Weekender || Berlin & Prague Part I

Well I’m off for a week!  This is my final major trip before I come home.  As you guys have seen through my travels on my blog, I hit up southern Europe early this fall pretty solidly.  I’ve even returned to Spain a few weeks ago.  Eastern Europe and Germany, I haven’t even dreamed of going during this trip.  Thank God for cheap airline flights.  I’ll be going to Berlin tomorrow morning with all those in tow.  Then I’ll be in Prague on Friday.  No computer, just iPhone and some notes to study, and 3-4 days of clothing for a 7 day trip.  Fit it all into a little backpack, and I’m good to go.  That’s one thing I’ve learned on this trip, pack lightly, and you’ll do fine.  See you guys in a week (surprise post sometime this week as well!).

Winter Conduit III || The Peacoat

The Peacoat is a true no-frills coat.  I love to mix in a bit of history in my posts, but really do I need to say much about the peacoat?  Just about every image of a Navy sailor in the cold weather comes hand in hand with a nice pea coat.  The lapels are usually wide, so when the wind begins to pick up, a simple flip of the lapels solves your problems.  The name comes from the Dutch word for that described the type of cloth used to produce them in the 1800’s where they first appeared on sailors in Europe.  Of course, the U.S. adopted them in the 20th Century, becoming the standard issue for our sailors.

Winter Conduit Part II || The Boot

Part II of this series focuses on your precious feet.  I will have to argue that in all of the Winter Conduit features, there is nothing more important and “investment” qualified than a purchase of quality boots.  If you live in an area that dips bellow 40 degrees Fahrenheit and rains at least a good third of the winter months (not looking at you So-Cal), boots are an essential.  You really can’t get away with it, sneakers just won’t do the trick.  In Scotland, I’ve been rocking my Red Wing 877 (#2 on the list) this entire semester, and I can tell you, I’m very grateful that Red Wing decided to not skimp on quality and build a classic, since I’ve encountered many occasions where they’ve saved me from a miserable day.  Lo and behold, they’re on the list 4 times.

The problem is though, that too many of us are turned off by the idea of boots because it often makes you look like a douche.  Not just a douche, but a wannabe-Timberland-”hip hop”-mama’s house-Ed Hardy douche.

Winter Conduit Part I || Shawl Sweater

In Scotland, the daytime high today was 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  In Los Angeles, the daytime high today was 64.  Not quite the same, granted, but winter is here my friends.  Therefore, I’m doing this new feature with the blog.  I realize most of my readers aren’t the usual blog readers and actually could use a bit of advice and some “buyer’s guides” this coming holiday season.  Therefore, I’ll kick it off with one of the absolute essentials: the shawl collar sweater.

Fascination || Yuketen Bags