Monthly Archives: February 2014

Sneaker Obsession

As defined by urban dictionary a sneakerhead is

“One who is in love with but not limited to Jordans, Forces, Dunks, Maxes, etc.
Willing to camp out and face lines that wind around blocks for a pair of once in a lifetime exclusives!
On the verge of bankruptcy because the addiction is THAT serious.
Misunderstood by non sneaker heads as wasting money and are constantly told that they will get over it or that “it’s just a phase.
Likely to kill you if you step on their kicks.
Running out of closet space because the boxes can only stack up so high…
Marks calendar for release dates and hates seeing fakes.
Lives for the first time they open the box and that new sneaker smell just fills up the air. HATES CREASES.”

You may not understand most of the references above but I will be discussing all of them in this week’s topic of sneaker obsession.

Did I used to be a shoe head and obsessed with sneakers? That answer is yes. I am now past that stage but will forever contain the knowledge that I do about all things sneaker related. I got into the “Shoe Game” as people call it, through friends. Going into high school the kids who wore nice shoes around school were known for it. People would stare at their feet every day to see what new kicks they were wearing. There was constantly an unwritten competition going on for who had the best collection. I saw how much recognition and street cred these kids got for merely wearing a pair of shoes and decided to dive into the culture.

Most of my knowledge about sneakers came from Facebook Groups devoted solely to the purpose of buying, selling, and trading shoes. I started to spend a lot of time on these groups, too much time. I would get home after school and head straight for the computer. Staying on Facebook for 2-3 hours at a time I would read through post after post, looking at picture after picture, learning new shoes and random facts about collecting. I was mostly into Nike SB’s (Skateboarding) as well as Air Jordan’s and Nike Air Max’s. I began saving up all my money. Allowance, birthday money, christmas money, all put towards shoes. I started my collection with a few pair that cost around $100 each. As I learned more about the game I learned about how people supported their addiction.

wear-friday-04

 

Cheng-Ortaleza-Nike-SB-Dunk-Low-Tiffany

 

The shoe market like any other market is based on supply and demand. The older shoes, the more rare they are, and therefore cost more money because they are more sought after. With any type of market one is trying to make money in the goal is to buy low and sell high, in the shoe game this is known as flipping shoes. I began this process in order to support my addiction. With the money I currently had I would scour the internet for good deals, looking on sneaker forums, Facebook groups, and Craigslist for shoes being sold for less than they were actually worth. I would then purchase these shoes, clean them up, and put them back up for sale hoping someone would buy them for more than I paid. I have to say this was pretty easy money, a simple process that would only take about a week to complete. I made about $50-$100 on every shoe I flipped. Another way to flip shoes is to buy a limited sneaker at their in-store or online release. This process is even more profitable because right after a shoe goes on sale and sells out is when it is most desirable and most expensive. For example Kanye West’s Air Yeezy II went on sale this past weekend and sold at $250. Immediately after the shoe sold out 11 minutes later, there were listings on eBay where the sneaker was being sold at $1500 and up. The unfortunate aspect of flipping shoes right after the release is that it is tedious work. One must camp out of their local Foot Locker for hours to even days on end, waiting in line for a certain sneaker to go on sale.

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As I started making more money flipping shoes I started spending more money on the sneakers I wanted in my collection. I wanted the coolest, most rare, shoes in my collection. Unfortunately this came at a price. I have spent $500 on a used pair of sneakers before. Most will find this ridiculous, maybe even crazy, my parents sure did. Even though I did end up selling that pair for $600 two years later and making money on the purchase. Consumerism at its finest 🙂

WDYWT-04(101)

As I grew older I grew out of this obsession, I started to focus on clothes and actual fashion more than the shoes on my feet. I sold most of my collection before leaving for college, only keeping about 10 pairs of my personal favorites. The experiences that I gained from collecting sneakers was priceless. My favorite thing about the culture was that it did not matter what someone’s race or ethnicity was, if they were young or old, male or female. I’ve met all types of people making shoe deals in my local Staples’ parking lot. Everyone was in the game together, supporting each other, teaching each other, all because of a common hobby, something so simple as sneakers.

Hulk-Hogan-Jays

 

^^Hulk Hogan and some of his Jordan collection

Analyzing News Reports Outline

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/sochi/2014/02/19/why-russia-lost-men-hockey-olympics/5604423/

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/02/19/russia-coach-dumps-on-ovechkin-after-loss-to-finland

In light of the Winter Olympics coming to a close and the fact that I am both a hockey fan and an Alex Ovechkin fan, I have chosen two articles discussing the remark that his Russian coach made about him after Russia’s loss in the quarter-finals to team Finland. The two articles are very different in length and in approach. One seems to focus more on Ovechkin as a player and events leading up to the games while the other focuses on the coaching style that Zinetula Bilyaletdinov (Russia’s head coach) took during the games. Blame in a teams lost is inevitable. Whether it is to a coach, a specific player, or the referees is usually what varies. It was very interesting seeing how each article approached the blame that was placed on Ovechkin and either agreed or disagreed with the overall statement.

Passion Blog Week 4

In honor of Mr. West performing at the Bryce Jordan Center this past Thursday, this week’s topic is the fashion icon that is Kanye West. West’s style has come a very long way since he released his debut album ten short years ago. He now serves as a fashion god to both kids and adults around the world and has collaborated with many well established brands such as A.P.C., Nike, and Louis Vuitton. Kanye has come a long way in how he dresses and there has been an evolution to his style which involves many stages.

West’s first attempt to bring the rap industry closer to a look of sophistication involved a phase where he wore a lot of Ralph Lauren. West is known for wearing Polo before it was deemed cool. This involved many Ralph Lauren sweaters and classic solid color or block striped polos.

Although West was attempting to bring rap culture to clothes from more expensive, luxury lines he did not forget his streetwear roots. West was never fearful of throwing a pair of Jordan’s or a brand such as Billionare Boys Club or Bape into an outfit. Still to this day is he sometimes seen in a Supreme piece of some sort along with occasionally rocking a classic pair of sneakers to deviate from his normal Louis Vuitton footwear.

We finally arrive in West’s current obsession with high fashion. West has become very good friends with famous designers such as Ricardo Tisci and Mark Jacobs who actually designed personal clothing items for West’s new born baby. It seems as though his style has become more adult. He is using his clothes to say that he has matured and no longer wants to be recognized as anything less than a mundane thirty-six year old man. For his Yeezus tour Kanye wears the high end fashion brand Margiela from head to toe, topping it off with a customized Margiela mask which he wears throughout his performance.

It is in no question that West’s style has changed since he first struck stardom ten years ago. For better or for worse is one’s own opinion. With his recent shift towards high fashion has come judgement. West’s collaboration with A.P.C. was criticized as being overpriced for the simplistic designs. One of the pieces was a blank white t-shirt being sold for $120. However West says this is the dawn of a new day and he had nothing to do with the price and things like that won’t happen again. With his recent signing to Adidas, West has promised to try and put out items that are both reasonably priced and readily available to the masses. Much unlike his most recent sneaker with Nike (Air Yeezy II Red October) which released last Sunday at 1pm and sold out a short eleven minutes later. Hopefully West’s style continues to evolve as he learns to become a father and we continue to be amazed by his keen fashion sense.

Men’s Fashion Blog Week 3

This week’s topic is going to consist of clothes that you go out in. Go out as in to a party or on a date/formal event, something of that nature. However since we are all in college here most of us only need to dress up to go out to a party on Friday or Saturday night to try and look nice. Most of you probably know the average men’s outfit to go out in. It generally consists of a button-down shirt, jeans or khakis, and usually a boat shoe or boots if it is winter. This is perfectly fine but make sure to switch it up every once in a while. There are many many different types of button-ups made of different materials, different patterns, and that come from different companies. Try to not where a button-up every night that has a little man on a horse on it or a little whale because that is just no fun and will get boring. When choosing what to wear on a Friday or Saturday night I consider two things, the weather and the event that I am going to be attending. No need to overdress for a house party or wear a short sleeve button-up when it is less than thirty degrees outside. After you have chosen your shirt, go through your selection of jeans and pants. I usually try to choose bottoms that contrast well with the shirt I am wearing but not so much that it looks over the top and doesn’t match. Then down to the shoes. Sperry’s will work if you want but the fifty other guys around you will also be wearing them. The same goes for Timberland boots. I recommend a casual loafer or a pair of low top shoes to go out in, I wear my Nike SB Janoski’s out all the time and they do just fine. I would not recommend sneakers unless you can pull it off in the right situation with the right shirt on. That’s basically everything you need to know, shirt, pants, shoes. However in the winter time you need to layer to avoid being cold. There are many options for layering. One can go with a sweater over top a shirt or something like a vest or cardigan.

If you are planning to go out in the winter months I recommend that every man owns a nice simple wool coat. They look very good and keep you warm, do not be that kid who thinks they can tough it out in 10 degree weather and ends up passing out and dying of hypothermia. The coat below is by Carhartt from their work in progress collection. A.P.C. also makes very nice wool coats but they range from $400 and up.

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As I said before always consider weather, some button ups are much thicker than others. A nice 100% cotton flannel (as the one below from L.L. Bean) will keep you much warmer than a thin Oxford shirt. Oxford shirts are very nice if you are going to a formal event like a fancy dinner but make sure they fit well and are not too long if you decide not to tuck it in your pants.

 

Below is an example of another warm button-up one can wear out. It is an al wool shirt with velvet sleeves from BWGH (Brooklyn We Go Hard) a French company that makes very nice simple shirts.

Final picture is off something one can wear in the summer or spring time when weather is a little warmer. Remember to experiment with all sorts of patterns and designs as long as you feel comfortable with what you’re wearing.

 

Remember, have fun with button-ups and enjoy what you wear!

 

Rhetorical Analysis Draft, Axe Peace: Make Love Not War

 Everyone knows the classic representation of a manly man: tall, handsome, muscular, dark hair, facial hair, etc. but there is more to it than just physical features. It includes the clothes he wears, how he stands, the look on his face, whether or not the man has a sense of power that one can see radiating from his body. When products are being sold to men the company selling them will usually use this classic representation to do so. Axe’s Make Love Not War Campaign is no different in this aspect. However in this specific advertisement the company takes a new approach in the way the man acts toward his significant other in a time of struggle (in this ad being war). Instead of having the man not care about his woman when there is something as grave as a war going on the man chooses to put his woman first and promote peace instead of violence.

            Axe’s Peace commercial defies the normal thinking about men during wartime. The ad has a strong emotional appeal involved with it, which draws the viewer into the story behind the commercial and hooks them in all together. The ad uses pathos in order to try and get the viewer to care about the people in the ad and make them believe in the slogan “Make Love Not War”. The ad opens up with eerie music that you would find in an important scene of a movie. This serves the purpose of setting the mood for the advertisement; it creates the feeling of a tense situation. The ad then shows clips of numerous wartime situations in which either a soldier or leader is in a tough situation. War is a very touchy subject that generates emotion through its mere mention. When the viewer is shown these strong men who are choosing to put down their weapons and fight for their loved ones instead of against the opposition it sends a very powerful message. For a man to promote peace and love this goes against the normal view that a man should always be tough and fighting but in this ad he is fighting for his woman instead of his country.

There is a lot of historical significance behind the ad that serves to add to the pathos. The different wartime situations in the advertisement can each be related to a real war that our country has had to face in the past hundred years or so. In the opening scene a Middle Eastern man is caring a very important looking briefcase followed by body guards, he flips it open and inside is a large red button which seems as if pressed will fire a large missile or something of that nature. This can be related to the war in Iraq where we believed the country was holding many weapons of mass destruction to be used against the United States. Another scenario played out in this ad is a helicopter landing in a jungle like environment. A man steps out of the helicopter over the noise of the blades cutting the wind holding a large assault rifle. He goes to meet an attractive Asian woman who has come to meet him in the middle of what looks to be her rice field. This can be related to the war in Vietnam where the United States invaded the country in helicopters with large assault rifles to fight, just as the ad has shown. The purpose of creating realistic situations that have historical significance is to bring emotion into the mix of the ad. These events were very real and many good men lost their lives to fight for their country in them.

Where the ad goes about things differently is where instead of having the man only worried about the war the man focuses on the woman. In the instance of the man climbing out of the helicopter with his assault rifle as he meets the Asian woman he throws his gun on the ground and embraces her with a very passionate kiss. Basically saying forget fighting, all I care about is you. The other example where the middle eastern man presses the large red button as he is sitting on a couch with what looks to be his wife or girlfriend instead of a large bomb or missile going off, the red button shoots fireworks into the air to create a romantic situation for a man and his wife. These two different scenarios reinforce the mission statement of the ad, “Make Love Not War” and defy the normal views of society and tell the viewer that even in a time of war your woman should always come first. This portion of the ad appeals to logos, it is saying that if you wear Axe Peace you will have the confidence to go against society norms and make bold moves to try and earn the love of the ones you truly care about.

 

Concluding Paragraph

 

Make Love Not War

After watching the Super Bowl i decided to change my advertisement and go with Axe’s Peace commercial. I found this ad interesting because of the different situations of war it displayed and how they relate to real life war situations that have happened in the past. In my analysis I will

1. Compare the ad’s war situations to real life historical war time                                   2. Discuss how the ad creates a mood of tension before bringing up the product     3. Talk about how Super Bowl ads do a good job of disguising their product until the very end of the ad                                                                                                                           4. How the ad actually sells the product

 

Raw Denim

This week’s fashion topic is raw denim jeans. Most of you probably have never heard of raw denim before, but for those who do wear raw denim they are not just wearing a pair of jeans but a piece of themselves. Raw denim is “denim that is  unwashed, untreated, and virtually untouched to the extent that it remains in its pure form.” Most denim jeans that are sold have been pre-washed so they have a more comfortable feel, raw denim is rough to the touch and feels slightly like you’re wearing sandpaper at first. It takes some getting used to but after a week or so they become the most comfortable jeans one has ever worn. As the jeans are worn the denim rubs off and they physically become lighter and softer. Like almost all other denim jeans, they are made of 100% cotton  and come in different cuts, fits, sizes, and colors. Another advantage of raw denim is the aesthetics of them. The raw denim fades to create a very unique pair of denim with its own personality. Think of a brand new pair of raw denim jeans as a blank canvas and the fading on them is the art or paint that goes on the canvas. In order to create these fades one must wear their jeans every day for 6-8 months without washing. Some might find this gross but there is certain spray you can buy to coat the jeans with a protective material that also keeps them from smelling too bad. After significant fading has occurred the denim owner soaks their jeans in a bathtub full of water for about an hour, this washes away the excess dye and contributes to more intense fading. After the jeans have been taken out from the bathtub the water left is often a blue color due to all the excess dye that has come out of the denim. The fades on the jeans give them character, they make them yours. No two pair of raw denim jeans will ever be exactly alike. The jeans get holes in them , rip, and tear upon being worn a lot. This all contributes to the unique look of the jeans. Many people put different objects in their pockets to create a certain fade. If you carry around a wallet in your back pocket a fade in the shape of a rectangle will eventually appear. The same thing goes for if you carry around a phone or even something as small as a bottle cap. I am currently attempting a fade in the shape of the Batman symbol in one of my pairs. A pair of raw denim jeans is not cheap, depending on the brand they can cost anywhere from $175-$500. This is a lot of money but if you think about it logically this same pair of jeans will last well over a year of wear and be a part of you for that amount of time unlike if one bought three pairs of $50 jeans. I recommend everyone trying out a pair of raw denim jeans, they last a very long time and always come out looking very nice. Raw denim is not just a pair of jeans but a way of life.

This is not just a picture of my crotch but a pair of A.P.C. raw denim jeans after about 6 months of wear. Notice the fades stemming from the crotch, those are what are known as whiskers. Also notice on the left side of the jeans there is a rectangle in the shape of an iPhone and on the right side of the jeans two distinct lines where I would carry a lighter and Chapstick.

This is not just a picture of my crotch but of a pair of A.P.C. raw denim jeans after about 6 months of wear. Notice the fades stemming from the crotch, those are what are known as whiskers (because they look like whiskers from a cat). Also notice on the left side of the jeans there is a rectangle in the shape of an iPhone and on the right side of the jeans two distinct lines where I would carry a lighter and Chapstick.

This is the same pair of jeans another 6 months later. Fading is much more intense and the jeans have lost much of their original color

This is the same pair of jeans another 6 months later. Fading is much more intense and the jeans have lost much of their original color. The fading from my iPhone wore down the denim so much that they created a small hole at one of the corners where the phone was in my pocket.

 

This is the back of the same pair of raw denim jeans after about a year. Notice the fading on the back righthand pocket due to a wallet and the fading that occurs on the back of the legs often known as honeycombs or stacks in the jeans.

This is the back of the same pair of raw denim jeans after about a year. Notice the fading on the back righthand pocket due to a wallet and the fading that occurs on the back of the legs often known as honeycombs or stacks in the jeans.

This is a pair of Nudie raw denim jeans on day 3 of wear, practically brand new. Notice that all the color is still in the jeans and no fading has occurred. The jeans are very stiff and have a very defined look to them. Every fold in the jeans is visible where fading will soon occur in a few months

This is a pair of Nudie raw denim jeans on day 3 of wear, practically brand new. Notice that all the color is still in the jeans and no fading has occurred. The jeans are very stiff and have a very defined look to them. Every fold in the jeans is visible where fading will soon occur in a few months

This is the same pair of Nudie Jeans 6 months later. Color has been lost and fading has started to occur

This is the same pair of Nudie Jeans 6 months later. Color has been lost and fading has started to occur

This is my attempt at a Batman fade in my jeans. I took a Batman money clip I had lying around and stuck it in my back pocket and it is still there now. Unfortunately one of the ends was so sharp that it poked a hole in the denim but hopefully you guys can make out half of the Batman symbol

This is my attempt at a Batman fade in my jeans. I took a Batman money clip I had lying around and stuck it in my back pocket and it is still there now. Unfortunately one of the ends was so sharp that it poked a hole in the denim but hopefully you guys can make out half of the Batman symbol

This is a pair of a friend's raw denim at the end of their life. At this point the jeans are very thin, have lost almost all of their color, and much ripping and tearing have occurred. Noticed the honeycomb pattern on the back of the legs and the bottle cap fade in the back left pocket

This is a pair of a friend’s raw denim at the end of their life. At this point the jeans are very thin, have lost almost all of their color, and much ripping and tearing have occurred. Noticed the honeycomb pattern on the back of the legs and the bottle cap fade in the back left pocket

I hope you all have enjoyed this post and are inspired to get out there and buy yourselves a pair of raw denim jeans!