Another season is upon us and as the mercury rises thoughts of festivals, holidays and long, warm evenings drift into our minds. Our wardrobes are after a couple of new editions, at the least or a complete overhaul, in some instances. So to assist us in this process we sort the learned counsel of Lee Goldup, Menswear Buyer and Store Manager of The Great Divide.
The Great-Divide is a menswear store that brings together a carefully curated portfolio of product for the discerning gent. The webstore was established in 2011 and opened their first retail store in February 2015.
The new store located on Lower Clapton Road, East London is a unique retail space within women’s denim boutique, Bad Denim. In the store they have a carefully curated selection of some of the finest offerings from the season, with around 30/40% of their buy in the store at any given time. This space however is very much interchangeable, allowing them to mix up what is on show and profile selected brands throughout the season, so never the same visit after visit. As all stock is on site, customers can request to try on items that they have seen online that may not be on the shop floor, or be showed other options whilst in store via an iPad.
They stock some of the very best in mens clothing, footwear and accessories from brands such as: Our Legacy, Red Wing, Levi’s Vintage, Filson, YMC, Vans, Folk, Penfield, Pendleton, Carhartt, Armor-Lux, Asics, Champion, Porter, Lee 101, Edwin, Saucony, TSPTR, Ebbets, Bass Weejuns and much, much more.
A perfect reproduction of the 1954 shape 501, this Jean from Levi’s Vintage Clothing originally came at a time when the company was branching away from its purely western and workwear heritage and looking to a appeal to a more urban east coast market, this was achieved with a zip fly, a more tapered leg and concealed rivets but still made with the ruggedness of the original jeans. The Scotty rinse presents an authentically reproduced high contrast fading, scraping patterns and minor damage on the left leg and coin pocket.
Spring has sprung all over the place requiring the annual jacket/layering adjustment, thankfully Our Legacy has landed and amongst the usual Swedish glory is this belter of a jacket. Simplicity incarnate this 100% cotton is finished with a single chest pocket, button cuffs, internal pockets and drawstring hood.
The YMC Baseball Shirt is a modern take on a classic silhouette. Made with oxford cloth in Portugal, the shirt is washed to ensure a softer feel. Featuring a pointed short placket and an inset collar, this shirt is an excellent piece for your summer shirt rotation, for its comfort and clean design.
Todd Snyder has a well known and well deserved reputation for producing fantastically adapted classic sportswear and his skills are in great, simplistic evidence here. Carefully selected fabrics really shine through in these sweat shorts. Fantastic soft, thick cotton was specially sourced to be as close to the original as possible and the these shorts balance comfort and function perfectly, great for everything from the beach to the running track.
The YMC Hang Loose Sweat is a medium weight loopback cotton jersey sweatshirt with a tongue-in-cheek hang loose sign motif on the front. With classic raglan sleeve and a loose fit. It’s an great staple piece that your missus may steal from you from time to time.
Joe Cool is the alter-ego of Snoopy, who pretends to be a collage student. The character first appeared in the Peanuts strip in 1971 and went on to feature in a number of the TV specials. This t-shirt from TSPTR features Joe Cool in red on a white tee.
These drawcord trousers from Folk are a perfect light weight choice for spring. Made from slightly patterned light cotton they fall perfectly into ‘smart casual’ with a relaxed cut and come constructed of quality fabric.
The trousers feature a draw-corded waist, two slanted pockets and the front and two concealed slit pockets to the back. They’re almost absurdly comfortable they’re simply a pair of trousers you’ll never want to take off.
The Red Wing Postman Oxford was originally designed to meet the needs of the US Postal Service, who needed a hardwearing shoe that still had a smart Oxford dress shoe appearance. These Postman Oxford’s feature construction by Red Wing’s renowned quality with their signature white crepe sole and Goodyear welt and are made in the USA.
The Vans Old Skool Reissue CA comes in Vansguard which is a treated fabric to give extra weather protection. The shoe is constructed from high-grade suede and 10oz duck canvas.
These all white Vans are the ultimate summer shoe and can be worn with pretty much anything in your wardrobe.
L.A has always had a funny relationship with baseball, the city famously became home to the Dodgers in the 50s having bought the franchise from Brooklyn to many people’s disgust, this cap recreates the 1954 cap of The L.A Angels who swiftly became their fiercest rivals. Made of quality wool with satin inner finishing.