Epaulet New York

Hey everyone,

We’re back with another sample preview. For the past few months, we’ve been working on the perfect chino. We needed a razor sharp fit, some interesting details, and unbelivable fabric. After a lot of late nights, strong-ass coffee, and karaoke-fueled trips to LA, the dream is almost reality.

May I introduce you to the final approval sample of our upcoming EP’s Rivet Chino. The fit is slim-leg, and medium-low rise. Pretty close to our EP’s Smith Jean and our Epaulet Walt trouser (but with a lower rise). It shares the same gunmetal button fly and hickory striped pockets as our selvedge denim. The interior seams are fully taped, and herringbone natural canvas taping runs down each leg. The body has traditional slash pockets, rear besom pockets, and the signature “wallet” EP’s coin pocket - which will totally swallow a few credit cards and cash.

And the fabric. Oh my god! It’s a sueded British twill with an unbelievable hand. I’ll wager to say that these will be among the best-feeling chinos that you’ve ever put on. ETA is about 4-5 weeks, and they’ll come in both Navy and British Khaki (a bit darker than the usual khaki shade). The price should be around our Selvedge Denim price ($145), but possibly a bit less. We’re working on a special edition for late May too. We’ll surely holler at you once they arrive!

Gitman Vintage Creme Tattersall Buttondown Collar Shirt: $165

Made in Ashland, Pennsylvania, Gitman Vintage shirts are an authentic re-interpretation of classic Americana shirt designs from the Gitman Brothers archives. While browsing their swatch books, this handsome multi-color Tattersall jumped right out at us. We commissioned a small run, and it was produced as an Epaulet Spring ‘10 exclusive. The creme ground is overlaid with navy, loden, camel, and burgundy checks. It looks great with denim, very nice with colorful Spring cords, and unbelievable with a navy blazer. The cotton is pre-washed and almost ridiculously soft.

Our LA workshop was good enough to send us this gem with UPS Overnight Air Saver. This will be our first shirting piece for EP’s. Intended to match our denim, these will be done in more casual and rugged fabrics. Of course, despite their sturdiness, the fabrics will be extremely comfortable, age beautifully, and absolutely blow your head off with quality. When it comes to fabric and production sourcing, we be hustlin’. We be on it all day and all night!

The overall fit is similar to our Epaulet New York shirts, but there are no rear darts. We employed a few other tricks to keep the back nice and slim. The fabric is a gorgeous Japanese red chambray. It has double chest utility pockets, pearlized buttons, and hickory stripe details at the collar and cuffs. They’ll be a dark indigo delivered at the same time. Here’s some preview pics below. We should have them in about 4-5 weeks.

May we present five awesome shirts from Gitman Vintage. Just in time for Spring.

A few of our customers were good enough to submit photos of shoes that they picked up from us. Thanks guys! We’ve got two mint-condition Whiskey Shell Cordovan Longwings, followed by some well-worn horsehide boots.

Nan’s Whiskey Longwings (Paired with a Wool Gabardine Walt Trouser)

Reg’s Whiskey Longwings (first trip outside)

Alex’s Epaulet x Thorogood Horsehide workboots.

These have been worn for six months, and have an unbelievable patina. Be sure to click on the images and view them full size.

Alden for Epaulet Whiskey Shell Cordovan Longwing: $650

No, you’re not seeing double. We do indeed have two incredible Alden longwings available. Here’s the story:

May we present a rare opportunity: Alden’s iconic Barrie-last Longwing in gorgeous Horween Whiskey Shell Cordovan! This beautiful butterscotch color is exceptionally rare, and develops a handsome patina like none other. Crafting shell cordovan into a light shade is a difficult process, as it requires a nearly “clear” piece of skin that’s free of significant blemishes and color variations. Given how scarce these clear shell’s are, only an extremely limited number of whiskey shoes can be produced each year. These shoes were crafted exclusively for Epaulet and feature a light welt and a tan midsole - which gives a nice contrasting color detail in the middle of the double leather sole. We’re thrilled to have 18 pairs available for sale.

Alden for Epaulet “West Egg” Longwing: $450

May we introduce our newest Alden special make-up. Exclusive to Epaulet, this handsome “snuff” suede longwing is named after the fictional “Gold Coast” town of Long Island where Jay Gatsby (a.k.a. the Great Gatsby) resided. Paired with a crisp white oxford and tropical wool trousers, these would certainly have been appropriate for a Springtime event at his mansion. 18 units are available.

The “flex-welt” leather sole is bathed in oil to make it exceptionally supple - but just as durable as any other solid leather sole. Forget a break-in period - these are as comfy as your favorite sneakers from the first moment you put them on. The style is a great split of dress and casual, and the medium-brown “Snuff” color is really handsome. Wear them with a navy suit, with raw jeans, with seersucker pants, with grey flannel trousers, or plenty of other pieces. These are guaranteed to get heavy rotation in your wardrobe.

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The two illustrious gentlemen behind Mark McNairy New Amsterdam footwear popped into Epaulet yesterday. They were gracious enough to pose with our Boston Terrier, Cameo. Mark kept his composure even though she farted directly into his sleeve.

Squinting at the Iphone screen has basically destroyed our formerly 20/20 vision. But that hasn’t stopped us from following these blogs:

Denim Debate (our EP’s jeans are current competitors): http://denimdebate.com/

Unabashedly Prep: http://www.unabashedlyprep.com/

We Are the Market: http://blog.wearethemarketblog.com/

Brooklyn Circus: http://thebkcircus.com/bkc/

Black and Tanned (brand new, hell bent for leather): http://blackandtannedny.wordpress.com/

We just received three new Spring shirts. All of them are crafted of 100% Japanese cotton, topped with natural Trocas buttons, and guaranteed to look seriously elegant. May we introduce you to…

Multicolor Gingham Buttondown Collar: $130

Creme Floral Point Collar: $130

Midnight Navy Pindot Point Collar: $130

Konnichiwa! Two crucial Spring styles have arrived

Mark McNairy Red Brick Sole “Dirty Bucks”: $275 

The old-school Spring shoe done in gorgeous full-grain suede and McNairy’s traditional UK bench-made construction.

Mark McNairy Crepe Sole Navy Saddle Shoes: $365
Here at Epaulet, the Navy Saddle shoe is far and away our best selling Mark McNairy style. This handsome color combo looks especially good with chinos.  As an exclusive make-up, we commissioned 18 units on a soft yet seriously tough plantation crepe sole.

Hey everyone,

Recently we did two Q&A’s on our store, our product, and our undying love for New York City. Check ‘em out:

Styleforum Q&A with proprietor Mike Kuhle of Epaulet Shop in Brooklyn.

During our trip to NYC, we had the opportunity to pick the brain of Mike Kuhle, a co-owner of Epaulet, a men’s and women’s boutique in Brooklyn, located on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, along with the beautiful Adele. The Epaulet brand, which started with Made in New York shirts made in small batches, has recently expanded to include sportscoats, wool trousers, and jeans.

Selectism Q&A: Manufacturing in New York

The focus here might be New York and the City might have garment trade advantages over other locales, however there are universal lessons that may be useful/inspiring to people across the United States.

What follows is a discussion with Adele Berne and Mike Kuhle of Epaulet, Eunis Lee, Mordechai Rubinstein, and Roy Dank.