bish

I've got three of the Watanabe ones (I got them all at very heavy discount) and I like em, especially in the cold weather. I've only ever seen one other person wearing one in London, so I don't think they're "played out", but if I saw a tonne of salmon pink shirt-wearing sloanes in them I guess I'd change my mind. The shiny straight Moncler ones are a no-no though, I'd say.

Anyway, the fit seems to depend on which model it is, but two of the three come up a little on the small side. The quality's excellent on all of them - one's 2-3 years old now and it's hardly lost any of its stuffing.

Oh, and yeah, it's a French company, as one might guess from the name and the great big cockerel on the label.

The Idiom jacket posted earlier is only one layer (though there's a down version too), so isn't warm, but it is totally windproof (not to mention slightly non-breathable), so layer up underneath and you're good to go. Plus it looks frickin ace.

Junya Watanabe's Moncler range is really warm, well-made and uses some interesting fabrics. The prices aren't *too* bad either, given the construction and materials. DSM in London has a good selection.

Real what from a fake what? Makes fakes of what? Real Headporter stuff should come with a little authenticity card....

Quote: This is why it is important to not look at trends now for inspiration, but to design in terms of progression. I'm not much into the streetwear scene, but from the replies it seems that you are jumping on current trends rather than starting your own. The Rolling Stone tees are a shadow of what Comme Des Garcon has put out :T

Agreed. But at least the Stones tees won't be made of nylon or cost 140 quid a pop.

Like when the sweater material shrinks a bit, but the material around the zip doesn't, meaning the zip kinda bulges outwards and/or inwards.

I suppose cold washing would help prevent it in the first place, and replacing the zip should fix the problem - if you do get round to replacing it I'd be interested to hear whether it works.

YKK are good, and a decent alterations place should be able to do it for you for minimal cost...

Well, just little things really (and like I said they're still some of the best about). For example, in the Hypatex/Ballistic ones, the back padding used to be in kinda 'V' sections, whereas the most recent one just has one continuous pad; the rubberised bits (headphone hole cover, side pocket tags etc) used to be far heavier weight than they are now; the straps used to be softer (though I guess that's just personal preference) and so on. In general, the most recent one just feels a little bit 'flimsier' than previous models.

All this is pretty small potatoes (er, or whatever), but when combined with the price rises(£170 A/W 04, £200 S/S 05, £240 A/W 05) it just gives you a slight sinking feeling.

Still frickin' ace bags though. Highly recommended, as long as you don't plan to put them on the floor much (elk skin/woven wool+concrete=dirt).

I've got three Visvim packs, one from each of the last three seasons. The quality gets worse each season, but the price gets higher. Still the best backpacks I own though, but if they add another 40quid on the UK price again I might have to leave it this year.

Some of the new season's stuff is available at http://www.ultimate-street.com/shop/.