Much of my inspiration for On The Fly was born of my own frustrations when shopping for myself. And don't get me wrong, I loved the stores where I shopped. But there were always little things, nagging frustrations, pet peeves, that made me think: "if I ever have a store of my own, I'd do that differently." I have now — had the store, that is — for over 7 years. 

But the menswear retail landscape has changed since we started, and there are changes we need to make in order to keep up. Specifically, I want us to re-evaluate how well we're living up to our tagline: "solutions for the modern gentleman."

Here's a simple example. Back in the day, when I was buying expensive Italian shoes from a local store, I'd make the (mostly) emotional decision to invest in a $500+ pair of shoes, and the sales associate would invariably ask: "do you need shoe trees for them?" Well, of course I do. I think the first time I answered, I mistakenly assumed they were giving them to me with the shoes since I "needed" them. Of course they weren't; I think I paid $30 or $40 for trees.

It's not a big deal, paying for shoe trees. It costs the store money to have them. And I wouldn't be surprised if the vast majority of men don't use shoe trees at all, so why throw in something that the customer may not even value?

But that's exactly the point: the customer may not value them because he doesn't understand why he needs them. They help prevent creases in the leather, absorb moisture from wear, and most importantly, maintain the shape of the shoe. If you're investing in an expensive pair of shoes — and good shoes should be viewed as an investment, since they will typically last much longer than a cheap pair — the #1 thing you can do to care for them is to give them at least a day or two off after wear. The #2 thing you can do is provide them with shoe trees. (The #3 thing would be to shine them regularly.)

So as of today, On The Fly will ship a complimentary pair of shoe trees with every pair of full price shoes costing $250 or more.

We don't have to do it, we want to do it. We'll trust you value it.

For the second year in a row now, On The Fly will have a temporary "pop-up shop" open in 1 Embarcadero Center in San Francisco's Financial District, right next door to our original store on the Street Level. It will feature leather goods from Mulholland, Martin Dingman, S.T. Dupont, Barbour, Dunhill (coming Tuesday), and maybe another brand or two before Thanksgiving...

The store is chock-full of luggage, wallets, business cases, a few leather jackets, and small gift ideas like flasks, valets, domino cases, corkscrews, and wine bottle carriers. 

The lease was signed last Tuesday. We got keys on Wednesday. The store will open Monday. And while it will only exist for 46 days, we did come up with a name we like:  Baggage Claim by On The Fly.

If you like the smell of leather, come on by -- the air is free!

The Lachlan Belt had a good run of at least four years. A multi-colored casual belt in black or brown, the Lachlan had enough subtle color running through it that it coordinated with just about everything. It has now been retired, and in its place is the new Langley Belt: a 1 3/8" hand-laced saddle leather piece with a polished nickel roller buckle. Only the Chestnut is multi-colored, but the Black and Brown versions do have contrasting details to give it a little character.

Martin Dingman Langley Belt   $95

SAVE THE DATE: On Friday, April 30th, the San Francisco store will be hosting a Fall 2010 Preview and Trunk Show for Bills Khakis, Martin Dingman Leathergoods, and Jan Leslie cufflinks. The event will be a chance to see -- and special order -- items coming out this Fall. Of course, you can also immerse yourself in Spring's assortment of goods from each of these folks as well.

Some appetizers will be served throughout the day, and we'll probably decide on Springy drinks to serve as well (fresh lemonade, Arnold Palmer's, and maybe Southsides for those that need alcohol to get through their workday).

No need to RSVP. 

What:  Trunk Show @ On The Fly
Who:  Bills Khakis, Martin Dingman, and Jan Leslie
When:  Friday, April 30th from 10am til 6pm
Where: San Francisco store, 1 Embarcadero Center, Street Level
Why:  Food, drink, a sneak peak at Fall 2010, and giveaways!

Just about every clothing store on the planet tends to go on sale after Christmas, but only the really bold wait till the 7th of January to announce their sale (technically, many items did go on sale on December 26th, we just didn't announce it). Without much further adieu, our SALE is on!

There are a number of returning favorites to the sale: Bills Khakis Limited Edition pants, sportshirts, and outerwear, Agave Denimsmith knits, a few Martin Dingman shoes & belts, and some Ike Behar casual shirts.

Some newcomers include our entire assortment of Fairway & Greene golf apparel, Peter Millar outerwear and some sweaters & vests, some random cigar accessories and leather goods, and select Jan Leslie cufflinks.

If you've participated in our sale before, you know that the discounts will increase over time -- we're starting at 30% off -- but our inventory is very shallow so the availability of items disappears quickly. Wait at your own risk. 

For those in the Bay Area, the San Francisco store does have a number of items that just didn't make it to the website in time, including a dozen styles of Ike Behar shirts, a few Peter Millar sweaters & vests, and some other miscellaneous items worth contemplating. Stop on by. 

Happy Hunting!

One of the primary tenets of our "Shop by Lifestyle" feature is that no gentleman is 100% any single lifestyle; we all have tendencies influenced by the other lifestyles. While I am pre-dominantly "Old School" with a "Wall Street" streak and a vicarious "Sportsman" disposition, it is safe to say that I have 0% "Rock Star" in me (a lifestyle soon to be added to our list). So it is rare that a product like this would not only catch my eye, but compel me to spend money on bringing it into the store. 

Last Fall, when previewing Martin Dingman's line for Spring 2009, they pulled out a shoe unlike any I've seen from them in the 5 years we've carried their products: the Arlo Inlay shoe and matching Bala Belt. The Arlo model has been around for years in various incarnations of leather, deerskin, and of course, Alligator. It is a popular model because it is sufficiently comfortable: plenty wide to fit those that don't like their shoes tight with a healthy rubber bottom to provide support.

The Arlo Inlay and Bala Belt feature a cracked black leather over a deep burgundy lizard inlay in a very cool damask-like pattern. For the gentleman that wants to show his "edgy" side without having to shell out for a Harley, I can assure you that this shoe & belt combo is more stunning in person than the photo can ever do justice.

How cool is it? The shoes were delayed about 2 weeks, but we had an in-store customer buy the shoes sight unseen based solely on seeing the belt.