We’re curious fellows here at Kempt, so we’re always up for a little rack-hunting.

To that end, we took a peek inside In God We Trust, a boutique split between New York’s SoHo and Williamsburg. Managed by designer Shana Tabor, the stores split their stock between the house label—mostly female, but with a few very tempting bags—and what Shana calls “like-minded brands.” The store and the label both project a kind of Newport bohemianism that comes off much easier than it sounds.

The trick, we suspect, is being selective.

Inside In God We Trust»

The death of the tie may be a little exaggerated, but stylistically, neckwear is definitely in a rut. Outside of the skinny/wide dichotomy and the increasing influence of the Britons, there isn’t a lot of new stuff happening. If the tie aisle is ever going to show us something we can’t find in a vintage store, someone is going to have to step up.

And we’ve got a few ideas about who.

For instance, Sovereign Beck»

The capsule show this week had a lot of inspiration on hand—in the clothes and in the complimentary cocktails—but to be honest, we’re still sorting through it all. Swedish clothing! Free brownies! We saw Damon Dash! For reals!

In the meantime, we thought we’d take a look at some of the better dressed attendees. As you might imagine, the competition was pretty heated. And, because of the literal heat, bare ankles and wrists were the order of the day.

This well-inked gentleman is Jordan Saylor, proprietor of Portland boutique Winn Perry—you might remember them as the northwestern source for Sovereign Beck ties. On his travels to the east, he’s decked out in a seersucker and oxford combo, combined with a leather satchel that may be the best thing about the outfit. After all, he’s here on business.

More pictures of the capsule scene»

Our favorite futurist tie-makers are playing it safer than usual with their new fall/winter wool collection.

We love a good three-inch tie, but we’re closer to the end than the beginning on that look, and the Sovereign Beck folks—once the great hope for tie design—aren’t doing much to keep it alive. A plaid tie is still a plaid tie, and the collection isn’t bad at all—in fact, it’s probably the most department-store-ready gear we’ve seen from them—but we had high hopes. Only the blue-green version on the right shows any signs of the Mathematica aesthetic that made their previous collections stand out.

On the bright side, they’re also holding a Holiday sale where you can get some of their vintage work for up to half off the usual price. So maybe we’ll cut them a little slack.

We aren’t particularly impressed by the gears-and-gauges aesthetic of the modern watch, so it’s nice to see a few more interesting moves, even if it means going vintage.

This 70s model is futurist in a downright strange way, but to our eyes that’s its best quality. The occasional avant-garde touch is enough to put your whole outfit in a new light, and unless you’re a Sovereign Beck fan, your watch is probably your best bet.