Bape Thursday No.5

This weeks Bape Thursday continues the collegiate theme from last week with this athletics influenced tee. The front has a pretty simple Bape logo, but the pairing of navy & gold/yellow are a classic varsity sports combination with great examples such as the Cal Golden Bears or the Michigan Wolverines. This is further emphasised by the varsity style lettering and the classic heathered athletics grey.

But the part of the shirt I really love is the back print. It takes the APE lettering and turns it into a great athletics logo by adding the winged foot and the trademark Bape shooting star. It really reminds me of vintage Nike running logos and definitely captures the feel of a college athletics department.

Its another great example of Bape doing something a little different than the camo & ape heads that they're more commonly know for.

Bape Thursday No.4

This weeks Bape Thursday features a collegiate inspired Bape sweater. As I mentioned in a previous weeks post, a lot of my favouite Bape pieces are inspired by military or collegiate styling, and they do a great job of taking classic Americana styles and giving them the uniquely Japanese Bape twist.

The sweater takes a lot of cues from vintage sports jerseys with the applique numbering on the back (1993 is the year that Bape was founded) and the elbow pad detailing that you see on vintage rugby & football shirts. This is combined with the varsity B giving it that classic US college style with the addition of the 'A Bathing Ape' stitching detail.

Much like the previous Bape sweater I featured this is Bape in a really subtle understated way, but also featuring great elevated details that give it the varsity styling that I love and making it a really wearable classic piece.

Any given Sunday...

Being a big sneaker guy there are often shoes that I really like, but can't justify buying as I know I won't ever really wear them much. Normally its basketball shoes that look ridiculous off court, or materials that aren't practical (suede dunks for winter?). So in the case of the Nike Zoom Turf Jet 97 do I really need a shoe thats meant for playing American football on astro turf?

A lot of my all time favourite Nike shoes are from 1995-1998. Maybe it was because I was an impressionable teenager at the time, but something about the design & style from that period really resonates with me, and the Zoom Turf Jet 97 is no exception. It has a lot of the details I love from this era, the pod design, the mix of materials, the contrast stitched swoosh, and the forefoot mini swoosh. It definitely feels like a relative of the Zoom flight 95 or the Penny 1& 2, some of my favourite basketball shoes.

So ignoring the fact that I probably won't have much occasion to wear them I did a little hunting on ebay and was able to find a lighty worn pair in my size. I got them for under £50 including shipping & tax from the states, and apart from some slight yellowing to the clear sole, they're in almost perfect condition.

There are a ton of elements that I really like about this shoe. I love the aggressive shape of the upper with the ridge design on the toe box, the big metallic strap and the studded outer-sole all making for a really strong, tough looking shoe, perfect for the gridiron. This is contrasted by the metallic pod with the zoom air detailing. This gives it the great futuristic feel that I love in performance shoes. This is all combined with the great contrasting materials. Smooth & pebbled leather, woven mesh on the tongue & heel, the metallic strap and the quilted satin lining all come together to make this an awesome looking shoe.

I have played touch American football with friends on occasion so I'm definitely going to try and organise a game for the summer so I can give the shoe an outing for its intended use. But I also think they'll look pretty good with shorts in the summer so hopefully I will get some wear from them. But also sometimes its just nice to add something to the collection.

Bape Thursday No.3

I think it was about 10 years ago that I got my very first Bape item, the cotton candy Bapestas. I first saw them on the Nike Talk message board and it was hard to resist a shoe that looked so different & crazy. Bape had taken the Nike Air Force One shoe and given it a make over by replacing the swoosh with a shooting star, and then using a whole rainbows worth of different colours in super shiny patent leather.

Each colour of the Bapesta was super limited, so this combination of eye catching colours & materials, and exotic Japanese exclusivity made them really special. They were the first thing I'd ordered from Japan, and it was super exciting to wait for something so different to arrive from the other side of the world (especially when they came packaged in Bape camo wrapping).

I love the classic Bape 'Cotton Candy' colourway, with the blue & pink contrasting brilliantly with the bright yellow shooting star and sole. I also like that this version has the trademark ape head detail on the heel. They're definitely not a subtle shoe, but they're great to break out on a sunny day when you want to go for something a little flashy.

Cool for the Summer

Now that its officially Spring and the weather is a little sunnier I thought it would be a good time change up my work footwear and transition from the boots that I've been wearing all winter into something more seasonally appropriate.

One of the benefits of working in a really casual office is that I can wear sneakers for work. I wore Fragment Design Nike All Courts all last summer, but its still a little early for canvas so I've been looking for a smart leather shoe that will see me through the Spring showers.

I found these sneakers in Aldo. and although I've often thought that Aldo is a bit over priced, these were in the mid-season sale at 50% off, so were really good value and definitely fit the bill

The mix of smooth & pebbled leather gives them a great lux feel with the off white colour being a lot more understated than a pure white. Combined they make for a really smart, subtle shoe perfect for the coming Spring months.