Supreme Store - London

Allegedly, later this year, under the management of Michael Koppleman, Supreme will open their first store outside NY and Japan in London. The shop will sit just down the road from both the Bape store and Hideout, taking the space which was once a Benjy's coffee shop. The expansion will open the brand up to a whole new audience, but will that be good exposure. I have a horrible feeling this may be the beginning of the end...

William Fox.

USN A-2 Deck Jacket

A while ago I spent quite a bit of time pondering the idea of an M-65, but eventually I decided against it mainly for the reason that that particular design is all over the high street nowadays. Recently this type of jacket, the A-2 Deck Jacket, was brought to my attention and personally I really like it. Its a very basic design in a timeless colour, that is so easy to wear. It was also made to serve a purpose therefore I can guarantee the warmth and sturdiness of it. The older me would have waited months to get hold of the Supreme one that was released in 2005, but now my tastes have matured slightly and a real older one is what I am aiming to get hold of. The one I have my eye on dates from the Vietnam War, giving it that extra guarantee of quality. A lot of inspiration comes from military clothing of this era anyway so why go for something new when I can go for the real thing?

William Fox.

deathbowl to downtown (download).

Created by Coan Nichols and Rick Charnoski this documentary is like no other in it's league, narrated by Chloe Sevigny it goes deeper than just skate footage with an incisive and artful exploration of this culture, what makes this film even more unique is how it shows the evolution of skateboarding - from empty backyard pool's in the 70's, to ramp skating in the 80's then covering the big apple itself in the 90's as the films central figure from a New York-centric perspective.

Featuring exclusive interviews, never-before-seen footage and a periodic soundtrack to go with it, it really is an entertaining, thought provoking take on why the action on New Yorks dirty, grimy and hectic streets reperesents skateboarding to millions of skaters and non skaters worldwide.

The movie can be downloaded here.

R.I.P Andy Kessler

Sam Sherwood.

Take Ivy

Take Ivy must be one of the most common entries on fashion blogs ever. For that reason I will not bore you with details and scans (which can be found here if one is really interested). Then why have I brought it up you wonder? I have brought it up because it is being re-released in English and is available to pre-order at the reasonable price of £15 for release in September. It is the perfect coffee table book, especially at that price.

William Fox.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND.

Sam Sherwood.

Wings + Horns West Point Chino

For a while now I have been attempting to vary my wardrobe and recently this has been applied to my leg-wear. Having worn APC New Standards solidly for the past year or so, and before that Supreme denim, trousers are something I am relatively in-experienced in knowing anything about. These Wings + Horns navy chinos are a pair of trousers which perfectly suit what I have been looking for. A navy pair, over lets say khaki, allow me to wear similar clothing to that which I would wear with denim, but give it a completely different, in a way smarter, complexion. The fit of the West Point chino is also relatively slim, something which is fairly hard to come by from a brand in a similar bracket as the of Wings + Horns. These were money well spent, especially as there is surely always a space in my wardrobe for a pair of navy chinos.

Wings + Horns West Point Chino, £175 Available at PRESENT

William Fox.

Pharcyde

L.L. Bean Ranger Mocs Update

Last week I received them and they have been very much worth the money I paid. I know they will not leave my feet for some time.

William Fox.

Albam: Islington

Word on the street is that Albam are close to moving into their third shop, in none other than my stomping ground - Upper Street in Islington. Last week Diverse menswear left their own shop (286 Upper Street) to move to the second floor of the womens shop due to what I believe to be financial problems and Albam have already arranged a move into N1. At the moment there is no offical date on a move-in date but if their last shop is anything to go their rustic shop fit may take a few months to re-recreate.

William Fox.

John Frusciante

William Fox.

L.L. Bean Buck Chukkas

The L.L. Bean Signature site went live today and with it comes the first proper look at the collection, all that had seen before was the ranger moc's that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. The footwear collection is quite impressive and for me this is the highlight, the Buck Chukkas. The red-brick sole compliments the tan boot and these would be the perfect summer boot, maybe even better than a sand desert boot.

Buck Chukkas, $115 Available at L.L. Bean Signature

Polo 1992 Parka : Lo Life Fo Life

In one of my first posts I wrote about how the split colour design had been used for inspiration for many jackets up until today. The most recent Supreme x North Face collaboration has brought this to the fore again with a similar colour combination. This collection has reminded me of one of my favourite jackets that has been sitting at the back of my wardrobe for a few months. I have, to date, found no better jacket for wearing in the summer weather with shorts and a simple t-shirt. It is the perfect shell to summer rain, weighing less than a sweatshirt. My own personal one has seen a lot of wear as the very old date of issue and cookie patch can vouch for. This jacket was created in both a red/cream and blue/cream colour-way, both of which are very hard to get your hands on nowadays. I guess I was just fortunate that I found this one when I did.

William Fox.

Free & Easy X Warehouse Overshirt

This winter I have constantly been hunting for clothes appropriate for layering. I have often glanced at thicker over-shirts, in particular almost pulling the trigger on an Burgundy Albam effort. Last week, whilst trawling japanese websites trying to put off doing work, I found this, from the Free & Easy x WAREHOUSE collection, the Wool Shirt. Personally I prefer the brown version, which I think is nicer to layer with in winter, but it does also come in a royal blue. Coming from Japan one would also think it might come at an extortionate price, but even via a proxy in comes in at a similar price to the Albam shirt which can be bought by simply walking to the shop.

Free & Easy x WAREHOUSE Wool Shirt, 13 200 yen, Available at Rugged Store

William Fox.

j.rocc for supreme take 2 (download).

Whilst my good friend was at Supreme L.A earlier this week picking up my bits and pieces from this season he was handed the second mixtape by J.Rocc for Supreme, this one simply titled "take 2", enjoy.

Sam Sherwood.

Wings + Horns X Quoddy

Wings and Horns have teamed up with Quoddy to create both a boat shoe and chukka boot in a couple of original colours. As of yet there is no news of a release date or stockists but expect to see them arriving in stores over the next few months.

William Fox.

Born to shred.

Tony Hallam is about as serious as a collector gets, his obsession started in 1975 when he got his first skateboard and went on to not only compete but win several skate competitions in New Zealand and Australia in the early 80's.

His collection holds everything from Vans ankle guards to lunch boxes, not to mention the 800+ boards he's accumulated over the years, his childhood passion has now become his livelihood with his day job of designing skateparks, something which he obviously has alot of love for.

Tony's incredible collection can be found here.


Sam Sherwood.

L.L. Bean Handsewn Ranger Moc

The second these were brought to my attention I knew I had to have them, especially as they are limited to only 100 pairs. These are very similar in shape and colour to the Redwing Chukkas which I have tried to get hold of for a while now. They are also a much cheaper alternative to the Yuketen moccasins which have been gaining praise in the past few months. The only negative point is the two weeks I have to wait for them to arrive from the U.S., but at least they make the effort to send them over the pond.

Handsewn Rangers Moccasins, $79 Available at L.L. Bean

(Update: Now Sold Out)

William Fox.

Palace

PRESENT has forged a close link with Palace, a relatively new clothing label born out of the skate troupe Palace Wayward Boys Choir. They have stocked the label since its inception, and a couple of the Palace members even work there. Last week they released this fantastic promo video, There Is Nothing Else, which proves just how much of an exciting prospect the brand is.

Palace - www.palaceskateboards.com

William Fox.

Baracuta G9 Harrington - Acorn

Last year Junya Watanabe, in partnership with Baracuta, created a G4 harrington in a lovely green colour. Those, unfortunately, are long gone so I must look for something similar. After an extensive search this has been the closest to the Junya version I have found. The colour is almost identical but the fit is different - being a G9 over a G4. Never having owned a harrington jacket I can only read about these things, but from my research the G9 does not fit as well as the G4. This is, however, a slim fit G9 so perhaps the difference is fit is not so substantial. Either way whilst the weather stays as it is this jacket would be perfect for layering and I may well have to pull the trigger on it sooner rather than later. I've seen people who own harringtons from well over 20 years ago and they still seems to find a place for them in their wardrobes in this day and age so there is obviously the potential for this one to find a place in mine in 20 years from now.

Acorn Baracuta G9 Harrington, £125 Available at Baracuta

William Fox.