Sleepy Dan hood sweaties released in December, I had to release one cut n sew project for the first year so you can be sure there will be some more customized designs for the upcoming years! I can not emphasize enough, process is the most important part of any project. The rugby style hoodie is a design just recently hitting trend so I had to make some comfortable enough to bear the Sleepy Dan brand! In my day job as an apparel designer, I have learned how to work with embroidery shops to create apparel patterns, but sometimes several of the finishing steps have to be done on your own to save on cost. That’s how I was able to make these hoodies so affordable.

Coming from the manufacturer, I had to make some custom modifications past adding the logo embroidery appliques and the new custom neck labels for outerwear… This hoodie has several exposed cover stitch seams, so you can easily see it’s custom made, but the excess seam fabric had to be trimmed up a little more to be finished.

After finishing, the logo embroidery appliques are hand stitched to the garment, then the size labels are machine stitched into the neck seam. What makes this hoodie so special is the herringbone cotton twill neck seam, rugby placket, and hood seam edge. The time invested to this project is longer than a t-shirt design, but the fan and blogger reviews of the hood sweatie are amazing for the first cut n sew design. Research and development are a key role in the process of a successful project, so don’t overlook your process at any stage! Hope you got one before they sold out…

I know this post is off the beaten path for HYA (though philosophically it shouldn’t be), but I am a really, really big fan of Icebreaker, a company that make amazing products using merino wool, shawn from sheep in New Zealand (each item actually comes with a ‘baacode’ you can use to find the farm origin of the wool in your garment). It’s so incredible in fact, that when my brother spent a couple of weeks climbing mountains in Kyrgyzstan last month, when he came back the Icebreaker top he took with him didn’t stink, even though by his own admission their opportunities to wash (other than in glacial water) were pretty limited.

The problem with Icebreaker was that whilst I really liked the tops, they weren’t astoundingly fashionable, something appears to have changed for the better in this Fall/Winter release. Sure, it’s not that cheap, but you really get what you pay for with Icebreaker, and now you can look cool wearing it. [via Josh Spear]

This item doesn’t have a name, and I think it’s a cool jacket, so that will have to do for now. It’s not exactly cheap. weighing in at a hefty €110, but it is in my favourite colour combo of the moment, black and blue, and anyway, outerwear isn’t meant to be cheap.

Costiness€110 Available from Stereo Panda

I get the feeling that some of you will probably find this jacket to be a bitt too restrained, perhaps even a little bit boring, but I’m the kind of guy that is okay with letting outerwear play second fiddle to my tees when it comes to a crazy design, as long as it looks good, and with a waterproof jacket, it better keep me dry too.

Costiness=$149 Available from Gold Coin

It is made of recycled fiber and trimmed with contrasting rib knit. Tie the Bow and show your support for breast cancer research. With each purchase of our Sara Sweatshirt, made from recycled fiber, we will donate 5% of all proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

How cool is that bow idea? I guess that no one except the wearer will realise the poignancy of the bow, but that’s hardly the point, is it? I like the way that the lining of the hood and back of the bow (and presumably lining of the whole thing) are a bright, refreshing pastel colour to compliment the subdued, natural colours that are on the outside of this outerwear.

Costiness=$136 Link [thanks, Stylehive!]

It isn’t exactly an eccentric jacket, but the styling is really impressive, simple but well cut, with a few interesting details to keep you interested. Stocks seem pretty limited at the moment, but maybe they’ll get more in at some point.

Costiness=$160 Link [thanks, shoptometrist @ Notcouture]

Crook’s Shell Jacket features the “Crook X” logo on the chest, rip stop on the lower half and two side pockets, be impervious to the elements with this clean piece.

I like the way that they put the little red accents on the pocket zippers, its a nice little touch.

Costiness=$198 (bit pricey, no?) Link (you can get up to 20% off this jacket, which I’m sure you’d find helpful, by using the rep code AS7594)

I really like the way that this jacket flows, very subtly moving from the left side around to the back, and it isn’t an attention-grabber either, just a very nicely done jacket. That said, I can’t stop myself from looking at the little embroidered lightning bolts (click through for the close-up picture) and be reminded of the SS… which might get you some unwanted attention.

Costiness=$99.99 Link

Feelin’ chilly? Yeah, it really is getting that way.

Since this is a military style coat, lets rock some technical blurbage, since that just feels right!

Military-styled wool coat with epaulettes and multiple oversized patch pockets.. Corduroy detailing at back yoke, shoulders, and pockets.

* Body: 70% wool / 15 viscose / 15% polyester
* Lining: 97% polyester / 3% spandex
* Constrast corduroy: 100% cotton

Any word on whether Brooklyn Industries still charges an arm and a leg to ship things outside the US?

Costiness=$158 Link