While out in California for the Concours d’Elegance I had a chance to pilot the insanely awesome Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and lived to tell the tale. Let’s just get this out of the way, the SLS AMG is a spectacular machine.

Power. On. Demand.

This car is a beast — a gull-winged rocket. The SLS is the super-car spawn of the designers at AMG (the first car totally designed by the guys that make Merc harder, better, faster stronger) that clearly (admittedly) draws inspiration from the beautiful 300SL. When released in 1954 the Mercedes-Benz 300SL was the fastest production car of its day (a title that is held today by the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport) and only saw the light of day because an American importer committed to a huge order of 500. If it weren’t for this commitment the SLS might just have regular old boring doors like most of the other cars in the world. Next time I have an extra $200K lying around I think I might pick one of these up.

The Sikorsky Sea King was developed for the U.S. Navy in the late 1950s and introduced into service in 1961. The chopper was designed as an anti-submarine amphibious helicopter and it also serves in various roles with the Navy, including duty as one of the official helicopters of the President of the United States.

My fondness for the Sea King stems from its work recovering astronauts during the Apollo missions (see photo from Apollo 10 below). The enduring design is still relevant today as it was fifty years ago.

A Sea King with the crew of the Apollo 10 mission.

The J.Crew men’s shops are best experienced in person, but I thought that instead of documenting the new store on Madison Avenue (at 79th Street) in the usual manner, it would be cool to team up with Mr. Sean Sullivan to put a little video tour together. If you don’t live in New York and were curious what this whole J.Crew men’s thing was all about, I think this gives you a good impression of what the company is doing. If you do live in New York and are too lazy to go that far uptown, this will save you $2.25 in train fare. I’m impressed with what J.Crew is doing and like it or not, you have to salute a company that is giving guys their own shopping experience, separate from the ladies.

Music is by native son of Ohio Mr. Dan Auerbach (Whispered Words — Keep it Hid).

Recently I purchased a bag from Frost River in Duluth, Minnesota. When the bag arrived I was pleasantly surprised how nice it was, though it was a bit larger than I had anticipated. I emailed the company and very painlessly exchanged the original bag for a slightly smaller option. As expected, the folks at Frost River couldn’t have been more nice, which seems to be a common thread amongst Minnesotans.

It does seem that some Frost River offerings are similar in shape and material to other Minnesota bag makers, though Frost River does a great job of differentiating itself with many of its products.  Speaking of, Frost River has a ton of different items in its line. Everything from bicycle panniers to goods for the “cabin” and beyond. I especially like the Waxed Canvas Pistol Rugs and the Ash Baskets.  The company does all of its own sourcing and manufacturing, and offers a great value for money. [Frost River official site + product photos]

Yes, you did read that right…American luxury. It seems the esteemed French luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton manufacturers some of the their fine leather goods right here in the USA. My business partner was showing me her beautiful new leather Vuitton bag and right away I said “I think that is made in the U.S.” With a quick check of the label we discovered it is indeed an American made bag. Pretty amazing when you think about it.

The good people at Oxxford Clothes have put together a short film documenting the process of making what many think to be America’s finest tailored clothing. If there were any question as to Oxxford’s quality and make, the company dispels all doubt with the “Anatomy of the Suit” section of its website. It seems clear that Oxxford has set the standard for making heirloom-quality-goods. I own quite a few suits, but sadly none of them are made by Oxxford. This needs to change.

Thanks to Michael for the tip.

[Thanks Brian]

Over the past few weeks a few different notebooks have come into my life. A few were sent to me, a few were acquired through eBay and one I have had for sometime. I’m a big fan of notebooks, owning them and using them. I’m also the type of person that needs to keep life organized with a list, so the relationship is a mutually beneficial. Notebooks need people and people need notebooks.

One of my favorite eBay treasure hunts is for Robinson Reminders, originally from Westfield, Mass.  The company made little perforated notebooks that go inside specially designed leather holders. The idea with the Robinson Reminder was to write a to-do on a piece of paper and when you were done with that item you tear it out. So only non-completed tasks remain. As far as I can tell, RR was a pretty big company that was around for a long time. Though not anymore. I would be interested to learn more, but the internet hasn’t turned much up for me. Interestingly though, they don’t come up on eBay very often. But when they do I grab them. I’m sure I will have more competition now…

The leather on these things is probably closer to the vinyl family.

Larry at J.W Hulme sent me this one as a gift. He made it in their shop and there is talk of it coming out officially soon. Hope it is okay that I posted it.

Another notebook that was sent to me as a gift was this special Doane Paper notebook done especially for Red Wing Shoes as a promotional item. I think these turned out great and those graphics are awesome. Not to mention Chad Doane makes great stuff, as does Red Wing. I’m gonna hang on to this one.

This is my great grandfather John Edward Roeser’s notebook, which is similar in material to one of the old Robinson Reminders. My cousin gave this to me a few years ago because he knows my affinity for such things. Thanks Robbie.

Take the train from Grand Central to New Haven and go straight to J. Press at 262 York Street. A few years ago I had the great pleasure of working for the company (sort of a dream come true at the time) and I would occasionally make the trip up to New Haven or Cambridge for business. When we went to Yale we would go by the Yankee Doodle and have hamburgers. The great part of the J. Press store in New Haven was the fact that it still exists. The New York store sort of moved around and never felt perfect (even when it was around the corner from 346 on 44th Street), but New Haven always felt right. In the store there would be nary a student in sight — save maybe someone on an errand for a school boy scarf during the colder months or a guy in need of a repp tie.

The clientele has aged with the company, but the bones of the brand are still there. And never call it preppy. J. Press is “Ivy League style,” because this isn’t prep school. The sack suit is like acid in the eyes of “the kids,” a name my friends and I have for the younger style-set that don’t necessarily get J. Press.  I’m not yet an old man, but I have a certain fondness for the sack — even if it is unflattering. I like the natural shoulder too, because that’s about as American as it gets. Like most things, many feel that J. Press isn’t the same chap he was 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago — though some still swear by it. Likely, more the former than the latter. The Japanese have owned it for years and years, but still Press carries on. You can’t say that about a lot of companies or clothing lines. When you think about it, many a mighty brand have fallen and disappeared during Press’s watch. Even the Doodle is gone, as is Mory’s…yet Press persists.

J. Press founder Jacobi Press in New Haven, Conn.

Suits from a 1958 J. Press catalog

From a 1963 J. Press catalog

There aren’t many events that are more appealing to me than the Concours d’Elegance, which is why I was so happy when I found out NOWNESS wanted to dispatch me to cover the weekend long event. The Concours — which takes place every year on the third Sunday in August at the Pebble Beach Golf Links in California — is without question America’s most prestigious vintage auto gathering. In addition to its esteemed reputation amongst collectors,  the show should be ranked at the highest levels of awe and (vintage car) jealously for mere mortals like myself. Concours also ranks up there in terms of people watching and supercar spotting, by the end of the weekend seeing a Bugatti or Enzo was akin to spotting a new Taurus — no biggie. You can read my account and see some wonderful images from the 2010 Concours d’Elegance at NOWNESS.

Photos by Douglas Friedman for NOWNESS.