Ultimate AUTUMN SpyGuide
Vol. 1: fleece + canvas hoodies, rockable French duvets, gorpy slippers, BAGS, BOOTS + more "unbeatable recon"
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Yooooo enough is enough! We here at Blackbird Spyplane are LUMINOUS LIVING ANGELS of RECON. You are the “beautiful & blessed” citizens of SPY NATION. Together?? We’re making history, one phat f**king sletter at a time!!
Now open yr eyelids wide and savor this PLATINUM-PLATED AUTUMN-JAWN INTEL : )
— Jonah & Erin
FIRST OFF —
The other day we heard from a Connecticut-based jawnscrafter named Mike McLachlan, tipping us off to clothes he’s been whipping up under the name Manresa — the s**t looked cool, and when we asked him for more info, he told us a tale of hardship… struggle… & TRIUMPH !? Turns out he’s been designing clothes since adolescence, when he started screenprinting tees in his parents’ basement, and continued through college, “but after some rough times I became an addict and alcoholic, made some super sh*tty and uninspired product and was just completely delusional about becoming the next big brand.”
D*mn. He stopped making jawns and focused on getting sober — and, once he did, he felt the creativity SURGE once again: “I started to develop Manresa as a hobby, got bored of just screenprinting my designs on shirts, and about a year ago I decided to try some cut-and-sew.”
With some help & mentorship from Blackbird SpyFriend Antonio Ciongoli of 18 East (turns out Manresa does all their domestic screen printing and embroidery), Manresa just dropped a lil collection — and it’s got some bangers!!
The standouts are these unisex snorkel pullover fleeces (pictured above and below), with contrast-panel zip pockets on the sleeves and canvas hoods lined with tartan, mixing classic British countryside vibes with GORP.
These s**ts could be hideously UNGAINLY FRANKENSTEIN MONSTERS in the wrong hands, so we gotta give props to Manresa for pulling them off with harmony & panache !!
The hoodie’s a mere $115 — it’s in navy here and a very sumptuous ecru here.
We also like the looks of Manresa’s heavyweight cotton-canvas workwear / climbing pants, pictured below, which come in olive and charcoal.
The full array of Manresa pieces is here.
WOW — that was the first of many amazing finds in today’s sletter — a 100% reader-supported masterpiece with a Cla$$ified Recon Tier that you should join RIGHT NOW if you haven’t yet. U will enjoy a bunch of ‘xclusies, and paying us virtually nothing in exchange for LIFE-IMPROVING miracles is a FUN and COOL thing for you to do!!
We tend to keep incredible RECON troves like this one behind the “unbeatable paywall” so DON’T GET LEFT OUTSIDE IN THE COLD, come inside where it’s warm!
Speaking of NAVY and ECRU ULTRA-SWADDLING fall garments —
Have U ever wished U could hit the d*mn streets rocking a LUXURIOUSLY SOFT BELTED DUVET?? Lord knows we have, especially as the days get colder and shorter …
So bless the kings at Lemaire for not only making some of the world’s sublimest pants but also dropping these new cotton-gabardine “wadded bathrobe coats” which strike a beautiful compromise between ELEGANT OVERCOAT and PLUSH BEDDING — a little bit “MOB BOSS,” a little bit “SPA DAY” — $1280 here.
AND another quick hit for our “Autumn swaddle gang” out there —
Cla$$ified Readers know we’re feeling FELTED WOOL MULES / SLIDES / SLIPPER SLAPPERS these days, and here’s another stupendous pair: The Keen Howser III slide, which comes in a ton of variations including this $90 grey felted standout.
SWITCHING MF GEARS REAL QUICK —
Give it up for INNOVATIVE, INDEPENDENT BAG MAKERS !! We were stoked to come across Allmansright, a tiny operation with a bunch of lightweight bags made out of NIGH-INDESCTRUCTIBLE materials like Dyneema and Cordura:
Allmansright consists of 2 people — Livio Melo and Jennifer Jacobsson — based out of a 100 square-foot studio in the Bronx. Livio’s Dominican, Jennifer’s a half-Filipino Swede, and the name of their label — “inspired by the Swedish law ‘allemansratt,’” meaning "‘The Right to Public Access,’ also know as ‘Freedom to Roam’ — reflects their belief “that the outdoors is for everyone.”
You can read more about Livio, Jennifer and Allmansright — and cop their popping baggiolis — here.
FINALLY —
You know what “unbeatable recon” means in practice, on the ground?? ALL KINDS OF S**T, like for instance:
Sometimes Erin will be thumbing thru some magazine, stumble on a GEM HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT and then SLEUTH IT OUT to bestow upon SPY NATION…
Like this piece about furniture designer Minjae Kim that she tore out of Architectural Digest a few months ago, photographed, and KEPT IN A TOP $ECRET $PYPLANE DOSSIER …. until now.
What intrigued us about this photo, besides the fact that Minjae looks cool as s**t gently cradling a sweet puss, is the fact that he’s wearing a SICK shop coat with FILTHY coveralls TUCKED INTO CHUNKY SOCKS, which are nestled, in turn, into some ROASTED & TOASTED ZIP-UP WINTER BOOTS… This MF blacked out when it came to the fit, god d*mn!!
Using proprietary SpyEnhancement Imaging technology we were able to determine that these boots are none other than some humble-a** London Fog joints that cost like FORTY BUCKS!
They’re called the Holborns, they come in brown, grey & black, they’re sick as s**t and — as Minjae demonstrates — they only look doper the more U thrash ‘em. THAT’S WINTER-BOOT EXCELLENCE !
Kohl’s have a few sizes left here; there are deadstock Holborns currently at eBay (black, $45, various sizes here; brown, $40, sz. 11 here); some more on Poshmark (here’s a pair for $39, sz. 11); and pairs at a bunch of other MASS RETAILERS (some of them SO CURSED that they will remain UNNAMED and UNLINKED BY US 😉).
Minjae Kim’s IG is here.
Mamma mia! No wonder everyone whose opinion matters says, “Blackbird Spyplane is a nourishing HIGH POINT of human achievement.” Gently caress the upgrade and FLOAT happy & carefree into the Cla$$ified Spyplane Inner $anctum …
… expect an immediate life-improvement of 33.3% MINIMUM plus a deep sense of pride & accomplishment when you do this.
Also access exclusive intel, interviews, giveaways, our SpyTalk chat room, Master Index of Earth’s Coolest Under-the-Radar Jawns, & and the gem-stuffed Blackbird SpyMall…
🙏 ☮ ✌ J & E
Great to see ALLMANSRIGHT on the sletter today. I acquired a couple bits for the ultralight backpack kit, and am quite impressed with the make and quality on their work. Highly recommended.