Maxi Dresses: Almost as Bad as Gladiators

Once again, some influencer, perhaps Dallas’ famed Sam Moon, has delivered a trend so un-hot, it is the perfect complement to gladiator sandals – the Maxi Dress. When will women stop taking seeking fashion inspiration from the movie 300? What’s next? Gold leaf tiara-things? Homes with huge roman columns? Segways scooters decorated to look like chariots? Tom Ford… The men of the world are begging you. Please design for women again. Sunglasses and fragrances are not enough.

“John Dillinger on Weekends”

Johnny Depp as John Dillinger.

Has anyone noticed how cool Johnny Depp looks as John Dillinger?  Not that it is all that hard for him to look cool. Clothing from this era actually reminds me a lot of what you see from the brands I am feeling most these days.   And I have noticed he wears some  amazing vintage sunglasses throughout the film – and I have only seen the trailer!   In the trailer, you see him wearing 3-piece suits as he robs banks, and you see a few shots of him more casual.  The casual look is total perfection.   So I am on a mission… aspiring to achieve a new look I am calling “John Dillinger on Weekends”.

Rare Video with My Idol: Hiroki Nakamura of Visvim

First it was people like Ricky Henderson, Dwight Gooden and Ozzie Smith. Then the likes of Johnny Depp and Michael Hutchence, followed later by Mike Carroll and Rick Howard. All were my idols of my younger years. Hiroki Nakamura has been assigned that role for a while.

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Comments on the video:

• Interviewer is clearly a total space cadet fashion-head
• He is visibly bored with the interview
• I want that shit: July 8th.

Road Tested: Visvim Folk

These were the perfect addition to my deep collection of 19th century clothing I have been collecting for a while. Aren’t you collecting it too? I don’t mess with the 80s and 90s influence. I take it back to the Davy Crockett, Remember-the-Alamo days (shout out to Texas history). 1880’s maybe. They don’t carry this shit at Fruition. Here, maybe, but not Fruition. My coonskin cap, all chamois leather pants and jackets are the flyest on the Q train.

I have put 1,000 miles on these shoes, and I am almost embarrassed at how much I wear them. They are like those Nike Free shoes that are supposed to feel like you are running barefoot. Except I don’t run in these. If you are considering Visvim, I promise you will fall in love with these. Good luck finding a pair over size 10. It took me almost a year to find these in 11.

Road Tested: Visvim FBT

Click the image to enlarge.

I have wanted these things forever, and finally I found a pair. This pair now represents one of three reasons I love this brand. And why I love Hiroki Nakamura. Like all brilliant guys, he was an ex-skater who now makes the perfect shoe for aging guys that still care about them. Not to mention, one of the few brands that I will even let adorn the pages of my carefully curated blog . I have a similar pair in suede which were my first pair of Visvim, but these are waaay nicer. Like all Visvim, the leather is super smooth, and I cannot find one place where quality was compromised. Despite the heavy volume of media coverage they get in certain circles, you will almost never see anyone with a pair. I guess most youngster would rather get a couple of pair of Yeezy’s instead.

What I Did This Weekend

Hottest Shoes Ever – YSL Tribute Too

As seen on…

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Tom Ford and Jeff Koons from Iconoclasts

Conversations about art – primarily good vs. bad art - pain me. There is something about those people who most vocally appreciate art that make them (myself included) constantly seek out something special, unique, new, or even worse… underground. Even Banksy, the lord of all street artists, is not immune from the perils of popularity. His book is available at Urban Outfitters. Christina Aguilera and Brad Pitt own his art. That makes it hard for the downtown kid to still maintain devotion. When I see a 100′ x 100′ painting on the side of our building at work, I stand in awe. When I see goofy tourists taking pictures in front of it, I can get annoyed.

But I am totally torn on some levels. All that being said, I love big shit. Pop music. Pop culture. And I love when people do shit really big and high profile. It is so easy to dismiss high-profile art. But I love it. I think it is actually more impressive than the underground. These artists are laying it out there for huge audiences, the media, radio, moviegoers, etc. – way more people than the tiny Brooklyn gallery. Love them or hate them, Jeff Koons, Banksy and Tom Ford are still very much artists. Take Tom Ford… He was labeled a total control freak at Gucci, and I am sure it is the same at his new company. He refused to let anything have his name on it unless he had total control of every aspect. Not only did he design every product, he also led all of the advertising, pr, and other crucial functions. He even re-shot an ad campaign himself, after he wasn’t pleased with the professional photographer hired for the job. As an artist, Tom Ford has sold well over a $1 Billion worth of his art, comes off as totally arrogant and is easy not to like. He wears ultra-expensive suits, frequently fails to button the top 3 or 4 buttons, and admits to using Botox and Propecia. Not quite a hoodie and Red Wings, but he is by all means an artist.

So when my DVR picked up an old episode of Iconoclasts, the best show on television (and it is completely funded by Grey Goose as marketing), featuring Tom Ford and Jeff Koons, I was glued to the television and actually watched it twice. Would the same be true if the show was two emerging artists from Brooklyn? No way. I can hardly watch a 5 minute video interview with Neckface. I simply cannot watch another interview with such visionaries of as A-Ron or a young artists like Charles Hamilton or Kid Cudi. All people who I totally respect. For the same reason I don’t think anyone would want to interview me, because at some point, you have to start doing some shit – not just talk about shit you are gonna do.

Extreme success only makes an artist more interesting in my opinion. Emerging artists are a dime a dozen, as are their messages. If he continues producing art, the insanely rich Banksy will be more interesting than the street kid version. How does he deal with it? How does it impact his message? How does his palette expand, now that he can afford to take his art to a new level? “Fuck a canvas, I want a building. A pop-up store with motorized McNuggets and fishsticks.” Jeff Koons gets to make a 40′ sculpture out of 70,000 flowers. Or a 30′ balloon animal made out of steel. Tom Ford gets to make unique fragrances, apparel, advertising and a brand.

I have loads of respect for emerging artists, and I will continue to highlight them on my blog. But at the same time, I guess for me, size matters.

Reason Number 138 to Love Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Approx. 9th grade African American boy walking to school… hightop sneakers, relatively skinny jeans, small beanie, navy peacoat and the kicker… an army surplus backpack with the names of classic rock bands written all over it with black and red Sharpies. Led Zeppelin. Rolling Stones. Jimi Hendrix. Too cool.

Road Tested: Common Projects BBall Low

Click to enlarge, huge.

Some people have nicknames for their car. Some have nicknames for their manhood. And the really pathetic even name their balls. I don’t really give anything nicknames, but I am turning over a new leaf and decided to call these all white Common Projects ‘Sarah’. It just seemed appropriate. I guess it is more of a dedication than a nickname.  If I am going to jump back into the all white shoe game – it has been since the 5th grade (double-lace Kaepa’s) - these BBall Lows are absolutely perfect. Yes, they are slim. And the toebox area is really low profile, but the extra long tongue make them a favorite with ladies.

The quality is absolutely top-notch as expected. Every bit of this shoe is buttery leather, with the exception of the sole and laces. The soles clean up nice and buttery ass leather has broken in very nicely. And just like the cougars you hunt on weekends, the wrinkles and creases actually make these look better. Wrinkles = Experience.