Photographs by Bryan Derballa

Explore our collection of Vans for J.Crew styles here.

You recently opened a new retail and common space in LA’s Arts District.
Tell us about that.
“Creating a venue that brings people together—through gallery exhibits, dinners, film
releases, new Apolis collection debuts and keynote speakers—has become a really
important part of our brand. We see retail being much more similar to the hospitality
industry and want to serve as a community center.”

Tell us a bit about the collaboration on the chambray board shorts
that just hit our stores.
“After a couple of years of building a friendship with Frank Muytjens [J.Crew head of
men’s design] and Jamie Sabuda [J.Crew head of men’s branded partnerships], we
introduced them to a local manufacturing partner who has been the only domestic
factory making board shorts for California lifeguards over the past 30 years.”

Why chambray?
“We’re obsessed with the way indigo chambray ages and improves over time. This
5½-ounce Spanish chambray is super durable thanks to three-needle stitching.
This exact silhouette was previously created for California watermen in the 1960s.”

We’ve got 24 hours in Southern California. What to do…?
— 7:00 AM —
“Wake up in Venice, California. Stay at the Venice Beach House. Deus motorcycle
shop will be open; swing by and grab an espresso, courtesy of our friends at Handsome
Coffee Roasters. (We dare you to ask their barista for sugar).

— 8:30 AM —
“Then head north to Malibu for some surfing. Depending on the direction of swell
and tide, there are a lot of options, from point breaks to beach breaks. If there are no waves,
Musch Trail in Topanga State Park is great for a quick hike.

— 11:00 AM —
“Head back south to Santa Monica to FarmShop in the Brentwood Country Mart for their
weekend brunch (they serve it till 2pm). We’re partial to the homemade pastrami and
eggs. Then grab a magazine at Unionmade, and you won’t be let down by ice cream
from Sweet Rose Creamery.

— 2:00 PM —
“Afterward, head east to midtown Los Angeles. Depending on what’s currently on
exhibit, you’ve got to visit one of LA’s world-renowned destinations for art
and architecture, either the Los Angeles County Museum of Art or the Getty.

— 4:00 PM —
“Then, continue farther east toward the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, where
Apolis: Common Gallery is located. Make a quick stop at 3000 East Olympic Boulevard
to our favorite shrimp taco truck, Mariscos 4 Vientos, for a quick snack. (One to two
shrimp tacos will hold you over until dinner.)

— 5:00 PM —
“Nearby grab a card for your loved one from our neighbors at Poketo and be sure
to enjoy some Belgian fries, rattlesnake-and-rabbit sausage and craft beer from our
neighbor restaurant, Wurstküche.

— 7:00 PM —
If you’re up for dessert, head across the street to Pie Hole and, please, get a slice of
their homemade chocolate crostata with a scoop of their vanilla bean ice cream.
If you’re too full for dessert and just need some caffeine to get you back to Venice,
just two blocks away is the flagship espresso bar and roasting location of
Handsome Coffee.”

Photography by Bryan Derballa

Get ready for the beach and shop our Apolis swim trunks here.

Michael Hainey, the oft suited, always stylish deputy editor of GQ magazine, makes it his
business to seek out the best pieces of journalism available. But Hainey is a superb storyteller
in his own right, and his recently released memoir, After Visiting Friends, is overriding
evidence of this. Hainey grew up in Chicago, where the foundation of his family changed
forever with the mysterious death of his father, one of the Second City’s most respected newspapermen, in 1970, when Hainey was just six.

His decision decades later to pursue what transpired that night—a truth buried under years of
loyalties, denial and dead ends—makes for one heck of a story. Rock-solid reporting mixed
with heartfelt vignettes, lovely imagery (Hainey is a published poet) and a certain fairness,
grit and honesty toward anything and everyone involved make After Visiting Friends one
of the best books we’ve read in recent memory. In fact, we’d like to say we spent a lot of
time with it, but we finished its nearly 300 pages in less than a day.

Buy your own copy of the book here.

BAND OF BROTHERS
The family-run Steele Canvas Basket Corporation was founded in the Cambridge
neighborhood of Boston. In 1960, Jack Lordan took over, and his family has been
running it ever since (with the help of Kitty, the dog). Today, tag team Paul and
John Lordan, with the help of a dedicated staff of craftsmen (including parents
Jack and Sib), make products such as canvas totes, hampers and bins known for
their durability.

BADGE OF HONOR
Having been around canvas all their lives, the brothers are quick to share stories
about their family’s personal connection with the bags. “People will stop us at the
beach to ask where we got our mountains of canvas bags. We tell them we made
them,” says Paul. He recalls watching movies as a child with laundry room jail-
breaks in which they could all identify their own family’s stamp on the bags.
“That was pretty fun.”

STITCH IN TIME
Some of the oldest Steele Canvas catalogs date back to 1937, and older styles,
like the sling chairs above, have been reproduced in recent years. When it comes
to their bags, what makes them so durable is their signature thick duck canvas
and double-needle stitching. They’re also all handmade on the premises. “You
can probably find cheaper bags elsewhere, but they won’t be as well made, and
the money spent goes toward American labor,” says Paul.

THE LONG HAUL
“We are used to handling industrial orders,” says Paul. “We don’t do any
advertising—all we do is make things and hope people will find us.” For the
partnership with J.Crew, they worked with the men’s design team to develop two
coal bag styles based on a classic model from their line. The results, as they put it,
maintain the Steele history and quality but incorporate the J.Crew eye for style
and an emphasis on everyday use.

CARRY ON
“The strongest canvas you can get is natural, but when we use colored
dyes we also also incorporate a vinyl-coated nylon material called Steeletex, which
makes the bags water- and tear-resistant,” explains
Paul. For the J.Crew collaboration, Paul and John (pictured above with their
foreman, Raul) discovered an ancient snap machine and worked with a local tannery
for the leather bindings and bottoms. “The bags are still pretty much what we used to
make in the ’60s but with better materials,” he says. As for their lifespan? “My mom
still uses the same laundry basket from 30 years ago. It’s nice
making a product that won’t disappoint.”

Explore our Steele Canvas Basket Co. for J.Crew styles here.

Here, five of her favorite star-studded moments of the night…

1. “Having Amy Poehler introduce herself to me—and
say she knew who I was—and that she was a J.Crew fan. I almost died.”

2. “The gracious Anne Hathaway casually carrying her Oscar around. (I touched it!!)”

3. “Being in the same room as people I’ve watched and loved for years.”

4. “The In-and-Out burgers served at the after-party. I love a high-low mix.”

5. “Dancing until 4:30 am at Madonna’s house. Yes, Madonna. She is still just as hot as
she was when I was 16. You do the math. On second thought…don’t.”

P.S. We love the idea one of our Instagram fans had to turn Jenna’s Oscar
party design into a wedding dress. (Look for it in spring 2014.)

Photography Bryan Derballa.

Give your tried-and-true denim shirt a quick and easy refresh by simply using a
seam ripper to remove the chest pockets. We used our western denim shirt (shown
above), but this works just as well with an old favorite picked up from a thrift store.

Even though we pulled this D.I.Y. from our archives (it first appeared in our 
Style Guide last August), it still feels totally fresh. (Not to mention we love the 
idea of layering your denim shirts in winter.) Get the step-by-step details on 
how to make it yourself here.

For more styling and D.I.Y denim tricks of the trade, explore our story.

Explore more of our coverage of our New York Fashion Week presentation here.

Explore our entire selection of Collection pieces here.

To shop our entire weddings & parties collection, click here.
Find out more about the Viceroy Sugar Beach hotel. 

Explore more of our coverage of our New York Fashion Week presentation here.