Wednesday, 28 March 2018


These Asics Gel Lyte 3s take their cues from popular lace-up styles.
The world of men's footwear looked rather different in 1907: consider that the Converse Shoe Company didn't even exist yet. But it was that year that a store called Packer Shoes opened for business in Yonkers, New York. There were no sneakers on the shelves back then. But in 2004, after nearly a century in business, the brand picked up, moved to Teaneck, New Jersey, and became known as one of the best sneaker stores in America—especially after it started collaborating with sneaker brands on exclusive versions of kicks. Now, Packer is looking to its past—and the kinds of shoes it stocked before sneakers became most guys' first choice footwear—by teaming up with another American style staple, J.Crew, as well as classic Japanese sneaker label Asics. Together, they're releasing versions of the Asics Gel-Lyte III that pay homage to classic footwear styles of yesterday like bucks and loafers.


There are four new Gel Lyte III styles in the collection: a "white buck," "navy buck," "charcoal suede," and "oxblood leather," each of which is done up in colorways and materials designed to mimic those old school-footwear options. This isn't the first time Packer has made a sneaker inspired by a buck; they served up the "dirty buck" Asics Gel Lyte III back in 2015. But this time around, the range of four shoes do an even better job of representing the color schemes of the styles they're based on, creating kicks that, at first glance, look way more like dress shoes than most other business-casual-aspiring sneaks we've seen. (It goes without saying
 that they're a smart pair for a suit.)












While these Asics are a loving homage, it's hard not to see the modern-day symbolism in making sneakers that are meant to looklike dress shoes. Sneaker culture is so pervasive in today's menswear market that J.Crew—a retailer that used to make a killing selling bucks (and still sells them)—now sells just as many sneakers on its site as it does dress shoes. Or just consider this: J.Crew's hottest-in-the-streets menswear item right now is also a sneaker. This won't be the final nail in the coffin by any means for bucks, oxblood leather loafers, or tassel loafers. Guys still gotta lace-up for work, interviews, court dates, weddings, and the rest. But these kicks do feel like a sign of the times. Nostalgia is popular, but sneakers—even ones that harken back to yesteryear—are an even better sell.


l.
Virgil Abloh's velvet take on the 6 inch boot is not for the faint of heart (or feet).
Off-White's Virgil Abloh, who spent the better part of 2017 remixing Nike's greatest hits and has spent the last five years pushing streetwear to the forefront of the fashion conversation, doesn't seem ready to stop any time soon. His latest trick? He's taken on another streetwear staple—Timberland boots. And as he's done with graphic tees and sneakers, Abloh's take on the classic 6-inch work boot is all about elevating the shoes to a luxury level. But how do you take a boot designed for construction and horrendous weather and make ‘em fashion? Well, you do them up in velvet.
Now, you might wonder why anyone would want a work boot in one of most luxurious, stain-vulnerable fabrics known to man. After all, it more or less undercuts the durable nature of the Timberland style. But this is Abloh doing what he does best: he's playing with the idea that Timberland’s 6 inch boots have always been a luxury item to those in the worlds of hip-hop and streetwear. To a lot of guys, a pair of scuffed Timbs is just as embarrassing as a stained T-shirt or wrinkled suit. By creating a version in velvet, Abloh has essentially upped the ante on the idea of keeping your Timbs box-fresh.
If the velvet construction wasn't enough to make you nervous wearing these remixed boots, know that Abloh, as he's wont to do, has also upped the price a considerable amount. A regular pair of wheat or black Timbs will run you a bit under 200 bucks, while the Off-White versions are $745. But there's no doubt that wearing a pair will, like velvet itself, be one of the smoothest style moves you can make in 2018. And if you're looking for another reason to wear the velvet blazer you copped for New Year's Eve, these are the shoes you've been searching for.

Puma

March 28, 2018 0 Comments
A Puma classic gets a designer overhaul from the talented man behind his namesake label and Bottega Veneta.
Puma is making big moves in the sneaker wars these days thanks to collaborations with Rihanna, The Weeknd, and Big Sean. (And rumors are swirling that something's in the works with Jay-Z.) These high profile collaborations are at the heart of the brand's recent resurgence but it's not always a given that a big name partnership will yield great products. Luckily, no one has to worry about that with the brand's latest collaboration, which enlists Tomas Maier—the talented designer of his own namesake label and creative director at Bottega Veneta—to put a high-end spin on the classic Roma 1968 silhouette.
This version of the Roma was originally released in, yes, 1968 to celebrate the victory of the Italian national football team at the UEFA European Football Championship. "I liked the vintage feel and the sleekness of the shoe," Maier says about his decision to riff on the particular style. "[The year] 1968 was a pretty good year in design in general and is far enough in the past to look good again." What's old is new is a common refrain in fashion, but 1968 was a particular strong year for menswear, as the business suits of the Mad Menera were giving way to Flower Power and a loosening up of dress codes (sound familiar?) created a potent mix of sleek modernism and playful attitude—something you see in Maier's Puma collaboration. At first glance, the kicks look like another retro-y white leather sneaker with a gum sole, but up close you notice Maier's brand logo—a palm tree—embossed throughout the upper. Look again and you'll see that on the heel is the designer's name, which might not turn heads with the Rihanna or Weeknd crowd, but will be irresistible to those who know and love Maier's work.
Maier, who is celebrating his label's 20th anniversary this year, is a master at making the kind of "rich guy on holiday" clothes (soft tailoring, dusty colors, and a ton of cashmere) that appeal to a wide range of guys and style tribes. And he knows how elemental sneakers are to the modern guy's wardrobe, even if a pair from his collection will cost you about $500 bucks. "Everybody wears sneakers in today's world and they are part of modern dressing," he says. When he's designing collections, Maier even considers how pieces will look with a pair of sneakers sitting underneath. When it comes to this Puma one-off, which carry a modest $150 price tag, he says, "They go with everything." It's something that's said far too often about white sneakers, but it's hard to imagine his take on the Puma Roma 1968 looking bad with anything, from a bathing suit to a business suit.

Nike

March 28, 2018 0 Comments




Nike and Virgil Abloh's collaboration continues. Here's everything you need to know about copping the duo's latest design.



The next Off-White VaporMax is here. After dropping a hype bomb on the sneaker world back in 2017 with The Ten—a capsule collection of ten iconic sneakers made by Nike and tweaked by Off-White—Virgil Abloh is still showing no signs of slowing down. For one, the guy just got named as the new creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear. (Which, yes, is as big a deal as it sounds.) As for his ongoing Nike collaboration, he's already dropped two of the most hyped sneakers of the year via an all-white version of his "incomplete" Jordan 1s as well as a pair of black and silver Air Force 1s (released exclusively at MoMA). Now, Abloh's new take on the Nike VaporMax—an all black model with an icy blue sole unit—is set to hit retailers on March 30. (A white version is being released later, on April 14.)
The sneaker differs from the original Off-White VaporMax in a few ways, chief among them is that's it's stealthier than the original (and already futuristic-as-hell) sneaker. The Swoosh, which was white on the first collaborative effort, is now black, which is the same for the shoe's tongue. The once stark black Air bubble has been swapped out for a more subtle icy blue version. Both new and past models do share the unmistakable Off-White orange pull tab and literal air quotes printed on the heel.
Like every other sneaker in The Ten, this Off White x Nike VaporMax sneaker won't be easy to get. It's only being released at select retailers and Nike's own e-commerce platform in extremely limited quantities. That in mind, below we've compiled every store and platform releasing the sneakers to make your chances of getting pair the best they can be.

Tuesday, 27 March 2018

Yet another Adidas Yeezy sneaker is about to hit retailers.
It's a busy time for Kanye West's Yeezy Season—as well as for fans of his line of sneakers with Adidas. In the past month, Adidas Yeezy Boost 700s have hit shelves. The new Adidas Yeezy 500 did, too, and even some non-Adidas Yeezys from Season 6 are starting to hit retailers. The latest release, however, is a new take on an old favorite: a brand-new version of the Adidas Yeezy Powerphase, going live this Saturday in its third iteration, dubbed "Core Black."

The first two Adidas Yeezy Powerphases—which are based on the OG Adidas Powerphase from the 1980s—came in off-white and medium gray. And while this latest version of the retro sneaker looks more like dark gray than true black, we don't mind—the shade is more in line with West's dusty-hued vision of fashion, anyway. His Yeezy Season brand has been embracing sweats and denim in washed-out colors since its inception in 2015, and rarely has the line's footwear veered from that formula (save for handful of bright Yeezy Boost styles). Point is, if your tan and taupe and gray and ochre cozy-boy game is already on lock, then the Powerphases are a rock-solid way to complete the look.
Additionally, the Powerphases may be the most attainable Yeezys on the market today—which is good news for people buying sneakers in hopes of, y'know, actually wearing them. They retail for a totally reasonable $120, and the only real branding on the kicks comes in the form of gold-foil lettering on the upper that reads "Calabasas"—a word (and town north of Los Angeles) that's graced a ton of West's recent gear, including hoodies, sweatpants, socks, and even hats. So while almost every other Yeezy x Adidas sneaker comes with the added stress of a massive hype cycle and release-date frenzy, expect the "core black" Powerphase to be, like the sneaker's design itself, a little more chilled out.