bespokeordie.com » Diary

A.P.C. New Standard Denim

bespokeordie — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:26:09 +0000

I will be the first to admit that I completely and totally neglected my A.P.C. Rescue denim. Selvedge denim is meant to be worn frequently and repeatedly until it conforms to your body. It’s lines, fading colors, and crinkles will eventually all echo your body in a way not pre-warn denim can ever truly match. I picked up the vanity sized A.P.C. Rescue denim in a vanity sized 34″ waist having chose that cut over the New Standard due to my large, athletic thighs. But, after aggressively working out again, losing some of that thigh meat, and realizing that I went one size too large I eventually wound up passing the still virgin denim along. It was a sad moment, I felt as if I had actually failed to nurture them into their true potential. Walking in to a Barneys Co-Op store not too long ago I saw a pair of 33″ A.P.C. New Standard denim laying ever so noticeably on a table all alone. It was a sign from the denim Gods! Quickly I snagged them up, darted off to a dressing room, and took a deep breathe in before I blew out as much air as I could so that I could manage to pull the skin tight jeans up and around my hips. My experience had left me educated enough on the brand to know that these bad boys were going to stretch out. Nearly afraid to sit down I whipped my head around in to the mirror to see such a rare site. Raw indigo in so deep of a blue hue that it may even look black to some, no markings, no fades, no creases, and they fit like a glove. I picked them up and have since renewed my vow to commit to conforming them to my body. A lot of people have questions about A.P.C. denim, I know I did, so feel free to ask away.

Source: A.P.C., Barneys Co-Op

Nike Trainer 1 Low iD

bespokeordie — Tue, 11 May 2010 06:30:28 +0000

About a month or so ago I was blessed by the Swoosh team to have a chance to customize my own pair of Nike shoes via their iD program. Nike iD for those of you who do not know is Nike’s very own bespoke program where you design it and they build it. You can choose the materials, colors, and even add your own personal iD. After spending a few days trying to figure out which shoes to customize I finally settled on the Nike Trainer 1 Low iD. Ultimately I went with my own take on the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s LIVESTRONG colorway utilizing Varsity Maize, Medium Grey, White, and Black to bring the shoes patent leather and mesh together. Thirty days later my shoes arrived directly from China and came out exactly like I had anticipated.

Source: Nike iD

Unique LA Spring 2010

bespokeordie — Tue, 04 May 2010 03:44:47 +0000

From April 24th through April 25th, Unique LA took over the California Market Center Penthouse in Downtown LA for its second annual Spring 2010 show. I was fortunate enough to attend the second day where I got to check out the over 300 hand-selected, local designers and artists that were in attendance, making it the largest independent design show in the country. Unique LA is more than just a design show though and partners with a non-profit for every show, donating a portion of sales to the organization. For the Spring show, they partnered with Ed Begley Jr.’s’ Greenwish. Over 12,000 people attended the show raising over $4,000 for the cause.

Matte Black Oakley Holbrook

bespokeordie — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:23:16 +0000

If you have followed the site for any length of time you will have noticed my particular appreciation for the iconic and classic Oakley Frogskins silhouette. Then came the Shaun White x Oakley Holbrook which are a modern remake of the Frogskins. Attempting to put off my seemingly uncontrolable urge to dart out and pick up a pair of the Holbrooks I waited as long as I could. About five minutes later I put the order in for this pair of matte black Holbrooks which feature a polished silver aesthetic and warm grey lenses. It almost feels like blasphemy, but I actually think these look better on me than the Frogskins do.

American Apparel Basics

bespokeordie — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 05:45:09 +0000

You can never have too many basics. For layering, for casual wear, for whatever you need them for. Personally, I have always been a sucker for anything soft. Naturally nearly everything inside American Apparel appeals to me for this reason alone. Thanks in large part to Mary’s wholesale connection I was able to pick up a sizable amount of product for a not so sizable amount of money. Two hoodies, two pairs of boxer briefs, two sweater vests, a deep v-neck shirt, a super soft crew neck t-shirt, a “wife beater” t-shirt, and a light hoody. Ironically enough this entire order started off in a quest for a light, colorful hoody that I could layer under either a denim jacket or a blazer. Black wasn’t my first option obviously, but it works.

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

bespokeordie — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:36:00 +0000

I slept on these photos for a little bit before I posted them for no other reason than I was just too lazy to upload them from my digital camera. Well, the laziness has ended and the pictures have been prepped. Last weekend John was kind enough to come through with some super-exclusive access to the 36th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The event was crazy, the food was ridiculous, but what I was most excited for was the 20 minute exhibition of drifting going down on Sunday, April 18th 2010. The Grand Prix is basically a street race featuring different types of cars from Formula Drift to Formula One and everything and anything in between. The streets of downtown Long Beach are blocked off and the cars zoom around the city. It really is an experience. My pictures were centered around the luxury import exhibit and the drifting exhibition. Thanks to John we also were privileged enough to get up close and personal with all the drifters before and after the exhibition.

7 For All Mankind Slimmy Denim

bespokeordie — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:17:35 +0000

I finally broke down and did it. Despite my tall, athletic frame and vowing to never succumb to skinny jeans I have fallen victim to the trend. Curiously trying on different denim in a virtual plethora of stores over the past few months I finally settled on a pair of 7 For All Mankind Slimmy jeans. The Slimmy is a skinny, slightly tapered straight leg jean that sits low on the waist and has a zip fly. They are slim through the hip and thigh and remain parallel from the knee to the straight leg opening. The back pockets do leave a little to be desired, but feature the brand’s signature squiggle. Most impressive of all is how super soft and comfortable this denim is. Having never really worn skinny jeans before I can tell you that I was completely shocked at how much I enjoy wearing them. I tried manipulating the pictures a little bit to get the color of the wash as true as possible. The wash is fantastic and the pictures don’t really do the jeans justice. Pay close attention, these have a lot of unique details like the placing of the rivets, cross-stitching, and more.

Source: 7 For All Mankind

Project 745i: Wheels and Tires

bespokeordie — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 02:56:45 +0000

A little while ago I found myself in for service at my local BMW $tealership (that’s “dealership” to most of you out there) waiting for my car to pull up after its routine maintenance. Wandering through the new car lobby I started to think that my 2004 745i (e65) may be due for replacement. And, as fate would have it there sat a new body style 2010 750i (f01) in the same black / black colorway as my car. After a quick loop around and an endearing comparison of the new silhouette to that of my own I could see the similarities, but found a lot that I didn’t like. The nose of the car looked too sharp for my standards, the rear felt awkward, and the side profile reminded me very much of a Lexus. After sitting inside, the car’s features really won me over. Google maps on the navigation screen, updated iDrive features and User Interface, iPod capability, night vision and back cameras. It was a tech nerd’s wet dream in there and I was loving it. Caught up in the intoxication of my nerdy ways I found myself sitting in the chair of the finance desk awaiting the trade in value on my 745i so we could wrap up the purchase of my new 750i.

The value was so offensive that I dare not repeat it here because it will just make me angry again. I know cars lose value, I’ve taken losses on cars many of times in my past, but this was nothing short of an insult. Driving home I started to think about the difference between the two cars. The more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that my 745i has been the best car I’ve ever owned. The car is fully loaded and the features that I did like about the new 750i weren’t unattainable on my baby.

The strange feeling sitting in the f01 750i wasn’t awe of the new goodies of the car, it was my loyalty to my car which has treated me so well over the years. Knowing that my warranty and maintenance packages expire in October of this year, I made the decision that I was going to go back to my tuning days and begin my mission to update the 2004 e65 745i. I am not going to go crazy or over the top. The idea is to lightly tune the vehicle with a very distinct purpose. Update the looks of the car, the features, and performance while maintaining a professional and classy appearance both inside and out. Of course, the costs would have to watched and deals would have to be scoured for because it doesn’t make sense to pay too much for an aging car.

Part one of this transformation is complete. My first focus was on the wheels of the car. I wanted to maintain an OEM feel while upgrading to a larger wheel/tire combination. I really feel that skimping on wheel quality can really hurt the appearance of the vehicle and I was not prepared to make any sacrifices in this regard. Black wheels and chrome wheels run rampant in the tuner scene these days and in keeping with the desired “OEM feel” theme I decided I would search out a quality set of 2 piece forged wheels with a brushed center and chrome lips. I wanted the set to be staggered for wider rear tires and I didn’t want to go over the top with excessively large lips on the rims. After months and months of searching I found a set of used Capital Forged wheels that fit the bill and were aesthetically quite appealing. They reminded me a little of the e46 BMW M3 19″ wheels on the last body style. The lips were 3.5” in the front and 5.5” in the rear and were in great shape for being used. Perfect for the 265/30/22 front and 295/25/22 Pirelli PZero Nero tires I found an equally as great a deal on at Discount Tires. I have heard a lot of criticism from people stating that the visual pleasure you get from a wheel /tire setup like this will be short lived once you realize that you sacrifice in the area of ride quality. The profile of the tires is extremely thin I will admit, but I am willing to try it out and see for myself because I like the look that much. That beign said, the car was dropped off today at Big O Tires in Irvine, CA to finally have everything installed.

So far I haven’t experienced any changes in ride quality. The car doesn’t feel like I have such little rubber wrapped around the wheels and the cabin is just as quiet as it use to be. It is all still new, but so far so good. Look out for many more updates as this project continues. Plans for the immediate future to be on the look out for include H&R springs to get rid of that ugly gap in the wheel well, a retrofit of a better navigation DVD drive (with the latest software and custom Points of Interest), and a very custom iPod integration solution.

Total Cost: Wheels & Lightly Used Tires @ $550.00 + 2 New Pirelli PZero Nero Rear Tires @ $288.58 + Mount, Balance, and Install @ $50.00 = $888.58 USD.

I’ve Got Condors On My Feet

bespokeordie — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:08:05 +0000

The wait is over and the shoes I have been aching to get on my feet are finally here. These are honestly the first pair of high-top sneakers I have bought in years. I have been enthralled with the Nike Air Flight Condor Hi SI since I posted about them a little over a week ago. To me they just have a classic silhouette and an iconic Jordan-like colorway. I said in my original post that I bought a pair within ten minutes of seeing them and by now you can tell I was absolutely serious. Now if only I could figure out how to wear them right. I have seen a lot of people wearing similarly large silhouettes like the Supra Skytop II or the Nike Air Yeezy with their denim resting over the back of the shoe. It feels a little odd at first because so much of the shoe is exposed. Maybe I am just being a little over-critical because I wear a suit everyday and have grown too use to well tailored slacks with no break. In either case I am thinking I will wear these out with a heather grey v-neck t-shirt and some tan corduroy pants. I know it sounds eclectic, but I think it will work.

Source: Nike

Upped My Ray-Ban Game

bespokeordie — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 05:43:46 +0000

A little while ago I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pair of large black Ray-Ban Wayfarers and a pair of gold Ray-Ban Aviators. Both of which are nothing short of iconic. As I’ve gotten older I have slowly transitioned to purchases that are more timeless and less trendy. While I like being considered a trendy dude, sometimes the way to dress well is to do so in spite of trends. Just ask my man George Hamilton. If you haven’t noticed by reading through the site I have a particular affection for eyewear. For around $100 U.S.D. you really can’t get a better deal on some classic sunglasses that haven’t changed much since the early 1900′s. The quality of both is absolutely great and I have been very happy with them. The Wayfarers have a quality weight and are notably heavier than my Oakley Frogskins. The Aviators you need to bend and shape a bit to get to feel just right, but after playing with the malleable metal for a few minutes they really do fit like a glove.

Source: Ray-Ban