Somewhere between Grace Jones, vintage Calvin Klein, and backwoods biker bars lies the street-meets-high fashion designs of NYC boutique/clothing line OAK. In their six years as a storefront and in-house design team, co-creators Jeff Madalena and Louis Terline have remained true to their style ideals since opening their first store, the women’s-only Canary. “The concept was simple,” explains OAK’s designer Kristopher Whitman. “To bring a knowledge of fashion to an unpretentious retail setting. We believe fashion is about being informed, obtainable, easy, and a mix between classic designers and up-and-coming talent.” After expanding to a shop across the way from Canary’s Bond Street locale, the team started OAK, an exclusively men’s store, and eventually opened a second location on 8th Street in Brooklyn featuring lines for both genders. “New York is in constant flux and we represent that in our stores—the way they’re built (we change parts of the build-out every season), as well as the merchandise we carry,” says senior buyer Thomas Mathew. “Plus, we work with materials that we feel are rooted in New York fashion—denim, jersey, and leather, and almost everything we carry comes in black.” Here are a few of OAK’s fall offerings.

White Plaid Button Pocket Flannel Shirt ($142) (above)
When we saw this plaid, we knew we had to use it for our line—clean and classic with unexpected pocket details for a bit of a twist.

Layered Overcoat ($372)
We wanted to develop the prefect everyday coat. Made of melton wool, this one is structured in the shoulder with a French terry underlap that softens it up a bit. Military M-51 parka details keep it butch.

Torque Tee ($52)
We’ve experimented with not-so-basic basics and this was a hit, so we brought it back for fall—super-soft with a slight cowl neck and cut against the grain with a curved, unfinished hem.

Black Slouch Hoodie ($92)
The exaggerated hood and soft, thick fleece make this a staple in anyone’s wardrobe. We created this style exclusively for the OAK customer.

The Boat Bar?
Miss Pussycat and I have spent many happy hours drinking and thinking alone at this special basement bar. Our dear friend Julien found this abandoned by the railroad tracks and a bunch of us went out at 4 a.m., loaded it onto a truck, and brought it to the Spellcaster Lodge. We had to actually remove the back wall of the house to get it in! Someone spent a ton of time working on this amazing nautical-themed bar—all of the chrome you see is real boat hardware and the upholstery is super-rugged. I keep waiting for some old pirate man to walk into one of our parties and say, “Hey, I built that and I want it back!” The boat bar is also equipped with a noise machine (above) that electronically recreates the sound of the ocean tides!

J.R. Ewing Statue?
I keep this 14-inch-tall statue of J.R. Ewing next to the computer for business inspiration. Much of the writing for Dallas was absolutely brilliant, but the character of J.R. (and Larry Hagman’s portrayal) was the series’ enduring masterpiece. Although I would not endorse cheating on your wife (with her sister!) or going behind your father’s back to sell his special hill to some evil oil-drilling dudes, I do feel some kind of kinship with this misunderstood man. This little statue includes a removable cowboy hat so you can fill his body with liquor, and behind him sits an oil well jutting out of a ceramic stack of hundred-dollar bills. The best thing? Turn his body upside down and wind up the built-in music box!

?Ben Hecht Books
?Hecht had a great career writing for Hollywood (Gone With the Wind, Wuthering Heights, Notorious), but it was his sinister, decadent short stories and novels that were his true art. Any fan of Oscar Wilde, Baudelaire, or Bukowski needs to check out Hecht’s books, especially Erik Dorn or Fantazius Mallare. The latter was so shocking at the time of its initial printing in 1922 that it was suppressed until 1978. Hecht’s writing is so weird and floral that you can almost smell what he is saying on the page. A few of the books in this pile are first editions—they are real special to me, even though they are falling apart.

Street-sweeping Brush?
This brush was used to clean the streets after Hurricane Katrina. My friend Stevie and I drunkenly toted this into a van in the wee hours. This was at a time just post-Katrina when there were really no laws—as long as you were wearing a bright orange vest and a hard hat nobody asked any questions. To me, this object represents the kind of crazy nights you can have in New Orleans. Sometimes we have to make our own fun here because, let’s face it, the center of wealth and culture we are not. I was just reminded that we went on this adventure to get away from some annoying guy who wanted to have the cliché, whiskey-soaked “What happens when you die?” conversation. Ugh! NOTHING happens when you die, so do something right now… like steal a giant blue brush, dum-dum!

The Drum Buddy?
This is an instrument of my own invention—basically, a very refined analog synthesizer controlled by light. The can spins around, releasing holes of light into the little colored pipes, which trigger my specially designed Drum Buddy sounds! I have one I play on tour and one that sits on our mantle in the living room so we can run the TV sound through it. Although Drum Buddy has gained a lot of notoriety via a few celeb owners, (Laurie Anderson, Nels Cline, almost Kanye West), in our home it’s kind of like another roommate, or a pet or mascot. The Drum Buddy has actually become a big inspiration for a few of Miss Pussycat’s fashion creations. I think she is trying to compete with the Lacoste alligator.