Long standing patrons of Pickings and Parry will already be familiar with the top notch footwear of California-based Yuketen. As well as recently receiving a batch of their luxe, Birkenstock-inspired sandals, we’re also proud to announce the arrival of a new brand to the roster; Monitaly. Yuki Matsuda is the man behind Meg Company, the parent company behind Yuketen, Monitaly, Epperson Mountaineering and Chamula. The eclecticism of their ranges is astounding, drawing inspiration from a full century of American design and dragging it kicking and screaming into the present. 

"I'm determined to make clothing that I would love to wear. My background is in vintage so I've seen so many great vintage clothing pieces, but vintage fit is usually two-dimensional or disproportionate, and it's not comfortable to wear in any practical manner. But I know how to fix these discrepancies, so I decided to overcome my frustration with ill-fitting clothing by making my own. My goals for Monitaly are great fit with impeccable attention to detail. Made in U.S.A. is very important to me too."

All Meg Company products are made in the USA and Mexico.

Monitaly (if you’re wondering; Monica (Yuki’s daughter + Military + Italy) is certainly not a purists heritage brand. Largely influenced by the brand’s Hermosa Beach headquarters, Monitaly see’s classic Americana silhouettes filtered through Yuki Matsuda’s wild imagination. 

Their artisanal approach sees formal and casual garments re-contextualised, details exaggerated and fabrics re-appropriated. The end results are well-considered, functional modern menswear. 

Despite a playful approach to design, quality and manufacture are treated with the highest respect at Meg Company;

"I like things made slowly with care and attention to detail. That's why I collect a lot of vintage shoes and clothing. As you know, back in the old days people cared and appreciated how to make things by hand and were therefore proud of the products they created with their own hands. I have the same feeling. I care about what we make and I'm always thinking of ways to improve our products, and in many respects, I think what we are doing is like fine art. But at the end of the day, the most important thing to consider is how much I care for each product we make."

To kick off we’ve selected a mid-40’s inspired Zoot Pant in mil-spec Vancloth, a heavy linen Vactation shirt and Vancloth Smock. 

Vancloth is a fairly incredible, high density cotton fabric specially developed by Monitaly to be both lightweight and tough as nails. It also happens to be water resistant. Nifty, huh? As a testament to it's powers I recently took a pretty impressive fall off my bike and grazed a fair chunk of my left side. My Vancloth pullover? Unscathed. Painful field testing of quality fabrics is just one of the many services we offer here at Pickings and Parry.

Shop the collection in-store and online. The weather outside is soon to turn dull and grey, but that certainly doesn't mean you have to as well.

Our friends at Nigel Cabourn's Tokyo HQ have put together a very nice seasonal look book for SS17. This showcases a sample of the collection across all three menswear sections - Authentic, Lybro and Mainline - many pieces are available on our shelves and we thought it worth sharing for reference and inspirational purposes. Enjoy!

SS17 Fishtail Cameraman Parka with Lybro Mountain Div. Big Palm Tree Shirt, Rail Jacket and 4 Pocket Jeans

Lybro SS17 Desert Rats Short Jacket with Camo Combat Pants 

Wide Lapel Tibet Jacket and Bombay Bloomer Shorts. Nigel Cabourn Authentic SS17 

Lybro SS17 Mountain Div. Big Shirt Palm Tree Print with Bombay Bloomer Shorts 

SS17 Nigel Cabourn Lybro Rail Jacket in Natural Stripe 

Lybro Naval Dungarees for SS17 with POH Shirt 

Mountain Div. Sherpa Lybro Jacket and British Army Desert Pants with USMC Cap 

SS17 Lybro USMC Cap, Desert Overcoat and Mountain Div. Big Shirt in Black 

SS17 Nigel Cabourn Lybro Desert Overcoat and Mountain Div. Big Shirt in Army 

It's been a while now that we've been bringing you our particular curation of quality goods; in fact, it's been about five years since our journey to this point began. Even though we have been, up to now, very much dedicated to menswear, there was always a plan developing in the background and that plan has just started going into action.

It seems that it's not only men who appreciate British and American Heritage style, well made work wear and military inspired clothing. We are constantly asked in store 'where is the women's section?' or 'when are you opening a women's store?' - The number of well dressed women, at least in Melbourne, generally far outweighs that of men, and within that number is a burgeoning community of conscious individuals looking for more than just fast fashion. 

Enter (drum roll please) Heffernan & Haire, forthcoming sister store to Pickings & Parry!

For those that don't know, our men's store name originates from the two families that came together in the 1970's and created the founder. The two P's seemed to work well and convey the idea of tradition, family and the importance of the past in the progress of the future. Heffernan & Haire, conveniently enough, has the same origin on the side of our founder's partner who, with eye for style and far superior femininity, will be creative director and buyer for the new store as it develops over the next little while.

H&H will follow the same principles of the classic, and present a similarly storied product selection in similarly beautiful space. Alongside shared brands such as Blue Blue Japan, Nigel Cabourn, Merz b Schwanen, PF Flyers, Tanner Goods and Bleu de Chauffe, we'll bring you some exciting additions such as W'Menswear and Leno & Co., amongst many others.

This month on Thursday the 30th of March, we will be presenting a very small capsule collection of Nigel Cabourn Woman SS17 items in store at Pickings & Parry, to give you a very small taste of things to come. Whilst the bricks and mortar store for H&H is still in the planning stages, we're beginning to build the collections and will tease you with imagery and goodness at our shindig on the 30th.

In the mean time check out the new Heffernan & Haire Instagram Page to gain more of an insight.

It's fairly safe to say that Nigel Cabourn is a very important figure in the world of menswear today. Not only has he been involved in the design and production of quality clothing since the 1970's, he's also a committed collector and clothing historian; specifically in the areas of vintage military, workwear and the outdoors. His passion for history and collecting are forever evident in his collections - with SS17 being no exception.

Nigel Cabourn SS17 LCM - Desert Rats

The underlying theme to this new SS17 collection, particularly within the LYBRO section, is 'The Desert Rats' or, as they were officially known, the British Army's 7th Armoured Division, whose exploits in the Western Desert Campaign during WWII made them famous and earned them the deserved moniker. Personally, I have a fascination with this part of the war as my own Grandfather also fought in North Africa with the Durham Light Infantry.

British Army Desert Rats - North Africa WWII

The division fought in most major battles during the North African campaign; later it would land and fight in Europe, firstly during the early stages of the invasion of Italy before being withdrawn to the United Kingdom where it prepared to fight in North Western Europe. It began landing in Normandy during the afternoon of D-Day, 6 June 1944, and fought its way across Europe, ending the war in Kiel and Hamburg, Germany.

Desert Rats - 7th Armoured Division WWII

The 7th Armoured Brigade was detached from the division during early 1942 and fought the Japanese during the fighting in the early stages of the Burma Campaign. Nigel Cabourn's father actually fought in Burma during the war; we dare say the stories and images from Cabourn senior's war, passed on during Nigel's childhood, have certainly been an influence on his career and direction in clothing!

Although the 7th Armoured Division was disbanded during the 1950s, the history, name and the famous 'Desert Rat' flash is still carried on by the 7th Armoured Brigade.

 7th Armoured Division Insignia from 1944

For our own P&P SS17 (Melbourne AW17) Nigel Cabourn collection, we have curated a nice selection of pieces from the Authentic, Lybro and Mainline offerings. Most of our order has now landed and is online and in store from today, with Authentic following in the next couple of weeks from the UK.

From Lybro we have the excellent Mountain Div. Sherpa Jacket and British Army Desert Pant in washed stone HBT. For this season the fits and fabrics have had an upgrade and small details such as the broad arrow rivets add a little something extra to the Lybro range. Also we have the SS17 Naval Dungarees in Lybro blue washed HBT which, as anyone following Nigel will know, are his daily wear favourite item!

Nigel Cabourn in the Lybro Naval Dungarees

A few more Lybro items such as the Palm Tree Print Big Shirt, USMC and Nuclear Hats and the POH shirt are present at P&P, and from mainline we have the new Hospital Suit in tight weave cotton weather cloth. This is an awesome set of semi-formal unlined garments available in two colours and capable of being worn individually, or together as three piece. 

Nigel Cabourn SS17 LCM - London

On top of all this we have a few very special fishtail Cameraman Jackets from the Made in England, Authentic range. These will be in very, very limited numbers so don't waste time if you'd like to reserve one. Drop in to see us this weekend, check out the collection and let us know that you're interested.

Last week the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival began (VMAFF) to much fanfare and, whilst what we do is generally far removed from the realm of catwalk shows, it is still a very important part of the fashion world. In fact, you could argue that in terms of one particular fabric, it might just be the most important.

Since we opened our doors over three and half years ago, there have been three Melbourne fashion festivals. None have shown much recognition for the side of the industry based around manufacture, quality and heritage style...until now!

The amazing forward thinking folks at ACMI have done something very special this year as part of their VMAFF screenings; they're screening a film about Japanese Denim. Now, we'd be the first people to tell you that there is much more to style and menswear than denim; however, there is no denying that this fabric is supremely important. Not just in the history of clothing, but also for the future of it.

The very important and inspiring documentary Weaving Shibusa, directed by Devin Leisher, is focused on Japanese Denim and how it rose to become the most revered in the world. 

Weaving Shibusa, Official Trailer #1 from Weaving Shibusa on Vimeo.

From the post war origins of Japan's textile industry to the Osaka 5, the film touches on the manufacture, passion, ideas and individuals involved in making a fabric that has captured the hearts of so many people around the globe.

Amongst the experts and industry folks featured is our good friend Atsu from Stevenson Overall Co. Not only does he make some amazing and individual jeans; this man is a character to say the least. He's an avid vintage collector, knowledgable designer and expert on the details that go into making clothing 'like they used to'.

There are two more screenings remaining for the festival, with the last screening on Saturday the 11th of March, so get in quick if you don't want to miss out on the most important Japanese Denim film produced to date.

Following the final screening there will also be a Japanese Denim panel discussion on Saturday evening featuring some of Melbourne's resident industry experts - they even have someone from P&P representing! This is something not be missed and will feature vintage machines, memorabilia and denim pieces as well as more short films and a Q&A session. Tickets are available now - click the image below for more!

Denim is important to us. Denim is important to the future growth of quality manufacturing around the world and to the history and future of style; it has influenced virtually everyone's lives in some way. A fabric born in France, popularised in the USA and perfected in Japan, it can be worn by everyone and becomes more individual to the owner with every wear and wash. Go and see this film!

What do James Dean, Albert Einstein and a WW1 German Fighter Pilot have in common?

The beginnings of a bad joke? Or just three names from an infinitely long list of iconic leather jacket wearers. Is there a club quite so eclectic as that of the Leather Jacket?

It seems futile to dissect the casual allure of the Leather Jacket; perhaps some questions are best left unanswered, but that won’t stop us taking a brief look at how the cultural icon came to be. 

It’s hard not to be struck by the overwhelming influence military uniforms have had on modern style. Whilst, of course, man has been donning the tanned hides of animals since time immemorial, the leather coat is first attributed to the fighter pilots of WW1. The hard wearing benefits of the fabric are obvious and early incarnations feature button and belt closures and a longer fit. At much the same time, British and American fighter pilots were sporting their own versions, the shorter and instantly recognisable A1 Bomber, shortly followed by it’s zip-up counter-part the A-2.

1928 was the turning point for the jacket in civilian use, solidifying the garments’ place in history. Enter Irving Schott, a raincoat maker. Designing for Harley Davidson, Schott produced the first leather motorcycle jacket with a zipper. He named it the ‘Perfecto’, after his favourite cigar brand. This important new silver feature, with its asymmetric positioning, also allowed motorcyclists to lean over their bikes without cutting into the body. The original jacket featured a cropped, snug fit, with a D-pocket and lapels designed to snap down or fold over each other and zip all the way up. Perhaps there is no finer meeting of function and fashion. The jacket was an instant hit.

Come WW2 the jacket was a staple for both military and civilian purposes. Manufacturers experimented with various hides and linings both for aesthetic and functional purposes. It is here we start to see some of the most iconic military styles evolve - think Maverick’s G-1 jacket in Top Gun. But war had had it’s fun and in it’s wake an anti-war creative freedom ruled. The first on screen ‘Perfecto’ sighting came from Marlon Brando in The Wild One. James Dean quickly followed suit in Rebel Without A Cause and by the time Steve McQueen was involved, the trinity was complete and the world was powerless to resist.

From the 60’s onwards, Rock N Roll took the casual, rebellious spirit of the leather jacket by the horns. The Beatles, Duran Duran, The Ramones, Blondie - it’s difficult to imagine many of history’s sub-culture tribes without a leather jacket slung casually over their shoulders. 

“When you look at the jacket, you can register emotions about the person wearing it. Whether you are trying it on yourself or looking at somebody trying it on, you look like a badass. It’s something that has been reinforced over generations. It’s so identifiably tough a jacket.” - Jason Schott

As is so unfortunately often the way, the true craftsmanship of the leather jacket is all but lost, but store favourites Aero Leather are still flying the flag with arguably the most impressive collection of vintage originals out there. We offer a full made to measure service at the store. You’ll have access to Aero’s full collection of silhouettes, leathers, zippers and linings. Having stocked them for close to 4 years we have plenty of experience to guide you on your way whether you’re feeling classic, rebellious… or just cold! Aero Leathers’ production process means your jacket will be created, from start to finish, by one machinist. The end results are astonishing - a true testament to the skills and passions of the company. Turn around time ranges from 4 - 8 weeks so with Winter just around the corner, now would be a sensible time to get your order in!

Swing past for a coffee and come talk leather with us!

"To our customers: if a man is going North, he should come to us for his outfit, because we have obtained our ideas of what is best to wear in that country from the experience of the man from the North -- not merely one -- but hundreds of them. Our materials are the very best obtainable, for we know that the best is none too good and that quality is of vital importance. You can depend absolutely upon our goods both as to material and workmanship."

These were the words of C. C. Filson in his 1914 catalogue and they pretty much sum up the brand as it still remains today. 

In 1897, Filson opened C.C. Filson's Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers, specialising in goods to outfit the stampeders to the Klondike Gold Rush. His timing couldn't have been better as thousands of men headed North to search for their share of the riches buried in the frigid landscape. Staying close to his customers and catering for their specialist needs, he provided clothing and equipment at a time when it was not just a matter of choice, but of survival.

This reputation for quality, fit for purpose products continued long after the gold rush ended, as Filson began focussing on other outdoorsmen such as hunters and loggers, to bring them rugged products that would stand up to the environments in which they were used. Items such as the Cruiser Shirt and Tin Cloth Jacket were patented in 1914 and are still produced today, having also influenced the style in many of Filson's best selling garments.

For us, as you can imagine, this commitment to quality resonates rather well. Not only using the best materials, but also providing a guarantee for every piece of merchandise, shows great pride and honesty in the products produced. The fact that they have remained in Seattle for the last 120 years and still make 90% of their products there shows that they've stubbornly stuck to their guns and stayed true to the founders words. Speaking of which, here's a few more from 1914:

"The goods we quote must not be confounded with the cheap and vastly inferior grade with which the market is over-run. Such goods are not only useless for the purpose for which they are intended, but the person wearing them would be better off without them."

Clearly he saw the onset of mass production and cost cutting in manufacture quite early in the piece!

In our opinion, you can't go past a Filson bag for a good example of their ruggedness and good quality. Most are produced in 22oz heavy drill cotton, with strong bridle leather straps and handles; the construction is solid and the hardware is strong and functional. Simply put, they get better with age and last a long time. Actually, the famous slogan used for these pieces of hard wearing luggage is this: "Two or three years to break in, three or four decades to wear out". Having owned one myself for almost 9 years, I can wholeheartedly attest to the accuracy of this statement.

Our range of Filson bags is now available online for the first time and there'll be a garment delivery heading our way in time for the cooler weather - take a look - you won't be disappointed....