Smorgasbord

Right, we all know I'm a crap blogger alright? It's not my fault that all my free time is spent fighting crime, sleeping and somehow getting chocolate on my neck, because with great power, comes great responsibility....

...so yeah, how are you and stuff? Really? Neat. Let's get down to the nitty-gritty; me what has been bought by the Hooligan for the last few months, neck chocolate aside that is.

TEES.

Above: 1 Seal tee, £15 - Lazy Oaf sale (January)

Below: 2 Popeye tee, Supreme, £35 - Dover Street Market (December)

Oh right, what a boob I am, turns out i don't have any photos of me in the other tees I blagged, and trust me there're some fucking beauts in there. But don't fret, I have a camera, and at least one friend with opposable thumbs so they'll be up soon. DON'T CRY BIRD.

So yeah, moving on...

1 How much of a beast is this please? Always got to show some love for Lazy Oaf, amazing designs on display on everything from tees to packing tape. This one was a no-brainer for me, let's run through the checklist;

* White tee? CHECK

* Fresh colouring? CHECK

* Ecstatic seal with tiny hands? CHECK

2 I don't need to tell you how hard Supreme is to get hold of. Seriously, it's a fucking joke at times, but then I'd rather it be that way than the average pleb bombing round town in a Supreme tee to match their G-Star Raw/Hollister combinations. Twats. But yeah, sourced this out way before release as I just full-on love everything about it, I mean come on, who doesn't love Popeye? The old drunk. It'll look even better when I lose my Christmas boobs though (yep, still here, damn neck chocolate...)

KICKS.

Above: 3 BAPE Roadsta88, £165 £99 - A Bathing Ape Pirate Store, London (January)

Below: 4 Nike + Stüssy, All-Court Black, £70 - The Hideout (December)

            5 Nike + Stüssy, All-Court White, £70 - The Hideout (December)

Above: 6 Nike AirMax Light, £90 - Foot Patrol (December

Below: 7 Nike AirMax 90 Infra-Red, £90 - Kixclusive (January)

The coming months are very strong in terms of sneaker releases, from the Nike Dunk Liberty and ?uestlove, to the upcoming new season in the Adidas/Star Wars range. However, before I get carried away I need to remember that I only have two feet and have to save up to go see Voodle in New York this summer (where I WILL finally snag the elusive Ueno Panda...)

3 BAPE opened up their first UK Pirate Store in Shoreditch from January 22-30th and offered rarities, factory seconds and limited quantities of fresh items at discounted prices. Naturally I was there on the sunday, met with a medium sized, but healthy queue outside the main doors, flanked by three huge guards decked in the finest Ape-wear. Inside was more of the same, with racks upon racks of goods surrounded by hype-bastards, clueless turds and general riff-raff. I copped a pair of red/gold Apesta88 (basically the Air Jordan 3 but for twice the price) discounted from £165 to £99. It was a no-brainer.

4 & 5 I previewed the Nike + Stüssy All-Courts back in October and impatiently awaited the drop. Learning my mistakes after the Nike Supreme 94 debacle I was all over tis release like a tramp on discarded chips. This time when I rang the Hideout, after exchanging pleasantries, I was hit with the million dollar question;

"Do you want to reserve a pair in white, in black, or do you want both?"

I shook, softly at first, but with each tremor my movement became more violent. Weighing up the pros and cons in my mind (Cons: Would barely afford to live for a month, christmas would be a struggle. Pros: I'd look hella bad-ass) I took the plunge and opted for both. Lucky I did though, as they sold out in a day, and considering that the Hideout was the only stockist of the kicks in the UK I was a very lucky boy indeed. I'll say this though, I didn't eat properly for the following weeks, but by God are my shoes beautiful.

6 Following on from my first AirMax gamble in August, I felt the time was right to get more. Well, that's a lie, I just happened to be in Foot Patrol with a fresh paycheck burning a hole in my pocket and had to buy them, mainly to fill the Infra-Red sized hole in my life...

7 ...which I plugged not long after. I wanted the Infra-Reds upon release back in August, but couldn't afford them due to moving down south, so when I finally got some pennies rolling I hunted the internet for a pair. As usual though, the only sizes available were in the region of size 5 (buy nice shoes you tiny footed pricks or I'll cut off your limbs). Luckily, New York dealer Kixclusive got some in to their web store, and the price, including postage, worked out roughly the same. Like all AirMax they're very comfy and seem to go with anything, despite the unorthodox colouring. Emma can't stand them though, but screw it, they're comfy and swish, and came in a stupidly fast amount of time.

So yeah, that's what I've been up-to for the last few months, aside from lucha-libre, Fanric, tee jaunts and music video making, but they're stories for another time....

...oh go on then. Here's a music video I made with my boys at Fungunt Productions for the Eurythmics' synth classic 'There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)'. Enjoy, and if you genuinely DO enjoy, then please let me, or the boys know through the above links *looks up two lines*

Tales of Interest!

Things have gotten a little slack here on BLHB, and I for one am not happy about it. Sure I can blame work, or the fact that all my free time has been spent either religously playing the latest Smackdown game or in the bank exasperated, but those would be the actions of a coward. Lucky then that I am a coward, so the answer is simple;

"My dog ate my computer."

* Recent Purchases

Money has started to flow into my bank account now so some inspired fashion purchases have been made, from the recent Nike Stüssy's (sold out in less than a day, I picked up two pairs), Nike Infra-reds and a pair of AirMax Lights, to one of Supreme's amazing Popeye tees, courtesy of DSM, bypassing a long awaited ensnaring of a 'look at me I go fox hunting/killing plebs for a gangster' Barbour jacket. It's safe to say then that I am loving my wardrobe at the moment as my collection of all things rare and exclusive is starting to blossom in this city that we call London.

*Noddy Holder-fest

Of course you don't need me to tell you that it's been Christmas recently, you've been constantly reminded by shops, television, radio and state sponsored propaganda films since mid June. This Christmas was a strange one for me peronally, as it was the first time I've been away form home in the build-up to the festive period and as such I was feeling a tad glum and bored. In true Steve Martin style though, I got home on Christmas eve (via train, not plane nor automobile unfortunately) and bounded straight to the pub dressed as a future sex offender to be greeted heroically and groped by a myriad of friends and relatives that I have not seen in months. Christmas itself, as ever, came and went extremely quickly and before I knew it I was back on my way to London bashing out my thoughts on my netbook. Ah well. The missus was up for a few days for the New year/January sales and my boys were up at the end of January for an ill-advised Fabric and shopping jaunt. As expected, several bass related injuries occurred.

*Odds and Sods

I'm obsessed with Nicolas Cage. I never thought it would happen seeing as I hated him as a child (despite never have seeing any of his movies until my teenage years). This recent worship was brought on by the incredible YouTube video of him losing his shit, which led to me shouting "VIVA LA FUCKING FRANCE MAN" at any opportunity, whether warranted or not.

Finally saw Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World and it is truly an awesome film. Combining the visceral talents of Edgar Wright, the subtle comic turnings of Michael Cera and enough American garage rock and dorky references to keep overweight fanboys like myself salivating, this film rocked my socks. Whilst being a comics mark, I've never read the Scott Pilgrim series (due to really hating the artwork, which, seeing as it's a visual medium is a biggie) but have always heard good things from friends and various internet based dwellings of the friendless virgins we call 'geeks'. The strength of this film, however, has made me reconsider my stance on all things Pilgrim, and will probably be dabbled with alongside the Walking Dead and my ongoing catching up of Transmetropolitan.

Being tipped out of a wheelchair hurts, especially if not 20 minutes earlier you were punched in the testicles.

I really wish I spent my childhood learning kung-fu instead of doing nothing all day except playing with Star Wars toys and watching the Simpsons. Actually wait, scratch that, I wish it was socially acceptable for me as a 22 year old man to do nothing all day but play with Star Wars toys and watch the Simpsons.

Viva la fucking France

The Empire Strikes Back...

The difficult second album, the 'long awaited sequel', 'Breakin' II: Electric Boogaloo'. All tags associated with the age old adage of following a surefire hit. There are examples of success ('Led Zeppelin II'), failure ('Escape from LA') and the golden goose; the superior creation ('Godfather II'). Where this comes into context in the fashion world is with regards to the Adidas Originals Star Wars line, a line which not only proved that the German sneaker powerhouse CAN create a good collaboration, but also proved financially and commercially successful t'boot. So now we are presented with an Autumn/Winter Star Wars range, but can it capture the magic of the original?

THE GOOD:

Death Star Letterman Jacket

Bang on trend with the current 'prep-hop' look that's being sought after by every man and his dog. My only gripe is patchwork overload - the TIE Fighters down the right arm are unnecessary, same for the red text below the right breast and the Adidas Star Wars logo on the left arm. The massive back print is superb, and the geekiest thing this side of a 'Dune' convention. Spot on.

Star Wars Adi Dassler Tee

I fucking love this item, it's superb. If you know me personally then you know that I have a permanent hard-on for white tees and off-centre prints (in this case, off center vertically speaking). This garment teams up Darth Vader; Dark Lord of Sith, Adi Dassler; Co-founder of Adidas, and C3PO; gold plated arrogant robo-twat, and the three are presiding over a very old-skool football boot. The item is finished off with a slogan above the left breast, and the Adidas Star Wars logo just below the neck.

Star Wars Top Ten 'Droids'

First spotted on Jay Baruchel's feet in the amazing TV advert in the summer, this design combines the colourways of the saga's foremost robots - the afore mentioned C3PO, and robotic bin-bad-ass R2D2. Now on paper, a shoe which is half gold/half white should be horrendous, but I personally adore them. Finished off with lace-covers saying 'DROIDS' and presented in blister-pack boxing these are definite must-haves.

THE BAD:

Star Wars Nizza 'Good'

Not a fan of these. Very cheap looking and would expect them to blow-up the second you laced them up. Heel has a 'Wookiees' logo that looks like little more than a transfer tattoo. The kids versions are very cute though. Buy for your offspring!

Boba Fett Track Top

Now this disappointed me. Boba Fett, the coolest anonymous bastard in the entire franchise, immortalised in a drab, overcrowded jacket. Although the colourway is clearly based upon the character's battle armour, it comes across like a hospital constructed in the late 1980s, or a mint-choc-chip ice-cream eaten on a cloudy day. Its also got far too many pockets. FAR TOO MANY.

THE BIZARRE:

Boba Fett Backpack

Have you ever seen a more gloriously bizarre/unnecessary commercial release backpack in all your days? Based on Boba Fett's helmet (although its more like a Clone Trooper THERE ARE ONLY THREE FILMS) this is a weird, although nicely designed/constructed accessory. I'd have killed for one of these as a kid.

A while back I wrote an article for 'CYNIC Magazine' highlighting the inaugural collection, and one thing ringed throughout - what is the purpose of this collaboration? What links German sportswear with intergalactic civil war? The answer is nothing. Nothing links the two, but frankly I don't care. This collaboration combines two things that I love - Star Wars, and clothing. The Autumn/Winter collection is disappointing compared to the initial collection, but still has some items that would be welcomed into any self-respecting wardrobe. So in essence, this season's offerings are more 'Return of the Jedi' than 'The Empire Strikes Back' - very good, but gimmicky and not as memorable as the original.