Vintage lover and Friend-of-Kempt David Hart has been one of our favorite tie men since we saw his scotch-plaid bow ties back in November, but after his UrbanDaddy write-up, we figured it was time to give his wardrobe a closer look.

The sartorial breakdown»

We were so enamored of Mr. Hart’s vintage Woolrich hunting cap that we almost forgot about the brands more recent exploits. This outfit was pulled from their recent Autumn/Winter 2009 line and it’s as good as anything you’ll run across from their history.

They’ve found their way into Earnest Sewn and Odin in New York and Confederacy and Ron Herman in L.A., so they’re hardly the underdog these days, but it’s nice to know workwear has a few heavy-hitters on its side. They’re even a presence at the Rogues Gallery outlet in Maine…which we guess means they haven’t forgotten their roots.

With Monocle steadily making its way through our favorite brands, it was only a matter of time before they got around to Woolrich Woolen Mills.

Daiki Suzuki’s current marque teamed up with the London lifestyle mag for this spring jacket (via Hypebeast), which does as good a job of showcasing Suzuki’s unique style as anything we’ve seen.

The lightweight, unstructured fabric is simple enough, but a closer look shows all kinds of oddball details, from the ticket pocket on the right side to the puzzling cutaway around the middle button in front.

In keeping with their usual small-run strategy, only 110 of the jackets were produced (half in navy, half in olive), but we’re betting it won’t be too hard to come away with one. They’ve only been on the market a few hours…and £370 is nothing to sneeze at.

Apparently Monocle’s exclusive Woolrich Woolen Mills jacket isn’t quite so exclusive after all.

In fact, if you’re willing to settle for a black version (instead of Monocle’s Navy and Olive), you can get exactly the same jacket stateside for $50 less. It’s a bit surprising, since all their previous goods were whipped up just for them. We guess Mr. Suzuki didn’t want to waste any good ideas.

So we guess Monocle’s contribution was picking out a couple fabric swatches?

If you want to know what you’re getting in a piece of clothing, designer sketches can tell you a lot more than the average picture. So it only makes sense we’re starting to see a bit more of them.

Through what must have been an impressive feat of espionage, SlamXHype (via h(y)r) got their hands on Daiki Suzuki’s sketches for the upcoming Woolrich Woolen Mills fall line.

It’s impressive stuff, as we’ve come to expect from Suzuki, but his designs are also especially well suited to sketching. Without distracting things like color and fabric getting in the way, Suzuki’s patches and curves start to look more mathematical than nostalgic, and the whole enterprise takes on a workmanlike air. Which we’d say is only appropriate.

See more sketches»

Shalom: Shalom Harlow blips onto our radar via Vogue Nippon. [Refinery29]

Being Blunt: The ten finer points of cigar etiquette. We’d suggest, as an addendum, “Don’t ash on her cat.” [Luxist]

Mill Work: Woolrich Woolen Mills collections are always worth a look. [Selectism]

Going Quantum: Scientists build the world’s first quantum computer, potentially unleashing infinite processor power and breaking the codes that protect internet finance. But it still won’t run Vista. [Gizmodo]

If you were wondering what the cargo-pant resurgence was all about, here’s a helping hand: It should look something like this.

This field pant from Woolrich Woolen Mills packs bonuses like ripstop fabric and a pleasantly colorful plaid lining, but we’re most concerned with those pouches on the front. It won’t feel too different from jean pockets (give or take a snap), but the look is a pretty big leap forward. And because of the central pleat, you should be able to stash a blackberry in them without throwing off the drape. Eddie Vedder would be proud.

Outerwear tends to fall into one of two camps: there’s the traditionalists (think toggle coats, tweeds, anything equestrian) and the futurists (goretex, stretch-enhancing weaves, chemically treated waterproofing). So when a collaboration crosses the aisle, it’s usually worth a closer look.

In this case, the workwear cred comes from Woolrich who borrowed some indigo gore-tex from Nanamica for this Mountain Parka. It looks the same from afar, but the inside is goosedown instead of classic cloth, making it both lighter and warmer than you’d expect. Throw in some plaid lining and a few wooden toggles to keep the Americana spirit alive, and nobody’s the wiser. It might be the best of both worlds: retro on the outside, hi-tech on the inside. Take notes.