A PUF Piece, Part I

On assignment for all plaidout, Cary Randolph Fuller attended the opening of this weekend’s Pop Up Flea, curated by Michael Williams and Randy Goldberg. Look to her blog for her PUF wish list.

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A PUF Piece
by: Cary Randolph Fuller

Selections from Hickoree’s Hard Goods.

Greetings from beautiful and unseasonably warm New York City where I am currently drinking prosecco by the liter and combing through photos from tonight’s trip to the Pop Up Flea. Tonight I made my preliminary once-over, scanning stuff, mentally drafting my list for Santa Baby, and otherwise becoming acclimated with the goods I plan to devour tomorrow and Sunday. From three o’clock on, traffic was steady and stylish, comfortably crowded and (surprisingly) not dominated by gentlemen. Chris Olberding of Gitman Brothers proudly reported that after just a couple hours he had sold several shirts, and Emil Corsillo, of The Hill-Side and Hickoree’s Hard Goods, lamented the loss of his favorite stack of vintage goods to a coll foreign collector (for which I reminded him that a curator should never become married to his collection). Corsillo and his brother Sandy also slung belts, socks, Portland General Store’s Whiskey Skin Quencher, and Brooklyn Brine’s extra-spicy homemade pickles (which Olberding insists are delicious), while J. Crew’s gents from the Liquor Store hawked Red Wing boots and plaid, plaid, and more plaid. With visions of Americana dancing in my head and a memory card full of snaps I set out into the night (for a grilled cheese and a stiff old-fashioned at the Ace Hotel). Tomorrow I return for some real shopping. Wish me luck!

The footwear of Mark McNairy and bags from ACL & Co.

More goods (and cool boots) at ACL & Co.

Aaron Ruff of Digby & Iona

Ever a fan of sparkly bits I was immediately drawn to Aaron Ruff’s booth where he displayed pieces from his Brooklyn-based line jewelry line Digby & Iona. Each delicate ring, necklace, and bracelet drew inspiration from “the things I loved when I was six,” said Ruff, including woodland creatures (as evidenced by a brass ring boasting the head of a fourteen-point buck) and hunting (hence the silver revolver on a long thin chain) and world travel (which inspired the spring-locked antique compass and spyglass). Ruff’s collections reference literature and history and evoke a not-so-delicate Edwardian charm that is anything but minimal, as perfect for the man who loves adventurous pieces as for his chic girlfriend who will surely steal them.

Read more about Digby and Iona on Selectism.
Follow the Digby and Iona blog here.

Jennifer Goldszer of Schott

To come down from my jewelry high I visited the Schott boutique where dark leather and fleece dominated the scene. Schott, the legendary American leather goods purveyor, has been crafting high quality motorcycle gear from native hides for over one hundred years. PR director Jennifer Goldszer told me that each piece is tanned and put together using original machinery at Schott’s family-owned factory in Elizabeth, New Jersey. This is as local as biker gear gets; all materials hail from the U.S. of A. or Canada. And the quality of the jacket shows in its weight: I could barely lift a classic perfecto off the hanger. Flying fast at the Flea were Schott’s classic 32 oz. melton wool peacoat and, surprisingly according to Goldszer, a thick wool fair isle sweater (because even easy riders need to stay warm).

//CRF

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The Pop Up Flea, 201 Mulberry Street in New York City, continues through Sunday, the 22nd of November. Special thanks to Cary Randolph Fuller for her contribution. For more of Cary’s trip to the flea, visit Flickr.