As luxury items have become "democratized" over the past decade, the biggest issue from a retailer or manufacturer's standpoint becomes the dilution of certain words. "Cashmere" used to be a very rare, very expensive fiber that you would find only in the finest stores; today, Macy's sells a cashmere sweater for $75. So is a Peter Millar cashmere sweater 4 times as expensive just because?

Of course not. And while our salespeople can tell you about the features of a Peter Millar cashmere sweater, we were thrilled to see Peter Millar take the kashmir goat by the horns and develop this handy little diagram to illustrate the details that make their sweater different. It's these details that mean the sweater will look better, longer (and in this case, probably keep you warmer too since it's a 2-ply cashmere) than less expensive alternatives.

 

Cashmere is named after Kashmir, the mountainous areas of Pakistan and India. A cashmere goat lives in cold, windy climate and develops a hard, protective fleece to withstand the extremes. In the Spring, the soft silky undercoat is combed to collect the fine under down. A cashmere fiber is 1/3 the size of a human hair. It takes four years for a single goat to produce enough cashmere to make one men's sweater.

When the cashmere is collected, it goes through a sorting process. The fibers are divided into extra short, short, medium, and long batches. Peter Millar is very unique in that we use a 36mm staple to spin our yarn, which is considered a long fiber. Special care is needed when using this quality of yarn; it must be spun correctly and have enough packed into the sweater to ensure a quality product. Control of the yarn tension and weight are essential so the sweater will not be limp and flimsy. Peter Millar's size large in men's weighs over 300 grams. We have taken measures to ensure all sweaters are to a proper weight scale to allow for year round enjoyment.

Peter Millar's care label suggests hand washing and to lay flat or dry clean. Hand washing is better for a knitted cashmere sweater in the long run as chemicals used in dry cleaning can be hard on cashmere fibers. In addition; hand washing will actually make the sweater softer over time.

We received the new In-Stock book from Ike Behar earlier this week, and new shirts are en route. We expect to have them up on the website within the next 2 weeks, if not sooner. 

In the meantime, there are a number of fancier dress shirts from last season that are now on sale -- most at 50% off -- in, admittedly, scattered sizes. If you find something your size, we probably only have 1 left, so act fast. 

You can quickly see all the Ike Behar shirts on sale here. Happy hunting!

Michael Toschi has introduced a special offer on the SL line of shoes. Between now and September 30, 2009, save $100 on any pair of SL Shoes. Regularly $395; now $295.

The SL line is made in Spain, and are ultralight shoes featuring Toschi's NEST system. NEST is a 3-D midsole which creates a standing platform that supports the foot's anatomy and dramatically reduces foot, leg and back fatigue. The technical shape and construction of Michael Toschi's NEST component has set a new standard in integrated comfort in the footwear industry.

View the entire collection of SL shoes here. 

Golf season has kicked into high gear, and Michael Toschi's golf shoes are climbing up the Top Sellers list. As of this writing, the G4 is the fifth best-selling shoe from the whole line, while the discontinued (and on sale) G1 is #8 on the list (most likely because it's not available in all sizes and colors anymore). 

But the real reason for this post is that we finally got a photo of the GX in Steel & Orange. Michael Toschi realizes not everyone is comfortable making a statement like this, but for those that are most passionate about the brand, this is vintage Toschi. 

A package arrived on Thursday. A new golf shirt in white with blue stripes and a tag we've never seen before that read "F&G Tech". 

F&G Tech is produced from the finest technical yarns available today; nothing less than you've come to expect from Fairway & Greene. Featuring multi-directional stretch fabric, anti-microbial treatment and UV protection, the quality, performance and ease of care of this shirt will surely make it one of your favorites (and ours) going into the 2009 golf season and beyond. 

This year, the shirt will be offered in 6 solid colors and 6 stripes. The F&G Tech line should hit our shelves in March. 

As a courtesy to our Alerts subscribers, we wanted to let you know that select Ike Behar casual shirts are on sale at 25% off. We will publicize the sale to our entire customer base via email on Monday, December 29th, so grab your size before it's gone. Quantities are very limited, and not every shirt is on sale, but there are some great deals to be had...

Don't ask why it left, just be glad that it's back. From the detail page of any Toschi shoe, you can now search for all Michael Toschi shoes that are available in your size. No more clicking on every sale shoe only to discover it's only available in 6 1/2! To search by size, go to a product page like this one, and you'll see "Search by Size" just underneath the "Add to Cart" page.

A few caveats: 

• The search includes shoes that are "in-stock" [ready to ship immediately] and "on order" [somewhere in the production chain which could be mean on the cutting board in Italy or on a plane for the States].
  
• The photos shown in the search results are the main photo shot of the shoe style -- the actual colors available in your size may vary. So if you see a chocolate brown shoe in the list of results, don't assume it's not also available in Black.
  

It's our little holiday gift from us to you. Happy searching!

We'll probably be doing an email campaign about this shortly, but wanted to get the news in the hands of our hardcore Khaki Aficionados first. 

One of the biggest challenges we face as a retailer of Bills Khakis is buying Limited Edition products for each season. Invariably, if we buy Seersucker pants pleated, we'll have customers that wanted plain fronts. If we buy M2, we have customers that only wear M1. And if we bought Sandstone, Kiwi, and Sky, of course we have the customer that wanted them in Coral. 

Well, now there is a solution to that problem. Bills Khakis just launched a new website called BillsKhakisPub.com where you can preview the Spring 2009 line and buy them from us through their website! To preview the line, you first pick your preferred retailer (we hope that is us for Free Shipping & Free Hemming!), and then reserve whatever pants you want. If it helps, our zip code is 94107 so you can set us as your preferred retailer.

We are hoping to have a video of our Spring appointment online soon which features the Founder, Bill Thomas, going through the entire Spring line. In the meantime, take their preview and reserve your M2 Pleated Kalamkari Shorts in size 35 today!

Ike Behar has stepped into tailored clothing with a number of Sportcoats designed for the modern gentleman. How so? 

For starters, they have a soft construction which is certainly the trend for sportcoats these days. As the workplace has become more casual, the days of coats with heavily padded shoulders are fading. And men want a coat that they can wear to work, and then to dinner or a bar afterwards, and these new coats fit that bill perfectly.

In addition, the interior of the jacket is certainly not your granddad's coat. Rather than the traditional inside breast pockets and a lower pocket, the "Traveler" model coats feature one standard breast pocket, and on the other side is a buttoned-up cell phone/eyeglass pocket and an earbud loop for your MP3 player or iPhone earbuds to rest comfortably. It also features two lower zippered pockets for those items you can't risk losing (i.e. passport).

All of the coats are made in Italy, and feature a high-stance 2-button, notch lapel model with side vents. While we show them in U.S. sizes, they are based on European sizes (50R = 40 Regular, 52R = 42 Regular, etc.), so expect a slightly trimmer cut than a typical American sportcoat.
 

We are proud to announce that we will now finish any pair of Agave Jeans with an original hem at no charge. Save time, and save money. Just send us the desired inseam or outseam to the nearest 1/4", and we'll take care of the rest.

Please allow 3-4 days for finishing to take place (we hope it's quicker, but expect that just in case), and of course, understand that finished pants CANNOT be returned. If this is your first pair, or you're unsure of the wash or fit, it is best to leave them unfinished so they can be exchanged or returned. 

We hate to start hyping products that won't be here for 6 months, especially when there is still Fall Limited Edition products that should be hitting the website in the next month, but anyone subscribing to these Alerts probably loves the brand and we want to keep you in the loop. 

Our Spring appointment in New York was filmed, and will be posted to the website in the next 10 days or so. That video will allow any of our customers to see what is coming, why Bill did it (our "sales person" for the appointment was Bill Thomas himself), and then pre-order items in the model, size, and color of their choosing.  

So here are some highlights of what's coming for Spring 2009...

• The growing-in-popularity-every-day Vintage Twills will have 4 Limited Edition colors for Spring: Stone, Pink, Summer Olive, an Marine
  
• The currently-best-selling-because-it's-hot-out Cotton Lightweight Poplins will be done in: Yellow, Blue, Green, and Coral
  
• The elegant and technologically advanced Driving Twill is being made up in a lighter weight fabric called the Driving Twill S in Khaki and Sand
  
• Pinpoint Seersucker is back, but on mostly cream grounds: Khaki/Cream, Navy/Cream, Red/Cream, and Navy/White
• Sun Drenched Twill is back in both trousers and the 5-Pocket Model. In regular pants, it will be done in Sandstone, Coral, Dune, Summer Red, Sky, Moss and Pewter
• Shell Cloth is a new, ultra-light sailing pant available in Khaki, Ivory, Camel, and Sage
  
• A sharp Cotton Linen trouser is coming in a Khaki Windowpane and a Navy Windowpane
  
• Kalamkari is a block-printed cotton textile made in India that is, by far, the boldest pant of the bunch. It's coming in a Khaki/Blue print and a Cream/Navy print
• The "Beach Comber" is also a new model -- kind of like a parachute pant -- and is coming in a Surfside Linen in Khaki
  
• Madras is the big story in shorts, with a Blue & Cream plaid, a Black & Blue plaid, and a Patchwork Madras in Pastel and Vintage
• Seersucker shorts will be done in classic stripes in 4 colors, but also some "Fancy Seersuckers" in a Khaki Check, Blue Check, Copper Plaid, and Lime Plaid
• Beach Cloth - a razor thin, ultra-soft corduroy-like fabric - will remind you of those old OP shorts from the late 70's and early 80's in colors like Dune, Driftwood, Lagoon, Key Lime, and Ocean
  
• Sport Shirts are coming in Gingham Seersucker (like this Spring), Poplin, Vintage Denim (our best-seller from Fall 2007), Broadcloth, Madras in 4 colors, a Cotton & Linen Workshirt, and University Stripes & University Checks which are also coming this Fall
• Some very soft T-shirts are coming for the Bills aficionado in a "Model 1 Tee" in 6 colors, and a "Retro Tee" in 4 colors
  

Believe it or not, this list represents about half of the overall selection of products for Spring 2009, and while we are buying many of them, pre-ordering them will be the one way you can ensure to get the model, style, size & color you want. More details about how to do that in a week or two...

Out with the old, in with the new. While we prepare the site for the introduction of the Luciano, Pietro, Berta Monk, and others, it's time to say a tearful goodbye to some oldies-but-goodies. A new set of shoes will be marked down on the site 30%, while a few more will be marked down 50%. 

Some of Toschi's best-sellers are making their curtain call, including:

Giorgio (was $570, now $399)

 

Stefano (was $585, now $410)

 

Stefano 1 (was $585, now $410)

 

Roberto (was $585, now $410)

 

Mirco (was $605, now $424)

 

Vento (was $530, now $371)

 

In addition, there are a couple of shoes that are marked down by color. The following shoes are marked down 30% off in the colors listed ONLY but orders must be taken over the phone. We can be reached at 877.547.2720. 

Onda (Camel, Chocolate Suede, Black Suede, Olive Suede)
Dollinger (Blonde Pebble, Honey Pebble w/ Red Sole, Honey Pebble)
Mach (Bone Nubuck, Black Suede, Chocolate Suede, Navy Nubuck, Red Nubuck, Yellow Nubuck)
Machster (Beachwood, Black Calf, Chocolate Suede)
SUV1 (Tan w/ Red Sole)

Ok, we don't really know that the Onda -- Michael Toschi's best-selling shoe -- is going to "sell out" in May. What we do know is that it will be featured in a full-page advertisement in United Airlines' Hemispheres magazine. If you were contemplating a purchase of the Onda, now is the time to do it. Like, in the next couple days or so. Seriously.

Michael Toschi received a GIANT shipment of shoes from Italy the other day, and our inventory file has been updated to reflect new arrivals. Onda or no Onda, perhaps the shoe you've been looking for is in-stock.

On another note, Forbes.com recently named the Berta one of "Ten Shoes Every Man Should Own". Not bad!  

There are a lot of reasons people love Bills Khakis, among them: 

1. The different models they make allow each gentleman to find the model that fits his body type and lifestyle best;
2. Virtually every pant in every model in every color can be purchased with pleats or plain fronts;
   
3. The quality of the fabrics and tailoring produce pants that last a lifetime;
   
4. Every product they make is made in the USA which many appreciate;
   
5. And there are a variety of fabrics to choose from for any climate or any occasion. 

That last reason also makes choosing a pair of Bills Khakis overwhelming at times, especially for the uninitiated. For those trying to understand whether they should get a Twill, Vintage Twill or Chamois Cloth, we present our opinions in our Bills Khakis Fabric Guide.  

The Fabric Guide analyzes each of the 7 year-round, in-stock fabrics -- Twill, Vintage Twill, Poplin, Chamois Cloth, Bullard Field, Tropical Twill, and Driving Twill -- based on their appropriateness for Business Casual, Golf, a Yacht Christening, and Lumberjacking. We hope you have as much fun reading it, as we did paying an illustrator to draw a lumberjack in the Bullard Field Pant.

Last night, we were treated to dinner by some of the kind folks from Bills Khakis out in California from Pennsylvania. There were a couple of interesting news nuggets we were able to extract after a couple of Tanqueray & Tonics...[Read More]