There’s no word yet from Manchester City but The Press Association are reporting that deal has been agreed for striker Mario Balotelli to join AC Milan.
PA says that Milan are going to pay around £20 million for the player to rte-join his boyhood team
Milan director Umberto Gandini has also confirmed the deal too. He tweeted “Transfer agreement for Balotelli signed with Manchester City. Medicals tomorrow in Milan, then personal terms until 2017 signing.”
The Italian newspaper, La Gazetta dello Sport, has added that the 22-year-old striker is being offered a deal worth 4m euros (£3.4m) a year plus bonuses until 2017. That may work out as a drop in wages as the player was on over £4 million a year at City.
What makes this doubly interesting is how City respond. Might long term target Napoli’s Edinson Cavani be on his way to Manchester?
Good news for Elvis, it appears that blue suede shoes (and leather ones too) are enjoying a bit of a mini revival. I saw that Clarks had added navy to its range of classics this year and they are not alone. You can also buy blue suede and leather brogues and loafers too.
Of course you have to be a little careful about what you wear them with – especially if the shoes are more navy than blue. They work well with jeans, chinos and grey suit trousers, but black trousers are obviously a no.
One for the summer? Based on the original Clarks Desert Boot, the Jink was first introduced in 1983. It is lightweight, low and has suede uppers with a leather ankle trim.
End Clothing
If you fancy a quick fix of some of our favourite heritage clothes brands you would do well to pop into your local Debenhams, The store has Ben Sherman, Duffer, Levi’s Fred Perry and more and at the moment much of it at knock down sale prices.
The store also has a big collection of John Rocha clothing, some of which we love and some which we aren’t keen on at all. There’s a pretty decent selection of lambswool and mixed fibre jumpers which sell for between £20 and £40, but it is the footwear section that impressed us most and in particular the range of Brogues.
Pick of the bunch is this lovely navy pair which once retailed for £90 and now costs you £70. It is a very cool twist on a classic style. they are available in brown too if you are looking for something a little more conventional.
Made from Pure Wools, Mohair Wool and Polyester Blends, these have a straight slightly narrower leg 16.5 inch bottoms.
Adams of London
One of the likely big trends in women’s wear for next is year monochrome black and white. Think Bridget Riley, op art, stripes of varying lengths, maybe a bit of dogs tooth too.
Chances are that the mod monochrome look will also have an influence on menswear too, which is good news for the heritage brands who t are always selling 60 influenced clothes. Here are few items that are likely to be (coughs) bang on trend next year.
Clarks are once again teaming up with Record Store Day, putting together a line of tune-inspired footwear and bagging the services of Californian indie-pop maestros Best Coast in the process.
As part of Clarks’ Originals collection for 2013, the veritable shoe makers will be putting together a line of bold, colourful patent leather Desert Boots for guys and girls, as well as pumps for the ladies too. Incorporating a vinyl print line motif in our favourite mens’ pair (pictured above), each pair also includes raised concentric circle detailing, just like the grooves of a vinyl record.
As well as putting out a limited edition vinyl of their own to mark the partnership, Best Coast will also be playing a one off LA gig for Clarks on Record Store Day 2013 (the precise date remains a closely guarded secret). Those not among the lucky few able to bag a ticket will be able to stream the entire gig online at www.clarksoriginals.com.
“This is the next chapter in the on-going story of Clarks Originals and our hugely successful association with music,” says Gemma Green, Clarks marketing manager.
“We are delighted to collaborate with US band Best Coast, supporting Record Store Day 2013. The partnership results iin an exclusive track produced on vinyl and a limited edition Desert Boot – both timeless classics that stand the test of time. record Store Day and its spirit is the perfect alignment for Clarks Originals.”
Keep an eye out for the boots to touch down early next Spring, ahead of April 2013′s Record Store Day festivities.
Click here for more details, and scroll down for some more images of the new range.
One of my favourite bloke looks ever is Paul Weller in Style Council era, basically around the Cafe Bleu album – see here for evidence. Here the Modfather went back to the original continental influenced mod template and teamed up a light mac with Sta Press and on his feet – well it was always either Brogues or Loafers.
Loafers, especially of tasseled variety – the non tassel version is known in the US as Penny Loafers – are a bit of an odd one really. They have never really been ultra stylish, but never really been too uncool either. Having said that unless you want to find yourself an object of ridicule you really need to wear them the right way.
In the summer this means no socks. But if you do fancy wearing them when the weather gets a bit colder here a few top tips.
1 Be careful what colour socks you wear. They look fine when teamed up with dark socks. Unless you are 22 and sporting a very angular haircut with the cheekbones to match stay away from wearing them with white or light socks as you will look like you are trying way too hard. Stripeys are a no no too.
2 As a rule don’t wear them with jeans.They work with drainpipes, but not really any other denim style. They arguably look best with fitted trousers – think Sta Pres or coloured trousers or dockers.
3 Stick to boring colours – black, brown or at a pinch dark blue. You can get loafers in more, ahem, interesting shades – but they tend to be worn by Italian gentlemen of a certain vintage and generally cost a fortune.
4 Don’t wear them in the snow…
As for brands. We got a lovely pair of black suede tasseled loafers the other day from Coogans London online shoe store. They are made from good quality leather, feel very comfortable and come in black or brown.
For slightly more expensive Suede Loafers then M&S have a decent Italian inspired pair of Penny Loafers called Collezione which retail for a penny under £60.
Google Maps and TomToms are all well and good, but don’t you sometimes wish your feet themselves could find the right path by themselves? With these new GPS brogue shoe concepts, that wish could soon be answered.
Designed by Dominic Wilcox (who calls his Wizard of Oz-inspired shoes No Place Like Home), and commissioned by Global Footprint, the left shoe in the pair has a GPS sensor placed in the heel which is activated by clicking the two heels together.
After uploading a destination to the shoes through a USB connection from a laptop, a circle of brogue perforations reveal LEDs that light up to indicate which direction the wearer should take. The right shoe indicates distance travelled, with a progress bar of red LED lights that illuminate as the wearer gets closer to their target.
“My work is all about reimaging uses for objects, and the relationships that exist between things,” said Wilcox.
“I hope my GPS shoes will reconnect people to the craftsmanship inherent in shoe-making, but also stretch the boundaries of potential for the industry. ”
It’s a nifty idea that we could actually see taking off in the real world, though you’d have to be careful not to walk into a lampost if you’re staring at your feet all the time. Also, that laptop transfer sounds a bit clunky; if they ever left the concept stages we’d love to see them pairing up with a smartphone, tablet or PC wirelessly to set a destination. Still, it seems a fun and ingenious way of directing people around town, if it works.
If you’re interested in checking out the shoes, No Place Like Home is currently being exhibited as part of Dominic’s Variations on Normal exhibition at KK Outlet, Hoxton, prior to its installation in the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery as part of Global Footprint. The exhibit will then go on show at the DESIGN TIDE event in Tokyo later in the year.
Well Prince did it. And now it seems that Snoop – real name Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. – has done it. The artist formerly known as Snoop Doggy Dog, then Snoop Dogg, wants to be known from this day forward as Snoop Lion after undergoing a spiritual rebirth during a stay in Jamaica.
In this video, we see Snoop – wearing his adidas Chile 62 tracksuit – along with his giant dreadlocked Lion introduce adidas’ latest Space Diver trainers from the top of a very tall Foot Locker building – as you do.
Inspired by basketball, these hi-top trainers feature a unique reversible strap and are available in two different colour ways: navy with pops of green and accents of silver leather; or white/blue/red in bold white leather with pops of red and blue.
The Space Diver trainers line will be available exclusively at Foot Locker stores from this month while the next products in the line up are set to be a windbreaker jacket (in black or grey) and a Chile 62 jacket track top in black nylon.
Want to win a pair of Space Diver trainers? Well adidas and Foot Locker have three pairs a day to give away to those who tweet about how they would them feel using the hashtag #inmyspacedivers. For more information about the competition visit http://unr.ly/PYphXb
You can see Snoop Lion introduce the Space Divers in this video below:
For more information on the Space Diver range of trainers visit adidas and Foot Locker websites.
Outkast’s Big Boi is expanding his horizons. Not content with being one half of the most innovative rap duo in history, nor with taking rising stars like Janelle Monáe under his wing, he’s now setting his lofty sights on…socks?
“I’m the sock king!” announced Big Boi during a recent GQ interview, revealing his forthcoming line with Crooks & Castles after being complimented on his own green and pink pair.
“They’ve got a cape on the back – that’s how I flew here. I got my own socks line coming out with Crooks & Castles. Head over to 677 Antone Street, Atlanta, Georgia, 30318 and get some!”
I, for one, can’t see how the leading lights of the sock industry have had such blinkered vision to overlook the potential of cape-packing socks before. I’m ordering a pair for each day of the week right now.
Big Boi, whose real name is Antwan Patton, also revealed plans about the release of his new album, ‘Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors’, due out on November 13. Speaking about the album’s progress he said:
“It’s coming good, I just put out two records from it – ‘She Said OK’ with Theophilus London and ‘Gossip’ with UGK and Big KRIT. The fans are excited. On the new album I’ve got Kid Cudi and Little Dragon. I just did a cut with A$AP Rocky the other night too, so it’s action-packed.”
On the lookout for a new pair of basketball shoes, and still want to look the buisness on the court? Check out these limited edition trainers from Nike.
The Nike LeBron Elite 9 Varsity Maize launched over the weekend alongside the Air Jordan 4 Cav and Zoom KD IV Aunt Pearl, and come with a seriously eye-catching yellow upper. All eyes will be on your feet, not the ball as you weave around in these.
Elsewhere, the trainers sport Max and Zoom Air cushioning and Pro Combat-style padding, along with inset carbon fiber wings.
However, you’re going to have to move faster than Jordan himself if you want to bag yourself a pair. A limited edition, they’re not even available at Nike’s own online NikeStore.com shop. Instead, you’re going to have to head instore to grab a pair while stocks last. There will also be a scant few pairs over on the FootLocker web store.
Expect to pay around the $250 mark on import for these beauties, not including shipping. See them from all sides in the gallery above.
I need to be completely honest right from the off – I don’t wear hiking boots. Not in a hiking sense, nor an ironic country-in-the-city sense.
As such, it’s taken a little while to find where the the K-Swiss Classic Hiker Highs fit into a city life. This is now clear.
If you’ve ever been skiing or snowboarding you’ll know that it’s a treacherous business negotiating a scenic, snow-coated town in anything less than your ski/snowboard boots or big, deep tread hiking boots. It’s also difficult to find any suitable boots that aren’t painfully bland and unstylish. The same applies to hiking, I would imagine.
The K-Swiss Classic Hiker, however, is the perfect middle ground boot. Granted, I wouldn’t wear them to nip to the shops (unless it was snowing, obviously) but I would wear them around any little Alp town or country retreat and feel the business.
Those opting for trainers to remain fashionable would slip and slide past me, envious of my steady poise and solid grip on the terrain. Those trudging up the hill in their beige, run of the mill hiking boots would be taken aback by the stylish contrast of the rich brown leather upper and contrasting lighter tan K-Swiss stripes.
They’re comfortable, warm, secure, good with baggy jeans or salopettes and very on trend. They aren’t too bulky or wide on the foot, and support for both ankle and arch is fantastic.
I’ve naturally focused here on where I would wear them, but there are of course numerous other occasions where these could be a great shoe. If your journey to the shops would be made better by the attributes above, then wear them to the shops. Don’t let my talk of higher altitude stop you.
In short, a great shoe for the outdoors – be it mountains, hills or if it suits, the High Street.
Classic British shoe maker, Herring recently extended their brand by branching into Luggage. The new luggage range includes everything from wash bags to large weekend holdalls, all finished in a super soft dark brown waxed leather.
In keeping with their heritage, Herring has named each bag after a London landmark. Our favourite is the Dorchester, a weekend-sized holdall with two external zip pockets, sturdy webbing strap handles and a large internal zip pocket. The base is stiffened with brass stud detailing to help preserve the leather. A close second is the Ritz wash bag.
Let’s face it; most of us amateur runners live in urban environments with limited access to unblemished cross country paths and tracks. That said, once we do manage to skip our way through the traffic and bypass the concrete highways, many of us like to get as close to cross country running as we can – even if a jog around the local park is stretching the term a little. Personally, I like to get onto the softer ground as soon as possible and having had to pull out of a recent 10K run after my knees took too much of a pounding on the London streets I was keen to try out the new K-Swiss Blade Max Trail trainers and quite literally put them through their paces.
The first thing that struck me about them was their solid base. I certainly felt confident looking at them that these would give me a more robust tread out on the wild pathways of Tooting Common. As I set off the sky was grey and there had been a fair amount of over night rain – water which as I would discover had left the ground soft and slippery. I was interested to see how the trainers would cope with these relatively treacherous conditions.
I took a deliberately difficult route that I would knew would take me across soggy fields, dangerous branches, hills and the obligatory inner city dog poo. I hit the soft wet ground first and have to say that my new footwear definitely gave me superior grip. Nobody likes running through wet mud but after a few paces I found that my confidence had grown and I no longer needed to run delicately as you do with standard running shoes, rather I was bouncing over the mushy ground. My only concern being what my wife would say when I returned home covered in mud. Next was a more cross country section through the trees. Many an ankle has been left sprained by stray roots popping out from hidden crevices but again the trainers stood up well and I felt comfortable that my knees and ankles were in safe hands (metaphorically speaking of course). Finally I headed down a shale pathway full of rocks that can often poke through less robust footwear, leaving you either off balance or with sore feet. Not a problem anymore as the solid sole made light work of the uncertain terrain.
I certainly give the K-Swiss Blade Max Trail a big thumbs up. Wherever you run, you’ll likely find yourself traversing across a range of different terrains, from concrete streets, to soggy marshes, or bumpy ground. The K-Swiss Blade Max Trail gives the right amount of protection combined with a soft running action. They’re not necessarily the quickest trainers out there but then that’s not what they’re designed for.
British luxury footwear and accessories label Jimmy Choo has opened its first men’s only store in London.
You can find the new store, which extends across two floors, in fashionable Burlington Arcade where you can browse the complete assortment of Jimmy Choo men’s shoes.
A favourite among women for years, the brand debuted its men’s shoes for autumn/winter 2011. The collection includes styles such as lace-ups, loafers and side zip boots, as well as slippers, biker boots and trainers, all creating the perfect balance between classicism and Rock ‘n’ Roll style.
The store reflects the global design concept for the men’s collection, and its interior colour scheme of charcoal grey, black and silver evokes a modern gentlemanly aesthetic with a hint of a 1960s Mayfair playboy. Ebonised wood fuses with grey flannel and English pewter hardware to further reference the sartorial inspiration.
Describing the store, Tamara Mellon OBE, Jimmy Choo founder and Chief Creative Officer said: “I want it to feel as though you are walking into a gentleman’s club, with all the luxurious appointments and comforts. It’s a mod update on an English men’s smoking lounge.”
The NBA lockout may have been extended until November 30th, but that hasn’t stopped Nike from rolling out their new campaign “Basketball Never Stops’”
The ad features some of the finest players in the game including: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki and Amar’e Stoudemire, with cameos from Questlove, J. Cole and Duke’s Coach K. All focusing on their undying love, passion and dedication to the game of basketball.
With fans the most hurt by the lockout… the campaign plays on emotions and works as a bit of a PR job to protect the NBA’s public image. It will be interesting to see what happens if the entire season does go down the drain.
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