Q&A | April Vokey

Photo of April Vokey by Jeremy Koreski courtesy of Patagonia. 

Ever since my first trip to Wyoming with my husband's family, I've been intrigued by fly fishing (or ever since I saw A River Runs Through It, but let's not split hairs). It's such a measured sport. It takes a hunter's mentality, an athlete's coordination, a conservationist's mindset, and if you're really good, a serious knowledge of bugs. 

When I discovered April Vokey, a professional fly fisherwoman and Patagonia ambassador out of British Columbia, I thought: wow. Fly fishing is still a majorly male-dominated sport, so a young successful professional like April is pretty rare. In fact, April told me that when she was starting out everyone assumed she was "someone's girlfriend". Someone's hugely talented girlfriend can fish better than you? Maybe. One of the greatest things April told me was that before she was a pro, she worked as a cocktail waitress at a casino in Canada. She went to work at 8:30pm fully made-up—mascara, lipstick, the whole nine. When her shift was over at 4:30am she'd drive straight to the river to fish. She didn't even waste time taking off her makeup. As a result she was ironically pegged as a girly high-maintenance type who puts on makeup to go fishing at 4:30 in the morning, but the truth is, she was so low-maintenance that she couldn't be bothered. You can find more of April virtually on her blog or get info about her guided trips through her company.

If not in British Columbia, I would live in...Roatán, Honduras.

My dream vacation would be to...go back to the Seychelles.

My current obsessions are...

Food: authentic Italian and great sushi.

Music: Soul music and anything that makes me want to dance.

Fashion: A simple outfit with hot shoes or boots and good hair.

Retail Store: Wherever I can find with free shipping online (I hate shopping).

I channel my childhood self when I...sit outside in the sun and close my eyes so the orange glow warms my eyelids. Pair that with fresh flowers and singing birds and I'm seven years old again.

The fictional character I most relate to is...Elizabeth Bennet.

If I had to be outdoors all day I would...do exactly as I do now. Fish!

My favorite quality in a man is...staying true to his word.

My favorite quality in a woman is...not making me have to guess why they're mad.

I'm terrified of...not appreciating today.

My dream car is a...rental. I hate owning "stuff".

My cocktail of choice is...Jack on the rocks.

My celebrity crush is...Angelina Jolie and Jason Statham.

My beauty product of choice is...good chapstick.

My friends and I like to...act goofy when no one is watching, and get a little naughty when we know the fishing guys aren't around to witness it.

If I could go back in time for one decade it would be...the 1930's so I could hang with Louie Armstrong and be certain that I would always love the blessed life that I have today.

As a teenager I was totally into...fishing and music.

I tend to splurge on...art.

Being able to spend a day outdoors with spiders in my hair and dirt in my nails, all the while smiling as I dodge grizzly bears and hook into a ruthless steelhead...is what makes me have Tomboy Style.

GEAR | MWC Vietnam Watches

Military watches have always interested me. They're rugged, resilient, and typically inexpensive. I have a 1941 WWII era Elgin A-11 that is really fun to wear. At first glance it can be mistaken for a J.Crew Timex, but it's the real deal. Lately though I've been seeing the MWC (Military Watch Company) Vietnam re-issues here and there. My sister-in-law has worn the matte black one for years now (so cool!) and I have a guy friend that wears it as well. I've always admired the simplicity and utilitarian look of them.When I saw them popping up at stores like Steven Alan, I wanted to dig a little deeper.

The Vietnam War marked a major shift in the military watch. The earliest military watches were considered valuable items, only allotted to the highest ranks. Things changed gradually as watches became cheaper to manufacture. By the Vietnam era, the U.S. Military decided it would be cheaper to create and replace disposable watches than it would be to fix more expensive watches. Thus the Vietnam watch was born, a disposable plastic-faced simple watch. In 2010 MWC re-issued them in specifications that make them virtually indistinguishable in look and weight to the originals. They did however switch to all metal construction and upgrade to a stronger reinforced plastic, which means it's vastly superior in both durability and general quality. Not really disposable anymore. Win win.

MWC Vietnam watches are sold at The Goodhood Store (thanks Sophie!) and directly though MWC: Matte Black ($55) and Olive Drab ($55).

SCREEN | The Last Days of Disco

I love this movie. The one criticism is that the fashion at times reads a little more late 90s's (when it was filmed) than the intended "very early 80s", but still a gem for the clothes and that inimitable Whit Stillman dialogue.

SCENE | Vassar College, 1913.

Photo of an outdoor basketball game at Vassar College by E.L. Wolven, May 1913, via The Library of Congress.

Women's college basketball 100 years ago. #pantaloons

STUDIO VISIT | Victoria Morris Pottery

Moment of honesty: When I started this blog three years ago, I didn't think it would last this long. I thought surely I'd run out of things to blog about, there couldn't possibly years worth of material. But then, day after day, week after week, I stumble upon a new designer or someone emails me a little-known tomboy of decades past. Somehow I'm constantly being introduced to cool women doing cool shit. I frankly haven't gotten used to it! I don't want to get all schmaltzy on everyone, but this community is so rad and I'm so thankful for all the help, emails, and introductions. Today was no exception, I met the incredibly talented potter Victoria Morris in her Echo Park studio. Her pottery has retailed in a handful of shops around the country that basically make up the who's who of design stores. We're talking the upper echelon: March in SF, OK Store and Commune in LA, and Partners & Spade in NYC. Her work is influenced by her love of Japanese aesthetics and her own Scandinavian heritage—the results are a stunning range of clean but soulful pieces. And I cannot omit the fact that Morris is not only talented, but so cool too—laid back, humble, hilarious—I could hang out in her studio for hours shooting the breeze talking surfing and bird feathers. Check out her website for more images and info.







This last photo is of a drawing that Morris' great-grandfather drew of her grandmother—an airplane-flying, motorcycle-riding 20th century tomboy. We see where Victoria gets it from!

UNIFORM | Jungmaven

Current obsession: Jungmaven henleys ($75) and tees ($29). #americanhemp

Q&A | Alyssa Larson

Photo of Alyssa Larson in a beekeeper suit by Bon Ton Photo. 

I honestly don't know how this happened, but one day maybe six months ago I decided to follow Alyssa Larson on Instagram. Maybe she followed me and I checked her out? Not exactly sure. She was a perfect stranger but I fell in love with her photos—horses, days on the slopes, fishing, farming, and all the cool outfits that go along for the ride. Cut to a few weeks ago: I land in Montana and after a day hike along the Madison River we sit down for dinner at Stacey's Bar. My host for the weekend, Ben Nobel, the brand manager at Kletterwerks, says his girlfriend "Syl" is on her way over to meet us. So there we are hanging out over beers when all of a sudden the circle gets closed and I find myself saying, "Wait, you're Alyssa Larson, the same Alyssa Larson from my phone!?!?" A small world moment in Big Sky country! Of course Alyssa is even cooler in the flesh (didn't know that was possible)—she's a beekeeper, and agriculturalist, a ski patroller and yoga instructor, and the absolute real deal when it comes to tomboy style.

A few photos from Alyssa Larson's Instagram feed.

If not in Bozeman, I would live in...Chamonix.

My dream vacation would be to...ride with the nomadic Kyrgyz of northeastern Afghanistan and ski in the Wakham.

My current obsessions are...my pinto, organic bee-keeping, skiing, yoga, sustainable agriculture and textiles, farm-to-fashion, perennial gardens, rubies, steer hides, huaraches, espadrilles, parakeets, madras, natural hot springs, industrialized hemp, crop circles, and Bon Ton Photo.

Food: Honey, farm-to-table restaurants, and Indian vegetarian cuisine.

Music: Milo Greene and Willie Nelson.

Fashion: Levi's Vintage Clothing, Lee, Wrangler, The Hill-Side, Vintage Cabela's, Woolrich, Patagonia, Prana, Armor Lux, Battenwear, Tender Co, Mountain Equipment, Industry of all Nations, Keds, Jungmaven, Snow Peak, Red Wing, Kletterwerks, American Optical, Shoes Like Pottery, Boast, Solemate Socks, OMgirl, M. Nii, Waste(twice), and Kapital.

I channel my childhood self when I...ski.

The fictional character I most relate to is...Charlotte A. Cavatica.

If I had to be outdoors all day I would...wake to the sound of sandhill cranes and herd the cows on horseback at the ranch concluding in dinner with family and friends on the back porch.

My favorite quality in a man is...passion, mountain sense and a willingness to dance. (You can tell everything about a man by spending a day with him in the mountains.)

My favorite quality in a woman is...authenticity, intrigue and self-love.

I'm terrified of...being mundane.

My dream car is a...Defender SVX Truck with my American Collie riding shotgun, but I’m also a Chevy girl at heart.

My cocktail of choice is...a glass of dry red wine.

My celebrity crush is...Charlton Heston and Keith Malloy. And I think Mélanie Laurent is fabulous.

My beauty product of choice is...sandalwood essential oil, Juniper Ridge Sierra Summer Pine bar soap, and coconut oil.

My friends and I like to...fly fish.

If I could go back in time for one decade it would be...to the Rocky Mountains in the early 1900s.

As a teenager I was totally into...horses, traveling and saving my favorite photos from the Patagonia catalogs.

I tend to splurge on...pure carbon fiber DPS skis, handmade Carter’s cowboy boots. My Nana taught me to never pinch a penny when it comes to quality.

Grace and grit...is what makes me have Tomboy Style.

UNIFORM | Avenger Field

Photo of Madge Rutherford, pilot trainee in the Women's Flying Training Detachment, writing a letter home at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, TX. by Peter Stackpole for LIFE, 1943.

Ray-Ban Ambermatic Aviators ($215); Loren Stewart Lightning Bolt Studs ($317); Men's Save Khaki Good Will Hunting Jacket ($268, also check-out Save Khaki's Shop Jacket available in XS and up at Shelter Half in L.A.); Ancient Greek Sandals ($215).

ICON | Jean Shrimpton

Photo of Jean Shrimpton (a.k.a. The Shrimp) suited up for the April 1965 special edition of Harpers Bazaar, edited and photographed by Richard Avedon via Iain Claridge.

WEEKEND EXTRAS:

This Saturday in L.A.: The Echo Park Craft Fair.

Limited edition Tanner Goods luggage collection for The Woodlands.

The French label Filles a Papa's S/S 13 collection is all about the tomboy (thanks Simons).

Upstate.

In case you missed it: Levi's X Liberty of London.

Keep up with Tomboy Style elsewhere: INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

SCENE | The Dock

Photo of three girls from the Iowa State University canoe team by George Skadding for LIFE, 1948.

GEAR | M. Hulot

I've said it more than once: I'm not a big 'it' bag person. A lot of it seems to be ornamental hardware and sub-par manufacturing fetching exorbitant price tags. When I do get excited about a handbag it's functional, utilitarian, and well-made. Enter English-made M. Hulot out of London. They're all about the classics and attention to detail. In their words the brand "is a direct response to the throw away culture of the mass-market and an antidote to heavily branded designer goods." They're speaking my language (English!) (zing!). I love the name too—M. Hulot comes from the stylishly attired fictional Frenchman Monsieur Hulot, and reflects his struggles with the modern world and its increasing pace.

Here's one of their bags I'm really going crazy over: the Garrad clutch bag (approx $232). And not that it matters or anything, but doesn't it kind of remind you of Sebastian's journal from Cruel Intentions?

SCREEN | Breathless

Flights are such a great opportunity to sit and watch classic films. When else do you have a chunk of time to sit still with no distractions? I had seen Breathless in college, and again a few years ago, but I re-watched it a few days ago; it's one of those films you could watch once a year. There's always even more to it than the time before. I found myself not wanting to descend.

UNIFORM | Bozeman, MT.

Just back from a weekend of hanging with the Kletterwerks crew in Bozeman, Montana. What a place. I was there working on the forthcoming Tomboy Style X Kletterwerks bag and had I not had a husband, dog, and house here, I may have never come home. The hikes, the fishing, the skiing, the bars, the restaurants, the views, the animals, I could go on. Here are a few things I saw, bought, wore, or wished I had while in Bozeman.

Clockwise from top left: Jungmaven Mountain Henley ($75); Vintage Remington aviator sunglasses ($20); The Kletterwerks Kletter Flip ($197, made in Bozeman); Hand-dyed Found Rope Leash ($56-$66); Rasox tie-dyed socks ($25); Schnee's Forester Hunting Boot w/ Tongue Tassel ($129, made in Bozeman); Armor Lux Summer Scarf ($35); Levi's X Liberty of London collaboration jean shorts (available in mid-May at select Levi's stores). Honorable Mention: Carter's Cobbler Shoppe of Bozeman for work boots and moccasins.

ICON | Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten

Photos of blues and folk legend Elizabeth Cotten in Washington D.C. by John Cohen, 1960.

Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten has been covered by Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, and Taj Majal. She played in the home of Senator John F. Kennedy. She's a Grammy winner. The Smithsonian Institute recognized her as a "living treasure". But more impressive than all of that, at just 11 years old, Cotten went door-to-door looking for work to save up the $3.75 required to purchase a Stella guitar from a local dry-goods store in North Carolina. Eventually after making less that $1 per month as a house helper, the guitar was hers. She taught herself how to play a right-handed strung guitar upside down with her left hand, which produced a singular and inimitable style later known affectionately as "Cotten picking". Cotten wrote the seminal hit Freight Train before she was a teenager, but didn't find recognition until many decades later. Her legend certainly lives on as she is today considered a beacon of folk music history. For more on Cotten, check out this video of one of her last (if not the last) recorded performances and interviews.

Big thanks to Kelly O'Rielly for the great suggestion.

P.S. Headed to Montana tomorrow for an exciting project, so I may be short on the blog for the rest of week, but keep up with Tomboy Style on Instagram!

UNIFORM | GREI.

GREI. is a New York-based accessories company that came together as a side-project between two friends who loved collecting vintage bandanas. After hunting down bandanas at places like The Brooklyn Flea, the two friends, Larry Paul and Andrew Spargo, decided to try their hand designing bandanas themselves and "maybe make a few designs for fun". Two years later, they're a full-fledged company, releasing two collections a year and retailing at some of my favorite shops in the country, like Mill Mercantile and its brother store Unionmade in San Francisco. And their bandanas, while crisp and new, are totally solid.