Bonjour Bristol

Steep hills = Fixie death

Stoke Bishop Downs = Male Rape Hotspot

Halls = Oxbridge-esque

University = I reckon lot of work

More info to follow (Freshers is taking up my time a bit at the moment)

WANT - RED WINGS

My old man has been selling and reviving these things for years and years and i've never really had any interest in them. Last February, when the snow engulfed London, he gave me a pair of vintage Redwing boots, proper 70's workwear ones picked up on a U.S. scouting mission, but I have only ever used them for challenging the snow. This morning, whilst looking at the Opening Ceremony x Where The Wild Things Are collab I noticed this picture and both saw how impressive the denim and boots look on this model.

I have managed to, thanks to some very impressive knowledge, identify these as Mink Oil Mocassin toe Redwings, something I probably should have known. I think it was mainly the colour that threw me, so I reckon this colour is new for this season, but i'm not 100 percent on that. I had been thinking about a pair of Redwings for a couple of weeks, but the thought of the boat already having sailed on them was becoming concrete in my mind, that was until I saw these. The colour strikes me as a one which could be worn at any date, a timeless colour, thus making the boot similarly timeless. This is in contrast to a normal pair of redwings in the red or black, which with the obviously contrasted crepe sole, are only appropriate (although i'm sure some diehards would argue with me) to certain times where the redwing Japanese trend is in full swing. As a result of my fondness of these they are on the top of my wants list, and at £140 they are much more within my a students price range than my previous wants entry. I honestly believe they could make a fantastic winter boot, and I throughly look forward to seeing a pair in the flesh.

WANT - NIGEL CABOURN DUFFLE

For years I have been toying with the idea of a duffle coat for those frosty winters. Maybe with my imminent move to university a duffle coat is the perfect item of clothing to purchase. It conjures up images of 1968, picketing out side a student union in deep December organising wild-cat student strikes. Anyway I came across this beauty at Present. Its a pretty hefty investment at around £650 and it would take quite a lot of will power to cop but as a garment its beautiful, and ticks all the boxes of what a duffle should do. The colour is fantastically autumnal, and its just about thick enough to keep one warm when it's chilly, but not so much as to make it too heavy, thus making it a burden to wear. The wool is made by those purveyors of fine upholstery, Fox Brothers and Co. England., which again only adds to the quality It is also available at Oi Polloi in a blue, but I feel the other colour-way is much more apt.

The Beetham Jacket, as it is known, is just one of several fantastic Cabourn pieces in the winter collection. The re-issue of the everest jacket, which I am lucky enough to have access to the original of, and the cameraman parka are both outstandingly well designed, and thought-through pieces which do well in reflecting British heritage and design. Cabourn's recent revival, thanks in part to his resurgence in Japan, has produced an exciting collection and he shall be one of the designers I look forward to seeing collections by in the near future.

This Looks Familiar

Earlier on Highsnobiety I spotted this, the Nisqually Valey Parka, by Maiden Noir. Anyone with a memory may remember a certain parka Supreme released last season. The similarities are quite ridiculous with only the sleeves making this effort, which by the way is available at Union LA for $424, identical to the S/S 09 effort by NY's finest. Even the colours are perfect, with this replica not being a shade away from the original.

One could, however, argue that this is a case Jebbia receiving a taste of his own medicine. Many have highlighted the similarities that THAT Supreme Mountain Parka has to a Ralph Lauren Parka circa 1993. I am lucky enough to have that jacket but with blue instead of red, but still in an identical design. It just goes to prove how influential RL are in this industry, but also how much stuff is shared, or rather pinched from others. Maybe its more testament to the fact that all this is a lovely design for a mountain parka. As all have come out very nicely, and I would happily own any of the three, the "theft" of this popular design has been a crude move by all parties involved.

For some 15 years this design has done the rounds, and I hope that for another 15 it can evolve in an equally exciting manor

(Oh and Patagonia had a go as well - but it was a bit of a weak effort)

The Other Side of the Pillow

Ive been hearing about this place for several weeks and my cousin Jack has not given up telling me about how fantastic the Made In USA vans are. Their quality of both design and material are far superior to Vans made away from the cali factory and luckily this place has sprung up in town that presents a large collection of them. The Other Side of The Pillow offers a very impressive deadstock selection of Van Dorens and, as ollies fantastically well presented video shows, other footwear ranging from vintage Nikes to Reebok B-B sneakers. Anyway this video perfectly highlights what this shop has on offer and I think a visit to it may very well be on the books before I head west. Good Luck to them, and well done on accumulating such an impressive selection

(vid courtesy of BNTL)

The Other Side Of The Pillow

61 Wilton Way

Hackey

London

E1 1BG

LFW

I managed to make it to two shows today, one much more impressive than the other, but both very interesting nonetheless

First I made it down to the MAN show in Somerset House. Using an illicit PR pass I was able to sneak in and stand to watch the show. The clothing however was not the most exciting part. My celebrity radar was on high alert, the cast of T4, Peaches, Phillip Green and Nick Grimshaw were some of the better know celebs around. More interesting were the people I was lucky enough to be introduced to. Buyers, journalists and designers were all in attendance and putting faces to regularly uttered names was a very curious experience.

Later in the day The Child Of The Jago/ Terrorist show in Wiltons Music Hall was my second LFW destination. With Joe Corrie (ex Agent Provocateur owner and child of Malcolm Mclaren and Vivenne Westwood) being a co-designer of the collection, the weird and wacky of British fashion and music were obviously to be expected, and his mother led that parade posing for a picture on a giant frog as I walked in. Faces to be spotted were equally as impressive as at the MAN show. Ronnie Wood, Boy George and Vivienne Westwood were all sitting in the front row. I am also informed that many 70s Punk legends were close by, but my age let me down on that one. The show, with all credit to Barnzey, was superb, with it being more of a theatrical performance than a catwalk. The Victorian Music Hall could not have been so apt. The music, which had been compiled by DJ friend of Joe Corrie who had tragically died just days previously, was spot on and it truly complemented both impressive garments (a stripey regatta-esque blazer being a highlight) and pure entertainment. The catwalk didn't stretch a massive distance from orthodox fashion shows, but it did just enough to make this show a highlight, and leagues better than the much more high profile MAN show I had frequented earlier in the day. All in all my LFW experience was deeply enjoyable

Vintage Nikes

Whilst pottering around the offices of a certain defunct clothing label I stumbled across these. I believe what I have found are a Nike Cortez (blue) and a Nike Waffleracer (green). Both are left feet and both, I believe, were samples found in the USA on a trip. Either way I know they are old, and I am guessing worth a fair penny, its just a case of how much? The only concrete detail is that they are from before the early 1990's. They are both made in Japan which i think narrows it down slightly. Around 15 years ago a different colour-way, but still a single left foot, was sold to a visiting Japanese buyer for some several hundred pounds. That is why I pulled these out of boxes and boxes of samples and that is why I have a feeling these are worth a fair amount, hopefully only accumulating worth over time. I guess one needs to seek an expert on these sorts of matters

Its Parka Time

It seems to be that every day a new parka of some sort is being released, many of which are beautiful pieces of design. Recently I have been going nuts for technical apparel and a mountain parka has been a carrot to my donkey.

This Garbstore effort is one that has really stood out to me, but at £280+ it will be a big move for me to cop one.

On another note I spotted this Neighborhood x Marmot Parka on h(y)r collective. The colour is plain but the badges are impressive and from what I have read Marmot appear to be stalwarts of the technical apparel game, with this having the potential to being a very clever collaboration, I will just have to see whats its like in the flesh

Finally I have wanted one of these for ages. I already have two parkas in my collection (A cheap Uniqlo effort and the 1992 RL classic the recent Supreme one was based on) but my grail of parkas has been either a new Japanese, or a vintage Sierra Designs 60/40. I have missed out on a few on ebay, and the £250 price tag from Japan has put me off but i think i may have one coming. Its not one i've seen regularly, it is half quilted inside and I was apprehensive about bidding for it but I may win it at reasonable price and aesthetically there is not much too different compared to a regular one. I am quite excited for the date it will arrive, although I may very well be in a whole new city by then...

WANT: VISVIM LOGANS

Ever since I saw these a couple of months ago i decided i wanted them, but for love nor the money i'm willing to spend I have seen a pair of Visvim Logan Elk Mids in a UK 10

I saw the buyer from Firmament the other day and he told me they didn't have any left and weren' getting them in next season so I guess my search continues...

Song In My Head

I was at a leaving party the other night and it was the last night i would be with all my school friends before we all disperse across the country for university. Anyway i was in this house in Highbury, its quite warm, there are about 30 of us standing in the kitchen/ garden. A friend of mine puts his iPod on and this is the first tune he picked. It perfectly summed up how this summer has been, just chilling, relaxing and partying. I was taken to 1978 in west london somewhere. Its been in my head ever since...

Toots and the Maytals - 54-46 Was My Number