B-15C

thanks kix and sub. from what i've heard from guys working at shoe stores in japan, when converse went bankrupt few years ago a japanese company bought the converse name to be used just in japan. that's why they can pretty much produce whatever fuck models they want to, like the one i have, without having nike (who owns converse) approving it.

one thing about this is that they can't put "made in u.s.a." anywhere on their shoes because they aren't. and that's why many japanese kids value "made in u.s.a." chucks and other converse sneakers more than the stuff they can readily buy, even though there are numbers of dope stuff we can't get over here. funny.

I've still got my US made black chucks from way back when. I've been wearing them out lately.

St. Alfreds has their fancy purse leather lo chucks on display. It's a (red) product, but don't hold that against them. If I were going to buy a pair of textured leather shoes, they'd be the ones.

Will they still have red on white Arctuate logo tees if I come in December 2009?

The way the stock is moving right now? Maybe.

You should go visit, it's lonely there.

havent been to gamma yet but i heard womens selection is great while for men its all white/black.

ps: jeff mills is an alien

You are correct sir, at least on the stock. They also have some really beautiful women's jewelery-- I was in today with a jewelery designer who was telling me how crazy the prices were for an alloy, but they're really pretty. The shirts are exclusively narrow sleeves, so if you lift anything heavier than your laptop, you might feel a bit snug.

Pricy, black and white, and some very nice looking things for skinny people. They're unique to the location, and a fresh breath coming from the wesc/APC store up the street.

Edit: Jeff Mills's wife runs the store herself, and is very helpful. The place is a bit of a cave, with slim stock on the floor and a room divided by a stable of skinny mannequins. Skinny dillettantes rejoice.

Here are more pictures: http://blog.livedoor.jp/chaos6669nose/archives/50935448.html

The collection's name is "I AM A GERM ANYWAYS" and is supposed to be inspired by the Germs.

I'm not a huge fan of at least the runway show for this collection. A shame since spring/summer looked amazing. Too bad, even in size 1, their pants were so big on me.

Darby Crash would've loved this shit.

The models look too old for this though.

I always walk out of the men's store empty handed, but I usually just chalked it up to taste. I used to see interesting belts at the details, but I haven't been in for a while. I had a running gag with a friend about a bedazzled employee there and now I crack up when I walk by.

Wow... gone for a week, and a finally a Chicago thread is up! Let's make a SuFu meet happen.

Btw anyone ever been into Akira? I've driven past it many times... never gone in.

Not to maintain the derail but... which one? I've been in them all, and the stock in each is pretty different.

EDIT: Since the suggestion that this meetup result, perhaps, in something productive like augmenting the Superfuture supercities guide to Chicago, I'd just like to drop a link to Chicagoist's guide to Chicago as a potential resource or starting point for discussion.

http://chicagoist.com/uploads/chicagoist_guide_to_chicago_072706.pdf

I know I'm in trouble, because I can't tell who this guide is aimed at. I'm trying to make some composite from what they've listed, but I can't get it. It could just be a little sloppy for Wicker Park, or made by someone who doesn't want their favorite spots overrun.

I'm going to be incredibly busy for the next three weeks, but after that I'd probably have more time to work down the list.

Booze, talking, and eating, all go together at Piece. The bonus is that their beer is great. I don't know that Piece really needs to have much more said about it that I shouldn't just throw in the SuFu WP guide-- It may be too much to list restaurants too.

If that's not classy enough a hangout for you, I always thought Debonaire looked like a place to plan clandestine meetings. Filter will be packed until it closes, but if you're all comitted to bars then I don't have much to contribute; no nightlife for me lately.

GL kids.

This is a great idea because the supercities guide to Chicago is barren. anyway, since you suggested it, why not start the thread in Superofficial.

Now it is Superofficial:

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?p=424369

It's worth making lists first.

Wicker Park is still a little hipsterburg, but it's just the hangout still for people who live in LS/B-town/Ukranian Village. The shops are for the rich, and I'm noticing that even though I live here, there's still plenty around that I just haven't noticed.

unfortunately I'm just an 18 year old kid, but don't let that stop you guys from planning whatever you want, i'll manage something

This city is unfriendly for -21 recreation. I was so happy when I got old enough, so I could keep doing the same shit guiltlessly, instead of feeling like I was being kept down by the man. This should probably be linked over to the lost Levis WP thread. I think I'll do that now.

Linked.

I like Futurgarb. It might not be super duper designer, but good for everyday gear.... especially when it's on sale. Another Level... now that's a store that makes me wonder. It pretty much carries what alot of the other stores carry. All in all, if I go to a shop in Wicker Park and it's withing my budget, I'll get it. Noir on Division had some goodies in the basement sale area and I finally got to check out Gamma Player on Division. Gamma would definitley be a place for alot of people in this forum to check. It seems that alot of the clothes there are meant for people who are built like Japanese/ Jeff Mills... LOL.

You know what, you're right, and Gamma Player doesn't get enough mention. Futurgarb does their own thing, but it's mostly destroyed tees for their men's line; I think the brand is Afflicition. The upstairs is where the graphic designers who own the place work, and if you're by the stairs you can get a taste of their print work. The only other men's stuff they carry for shirts is 4YOU poly/cotton button ups. I know their stock inside out, and for all the mention J. Fold gets on SuFu it's worth mentioning that they stock the wallets and have had the same couple messenger bags from them for about half a year now. They're cool, but they're really not much for men's SuFu style. Their women's lines are better.

This all probably deserves a new thread-- if I was looking for somewhere to shop from out of town in Wicker Park, I'd probably not click on the thread that was titled, "New Levis Store."

with all these chicago Sufer's showing up in this thread, should we have some sort of Midwest meetup happen? they've had both NY and SF already. Why not good ol Chicago?????

Wicker Park is a 24/7 SuFu convention.

Fun reply: If I had to choose a group of people to dress up in a silly costume to hang out with, I'd be at the Star Trek convention. To be fair though, they really know how to party.

Serious reply: I think any sort of meetup should result in some kind of helpful shopping and eating guide. People keep asking for recs on the jetsetter side.

To be honest, we don't know what they will carry. If they're filling a niche that's like the guerrilla Levis stores abroad it could be interesting. The point is self-delusion though, because to fit the style of the neighborhood they're just going to have to look the same as the rest-- half boutique and bare-walls like US Denim and half hyper-commercial brand recognition.

It's a safe bet that they'll stock the LVC stuff.

Lincoln Park 2 is right. I sort of figured it would be somehow diffused. LP has a different feel, and the neighborhoods that border it are still interesting in their own ways. The things we think give character to a neighborhood are also the ones we look at and go, "I have no idea how they stay in business." So goes Swank Frank, Flash Taco, and who knows about the dozen or so furniture stores just holding up twenty year leases.

I don't know enough about the business side of gentrification to do anything but generalize about a neighborhood that has some very specific politics in play, and if I were a better man I'd be asking the clever guy working nights at Myopic to teach me a thing or two.

I must be too busy posting on superfuture.

bought the panasonic dmc-fx 30 yesterday...as far as i can tell it was a good purchase

That's my baby. I was skeptical at first, but it's an easy camera to handle, and the pictures have come out really nice. They're good at taking some quick pictures, but there is a little delay between shots, so sometimes I'll miss the moment. Manual photography survives for me for this reason alone.

i'm not at all surprised by this. supposedly a louis vuitton store is taking over the copy place next to earwax. marc by marc jacobs is going to be underneath red pagoda on damen. intermix is landing soon too. i think swank frank & filter being bought out by a bank was a big indication of what is to come for wicker park. i guess i'd be alright with things becoming a bit more SoHo, but who knows.

Am I going to be living on top of a Louis Vuitton?

Directly across the street from the Levis store is still Jade, which is an upscale women's boutique that carries some very nice things. The SoHoification of Wicker Park is one thing, but I'm spooked that it could become a commercial alley that backslides into a little bit of what Michigan Ave. is, where the shopping castes mingle, people come to gape at LV and then buy cheap Levis to get a full dose of retail therapy. Either way, it's an interesting evolution. In a few years I'll be able to chalk it up to history.

Thread Derail: Chicago Meetup]

It looks like people want to get together.

Just a quick post. When I got out of the shower this morning I saw this across the street from me. They've been working on the space for about three weeks now, but if you were wondering what they were doing over there, they've finally put up signs. The location is a little weird for a Levis store, because I don't think of Wicker Park as a touristy shopping destination, and I can't get the idea of a Levis store anywhere off of Michigan Ave through my head. They're flanked by a few vintage denim places, so what it is they're doing there is a mystery to me.

Well, probably making money. The neighborhood is quickly turning the corner. It will just be strange to see a Levis store sandwiched by art + science, across from Hejfina and down the street from what is probably much better shopping. What kind of Levis store this is is yet to be seen.

It would be cool if it turned out to be more similar to the strangely placed Levis stores internationally.

Normally, I wouldn't see the addition as worth mentioning, but it surprised me from across the street.

I haven't tried Uniqlo, but can anyone tell me what they're made of?

I've been wearing Handsome Smooths for a while, Barnstormers. My other favorites have all lasted 7-8 years in perfect shape. The HS's are a cotton/microfiber blend, and all the others are 100% cotton with elastic bands stitched inside. The HS's are softer, and sport a button fly. They're a close enough fit without cupping, and I'll probably buy more if these work out in the long run. That's five lines too many spent chatting about underpants on the internet.

I really just want more CK cotton boxers circa 1998.

Smart Wool 3/4 length athletic socks. They look classy and feel very soft.

They seem to be cashing in with the popularity of their compilations (which are arguably bad themselves, but I won't get into that tonight) which is probably what I would do too, but I'd hire better designers because it's just ridiculous.

I have a feeling I'm coming off as a dick in this post... :/ I do like the website though.

I like the compilations, and I don't like much club music.

The clothes are interesting in the collaborations. It's like you said, he's cashing in on the brand association, but the affiliate site with things for sale in the APAC market are things that I see recommended on Superfuture. When it comes down to it though, he defines the demographic: wealthy, indolent, self-exploitative local Asian jet-setter from Vancouver.

If you read his blog, it feels a little like one long Superfuture post;

This is what I bought, these are the cool people I hang out with, here is a picture of my cocoa puffs.

EDIT: I was remembering the blog of clever young thing Edison Chen. I was remembering the music correctly; "Youth Alcoholic" is good. Edison Chen likes what you like.

I like them.

I like the huge photo print tee shirts better than foil shirts. I wear neither.

Freitag backpack. Chrome is half as expensive and probably twice as good. I like the side zipper on my Chrome bag but it's not worth the pricetag. Also, it makes me look like an adult child.

I wear it anyway.

Ugly. Cheap quality. Expensive. No substance.

It certainly is distinct. I haven't seen anything in person. I would remember seeing anything in person.

I would be hard pressed to find an argument for depth in what appears to be a fairly clever marketing scheme and brand identity, but they have set themselves apart very well.

LA doesn't have useful mass transit and DC can be fun to see but is mostly just useful for completing your collection of American sites; I find there's very little to do in DC. There aren't any beautiful natural sights accessable by mass transit in the States.

How long do you want to be in each city? Are you opposed to taking trains to and from your city to sight-see or are you coming for nightlife and shopping? Where will you be staying when you visit? Hostiles or swank hotels? What are you living circumstances?

I just remembered how complicated travel was.

That pair of double happiness cost somewhere around $4USD to $5USD

Thank you communism for stimulating my consumer impulse. Where can I get your Double Happiness shoes? For the proletariot... and the beach.

I am in the States.

Would you follow up with caviar dreams?

My last meal: Quinoa, black beans, tofu and veggie stir fry, some chocolate and the wine I saw a nerveous middle aged guy buy a case of ahead of me in line. A whole case, it must be good!

Hi, just wanted to say that I liked your work but just wanted to make a couple points for people who're interested in your bags. I've had one of your bags since you posted them on your website, and they're made of interesting leather, but between this and the buckle on your belt it seems like the hardware has a hard time holding up. The seams on my messenger get a lot of pull for some reason, but I rarely put more than a couple books in it... Within the first month I had it the snap had come off twice, and I am very gentle with clasps. It seems the 'prong' attachment inside the bag was bent and came off, so I tapped it back in with a tack hammer.

I did want to ask if the belts were all unfinished and prone to 'shedding' like the bag interiors are. The little bits of leather that litter my books and clothes when I wear my tanner bag always make me look dirty, so I wanted to ask how you solve this problem yourselves; do you leave them completely unfinished for wear on straps and interiors or do you waterproof or apply another leather protector to them? Also, is there some way to reinforce my tanner bag strap and seams? The big seam in the middle of the strap makes me nerveous as the strap is already very light and thin.

Thanks.