train at the A&W in Hinton was for sale.

Gear: Willmore National Park

I'm heading to Willmore Wilderness Park this weekend for some backpacking which is right beside the much more visited and famous Jasper National Park. Apparently Willmore has a bunch of wildlife including 20 percent of Canada's  mountain goats and bighorn sheep, which should make for an eventful weekend hopefully. Anyways here's most of what I am packing for the weekend.It's pretty standard. Some of the other important items like a stove and filter are being carried by some friends so they're not pictured.

Attire: Classical Music Recital

I'll be the first to admit that my suit collection is lacking. I grabbed this vintage suit last week for $25 and the picture above shows it with no tailoring. It's missing a button, but that can be easily fixed. Actually, I might change out all the buttons. I wore it for the first time last night to a classical music gala regardless and it seemed to go alright.

US Soccer Team in Outside Magazine

In lieu of the world cup starting tomorrow I decided to scan some pics of the American team from a recent issue of Outside. Although I'm not a big supporter of their team, they look pretty good here kitted out in mostly Polo and J. Crew