Showing posts with label Size?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Size?. Show all posts

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Dispatches from the Capital #1

29/08/2010 

It’s been four days since I moved down to foggy old London town, where the streets are paved with gold/phlegm. As of yet I’ve not explored much of my new city, save for a jaunt to Ikea and a few trips to ASDA. Now I know this sounds terribly tragic and thoroughly middle aged and anyone reading this must be thoroughly disappointed at my lack of heroin abuse, supermodel shagging and generic NME coverage, however it’s a period of adjustment so accept it or I’ll smash you in with some wood... 

...not that I’m going to abuse heroin, I’m fine with tea thankyouverymuch. 

The hat in question, only mine is charcoal
(least interesting caption ever)
My first foray into greater London (not ever, I’m not a fucking tourist) came courtesy of a half-arsed stroll into Shoreditch in the search of somewhere to watch the mighty Liverpool take on West Brom (I’m still trying to convince the world that I am a man dammit). We soon found out that Shoreditch is too trendy to show footie, well aside from one pub that was showing Everton vs. Aston Villa – fuck that. I’m actually still surprised that they showed any football at all, the best I was expecting would be something ‘quirky’ like a Wimbledon 1985 season review or Icelandic, blind beach football, but hey everyone just wanted to hang out, drink coffees and revel in their own beauty. Little did we know (being new to the area) that Sunday was market day on Brick Lane with a variety of little stalls selling everything from vintage smoking jackets and KISS tees, to Lego jewellery and meatballs, as well as booming business in the local Rough Trade record shop. I came this close *pinches fingers to symbolise distance* to buying some old hardcore punk fanzines and a couple of Converge records, but the ever present icy stare of my bank balance burned into my back like a hot skillet. 

I managed to also uncover a sample sale of OBEY clothing on the edge of the market, a three-day smash-and-grab kinda job offering new season clothing at massively reduced prices. I gave in to my new found pretentiousness and splurged on a pork-pie hat for only £20. Apparently I wear it well, but I can't help but feel a little like Gadget from This is England...




06/09/2010
I have been here for nearly two weeks now, and I remain jobless. Granted, my search has been, well, kinda half-arsed so far as I’ve achieved little more than sprinkling a few CVs around (of course they were to good places though; BAPE, The Hideout, Eastpak etc. – outlook on myself landing ANY of these is very slim indeed) and I am in the midst of filling out an application form for Foot Locker. You may be thinking “Stop blogging to no-one and finish that form you overweight idiot” and you’d have a point, but it is such a banal piece of literature that I’m having trouble convincing my own being to not stab myself in the throat.

EXAMPLE; Tell us about a time when you provided extraordinary customer service by delivering the unexpected.”
If this form wasn’t so important, and, to a lesser extent, if I didn’t actually want to work for Foot Locker (it’s just a ‘for now’ thing, not a lifetime career) then I would crumple it into a tiny ball, insert it directly into my anus, light the protruding tip on fire then spend the following 45 minutes smashing my head into my desk.






Away from the job search, London continues to treat me fairly well. I’ve yet to be harassed, stabbed, mugged, threatened, raped or even looked at with shifty intent. My female-friend popped up for a few days (check her blog - wintagenetvoodle.blogspot.com) and made me feel loved and relaxed. Again, we checked out the Brick Lane market as it was one of the bargaining tools I used in coaxing her down for four days. Needless to say she loved it, and I managed to pick up a vintage Stüssy cap for a tenner off of a bloke in the street. It’s my kind of area – busy, yet somehow cut-off. Friendly, yet not ‘in-your-face’. Quirky, yet not annoying. Once I get the ball rolling career-wise, I could definitely see myself living there.

However the pangs of no fixed income snapped at my heels for the entirety of her stay. A trip to Size? unearthed a varsity jacket for £50 that would usually be eaten up like yesterday’s curry, but was instead left to hang like a high-five from a knobhead, and my search for a denim shirt (never thought I’d find myself searching for a denim shirt) only produced depressing examples of how urgently I need employment. I may have to swallow my pride and go with anything. I may go all
Midnight Cowboy on yo’ asses and attempt to pimp myself out to wealthy 40+ women, befriending a diseased Dustin Hoffman in the process and eventually immigrating to Florida...

...now I come to think of it, that’s not such a bad idea after all.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Renaissance

I've never moved house in my life. Since November 1988 I've lived at number 4 in a little road hidden from everyone, including Jehovah's Witnesses and taxi drivers, but I've reached a point in my life where I've no commitments, and home just doesn't hold anything for me anymore. So I'm moving to London.

Now the more cynical amongst my friends reacted with "Why? What's in London? Stay in Wallasey." Yeah sure, I'll stay, drink flat pints in the same pub every weekend before going home to my bored wife and having meaningless sex in the dark before crashing asleep, only to wake up at 6am to go work in a job that I hate. I want to MAKE something of myself, apply myself to what I enjoy, struggle, potentially fail, only to learn from every single decision I make along the way. I want to make money, blow it on toys, sneakers and bits of useless shit, I want to hang around in pretentious bars listening to warped barely-listenable glitch music, I want to wake up in the morning not knowing what is going to happen, bound out of bed and grab the day by the proverbials. I want change and unfortunately I'm not going to find it in my little town by the sea.

So here's to the next stage of my life. Here's to the triumphs and tribulations. Here's to stress, hardship, but ultimately reward.



Before I move, I wanted one last purchase to bolster my wardrobe before months of uncertainty and the possibility of only being able to eat cardboard for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For the previous week I have been torturing myself with the help of Size?, BAPE EU, Pondon and Kixclusive, unable to commit to any purchases, no matter how much they'd improve my life (dramatic lie).

Nike Dunk 'Ueno Panda' - Rarer than teeth on a chicken
I went down the usual routes; Nike Dunk 'Ueno Panda', Nike Dunk SB 'MF DOOM' (almost purchased, once upon a time), Air Jordan 1 (in all shapes and sizes). However I also perused a seldom used alleyway - I decided to see what AirMax had in store for me. Now I never used to rate the AirMax at all, I found them garish, cheap, and ridiculous. However as my tastes have became less 'suburban' and more liberal, I've taken a shine to the air-cushioned bastards. 

Nike Dunk 'MF DOOM' - They will be mine...
Now by definition I'm a Dunk-Hi guy, you'll rarely find anything else on my feet, save for either AF1's or BapeSta's. At this point in time I only have five pairs, which, to sneaker-freakers is simply pathetic. But seeing as I only have a part time job and have been in uni for the last three years, I think it serves as an adequate start to what will surely blossom into a 'huge fuck-off collection'. At the moment though I've had enough of Dunks. I can't afford any limited releases, my knowledge of sourcing said limited’s is amateur, and what Dunks I CAN get are mass produced and rank.

Nike AirMax 90 'Livestrong' - Charitable
One of my boys however, is a certified sneaker-freaker, and has both the privilege of working in a sneaker emporium and being surrounded by people who truly know their shit. He also rocks a pair of AirMax 90 'Livestrong' a pair of sneakers that I could not afford unless I sold a kidney. Instead I opted for a pair of AirMax 1 from Size? Liverpool, taking full advantage of my mate's staff discount in the process. Result. I mean they are (in my eyes) a 'homage' to the Livestrongs, and face it, they're bloody sweet. I am now learned in the ways of the Airmax and wish to continue my training, but with uncertainty about money, and flinging myself into the proverbial deep-end, God knows when I'll next pick-up a pair.

If the worst comes to the worst I'll have to do one of the following; suck-off a business man for cash, get a good job and work my arse off, beg the 'rents. I'm hoping for the second option, but always know that option one is there if I need it. I'd be like a Victorian scamp.




Recently listening;

Cave In - Jupiter (2000)


Currently wearing;

Nike Hoodie (Most unnecessary caption ever)

Levi 501 Jeans

Nike Dunk Hi - Lunar/Fluff




















Let me off, I'm in work. I promise, I'm usually much more dapper.

Much love – V.H.