Top Hats: 1333 Minna Artists’ Collection by Goorin Brothers

We’ve always maintained that there’s a fine art to wearing a hat, so you can imagine we were intrigued by the idea of hats wearing fine art. Officially dropping this weekend, the spring 2010 1333 Minna collection from San Francisco-based Goorin Brothers pairs fine artists’ work with the hat company’s dapper head-toppers for a result that’s sure to attract style and art fans alike.

“It combines the classic authenticity of Goorin Brothers mixed with very edgy contemporary fine art,” Ben Goorin says of the latest collection, originally launched in 2005 and is known for combining urban-minded art with original fabrics, embroidery and custom printing methods.

In the works for nearly a year, the current collection bears the name of the company’s collaborative art studio in the Mission and features original work from artists such as Reyes, Steel, Yutaro Sakai, Kami, Sasu, Retna, Bert Krak, Lango, Michael Ryan and Orli Laqcuaio.

For Goorin, the project reflects the longtime San Francisco roots of his family’s company, founded in 1895.

“Our identity was born and raised in San Francisco,” he says, adding, “This is about doing something that’s authentic and extremely original.”

Want to get in on Goorin’s latest hat tricks? Head to the Haight Street shop on Saturday from 4-9 p.m. for the launch celebration. Along with music and free bevs, limited edition hand-printed posters by 1333 Minna artists and giveaways will be on offer with the purchase of a hat. Starting at 9 p.m., the party continues at 1333 Minna with a gallery installation of participating artists’ work.

Photography courtesy of Goorin Brothers

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Boys, Meet Bush + Leavenworth

Sometimes where you’ve been is as important as where you’re going. Such is the case for San Francisco menswear designers Neth Nom and Guilherme Jacinto, who chose the intersection near the apartment they shared during their years at the Academy of Art as the name for their debut collection ($30-$65) of shirts and tees.

Starting with a small line consisting of eight tees, two button-downs and a vest, Bush + Leavenworth offerings reflect the designers’ work hard, play hard sensibilities. Animators at Pixar by day, Nom and Jacinto parlay their original artwork into graphic tees featuring such motifs as San Francisco-themed words, pine cones and skaters popping tricks, while button-down shirts and a cotton vest are both office-appropriate, yet hip enough to look good during post-work ventures to the bar.

Subtle details such as a strategically-placed side pocket and a three-panel shirt back make the button-downs different from all the rest hanging in your closet, but not so different that they lose versatility.

“Even though it’s different, it’s still wearable,” Nom tells us.

Currently available online at www.bushandleavenworth.com.

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Shopping for Man Kind: Man Up

When we met with Mike Maher of Taylor Stitch earlier this week to discuss this weekend’s first Man Up pop-up menswear market, we were immediately sold on the ethos behind the event.

“I like to know where everything I buy comes from. When I purchase things, I purchase for them for the long haul,” explained Maher, who runs San Francisco custom men’s shirt company Taylor Stitch with co-founder Barrett Purdum and Michael Armenta and, with Purdum, is one of five guys behind the Durable Goods Concern, the entity responsible for conceiving of Man Up and making it happen in a mere 25 days.

As readers surely know, we’re big believers in conscious consumerism, buying local and putting the dollars we have (which often aren’t as plentiful as we’d like) into apparel and products that are not only made to last longer than a season, but also hail from companies whose principals and practices we believe in.

And then there are aesthetic concerns to consider. Who doesn’t appreciate a well-dressed man? Barring that, the benefits of cruising around looking like the male equivalent of Debbie Dumptruck are elusive at best.

Putting it plainly, Maher says, “It doesn’t pay to walk out the door looking like a slob.”

If you concur (and even if you don’t), we recommend making a dapper dash to the Man Up this weekend for dude-friendly shopping made easier through the promise of free buzz-inducing beverages, live art and vendors such as AB Fits, Union Made Goods, Xetum, Taylor Stitch, Marine Layer, Cordarounds, Room 4 Vintage, Sui Generis and many others. There’s also a contest you can enter to win a free $220 pair of raw selvage denim jeans.

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And a few pics of the Durable Goods Concern fellas (Michael Maher, Michael Armenta, Jeremy Smith, Barrett Purdum and David Mongan) horsing around in SF:

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Flake Factor: Fashion Network’s Snow Show

On Saturday, we saw spied quite a rare San Francisco sight: snow. As we watched models donning looks from local designers such as Christopher Collins, Verrieres & Sako, Joseph Domingo, Bacca Da Silva, Dcepcion and Colleen Quen saunter down the center of newly-opened Pigment Cosmetics, white flakes flurried around the party’s entryway. And even though we knew they weren’t real, we marveled all the same. How often do you get to see snow on Market Street, even if it is fake?

The fun of flakes was hardly the only special effect at the inaugural event of the San Francisco Bay Area Fashion Network, founded by designer Joseph Domingo. Almost every guest at the event wore head-to-toe white and every look sent down the center aisle by the participating designers embraced the evening’s chosen hue. There were also cute-as-can-be mini cupcakes iced in white waiting around every turn in the predominately white-washed space.

After the show, which ended with each designer taking a turn before the crowd with models in signature looks, we were happy to find many of the designers chatting with guests and generally making merry (more than a few air kisses were blown and glasses of Chardonnay raised high) as the party continued into the night.

[Photos: Clockwise from top, looks by Bacca Da Silva, Joseph Domingo and Verrieres & Sako]

And a few more images, courtesy of Pigment Cosmetics:

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In the Mood for a Feud?

Not everyone featured in Tuesday’s Fashion Feud finals will be warring on stage. While designers Alexandria Von Bromssen, Julia Meeks and Gail B. Shrive battle it out on stage, vendors will be there to catch your roving eyes with an array of locally-made apparel, accessories and art.

The creators of the goodies shown here are among the local designers coming out to play and setting up shop at the style showdown.

From top: leather jacket by Gypsies and Lords, handmade reversible bow-tie by Intwined, peacock feather earrings by PaperGirl Designs, men’s jeans by J Dash and beaded bib necklace by Left Bank.

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