Brand-ish: 8103 Clothing

Everyone has vices. One of my most obvious and expensive ones is shopping. So when you combine it with my love of sports, things can get a little hectic for my little Visa card. Streetwear is one of my passions and men have a plethora of options compared to women. The ladies' gear is starting to set up, but the fellas' market is massive in comparison. Especially when you look at the t-shirt and cut and sew arena. 10 Deep presented one of the best executed and styled look books in recent years with their Fall/Winter 2009-2010 "Hunt or be Hunted" Collection.  Mishka consistently brings out perfect custom colour New Era caps and cult favorites. And Nike Sportswear constantly impresses with their collabs (I bought this Nike x Grotesk jacket at Nike Sportswear at 21 Mercer - amazing!) I'm going to let my girl boner for these established streetwear brands subside for just a minute to showcase 8103 Clothing, an independent brand out of the land of the Jaguars: Jacksonville, Florida. 8103 Clothing began in 2003 in the sunshine state and call themselves a lifestyle brand that fuses skate and street cultures (my first loves) to come up with interesting, quality and topical apparel. They preach quality, passion and independence as they screen all their shirts in their Florida facility, which you have to respect in this mass manufacturing market. They offer tees, jeans, caps and even limited edition collaborations including rings and chains. I want to focus on their t-shirts as I think that's their strong suit.

The prints range from sexy and classic, to silver screen heros, and the ubiquitous East Coast vs. West Coast.  But, my two personal favourite prints are the most pertinent now. The first style is their version of what I'm sure is the first of many, Tiger Woods post "sex addiction scandal" tees to drop. It's simple and bold - JUST DID IT.

I kinda love the slightly tall tee fit  (long shape and sleeves) and it also comes in a crew neck sweater in black. I may get a XXL (mini dress length) in my favourite colourway, purple and white, and rock it with knee-high socks and heels to a PGA event. Though how awesome would it be if the tee came in Tiger final round red? Do you think he wears red boxer when he seals the deal?

The second t-shirt from 8103 Clothing that caught my eye is the ode to the MTV show that is transforming Facebook statuses and club dance moves everywhere...yes, I'm talking about the phenomena that is Jersey Shore.

The t-shirt showcases some of the very best quotations from the boys who creeped all over Seaside Heights and into our hearts. This is a much more fashionable and ironic way to sport your love of all things GTL (gym, tan, laundry for the non-converted) than say a blowout ala Pauly Dee or fluorescent garb from the Shore Store.

Shout outs to the crew at 8103 Clothing for keeping it fun, fresh and local. If you want to pick up some gear you can grab it from their online store. Or, Karmaloop has some special items on their site as well and if you use coupon code SHEGOTGAME you'll get 20% off. Happy shopping.

High fives & booty taps,

Megan

Double Trouble: Sir Charles and Stan Van

On TNT last Thursday, Charles Barkley brought out his usual mock neck best to the panel. You'd think he'd dress up for the occasion, considering the extra hour-long show to début the NBA All-Star Reserves.

Kenny, Ernie and the always stylish Chris Webber all wore proper, well-fitting suits. The fabric prints and layering are debatable for some, but at least they weren't wearing a Hanes t-shirt under an oversized, ill-fitting grey jacket. The whole thing just felt a little Miami Vice to me....minus the polyester (god I hope, because when a big man sweats in unnatural fibre...). TUURRRRRIBLE!

I could chastise Barkley for his awful choice of attire more....but frankly, he's been doing it for some time. Ever since the Round Mound of Rebound let his waist get bigger than his head, he's been opting out of the collared shirt and fitted suit get up most of the time. Yes, we all gain weight and Barkley should never be Rajon Rondo thin, but the clothes can give you shape! Sir Charles, you are TNT royalty, why wouldn't you want to fit the part? It takes a little more work or even, just a very diligent well paid stylist and tailor to give you the shape you want. Suits are made to give you  shape, not try and make you look bigger with an oversized jacket. A good fabric won't add shine to reflect light and make you look bigger or cling to you in less than desirable spots. The mock top completely cuts off any length to your neck as well, so you get the snowman effect. You become round mounds on top of bigger mounds, and not a human proper shape. And who wants to resemble Frosty the snowman instead of a real live man? (And no, I'm not talking about Frosty ala Clipse).

I was shocked when Barkley was hosting SNL for the second time this past January and he wore *gasp* a real suit AND (slightly dated) tie! It's a wonder what working with a good stylist will do for you. He looked taller, leaner and younger than he has in years. Though, being in commercials next to modern NBA gods like Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard wouldn't really enhance your self-image.

The game that TNT was featuring last Thursday was the Boston Celtics visiting the Orlando Magic. Despite Craig Sager's best blatant attempt at shock value in a suit, it  was Van Gundy's attire that disturbed me more....HE WAS MATCHING CHARLES BARKLEY! Perhaps all this time SVG has not  been impersonating Ron Jeremy and his famous pornstache, but Sir Charles instead. The only difference was that Stan Van was wearing a black mock neck polo (but done up tight to the neck) and the same ill-fitting grey jacket. Stan, like Charles, used to wear suit and ties and slightly more appropriate outfits. But he has become the sideline model for mock neck shirts and bulky jackets, and sometimes worse, turtle necks! Turtle necks are a husky man's worse nightmare as it not only cuts of the neck and any length but also gives zero shape, structure of definition. More often than not, the wearer looks like a blob rather than a respected NBA head coach.

Sir Charles and Mr. Van Gundy, I beg of you, review your wardrobes! You're in HD now so NOTHING is hidden. Embrace your shape and learn to make it work for you, not against you and a widescreen.

And as a quick side note, Kurt Warner wore his own version of the black polo and grey jacket during his retirement press conference. But for some reason, it seemed to work. Maybe it's because he's a retiree in Arizona and that outfit seems to scream casual golf course. But mostly, it was because it FITS. Gentlemen, please know your size, not just in your pants but around them as well.

High fives & booty taps,

Megan

NBA All-Star: The Kicks List

Tonight on TNT, everyone's favorite Thursday night dysfunctional family (sorry, Community) revealed the NBA All-Star reserve teams. Although it wasn't as animated as last week's edition when Chris Webber almost  crawled over the table to kill Barkley,  there was definitely some division on the panel. (Mo Williams an All-star...REALLY?). Being the sneaker and style obsessed fan that I am, my thoughts immediately jumped to which athletes would be rocking special limited kicks to the event. Afterall, the game is a glorified shootout (All-Star Saturday>All-Star Sunday). Will CB4 or D-Will pay homage to their hometown in the lone star state? Will LeBron change sneakers every quarter? Only time will tell as the sneakers leak online, but allow me to break down the brand presence per athlete. As usual, perennial sponsorship overlords, Nike have 14 athletes in the main All-Star game on Valentine's Day. If you count their Jordan brand branch, that adds another 5 ballers. Adidas is right behind MJ's kids sending 4 members of their brotherhood (sorry, Gilbert). And Reebok has only one player going to the game, but it's fitting that it is Mr. It's All About Me, Allen Iverson.

Converse has been shutout now that Dwyane has gone to the more notable Nike property. Personally, I would love to see him rock the Weapons. They need to re-do the Bird/Magic ads with new kids....may I suggest Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans. But that's an argument for another day.

Here's the breakdown of the roster including the kicks they were last seen wearing. I'm not going to include all of BronBron or Bean's colourways, as that could kill the internets....and this isn't a Nike campaign (well, not completely anyway). But, I gotta include these. Apparently LeBron will be rocking these robin's egg blue VII's at the All-Star game. Will he be having Breakfast at Tiffany's in these?

Eastern Conference Starters:

G - Allen Iverson - Reebok

G - Dwyane Wade - Jordan Brand

F - LeBron James - Nike

F - Kevin Garnett - Adidas

C - Dwight Howard - Adidas

Eastern Conference Reserves:

G - Joe Johnson - Jordan Brand

G - Rajon Rondo - Nike

G - Derrick Rose - Adidas

F - Paul Pierce - Nike

F - Gerald Wallace - Jordan Brand

F/C - Al Horford - Nike

F/C - Chris Bosh - Nike

Western Conference Starters:

G - Steve Nash - Nike

G - Kobe Bryant - Nike

F - Carmelo Anthony - Jordan Brand

F - Tim Duncan - Adidas

C - Amar'e Stoudemire - Nike

Western Conference Reserves:

G - Chris Paul - Jordan Brand

G - Brandon Roy - Nike

G - Deron Williams - Nike

F - Kevin Durant - Nike

F - Pau Gasol - Nike

F - Dirk Nowitzki - Nike

F - Zach Randolph - Nike

Who are you most looking forward to seeing in the All-Star game? Who was snubbed? Personally, I'd take Josh Smith over Horford and you gotta make some room for David Lee. I don't think KG should start....but the fans have spoken. No matter what, I'm sure Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban will help make it entertaining affair.

Nike Air Max LeBron VII Dunkman: King's Kryptonite?

LeBron James' and his Nike Air Max LeBron VII is the Hugh Hefner of shoe colour-ways. Both are constantly upgrading to the latest, the greatest, the prettiest, newest, the rarest, so much so that even the most skilled statisticians and sneakerheads can't keep up! But they always come back to an old favourite. For Hugh, it's the blondes. And for LeBron's signature sneakers, it's the Dunkman. Nike just dropped the gazillionith version of the Nike Air Max LeBron VII, the Dunkman edition. It stays true to the Dunkman template in terms of using grey and "mean" green somewhere on the shoe along with the classic IN YA FACE dunkman logo.

The newest edition to the LeBron VII family adopts a glaring neon green sole and keeps the rest of the shoe mostly black with highlights of grey and neon green. It features some nice touches like patent leather trim, nubuck and standard flywire  as well as 3M woven laces. The mesh of technological advances on the shoe seems to do best when toned in one colour palette and gives the sole greatest impact.

Now, I know LeBron has been using the Dunkman silhouette since the II's and that "mean green" is the trademark for the series. But doesn't the colouring and overall high-tech feel a little like  a pair of kicks we saw in the All-Star game a little while back?

Of course I'm talking about the Nike Foamposite Lite KryptoNate, the kicks the little man, Nate Robinson, used to tame the beast that is Dwight Howard. Robinson (Nike) soared over Howard (Adidas) with bright neon green soles highlighting the Sprite (shades of green, especially neon) Slam Dunk Content, so why not stick a winning formula for LeBron? After all, as the King sat courtside last All-Star game, he stated that he wanted to compete in 2010.

The LeBron Dunkman VII's have already dropped in a pre-release at MarqueeSole but won't go wide until March. The NBA All-Star weekend takes place in Dallas, Texas under the watchful eye of Jerry Jones from February 11th-14th. That leaves plenty of time for the average baller and obsessed fan (kids with parent's credit cards) to see their idol murder the competition and be crowned the Sprite Slam Dunk Champ....if LBJ does compete. I'm sure he'll have another colourway just for the All-Star game, but isn't the dunk contest be a great marketing tool? The photos and videos of Kryptonate and Superman went viral and are still all over blogs. The All-Star game is all the about the gimmick now and Nike (and King James) knows a good one when they see it. After all, doesn't everyone, little kids and big kids, want to be a superhero?

Would you cop the kicks? What's your favourite Nike Air Max LeBron VII? Personally, I'm feeling these and I was very disappointed when I found out that the I Love New York joints are fake. But I'd take the candy apple red ones he wore at MSG no sweat. There's always Canal Street.....but I could never mess with counterfeits!

High fives & booty taps,

Megan

PS. Shoutouts & smooches to: Freshness mag, Nice Kicks, Kicks on Fire.

Copy-able: Givenchy stole C-3PO's feet

Whether Black or white we both like Mike, We both like Jordans, We both feels Nike...

both riding shotgun, both covered in gold like C-3PO"

-Venus vs. Mars, Jay-Z (The Blueprint 3)

I guess Riccardo Tisci and the rest of the Givenchy creative team were bumping the Blueprint 3 when they were sketching out their shoes for the Spring/Summer 2010 season. The french fashion house is coming out with two sneakers, a low-cut and a very high top (more reminiscent of boxing boots than a Dunk high). They're available in gold, black and white. I love the sneakers, perhaps due to my slightly obsession with gold....and Givenchy. If only they came in my midget 5.5 size...

But when I saw them I saw them, I immediately thought of my everyone's favourite cautious, multilingual robot, C-3PO. The gold is almost the same shade and they have an almost Grecian feel to them and when you look at C-3PO's feet, it looks like he's wearing sandals!

It may seem like a bit of stretch, but I find the sneakers to have a very space age, armour feel to them much like a protective robot suit that C-3PO rocked for all six films.

The armour look is nothing new to fashion, though, especially in the last few seasons. Tisci has also been bringing in an air of space age minimalism and strong lines. He called his look for the Spring 2009 season "Western Bondage" so perhaps he is rehashing old ideas with all the straps and cutouts on the kicks. I think it's a great thing that an established fashion house known for more couture than streetwear is in the sneaker game. It could help push the major footwear brands to try something new or even go in the opposite design direction to offer more unique options. When you create a super limited item in a limited edition obsessed area like the sneaker game, you're appealing to a small but dedicated group. Nike hit a home-run with the Air Yeezy's, the Pigeon's highlighted the sneaker culture love affair with limited and Kanye's partnership with Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton how couture and kicks can work together beautifully. So why not tap into that very lucrative market? Also, because they only put out two models and three colourways, they're not taking as big of a chance but still giving themselves building blocks. Supra has taken their Skytop and done it a million ways - from patent to studded, and has rarely mis-stepped. Will Givenchy be to high fashion footwear fiends what Supra is to skateboarder and sneaker heads? Only time  and credit card bills will tell.

Not everyone could rock these kicks, partly for the ostentatious style but mostly because of the price tag. When you're buying sneakers from a French fashion house that become famous for dressing Audrey Hepburn and is now the brand of choice for Rihanna....you know they will be deemed "investment items". Would you rock them?

High fives & booty taps,

Megan

PS. Shoutouts to High Snobiety for posting the story.