Writing, reviews, interviews, photography.

Posts by A. Frankel

Inquiries & Responses vol. 10: Rogue Territory

Posted on October 9, 2012

A few weeks ago I visited Karl Thoennessen, the man behind Rogue Territory, at his workshop and studio in his home in Atwater Village, a little neighborhood nestled in between Griffith Park, Silverlake, and Glendale. I was living near Silverlake at the time and it was a quick drive over to his place on a weekday morning, though given the unpredictable nature of Los Angeles traffic I gave myself ample time for the short cruise across the 5 freeway. After arriving nearly 15 minutes early at his place and having just got a text from him asking if I wanted anything from Proof Bakery, I circled the block. Twice. Click below for the interview and photo set.

Categories: Inquiries & Responses, Interviews, Photos, Writeups

The Standard Relay: The Hill-Side AW’12, Copper at London’s Design Festival, The American Classic’s Instagram, & more.

Posted on September 27, 2012

Copper at London’s Design Festival

Mighty. Pretty.

Copper is a beautiful thing. It’s got the whole package going for it; it maintains value, it looks great right out of the box, it looks even cooler with time as it oxidizes, and all things considered it’s fairly durable. Apparently there was a ton of it to be found at the recent London Design Festival. There’s some great pictures over at Cool Hunting; I recommend you take a look.

Michigan’s Manitou Island Wreck

A Good Read if You Have Time

Gear Patrol published a pretty great story about a shipwreck in Michigan. You should check it out.

The Hill-Side A/W’12 LB

They’re Back.

The Hill-Side has put out their A/W’12 lookbook as shot by their friends from around the globe with disposable cameras. Somehow it isn’t on their site yet but you can check out the shots via Complex Mag.

Vintage Headphone Hangers

Headphones as Hangers. Not the Other Way Around.

Cool Material published a few photos of some great vintage headphones retrofitted as hangers. It’s actually way cooler than it sounds so give it a look-see.

The American Classic Instagram

@TheAmericanClassic. Look it up.

We’re about to get all up in your Insta-feed. Assuming, that is, that you’ll have us. We’ve been talking about it for some time now and decided that given our recent expansion and coverage on both coasts, we’d like to present you with our somewhat behind-the-scenes offering on Instagram. You’ll get an inside look at some of the workings into our articles, some shop visits, and plenty of other neat stuff. You can find us there at @TheAmericanClassic. Welcome aboard.

Categories: The Standard Relay

The Great Western Expansion Photo Recap

Posted on September 8, 2012

For the third time in three years, I recently traveled westward to Los Angeles traversing the entire width of the country beginning in Philadelphia. This particular trip was a bit different in that there was no planned return to the East Coast so my approach to living in LA has been considerably different. That being said, the trip itself is always incredible and as I am becoming a seasoned veteran of the great American road trip, I’m beginning to learn which parts have the most interesting stops along the way. I’ve stopped at the same Whole Foods in Oklahoma City three years in a row. I’ve stopped at the same Cracker Barrel near Flagstaff for two years as I have with the same gas station somewhere in rural New Mexico. It’s funny how things become habit over time, though when you drive the same route in the same car you’re bound to need gas at the same point along the same stretch of highway.

There’s something haunting about Route 66. Once you pass Oklahoma City everything gets just a bit stranger and if you do it right and pull into Amarillo, TX. just after sunset, you’re in for a treat of ghost towns and abandoned communities the next day dotting the highway. Once bustling pitstops are now shells of the decaying American road trip, once a past time and now a penance. It takes days; the whole trip, if done how I typically do it, takes 5 days with a major break in the middle to visit some family in St. Louis. It takes patience and time but once you get through Oklahoma (arguably the least interesting part of the trip, no offense Oklahomans) the landscape shifts and you’re suddenly somewhere in the gorgeous, golden, lonesome wild west. Here’s a few images from the trip covering all ten states we traversed along our way. Click here or below to see the entire photo set.

Categories: Photos, Travels

The Standard Relay: Lookbooks from Beauty & Youth, Private White V.C, Happy Socks, Lifetime Collective, & Aether Apparel

Posted on August 30, 2012

After a bit of a hiatus The Standard Relay is back and just in time for lookbooks dropping like flies. Wait…Anyway, here’s a roundup of lookbooks and other good stuff that’s been coming out this week. And last week, too.

Beauty & Youth United Arrows

F/W ’12 Lookbook

There’s not much here that really showcases clothing but the shoot looks like it was fun as hell. Click through for some highly stylized debauchery (via Selectism).

Private White V.C.

F/W ’12 Lookbook

A somewhat somber and serious looking shoot, the clothes look great and make me wish I still had a cold winter as a future here in Los Angeles. The clothes remind me of a mix between something I’d see from midwestern laborers and military personnel (via Selectism).

Happy Socks

F/W ’12 Lookbook


I fucking love Happy Socks. Not only is the name jaunty and over the top but their color schemes are wild and I really dig that. This lookbook showcases some awkward photos on colorful backgrounds making their socks pop like…I don’t even know. Click through to see the gallery (via Selectism).

Lifetime Collective

F/W ’12 Lookbook

I loved this lookbook. Something about the aesthetic struck home here, probably because it’s how we like to shoot things too. Check it (via Selectism).

Aether Apparel

Winter ’12 Lookbook

I’m always a fan of what Aether does, this is no exception. Click on through (via Another Something).

Categories: The Standard Relay