Run Forest Run

I swung by Nike Town on my lunch break today and picked up a pair of the new Lunarglide 6 shoes. I was really impressed when the ID version went up on the Nike site in June, but thought I'd wait for a general release version, and I'm glad I did as I really love this white/hyper crimson/hyper cobalt colourway.

I've been running in the Gyakusou version of the Lunarglide 4 for the last year, and definitely clocked up the 500 miles that seems to be the consensus milage for a change of shoes. Before that I was wearing the Lunarglide 3's and the series seem to suit me really well. I ran in them this evening and it was a little strange running in a new shoe, but after a couple of runs they'll be broken in nicely.

My now retired Gyakusou Lunarglide 4s.

"Let me tell you something brother..."

Yesterday afternoon I popped into one of the local charity shops as my girlfriend had some things to donate. As usual I made a b-line for my favourite section, the tie rack. I quite regularly pick up really smart ties in charity shops, its a great place to find interesting vintage designs and they're always dirt cheap.

Yesterday I spotted this smart varsity striped tie, only to find it was Brook Brothers. Its quite similar to this one that I got a few months back, but I like that its got a matte finish, and the quality is great. Plus it would be rude to pass up Brooks Brothers for £2.95!

The Best Man

One of my oldest friends has asked me to be his best man for his wedding in August which I'm super excited about. The grooms party isn't wearing matching wedding suits, which is great as rentals never fit and a lot of the time look awful. I've got a new suit which I'll definitely right a post about nearer the time. But we are going to be matching the groom by wearing pink ties, so I've been hunting for an appropriate pink bow tie, as weddings are a great opportunity to go that little bit extra and rock a bow tie.

After a little googling I found mrsbowtie.com who specialise in bow ties and have an amazing selection of colours, fabrics and styles. All their ties are made in Britain, and come beautifully boxed, and I also got a hand written note which was a really nice touch. They ship using DPD couriers, who I was really impressed with as they gave a number of delivery options when I wasn't in on the originally scheduled day. This was a nice change as courier services are generally terrible. So I'm all set for the big day, now I just need to get speech writing.

Livin' on the Edge

I've been wanting to see Aerosmith live for a long time, but somehow I've never been able to catch them when they come to the UK. This all changed this past weekend when they hit London as part of their 'Let Rock Rule' tour to play the Clapham Calling festival. I had a great day, Aerosmith were just as awesome as I'd hoped, and I also made sure not to miss the opportunity to grab a great vintage style shirt. Now I can be as cool as Garth!

A Tribe Called...

While I was in Tokyo we made sure to see the giant Gundam robot that's at the Diver City on Tokyo harbour. After getting some yaki soba for lunch and checking out the Gundam we did a little shopping, including hitting up The Stussy store. I'd been thinking of getting a Stussy city tee after I saw Ugly Duckling a couple of months back and really liked Young Einstein's shirt (a bit of googling revealed he has a pretty awesome collection of city tees). Its a classic design, and as I'd got rid of an old Stussy tee and a Bored of Southsea parody version in a recent clear out, I was thinking I might get a black on white version.

But when I found this version in the Tokyo Stussy store I had to get it. I love an athletic grey tee, and the turquoise and magenta are a great contrast. Combine it with some great fonts and you've got an awesome shirt, plus I realised I've now visited all the citys! And on a side note, does anyone else remember that Ant from Ant & Dec rocked a ton of Stussy back in the PJ and Duncan days? 

"Cause doves make you look like a badass"

The June GQ was waiting for me when I got back from Japan last week, and its a good one. Channing Tatum makes another cover appearance (I think he gets one a year at the moment), and thats fine with me as I love me some Chan Tate! Theres also articles on 'How to Stock the Perfect Home Bar' (love me some cocktails too), and the now annual wedding style guide. Throw in some self help advice from Fiddy and you've got a loaded issue. Good work GQ!

Ape Shall Never Kill Ape

One of the most exciting parts of visiting Japan this month was the opportunity for me to visit a bunch of Bape stores. I visited 5 different stores, but actually didn't pick up much. Bape's stuff is always a little hit or miss with its fair share of terrible product, and because everything's so limited it was difficult to get my size in the nicer stuff. In the end I only picked up two t-shirts. I think if I had been visiting in Autumn/Winter I would probably found more things as I always really like their sweaters and knitwear.

However the great part was Bapes stuff is sooo much cheaper in Japan. T-shirts on the EU Bape site are £70, but in Japan they worked out at £36! It was just a shame there wasn't more I really liked. I also grabbed a coaster, and a couple of Milo figures from the toy stores at Nakano Broadway.

Elite

I'd been wanting to get the LeBron XI Elites since they released a few weeks back, but had been waiting to see what sneakers I found while on Holiday in Japan the last two weeks. So when I didn't find anything I really wanted in Japan I ran out and grabbed these when I got back this weekend.

I really liked the standard version of the XI shoe, but the general release colour-ways were all a little weak (the red/black colour was the most tempting) so I'd held off to date, but was considering IDing a pair. However when I saw the preview images of the Elites I was very impressed. The combination of red and turquoise (Laser Crimson / Turbo Green officially) is so bright, just on the right side of clashing, and then throw in the pink/gold metallic, its just an awesome colour combination. My favourite Nike basketball shoes have always been a little crazy looking (Zoom Flight 95's, Penny 2) and these certainly continue the tradition.

It also has a great combination of materials. The contrast of the main crimson bodys super smooth matte finish, the metallic flecks in the black hyperposite, and the metallic shine of the fins mean every part looks and feels special. I'm a sucker for a clear sole, and the Turbo Green is just spectacular and was the part of the shoe that really convinced me to get them when I first saw them in person.

They also have a lot of really nice details. The lion jewel lace-lock is very smart and gives it nice luxe feel, and I love the textured hexagons on the inner. They also came with 'Remove Before Flight' stickers protecting the metallic piece which is a fun touch. Like all the Elite Nike Basketball shoes, they're stupidly expensive and no shoe can really justify a £200 price tag. But these are special enough that they seem almost worth it, and I really can't wait to play in them.