To help DODOcase™ create custom book-alike covers for iPad 2 and Kindle just for us, our men’s design team took a field trip to our neighborhood book shop for ideas. After scouring the shelves, dusting off covers and engaging in lots of highbrow literary discourse, they found the perfect vintage tomes to use as inspiration and sent them across the country to DODOcase headquarters in San Francisco.

See the finished DODOcases.

As far as we’re concerned, their classic, highly coveted jeans set the standard for all others past, present and future. Here’s an up-close look at some of the things that make these jeans so special…

1. Woven on narrow Japanese selvedge looms (this means the edge of the fabric is along the outer seam of your jean, so they look better and feel better!). It takes 21⁄2 hours to weave the fabric for one pair of jeans.
2. Hand-dated “born on date” inside each pair and lined pockets, so you won’t pull out a ball of fuzz instead of your change.
3. Hand-stitched leather patch.
4. The first company to use Riri zippers on jeans (usually they are on designer handbags and leather goods), guaranteed for life!
5. Custom fabric, designed by and made for Jean Shop…down to the yarn.
6. The narrow chain stitch on the hem creates the perfect amount of tension, so the hemline wears in perfectly.

(post by Tracy Rosenbaum)

Co-owner (and denim industry vet) Eric Goldstein oversees Jean Shop’s small but obsessed-over selection of super-customizable hand-sewn jeans and shirts made of high-quality Japanese selvedge. A visit to the West 14th Street location reveals a store that’s equal parts rock ’n’ roll and gritty Americana.

1.The Jean Shop mascot is clearly the pig. In a nod to the neighborhood’s fleshy past, vintage oinkers of all kinds—in ceramic, brass and iron—dot the shelves.
2. The door to the top-secret wash room—site of raw denim transformation, where the raw denim is washed, sandpapered and whiskered to each customer’s specs—is kept firmly shut.
3. Goldstein points to Charles C. Ebbets’s iconic 1932 Lunch Atop a Skyscraper as a major source of inspiration, and even the figurines from a metal model based on the photo have been given the Jean Shop customization treatment: Witness the signature orange selvedge trim.

A few quick questions for Eric:
Q: Who is your dream customer?
A: My dream Jean Shop customer is Bruce Springsteen, and I’m happy to say that that dream has become a reality.
Q: What’s the most outrageous customization request you’ve ever gotten?
A: We were asked to bedazzle a pair of jeans with the words “Eric Clapton” running down the leg in rhinestones.
Q: Did you do it?
A: We didn’t. While we hate saying no, we have to draw the line somewhere.

Insider tip: While the Jean Shop jeans at J.Crew already feature a custom wash you can’t find anywhere else (and that we think is pretty perfect), if you crave further custom enhancements, talk to the good people at Jean Shop at 212 366 5326.

The mother-daughter duo behind FACE Stockholm launched their eponymous cosmetics line because they couldn’t find the colors they wanted anywhere else.

Here’s a look at our inspiration journal: we drew inspiration from everything—matching colors of flowers in the duo’s upstate New York backyard, and their international travels (they hail from Sweden)—to create the most covetable shades of polish. We’ve picked our favorite shades from FACE Stockholm and gave them their very own names—so you won’t find Crush Worthy, Never Nude and Hot Pepper anywhere else.

Stay tuned for custom shades from FACE Stockholm for J.Crew, launching just in time for the holidays.

A few of Marissa Webb’s (head of women’s design) notes from the process:
“Match to flowers from Martina’s garden.”
“Love the tape for color inspiration..”
“Nothing more beautiful than nature & ♥!”
“Brights & neutrals—push brighter and more intense.”

(post by Tracy Rosenbaum)

Shop them exclusively at jcrew.com.

Only a very specialized artisan is able to hand stitch the vamp of the shoe. The tassel is also handmade, out of one long strip of leather. Above, the upper of the shoe is being placed on the last.

After the shoe is constructed, it undergoes an unconventional treatment: It is washed in a washing machine! Finally, the shoe is polished to further enhance its well-worn look.

Check out Rossetti for J.Crew in custom colors you can’t find anywhere else (available now in select stores and this Thursday on jcrew.com).

(post by Tracy Rosenbaum; photos courtesy of Fratelli Rossetti S.p.A.)

How did the initial design of the iconic Barbour jacket come about?
The original focus of the company was always waxed cotton garments. In the beginning, we had no design department, no marketing department, no advertising—none of those kinds of things. There was just an obsessive drive to make jackets as functional, as durable, as rugged and as well made as we possibly could. The first generation of Barbours established the business and the second generation brought their interest in motorcycling to the table (which is where the first International suit came from). Dame Margaret Barbour, who has been the chairman of the company since 1972, used to travel extensively. She picked up ideas as she moved around and applied them to what she saw in the English countryside. So we have many sources of iconic heritage, which appeals to our original customer: the ones who hunt and fish wearing Barbour. But now you can walk the streets of Soho and find the younger generation wearing our product in a different way—they’ll take a Bedale that was designed for the equestrian market and wear it three sizes smaller, so it’s more of a fashion piece.

What is the Barbour design philosophy today?
We never, ever ignore our heritage or our roots—it’s always at the heart of what we do. But we’re sensible enough to know that you’ve got to come up with fresh, exciting ways of interpreting and reinterpreting the business. The phrase we use is, “We look to surprise but never shock.” We don’t want to alarm our traditional, loyal customer, but we also want to court new customers to the brand. I think a very good example is our Beacon heritage range, which was designed in collaboration with the Japanese designer To Ki To—everyone looks at the garments and thinks, “They’re Barbour, but they’re entirely different from the original.” Like us, he’s obsessive about heritage and authenticity, and the collection he’s done for us is really very true to us, only with a fresh look.

Any new collaborations coming down the pike, or is it all top secret?
There are quite a few things we’re planning at the moment. First up is a collaboration with Rockport for a footwear range. We did a test collection with them last season, and they sold out before they got into stores. It’s a great fit for us because they’re known for comfort—you get these shoes on and it’s like putting on an old Bedale jacket that is perfectly broken in. All the shoes have an Adiprene sole, so they’re incredibly comfortable for walking—and like our jackets, they’re truly functional. We’re also doing a collaboration with Grenson, a traditional footwear manufacturer in the UK that still makes its shoes by hand. Lastly, there’s a collaboration that’s just about to hit stores with British designer Alice Temperley. She’s very British and very British in her design—she’s also very glamorous, and putting her signature prints inside our more classic garments has been a great partnership. It’s a departure, but not too much of one. Our collaborations in general have been quite rewarding: As soon as we sit down to talk to somebody, they say, “I love Barbour. I wear Barbour, my parents wear Barbour, my whole family wears Barbour, and I’d love to do something.” It’s pretty neat.

Check out Barbour at J.Crew for men and women.

With special thanks to Steve Buck, managing director, J. Barbour & Sons, Ltd.; Thomas Hooven, general manager, Barbour, Inc.; Tom Sobolewski, national sales manager, Barbour, Inc.; Jim Rood, sales, New York showroom, Barbour, Inc.

(Post by Dana Wagner and Jamie Sabuda; photo courtesy of Barbour)

Last month, curious Facebook fans asked us about what goes on behind the seams here at J.Crew—and we got a ton of questions about our collaborations with other brands. So here’s the lowdown from Tracy and Jamie, our curators of In Good Company for women and men, respectively.

How did the idea for partnerships come about?
Jamie: It basically started with admiration and respect—why would we attempt to recreate a work boot or a watch that we already thought was perfect? So we began to work with those tried-and-true brands instead—companies with deep roots, integrity and a passion for their goods.

How do you choose which brands to partner with?
Tracy: In different ways. Sometimes one of our designers sees an item while they’re traveling and we have to get it for our stores. Or it may be a favorite item that Marissa, the head of women’s design, has owned for years and people keep commenting on (that’s how we started working with Jean Shop®). We love finding brands with an interesting history—if it’s something or someone we are passionate about, we’re just excited to share it.
Jamie: It’s a pretty organic process—mostly guys on the design team will mention some brand they love. The majority of brands we carry were on the backs and feet of the guys in design long before they hit shelves.

What has been your favorite partnership so far?
Tracy: It’s hard to pick—we love every one of our collaborations! But right now my favorites are the Rossetti loafers that are new for fall. They are the most comfortable shoes I own—I wear them with everything! I also love the Comme des Garçons® Play tees—they are so fun and quirky.
Jamie: I honestly can’t answer this one—I love them all for different reasons.

What’s your favorite part about the job?
Jamie: Working side by side with the brands I admire and the inspiring people who devote their
lives to them.
Tracy: The chance to collaborate with so many amazing and creative people—not just everyone at the brands we partner with but our design team here too.

Shop In Good Company for men and women.

I love this case—it’s made using traditional bookbinding techniques. Rather than that super-techy neoprene, it’s made of Moroccan cloth, so it looks more like a journal than a wet suit.

Sent from my iPad
Jack