UNIFORM | Carrier Company

Thanks to Sadie of Tradlands, I'm newly obsessed with Carrier Company out of Norfolk, England. Almost two decades old, the small company was founded by Tina Guillory starting with a simple carrier bag. She draws inspiration from tradition, necessity, and environment with each piece made from traditional local materials—sailcloth, drill, canvas, wool, jute—and always by hand. Guillory designs from her 17th century brick and flint farmhouse and channels the textures and colors of her world—canvas sails of the dinghies in the creeks, weatherproof fisherman's Slops and oilskins, forged steel from the country blacksmiths, and the requirements of her family and friends.

GEAR | Portable Table Lamps

Lately I've been taking notice of portable table lamps. They're wireless, so super clean aesthetically when placed inside, and also totally functional to take outside (and good to have around for power outages, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.). Here are three indoor/outdoor lighting options I'm really liking right now: 

1. The M Lamp ($220) designed by David Irwin was inspired by the archetypal miner's lamps of 19th century North East England.

2. The Barebones Canyon Lantern ($80) has a retractable light and a USB port that will charge devices while you're on the road or at your desk.

3. The Snow Peak Tulip Lantern ($150) looks as smart as it is: its bulb has a patented focusing lens that automatically adjusts the focus of the light's beam.

GEAR | Mom Cars

I was talking to a friend who is expecting and was lamenting the idea of caving into a "mom car"—as she listed off the ultra-safe, un-sporty, spacious vehicle options I wondered about mom cars of the past. Were they always so...unsexy? Turns out maybe not. After a little searching of the words mom and car I found a few mamas that liked to go vroom vroom. As for the safety element: no comment. Call child services.

GEAR | Tender Co. Hands-On Locomotive Watch

A few weeks ago, I was faced with deciding how to spend exactly 24 hours in London. It was essentially a really long intentional layover, and there was a lot I wanted to do, most namely have lunch and a pint at Eliott's in Borough Market. Secondly though, I was eager to check out the English-made mechanical 'Hands-On' Locomotive watch made by Tender. Tender takes most of its inspiration from the Great British Steam Age and antique workwear, with a focus on thoughtful clothing and well-made accessories. I've said it before, but I think this really is my dream watch—its size, historical design, simplicity, and the fact that it's mechanical, it's perfect. The watch's dial is rotated 45˚ as a reference to how drivers' watches were designed in the early 20th century to allow one to easily read the time without taking their hands off the wheel.
So anyway, I was really determined to see the watch, but unable to find a stockist who currently had one in London. I started emailing with Tender's founder, Willam Kroll, who was so gracious not only to email me back, but he invited me to his house to see the watches the following day (!). Since I was headed back in the morning though, he suggested I'd probably (very ironically) have better luck finding one at Unionmade in Los Angeles. Indeed, Unionmade has a version of the watch with a copper dial that is pretty amazing. It's a small world after all.

I still can't decide which dial I like best, but that gives me time to save up for one of these guys.

BASE LAYER | Natural Face Cleansers

By Aja Lake

In the continuing column where we cover wellness and beauty, I'm thrilled to introduce new contributor Aja Lake of Lake & Co. Her first piece is about three common household items found in your kitchen and pantry that also can effectively double to clean, tone and remove makeup. I can see these tips coming in super handy while traveling, camping, or as a new daily regimen. Thanks Aja. 

1. COCONUT OIL: Dr. Bronner's Organic Coconut Oil ($12) There are a myriad of ways to use coconut oil, but employing it as a makeup remover is my all-time favorite. Coconut oil is naturally nourishing and aids in gently sloughing dead cells, resulting in supple and smooth skin. Plus it's antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial. Look for extra virgin, unrefined coconut oil. To use, swipe a cotton pad with coconut oil and apply generously to dry skin. Rinse with warm water. 

2. HONEY: Raw Colorado Honey ($9) Honey is both antibacterial and antimicrobial, making it a potent yet soothing facial cleanser. Suited for all skin types, its healing qualities will leave your face feeling soft and fresh. To get the most beauty benefits, use a raw and pure honey, and, when possible, buy local. Since it won't remove makeup, honey is best when used as a morning cleanser. Just moisten your face with water, rub a quarter-size amount of honey between fingers, and massage onto face. To lock in honey's moisturizing properties, rinse with cool water. 

3. LIME JUICE: The mild, astringent properties of fresh lime juice create the perfect natural facial toner. Lime juice removes dirt and oils from skin, without causing irritation. Plus its acidic base gently exfoliates, delivering skin-brightening benefits. Simply squeeze lime juice onto a cotton pad and apply to face, or combine lime juice and water in a small spray bottle and mist face, wiping clean with cotton.

GEAR | Spring Anoraks

It's officially Spring, which means anorak season for most of the country. Curious about the word anorak, I looked into it briefly and couldn't really make heads or tails of its etomology and history. That said, the light-weight anorak is on the rise again and there's an incredible edit of new and vintage (90s brands that include L.L. Bean, Helly Hansen, The Gap, Patagonia and Umbro) versions at the Brooklyn-based label Victory Press. Prices start at $35.

WORD | Detroit 1968

It seems like Detroit is at the forefront of the collective American cultural mind these days. Between Enrico Natali's photo essay Detroit 1968, the new best-selling book Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff, and the rebirth of the Shinola brand, one can start to put the pieces together of Detroit's vibrant past, ruinous present, and (somewhat) hopeful future. I landed on this book on Friday and can't stop looking through the photos, which show Detroit in an eerily bullish place. The most capitvating photos aren't shown here on the blog, but I did pull some for the sake of style.

SCENE | Northern Grade Brooklyn March 22-23

Northern Grade, the American-made menswear pop-up market, will be setting up shop this weekend in collaboration with GQ in Brooklyn at The Powerhouse Arena. I've been to Northern Grade pop-ups in L.A. and Chicago and I always discovered a great label or met an inspirational artisan and been able to talk with the faces behind a favorite brand. It's technically a menswear event, but there's plenty on offer in the way of tomboy style and I've always walked away with something really special. If I was able to hop a plane to NYC, my eyes would be on these items:

Pierrepont Hicks women's suede Loafer Camp Moc ($225); Fellow Barber brass fish hook key fob ($35); Almond Surfboards screen-printed Guide to Fins poster ($45); Brass and powder coated bowl from Askov Finlyason ($87); Billy Reid cordovan leather tote ($450); Art + Survival's Shuron Sidewinder sunglasses ($250); Fischer Clothing 18-inch sqaure Dobby Stripe Ben neckerchief/pocket square ($20).

WEEKEND EXTRAS:

Also this weekend: Parachute Market in downtown L.A.

The Gentlewoman just keeps getting better, their 9th issue is on stands now.

The best socks for long flights.

Keep up with Tomboy Style elsewhere: INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK.

UNIFORM | Taylor Stitch

Recently the San Francisco-based, American-made clothing label Taylor Stitch expanded their collection to include a women's line. They hired Kate Jones to design the line, who incidentally was one of Tomboy Style's early Q&A's, who first delivered a lauded collection of indigo basics (masterfully modeled by Bekah of A Well Traveled Woman, also an early TbS Q&A!). Since then, Jones has gone beyond those perfect cotton tees, tanks, and sweatshirts to include soft denim shirting and a utilitarian denim jacket. Her inspiration ranges from 1950s vacations to Key West to Martha Gelhorn reporting on the front lines of WWII—which I guess means if these shirts were a meal they'd be a slice of Key Lime Pie with a shot of whisky on the side. My kind of shirt.

SCENE | We Are The Rhoads

I don't have a tumblr, but if I did, I think I'd just be tumbling the bejesus out of Chris and Sarah Rhoads of We Are The Rhoads' photos. There are buckets of beautiful images of tomboys and the tomboy lifestyle on their site and you may have seen their work elsewhere in big ad campaigns or in magazines like Kinfolk. It's Inspiration City, check 'em out.

SCENE | Armor Lux Paris

With so much accessibility in the digital age, traveling overseas yields less and less rare finds and country-specific goods. So, when one does happen to find those stores, brands, or trinkets that are hard to get elsewhere, it's an even more satisfying experience. Armor Lux falls somewhere in the middle of that spectrum: there's a really nice edit of Armor Lux available in the U.S. at Westerlind and a few points beyond, but it still feels so specifically French, and not overly known or distributed here. Founded in 1938 and based in Brittany, Armor Lux is a true French heritage brand that is equal parts utility and classic style—the brand even stakes claim as the label of choice for Coco Chanel's Breton shirts. I stopped into one of their stores just a few blocks from the in-bloom Luxenbourg Gardens while in Paris last week and wanted to buy up the entire joint. Beyond being a great staple, there are few items I can think of that are more versatile for traveling than a well-made striped cotton shirt.

UNIFORM | Florence Broadhurst x Tretorn

If you're not familiar with Florence Broadhurst, she was an incredibly talented and eccentric Australian-born singer, performer, painter, businesswoman, and designer who was perhaps best known for her large scale wallpaper patterns. She affectionately referred to her vivid color combinations as "vigorous designs for modern living".

This season Tretorn incorporates some of their favorite Broadhurst patterns from Horses Stampede to Chinese Floral to French Fountain into their classic Nylite and the newly-launched Seksti tennis shoes for both men and women. Like an accent wall in a stylish home, these collaborative shoes will add a pop of intrigue to any ensemble. Check out all the designs right here.