33 Returns For 2012

Big, bold, bulky, brilliant and most importantly, back! In 1989 basketball star Patrick Ewing became the first player to release a line of sneakers under his own name and after a few years away from the court I'm glad to say the Ewing's are finally making a return.

When you look at the range of basketball sneakers in the market today we can see that the field is dominated by lines being released under the name of some of the sports biggest stars. Names such as Jordan's, Kobe's, LeBron's dominate the basketball sneaker market today and in the past starts such as Penny Hardaway, Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd have also entered their own names to the offering respectively. With so many stars of both past and present making a statement by launching sneaker lines it only seems right that we respect the man who went there first in 1989 and if the first re-release is anything to go by, then I think we'll be seeing some very cool Ewing's appearing back on the shelf soon.

The first to make it's triumphant return for Ewing is the 33 Hi. being released in four different colourways the 33 is for me, everything a basketball sneaker should be. Hi topped, colourful and chunky, the 33 manages to showcase the fashion influences of the past whilst also fitting in well with the range of sneakers we see today. Of the four colourways my favourite has the blue and orange design, representing the 15 seasons Ewing spent with the New York Knicks. other colourways include a simple black and white, red with black and white accents and another Knicks inspired pair with a white base and blue and orange details.

With the 33's being re-released I can't help but hope that this could mean more of the Ewing classics could soon be making a return such as the baslines, centres and the key mids. to find out more on the new Ewing releases I've posted a few links below and also a few pics of the 33's to get you excited.

http://www.sneakerfreaker.com/sneaker-releases/Ewing-Athletics-33-High/

http://solecollector.com/news/ewing-33-hi-new-images-and-release-info/

http://ewingathletics.com/main.html

Batman Gets Some New Kicks

When it comes to superhero themed sneakers I'm not usually a big fan, unless the pair in question are designed with a real touch of class I often think they can look tacky and cheap. However, Mache Customs has recently released photos of his newest creation, taking inspiration from The Dark Knight Rises. Those who read my review on the new batman movie will know I was a strong advocate of the direction Christopher Nolan took the franchise in particular, the darker tone of all three films in the Dark Knight series. So I am happy to report the new release from Mache has captured the essence of the film perfectly. Taking the Lebron 9's as it's basis Mache's new custom features a black/grey colourway with a few accents of blue that I feel give the sneaker a cool icy feel, along with textures on the tougue etc. that a smilier to that of Batman's battle attire from the films. The bold white sole gives the sneaker a more casual, athletic appeal with the bat symbols from the film found on the heel to represent the Dark Knight himself.

Overall the sneaker's subtle design has made it a big win for me. It manages to showcase the hero and tone of the film without having batman's face ever appear to draw attention away from the shoe itself. The basic colourway with it's blended shades of Black/Grey allows it to be worn as an everyday sneaker whilst small details such as the heel make it's inspiration clear to see.

If you want to read more on the custom I've posted a few articles below and as always a few pictures of the kicks in questions for you to check out, also don't forget to check out Mache's website linked here and keep up to date by following him on twitter,  @MACHE275 

http://www.sneakerfreaker.com/sneaker-releases/Mache-Custom-Lebron-9-dark-Knight/

http://solecollector.com/news/nike-lebron-9-dark-knight-by-mache-custom-kicks/

http://www.kicksonfire.com/2012/08/08/nike-lebron-9-dark-knight-by-mache-custom-kicks/

http://www.homeofthesole.com/features/nike-lebron-9-dark-knight-custom-by-mache/

It's Almost A Wedding Crashers Sequel

We all remember Wedding Crashers from 2005, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, but it has to be said for most people it was a small cameo that made the movie stick in our heads. Will Ferrell's classic performance as Chazz, the mentor of the starring duo, was undoubtedly my favourite character even if he only appeared for 10 minutes at most and I have found over the years many people feel the same way. Ferrell's over the top, loud, crude guru hit us with numerous one liners in his short appearance that still are first to be quoted if the topic of Wedding Crashers arises in discussion. Therefore I think its safe to say you are all going to be as happy as I was to hear that the trio will be working together again soon.

The new project, The Internship, is directed by Shawn Levy of Night At The Museum and Date Night fame and sees Ferrell take on the role of Wilson's brother-in-law, quoted as being a home electronics salesman who sees no problem in making sexual remarks about his customers. I think we can agree this sounds like a ball that Ferrell will definitely run with and the results should be hilarious, although I don't want to get myself too excited I can feel some new one liners coming that will surely steal the show once more. The film itself features some really cool names on it's current cast list including the intriguing and exciting prospect of John Goodman working with Vaughn, Wilson and Ferrell.

To read more about The Internship I've posted a couple of links below on this particular story and the film itself and just to remind you all of that classic cameo I've found a video of Chazz Reinhold at his finest.

http://collider.com/will-ferrell-the-internship/186055/

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118057412

http://collider.com/?tag=the-internship

A Day In The Life Of....... A Superhero!

It's no secret to those who know me that given the chance to be a superhero, I'd be fighting crime quicker than you can say Namor the Submariner! so it won't come as a shock that this past weekend when the opportunity arose for me to cape up for a fancy dress party that I did just that. I wasn't conventional however and went for the alter ego of Eric Wimp, this being the children's classic, Bananaman. All suited up and ready to go I then realised I first had to walk the dog. I then found myself feeling completely out of place as I walked the streets dressed in my fruit based protagonist's attire and couldn't help but see the funny side as I received baffling stares from passers by. At this point it struck me how odd it must be if we could see our hero's carrying out the most everyday mundane tasks, and it appears someone else has shared this musing.

Hong Kong photographer Chow Kar Hoo has created a series of snaps depicting some of our best loved superhero characters carrying out some everyday tasks in Hong Kong itself. The series sees Batman browsing a street market, The Green Hornet and Kato carrying out some car maintenance and Hell Boy enjoying some local cuisine to name just a few. The collection of photos are brilliantly shot showcasing not only the characters themselves but capturing the character of Hong Kong as well. Spiderman, Wolverine, Wonder Woman and Superman also feature in the collection of snaps which can be seen at the links below and I've posted a few of my favourites as well. I have also posted a link to Chow Kar Hoo's own website so you can check out more of what he has produced, there is some really cool photography on there so have a look.

http://www.freshnessmag.com/2012/07/31/superheroes-living-ordinary-lives-in-hong-kong-by-chow-kar-hoo/

http://www.petapixel.com/2012/07/27/portraits-of-superheroes-living-ordinary-lives-in-hong-kong/#more-66387

http://www.chowkarhoo.com/#!

Ben Sherman's Home Grown Talent

Ben Sherman has always delivered in offering a selection of clothing based on a classic, functional and stylish design to suite the market. From button down shirts of the 'Originals' range to Cleg suede desert boots the name of Ben Sherman has never failed to represent the style and fashion of the everyday British man. This month I read an article from the guys at The Daily Street concerning the launch of the new Autumn/Winter 2012 line and I for one am very happy to see the new collection carrying the historic name.

I will admit over the past few years I have shied away from the Ben Sherman name and I think the reason for this is simple. As a youngster Ben Sherman was a name that was ever present in my wardrobe, my parents were big fans of the brand and it offered a line of children's clothing that was very smart, very stylish and very affordable. It seems natural from this that as I got older I tended to move away from the brand in order to find new clothing lines that suited my tastes. However, over the past year Ben Sherman has recaptured my attention and this latest collection, in my opinion, is the most exciting yet.

The Daily Street's article on the collection focuses on the imagery of the advertising campaign for the new line and it's easy to see why. The campaign features some very cool photography of the new range and as the article reports the story behind the photos is quite unique. The models are all staff from various Ben Sherman stores and to me this gives a very natural and real sense to the advertising and adds to the everyday appeal of the collection.

The new line features some very cool, classic designs and along with another link to The Daily Street's review I posted a few of my favourite photos from the article below.

http://www.thedailystreet.co.uk/2012/08/ben-sherman-aw12-ad-campaign-imagery/

Clae Defining The Smart Casual

In my personal sneaker collection I like to think I have a wide spectrum that offers everything from hi-top basketball sneakers to low suede numbers perfect for meeting the girlfriend's family. In terms of the latter I would have to say my favourite smart sneaker I own comes in the shape of my Clae Oxblood Whitman, which I managed to pick up on sale in January 2011. Before this pick up I had followed the releases by the American based brand but had never managed to find the pair I wanted (The Eggplant Thompson's still evades me to this day.) When I eventually got my hands on the Witmans in 2011 they instantly became my 'go to' smart sneaker, matching both comfort with cool styling such as the suede upper, brogue front and wing tip influence, they cover all bases when it comes to meeting a smart casual dress code. This style of footwear is something that Clae have to tried to create since their arrival in 2001, Walking the line between athletic, durable sportswear with a more authentic style of shoe offering the customer a product seen rarely in today's market.

I'm happy to say Clae are back with a new look at their Fall/Winter collection and the results are looking good. The line offers a varied set of styles and designs to meet all expectations and I myself will certainly be looking to add to my Clae collection with whats on the table. Stand out releases from the new line for me include the Hamilton boot with it's very simple design, black leather upper and gum sole making the shoe look stylish. However, it's appearance leads me to believe even with it's cool look the shoe will be very durable and functional for everyday use. I'm also a fan of the Powell release in the collection, the blue base is complemented well with the brown leather to give this shoe a stand out classic feel yet once again fitting very much with modern style culture and design. It's white sole adds a casual attitude to the piece and gives the feeling this would match well with both jeans and smart trousers alike. I will also give a special mention to the Richards release in the fall/winter line as its clear influence from the classic Chelsea boot makes this a stand out for me and even with it having very few features likened to a trainer it still is instantly recognisable as a Clae product.

The new collection is available for purchase at the Clae online store, for which I've posted a link here and I've also linked a few reviews of the release along with some pictures of my favourites in the collection. Enjoy!

http://www.freshnessmag.com/2012/07/30/clae-fallwinter-2012-collection-delivery-1-lookbook/

http://hypebeast.com/2012/08/clae-2012-fall-winter-collection/

http://www.selectism.com/2012/07/31/clae-fallwinter-2012-footwear/