THE LO' DOWN - Blue Label for the summer!

Ralph is definitely official this summer with that Blue Label. But a buck 50 for a shirt? I had to wait until 'Lo.com marked this joint down, and I found a free shipping coupon code, so I finally went ahead and copped today. Next Monday can't get here fast enough!

I also copped the matching cap, FTW! not sure if I have any kicks for this to splash with this...any suggestions?$200.00 left in the budget to play with, so I went ahead and copped this one.I think I'll mash this one out with the Clydes I've had on ice for about six years. The Clydes that are out now are shaped funny, so I look forward murdering Chicago with these. With $150.00 left, getting on the #4 and heading to the Nike Factory Store sounds lovely right about now, B!

AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?

Yesterday, I recieved the usual 4:00 call from the mailman, telling me he has a package and I have to come downstairs and sign for it. I do most of my shopping, trading, and selling via the internet, so this daily phone call is nothing out of the ordinary. Yet and still, I'm always excited when I get packages in the mail. As a kid, I used to just order all types of stupid sh*t just to be gettin' mail like grown folks! Anyway, yesterdays package was a far from the usual. It was from my baby brother, USMC Lance Cpl. Telley Vestal, who is fresh outta his 2nd tour in Iraq, and currently stationed in Hawaii, holding me, and the rest of the free world the f*ck down. F*ck going back upstairs to open this package, this one can't wait.

This is from my little brother. This is the one out of my 4 brothers, was the one that was born when we were all teens. This was the one that we faught over who was gonna hold him first, coddled and overprotected and basically never really wanted to see the day when this cat officially grew up. Our parents assigned us the job of looking after Telley and keeping him out of harms way, and we loved our job. So him telling us that he was enlisting into the Marine Corps, was like getting downsized from a job, but walking away with a serious severence package. The package is watching this boy grow from baby to man, and him announcing his joining the marines at a Thanksgiving dinner was like witnessing him step into grown-manhood right before my eyes. My Brothers and I were hurt, the 9/11 tragedy fresh in everyones mind and all, but we knew that was some grown man business that you just don't f*ck with. Our job was done.

Not having a knife, sissors, or the infamous crackhead stylee ball point pen, I wrastled with that damn indestructable Priorty Mail tape like I was in the WWF Smackdown...but, Hulk Hogan wins, and I, am him. I shoulda waited. I shoulda waited until I got upstairs to the safety of my apartment to open this package. I knew from looking at the return address, that the contents of the package would bring me to tears. A box of garbage would've been all good from this dude. But this, my friends, was no box of garbage. My lil' bro knows that I love to style on cats, and it's the lil things that set you apart. He knows that I rock Camouflage, but not in excess. Just the jacket or just the cargo pants, or just the shorts. Anything more'll have you lookin' crazy! Telley sent me the official issue, digital camouflage dopp bag, with the hanging folding toiletry kit, complete with soldier body wipes, for that outta town smashdown!...FIRESTARTERS!

Lance Corporal Vestal, you, my brother, are golden and I love you. You caught me off guard and the gift was top notch, B! And Word Is Bawn! I wanna fight you for real for making your big brother cry like that in front of my neighbors..HA! I know Ultramagnetic is ya favorite, so here you go ked!

I MUST OWN THIS! - Sneaker Box Ottoman

...or at least I should own this, It's a lil too, no, a lot too pricey for the kid. But damn if it ain't FIRESTARTERS!This ottoman thats covered with a crazy assortment of sneakerboxes is one of them joints that any sneakerhead would love. Once I saw it, I started to think of legit reasons of why I really NEED to have it. But common sense prevails...DAMMIT! and of course the fact that if my girl saw this purchase on the credit card bill, me and my ottoman would be on the curb. This piece of furniture would be so sexy in my 2nd bedroom/makeshift walk-in closet. At $658.00US, this can be shipped from Japan at APPLEBUM free shipping!

THE MASH OUT- Vintage Polo X Adidas Major ZX600

Word is Bawn! Adidas is really coming with it these days! I think that Burnt Orange/Brown/Lt.Olive is my colorway for the Fall. The earth colors make this shoe a lil more grown up, but the orange & the digital camo give 'em just enough flash to make 'em FIRESTARTERS!! Adidas teamed up with the Washington, DC sneaker spot, Major®, produce this hot ZX shoe. They put the icing on it with the matching New Era fitted. I would definitely pull out a mean Lo' rugby to splash with these. Maybe a tan bubble vest or Army Jacket...any more brown and I would look way too UPS! I have a lot of Adidas joints to showcase in the near future...keep posted!

UPPER PLAYGROUND-N8 Van Dyke "PayDay" figurine

I'd never seen the two that Upper Playground released earlier this year, but when I saw this one and I HAD to COP. Illustrator N8 Van Dyke created this bread and burner toting Animal-Thug figurine, complete with detachable walrus mask. N8 is ill with the illustrations (Juxtapoz, IronMan video game), so its only right he comes wit it on the vinyl medium. Available at Upper Playground

I MUST OWN THIS! - 10 DEEP - 5 Panel Cap

Some new sh*t for the fall, from 10 DEEP™ . These cats killed it with this accessory the 5 panel cap is a staple in my wardrobe, and most times, I splash 'em with the solid color Canal St. joints. The 5 panels made by SUPREME just don't move me, but these joints right hur? with the dark color glen plaid and cropped logo hit on the sides? I must cop all of em!

Word Is Bawn! Protect Ya' Kicks!!

Big up to Pete Dzuban, who I met yesterday in the Corner Bakery™ downtown. BTW, If you'e ever in the midwest, stop in this place and cop ANYTHING. The baked goods are top notch fa' sho! Pete works for this high end cardboard company in the Chicago suburbs. High end cardboard!?!?!? WTF is that? He designs archival boxes for museums, for storing old bones, Cain and Abel's wifebeaters, King Tut's truck jewels, etc. Pete does not collect anything, nor does he have he desire. But this cats knowledge on the archiving and the safe storage of things, like say, clothing and sneakers is, for lack of a better term, vast. The things that he explained to me may have me just f*ckin' change the game on yall.

I told him about my collection of things- comics, trading cards, clothing, and sneakers, and how I stored them. He told me that I'm slowly destroying everything that I've amassed by leaving them the way that they are. Firstly the sneakers should be taken out of the boxes, and the tissue paper. Thats whats making the soles all yellow and sh*t, the acids in the cheap cardboard and tissue paper. The clothing should be taken out of the plastic bags too. The plastic is killing the gear. As the conversation went on, this dude had me wanting to just make the mad dash to the crib and take all my joints outta the box...early!

Now peep the business model.

With the onslaught of sneaker hoarders who collect high end goods that they've stood in line for days on end to purchase, the packaging that the shoes and hats come on is horrible and downright detrimental to the product. What if I create a high end acid free cardboard archiving system, with boxes to fit sneakers - high top and low, and baseball caps and shirts with a clear plastic slot on the front of each box to place a picture of the shoe, so that the box isn't opened repeatedly. And a giant box for separate storage of the original shoe and hat packaging. Let's say I'd splash out the boxes with a mean, uniform color, that'll give your closet a really polished look.

Wow.

As Pete and I brainstormed, the ideas started to get ill! You know that feeling you get in the pit of your gut when you think you may really be onto something? well, I got that yesterday. My new homey Pete said he would point me in the right direction as far as the science and manufacturing in the R&D of this thing....Word is Bawn! i'm getting that feeling as I type this...gotta do more research...

Sneaker Fiends, collectors, Lo' Heads...I'm taking the ball and runnin' with this one---let me know your thoughts on this!
Good looks on that Pete, I'll definitely be at the party Friday!

STYLE DON - DANA DANE

Dana Dane was that dude when it came to puttin' it on, on the dressier side. This Brooklyn cat came wit the sharkskin suits, with the tapered leg, the Furgora Kangol Cap and the suede Bally boots and argyle socks. Back in the day, when you had to go to a "no sneaker, no jeans" function, you wanted to go for the Dana Dane look, 'cause dressy, but it was still Hip Hop straight BK style!STYLE DONS-is a section of this blog where we recognize people that changed the game of fashion or basically know just how to SPLASH on cats! (ll) I'll be adding these from time to time.