Flipping Fantastic

Here at the Ataraxian we love good service, in fact were doolally about it! We value care, detail, quality, and nice refreshing gin based drink in the afternoon. So we were very pleased when Threadflip, a month-old San Francisco-based company, landed in our lap this afternoon. It contains all of the above (expect for the gin unfortunately). 

The joy of buying that battered classic orange covered Penguin edition of Brighton Rock or that 60 year old Harris Tweed blazer is the story. You can only begin to imagine the adventures its had, you get the clues; like the 'To Harold, from your dearest Maggie' scribbled in beautiful penmanship on the inside cover, or the old cinema ticket in the top pocket of the blazer to see Pretty Woman in 1990. The rest you fill in with your imagination and then step out and start it's next chapter. 

The impersonal nature of shopping online, coupled with the standardized format and general coldness and blandness of sites like Ebay and Etsy takes a lot of that joy, mystery and story out of the experience. Like these sites, Threadflip lets you buy and sell secondhand fashion goods. What Threadflip does and where it differs from its established competitors, is it personalizes the experience, buyers and sellers are identified not by anonymous usernames, but by their Facebook profiles. It injects the story back into the online retail world, something that was loved but is no longer needed is passed on, it stops being a mere transaction. The format of the site encourages you to browse and explore, as if you were in a vintage clothes store on Portobello Road, rather than searching like you would on Ebay, further resurrecting lost pleasures of shopping.  

On top of this they ship you the packaging and an addressed, pre-paid mailing label so all you need to do it pack it up and send it on its way. And also offer a service called White Glove Service, where you send them your stuff and they do all the photographing, listing and posting for you. All together it amounts to a fantastic service and we at The Ataraxian salute you Threadflip. Threadflip are currently only in the US, so we have have a couple of requests, get over to Blighty sharpish & we would be ecstatic if you did Menswear as well.  

How One Covets a Thing

Apologies to all for the brief hiatus in our usual broadcasting. Tea stocks at the Club house were running dangerously low so our editor-in-chief, brave man that he is, skipped off to China in search of new supplies. I am reliably informed he has just been seen putting back into port at Dover, laden with crates of Oriental provender and accompanied by enough pack-donkeys to cart it all back to Ataraxia HQ in time for elevenses.

We'd better get on with some work before he gets here.

Today I would like to show you an example of shoe design done right, courtesy of those gentleman cobblers over at Lodgers. 'The Hamilton Military' is an exquisite take on the classic Oxford which goes to prove that you can have colour in shoes without compromising one bit on their style or elegance.

Couple with a well-tailored grey 3-piece suit for a razor-sharp image that may well result in immediate job offers from Whitehall. Also ideal paired with a complimentary lightweight tweed when around town. Onlookers will see the care and craft evident in every detail, from the hand-burnished toe to the wine-red sole.

Unfortunately, but inevitably, they are very, very expensive. My advice? Think hard about which of your organs you need the least and sell it to raise the necessary funds. If you're hesitant about sacrifing a kidney for a pair of shoes, it may help to know that bespoke wooden shoe trees, shoe bags and a storage box are all included in the price.

A word of thanks and credit where it's due. This commendable and covetable morsel first came to my attention via Justin FitzPatrick's excellent blog 'The Shoe Snob'.

London Fashion Week Highlights: Junya Wantanabe

Not ones to ever stray from classic dress sense it is with some trepidation that I suggest to the club some new garbs beyond mottled red cords and a threadbare tweed. However I put forth for your consideration Junya Wantabe's (who has fashioned Barbour coats in the past) ideas for next winter...

Norse blazers and handlebar moustaches!

But don't worry chaps, he makes tweeds too..



Best of the Auction house - Men's Shoes

Ever crusaders of paying less for something, The Ataraxians are at hand to provide the good-to-honest dapper chappie with a monthly guide to the best quality items currently available second hand (vintage, if you really must insist) on this hyper-mega-web-spider thing.

This month we highlight the honest shoe - oft overlooked and frequently awful.
British men have access to the highest quality footwear anywhere in the world yet, as I gaze across the souless wasteland of the Tube I see square fronted, near-plastic insults to Empire adorn the feet of Britian's professional workforce.

I ask you how can a country escape national debt crisis if it can't even tie a decent pair of laces!

It is interest of the nation's salvation that I have provided you with a few fruits of the worlds most respected shoemakers currently available for some very, very reasonable prices.

The Dream: Currently availible on Ebay for £139

Hand made British shoes:
Loake Tassel-Loafer sz 8.5
Loake Brown Leather lace up sz 10
Loake Black formal Lace-Up sz 8
Cheaney 'Deacon' leather Brogues sz 10F
Barker Brown Brogues sz 8F
Alfred Sargent Men's Tan Brogues  Sz 9
Alfred Sargent Suede Slip-on's Sz 8

Continental shoes:
Bally Brown Tassel-Loafer sz 10
Bally Dark Blue Loafer sz 10
Bally Dark Brown Buckle Brogue sz 8
Tods Dark Brown Oxford brogue sz 8
Prada Brown Loafer sz 8.5

Other:
Reiss Brown Loafer (Not hand made) Sz 8
Savile Row Co. Brown Leather shoes Sz 8
Savile Row Co. Brown Stirrup Shoes Sz 9
Urban Outfitters Grey Suede Desert Boot sz 9

End of public information broadcast.

New Year, New Suit.

As part of our ongoing quest for the advancement of society, The Ataraxian is ever on the lookout for new ways to smarten up the general populace. However with limited club funds, we understand that a stand-alone suit is often a hard to justify extravagance. 
It is with such considerations in mind that in the coming weeks we will bring you suggestions for well made, affordable solutions to your Sartorial problems.


I) Reiss Window-Check Flannel Suit £195