Unconventional elements can vastly improve everyday products, like platinum in catalytic converters, or cough syrup in the Flaming Homer Moe. For the clothing version, try 429, in stores this week.

An NY line from a former SF web-preneur, 429 offers office/casual gear whose outward simplicity is belied by its deliberate design -- the Lee Majors of couture, without the nanananana. The sartorial tech starts with steel-threaded cotton henleys (for tensile strength), v-neck sweaters with canvas-backed hoods (for wind breakage), and long-sleeved tees made from bamboo (for cashmere-ish breathability, and because "Suck it, pandas"). 429 also wrinkle-proofs linen-cotton blazers with nylon, and enhances sweatshirts with elastic-ribbed seams -- thus increasing flexibility, for when actually getting up for the remote's not an option.

429 also offers more traditionally-textiled items, e.g., 100% pima cotton tees, woven button-downs, and "12-inch shorts" -- which, when supplemented with you, are known as "nutters".