Clothing Made In USA Blog has a nice mention of the Agave polo shirts that we recently received for spring, calling Agave "one of their favorite made in USA clothing brands." Agave's new polos are limited edition knits made from supima-cotton (softer, less pilling) and garment dyed (richer, long-lasting color). We've been carrying Agave's jeans and knits for over 5 years now, and every season they continue to impress. Their knits are incredibly soft, usually due to the use of Supima cotton. Their polo shirts are usually a little softer (in fabric and in make) than your classic pique polo, which makes them a great choice for...of course...denim. Did we mention they're made in the USA?

How come no one told me till today? I guess someone did. Of course, once you start digging into it, there doesn't seem to be any "official" Straw Hat Day. Some say it's May 15th; others say the 2nd Saturday in May; yet others argue it was closer to Easter wherever that falls each year. Nevertheless, we'll be doing something to celebrate this glorious day next year and every year after that in perpetuity. And by that time, we'll be included in that list as a great place to buy straw. We have a few in our windows already from Paul's Hat Works, with much more on the way...  

Alfred Sargent has been making shoes in England since the end of the 19th Century, but are only now earning a devoted following on this side of the pond. Their quickly growing reputation is, however, very well deserved. These are gorgeous shoes, with a refined, classic style and superb construction. Although expensive, they are a great investment — properly cared for, shoes made this well can last over a decade. If you think in terms of cost per wear, they can actually be cheaper than your typical department store selections. Now, there's even more reason for excitement: Alfred Sargent has released new styles and colors. There are three boots and a new brogue oxford. On top of that, the Armfield cap toe, Moore adelaide, and Ramsey double monk now all come in a second color. In addition, we're proud to be the West Coast representation for Alfred Sargent's Handgrade line of of made to order shoes. Choose your style, last, leather, sole, and details, and get a stunning pair of English shoes made to your exact specifications. For more information, please email custom [at] onthefly [dot] com.

For those of you that remember the post on the Artisanal Pencil Sharpener, the pencil I bought finally arrived today. As you'll see from the "Certificate of Sharpening," it was sharpened to an 8/10, whatever that means (I didn't ask for any level of sharpness, but if I was asked, an 8 sounds like what I would have asked for). In addition to the Certificate of Sharpening, I also received a bag of the shavings. It appears it was sharpened with whatever tool's acronym is "SBL"; had I known better, I would have specified the El Casco Pencil Sharpener which I assume is the one shortened to "ElC." Then again, we have one in the store so I guess it'll be an excuse for me to hone my craft. Fortunately, we have a big project underway worthy of a pencil sharpened by an artisan...