stadsvandringar

I gotta agree on the five o'clock shadow thing. I think facial hair helps balance it out for some odd reason.

It depends on what kind of stuff you have. There are a lot of used designer stores in the harajuku/shibuya area. Some places to check out include Kind, Space, Heatwave, Ragtag, etc. All of them have websites with more information and online shops where you can get an idea of what they buy & sell.

If you're looking to sell, small sized, high-end designer stuff is of course highly coveted. Different stores mark up at a different percentage, but I think they'll usually give you about 50% of what they sell it for. Most places have separate buying offices where they'll review your stuff and give you cash on the spot. If you don't know where it is, you can ask the shopstaff at their retail space. They usually have maps handy.

I've sold used stuff in Japan a couple of times. The buying staff is always very knowledgable and have a pretty good idea what things are worth. You should bring your passport with you. Since these transactions are done in Japanese, you should either have some rudimentry Japanese ability or bring someone along with you who does. I haven't had any amazing deals selling in Japan though. I'd say you're probably better off on ebay.

Yes, the newest Boris release is a collaboration with Michiyo Kurihara of ghost/stars/damon & naomi/etc. It has only been released in Japan thus far, on Pedal records.

The label's website is http://www1.odn.ne.jp/pedalrecords/. You can order it online through them.

Same as here, I believe dry cleaners can do some minor alterations for you like hemming pants and that sort of thing. If you go to an exclusive tailor's it can be fairly expensive, although the service is of course fantastic.

I got some bootcut jeans about a year ago. Compared to some of the other high-end, made in Italy types, I must say I've been very satisfied. The cut and quality of the denim are very, very nice. They've got to be some of the most comfortable jeans I own. Price was around $250 if I recall, which isn't cheap but not exorbitant.

Some of their designs can be a bit much, but the pair I got came with a wallet chain and a light cross coloration on the back. I'd go for it.

That's interesting. I put these exact jeans up on ebay a couple of months ago. You can see the floor of my apartment in some of the photos. I think this is at least the third change of hands for these poor jeans. Someone should provide a nice home for them!

What's the big deal on RRL anyway? I see this coming up a lot. How does it compare to Purple Label?

Please provide the pics, measurements & asking price...

That's awesome. I work like two minutes from south coast plaza. I'm going to check it out tonight.

I'm insanely into the osti/CP company/stone island stuff right now. Unfortunately, you're going to have a really tough time getting ahold of any oldschool pieces, especially in Japan or the states. Sadly, the best way to go is good old ebay. You'll definitely be paying top dollar for it there too.

Have you heard about Left Hand? It was another line designed by Osti after stone island and CP company. They made some really nice stuff there too, although that's probably just as difficult to find outside of ebay.

While on the subject, anyone know where to get new/newer CP company or stone island in LA? I know about American Rag and Lisa Kline on Robertson, but their selections aren't that fantastic. Any other suggestions?

Thom Browne makes some nice stuff, but it's some of the most ridiculously overpriced shit imaginable. $3,000 for a sweatshirt? What? I'd be into it if it were like 1/10 of the price (or less). I'm sure the store is nice though.

They do jackets and sweaters pretty well I think. Some of their other stuff, like the tees, aren't quite as impressive. You'll definitely be paying top dollar if you want the real thing, and typically only a handful of places sell it.

One interesting point that no one has mentioned is that a lot of times an individual collection will be "inspired" by different bands. Last summer was Guns & Roses. Before that he had the Beatles (one of my favorites), Nirvana, etc. If you're into a particular band's "look", it's a good way to reinterpret their styles.

As with anything, it's been garnering quite a bit of hype lately, especially since it started showing in Paris. In about two years it'll be everywhere and everyone here will hate it if they don't already.

The jacket photographed looks okay to me. That seems like a very low starting price though. I'd be hesitant, as a common trick is to send an item different from the one pictured. You could always send the seller an email, asking them if the item pictured is the one they're selling, if it's authentic, if they have a return policy, etc. A legit seller should get right back to you.

Personally, I think the burden of proof is on the seller. I'd still be hesitant buying this, although for the price it may be a worthwhile gamble.

A good place to start: http://www.bikkembergs.it/

As far as I can recall, Bikkembergs has been on a sportswear/football kick for a while now. He also designs some other unique, more high-fashion stuff. It's pretty hard to come by, at least out here in California, but reminds me of the other Belgian guys like Raf and Dirk Schonberger.

Nah, I would say lame, mass-produced jeans by banana republic (or really anything by banana republic for that matter), armani exchange and the like are pretty annoying.

More annoying still are those jeans with the fake "fade" down the front. Some of those were pretty bad. I'm kinda sad that trend's on the way out actually. It's fun seeing people look silly.

Some of the more high-end designers like Margiela and Neil Barrett make u-necks, although it varies season-to-season. I've got a line 14 Margiela u-neck, but it's just a solid black, no fancy patterns or anything.