Volunteer Traditions

You may remember my post back in December about the Southern state flag belts being sold Traditional State/Volunteer Traditions. While I recommended the products back then, I hadn't actually put my hands on any of them. Well, a couple of weeks ago, Mason, the founder of the company, offered to send me a few of their products to check out for myself. While they had previously been selling their products under both the names "Volunteer Traditions" and "Traditional State," they recently decided to consolidate things and sell them all under the (original) name "Volunteer Traditions." While there is always the threat of isolating potential non-Tennessee SEC, as I told Mason, I think that it was wise move and that "Volunteer Traditions" is a solid name. The products for states other than Tennessee are sold under their new "Heritage Line."

Mason sent me one of their new Georgia flag hats, an Alabama belt (I went to school in Alabama), as well as a pair of Croakies and a koozie (that's a whole nother post, though). I know that Daryl from Southern Gent and Jay from Red Clay Soul recently talked about how good their products are, but really, once I got my hands on them, I was impressed.

The belts are made by Leather Man Ltd., who, in my opinion, make the best emblematic belts on the market, and these are certainly no exception. The backing is khaki-colored, and looks really good with khakis. Also, the flags are slightly bigger than the flags on another flag belt I have, and I think this makes them look even better. The hat is probably where I was most impressed. While I am not a big "hat guy," I do own my fair share and wear them from time to time. While Jay noted on his post that the hats are not too shallow, I would like to point out, that the hat is not too deep either (that being my number one complaint about a lot of hats). In fact, I would say that the hat is the Goldilocks of hats, and is basically just right. The koozie and Croakies are both solid as well, and I've got to say that I really like the dog logo on the koozie.

If you haven't looked at the Volunteer Tradition website in a while, be sure to pay it a visit. They have expanded their offerings, and from what I have tried out, they are solid. Also, their prices are still very good. While Mason didn't indicate whether they have any other states in the works, here's to hoping.

Guest Post: Manifold Destiny on Imogene + Willie

I have known Greg from Manifold Destiny since back in high school. I'm not really sure how, but in spite of not really staying in touch for the past six or seven years, our paths crossed again in the men's clothing forum/blogosphere world, which as been pretty cool. Greg is currently living in Nashville, and a few months back he was telling me about the store Imogene + Willie. Having only been to Nashville once in my life, I wasn't familiar with the store, but it sounded pretty awesome, so I asked Greg if he'd be interested in doing a guest post about it. Somehow managing to squeeze it in during his last semester of law school, Greg made a trip to the store and took a bunch of great photos, in actual film, believe it or not. Check out the photos and his write up below:

Trip asked me to do a guest post about my favorite store in Nashville, Imogene + Willie. Relatively new, the store was founded by Matt and Carrie Eddmenson in a former service station in Nashville’s eclectic 12 South neighborhood.

Matt and Carrie are denim pros, having worked for a company in Kentucky that did denim washing long before jeans cost $300 and came from Japan. They moved to Nashville last year and started Imogene + Willie, which sells a really well-curated selection of vintage stuff, cool brands (LVC, Billykirk, APC, and RRL), and most importantly their own stuff, made right there in the store.

Aside from selling stuff, Matt and Carrie have succeeded in creating a great place to hang out, holding weekly “Supper and a Song” nights where the local taco truck pulls up to sell food while singer-songwriters play in the back yard.

All of the employees are friendly and really really know their stuff. If you’re ever in Nashville stop by, you won’t find a cooler place filled with better people (and dogs). More pictures below.

Thanks a lot to Greg for his post. In case you haven't seen his blog, Manifold Destiny, it's definitely a must-add to your daily blog roll. It's like having a butler who reads all of the style blogs for you and just shows you the awesome stuff.

Southern States Flag Belts

Are you a Southern who's jealous of your South Carolina friends always sporting their South Carolina flag belts? Well, it's finally your turn.

A hat tip to Greg at Manifold Destiny for this one, Tennesee-based company Traditional State makes belts, dog collars, and other products featuring the state flags of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. These are definitely going on my Christmas list. Check them out below.

Alabama

Georgia

Mississippi

Tennessee

Texas