Beams x REI Co-op Expedition Parka

My husband and I were debating what to call my personal style over the weekend and, unfortunately, neither of us had anything positive to say. The best we could come up with was “Chandler from Friends with a maxed-out credit card.”

Part of the reason is that I’m not adventurous. Even my “nice” clothes look like something from the Gap that my mom bought me before my sophomore year. I have, in short, no courage to branch out of the ’90s, I guess you could say.

But maybe that’s not a total loss. I just need to take my sartorial time machine back to 1986. That’s when REI first released its Expedition Parka, and BEAMS has brought the style back for a new collaboration, limited to 500 pieces. The new version keeps the oversized shape and bright color blocking of the original, while updating the construction with a two-layer Windstopper by GORE-TEX Labs shell and 650-fill down. The BEAMS x REI Co-op Expedition Parka is available now for $599.

 

KOUE’s Royal Smith 90-006 Large, New York Limited Edition

Who’s getting excited about Windup next week? And who’s even more excited now knowing that KUOE Kyoto is bringing a 50-piece limited edition to New York?

The Royal Smith 90-006 Large, New York Limited Edition pairs the waffle dial from the 90-006 with the Dauphine-style hands from the discontinued 90-005, along with a cream dial, silver case and brown leather strap made in Italy. The case comes in at 39mm, while inside is the Miyota 9039 automatic movement with approximately 42 hours of power reserve.

The watch will be available exclusively at Windup New York from October 16 through 18. I won’t be able to attend this year, but if anyone wants to wait in line and grab one for me, my birthday was last week…

EVERGOODS CIVIC Flat Pouch

Look, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I don’t regularly scour Japanese eBay for a designer bag to store all my work stuff, but I’m also starting to think that a proper EDC-forward option is actually what I need without getting distracted by the big brand names. Enter the CIVIC Flat Pouch from EVERGOODS.

Made from 210D nylon, the pouch has two zippered compartments separated by a floating divider and a flat profile that keeps it from taking up much room until I fill it with two pairs of headphones, ten fountain pens, a pack of regular gum, a pack of that gum that promises to define my jawline, and some loose euros that make me feel important and fancy. It measures 8 inches long, weighs just 1.55 ounces and comes in black, OD green and hot orange.

The CIVIC Flat Pouch is available now for $25 (which, for anyone wondering, is a tenth of a Prada pouch).

 

Pas Normal Studios x PORTER Cycling Bags

If you’re a cyclist, more power to you. Me on the other hand? Well, I’ll put it this way: one of my bucket-list items is to use a Citi Bike in NYC without crying. But until then, I’ll watch my own e-bike collect dust in the garage every time I go out there to grab another tub of Tillamook from the deep freezer.

But if I did have the cojones to ride my bike beyond the backcountry roads near my house, I’d absolutely want to deck it out with a few stylish accessories like the new collaboration from Pas Normal Studios and PORTER.

The two brands have come together on a six-piece collection that brings PORTER’s Japanese bagmaking to Pas Normal Studios’ cycling gear. Three of the bags attach directly to the bike, with a frame bag, handlebar bag and saddle bag covering different storage points. There’s also a backpack and tote for carrying more off the bike, plus a compact coin case. Each piece comes with its own co-branded drawstring pouch.

The Pas Normal Studios x PORTER collection is available now through the Yoshida & Co. online store and PORTER locations across Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand.

 

Topo Designs x Toyota Trailhunter Collection

Please indulge me for a moment while I tell you that I was once a valet at a luxury hotel when I was 19. The first thing you must know is that I am very dumb, and the second thing you must know is that I don’t like driving cars nearly as much as I like riding bikes. In any case, a guest once asked me to get his car, “the white Toyota.” Well, this was 2010, and I had to run over to the golf course to get enough service to Google what Toyota’s logo looked like on my BlackBerry Curve.

I’ve luckily learned a thing or two about cars since then, mostly how to use CarPlay and turn on the heated seats in my husband’s car. But in those past 16 years, I have learned to identify a Toyota. In fact, I could spot it right away on the new Topo Designs x Toyota Trailhunter Collection.

The 14-piece collection includes some of Topo’s better-known bags, with the Rover Trail Pack and Mountain Gear Bag joined by a 10L Pack Bag, Utility Roll, Medium Accessory Bag and Taco Bag. There’s also a Utility Jacket with matching Utility Pants, long- and short-sleeve graphic tees, a Corduroy Trucker Hat, Crux Key Clip and two bandanas in red and yellow. Toyota and Trailhunter logos and graphics appear throughout the collection alongside Topo Designs’ unmistakable branding.

The collection is available now via Topo Designs’ website.