grin and share it

I absolutely adore the NorthernGRADE Menswear Market, which has now become an annual event here in the great city of Minneapolis. It features all handcrafted, made in America goods. It is always full of smiling, beaming faces, proud to be a part of such a great event and this year was probably the best yet (fine, I say that every year). The mister and I had a great time hanging with the folks at BlackBlue, drinking amazing cocktails by Marvel Bar, and pouring over which Sanborn Canoe Paddle to buy with the incredibly kind gentlemen who makes them. Special thanks to Betsey Kershaw for taking this, my favorite picture of the two of us, and tying Reed's very stubborn new Hill-Side tie. Also a special thanks to Eric from Askov Finlayson for bringing a handful of the Special Edition P. Hicks tie created for President Obama's visit to day 2 of the event, and then smiling warmly and getting it out when they saw me walk up to buy it.

Leatherworks MN Made especially to fit my tiny wrist, right in front of my eyes

Limited edition P. Hicks Obama tie available at Askov Finlayson

P. Hicks Backseat Blanket

I am very happy to introduce a new feature on my blog in this, my 100th post! My honey and I have a lot of adventures and I figured it was about time we shared them with you! We will be highlighting places we've gone, what we've worn, things we've bought and, of course, food we've eaten! We hope it will give you a little glimpse into our journeys in this fine state of Minnesota (and wherever else we trek to!). We hope you enjoy this new feature- look for more installations every other week...ish. Love it? Hate it? Think it could be better? Tweet me.

"Oh my gosh. We have NO plans today...what should we do?" A rare conundrum for us, so we took to Twitter Saturday morning to investigate. Not far into my feed I noticed a menswear pop-up shopping event at Russell + Hazel featuring Pierrepont Hicks, Faribault Woolen Mill and Martin Patrick3 and the decision was instantly made. We ventured out to Edina and were absolutely blown away by what we found.

Russell + Hazel is a design studio & shop with delightful paper goods, home accessories and organizers that would make Martha squeal. My man picked up a tie and bowtie from Pierrepont Hicks as I chatted with Mrs. P Hicks herself, Katherine McMillan. We left the shop, portfolio giveaways in hand, feeling ultimately satisfied with our experience. Thus began our weekend of menswear shopping. That being said the weather was ultimately dismal and keeping our energy and inspiration up was a challenge. With a few choice stops we managed to carry right on through...with a few naps in between. 

Martin Patrick3 is the king of menswear shops in Minneapolis- with pretty much anything you could want and a few things you didn't know you needed (pearl collar stays). We browsed around for quite some time- the shopping experience in itself was pleasant and there was so much to see. ID/Inside Design is attached and it was an irresistible detour to check out the modern furniture, Pantone mugs and Jonathon Adler statuettes. The mister ended up unexpectedly picking up a pair of glasses frames with bamboo arms. Even more unexpected? The choice of three different cases on the way out. An overall stellar experience.

Then we decided to do something crazy. We went to St. Paul. I’ll be upfront here- I'm a tiny cranky monster when I'm hungry, so we decided to hit up the famous WA Frost for a little lunch before continuing to shop. A perfectly delightful experience to say the least. Our server, Lori was the perfect combination of personable, silly and attentive and recommended the Belgian on tap- a St Bernardus Tripel, which ended up on both of our faves lists for Belgians. I drank one and a half (my limit) Earl Grey-Pomegranate Tonics, which were not as sweet as you might fear and provided a surprising and welcome journey for my palate- transitioning through at least a few tastes before finishing. I ate a Gem Lettuce Salad and a side of fries (what diet?) and the mister had a Cuban Panini which he also loved.  It gave us the boozy, delicious fuel to head down the street to another local menswear classic, BlackBlue.

Oh BlackBlue, you are such a lovely spot.  The place was, as always, set up beautifully and had a fresh stock of items including a few women's pieces! Satchel, whose smiling face I remember chatting with at SnowGrade, greeted us at the door happily and upon being asked how he was, replied (quite genuinely I suspect) that he was "livin the dream". We didn't pick anything up this time, but that's not to say there isn't a panoply of excellent options.