As American as it is, workwear has always been a good deal more popular in Japan—see Engineered Garments, the endless stream of Red Wing collabs—which means in addition to the domestic stalwarts who keep producing the way they did 80 years ago, there’s a generation of designers in Tokyo trying to put a futurist spin on things.

Comme Des Garcons is hardly the most rugged label on the map, but Junya Watanabe may have brought out the outdoorsman in them. You’ll have trouble getting hold of his latest collection unless you’re passing through Hong Kong this month—hey, you never know—but it’s interesting to watch the way it blends L. L. Bean-esque fishing gear with more urban nylon vests.

At the very least, they’ll be ready for the rain.

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New York Cheesecake Factory: Vanity Fair confirms its relevance in these troubled times with a slideshow of some of their best pictures. [Vanity Fair]

Eye Spy: Complex catches on to our second favorite optician. [Complex]

Up Close: Interview sits down with Junya Watanabe, and tries to figure out what’s up with all those inside-out jackets. They do not succeed. [Interview]

Happy Birthday: Jon Hamm, better known as Don Draper, turns 38 today. We wish him the best of luck with his acting and bathroom-based-meat-product careers. [TakePart]

For a few years in the 60s, the plaid blazer was the height of country club sartorial adventurousness. But for the past 30 years, it’s been worn with a decidedly different intent.

These days you’re most likely to see it in a record store, accompanied by a Mohawk and a full set of piercings. The off-color patch makes it clear Junya Watanabe is on the latter side of the equation with this Commes des Garcons item. But maybe he should have checked with Vivienne Westwood before he took this one on. He seems to have missed the point.

The appeal of the loud plaid blazer doesn’t just come from the fact that it looks like something Curtis LeMay wore on weekends. It also looks like something you picked up at a vintage store for $5, which might make its boutique appeal somewhat limited…

An Un-Single Man: Tom Ford leaves melancholy gay cinema behind and gets back to his first love, titillating ads. We’ve missed you… [Fashion Copious]

Wim and Vigor: A tour through the denim of the rebel state, via Paris, Texas. [The Moment]

The 80s Were a Special Time: We’re pretty sure Kathryn Bigelow is the first Best Director nominee to be involved in a Bill Paxton video. Well, except for Mr. Cameron… [Vulture]

Men at Work: Junya Watanabe and Carhartt join forces for some pretty awesome jackets. [Hypebeast]