peteyross

One thing to keep in mind though! While the waist on the 34's may stretch and become confortable over time, the actual silhouette of the jeans may not ever become as loose as you want. Another thing to consider is how you wear your jeans over time. If you wear your jeans over and over without washing all that much, you'll get better break-in with the 34 (in terms of color, creasing, etc.).

Ring Ring -- I put the HR Market jeans up on ebay today. You should be able to find them (I don't want to turn this into a buy/sell). Thanks.

Edited by peteyross on Jan 3, 2005 at 04:33 PM

Any idea about when these (35th series or City Series) will show up in NYC?

I have a pair of Hollywood Ranch Market Jeans and they are AWESOME. The only problem is that they are too small. They are a size 32 and they fit like 501's with a slightly lower rise. I had them on ebay last week but they didn't sell. Just reply in this post and I'll relist them (for under $50...I just need to unload these cause they're too small). HR Market also makes the cheaper line of denim called Okura. For all you New Yorkers, Prohibit on Elizabeth St. sells Okura.

They are a Japanese domestic brand but have recently collaborated with Undefeated and Foot-Patrol. If you're in New York, Clientele has a green/white croc skin colorway for $150. Also check www.Chapterworld.com and click on the Tas logo to see the collection.

There is a store on West Broadway between Spring and Prince on the east side of the street that sells Edwin. They have many up to date Japanese models including Rebel Vintage and Sen. I was there today but I cannot remember the name of the store. There prices ranged from 140 - 220. Not cheap, but if you want Edwin, they had a great selection. I'll try to check out the name of the store tomorrow. Good luck searching!

I saw them in New York and I'm pretty they were about $550.

Bobbhundreds --

If you don't mind me asking, what did you do in Nagoya for 6 months in 2001? I went to the CJS program at Nanzan Daigaku. I went to ID Bar like every weekend for the entire fall of 2001 so I wonder if I'd recognize your face. I had sorta tucked my memories of Nagoya away but now they are all coming back. Oh yeah -- I lived in Shyogamaguchi on the Tsurumai line. Ahhhhh what great memories. Now I live in NYC and I'd do anything to get the subways here updated like the Nagoya subways.

I have to agree with you there that Nigo is certainly acting in the best interest of his pocket. Perhaps he even realizes that the Japanese kids he once relied upon have now grown tired of his brand and moved on. He has certainly arranged his company to make a grip load of cash and I cannot blame him one bit. He's running a business and the point of a business is to make money. I guess people like me should move on to another enigmatic brand that hasn't hit it big yet.

I just get riled up when people talk about the brilliance of his designs and how his screened t-shirts are like buying wearable modern art. The real brilliance behind Nigo is how he makes people chomp at the bit to get anything associated with Bape. Its just hard for me to then go buy his clothes for high prices when I feel like I see through his marketing techniques. I have too much pride to fall for that crap. Now if he made a t-shirt that came out of the washer looking new for 5 years, I'd say charge me $150. In reality, I dont' want to be Nigo's fool.

I think you should believe that people buy clothes upon who a label associates with because its very true. If you don't associate yourself with others who represent a brand's image then that is fine (and even commendable). However once they see you, most people from Atlanta will now associate you with a wackass rat looking producer.

BAPE t-shirt designs are somewhat amusing from time to time but I can gaurantee you this: You could take a monkey t-shirt from the Bronx Zoo and screen Baby Milo on it and place in the store next to all of the other t-shirts. Come to think of it, I am expecting Nigo to bite many of New York's attractions/landmarks the way he did with the Statue of Liberty already.

I used to think the relatively high price was justified by the fact that it was truly difficult to get an authentic item shipped to you in America. I never had a problem with the high prices in Japan either because well... everything in Japan costs alot. Now to see it alongside the rest of NY's quintessential streetwear stores, the prices just seem a little too ridiculous. I was expecting 150 for sweatshirts and 50-60 for t-shirts but I guess I was wrong.

I gotta say that Nigo's idea of exposing Bathing Ape to the hiphop world will be the downfall of his brand (if it hasn't fallen already). Whoever said it before, something about it doesn't sit right for those who have known the brand since its infancy in Japan.

I live only 2 subway stops from the new BAPE store in New York and I have to say, I don't feel the need the go check it out. The prices are still insane and I'd rather walk up the street to Stussy where you can get a clothing line with better appeal for much less money. Living in Japan about 4 years ago I caught the bug and I really wanted to pick up at least a t-shirt before coming back to America. I never did and now I'm really glad.

Who the hell would want to associate themselves with Jermaine Dupri? I can sorta see Pharrell but not Jermaine Dupri. Nigo has lost control of his scarce supply if Jermaine Dupri can rock this stuff. Come on Nigo, you gotta have a shorter leash on your brand then that!as If I can see Jermaine Dupri wearing it, then Bathing Ape has abandoned what made it famous -- the allure of scarcity. Sure their designs are alright but is a Paul Frank monkey t-shirt all THAT much different visually? Admittedly, the branding separates them but without good branding, what is Bathing Ape left with? It is official, it is now a faux pas to rock Bathing Ape.

Oh yeah -- I can't forget one of my favorite places in Nagoya!

Its called Library (but its in Hiragana for some reason). Its off of the Irinaka subway stop, then up the hill towards Nanzan Daigaku. Its this cafe that has free vieo games, magazines and manga lining the walls, and every table has a PS2 or Gamecube with a little 10 inch monitor. As long as you have food/drink on the table, you can play games and read magazines for free. A great way to relax.

Don't be afraid to ask for directions even if you speak little Japanese.

And Eat EAT EAT!!! Try some Kishimen cause thats what Nagoya's specialty noodle is.

I lived in Nagoya for 6 months in 2001-2 so bear with me (sorry)

You should check out Osu-Kannon and Yaba-cho/Sakae area for some cool shopping. There is a Busy Works Shop and zillions of fresh sneaker stores. You should go to the "Loft" store in Sakae and also Tokyu Hands (there are a few but the one I am familiar with is at Nagoya-eki). Also, you should check out the Kintetsu shopping mall which is in between Fushimi and Nagoya-eki.

Oh yeah and for a good Gaijin club, check out ID Bar in Sakae. The guy who runs it is from Holland and they have decent American hip-hop there.

Check out the subway map for reference. Email me at [email protected] if you got questions. Also, pick up some Ichigo iri daifuku at a Conbini (its not sold very many places but its soooo good).

Do you speak any Japanese?

I've had good experiences both times. They bid for you while the auction is just about to end which is a good bidding technique. They also ship with EMS w/ Tracking number and it didn't take all that long (from start to end the whole process took about 15-20 days)

My most recent purchase was a pair of Nike AD21 Huarache Lights and I was extremely happy with the whole process.

I have been looking for 2 years in New York and I've now given up.

I've got a better (and sometimes cheaper) way to get Denime though.

1.) Search http://auctions.yahoo.co.jp for Denime. If you don't speak any Japanese, just translate the auction text on Altavista's Babelfish.

2.) Go to www.celga.com and they will act as your bidder for a reasonable fee. You cannot register on Yahoo Japan unless you have a Japanese address but Celga has set up a business as the middle man to get around this snag. I've used them twice before for sneakers and they've been very good.

The only problem is if you don't know your size then you'll have to take a chance. Let me know if you have any questions about my experiences.