It’s as if Fate knocked on my door and told me that almost every one of my weekends in 2019 would be booked for some event.  Luckily, I ain’t tired.

Yet.

2019 has been incredibly rich for menswear enthusiasts.  We’re not even at the end of February and we’ve already had two separate Dapper Day events and Inspiration LA!  All of it has kept me busy with inviting friends, taking pictures, and writing the recaps you’ve (hopefully) come to love.  Typically, the post-Inspiration season is pretty starved for content.  I use this time to write about more editorial content like simply hanging with my friends or addressing pieces of clothing that haven’t been talked about in detail.  While that has changed a bit, thanks to The Bloke hosting parties/trunk shows and the very cool Gooch Collective (which I hope returns soon), I assumed it would be business as usual.  Then I got invited to Etherway!

Now, probably like you, I was confused about what Etherway was!   I heard about it through a message from Gary who was apparently a “friend of friends according to Instagram (we had followers in common).  He told me that he heard a bit about me from his friends and thought I’d enjoy coming to this event. It was something totally new that he was hosting with his business partner Ether, and was going to be a fun diverse mix of “retro/music/drink/designer/party/shopping/photography/ and more”.

After looking at the website, I was intrigued. Etherway had already signed up our friends at 2120 Handcrafted and Clutchgolf on the vendor list, which included The Hollywood Trading Company (a vintage dealer) and even Clutch Magazine!  Add to that an open bar, a shoe stand from Willie’s Shoe Service, a special guest list and a cool LA location (I could only imagine how many weddings parties took place there), it really seemed to be something different than I’ve ever gone to before.  Was this the elite LA fashion party that I’ve heard so much about ? Luckily Gary had already invited Doug, Joshua, and Spencer, so I wasn’t going to be alone!

Spencer and I arrived fashionably late at around 1:30 and was greeted immediately by Ether, who was killing it in a slick suit and boot combination.  The place was very LA, with wood and sheet metal walls, a neon sign, and an inside portion for the vendors that boasted a white interior and plenty of natural light.  You could take a picture anywhere on the property and have it look amazing.  They certainly spared no expense, to take a quote from John Hammond.

I’m a bit shy so I spent most of my time just hanging with my friends and being a photographer-fly on the wall, capturing random moments and outfits that you’ll see in a bit.  Like I said earlier about the guest list, it was an interesting mix of people. There was the workwear/vintage guys like us and the people over at Hollywood Trading Co./Good Art Hollywood (a jewelry brand) and then there was the more fashion crowd, ranging from interesting LA streetwear to stuff more high-fashion stuff.   Gary was incredibly nice, as he made sure to check in on us as he played host!

Spencer and I had a great time (we left around 5:30 as we were celebrating his birthday that evening).  Again, I’m still curious to see what comes from it as I saw so many people making different connections and new friends; maybe I should have put myself out there more! Either way (pun intended), I hope that the event is repeated and grows bigger.  It’s certainly a change of pace from gatherings at The Bloke or Dapper Day and is hopefully a sign that the fashion world here in LA is changing.

I decided to go tits out for this event, not only to show off my new goodies but because the event was something I had never experienced before (and I wanted to look badass).

Brycelands has been a big fan of using black leather jackets with casual tailoring in the past, but I think I must have been subconsciously inspired mostly by this Kenji Cheung outfit, since the colors are most similar. The beret has been a bit of a trademark for me lately, though it does give off a bit of a Black Panther vibe.

Overall, it’s a sleeker version than the outfit I wore to Inspiration LA thanks to it’s darker colors and sleeker shirt.  I’ve wanted a black double rider forever to do a look like this (as brown makes it more rustic), so I’m glad I copped one at the trade show. It’s a bit beat up but that’s all a part of the charm. I don’t care that it’s not a Buco; I’m just glad I finally have one of my grails.

It’s worn over a 1940’s checked rayon sportshirt (you can’t see the big floppy collar) and my trusty thrifted Polo RL flannel trousers. Pretty soon I won’t be able to wear these pieces, since it’s starting to warm up!

Spencer has a really defined style now, which contrasts with my love of variety.  He’s always firmly in an ivy-inspired outfit that mixes in classic pieces with vintage military wear. Over a vintage tennis sweater, one of the preppiest things you can own, he has a reproduction wool-lined N-1 which kept him plenty warm. The true vintage olive chinos were from our NYC trip and have been a favorite of his ever since.

If Doug’s outfit looks familiar, it’s because you’ve seen it before.  That’s perfectly alright, since you can’t go wrong with a red aloha shirt (his is vintage) and a pair of high rise pleated trousers.  It’s stuff like this that make me yearn for summer. Just a little bit.

Also love that he’s wearing white socks and penny loafers, just like us!

Garret continues the easy summer style with a lowkey combination. His triple patch-pocket chorecoat is definitely more like a shirt-jacket; it’s made of a very thin ripstop-esque fabric that looks super easy-to-wear. It’s worn over a plain tee (for that workwear vibe) and grey-green high rise trousers.  Shoes are the latest derby design from 2120 Handcrafted, a shoe brand that he helps run with it’s founder and creative director Aram (whom you’ll also see in this post).

Josh’s outfit is nice and sweet. He’s been wearing that Stetson Open Road as much as he can, after it was stretched out by our pal Akira.  Like his brother before him, his outfit is rather minimalistic. The main point of interest in his vintage Lee jacket which has a pleated front, bi-swing back, and side adjusters. He’s also wearing the new 2120 derby, in brown suede.

Snapshots

Here are some fly-on-the-wall snaps I took while at the party.  Hopefully you can understand the vibe and clientele of the event! There was also videographer and other photographers roaming the grounds, but I always prefer to show off my own pictures since I get them edited/exported pretty damn quick!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

As you can see, it was a very interesting event that brought together people of different backgrounds and styles! Everyone was really pleasant and nice, and I’m glad I got to talk to as many people as I did, though I should’ve done more. Again, I can’t wait to see how this develops and if there is going to be more in the future.  Hopefully it gets bigger and bigger each time, as I’ve never really been around something like this before, where high-fashion in the same space as vintage casual/workwear.  That’s the future I want to see and be a part of!

I’m glad I got to attend and document it all for you guys.  Again, a big thank you to Gary and Ether for inviting the gang to check it out!

Always a pleasure,

Ethan W.

@ethanmwong 

Street x Sprezza

Photography by poopingethan