reservations kindly required: secret service los angeles

The downtown boutique is open by appt. only. This outpost carries finely crafted goods and wears. They'll probably pour you a glass of bourbon and inquire about your life's trade. They may just hand you the bottle.

Secret Service. LA
1855 Industrial St.
No. 107
Los Angeles 90021
213.402.1531









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stay fresh like the dutch do: royal dutch gazelle

Royal Dutch Gazelle began handcrafting bicycles back in 1892. Known in Holland as the "Mercedes Benz of bicycles," you might know them better as the bicycles that make Amsterdam look like the beautiful city that it is. I actually practiced a form of meditation where one imagines him or herself riding one of these through Vondelpark, staring at colorful Dutch citizens on a bright, sunny day. No longer, as a recent law was passed outlawing this form of meditation from being sold in Smart Shops by self-proclaimed "gatekeepers." For shame. You can still own the bike though.








More Vondelpark!

More Gazelle!
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tom hirt: relic with a cause

All great westerns have a common denominator. Stellar headwear. Val Kilmer in Tombstone? Sick hat. Sam Elliott, Conagher? Sick hat. Actually, now that I think about it, Sam wears the exact same hat in every movie he does (see Tombstone, Conagher, Golden Compass?)

Mr. Tom Hirt, hat maker to the stars, is the man behind all those wonderfully hand-crafted brims we see on screen. However, Tom considers himself part of a dying breed with an estimated 50 hatmakers left in the U.S. that he holds as masters of the trade. Which is why, according to his site, he plans to start teaching a hat making course sometime this year to pass along this undervalued craft to generations who never knew they needed to learn it. It's also why we've posted about Tom here.

Oh, I forgot to mention. If you're looking to reach Tom, whether for a nice beaver felt Dakota or just to catch up on his hustle, Tom says, and I really quote "I don't check my email very often. And I'm probably out riding, roping, or dancing with the ladies, so if you want to reach me, why don't you just give me a call."

Bad...Ass.

Get at Tom
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lyle and scott: because just any old knit won't do

I was in the elevator yesterday with a nice middle-aged woman, riding to the mezzanine level of my building. As the door opened, I did my usual thing with a courteous "after you," making sure to let her pass first. Now normally that's where the scene ends but today, said woman took a few steps and then turned back and quipped, "A gentleman! Where have you all been hiding?" I wasn't able to formulate a quick explanation as to why my simple act seemed to be an anomaly to her. So I thought about it some more...our generation needs a serious gut check on matters of propriety. I figure we can start with something simple, like attire. Oh hello Lyle & Scott. (Cue random traditional Scottish music). Welcome to His Praetorian. You'll be fitting in just fine with your 130 years of history perfecting Scottish knitwear.



When William Lyle and Walker Scott borrowed 1300 quid back in 1874 to form their small knitwear company, the town of Hawick had already become the centre of the British industry. Did they know that their lambswool creations, washed in the local river Teviot, would inherently become a bastion for well-mannered individuals to prove their class and sophistication?



Of course they did. That is why I've placed them here. To serve as a beacon to all you elevator riding heathens who just needed to see the light.



More Lyle & Scott
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march to: the soft pack "extinction"

dir. by Russ Finklestein & Matt Lamkin
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