March 2012 Monthly Archives

Cricket,The Bearded Man explores Cricket: It all started with this email from our friend John Midgley: I’m thinking of getting a bunch of people together to play cricket for fun on a Sunday.Either with kids or without… Whatever the consensus is. Please reach out to other cricket friends and lets see if we can get a good turn out? Several of us chimed in interest to play with very little clue of the rules of the sport or how it’s played. In response the very kind chaps who are familiar with the sported attempted to explain it. Paul Kamzelas takes a stab at it.

CRICKET is the only sport that incorporates meal breaks. It is the only sport that shares its name with an insect. It is the only sport in which spectators burn as many calories as players — more if they are moderately restless. It is the only competitive activity of any type, other than perhaps baking, in which you can dress in white from head to toe and be as clean at the end of the day as you were at the beginning.

So, imagine a form of baseball in which the pitcher, after each delivery, collects the ball from the catcher and walks slowly with it out to center field; and that there, after a minute’s pause to collect himself, he turns and runs full tilt toward the pitcher’s mound before hurling the ball at the ankles of a man who stands before him wearing a riding hat, heavy gloves of the sort used to handle radioactive isotopes, and a mattress strapped to each leg. Imagine moreover that if this batsman fails to hit the ball in a way that heartens him sufficiently to try to waddle forty feet with mattresses strapped to his legs, he is under no formal compunction to run; he may stand there all day, and as a rule, does. If by some miracle he is coaxed into making a mis-stroke that leads to his being put out, all the fielders throw up their arms in triumph and have a hug. Then tea is called and everyone retires happily to a distant pavilion to fortify for the next siege. Now imagine all this going on for so long (A ‘Test Match’ can go for a week) that by the time the match concludes autumn has crept in and all your library books are overdue. words by Paul Kamzelas

Note: If you are familiar with the sport, we’d love to hear your take on it in our comments section. We are Americans and have played baseball all of our lives, but are fascinated with the similarities in both sports.

Knuckle Head Mc Jacket Feat Hugo McCloud: Hugo McCloud is a multi-dimensional artist who utilizes an alchemical approach to transmute un-traditional materials into beautifully crafted pieces of art. His work questions the boundaries of aesthetic beauty, by coaxing out unique imagery from materials that would otherwise be deemed ugly, unusable or discarded. The artist incorporates a chemical oxidation process that corrodes, contaminates and transforms, enabling his work to amass a visually arresting oeuvre of paintings and objects.

We met Hugo a few years back on Fillmore in front of our San Francisco store. He did some shopping for an event he was hosting at his Gallery in Sausalito,right outside of the city. The space was amazing, the furniture was great, the art was very interesting and the garden was an oasis. The best part of it all was that everything was designed and built by Hugo himself, wow! EVERYTHING!. We were immediately sucked into the world that he had created from found objects. He carefully balanced his love of old things, creating new things and bridging the gap between an indoor & outdoor space. Years later Hugo moved to NYc to pursuit his love of creating experienced filled space for clients big and small. We’ve always said that Hugo represents who we are in his quest to create new beauty from old beauty. We are excited to be a part of his growth and the talent that he is.

A self- taught artist, McCloud sources many of his tools and materials from ordinary items used in construction. Such materials include copper sheets, wire clothes, tar-paper, as well as other discarded construction based materials, which are traditionally overlooked as usable materials. McCloud’s design and construction background, combined with his urban architectural influences of squatter camps, shanties, barrios and natural decay, has helped to create his own distinct and unique artistic vocabulary.

McCloud directs his focus to the scraps, the decomposing, the un-developed. McCloud believes by making use of recovered resources, which are usually out of their prime or in unusable shape, he allows these materials to spark a dynamic dialogue between the viewers and objects.

Colin The Circus Trainer speaks about Nisus Hotel.

The recent shoot features you sporting Nisus Hotel. Where was the shoot and why did you select the pieces you did?
The latest Nisus Hotel shoot was done at a football field in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The field was empty and had bleachers in a nice area with shade from the trees. And that setting invoked the feeling of hanging out in the bleachers after the game is over and everyone goes home. That led me to choose pieces that embodied that feeling of casual prep. As you can see from the photos I chose the Nisus Hotel cotton “PREP” T-shirt and paired it with the BKc Khaki Chinos that I’ve broken in myself, and clean pair of PF Flyers Center Hi Sneakers.

What are your thoughts on how Nisus Hotel has grown as a brand?
Nisus Hotel is like a good artist, they get better with every new project they release. I’ve seen the brand grow from a simple T-shirt collaboration with The BKc, to now having a full collection, with classic silhouettes, vintage sportswear references, and just a lot of great vintage silhouette references in general. And most importantly they are very keen on the little details that sets them apart from the rest of the pack.

Your look is very Cooley High, Happy Days, American casual Prep, correct me if I am wrong. This is an obvious question, but where does PF FLYERS which you wear allot fit into the equation?
Like you said it’s obvious, PF Flyers just perfectly compliments the look. And they are so comfortable it’s pretty much all I wear in the Spring/Summer.

As a BKc veteran you exude this level of comfort and confidence in your style with everything you wear. Any style advice for our YOUNG and OLD readers? YOUNG and OLD was separated purposely.
For the our YOUNG readers I would suggest studying the time tested rules of style and dressing. Its been said countless times, but that’s because it’s true, and most recently I saw it reiterated by Sam Lambert in his recent Style Profile on The Sartorialist. He said “you have to learn the rules so you can learn how to break them.” And for our OLD readers, I can probably receive more keen advice from them, but I would say don’t be afraid to infuse a youthful spirit into your style.

T-shirt By Nisus Hotel || Jeans By Striver’s Row || Boots By Wolverine Thousand Miles || Belt By BKc || Hat By BKc || Jacket Vintage

Any favorite pieces from the current Spring collection?
Nisus Hotel is one of those brands where you see the collection and it’s done so well you want every piece. But I did fall in love with the “Coast to Coast” M-41 Field Jacket. I didn’t wear it in this shoot, but the minute I tried it on I knew I had to have it.

Last Thoughts? Nisus Hotel is currently available in our shops, so stop in. We are also working on launching Nisus Hotel in our online shop, stay tuned for that.

Striver’s Row Long Sleeve Camouflage woven shirt. Spring 2012 Collection available at The Brooklyn Circus NYc 150 Nevins Brooklyn NYc 11217 Tel:718.858.0919 || The Brooklyn Circus SF 1521 Fillmore st. San Francisco, Ca 94115 Tel:415.359.1999. Phone orders are also being accepted.Stay Tuned for more.
“Striver’s Row is a leader in camouflage as a style statement” The Bearded Man.