Lark Bulletin (Part 1: Black Paint)

It all started in the early Sunday morning.

Yes! Our store front got a makeover. Now looking sharp in fresh BLACK!

Can you believe we were actually worried about the weather last week? Ha!
Thanks to the heatwave in Vancouver,  the wet paint signs didn't last too long on the windows.

Our new face.

The view from inside.

New lights in the windows. 

Slowly but more exciting changes are happening in the near future!

To be continued... (or visit us and find out the result in person!)

A Visitor from Australia

The author behind Hands on with X was in Vancouver last week and she took some great pictures of shops and sights around town. Jing takes great pictures of delicious food, and the places she visits all over Australia and abroad. 

Jing is wearing a Lark Gingham shirt and United Bambo pants. She's got a great watch and scarf on too.

This is her Billykirk leather bag that she's been using everyday for a year.

We had coffee together at Gene, and got to talking about how things are made, and what we like about the things we like.

Jing was also wearing her Pyrrha Integrity necklace in bronze, we liked how it looked with her polkadot scarf and check shirt. 

Thank you for the visit Jing, it was so nice to meet you in person!

Coming Soon: Burkman Brothers

Our fall delivery from Burkman Brothers will be arriving pretty soon, get ready!

[Fall Winter 2010 Story]

Cool weather, mountain streams and snow covered, alpine forests – all the things that come naturally to designers’ minds when it comes to delivering functional fall collections. For Burkman bros Fall 2010, however, we looked to Shimla, the Himalayan city that served as the summer capital of the British Raj while serving up Anglo- Indian exoticism in extremes. Tudorbethan and neo-Gothic architecture alongside a Hindu temple, pine forests and rhododendrons punctuated by the odd elephant, Shimla is everything that the Swiss Alps and Rocky Mountain resort towns can never be: brilliantly unique.

Burkman Bros Fall 2010 channels the distinctive cool of this former colonial outpost through dobby textured outerwear, Himalayan-inspired graphics and a strong collection of masculine pants with the subtlest reference to hiking aesthetics. Foreign Fairisle and fine gauge merino wool sweaters together with comfortable jersey lined flannel shirts, all with the lightest touch of local inspiration, let you layer up without the usual boxy shapes. And as always, our plaids and patterns are unique to Burkman bros – designed by us and woven especially for us – you will not find them anywhere else.

Exotic, masculine and ruggedly sexy, our Himalayan-inspired Burkman bros Fall 2010 collection takes you on a little journey without ever feeling out-of-place, no matter what city or slope you’re trekking around.

- DOUG and BEN BURKMAN -

Have we mentioned yet that each pattern is designed by the brothers and hand loomed in southern India exclusively for them?

Also have we mentioned that they really are brothers and they are Canadian?

Every season they present the collection with their unique story board. Here are some shots I took from the studio visit back in February.  There were photographs of people and streets, postcards, used tickets, letters with someone's handwriting..., everything that they were inspired by from their trip to Himalaya. I love how their ideas and inspiration come from their own original experiences and you can find the elements of their journey in the collection.  

The Autumn/Winter '10 look book is up on their website now. Take a look!

French fishermen sweaters

A Brief History

Breton Fishermen

 Photographed by Eliot Elisofon in the September of 1948

HISTORY OF THE NAVY SWEATER

The origins of the fisherman’s sweater are to be found in Brittany. It is from there that merchants left during during the 18th century to travel to England for the sale of their onions.

These merchants wore an item of clothing that made them recognizable from a distance.

The French expression "marchand d’ail" (garlic merchant) which is what these people were called, became in everyday speech "chandail" referring to this item of clothing.

Knitwear, which until then had been made from wool cloth, was made in a very tight stitching, using a secret stitch which granted to clothing warmth, water proofing, and considerable resistance to both the wind and cold.

(Saint James Matelot)

The real Fisherman’s sweater was a long garment, very close fitting, designed to protect a sailor’s back and keep the body warm. Highly practical, very easy to put on as a result of buttons on the side, and in unwashed sheep wool.

Several variants appeared : colors like red, white, striped, but it should be remembered that, in the Navy, the single colored sweater was reserved for officers, and the striped variety for sailors. In the French Navy, young recruits wear a striped tee-shirt during their three month onboard training period.

Cancale in classic navy

Beret Oeillets 

Breton Fishermen

 Photographed by Eliot Elisofon in the September of 1948

At Lark we aren't just inspired by heritage brands, we are inspired by history itself.

Now Online: St James

we've taken some new photos

check out our new look for Saint James on our webshop

Galathee for women (New)

Meridien slim fit (New)

This fit is not easily available outside of Japan

A new colour in Levant

The Meridien looks best when there are many of them

We've got some new Saint James styles and colours available online

In other news...

I would like to introduce you to Boxer. 

He is a special cat with great taste in packaging.

A customer of ours sent us these photos and explained that Boxer is in love with this Lark Bag, and has been for more then a year.

According to Courtney (and Brian) if you tell Boxer how nice his bag is it makes him happy, and if they try to take the bag away he gets sad. 

We offered Courtney a new Lark bag, and she admitted that she has brought some new ones home, but Boxer likes his old bag and isn't ready to move on. 

Both Courtney and Brian have gotten so used to their cats favourite toy that they refer to it as 'The Bag'.

Thank you to Courtney and Brian for sharing this story with us, it made our day.