Paddywack

What do I spy with my little eye?


That's my man Nick Nack, for those of you not up on your Bond trivia. Much more info can be found HERE, if you wish. (You can also find the screen shot that whoever made this sticker grabbed for their own purposes.) I found this sticker in Aoyama. When I saw it I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't thought of that little guy in forever. Getting me to smile = picture worthy. I was out in that area last weekend. I was hitting all the hot stores over there: Reed Space:Tokyo, the new Undefeated, Atmos, among many others. During my travles came across this.


Cool looking building. But take a closer look at the sign.


I hate to break it to you T.H.C., if you have to state that you are a "hipster"....you ain't. Thems are the rules. I didn't make'em, but I don't break'em. But fret not: I have uncovered a possible new rule that looks to be up for a vote here in Tokyo. He is a hint.


More than a year ago, I started to come across this and that about fixed-gear bikes. It was new to me. So I did a little research and it looked like a cool, simple, back to basics kinda thing. What makes these bikes different is that they have no free wheel, therefore no coasting. From what I read, it requires a totally different style of riding. I almost wrote about it at the time but I let it pass because I was not a rider of them. I didn't not feel right biting another person's passion. And then...BANG! They exploded. As far as I can tell the main supporters were the hardcore messengers in NYC, Seattle, and in Tokyo. But of course they had been onto them since way back. And so it was the Godfather of streetwear: Hiroshi Fujiwara who brought them into the world of hipsters. A year ago or two ago a tiny percentage of people knew about this type of track bike. And now...





And the "Yea's" have it! The new rule states: Stores that are down, must display a fixed-gear bike out in front.

These pic were taken over the last 3-4 weeks. All the cool stores have adapted this rule with gusto. And don't get me wrong....I got no hate. I think they look amazing. I have always had a soft spot for bikes, since my BMX days of yore. Combine that with the bright colors and the hipster cache...whats not to love? The streetwear scene has embraced them rapidly: click HERE for some gorgeous new bikes built in collaboration with Trackstar and Dave's Quality Meat. (collaboration info via Razor Apple)

Topic change:

If you didn't know...I like jackets as much as I like sneakers and t-shirts. They are a vital part of an outfit, and you ignore them at your own peril. I have been struggling to find a jacket that called out to me recently. I came across THIS and got pretty excited. I dragged my girl across Tokyo to check what was going on with these North Face trench coats. After a slow start, I tried on 3 or 4 before I found the one for me. The tans washed me out and the lack of buttons bored me to tears. Then I tried this one.


Yeah, I bought it. It was some serious scratch. But it fits so many situations and occasions: jeans, suits, Spring, Fall, etc. And because it's made of Gore-tex, it's rain and wind proof but still breathable. It has lots of details that I love: the purple lining and check out the buttons.


These kind of details make me happy. Who knows why? I'm also happy to be getting my grown man on. It's been hard to find pieces that straddle the line between a young and old man. At some point I have to stop wearing t-shirts and jeans exclusively. But, I'm not done yet with the clothes and kix I love. Actually, it's has been a minute since I have gotten excited about a shoe. They keep putting out stuff I can't get with. But these...these are speaking my language.


[source]

If these look as good in person as they do in the pics, they will be bringing their pink soles into my closet. (Did you catch that??? The pun with the pink: pink, a reference to being "gay"...and then I combined that with the idea of "in the closet"!!! Genius.)

Later

ps. Thanks for all the great comments. Keep'em coming!