redheadmafia

I have an old Kenneth Cole shoulder bag with a laptop pocket that has been serviceable but has a bad strap that I'm sick of replacing.

Any suggestions on durable yet fashionable shoulder bags / laptop cases? I've seen some from Booq and Tumi that I like.. I tend to prefer the balistic nylon look over leather (although it is dressier) but... on the other hand I need it to be presentable for client meetings, etc.

Any help appreciated -- looking for current models, hence the new topic.

cheers

Hey all -

I'm not an expert, but this seemed like a good deal. I noticed a good selection of "vintage" Levis while shopping in Vail Village during a recent ski trip.

All were on sale at 50% off --- and here's where I don't know if this is a deal or what --- because the regular price was ~ $500.

Anyway, if this sounds like a useful tip here's a link to the store's website: http://axelsvail.com/. Not sure if they take orders over the web, but I'm sure they'd figure it out.

Cheers

hopefully finishing up Guns Germs and Steel this week...

Good book. I received a signed copy of "Collapse" for Xmas, which I'm almost finished with... finally. It's good, maybe better than GG&S.

Anybody been to any of the Halo [For Men] spas/salons...? (Well, actually from what I understand only the new Gold Coast location offers spa services.)

One opened up not too far from my hood in Bucktown (Chicago) and I was curious if it was worth a visit.

Also curious about their "brand" of grooming products - JOE Grooming. Somebody got me a bottle of their 'grooming cream' and pomade. Gonna try it for the first time today, but I'm pretty happy with my American Crew stuff, so I doubt I'll switch.

Here's their site, for reference - http://www.halochicago.com/

(Note - not affiliated with these folks at all, just wondering if any other sufu types have checked it out.)

Never Drank the Kool-Aid by Toure (sp?)

Collected essays as hip-hop, etc. Pretty good so far.

I was browsing some of the local thrift stores & resale shops... while I didn't spot any good deals on anything else, I was able to score these books - for $1 each:

-The Boys from Brazil

-Into Thin Air [read Under the Banner of Heaven earlier this summer - it was awesome]

-The Alienist

I read the Boys from Brazil this afternoon/evening all in one shot, it was that interesting and surprisingly well written (even tho I already knew the basic plot). Only 200pg, nice summertime reading.

Where do you buy that American Crew crap? is it a Pharmacy thing, or do i need to go get it at a Salon...Gettin fuckin sick of pomades greasy look and feel. Once my hair gets longer than an inch pomade just spikes it to all hell.

Try the green label ("forming cream") American Crew. I used the blue label ("fiber") stuff for awhile when I kept my hair shorter but the spikes were pretty severe. I got sick of that look... the forming cream stuff works well but doesn't make your head look like you dipped it in an oil pan. Plus you can rinse it out (no shampoo) and use a little bit (much less than you might use on freshly washed hair) the next day and it looks even better.

I've heard that you should only get AC from salons, but I haven't noticed any difference between the stuff I've gotten from salons vs. Walgreens.

I finished Under the Banner of Heaven last week... that was good... now I'm reading Absurdistan. I'm about 60 or so pages in, seems pretty good so far. It's funny yet pathetic... I can't tell if I'm supposed to be taking away any bigger messages.

I read Crossing California recently too. That was excellent, although maybe not as appealing to folks who don't live in or know about Chicago (esp. the far N Side). Strongly recommended anyway, tho.

I saw some tubby nine year old at work today wearing a green day t-shirt with a pink tie, too tight jeans and a camo baseball hat that said "CANADA"

fucking beautiful.

genius

Interesting ideas... what about non-aviator styles? Regardless of brand/model, that style just doesn't fit my face too well. Plus, most are in silver, gold or gunmetal, etc. and not flat or matte brown (which goes with my coloring).

How about this option? I like that you can get polarized RBs without paying crazy $$...

super dodge ball

Absolutely. Super Dodge Ball on the NES was the bomb. Great old-school game.

Funny that this came up. I passed a hipster kid on the street in my hood Sat nite wearing skinny jeans, neutral colored t, newspaper-boy style cap, and a patterned tie. He was, of course, thin as a rail. I thought he looked ridiculous.

Maybe a tie+polo combo could work, with the right stuff. Or maybe a polo/tie or t/tie with a jacket/blazer/etc.... but I doubt it. None of the pics on this thread have me sold either.

five is too hard

but has anyone said bike messengers yet?

goddamn i hate those motherfuckers

i don't mean everyone who does it for a living - you know the type i'm talking about

fucking hipper than thou fuckers

what really fucking gets me is they act that like they're not buying into mainstream shit - they get off on showing off their fucking tats and piercings and mohawks in office buildings - but they depend on the same fucking corporate paymasters i do for a living

fuck you, you fucking cliched-ass hypocrite motherfuckers

i don't even need to hear the stupid fucking bands you're in to know they fucking suck

Ha-hah! Glad I'm not alone. Some of those kids in Chi are too hung up giving people shit for "working for the man"... but where did they get the cash to tool around on their fixed-gear bikes with no brakes, get tatt'd up, and chug PBR...? Late night they can all be found (as they are almost all guys) staring across the bar at (but not talking to) the groupie chicks who find them hot.

Blech. If that's what you're into, fine. But don't talk trash to me about having a day job.

To me, it's more interesting that it does exist than that it's open. I was curious as to who they expected to be shopping there, or what scale of shopping this end of Milwaukee Ave. will probably become over the next few years. A Levis store isn't an Untitled or an Akira, at least as far as price goes, and with staples like Filter closing the big changes start to look like an agressive attack on the area.

Questions of gentrification are so long a forgone conclusion in Wicker Park that the changes still coming are from the brand to the bland, and watching the switch makes a sort of first-hand fast forward account of this change over. A Levis store is probably important, but not for buying pants.

Cheers.

Agreed, for the most part... it's more the demographic behind the shoppers and/or idea of the store opening than the store itself that I find the most interesting.

As an update, I heard from a friend that they're not opening today after all. They are "waiting on a few key pieces" whatever that means.

cheers

Kinda unrelated, but are physicians expected to wear really generic american

business wear e.g. ralph lauren and brooks

(Tangent, I realize, but still.)

A few Dr friends of mine have the same issue... they seem to run into negative reactions from patients when they wear anything too fashion-forward (and/or anything looks pricey... the patient's reaction being, I suppose, "if you can afford those, are you just going to jack my bill to pad your wallet...?")..... but the bigger issue seems to be comfort as you're on your feet almost all day.

hah, thanks. that's great. appreciate the negative feedback.

i only posted this b/c I saw some discussions (speculative) about this store on sufu earlier this year.

shrug

Hey all...

Just walked by the Levi's store on Milwaukee in Wicker Park here in Chicago enroute to work... and it's open. I struck up a conversation with some folks there and it sounds like they are excited about the store but still figuring a few things out. The layout seems fairly OK - urban-ish, with a lounge area, etc.

As of now, it's all Fall '07 stuff - no summer sale, etc. but otherwise its a little similar to the Mich Ave store in terms of styles and assortment. Apparently there is some LVC stuff in stock and they will be trying to acquire some genuine vintage items as they go....

So, aside from the FYI, I was hoping to get some feedback and thoughts from y'all. And, no, I'm in no way affiliated with the store or the brand. Just curious. I know there's been some speculation on here as to what the store might be like...

Cheers

PS - If you go, tell them Mike sent ya... peace

Hey all - I've been lurking here for a bit, but I thought I'd throw this out there and see what opinions people have... I've done a bit of searching in the forums and I didn't see anything.

Who else out there owns a pair of Melting Pot jeans? What's the story with this brand? I have a pair ("new old style" variety, I believe) that I've been breaking in for a few weeks. But I'm not wild with them, or at least, not as happy as I would like given the price tag.

Thanks.........

peace