Lace Lock Losers

Nike SB "Patagonia"

2011-12-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

New kicks! I'm usually pretty particular about the laces matching the swoosh, but with these I'm going with the red laces!

Tauntauns

2011-11-26T21:38:00.001-08:00

Picked these up at UNDFTD the other day. Nice colorway, good use of materials, and they DO remind me of a Tauntaun! I only wish that the insides of the shoes looked like the guts of a Tauntaun!

Nike Hachi

2011-11-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

Multiple materials? Check. Perforated Swoosh? Check. Colorway that I can wear without looking like a clown AND look a little "grown up"? Check. Will they be in my closet this Fall when they're released? Check. Check. Check.

Royal "Knit"

2011-10-16T22:29:00.001-07:00

Totally feeling this look for Fall.

Sperry Shipyard Longshoreman Chukka Boot

2011-10-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

I told my wife the other day that I was thinking about picking up a few pairs of kicks that weren't trainers. She laughed.I'm thinking that these would be just about perfect for dressing up a little bit this Fall.

Vengance

2011-10-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Looks like a solid kick for wearing on the weekend this Fall.

AM 90 Aztec

2011-09-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Another slick kick that would be nice to wear this fall. Love the colors and the subtle design details.

VISVIM

2011-09-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

Doesn't VISVIM just kill it? They're unlike anything else out there. Upon seeing these sweet kicks I've started thinking about picking up a new pair for Fall!

Nike Trainer SC II

2011-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Nothing terribly special about this shoe(no disrespect to Bo, hey man I had the OG colorway of these back in the day) but the colorway is really speaking to me. I guess it's the season but I've been feeling the darker, deeper colors lately.

Paper Dunks

2011-05-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

I guess the only question about these sick kicks is: how much would you pay for them? There's only 24 pairs, which automatically makes them highly coveted by collectors. They're Geoff Mcfetridge designed which makes them cool as shit. And they're part of the successful MOCA Art in the Streets show, which means that anyone who is anyone in L.A. will more than likely be bidding on them too. I'm guessing they'll go for a hell of a lot more than I'm willing or able to spend, but I'm gonna put a bid in anyways (just in case!)

Summer Kicks

2011-05-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

Summer is right around the corner, and I'm definitely feeling mandarin orange over the chlorine blue that Nike's been pushing out lately. I actually picked these up in the mall! I know, I know, what the hell was I doing in the mall? I was in the Mac Store getting my computer fixed up and thought, "what the heck" I'll cruise into the Finish Line or Footlacker or whatever and see what they've got. Then I walked out with these slick kicks. Win!

Paper Dunks

2011-05-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

These Dunks are going to be auctioned off at MOCA as part of their Art in The Streets exhibition. I'm thinking about putting in a bid (it's a silent auction) for a pair. The bidding starts at $100. I'm sure they'll go for way more than I can afford, but I've gotta give it a shot, right?

Build your own NB574

2011-04-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

I didn't see this coming. New Balance is offering fans of the classic 574 silhouette a chance to design their own shoe. The color palette is pretty strong with some nice choices although designers aren't given access to any odd colors or off the wall materials. When compared to some of the surprising restrictions from the grandaddy of the self designed experience, Nike Id, the choices are pretty nice. Home designers get to add a little personal touch to the heel before the shoes are made in the USA. The price is really reasonable at $114.95. Check it out now and get a pair made.

Cool gray Jordan V

2011-03-28T02:10:00.000-07:00

I keep forgetting to talk about how awesome these new "cool gray" JV's look. Some people are calling these the "wolf gray" Jordans but whatever you call them they came out looking spectacular. I am biased towards the Jordan V silhouette but even from the depths of my JV lust it's clear that this is a colorway that will appeal to a lot of folks. The people at brand Jordan have given the cool gray treatment to most of the line at this point and it really works well on most models. The ice sole and the touch of silver in the flame detail along with the 3M tongue make this one of the most effective cool gray colorways so far.
It would be nice to see a true "wolf gray" colorway that mixed a darker gray and maybe even a little black into the shoe. With the way the Jordan people have been cranking out the retros maybe we will see a "wolf gray" one of these days.
Be on the lookout, these drop soon.

New year, new kicks.

2011-01-25T23:40:00.000-08:00

NB 1574

2011-01-20T05:47:00.000-08:00

I don't quite no why but I really like this new pair of NB 1574s. The all black is awesome. I love the pattern all over but especially on the heel. Nice pair of kicks.

Tron by Vans

2011-01-06T23:43:00.000-08:00

Just to juxtapose the last post, here is an example of a very well done pair of tron themed shoes. Vans got it right with the coloring and the details around the eyelets.

Reebok Tron Fail

2011-01-06T23:02:00.001-08:00

Having some serious nerd leanings I'm super excited about the new Tron movie, that doesn't come out here until February, despite some negative reviews. Being a Disney film, the marketing is off the charts and as a sneaker lover i've seen some really nice kicks inspired by the film. The reeboks above are the worst of the bunch so far. I'm trying hard not to let my reebok bias color how I see shoes from the company, especially after falling in love with my Basquiat themed Classics. That having been said, these things are just clunky and ugly. The tron graphics seem stuck on instead of integrated into the design of the shoe. Based on the first tron movie this silhouette is too large and unwieldy. It's dissapointing that reebok has shown that they can design nice kicks but then time and again they don't. p.s. these retail for $130.

vans vault taka style

2011-01-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

Taka Hayashi has had his way with the vans vault in the last few weeks. I like what he's done, most of his takes have a grown up but hip feel to them. He has a great eye for textures and materials and he does a great job of mixing them up. The shoe above is my favorite of the upcoming line, it doesn't drop until spring so maybe I'll have enough pennies saved up by then to grab a pair.

New Kicks

2010-10-23T23:01:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to me! The Vans x Filson lows are super nice! The quality of the leather and materials, as expected, is top notch. The Nike Ania Chukkas are really comfortable and look great. I love the woven detail on the sides and the mixture of materials. The Vans Bucklebacks were a bit of a disappointment. They aren't comfortable and the laces are way too long. I tried to swap them out with a pair of Starks laces but they didn't look right. I'm gonna try to find some shorter laces that match so that I can get some wear out of them, but I can already tell that these won't be in my rotation for very long.

NBA shoe ban

2010-10-20T03:32:00.000-07:00

Check this out

Jordan III Doernbecher edition

2010-10-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

The annual Doernbecher charity editions are out and like always there are a couple of wild takes on some classic Nike shoes. My favorite by far is this Jordan III.

Adidas x Boba Fett

2010-10-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

The Star Wars nerd in me can barely resist these. Luckily the fat dude wearing running shoes but never running in me is keeping him in check.

Nike Woodside

2010-09-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

I wish these Nike woodsides had been around when i was living in Vermont. The Gucci colorway is pretty sharp but the fact that these are tough and waterproof is an even more important factor. Perfect for mud season or sugaring, these bad boys would probably work out in the three feet plus of snow that was common.

Yo-Gabba-Gabba x Vans!

2010-08-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

These kicks drop in November; they should match my 2 year old's YGG underwear perfectly! He's gonna LOVE these!

Nadal/Agassi

2010-05-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't owned a dedicated tennis shoe since i played in high school and back then I wore a couple of Agassi's signature kicks. These new Nike air court blah blahs have been released for the upcoming French Open and the Agassi influence couldn't be more obvious. I really like the looks of these and might have to track down a pair this summer. They also come in a blue base that's pretty sharp.

French 576

2010-04-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

New Balance has a French themed 576 dropping in limited quantities on May 1st at the new NB pop up store over in the 4th. The 576 is one of my favorite shoes so you might see me in line on Saturday.

Summer Option: White perforated Janoski

2010-04-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

Stefan Janoski's signature boat shoe inspired SBs are out in a perforated white leather just in time for summer. This could be a great option for a pair of summer shoes.

Jordan 1

2010-04-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Jordan brand has been putting out shoes at a phenomenal rate lately. Only the most well heeled Jordan fan could keep up with even a fraction of what they've been putting out. If I had the money to jump on a pair it would be these jordan 1's in black with 3m highlights and the ice soles, clean, classic and as versatile as can be. These are out now.

The greatest coloring book ever

2010-04-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

I have got to get one of these. I mean my kids really want this coloring book. Goes on sale this summer, keep an eye out for it.

Ahhhh Reebok, The Response

2010-03-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

*Read the previous post (Ahhhh Reebok!!) before you read this one*

We all know that Reebok would wind up somewhere around dead last on my list of kicks that I like. They would probably be first on my list of shoes that I wouldn't be caught dead in. That being said, I must admit that a few weeks ago, when Reebok released the latest in their Basquiat series, I found myself taking a pretty serious look at them. When I was in art school in the mid 90's one of my artist idols was Jean-Michel Basquiat. I've remained a huge fan and was lucky enough to visit the retrospective at MOCA a few years ago several times. I've always thought that it was cool that Reebok was doing the collaborative pieces with the Basquiat estate; it just wasn't ever cool enough for me to pick up a pair. If I ever ran across the white Pumps on sale I would probably have to cop them.

I think that it's funny that you were a bit unsure about telling me about them; and G's quote is hilarious. Now you've got a least 2 pair of green kicks to choose from on St. Patty's day! And don't get me started about those laces.

Ahhhhh! Reeboks!!

2010-03-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would post something like this.

In late 2009 Reebok designed a line of Basquiat inspired shoes, all using some of their more classic shoes as the base.

I bought a pair. The first thing my wife asked me upon seeing them was "Will you tell Scot?" I've had these about three weeks and I'm just getting around to posting this so I'm sure i'll catch some shit but i deserve it. I've railed against Reebok's lack of creativity for quite some time now so owning a pair feels a little dirty.
The Reebok Classic is a pretty standard shoe. Style wise it is similar to the Nike Cortez, New Balance and Puma also have models similar to this. It's a pretty simple running shoe.
I'm a big fan of Basquiat, which is what drew me to these, that and the fact that they were way on sale. The painting these are based on can be seen above. Reebok did a really great job translating the painting to this shoe. You've gotta appreciate the details on these. The eyelets sport the crown Basquiat used first as Samo and later in his fine art pieces. The leather is treated to look like the canvas, it's not a solid green.
Drawbacks. the white laces are pretty jarring but in the context of the painting they make aome sense. The shoes are lined with a satiny material that allows my feet to slide around a little. In terms of comfort these aren't the greatest, they fall right around a Converse Chuck taylor on the comfort scale.

Summer Kicks

2010-03-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

New Janoski kicks for summer time. Love the color and the style, but the laces are a bit too stiff and rigid for my liking. They did come with 2 sets of laces (green and white) but you know I can't rock the white ones with the green swoosh!

Parra x Nike

2010-03-06T06:56:00.000-08:00

The latest Parra x Nike collaboration is this great pair of AM 1's. So far the work Parra has done with Nike has been dead on and this is no exception. The predominatly marron kicks don't go with a whole lot of things in my closet but match my Nike x Parra t-shirt perfectly.

Jordan II Sample

2010-01-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

Sneaker News has a great write up on a pair of Jordan II samples that showed up on ebay recently. All I want to say is that we really dodged a bullit on this one. The Jordan II isn't my favorite shoe from the Jordan line but the official release is miles better than these.

Redemption?

2010-01-26T21:36:00.000-08:00

You might remember that I missed out on the first go around of these sweet kicks. The other day I learned that they were being released in a navy colorway. "Now I get a second chance!" I thought. I learned my lesson the first time: get there early and wait in the damn line. I thought that I would go right after work and wait in line for a few hours. No big deal. Then I saw the release date. Friday the 29th. Ooops, my better half is out of town that day and I'm on baby duty! Oh well, I'll just cross my fingers that they put them on the e-store. One way or another these kicks will someday be mine.

*Update* Due to bad weather back home my wife will be staying in L.A. this weekend! I'm heading to UNDFTD straight after work, so I should be there around 3:30 to see what the line looks like. If it doesn't look good (i.e. there's more than a dozen or so people in line) then I'll have to hit up the web site at midnight. I'll keep you posted one way or another.

*Update* Got to UNDFTD around 3:30 today, the line was already 20 deep. Been there, done that, didn't get the kicks. I had hoped that they would be posted online at midnight, but I've been on the site for the past half an hour with no sign of the kicks. Oh well, I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Colette x Hardrige

2010-01-26T14:03:00.000-08:00

Everyone's favorite streetwear boutique Colette has teamed up with old school French bootmaker Hardrige on these boots. It may be the fact that it's cold here but these boots are looking really good. At first glance i was a little put off by the zipper but it's growing on me. I might have to run over to Colette and see just how rediculously expensive these are.

Nike Air Royal

2010-01-20T22:04:00.000-08:00

Just picked these up today. I love the color and simplicity of the kick and the subtle details like the perforated swoosh. Too bad it's raining this week; gonna have to hold off on wearing these for a while.

New Kicks

2010-01-05T22:16:00.001-08:00

Got the classic Clark's Wallabees for X-Mas from my lovely wife. Damn they're comfortable! Simple and clean, just like everything should be.

Blazer Lovin

2009-12-14T22:03:00.000-08:00

Definitely need to cop these! Hopefully they'll hit UNDFTD before I blow my x-mas cash. Any kicks on your x-mas list?

Veja x Cyclope

2009-12-14T03:47:00.000-08:00

The Cyclope x Veja shoes have been released and I made it down to Cyclope to check them out. This is a nice shoe, all leather construction, beefed up to take a pounding and some nice details. This collaboration comes in this a blue version and a red version. I love everything about this shoe except for the price. These bad boys are retailing for 140 euros, if you do the conversion that's North of 200 dollars. The plus here is that this is a French shoe brand and is relatively unknown in the states and this version is only sold at a tiny bike shop in Paris so this is defiantly not something you will see on the feet of every third hipster you see. Damn, I've almost talked myself into these.

Star Wars x Adidas

2009-12-10T04:08:00.000-08:00

This could be a perfect storm for me, shoes and sci fi combined in one product. This is a really well done collaboration. Instead of doing the easy thing and focusing on simple colors to reflect the theme of each shoe they have gone several steps further and have looked at texture and subtle details to make this a great collaboration. Here are a few of my favorites from the collection.
Look at the face on those stormtroopers.
You gotta love these Darth Vader zx marathons.
Look at how inventive they got with these tie fighters.
I really dig these skywalker high tops. The big problem here is which pair to get.

World Cup Dunks

2009-11-30T09:05:00.000-08:00

I'm facing a bit of a dilemma, for Christmas last year my wife let me design a pair of shoes on the Nike Id site. I was never able to pull the trigger on a design mainly because my first choice was the air max I which wasn't available. The Air Max I was made available on the nike id site last week, i've already come up with a couple of sweet colorways but now I'm thinking I should wait for one specific reason.
The World Cup begins this summer, last time the World Cup was played(2006), nike got behind the U.S. team in a big way. Part of Nike's push involved offering a Dunk low on the id site that allowed you to manipulate the colorway based on the team colors. The icing on the cake was that the heels were stitched with the words "Don't Tread", the advertising slogan for the team. I got a pair of these and have worn them more that any other pair of shoes I've ever owned. At this point I'm hoping that Nike does a world cup dunk again so do I wait or not?

NB Jp 575 Horse Hair

2009-11-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

My "summer shoes" finally got here... kinda.
You may remember that back in May I ordered a pair of New Balance 574 in the Air Mowabb colorway from Crooked tongues. Due to some delivery mishaps the shoes made it to my door but not into my mailbox before being sent back to London. Sadly at that point the shoes were lost somewhere in the warehouse, so much for those.
Thankfully in the interim these NB Jp 575 Horse Hairs in the black colorway made their way onto the sale section of Crooked Tongues. These are listed on Crooked Tongues as a Japan only release which is a little surprising because I thought this shoe had just been released in the states. Upon closer inspection the "Black Horsehair NB Jp575" that was recently been released in the states has brown leather surrounding the horsehair panel on the side while my "Japan only" version have a black/dark charcoal color. Both versions sport black horsehair on the side panel, a 3M reflective "N", leather laces and a speckled outsole. This is a perfect winter shoe so the timing worked out in the end.
Let me just say that I am more then pleased with Crooked Tongues, they are faultless in all this delivery confusion. Sure they lost the shoes in the warehouse but the shoes never should have gone back in the first place. All of my contact with them was great, they answered my emails promptly and gave me several options to remedy the lost shoes problem, I will be ordering from them again.

FreshJive article

2009-11-05T20:37:00.000-08:00

My friend, Anna, writes for the Downtown Los Angeles newspaper and did a really interesting article/profile about the man behind the FreshJive label. It's a great read, check the article here

Generic Surplus

2009-10-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

Birthday kicks! The moccasin style in gray from Generic Surplus, purchased at UNDFTD Silver Lake. Subtle, understated, perfect for fall in L.A.

Cyclope vs. Veja

2009-10-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

This nice collaboration between The Cyclope bike shop in my neighborhood and Veja showed up on Highsnobiety yesterday. The Veja shoe is really popular in Paris but normally they are seen in single colors. I'm pretty excited about this shoe, it's simple but colored up real nice. On top of that it has a really cool connection to my area. I haven't heard anything on the price, usually they are fairly cheap but these have been beefed up for fixed gear abuse. Drop date is January 2010.

Jordan I Celtic

2009-10-09T04:09:00.000-07:00

I really like this Boston Celtic colored Air Jordan I. Get rid of that fuzzy material on the swoosh and this would be a amazing shoe. Like most people who watched the NBA during it's glory days i've long had a soft spot for the Celtics and the styling of the Jordan I brings to mind that era. Can you imagine Bird rocking these instead of those Converse weapons? It dazzles the imagination to even consider it. These are subtle enough that they would be perfect everyday shoes, even in Paris where black on black is king.

Update: The Nike Store at Chatelet has a pair of these in a size 13 and 12 for half price.

DQM bacon again

2009-10-03T02:20:00.000-07:00

DQM has gotten with nice to color up a pair of the air max 90 current huaraches(that's a mouthful). DQM has used this "bacon" colorway before and it looks good. I suppose this colorway could get played out pretty quickly but it's fits so perfectly with the DQM theme that I see why they came back to it.

What a find, Jordan V and VII

2009-09-22T13:03:00.002-07:00

Maybe it's the economy but with my recent purchase the last three pairs of shoes I've bought have been used and wicked cheap. I'm really not a shoe snob so when I see a pair of shoes I like at an unbelievable price I buy them. Last weekend our arrondismont had a giant antique sale but unlike previous sales like this there was a lot more "garage sale" type merchandise.
After buying a tennis racket and a puzzle and taking a breather at the park we waded back into the sale and almost immediately I saw a pair of Jordan V's sitting on the ground in front of a table. Trying not to hyperventilate I reached down to check them out when I noticed a pair of Jordan VII's right behind them. In the split second it took for me to pick them up I told myself "If they don't fit, forget about them", they fit. The dude selling had on some nice Am90's and told me "Micheal Jordan, Collectors". On his table I spotted a pair of Air Max 180's that were obviously too small and quite a bit of "hip hop" style clothing. I couldn't help but think he probably knew his shit and this could be expensive. I asked the price and heard 20 and 40 (numbers in French are hard). Needless to say I had no money on me so I tried to relay to him that I wanted him to hold them while I went on a cash run. While we walked to the bank Caleb and I compared notes and were pretty sure that he had said the V's were 40 euro and the VII's were 20. It seemed odd because the VII's were spotless while the V's were not quite pristine(maybe because they are white). Upon my return he had been holding them for me and I asked again about the price and what do you know he had said 20 each so 40 for both. I bought them both.
The Jordan V's are the stealth blue colorway. These are in great shape, there is a little scuffing on the high tops but only on the inner part where they probably rubbed against each other while walking. Besides the shoe laces being dirty and the leather needing a simple wipe down these are ready to rock.
The Jordan VII's I picked up are the "citrus" colorway. These are in almost pristine shape. The soles don't show any wear at all. The only thing i can see is a mark around the shoes where the previous owners jeans must have rubbed the shoe lightly marking the leather, I'm sure only a big shoe nerd would notice it. All in all I think I did pretty well.

NB 999

2009-09-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

I really like the majority of New Balance,s "Feral creatures" pack. Above is the "crow" and below is the "peacock", they also have a nice hairy gray pair. The NB 574 is my favorite but these 999s look pretty slick, I'm gonna keep my eyes pealed for these.

Back To School Kicks

2009-09-07T13:27:00.001-07:00

Who says that kids are the only ones who need back to school kicks? My AM1s from the skull pack were looking pretty shabby, so I picked these bad boys up at UNDFTD this weekend. Happy Labor Day to me! BTW, they still had some of the mixed colors Terminators left (see previous post)!

Ridiculous

2009-09-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

Can I file this one under WTF?! Or Seriously?! Are there really 150 people who could pull off wearing two completely different colored shoes? The answer to that question is a resounding Yes; and they all live in L.A., NY, and somewhere in Japan. You can put good money on the fact that I will not be in line at the S.L. UNDFTD this Saturday for these. Although I'm sure that the resale on them would be pretty sick!)

Air wear

2009-08-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

My checkered vans at 8,000 feet.
Slip on Vans are the perfect shoes for flying they are also the perfect packing shoes since they take up so little room in a suitcase, what a conundrum.

Scantron Blazer

2009-08-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

The nike back to school packs have always struck me as a little too cute. I think they are really clever but just not my thing. That having been said, if I were still teaching I would pick up a pair of these Scantron Blazer quick strikes. Anyone who passed through the public education system is familiar with the scantron form test and anyone whos ever taught knows what a god send they can be when faced with a deadline to get grades turned in. What a perfect shoe to wear on test days.

69+

2009-07-28T04:29:00.000-07:00

The new Air Jordan 60+ is scheduled to hit stores around the beginning of August and judging from the pictures this could be one of the best Jordan mash ups to date.
I'm always a little wary of these mash ups that include the Jordan V. As most people know the JV is my favorite shoe of all time so in theory I'm all for seeing it's elements used on other shoes. I know that a lot of people have a real purist attitude towards the Jordan line and can't bear to see anything done to the original look of the shoe baring a new colorway or ten. I really like the original and believe that the spirit of those early releases can be captured in updated versions. That having been said none of the current mash ups have really done it for me. I think the Air Force One/Jordan V came closest but when I actually got my hands on a pair in store they just weren't worth my money. You can bet I'll be in the store checking out these 60+ when they finally make it to retailers.

Not Fast Enough

2009-07-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

Why do I refuse to learn Life's Lessons on Buying Kicks? I saw these AM1s in UNDFTD around the time that they dropped and really wanted them. I didn't buy them, though. And then I thought about them for several days and couldn't get them out of my head and realized that I was going to regret not buying them. So I went back to UNDFTD. You know how this story ends, right? They were sold out of my size. Here's the lesson: if you see a pair of shoes that you really want, then you must cop them right then and there! Oh well, I'm sure that there will be another "must have" out soon enough.

More Vans

2009-07-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

Merci is having a half price sale on their vans so the kids are reshoed.

Vans X Rebel 8 Slip ons

2009-06-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

When Phil visited a couple of months ago I told him how bummed I was that I missed out on the Rebel 8 vans, yesterday these showed up in the mail.
The detail on these things is sick. The smile now cry later pieces are embroidered on.

The black strip on the soul has Rebel 8 embossed on it over and over again.

They have a print on the bottoms of the insoles.
That's embroidered on the inside of the shoe. These are pretty awesome shoes, they have a different more comfortable insole then my other slip on vans.

Greedy Genius Apache

2009-06-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

My Greedy Genius Apaches finally arrived from the states and they are almost exactly like the Jordan V. These have a nice mix of suede leather, patent leather and 3m. I don't know much about the Greedy Genius brand. I know that before these I never really saw a style that I wanted to own. As a life long Jordan fan and owner I had to have these Jordan V clones when I saw a great deal on them. These are really well made, I have no complaints about the materials or craftsmanship. They also came with some GN$ lace locks that I've put on.
They wear very well, I've already put some serious miles on them. The first day I had them I walked all over Paris for 3 hours and didn't have a single blister.
These florescent yellow accents keep catching my attention when I'm walking around town.
These are super comfortable and I've caught some looks while wearing them. I'll say again that it would be hard to make these any more like the Jordan V's, even the tread pattern is similar.

Summer Kicks

2009-06-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

Keepin it clean and simple for summer. Observant readers will note that I have indeed gotten over my fear of predominantly white shoes. And no, I still don't own any white socks!

Jordan V math

2009-05-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

I made it down to M&W Shift today to check out what was new, lucky me, they had the 3M Jordan V. These are as impressive in real life as they look in print. The 3M color is really unique, one minute it looks black and the next it looks light gray. The odd thing about these is that they were priced at 140 euro. Now the "Raging Bull pack" is supposed to be priced at 310 euros so that means that if the red Jordan V's go on sale it will be cheaper to buy the shoes singly. I'm not sure the fancy box is worth 30 euros. I think I'll keep my eyes peeled for the red ones.

Update: The footlocker at Les Halles has both the 3M and the Red suede Jordan V's for 134.99 euro a piece. I need a pair of the red right? I suppose the 3M would be more practical but I do have a pair of the black back in the states...

Obama

2009-05-16T02:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe these Obama shoes are only $39.95. A nice picture of a frowning Obama on an AF1 knock off. Get a pair here.

Start em young

2009-05-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Mr. A. models his new Nike shirt that his teacher gave him for his birthday! If they made it in adult sizes I would definitely pick one up. The swoosh is a sweet faux leather material! Of course he is too young to realize that you can't rock the fresh Adidas with a Nike outfit, but we'll give him a pass on this one.

UNDFTD PMWs

2009-05-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

LOVE this shoe. LOVE this brand. LOVE the packaging. LOVE that I live in Silver Lake and that's where they will be dropping a day early at the release party!! I was bummed that I was going to miss them because I was going out of town on Saturday, but now I've got a fighting chance to snag a pair! I'll keep you posted on my success/failure??

*UPDATE* I got to UNDFTD a little after 7 and got in line with about 100 or so other people. Waited around for about an hour or so and got about 15 people away from the door before they sold out. No problem, I thought, I'll just pick them up when they drop online at midnight. Got up a little before midnight and put a pair into my cart and tried to check out. Ooops, forgot to set up an account before trying to cop the kicks! By the time I had set up an account the kicks were loooong gone. Oh well, not meant to be. I'd be willing to bet that there will be another "must have" UNDFTD kicks someday. When those drop, I'll be ready.

Visvim in Paris

2009-05-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

If I were living in Paris there would probably be a restraining order against me because I had drooled all over the new Visvim merch!

NB 574 Mowabb

2009-04-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Not everyone likes the NB 574, it's not very high tech and has a bit of a snubbed toe, but i'm a big fan. I've got my eye on this pair as a summer shoe. It's colorway is obviously based on the classic Nike Air Mowabb and to sweeten the deal it's waterproof(something that can be quite handy in Paris).

Swatch x Grems @ Lazy Dog

2009-04-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

I stopped by Lazy Dog to pick up some Intruder shirts and saw these awesome Swatches. I'd be all over the black one if could deal with no numbers.

Zombie heels

2009-04-04T00:55:00.000-07:00

Not what we usually post about here but I think I've found a mother's day present for my wife.

Supra Stubbs Skytop

2009-04-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

I lived in Austin for a few years and spent many an evening at Stubbs. I saw Built to Spill, the Strokes, the New York Dolls, Interpol, the Darkness, I could go on and on. Great venue, great BBQ, incredible town for seeing live music. A tip of my hat to the guys at Supra for this shoe. The Skytops may be close to being played out, but these kicks are on top of my wish list right now!

Summer Shoes

2009-04-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

I was thinking that this would be a pretty hot shoe for summer. I'm digging on the seersucker look. Only one problem. Finding socks to go with them that aren't white!

WHY?

2009-04-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

Please explain to me why you would camp out for a shoe that has a run of 9K? I'm pretty sure there's going to be plenty to go around. And after all of the freakin hype they're making 9K of them?? You know what shoe I'm talking about, I'm not even gonna mention it again and I'm sure as hell not putting a picture up of the damn thing.

New Kicks for Mr. A.

2009-03-31T21:32:00.001-07:00

The first picture is the waaay too big Vans that I picked up for Aidric. We're keepin em on ice for the future.
Next up is the TORE UP kicks that he's wearing right now. I am so embarrassed that my son has to wear these beat up kicks! That's what he get's for crawling around on the concrete at daycare! He'll learn how to properly take care of his kicks soon enough.
The third picture is of the Nikes that I had to take back to UNDFTD. They didn't fit and Lisa didn't like them. *Sigh* Someday the boy will have his own pair of Nikes!
The last picture is a shot of the new Adidas that he will be sportin as soon as they arrive! Hopefully they will last a few weeks until his birthday party!

Samba Select

2009-03-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

My houseguest did a little shoe shopping this week and after looking at hundreds of pairs settled on these Samba selects.
Premium leather, simple colorway and croc patterned these things are slick.

Nike Air Trainer 1s

2009-03-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

Loved these kicks when I was in middle school! I'll probably need to cop them again. If you could go back in time and get three pairs of kicks from your childhood what would you choose?

Raging Bull Jordan V

2009-03-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

This is a Jordan fans dream, a two Jordan V pack supposedly due out at the end of May. This is being called the Raging Bull pack. Check out those shoes, one red suede upper with black accents and the other with a 3M upper and black accents. I think I'll start saving my pennies now.

What i'm wearing 3

2009-03-07T01:58:00.000-08:00

My most worn pair of shoes are my Nike Id dunks so of coarse i had to take them with me to Paris. Nike had these id dunks on the site as part of the push for team U.S.A. in the last world cup(of which we will not speak). Build choices were limited to black, red and white with a few patterned leathers to choose from but best of all they had several different team USA brandings to choose from. If you remember Nike was going with the "Don't Tread on Me" slogan for the men's team and for these shoes you could get "Don't tread" stitched on the back. There was a choice of logos for the tongue(I went with the snake) and the insole had the manifesto printed on it. 2010 is right around the corner and it wil be interesting to see if Nike gets behind the US football teams in a big way again.

ACG Ashiko

2009-02-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

Nike's ACG turns 20 this year and in celebration they have really turned it on with some great new products and word on the street is that we will see them delve into their archives for some favorites later in the year. Of the new product line the Ashiko boot is one of my favorites. For one thing it's named for a ninja weapon/climbing device! This is a great looking boot that tech-wise is as good as it gets. Like many of the new nikes it uses the flywire technology to make it a strong and lightweight boot. Having lived the last to years in Vermont I'm here to tell you that outside of Burlington this colorway would not cut it with the locals but I think it's great. This boot also comes in a grayish colorway that is slightly more toned down.

What to wear on an aeroplane.

2009-02-17T21:13:00.000-08:00

When we went home recently I was taking care of Aidric and trying to keep him occupied by walking him around (not easy on a plane as I'm sure you know). We walked to the back of the plane so that the noise would drown out his jabbering. He immediately was interested in the cans of unopened soda that were stored there. I let him "play" with a can of Sprite. He chewed on it for a while and then threw it to the ground where it exploded all over the place. And when I say "all over the place" I really mean every inch of my jeans below my knees and my boots. Fun. One of the first thoughts that went through my mind, funny enough, was that I was glad that I wasn't wearing nice kicks! My boots are no worse for wear. All's well, ends well.

P.S. UNDFTD Silver Lake this Friday nite has a book release event for the book "All Gone" which documents street culture 2008. I'll be there.

Art & Sole

2009-02-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

Picked up this book today and boy am I glad that I did. It is chock full of creative kicks and the people who design them. It's like 10 issues of Sneaker Freaker packed into one big book. Pick it up off of Amazon or Urban Outfitters (I wandered through the UO next to the new Alife store in Hollywood which has an enormous urinal in the center of the store).

What i'm wearing 2

2009-02-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Wow, I brought all of seven pairs of shoes to Paris so I fully expected to knock these out in a couple of weeks and look at me four months later and I'm on number two.
These are the first and only pair of Air Force Ones that I own. The 2007 city series "Paris" Air Force Ones, the funny thing is that i didn't really know what they were when I bought them. Let me explain, these are an almost accidental ebay purchase.
I like checking out shoes on ebay, it's a great place to check out samples and see what prices are like. I also like to throw in a bid on shoes whose prices seem to low and whose auction is within a day of ending, I've never won one until this purchase. I saw these up as a used pair but the auction was literally ending in ten minutes so i rushed to check out the seller(sells quite a few shoes, almost all new but hey, he had a great history) so I bid and won. With shipping and everything they were right around 45 usd. Come to find out the seller had a close friend with the exact same pair of shoes so like any self respecting sneaker head he could no longer wear them since there was an unacceptable risk of wearing them on the same day as the friend. After purchasing them I did a little research and low and behold these were the "Paris" editions of the city series, it was fate. When I got these there wasn't a scuff on them, in fact all the stars on the sole were still intact. Great purchase, great shoes.
Patent leather accents, silver piping, great contrast stitching on the swoosh and a red, white and blue sole(colors of the french flag) low key but still sharp, perfect for Paris. They did two Paris shoes in the 2007 city series, i think of these as the Paris night shoes.

New Boots

2009-02-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

I made a resolution to buy three pairs of non athletic shoes this year before I bought another pair of athletic shoes. Well, one down. My wife found these for me, and I'm really liking them. I don't have to worry about scuffing them or getting them dirty, because worn in boots look better than cleaned up ones. I've got my eyes on a pair of Clark's Wallabes next, maybe even a boat shoe? (not the VISVIMs!)

Mr. A.'s New Kicks

2009-02-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

I guess it's because he's not walking (yet) and the fact that we shop at the same shoe store for kids (Wee Soles, next door to UNDFTD Silver Lake) but we've managed to buy Aidric two new pair of shoes that are the same brand as his first pair (See Kai Run). You gotta admit, the blue suede velcro straps are killing it!

Visvim Hockney Folk

2009-02-01T03:11:00.000-08:00

I stopped by Collette last week to check things out and the shoe of the moment is this exclusive Visvim. The hockney folk is the Visvim take on the boat shoe done for Colette in the colors of the French flag. I'm not real keen in this new resurgence of the boat shoe, don't get me wrong, i had a sweet pair of cole haans in junior high but then again i had my jeans french rolled at the time. Anyway while at Collette two employees and one customer were wearing this shoe, something that makes a sneaker guy cringe.

Please Stop!

2009-01-26T21:51:00.001-08:00

If I have to read one more story about the "Yeezys" or about Kanye and his god damn shoes in general I'm going to start wearing clogs. Or Reeboks. Kanye is a great Artist with incredible personal style, but the Yeezy's are only OK and I'm super confused about the Louis V's which just look like the Yeezy's without the swoosh?? Enough already, I was over it last year after the first half dozen posts.

Aj IV Fusion

2009-01-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

This Air Jordan/ Air Force One fusion project has gotten a little out of hand with some questionable products hitting the market. After looking at a pair of the JIV's from the countdown pack prices at 230 euros this fusion is looking pretty good. I left all of my Jordans in the states with vague weather concerns fueling my decision and now i'm missing them. My big gripe with this shoe is the glaringly white midsole, seems a bit much against the black. I guess after a few wears they won't be quite so white, right?

Zoom Kobe IV

2008-12-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

I'm really liking the new nike Zoom Kobe IV, especilly in this "Dark Knight" colorway.

Nike SB Twin Peaks

2008-12-28T16:18:00.000-08:00

This Nike SB is set to drop in January in the states, no word on a European release date. Based on the show twin peaks this has a lot of cool stuff going on, check out that gray ice sole. Good way to start a new year of releases. On a side note I'm amazed at how comfortable my Dunk Highs are.

Hayashi on sale

2008-12-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

Taka Hayashi's take on the Rowley high that we were ohhing and ahhhing over a couple of months ago and lamenting the fact that they were so expensive are now on sale at caliroots. Right now they are 91 euro or 125 usd, maybe a little expensive for a regular pair of Vans but these are amazingly detailed works of art. I've got to admit they have them in my size and I am very tempted, the shipping isn't bad since Caliroots is in Europe.

Dunk High

2008-12-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

You would think that a shoe guy like myself would own a pair of one of the classics in the Nike stable, the Dunk High. I've had a pair of Dunk lows for several years but not the high top version, until this week. I got myself this pair of Orange dunk highs with the gum soles and horsehair rear panels. These should stand out a little in Paris.

L.A. Gear is Back!

2008-12-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

Answer: Hell No!
Question: Would you ever wear these retro kicks?
I mean, I love me some L.A., but damn, who the hell is going to buy these? No one bought them when they came out! I'm pretty sure that none of my shoes have glitter on them, and I'm going to keep it that way, thanks.

First Kicks for Mr. A.

2008-11-19T20:17:00.001-08:00

So we finally picked up a pair of kicks for Mr. A. He's almost 7 months old and getting ready to crawl so we thought that it was time. I've been checking out the kids kicks at UNDFTD every time that I go in (of course) but I've been good about holding back and not doing anything impulsive. I always thought that his first kicks would be some Nikes, but they're (drum roll please) Smaller by See Kai Run. Ridiculous name (who the hell is Kai?) but the kicks are cute. I'm sure he'll have outgrown them by the time I'm finished with this post, but that just means we get to go and pick out another pair! We've got our eyes on a pair of Adidas with a Tetris theme! Let the madness begin!

Remember when babies first kicks used to get bronzed? Wack.

Vans X Rebel 8

2008-11-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

The Vans x Rebel 8 pack is out now, unfortunately my Christmas list has already one to the printers. This would be on the list, although the Layton is also pretty sweet. I also really like the skate hi but i already have the iron maiden troopers.

Ain't no way

2008-11-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

There is no way this colorway of the Jordan V got past me. I found these probable fakes on ebay, to tell the truth this isn't a bad colorway.

WTF

2008-11-06T10:51:00.000-08:00

We've got some work to do, first off Adidas socks with Nike shoes, that shit don't fly Obama. That's the pair of shoes you chose to play in? Are those from Nike's grandfather pack? Get your gear in line. And Nike come on, GW can have a pair of god awful custom made boots and we can't throw together a PE Jordan for the President Elect? Besides that I love that man. Let's get it together, the whole world is watching.

New Kicks

2008-10-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a little b-day $$ I was able to make a trip to UNDFTD for the Adidas ARC AZX. It's been a while since I've bought a pair of Adidas and I've got to admit that these kicks are feeling and looking great. After seeing them in person I'm also very tempted to pick up the orange UNDFTD ones (the laces are sick). Can my shoe closet stand to have so much influx of color? I'm a one-in-one-out keep things fresh kind of guy, so I've got to clear some room for the new kicks. I also picked up the UNDFTD Peace t-shirt that I mentioned a few days ago, looks super clean!

Lazy Dog this weekend

2008-10-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Lazy Dog has something going on this weekend here is the skinny compliments of google translate.
After the success of the sale organized by The Lazy Dog in June 2007 (see photos here), the Mini Street Market is back! Thursday, 23 October to Saturday 25 October included, the shop at 2 passage Thiere, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, holds a 100% exclusive selling street culture, new and vintage with many tees, hoodies, sneakers, art, toys, books . We can find the A Bathing Ape, Supreme, BBC, Undefeated, Stüssy, Ice Cream, Levi's, Rockwell, Sixpack, Nike, Puma, Medicom Toy, Amos, OriginalFake, TOY2R, Vans, Surrender, Twelve Bar, Mike and many others ...

update: Mini does not quite describe it. The mini street mart was located in the one room lazy dog gallery. There were several nice vintage nikes and a few new shoes at a pretty good markdown(for Paris). They had a lot of clothing, none of it my style, more of the bright neon all over print that bape has made trendy. There were some pretty cool toys that i might have bought if i weren't living in a tiny Paris apt.

New UNDFTD Tee

2008-10-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

I'm putting this at the top of my b-day shopping list (probably too late to put it on the gift list).

Shopping

2008-10-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Jordan IV in the original black/gray colorway is out as part of one of the countdown packs. I would love these. If I had a little money I would buy the pack, keep the IVs and put the XIXs up for sale. Damn that's a good looking shoe.
The Chicken Runs are on sale at Eastbay. I can't decide which colorway I like better.

Is this too much purple? I'm really liking these.

What i'm wearing part 1

2008-10-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

I had room for 7 pairs of shoes for two years in Paris. I had originally planned on bringing 2 more pairs both adidas but weight restrictions caused me to dump them at the last minute.
My Nike Free trainers made the cut. These are part of Lance Armstrong's 10/2 line and commemorate his tour de France victories. These are super comfortable for walking all day and very light and breathable for warm months. These also pack down flat. With the possibility of Lance riding in another Tour i'm wicked pumped that i brought these.