The greatest song ever?

Introduced by a man in arguably the greatest suit, ever.

FUGLY FOOTWEAR

I'm not a sneaker freak, of course I've tried, but I couldn't really get past Adidas Superstar II's, so I pretty much gave up. Recently, however, I've found myself picking up more Nike things than at any other previous point in my life - okay, I'm still refusing to pay full whack for a pair of chunky Air Max 90's, the official sponsor of middle-class UK hardcore, but I'm into the running-type models, Lunarlon's/Challenger's/Vortex's - so when I found out about a new Nike drop, I paid attention...

Above was the hideous image I was greeted with. It essentially looks as though they've stolen from Predator's gym locker and spewed Tumblr across the whole thing...just no. Oh and the lucky people that can get their hands on a pair, won't see any change from £150.

Vans X Taka

Vans and Japanese graphic/illustrator/print designer Taka Hayashi for SS12 - giving workwear vibed footwear that I would actually love to slap onto my feet.

Taylor Swift Wears Kanye

In this months Harpers Bazaar (US) two names meet again, if only a little more abstract than before.
Taylor Swift, who I shall avoid heavily complimenting on her beauty, has been photographed for a cover story in the latest issue, and one of the looks, however much of a potential publicity stunt, sees her donning one of West's creations - a simple black top, along with a super bold wrap by Margiela.

'Friends close, enemies closer' cliche tag imminent.

She is hot.

All Hail Lucky Chip

So, I finally got around to visiting Lucky Chip at the Sebright Arms tonight - and it was the best dinnertime decision I've made in recent memory. I don't think that this place can be beaten on the price, the quality and the taste - it's absolutely unreal how good the burgers look. I'm the awkward one, being vegetarian, bordering on a vegan diet - but I was well catered for with an aubergine burger, with aioli, spinach and other goods (I risked the cheese for the first visit) and even threw in some truffle oil - why not...

The three carnivores that I was sat with all devoured their respective burgers, too, to much delight, as well as our side order of fries, with wasabi mayo and a bourbon barbeque sauce for me - oh and chilli cheese fries came later, too.

I only spent a tenner, and would be happy to do that every night if I could get away with it.
You actually have to visit Lucky Chip if you live in London, find them on Facebook and Twitter @Lucky_Chip!

All Hail Lucky Chip

So, I finally got around to visiting Lucky Chip at the Sebright Arms tonight - and it was the best dinnertime decision I've made in recent memory. I don't think that this place can be beaten on the price, the quality and the taste - it's absolutely unreal how good the burgers look. I'm the awkward one, being vegetarian, bordering on a vegan diet - but I was well catered for with an aubergine burger, with aioli, spinach and other goods (I risked the cheese for the first visit) and even threw in some truffle oil - why not...

The three carnivores that I was sat with all devoured their respective burgers, too, to much delight, as well as our side order of fries, with wasabi mayo and a bourbon barbeque sauce for me - oh and chilli cheese fries came later, too.

I only spent a tenner, and would be happy to do that every night if I could get away with it.
You actually have to visit Lucky Chip if you live in London, find them on Facebook and Twitter @Lucky_Chip!

YSL changeover breaking news.

Pilati's fuckin' out, Slimane's fuckin' in.

The Smiths x Lana Del Rey

Well this didn't suck as much as it could've, so is now spinning it's way through my week's playlist.

Raf leaves Jil Sander

So, last week it was announced that Raf Simons' AW12 show for Jil Sander would be his last - which wasn't actually a massive surprise, as he had hinted at such in his recent-ish interview in Fantastic Man.

Attempting to stay in a positive mindset about such things, hopefully this means some sort of expansion of, and a greater focus on, his menswear namesake. MORE RAF, MORE OF THE TIME.
That, or he's toddling off to Dior, which is cool, too.

Two Second Post: Supreme X Schott

Two seconds of your time to just marvel at how nice this new jacket from the Supreme x Schott collaboration is...
If it wasn't leather I would be on it like Frankie Cocozza to a Student club night.

Shannon

Yesterday, I lingered around the grounds of Somerset House - feeling rather peasant-like in the grace of several well dressed young men and women. It didn't matter how much I tried, I was never going to outdo the man in the kilt, gold and oxblood shoes, full beard and tweed jacket...so I just stood there like a lemon and waited with the others to be let into the Christopher Shannon show.

First thing that I noticed was how busy it was inside, there was a lot of attention this year, menswear is finally getting it's rightful appreciation, and London really is the best place to see it. Secondly, the music - oh it was like being thrown back into the 90s, but to a club scene that I was too young to have been involved in. Some of the songs I had never heard, but then there was a Talking Heads mix that sorted me right out, but it all managed to feel so familiar, and nostalgic - something at the age of twenty-three is quite a new idea.

Out came the looks - greys, white and navy, jeans and bomber jackets, duo-shaded shirts and jacquards. I've read the inspiration behind the collection relied a lot on the french boys' world film 'La Haine', and that was luckily something I understood - the thuggishness of the collection was very European, compared to his normally Anglo leanings - all the while these boys were made up with 'pretty' eye makeup. There were jeans emblazoned with Shannon's logos, all very Moschino, and bomber jackets coated in zips and lace parts. The highlight for me was the shirt and jacket with a large illustration of a male, much like a young Gallagher brother with their bowl cut, but drawn in a similar hand to Mathias Augustyniak - who it might've even been.

I had high hopes for this show, as CS is a label I really look into wearing but often feel is a bit of a push for my personal aesthetic (jeans and a tshirt...) but this show had me mentally organising my wardrobe at near enough every look.

Holly Fulton makes babes, babe-ier.

Instant disclaimer: this is predominantly a menswear/fashion blog, but as I've been quiet the last few days, I thought I'd share what I've been up to.

London fashion week has seemed a little boring so far, this year - it's nothing to do with a lack of talent, but there really doesn't seem to be much exciting me. The sixties seem to be prevalent as an influence, from the hippy wilderness, through to the working class wallpapers, I've seen a mix.

However, for the last few seasons, I always find myself rotating my way through the Holly Fulton page on Style.com, her designs sum up what I'd love to see on a girl - it's bold, bright and exciting, which a lot of designers are missing. Ok, it's not always totally original, and she repeats a lot of themes, season after season, but I shant complain - not yet, anyway.

Tomorrow I'm going to try and blag my way into some of the MAN shows, highest up on the list is Christopher Shannon, in the morning...WHAT TO WEAR etc etc.

Axl Rose x Givenchy

Stop me if I sound a little high or something - I'd intended on being asleep by now, but that's not quite worked out; I've been sat up watching various 1980/1990s rock tour footage instead...

It's common as muck to be a fashion designer referencing vintage 'rock' icons - punk is long dead and tired, and if you havn't pulled something Bowie/Ziggy Stardust yet, then you're probably not cut for the industry. But what a nice thing to realise that Givenchy's Ricardo Tisci went that extra yard and looked into someone cool for his inspiration - W. Axl Rose during tour-time cannot be a mere coincidence.

Well, because whether he'll admit it or not, the evidence is here: tartan, oversized graphic t-shirts, long hair and kilts. I rest my case before I've even bothered to begin.

For Zoe

When You're A Boy...Shame (2011)

So, after a long search of trying to find who would go to the cinema with me, I finally got around to seeing Shame.
This is one of those films that you hear a lot of people banging on about how good it is, that you hold your breath a little and expect to be disappointed, that maybe they were wrong. I suppose it's always a matter of opinion, really, but Shame really is something good.
It was weird to see such a thing as sex addiction pushed to a 15 rated film, but what I'm sure ten years ago would've been a straight 18 rated - there's a threesome, drug use, profanity, masturbation and fill frontal nudity - but then again, it's just real life.
There were a few twists and turns that left me feeling genuinely sorry for the guy, too. But for the majority of the film, I spent my time working out how to move to New York and get my own Carey Mulligan, because she's bloody hot in this.

The soundtrack was immediately obtained upon my return home, as it's one of the most beautiful scores I've heard in a while, mixed with some great American classics, my personal favourite being Chet Baker.

Anyway, go and see it - I'd risk saying that you won't be disappointed; impatient, sure, but not disappointed.

Supreme X Kate Moss

About as edgy as a beach ball, Kate Moss is now being used to promote streetwear giant, Supreme.
Images are being flyposted all over New York, and apparently London, too. But everything about this is really boring - the lazy styling (the blandest t-shirt available and that horrid coat) and even the 'rock and roll' cigarette, what a massive yawn.
With a wealth of talented female artists who would better suit the brand and actually give them some bite, it looks like they just had some money to piss away, instead.

Comme Des Garcons x Pointer

Sick and tired of your Vans Authentics, the depressed and gnarly hole torn in the toe-end getting too much to bear? Well maybe you should up your proverbial game and splash a little harder. Pointer have once again teamed up with Comme Des Garcons Shirt to create some covetable canvas shoes for this summer. Available in a selection of colourways, each with a distinctive yellow gum sole; these should be the grown-up canvas shoe you toss those tatty Vans out for.

Camo Is My Favourite Colour

If I had a spare £200, then today, this would be mine.

TheButteryStore.co.uk

Retro Babewatch.

Shelley from Twin Peaks.

Die Antwoord x Alexander Wang 'T'

Ok, so this is cool. I'd actually helped on the concept development for this project when I was interning, but had to stop to return to uni for my final year, and it's really awesome to see the sketches realised so well. There are pop up gif/videos on Style.com, that I saw today, that I had no idea they could actually make, they were just wild ideas on an InDesign presentation 5 months ago!

I'm not writing much because I am dead to the world, but the images are great and I'm really stoked.

Yeezy and Hov, Zzz In Paris.

Okay, so by blogging about it I'm somewhat being hypocritical to my point, but never mind, you can make up your own minds about whether you think it's cool or not. Riddle me this, though, aren't 'live' shot music videos the most boring thing on earth to have to sit through? I'm almost certain that they are - no matter how much money you've spent using HD redcam technology, or shot from 17 different angles, it's just a touch weak - especially when you're as ballin' as Yeezy and Jay. The kaleidoscopic technique just comes across like a teenager who's just discovered Photobooth on their new Macbook, and the Inception rip-off towards the end begins to push it's luck.

HOWEVER, the VOYR videos on Kanyes 'YeezusShuttleworth' stream via Youtube are really cool behind the scenes shots from the WTT tour and make up for this yawnfest.

Perhaps they should've spent the money finishing the remaining 3 minutes of Kanye's 'Power' video...

Edun x McGinley Campaign Shots

As an add on to the previous post about Ryan McGinley's work with Edun, the campaign shots have been released and are looking beautiful, or maybe that's just Charlotte Free getting to me.

No, it's definitely cool!

Ed Ruscha x Band of Outsiders

Band of Outsiders have collaborated with art icon Ed Ruscha for their latest campaign, but instead of doing perhaps what is most obvious and enlisting Ruscha for some prints, they went with using him as their model.

It's really cool to see him looking so chilled, even if the whole shot-on-portrait doesn't quite do the clothes much justice - they should definitely have included more of the dog...


BandOfOutsiders.com

Hip Hop Hungry - Bon Rapettite

So, you're really into hip-hop, you say you eat, sleep, drink and dream it, but do you really eat it? Of course not...until now.

Atlanta, Georgia - one of the many spiritual homes of rap music has thought what better a place to launch the world's first hip-hop eatery - and is now proud to list such delights as seen above: (l-r) Waka Flocka Flambé, Snoop Doggy Corndogs, Lil Kimchi, L'il Wangz, Ludacrispy Chicken Salad, Mushroom RZAotto, Roastface Killa, Queen LaPizza and Chili Akon Carne.

Whilst the imagery suggests the quality might now be Michelin star level dining, it does throw up some promise of a hilarious time at the ordering process, as well as evening entertainment from rap battling to hot tub sessions.

Book me a table and a glass of gin n juice, I'm sold.

Bon-Rapettite.com

Anton Lavey of The Church of Satan X Masterchef

I thought he died but it appears that Anton Lavey is enjoying devilishly good food on Masterchef...
Weird huh?

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Ethi-cool.

So, Edun is a brand you probably won't have really bothered with - it's ethical, that dirty word in the big bad world of fashion - suggesting everything is hemp fuelled and likely to look motheaten before it's out of the bag. Well look here now, what's gone and happened is the wonderful studio at Simmonds Ltd have put Ryan McGinley behind the lens for the latest campaign, netted a load of butterflies to let loose and then slapped a cute blues track over it all - leaving you wanting more.

Oh, and they also cast some beautiful people to wear the clothes/butterflies - Charlotte Free is gorgeous.

So maybe having a heart is kinda cool now? Maybe.

Goalkits

As I sat watching the Chelsea v Man United game this afternoon, I was reminded of this awesome still-life shoot from the upcoming Green Soccer Journal, using retro goalie kits.

Church of Raf

So, I was just rolling back through my irreverent Tumblr account, and refound these pics from the latest Raf Simons offering (AW12). Whilst the collection may not have been pushing the social boundaries to their limits, nor creating something hideously conceptual or striking, as is often with Raf's collections - what was evident, was that he's still sitting rather pretty on top of every other worthy competition.

The ombre sweaters were a personal favourite, teamed with that disgusting hair, made for a back-to-school look that I am envious I never had.

All hail Raf.

Posh & Kecks

Today London's H&M megastores opened their doors to hordes of people trying to pick up pairs of pants as though they were going out of style. Why? Well, because a professional footballer has put his name to them, of course. The simple offering of undergarments, in a respectable selection of grey, black and white - applied to pants, tees and even longjohns (above) all designed, somewhat, by our national treasure, David Beckham. Now, I don't know a single person that doesn't love Goldenballs, and at least with this range, yours will be kept toasty throughout the harsh end to winter!

What is Young Authentics?

So, after a lengthy break from blogging, what was the defunct Young Authentics is back with a daily (almost...) blog-blast of fashion, from the XY chromosome end of the internet. This will cover the coolest things that I find for guys fashion and design, as well as anything else that looks good at 500px.

All the while, I'll be finishing my fashion degree at Central St Martins.
Procrastination in education.

Enjoy!