84/85: Year in Review

(photo cred Adventures)

Brendan: Both Kevin (84) and I (85) would first off like to thank everyone who has been reading and viewing the blog over the past year. Your readership deserves the utmost appreciation, as it wouldn’t be much fun doing posts with nobody to read them. 2009 has been a good one overall for the both of us, but with Kevin moving away to Montreal we found it was tough to really focus on the blog from both sides of the country. With the two of us now back together on the West coast we can now focus our combined energies on making moves to progress as a team. We have some big plans and goals for the new year, so I hope that you will be able to follow us as we take the next steps for both ourselves and collectively as 84/85.

Kevin: For our year in review we thought we’d break it down in to two sections. First off is the reader’s favorite (most visited) posts of the year, and then Brendan and I will discuss our own personal favorites and why they mattered. During our time doing the blog we’ve covered a lot of material; I think that we’re both drawn in so many directions certainly contributes to the variety of subject matter posted. Our interests shift constantly, but it’s the overall narrative of the blog that we’ve tried to be consistent with. I hope that if you’ve been reading the site for a while you feel as if perhaps you know us a little bit by now, because we’ve tried to put our own voice in to everything we comment on. Thanks again for reading, and we look forward to a productive and exciting 2010. Now on to the content…

Readers Favorites:

Expo 67 Postcards

Dash Snow/R.I.P. Dash Snow

Levi’s Imprint Jeans

Viberg Boots Fall/Winter 2009

Wrench Monkees

J.Crew Spring/Summer 2010 Preview

The Brothers Bray and Co.

Keegan Gibbs

Vintage Vans

Burkman Bros. S/S 09

/85 Favourites:

Ransom Fall/Winter 2009: This collection was previewed a few times on the blog, from the lookbook to the video for the Adidas collaboration project released in conjunction with the line. I like Ransom for their clean takes on classic pieces, their overall presentation and the fact that they rep hard for Canada.

Viberg Boots Fall/Winter 2009: It seems that this was really the breakthrough year for Victoria’s own Viberg Boots, as they gained a lot of exposure and attention in the fashion market for their hand-crafted work style boots. The fact that they are from our hometown and continue to produce the same product under the same methods as when they started makes them a definite favorite in my books.

Supreme fall/Winter 2009 lookbook: This particular collection from Supreme was a unique one, as it was the first time that Supreme has released a lookbook previewing their collection. Not only was the lookbook good but so was the amazing looking pieces from it.

The Hill-Side A/W 2009: The Brooklyn, New York based The Hill-Side soon became one of my favorite new lines of 2009. With their ties, pocket squares and handkerchiefs all hand made in New York done in beautiful Japanese materials like Selvedge chambray, twill and waxed canvas, I think they have a great concept as well as a great looking product.

84/ Favourites:

Tom Ford for SENSE Magazine: Over the last year we’ve covered workwear and certain streetwear a lot more in depth than any high fashion. That being said, Brendan and I work together in an upper-end menswear shop, so we deal with suiting etc every day. This year I loved everything Tom Ford produced; his style is the perfect combination of cutting edge and classic. Nothing illustrated that better than this editorial.

Summer = Classixx: 2009 was an interesting time for me as a DJ. I underwent a serious transition of style over the summer months, but still was afforded great opportunuties to play with major artists during the course of the year. LA duo Classixx made some of the best dance music to come out in 09, songs that worked in both headphones and on the dancefloor. I recently got to open for the guys and not only did they slay the party, they were super nice dudes to boot. Looking back, this post was a nice preview of things to come.

SoPopular F/W 2009: At first glance there’s nothing really special about this post, but when I look at the individual elements of the package presented it matters for a few reasons. First, the model for this lookbook was Cole Mohr, who was one of the standouts from this year’s super impressive cast of leading male models. Second, the garments are tailored impeccably, with the unique detailing never overshadowing the pieces themselves. Finally, there was a quality video to accompany the lookbook, which is exemplary of the current need to go beyond simply shooting your clothing and releasing the pictures. The market demands creativity and and unique spin from labels, not just in the line itself but in the presentation as well.

Last Minutes With Oden: A latecomer to the year’s best fold, it’s hard to deny the power behind this short film. It’s often said there’s no bond like a man and his dog, and the emotion captured in this 6 minutes certainly seems to prove this sentiment. That, and the fact that every hard dude I know cried while watching it. Definitely excited to see the full-length doc.

What do you guys think? Anything that we posted this year stand out in your memory? Please feel free to comment, we’d love to hear what you think about 2009 on 84/85.