Book Of The Month: Irving Penn Small Trades

Something you may (not) know about Sydney is that he has an ever-expanding collection of books that span topics such as Menswear (naturally), Photography, Film, Textiles, Art, Architecture, Industrial Design, and more...

The collection includes antique and rare books–each one beautiful to look at and a pleasure to flip through. So, we decided to share this pleasure with our customers and visitors by starting a Book-of-the-Month program. Each month we will bring out another book from Sydney's personal collection and to share both in the store, and here on our blog.

This month we have chosen Irving Penn's Small Trades, which was also the name of a Getty Center Exhibition last year. The best description of the book is written on the inside sleeve of the dust jacket as follows:

"In 1950 and 1951, Irving Penn created portraits of workers in Paris, London and New York who are dressed in their work clothes and carrying the tools of their occupations. Small Trades constitutes Penn's most extensive body of work to date, and he returned to it after many decades to make ever more exacting prints in gelatin silver and platinum/palladium. More than two hundred images from the series are reproduced in this book, which also includes an introductory essay that describes the history and context of the Small Trades series and its importance in the evolution of Penn's career."

Chesnut Vendor, New York, 1951

Pâtissiers, Paris, 1950 [Pastry Chefs]

Them Atelier: More Than Jeans

We are very happy to present our newest brand to arrive the shop, Them Atelier. Currently in it's second season, this line is entirely produced in Los Angeles.

The jeans themselves are simple and straightforward: 3 fits, 5 washes, impeccable fit.

Them Atelier on the rack at Sydney's

We are particularly fond of the minimal finishing and the surprisingly low price point.

In addition to the clothing line, there is Them Rag, a quarterly published by a group of artists which includes Them Atelier. The magazine has an art and photography focus and much like it's sister clothing line, is simple and straightforward in design.

One feature that stands out is an interview with Javier Peres, owner of Peres Projects and founder of Daddy magazine in which he talks about his new gallery location in Berlin, emerging trends in the contemporary art world and how Art History has begun to change with the increasing speed of information.

Cover of Them Rag

A spread from Them Rag

We currently have some copies here at the shop, we welcome everyone to come in to check it out and try on some jeans - chances are you will love Them (pardon the pun).

Sale Continues + New Naked & Famous

Our re-opening sale continues this week as we settle in to the new space. Believe it or not, there are still some deeply discounted items on the rack from Rick Owens, Attachment, Viridi-Anne, and more... you would be well-advised to come take a peek at the remaining items before they are gone forever.

In other news, we have received some exciting new denim styles from our friends at Naked & Famous. Pictured Below (Left to Right) are the Flannel, Frankenstein and Deep Indigo.



Flannel: A truly Canadian concept, this denim has been combed forward and backward multiple times with a fine metal rake to lift the fibres creating an extremely soft texture on both the inside and outside. Available in Weird Guy

Frankenstein: In keeping with their experimental nature, N&F have thrown several features into the mix with this weave. It boasts an uneven yarn slub, alternating twill directions and a blend of natural dyes. Available in Weird Guy

Deep Indigo: An intensive dyeing process involving over-saturation and dye mixing creates a new depth in colour. Very nice! Available in Weird Guy, Slim Guy and Skinny Guy

Re-Opening Sale and Celebration!

We are very pleased to announce that our official re-opening will be Saturday August 7th at 10am.
Come by to see our beautiful new space at 682 Queen Street West. While you're there, you can take advantage of our Liquidation Sale where we will be offering up to 80% off.
This includes everything: Dries Van Noten, Marni, Rick Owens, Individual Sentiments, Jil Sander, MA+, Juma, Attachment, Chatav Ectabit, Julius, and more....

We look forward to seeing you!

FIRE UPDATE!

Dear Friends,

Due to the damage of an unfortunate fire at 795 Queen Street west on May 24th we have come to the decision to relocate Sydney's to 682 Queen Street West. We are working as quickly as possible to get up and running, and are planning to reopen our doors this coming August.

We want to extend many thanks to all those that have shown us support over the past couple of weeks, and we look forward to welcoming you at our new location across the street!

In the meantime, if you have any questions or wish to get in touch
with us for any reason, please direct your emails to
customerservice@shopsydneys.com

If you have an emergency and need to get in touch with Sydney
personally, please contact him on his cell phone at 416.894.3635

We will keep you posted on all further developments.

Thank you again for your support.

Warm regards,
The Sydney's Team

SYDNEY'S DAMAGED IN FIRE

Dear Friends,

You may have heard that Sydney's was damaged in a fire this Monday. Thank you to those who have already offered support and kind words.

The fire started next door at Deluxe and quickly spread through the rafters of the Australian Boot Company, Deluxe, Sydney's, and Flight Centre. We are very fortunate that only the upstairs of our store was damaged and the majority of our merchandise is still in excellent condition.

We will be having a fire sale in the very near future, so please watch your inbox for the announcement.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or wish to get in touch with us for any reason, please direct your emails to info@shopsydneys.com

If you have an emergency and need to get in touch with Sydney personally, please contact him on his cell phone at 416.894.3635

We will keep you posted on all further developments.

Thank you again for your support.

Warm regards,
The Sydney's Team

Celebration at the store

Last night, we partied in honour of Sydney's entering it's 5th year of business. Great night, thanks to all who made it out!

Narwhal Presents: That Hideous Strength

Our friend Lauchie Reid currently has a solo show on down the street at Narwhal Art Projects.
His magnificent oil paintings, depicting an almost eerie, depression-era community will be up until June 6, go see them!

Click here for more information.

KERN: A Retrospective

Our friends at Studio Gallery on College are currently presenting a retrospective of New York based photographer and stalwart of the 80's East Village Underground scene Richard Kern's work. The exhibition opened last night with a party featuring a screening of several of Kern's short films and a performance by Toronto metal band Dentata.

Tonight at 7pm, Studio hosts an exclusive live artist talk between Kern and famed Toronto artist and filmmaker Bruce LaBruce after which there will be a Q&A and book signing. We will be heading straight there as soon as we close the shop, you should join us!

Studio will be hosting some other Kern-related events throughout the month of May, CLICK HERE for more info.

Music at the shop: Buzzcocks re-issue

On a recent visit to our neighbours Rotate This, Sydney picked up the deluxe re-issue of Buzzcocks' first full-length studio release Another Music In a Different Kitchen and we have been playing it at least once a day.
Aside from including the original album (an undeniably seminal punk/post-punk piece), this deluxe version includes the associated singles, the full 1977 Peel Session, some demos and a live 1977 show at Manchester's Electric Circus.
An interesting little fact about the album title is that is was sourced from a collage work by the artist Linder, who was a radical feminist, created the famous cover art for Buzzcocks' single 'Orgasm Addict' and is worthy of a post all her own...

Linder's collage for the cover of Buzzcocks' 1977 Orgasm Addict

Coming Soon: Label Under Construction

Though we are thrilled about the selection we currently have in-store for S/S 2010, we can't help but eagerly look forward to Fall. One particular reason for that, is the arrival of a very special Italian line called Label Under Construction.

The designer, Luca Laurini is a very private and reclusive man whose attention to detail is astonishing. Recently, Planet Magazine was granted the opportunity to give Laurini his first ever interview—a must read!

"...Let’s say that I am doing something that is a cross between garment design, art, and architecture, things that are in the real world, my world.”

CLICK HERE for the article.

good design is... good.

A recent topic of discussion at the shop has been how a love for good design transcends specific design fields. For instance, an architect can appreciate the care that goes into the construction of a quality garment just as much as s/he can appreciate the construction of a building.

After all, good design is good design no matter what the object (or image) is.

A prime example of this is our client and acquaintance John, who, with his partner Juli, owns the fantastic Scandinavian furniture shop Mjölk (pronouced 'Mee-Yelk') in the Junction. The store is abundantly stocked with superb examples of a modern Scandinavian æsthetic.

The pair also have a beautifully comprehensive design website called Kitka on which they share the many ways in which good design enriches their life. We were flattered recently to be featured on the site ourselves after John purchased an M.A + travel bag*. The photos they took of the bag showcase the beauty and quality of the bag perfectly.

The M.A+ travel bag as photographed by John and Juli of Kitka Design.

Every photo on the Kitka site is beautiful and does a tremendous job of pulling you in to the subject matter, definitely worth a 'browse'! (click here to see original post)

*Come visit us in-store to see our selection of Bags. Aside from M.A+ (Italy), we carry also carry Julius (Japan, available soon online) and Billykirk (USA).

SPRING SUMMER 2010 NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

Spring Summer 2010 is now available online at www.shopsydneys.com

Accessories from M.A+, Augusta, The Viridi Anne and Dries Van Noten will be posted very soon.

Check out the long awaited Jil Sander limited edition Foujita print t-shirt.

Technique Focus: Woodblock Printing

The current Dries Van Noten collection (S/S 2010) is texturally rich with tonal jacquards and global prints. One fabric print technique in the collection that we find particularly interesting is Woodblock Printing.
This ancient process involves hand carving patterns into wood blocks that are then coated with ink (or paint) and applied to the fabric surface like a stamp. It has been used for centuries in both fabric and paper embellishment—from fashion to home décor (the French are credited for first using in on wallpaper).
Our buy of the Dries Van Noten collection this season includes two brilliant examples of this technique: a cotton jersey tank with a tonal navy and black print as well as a sophisticatedly shaped short-sleeved jersey polo featuring separate prints on the body and collar. They are the perfect pieces to round out the minimal genius of the streamlined suiting and shirting that are undeniably unique to Dries.
Come visit us and have a look!

Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita

It pleases us to announce that our selection of Jil Sander S/S 2010 will be arriving in a mere handful of days (hopefully!)...
In the meantime, we have taken an interest in the artist that Raf Simons drew his inspiration from for this collection, Mr. Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita.
A Tokyo native, Foujita relocated to Paris after graduating from art school where he quickly assimilated into the Montparnasse art community and befriended Modigliani, Picasso, Matisse, Man Ray and other members of the rapidly evolving contemporary art movements.
His work, which incorporated Japanese technique into a western, contemporary aesthetic, is characterized by smooth applications in a softer colour pallette that tends toward gray, mauve, ochre, black and white.
You can see the inspirations in the Jil Sander collection through both the pallette and the use of graphics of some of Foujita's actual paintings printed on cashmeres and t-shirts, the latter will be available in store along with some fantastic suits and other exquisite pieces.
Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita,Sleeping Madeleine, ink and watercolour on paper

Narwhal presents: THE TAXALI 300

Our friends (and neighbours) over at Narwhal Art Projects are currently presenting a collection of drawings and illustrations by the superbly prolific Canada-based illustrator Gary Taxali.
We're big fans of Taxali, in fact, we have one of his limited edition bronze sculptures here at the shop. You should definitely stop by for a look.
Find out more about the exhibition by CLICKING HERE!

SS 10 KK ATTACHMENT IN STORE NOW