Nike’s initial snow boot offering, the Zoom Force 1, draw a lot of obvious design influences from the Air Force 1. However you may feel about Nike, they do have a lot of great design heritage to pilfer from.

EDIT: Nike Snowboarding is now 100% offish, and online. Peep it at Nike Snowboarding.

More pictures after the jump.

Sources cite a number of names for prospective Swoosh team riders, the biggest of which is Olympic medalist and Winter X-Games favorite Danny Kass, who jumped ship from long-time sponsor Vans. Danny’s a smart guy (having launched/owned the park-rat fave Grenade Gloves), and the cutting edge nature (read: sometimes ugly) of Nike design falls right in line with the outrageous aesthetic of his Grenade line.

Also, they also probably made the check out to Danny Ka$$, Danny SO MUCH CASH, D-Money Kass or some other equally moronic nickname implying the transfer of large sums of money.

Given Nike’s meteoric success with Nike Skateboarding (SB) and 6.0, it’s only natural to assume that they’ve already got a bit of a built-in following in the action sports demographic. Boots are a natural first for Nike, as they are first and foremost a world-renowned footwear company. Outerwear will probably follow soon after, as they undoubtedly already have the material and R&D resources necessary to produce technical shells and pants.

The biggest hurdle will be if they decide to tackle the hardgoods industry. Modern boards and bindings are highly technical, with each hardgood company pushing the limits every year and making boards that are lighter and faster, bindings that are more tweakable and stable. While I doubt that Nike will start from scratch here (who can say no to Nike money?), they will probably be met with a good amount of resistance from the leaders in this industry.

Burton (who Nike had repeatedly tried to acquire in past years) is probably shaking in their, uhm, boots. Far and away the largest and most popular brand in snow, Burton will no doubt fight tooth and nail to fight off a company that has deeper pockets, more resources, and an all-or-nothing philosophy. Burton stands to lose a whole helluva lot if Nike can carve a niche into territory that Burton owns (through Nike-like monopoly, of course!). What Nike doesn’t have, however, are riders, a fanbase and the brand loyalty that Burton commands. It’ll be interesting to see these two take each other on.

I personally can’t wait until they release the inevitable Limited Artist Collab Grenade x Nike x Supreme / (cos x) ^ lim ->0 Stormtrooper Dunk Boots that I’ll have to wait in line for at Bear Mountain. Yum.

A traditional lacing system, simple support strap, and retro look means that this will more than likely be an entry-level boot. I’m stoked to see what kinds of tech Nike can come up with to compete with ultra high-end stompers like Burton SLs.

This boot, and the two below, are women’s boots. In a male-dominated sport, what will Nike do to tap sales from this demographic?

All pictures courtesy of Snowrev.com

nikesnowboarding.com

• This Stewart/Colbert Cover of Entertainment Weekly makes me smile a lot more than the New Yorker original, which didn’t make me smile at all. [PICTURED] | [Cover Awards]

• The Coveted interviews The Style Clicker on the state of street fashion photography. | [The Coveted]

• Justin Ouellette says Muxtape is dead? I guess there’s always FavTape. | [Muxtape]

• This new viral Diesel ad is XXX, SFW (maybe), and OMG. Hilarity defined. | [Prostituted Thoughts]

• Sacha Baron Cohen wreaks havoc at a Milan Fashion Show for new movie. | [Cover Awards]

Notorious trailer

Fashion would be nowhere without influences – and I would be nowhere without mine.

I didn’t listen to a whole lot of hip hop growing up, but when I did, you better believe I was probably jammin’ to something from Bad Boy.

Watch that trailer and tell me that it doesn’t give you goosebumps.

…with that cross-branding promotion, I mean. And he’s also really funny.

I’m dreaming of fresh pow night and day, and it figures that the stars and moon would align for Bobby to drop sneak peeks of the new Hundreds x Forum collaboration in highly entertaining fashion. It reads way better if you peep it at The Hundreds, but you’re better off supporting us struggling fashionistas by staying on this site and bringing in more unique hits. Awww yeeee grrrl. You can also catch more about the outerwear collabs (with Special Blend) at highsnobiety.

More pics after the jump.

The Hundreds x Forum. Nice. Well…I’m not a fan of the base graphics, but the topsheet is money. The matte/shine effect caused by the Jags pattern is the tits.

My sled’s still better though. Ben and Bobby, if you’re reading this, trust…I got something for ya.

Do you think that Sean Connery being commissioned by Louis Vuitton adds to the elegance and timelessness of the brand with the addition of a renowned gentleman? OR do you think that this collaboration will add to LV’s reputation as a stuffy snobhouse with a stuffy old man as its poster-grandpa?

[Source: Vuitton’s New Bond… | WWD]

We at the Steel Closet believe that Connery’s role in the movie, The Rock, is evidence enough to exonerate the man of such accusations as stuffy old man or poster-grandpa.

]]> https://steelcloset.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/sean-connery-is-new-model-for-louis-vuitton/feed/ 1 1172 casanovaruffin Photobucket Photobucket https://steelcloset.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/sneakers-that-arent-just-sneakers/ https://steelcloset.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/sneakers-that-arent-just-sneakers/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:00:06 +0000 http://steelcloset.wordpress.com/?p=1147 Skim through enough fashion articles and sartorial suggestion pieces and you’ll notice that there is strong encouragement to pick pieces that are timeless, to select items that are not only versatile enough to mix well with different looks but are also unique enough to stand on their own if you so choose.

Needless to say, sometimes I don’t subscribe to those theories. New ground will not be broken if people are too obsessed with sticking to looks that just “work”. Lagerfeld wasn’t King Midas; he had to break some eggs to make omelettes. (For the metaphorically challenged, that means he made mistakes sometimes.)

That being said, sneakers that can moonlight as another kind of shoe definitely does not fall into the “timeless couture” category. The appeal of these, of course, is that they can transition from one lifestyle activity to another (Ed: Lifestyle activity? What the fuck, you sound like a J. Crew catalog copy writer) without making you feel like you should have brought a wardrobe change. I was particularly floored by Emerica’s Shifter Boot and Adidas Y-3’s Hijiri Homme.

The Shifter Boot comes from Emerica, a heavyweight in the skate industry. The traditional profile and silhouette of a motorcycle boot is fused with the light weight and comfort of a skate shoe. Like Casanova and I have noted in earlier posts, boots are coming back with the fierceness this season, and motorcycle boots are becoming increasingly popular for both males and females to punctuate the skinny/boheim look.

The rich full-grain leather uppers and lack of obnoxious branding or logos lets you feel the quality instead of shoving it in everyone’s faces, and it stays low-key as you go from tearing up the asphalt on your deck to chilling with friends at a local lounge. Or keep it gully and match it up with Commune‘s new offerings. Pure sex.

The Hijiri Homme from Y-3 is another stunner. Keeping the shinier patent details on the upper portion, near the ankle, is a nice attention to detail – paired with either Dior Homme slacks or mathrocker super-skinny selvage, you can keep the flashy stuff on the low-low until you decide that you’re ready to unleash it.

If you’ve been looking for a wingtip-type of shoe that you can wear all day and all night, the Hijiri Homme fits the bill. It’s art studios in the daytime fresh, and evening sidecars at the Roosevelt Hotel swank.

Let’s remember though that everything has its place. If you’re more of a traditionalist or a hermit that’s averse to scene-hopping, these probably aren’t for you. But for those of you who, like me, don’t want to go out of your way to make the move to the club from the street, now you’ve got some options to ensure that your style is on display, but for all the right reasons.

The Emerica Shifter is available at select retailers. The Hijiri Homme is available at Y-3 dealers.

Pictures courtesy of hypebeast.com

The image of the naughty librarian has been around for ages. Despite the fact that most librarians we know who work at the library are over age 50 and look like they sit on their arse the whole day, the image of the hot, tone-bodied, cleavage-copious visual prevails. And the scenario is always the same, the Ivy League style library is poorly lit and quiet. Then suddenly, the doors bust open and there the tall glass of woman stands with her library outfit and hair in updo. She seductively approaches you and then she throws your book to the floor, confirming the sentiment that you share with all Americans: you don’t like to read. She also happens to be your best friend’s mom. Animal noises ensue.

I don’t know why I missed this trend or how it completely snuck up under my nose, but Sarah Palin has added more vigor to the MILF craze that never actually went away since its inception in American Pie. The eyeglasses that momentarily shadowed her inexperience in all things politics has now become the fashion trend of the moment. The eyeglasses are actually the Japanese-designed Kawasaki 704s. And they’re selling like hotcakes. There has been a fair share of celebrities who have picked up on the fetish trend. Is it the first time that we’re actually going to take notes from the losing candidate (as of right now, at least)? No matter how long this trend will last, I think it says something about our American values.

They are deeply rooted in an Oedipus Complex.

More pics of the Sarah Palin Momfook Craze below…

[Photos taken from Trendhunter]

J. Crew and Forever 21

Uniqlo and H&M

If you haven’t noticed yet, purple is the fall color…

But does that mean it’s your color? Just because stores on 5th Avenue are pushing it doesn’t mean you have to wear it. I personally like purple and, yes, I bought one of the items listed above, but I also fear for dear life of being labeled a trend follower. Complimentary colors are going be the non-conformist conformist’s best friend: blending in yet standing out in pinks, greens, and browns. Plus, you can wear them with purple.

The best thing about purple is that gold matches easily–just be careful about crossing the line of tackiness. I am in dire need of a cheap gold watch.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

Maybe the comparison was too obvious, but it’s crazy how much they had the specificity down. I wonder if they’ll take from any other iconic movies for future shows. Darth Vader capes anyone?

This seems to be going around, so might as well post it. Let’s give the smart guy a wedgie ya’ll!