Quote corner: clowns

Every. Day.

Visvim SS10: Hiroki Nakamura in a tent

This is nothing new. I had a tent like this when I was about five. I made it out of old sheets and blankets and teatowels held together with clothes pegs and it was pitched in the middle of my bedroom with a broom keeping the whole thing up.

This being the man behind Visvim, Hiroki has admittedly done a better job than me. He's probably used Goretex and carbon fibre poles knowing him, but it still does the same job.

And I bet I had more fun in mine.

For sale: Say no to Ebay

More for sale

Ebay rinses you. I see that total for my items and my heart gives a little jump and I think the world's OK, and then I get this bill from Ebay because they now charge about 15 per cent for the use of their site, which by all accounts is daylight robbery. Is there another more reasonable auction site? No, so Ebay has the monopoly.

Well this time they won't fleece me dry, because I'm selling these here, on this blog. And on Hypebeast.

First up, Acronym EJ-3 in black Epic cotton, size L. Very good condition, worn regularly but well looked after. Nothing nasty like rips, stains or tears. There is a very slight rubbing to right collar where I have worn the collar up. Barely noticeable.

Measurements:
21" Armpit to armpit
26" collar to hem
23.5" Armpit to cuff
18" shoulders

SOLD

Bape x Kaws Baby milo full zip hoodie, L black. Worn quite a bit, washed a few times, minimal fading, free from rips tears and stains.

Measurements:
21.5" Armpit to armpit
27" collar to hem
19" Armpit to cuff

£55 shipped.

Use the contact button on the navbar to get in touch.

For sale: More bargains to be had

More stuff up for sale:

Rapha tweed cap: Always seemed too nice to wear to be honest, so it's just sat in the drawer. Excllent condition, perfect for those dandy cyclists. 9/10

Rapha Fixed jersey: Too tight on me really, and now I've moved along the road of the road jersey, this hasn't had much of a look in. 8/10

Vivienne Westwood brown scarf: Wool, with brand name embroidered subtly down one side. Worn a bit but average bobbling. Nice little accessory, and not too heavy so it can be worn into spring.

Moschino wool / silk scarf, purple and green: I always liked the shades of the colours, and the fact that it gave the impression that you had two scarves on.
This has been superceded so it's off.

Marc Jacobs x Vans SK8 HI UK 9: The thing about Vans is that I'm between sizes with them. The 8.5 is too small and the 9 is too big, so these didn't get a lot of wear.

Stussy melt logo cap, black, one size: Lovely cap, rarely wore it. Still has rthe hologram on the underneath of the peak.

Supreme Being camo cap: Again this didn't get much wear. Lovely fit, too.

Supreme Being navy cap: Nice bit of embroidery on the front, but it was never worn. Bargain.

Burton Analog flat wool cap black: I had this idea a couple of years ago that flat caps were the way forward. And for some people they are - they have that smart yet relaxed edge to them. Unfortunately I couldn't get the idea of Dick van Dyke out of my mind.

ALL NOW SOLD

Hard Graft iPad case

You can't even buy an iPad in the UK yet and already neat little accessories are beginning to emerge. How does that happen?

Unless of course this is actually a Macbook case that makers Hard Graft have done a speedy rebranding job on. Well, Hard Graft?

Macbook or iPad, who gives a monkeys what you put in it. Stick your A4 pad in it if you like. The fact is that this little wool envelope with its leather pocket on the front is so nice that you'll invent a reason to buy it.

Via Slamxhype

Visvim spring 2010 first drop

Hiroki Nakamura is the master of reinvention, and he has wheeled out yet another wardrobe's worth of freshened up classics for spring / summer 2010.

The first Visvim of the year is set to drop anytime now, and will feature a pair of glossy workboots, a nice brogue, the staple battered jeans, and in a first for Visvim, an Easy Rider type jacket in powder blue.

The whole lot looks as slick as you might expect, and if that blue jacket doesn't have you dreaming of warmer days, nothing will.

Via Slamxhype

Spec waver

What do you expect from a pair of glasses? As well as looking the part, I consider eyewear as a little miracle of engineering for your face. All that craftsmanship, the hand-built aspect.

Well I don't know what hands built the glasses that just arrived through the post, but they could do with being co-ordinated by someone wearing a pair of specs themselves.

Look at that hinge area. There, where there's a little step in the line, that's not supposed to be there. It's supposed to be straight, like you can't see the join.

I suppose that's what you get when you shop for your glasses at a cut price online website called Smartbuyglasses.com. Offices in every country, a customer service line that keeps Hong Kong hours, I should have known.

I waited two months for these to turn up. Out of stock to begin with, then in quality control. They could do with a magnifying glass in there, too.

And by the time they arrive I'm so desperate that there's no way I'm sending them back.

On the plus side, after lengthy discussions with my opticians and a call to Persol themselves, it turns out these are definitely genuine. A point I spent a sleepless night mulling over.

This is just the way they are, Maybe they are supposed to be like this. Or maybe Persol should invest in a few robots to put them together.

Quote corner: Wise Dior

Here's another spot on quote dug up by Unabashedly Prep. So totally true.

Apple iPad: Coming to a commuter near you

Throw away your Kindles and burn your newspapers. The moment we have all been waiting for is with us, and it is an iPad.

A bit like an iPhone with water retention that isn't actually a phone (yet), this is Apple's answer to the way we are going to receive our visual entertainment from now on.

This is everything in one go. Book reader, stereo, internet, picture library, the whole kaboodle, all in something the size of your average Etch a Sketch.

"This is more than a new product. It's a new category," according to one of the big pips at Apple.

Before long there won't be a commuter in the country without one of these in their hands. If you thought dodging people trying to text was difficult, wait till they get hold of one of these.

Bamford watch department: The Rolex pimpers

You might remember a post or two a while back on the watch department of Bamford and Sons, which specialises in taking your bog standard Rolex and doing stuff that you wouldn't necessarily consider adviseable to them. Like painting them black. Or colouring the markers in pink.

Due to the infinite amount of possible designs available, this customising is often quite a hit a miss affair. One design might look amazing, while another could resemble something a middle school pupil might wear.

If you doubt that a Rolex can be ruined by this process, take a look at the Fragment design abomination, or that Colette one on the right. Yes, that is a Rolex, and to make matters worse, that custom blue paintjob will probably set you back another £5k on a standard model.

Bamford is clearly quite proud of what it does, so it's made a video.

This is your opportunity to see how bad this can actually get. That said, you might like it. Who am I to really say? It's a question of taste, after all.

If you do like it and you fancy getting one done for me, I wouldn't say no.

How to ruin a good Leica. In China

Is theft a capital offence in China? Do they execute you or cut your arm off or something? They must do, because you wouldn't get two steps down Oxford Street with one of these things slung round your neck without some scally trying to wrench it from you.

Only in a country where crime is punishable by unimaginable things could you ever go out taking pictures using a 24 carat gold plated Leica with red calfskin trim.

That has to be why Leica only made 60 of them. Commemorates 60 years of Mao Zedong's China, apparently.

A more vulgar display of capitalist consumption you are unlikely to find, and only available in a communist country.

Expect the fakes to be on the market sometime next week.

Via Iamfatterthanyou

Audi R8 V10: This is how you raise hair

Your eyes do not deceive you. That is an Audi R8 with its roof cut off. I never believed they could improve on the hard top until I saw this, the Spyder.

And you get a better view of all those jaws hitting the ground as you cruise along.

V10 lump as well, if someone would be kind enough to tell me what it means. Sounds like it makes it go faster. That'll do wonders for the hairdo.

Via Kineda

Quote corner

"I ate a banana today. Only a small one."
Lizzie

Shots in the dark: Leigh Old Town

Leigh Old Town takes on a whole different feel when the daytrippers have gone home and the day is drawing to an end. This is what it looks like on a bitter January evening at dusk.

The police get younger by the day

When was the last time I had to call the police? Must have been when I got knocked off my bike. That was about 10 months ago.

So I'm not a police stalker. I don't have 999 on speed dial. I think my phone actually does, but I didn't set it. I know they've got a rubbish job to do and anyway, they don't tend to be the most talkative of types at the best of times.

But last night I heard my side gate go. Then I heard someone walk down my path. It was about 3am and I was about to nod off and it must have been about that time when I did.

Lizzie comes up this morning and tells me the side gate is wide open. I'm sure I bolted it. So that must mean that someone has come through the garden and out through the gate. Nothing is missing, the shed is still there, and the bushes.

It's a mystery, and one I thought the plod might want to know about, seeing as the person who exited through my gate could quite easily have just ransacked the neighbour.

Now some time in the past 10 months our police force, guardians of civilised society, keepers of the peace, has been modernised. When you call their non emergency number (0300 333 4444) you get put through not to the station up the road but to a call centre. Located in Scotland. Here, after the obligatory wait and minefield of menu options, an operator will give you the mobile phone number of the 'Neighbourhood Specialist Officer' for our area.

I called it and got an Orange answerphone. A few hours later I got a text from the number I called. "Who is this?" it said. "Who are you?" I replied. I got a text back saying his name was Joe.

I wasn't really expecting this kind of response from a Neighbourhood Specialist Officer. It didn't instill a lot of confidence. I thought the police were supposed to be a little more proactive. Talk on the phone maybe.

So I called Joe. The voice at the end of the line sounded 10 years old, if that. I told him I was looking for a police officer. I heard a gulp.

And that is the state of the police force today. We are reduced to trusting our very well-being on operatives in Scottish call centres, who give out the numbers of 10-year-old school children in the mistaken belief that they are an officer of the law.

I never did get to telling anyone about what happened in my garden last night. Perhaps it's a good thing. I understand badgers are becoming very resourceful these days. It was probably one of them.

But there is one little kid out there who's going to bed tonight and won't be able to sleep because he thinks the police are onto him. I bet he'll never punch his teddy bear again.

Dunhill AW 2010/11

I did have my doubts when Kim Jones got behind the wheel at Dunhill. I never thought much of his Umbro creations, although that could have had as much to do with the brand name as the designer.

But here he seems to have found his driving line. It's like he's stepped out of a Ford Escort and got into a Bentley. Then switched on the sports mode.

And he's settling into the drive nicely. This Autumn / winter 2010 / 11 collection is all about moddish silhouettes and gentlemanly charm, and sticking to the refined pallette that British modesty demands.

Meanwhile he's been sure to maintain that historic motoring pedigree.

Well driven there Jones, just drop us off at the store if you would be so kind.

Andre sinks the pink

How many people have wanted to do this to the signage at Louis Vuitton? It's been left up to French graffiti artist Andre, or Mr A as he is known in the art circles, to fulfill a dream for the rest of us.

To be fair, he might have committed the act, but Louis Vuitton has to take part of the blame. For a start they put the arty party on for him, supplied the alcohol, then let him loose with the spray can.

A decision one fellow female partygoer was most likely regretting when Andre carried on his artwork along her inside leg. Obviously that kind of thing is all in a day's hedonism, but she didn't seem too pleased to have her crotch sprayed lurid pink.

Those knickers will be on Ebay in a few days.

Andre is exhibiting his paintings at Collette in Paris from February 1. The show is called drawings. That's one below.

Via slamxhype

View the party video here

Video via Seek and suggest

A question of greed

There really isn't a lot I wouldn't do in the hope of receiving something for nothing. Obviously that excludes things like burglary.

Take the IT department survey. The uptake of this periodical attempt to guage their effectiveness has evidently been rather low in the past, so in an attempt to spur a bit of motivation from the workforce, this time round the survey was delivered along with the chance to win an iPhone.

All I had to do to enter the iPhone draw was fill in the online questionnaire, which I dutifully did. In hindsight, I could have been more complimentary.

But then the whole point of the exercise was to be honest. How else would they know what was going wrong? How else could they fix their problems? That's why they made the survey anonymous, surely.

Then, at the end of this marathon box filling exercise I was faced with the toughest question of all. One which required more courage than honesty.

It said: "In order to be entered into the prize draw please provide your name and extension number."

I looked at that box for what seemed like an eternity, a question of my own running through my mind: "iPhone or career?" After all, IT can access anything. They're like the Matrix. Just think what they could load onto my desktop in revenge.

I chose the iPhone and filled in my name.

You never know, I might win.

The way I roll. Today

A bit of English, a hint of the US and a shell from Japan. That's the way I like it.

Supreme box logo tee, Dunhill chunky knit shawl cardigan, Original Fake Gore Tex jacket.

You little Basterd

I finally got round to seeing Inglorious Basterds - a bit indulgent with the prose but a decent enough wartime caper all the same.

Can't say I would have wanted to be under Lt Aldo Raine's command though, the lunatic. All that scalping before breakfast can't do a lot of for the appetite.

Mind you, he had some of the more memorable lines, like "Baaanjower." That's bonjour if you're not from Tennessee.

And now look what's turned up. A Lt Raine you can own yourself, in Action Man-size 1/6th scale, complete with Barbie-scalping tiny hunting knife and such an uncanny resemblance that it's almost as if old Aldo himself had done a Mike TV.

That's actually a picture of it there. Scary.

I couldn't personally own such a model. If I'm brutally honest, knowing such a perfectly shrunken likeness was standing there on my shelf would scare the living daylights of me.

Even Chucky would be crapping himself.

Get one here.

Shop: The bargain bucket

I'm having a clear out of some storage boxes and there are all these clothes I forgot I owned. So I'm thinking if I've gone so long without wearing them that I'd forgotten I owned them, then someone else could probably make better use of them.

So here's the bargain bucket. Don't expect anything spectacular - a lot of this stuff was collected along the way, as it were, and no longer figures in my wardrobe.

But it's all decent quality and in wearable condition.

Auctions end on January 27.

Levi's Red Billy Bob jeans vintage wide leg

These are about as far from skinny as you can get without going full on flared. They have that worn a million times wash. I didn't but I did wear them enough to scuff the backs up.

MHI hooded parka, M Black

This has seen better days, but MHI and Maharishi always looks a bit worn in when you first buy it anyway. Nothing nasty in terms of wear, just a bit of general fading.

Bathing Ape L/S top

Why did I even buy this? It's orange for god's sake. With ginger hair it made me look like I should have been working at Charlie's Chocolate Factory. On the plus side, it's barely been worn.

John Smedley Merino wool sweater L

Here's another one that didn't get much wear. It seemed like a good idea but it always felt a bit bold, to be honest. Lovely colours though, and perfect if you like a stripe in your outfit.

D&G wide legged jeans

Now these have done some time. Back in the day (about a decade ago) these never left my legs. Which is probably why I chose to hang on to them for all these years. Again, these are the perfect antidote to skinny.

William Hunt cashmere cardigan, gold L

I love a bit of cashmere, and with the cotton to give it the wearability this is almost cardie perfection, I wouldn't be offloading it if it didn't fit me. I'm also listing a chocolate brown one. Same reason applies.

Nicole Farhi SS summer shirt, salmon

Lovely quality, lovely shirt, again the wrog colour for me. I go through life thinking I can wear any shade, but some things just don't suit. Salmon is one of them. Someone's going to be rocking this all summer.

Penguin striped polo shirt M

Bit of a vintage prep look going on with this, As I was listing it I was wondering if I could work it into any of the outfits I wear now. I probably could, but then again it might sit unworn in a box for another five years, so it's going.

Modern Amusement striped polo shirt M

This is such a good looking polo, and it looks so bad on me it's unbelievable. There's a lesson here for anyone rocking a ginger bonce. Avoid orange and related shades. It's a minefield. Great details on the shirt though.