Primary-coloured Tate Modern

Hope everybody has been well and enjoying the rare British sun this weekend!

Something on my to-do-this-Summer list is to visit art galleries, exhibitions, festivals etc. so I went to Tate Modern with a friend.
I originally planned to view the Roy Lichtenstein exhibition, but it was so ridiculously busy that I had to give it a miss! Nonetheless, that didn't stop me from enjoying the other wonderful bits of work.

Check some of my favorite pieces of work from the exhibition:

UNTITLED by Bruce Nauman

VIOLINS VIOLENCE SILENCE by Bruce Nauman

While leaving the Tate, I also met and got snapped by the friendly, good looking fashion photographer Jaeyong Kim.

BASIC PRIMARY || Sunglasses: ASOS | Top: Vintage | Skirt: F21 | Brogues: Dune

Jaeyong also photographs at fashion shows, including a handful of shows during Seoul Fashion Week...

Check out his blog 'JYONG' where you can view his fabulous work, and don't forget to like his facebook page!

Anyway- all in all, it was a pleasant day (despite getting lost in London- how does a Londoner do this?), but the real highlight of my day was.....

This tango, fat hot dog and portion of chips showered in ketchup.

Emily, LDN.

13th edition Crepe City

An event that even defied weather forecasts of wind, rain and cold, the ladies stepped up their game tremendously at the first Crepe City event of 2015.

Check it.

Some people arrived as early as 8am to guarantee a standard ticket (£5) without having to wait at least a couple of hours in a sweltering hot queue. Those who were lucky enough to purchase a VIP ticket online prior to the event (£15) were guaranteed a queue jump and also re-entry. (Due to the immense demand and popularity, though, this didn’t mean that there wasn’t a queue).

Nonetheless, people, including myself, took this opportunity to take ‘OTF’ (on-the-foot) pictures and outfit shots, and to prepare ourselves physically and mentally for the boiler room that we were about to enter.

Ronnie Fieg x Puma Disc Blaze "Coats of Arms"

Concepts x New Balance 997 "Rosé"

Nike Air Max 90 "Moon Landing"

It was the first Crepe City event for Seyi Adejori, who was looking to find some fresh sneakers to add to her growing wardrobe.

“There’s not much heat in my size. It’s a shame that the guys get the cooler shoes in their sizes. Us girls kind of have to stick with whatever there is in our small sizes.”

Juicegee and SmallFeetBigKicks and hair braiding services were among the exclusive Crepe City Boutique

Aaron Hoang was walking around the venue and snapping OTF shots. He has UK 9 feet.

“Most girls have small feet, and smaller sizes are more rare. Since there are much fewer people wearing smaller sized trainers, they actually come much cheaper sometimes.”

While looking around the Small Feet Big Kicks stall, I noticed him picking up a pair of white and grey Nike Flyknit Chukka, in a UK 4, £80.

“I’ve wanted a pair of these for a while, but can’t justify spending over £120 on them from retailers or other sellers here. I’ve seen the same shoe at another stall in a size UK 8, and it was £170! That’s ridiculous. Sometimes I wish I had small girls’ feet.”

On entering a deeper segment of the basement, a lady was handing out free goodie tote bags exclusively for VIP ladies. A pack of Rope Laces worth £6, a pair of socks from Stance worth £8, and a mini pack of Jason Markk shoe cleaner usually worth £16 – of course, I had to grab one. One of the best goodie bags I’ve received in my life, unlike the ones with sweets and whistles I got when I was a kid, if you ask me.

Daisy Knights, Shade London, 54 Floral, Buddhist Punk and Helen Hale Art were a few of the debuting stalls at the exclusive Crepe City Boutique area, which offered the most cool and eccentric clothing and accessories. Probably the part of Crepe City that was most chilled out with unawkward buyer-seller conversations, upbeat yet mellow electronic music and space where you could actually swing your arms (if you wanted to), the Crepe City Boutique is definitely one to look out for in future events.

I bumped into Bryanna Matthews, the wife of a new friend I’d made a few months ago from the CC Facebook group.

“It was exciting to see a much stronger presence of female sneaker heads. I thought it was dope that there were women in charge of their own tables, selling merchandise, taking photos and even braiding hair! I think it’s important that sneaker events be more inclusive towards women because we do have a place in this community and enjoy it just as much as the next man. It definitely showed on Saturday.”

Nike Air Max 90 "Duck Camo"

Thousands of people gathered together in one place with a mutual appreciation – sneakers. I was happy to see the ladies being more recognized through more female catered stalls and products, and the few but increasing number of individuals like Seyi and Bryanna who wanted to make the female a staple character in the sneaker society. 

The fact that Crepe City has recognized a female movement and its potential and acted towards growing the female sneaker head community has my full and utmost respect. Sneakers are cool, but the community is cooler.

Crepe City 14, I'm ready for you!


Emily, LDN

TAKE A LOOK: Mugler Menswear FW13 @ Paris Fashion Week

Hello all; sorry I haven't been posting at all in the last couple of months, it's been a hectic time for me at school with exams, deadlines, coursework, interviews, work, and the list goes on....

Anyway, it's that time where I want to look back at previous fashion collection favourites. 

I'm a big fan of menswear as their clothing is usually pretty simplistic with minimal detail yet statement, and depending on how the compositions are fitted together, can really make you stand out.

One of my favourite collections that demonstrates this well is from Mugler Menswear FW13 at Paris Fashion Week.

I will honestly admit, this collection instantly caught my eye because I just cannot resist a man in uniform.

I like the Russian-looking design of the military-styled jackets with the simple 'M' emblem, as well as the fitted gilets and the buckle and velcro strips which hug it, styled over the half turtle neck long sleeved shirts. Both outfits come in black and khaki, making them easy colours to dress up or down on formal or casual occasions. 

All-black-everything. Monotonic, everything here catches your attention. The fitting of the wide-thigh pants teamed with a black collar-up gilet, black under layer shirt, leather gloves and ankle boots is so sleek, giving an authoritative aura from the whole outfit. Not to mention that it looks really warm too.

The plain black bomber jacket paired with skinny black pants and black high lace-up brogue shoes makes is the easiest outfit to throw on and wear out in F/W. Bomber jackets are timeless and original, I believe, and pairing them with skinny pants with the recent trend of shoes with a contrasting sole is extremely stylish while effortless.

 Mugler has dared to stand out with this glossy royal blue suit jacket, collared shirt and slim trousers, and I'm thinking this would look amazing in Winter against the gloomy weather, and if it has been snowing like it currently is in London, would contrast nicely against the snow.  I also liked this geometric turtle-neck jumper as the black, blue and white contrast nicely with eachother. Maybe the triangle pattern emphasizes the v-shape of the male's cleavage, or maybe it doesn't.

I'd like to think there is a nice package under there anyway.

 The blue suit piece was bold, however this pink suit..? I'm not too keen on the colour - I like that it's block-y where the pinkness contrasts with the black shoes, however rather than for Fall or Winter, it's more of a shade belonging to Spring where the trend of floral patterns and prints and lighter shades often appear. So for this outfit and the other pink outfits that were in this Mugler F/W13 collection, the pinks are probably a no-no for me.

I'm a fan of this Mugler FW13 collection though, not because I'm a massive fan of men in uniform and military trends, but because the lack of detail shows that it can make such a big impression. The cut of each clothing helps to emphasize the masculinity of each part of the body too, and well basically, emphasizes the good parts that you guys have. Yeah, don't you agree?

-

Apologies again for not posting anything recently! I'll have more free time soon so I will definitely update here more often.

Emily, LDN

Nasir Mazhar as the epitome of the British roadman

When I say the word ‘roadman’, a lot of you will probably picture this:

Big puffer nupste jacket, saggy jeans*, Gucci, LV or any other designer belt, Nike Air Force 1s or Air Max 95s, and of course, the man bag.

*if you wear skinny jeans and call yourself a roadman, you are probably definitely not a roadman.

The term roadman generally has negative connotations since they're often associated with the streets, gangs, illegal activities, etc etc - basically another word for a gangster, and whatever you would associate with that.

Nonetheless, it is evident that the roadman has become an inspiration even to those in a professional industry. British fashion designer Nasir Mazhar interpreted his version of a new, cleaner roadman and streetwear, employing Grime connoisseur Skepta to soundtrack in his Spring/Summer 2015 collection.

Check it.

The bagginess vs. how it hangs on your body vs. various textures and patterns.

Monotone colours to exercise a crisp, clean, sleek visage.

We love the revival of the Nike Air Force 1, Low and Mid.

Jackets and coats are becoming a substantial piece to the street outfit.

I am also personally a big fan of the pockets, zips and buttons. Essential.

Remember when matching tracksuit tops and bottoms were cool 10 years ago? Still cool now.

These two guys look like badass ghetto gangster astronauts.

 This hairstyle also reminds me of Backstreet Boys - usually I'd say 'hell no!' to the hairstyle, but throughout this catwalk, I really dig.

Forget snapbacks. Forget 5 panels. 6 panels.
I want me one of these intergalactic looking caps.

Grime artist Skepta was part of Nasir Mazhar's catwalk, and not going to lie - he does make an excellent roadman model (lol).

Even the ladies at the SS15 runway were able to articulate the badass and sporty/eccentric roadman. And just look at that makeup! Amazing!

Both the mens' and ladies' SS15 collections were simply just on point. Nasir Mazhar is a genius in executing the sporty and rich look, and at the same time gives British fashion an identity and uniqueness. If all the roadmen and roadwomen in London were dressed in Nasir Mazhar, maybe they wouldn't be perceived so much as scary, violent or reckless gangsters.

Emily, LDN.

Triple colours, triple threat: marketing technique fuelling resellers?

Hi all, sorry for the extremely long hiatus, but rest assured I will be back and posting more regularly. Fresh start!

Recently, a kid in Birmingham was jump-kicked by a gang of ten other kids who tried to steal his triple black Huaraches. Bad news was, he broke 3 ribs. Good news - he managed to get away, and with his Huaraches.

Nike Air Yeezy Red October 2. Its iconic triple 'Solar Red' colourway has inspired other sneakers like Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse, Adidas mizxflux. Credit as tagged.

The subject I want to shine light on this week, is the 'reselling hype' behind 'triple' coloured sneakers.

Triple sole = sole, mid-sole, upper-sole.

Triple black Nike Huaraches, triple 'Red October' Nike x Kanye Wesy collab, triple white Adidas ZX fluxes, Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse (you can now also customise your own colours on these), and very recently Pharrell's somewhat excessive release of Adidas x Stan Smiths in colour code Skittles (see below for rainbow. Warning: bright colours may cause epilepsy. lol just kidding) 

- what these triple-coloured shoes have in common, is the fact that they have often had limited numbers released, being passed into the cruel hands of resellers.

Pharrell Williams jumping on the hype wagon? Pharrell x Adidas Stan Smiths available now in stores and online in the UK

What's with the Power of Three?

The first notable triple-coloured shoe was the Yeezy 'Red Octobers', which released to the public in February 2014. They retailed in limited numbers at $265, but are being resold for up to $5,000! The triple 'Solar Red' colourway has become so iconic via Ye that it has also inspired inspired the Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse and Adidas mizxflux. The triple black Huaraches, which retailed at £80, are still flogging at up to £200 on Ebay. It seems Pharrell Williams has also jumped at the opportunity and created his own palette of Stan Smith's with Adidas.

The age range of resellers probably doesn't matter, but there are kids out here claiming that reselling is the only way to make money, whether they're under 16 or at uni or simply unemployed. Some people are in the culture for the community it brings for like-minded people. I guess some people just enjoy camping to get first in line for the latest release (and then to resell).

These tri-colour trainers are proving to be a massive hit in the sneaker market, the cool kids join the triple bandwagon, paying way over their retail to other kids who just wanna make some £, and so much that eventually fake copies have started to appear online. And ultimately, the thing that makes us the saddest, is the fact that kids don't even know that they're fake! *sad face*.

examples of [left] Legit Triple Black Huaraches [right] Fake Triple Black Huaraches. Watch out!

Reselling isn't so bad, I suppose. It raises awareness of new releases so a possible marketing technique here, people are making money in a legal way, and sneakerheads can unite.

So the point of this post really, is: 

1. Do not buy fake sneakers because they fuel fake production, and you'll look like a right plum when somebody calls fufu on them.

2. Kanye is cool, but that doesn't mean you have to wear everything he releases. Triple coloured shoes are cool, but don't cop them just because everybody has them. Enhance your own style.

3. Being a reseller isn't at all a bad thing, but if you're going to be prickly and charge extortionate prices or sell fakes then you can think again about entering the sneaker world full of people who know their expertise, and do actually take the shoe game seriously. It is a business as well as a hobby, afterall.

Check out my favourite sneaker groups:

Crepe City on Facebook / Instagram

smallfeetbigkicks on Facebook / Twitter / Website

Bigeyeslittlesoles on Facebook / Website 

Emily, LDN