Category Archives: sneakers

Lace-Locking & A New New Balance Outlet

I hope you all had a happy International Fluevog Day last Friday. Pardon the sneezes; the pollen count has been high in the northeast this week. Heavy boot season is about done and I’ve been wearing sneakers a bit more along the northeast corridor.  What about you?

Doug from Jersey City, New Jersey tipped me off to this swell video that went around on the webs heavy last week:

I’d been wondering about that extra set of holes lately, and since I’m not a runner (I just walk a lot), never bothered to look into it. I’m sure there are a google ways to use the extra holes. My New Balance 498s have this extra set, and I usually skip it, or obtain some 45-inch laces that don’t leave as much tip. I did lace up as instructed in the video above and it felt pretty solid, but I found this lacing a pain to untie quickly. Locking might be preferable for competition runners, but I’d avoid using the technique while air traveling or going on dates.

Speaking of New Balance, they opened a new factory outlet shop on April 4th in Avon, Massachusetts*. As a former Bostonian who’d been visiting the main NB outlet in Brighton, (Boston, Massachusetts) since it was located on North Beacon Street, I was curious to see how it would compare. The regular New Balance running shops, like on 5th Ave in New York City or Boylston St. in Boston are fun to visit for the latest and greatest New Balance, plus customization stations, but at an outlet we expect to see older models, deadstock, and totally random oddballs that you can’t even find on the Internet.

NewBalanceFactoryStoreSignAvon

The new new is located on Stockwell Drive, and is definitely stocked well. They did have plenty of brand new older models, with a split down the middle for women and men. 

NewBalanceFactoryStoreAvonLayoutYou had your insole and accessory endcaps, with some try-on benches toward the back, lots to look through.  Hockey players could even get gear from NB’s Warrior brand.

NewBalanceFactoryStoreAvonStacks

There were a couple Brannock foot measuring devices at the store. When I’m considering buying a shoe, I like to try all sizes above, below and wide to make sure I’m getting the best fit. Some irregularities could be in sizing, and that could be the reason the sneaks ended up at an outlet anyway.

NewBalanceFactoryStoreIsleAvon

Chock-full clearance racks lined the back walls. This is where you find the oddball randos. I ended up purchasing some Minimus MX20v3s for $40 out of said racks.

NewBalanceMinimusMX20v3

I first tried them with socks, and proceeded to break them in later that day via a batting cage session, some field frisbee, and even a turn playing drums. Remember that cartoon Laff-A-Lympics?

NewBalanceMX20v3MinimusSneakers

I ended up preferring wearing the MX20v3s without socks; much less squishy-feels, more sure-footedness. The shoe itself can nearly be compared to a padded sock with laces. The MX20s have no removable insole and feature antimicrobial treated inners much like minimalist offerings from Vibram and others.  

NewBalanceMX20v3InnerHeel

Vibram actually provides the outsole under a thin layer of foam attached to the uppers. Sporting some bug-screen style mesh on the heel-sides, these measure a 4mm heel-to-toe drop and are made-in-USA from imported components.

NewBalanceSkull&CrossbonesLaces
#ImpulsePurchase

What else at the store? In line I spotted some sweet skull ‘n’ crossbones flat laces en route to checkout. The Minimus’s came stock with black 54″ athletic (oval) laces which I did try lace-locking and felt it was too constricting for this type of shoe.  Without the extra holes laced, the tips sometimes swiped the ground (A Popdiatry no-no). I swapped them with the 45″ skulls and I’m a happy urban camper.  

NewBalanceMinimusWskullLaces
Rule of Toe: NB Minimus, no socks, 45″ laces

I use the Minimus’s for handball and other hard-ground excercises. I wouldn’t choose these to walk around all day in a big city, but I can definitely see packing them in luggage for use at a hotel gym. They’re definitely less attention-getting than toe-shoes, and I’d consider wearing them in close-range coffeeshop or foodshopping situations where I wouldn’t wear FiveFingers or SkeleToes. 

HEADS

Elsewhere off the path, thanks to Michael from Cambridge Massachusetts for sending us pics of this ridiculously fresh made-in-USA “Birds” snapback. 

BirdsSnapbackCapAlfredHitchcokBirdsCapIf you’ve never seen the original Birds by Alfred Hitchcock, put it in your queue. 

* Thanks to Kathy from Brockton for the tip on the New Balance store.

Gotta run.. stay tuned for more posts. -Chris

November Pop Gallery

NovFredKicksDJ Freddy Blassie with some perfectly untied Nikes

NovBabyBootPenHolderWhy not use a baby Doc as a pen holder like Bleecker Street Records?

NovTimberlandBeltSprayedA leather belt I got for $14 at Marshalls is being sprayed with Meltonian #651 to match some very special shoes… Thanks East Village Shoe Repair.

NovArmyBootPromotionalBootHere at Popdiatry, we’ve been writing about the Berry Amendment, and the sense of having U.S. armed forces gear being domestically made. But I go to a store and see these cheap made-in-China boots branded by the US Army- with a dog tag?  I’m writing my congress person ASAP! These boots are hideous, and whoever OK’d this should be peeling potatoes. 

The Captain’s Socks or Horween New Balances

Attention: Used Derek Jeter game socks are on sale from Steiner Sports Memorabilia for only $409.99. Peep the screenshot.

Not a joke
Not a joke

Since you bought a baseball player’s sock for so much, it put a huge dent in your basketball sneaker budget and you can no longer afford $240 for these new Titolo Reebok pumps. No problem because Shaquille O’Neal now has his own inexpensive brand of high-tops available at Walmart. 

CheapShaqSneaks
Pic by Funyagi

It’s no secret that Nike is chomping their competition in worldwide sneaker and apparel sales. Rival Adidas went and hired three Nike design vets and will stick them in a Brooklyn design studio in hopes they can carve a bigger piece of the North American pie.

Since you bought that Jeter sock, you won’t have enough for a pair of these $400 New Balance Horween leather models

ubiqlife.com
ubiqlife.com

Bus to Philly for a chance to buy some of these limited edition U.S. made NBs on October 1st: $11

ubiqlife.com
ubiqlife.com

 

It appears the New Balance Berry-compliant 950v2 models we talked about earlier this year  may be closer to hitting real ground.

New Balance
New Balance

Members of congress visited a New Balance biomechanical research/prototype lab in Lawrence, Massachusetts last month to see how an athletic sneaker is made entirely in The United States using US materials. The Department of Defense is expected to make a decision soon about enforcing a rules that states new military recruits should buy products (sneakers) made in the USA with their vouchers. Read the full article in Navy Times

Autumn Shoerageously

Pssst. There’s still a few days to see the Shoerageous exhibit put on by Creativity Explored in San Francisco, CA.  There you’ll see a handpicked collection of drawings and sculpture inspired by the shoe and sneaker.

You already know right? Basketball star Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace..

mettaworldpeace.com
mettaworldpeace.com

He’s playing for the Sichuan Blue Whales in the Chinese Basketball Association this year.

twitter.com/MettaWorldPeace
twitter.com/MettaWorldPeace

Art came to life via sneakers and books available for sale directly from Metta’s World Wide Website.

From MettaWorldPeace.com
From MettaWorldPeace.com

RonArtestThePandasFriend

twitter.com/mettaworldpeace
twitter.com/mettaworldpeace

What more can I say? He’s top billing.

You are going to get it; shoes with blood designed onto them. The NBA’s Dwyane Wade posted them first.

Grabbed from instagram.com/dwyanewade
Grabbed from instagram.com/dwyanewade

Sneakers actually; just in time for Halloween from Li-Ning. They might have something promotional to do with a cable TV show about a killer. Surely they’ll be great to wear at job interviews and other dress-to-impress occasions. 

Grabbed from instagram.com/dwyanewade
Grabbed from instagram.com/dwyanewade

Not to be misread as the shoe company Dexter– the old school New England brand whose founder is said to have started the country’s first factory-outlet…

DexterBowling.com
DexterBowling.com

Readers may recognize Dexter as the inexpensive offerings seen on  JC Penny, Payless, and Sears shelves. Did you know Dexter has a deluxe bowling category and sell what they claim is the world’s most advanced bowling shoe– the SST 8, featuring removable heels and soles?

Visualiser at dexterbowling.com
Visualiser at dexterbowling.com

 

What are.

The most expensive shoes in the world ?

NickCannonRemovesDiamondShoes

What more can you say about the shoes Nick Cannon wore hosting an America’s Got Talent TV show? Shown above kindly removing before walking on a performer’s smart dress…

Grabbed from instagram.com/jasonofbh
Grabbed from instagram.com/jasonofbh

 Cannon and Tom Ford brought them to life in the form of diamond encrusted loafers. Jason the jeweler tags them at 2 million. Chances are they’ll be auctioned off for charity; then we’ll see if they fetch more than some $666,000 ruby red slippers that Judy Garland had worn while filming Wizard of Oz did at a Christie’s auction fourteen years ago.  

Smithsonian
Smithsonian

According to Guinness, no one knows how many red shoes Garland used in the production of W.O.O. The above pic is from the Smithsonian (not the pair auctioned). 

One more thing: Toe cameras put the sneak in sneaker.

Toecamsneaker

A Japanese law-enforcement official points out the pinhead camera embedded in a brand of sneakers which have already sold 2,500 pairs while society figures out if they should be legal.  It’s a law tightrope, because multiple cameras on just about everything we wear are “OK” (really though?) , but being so easily able to take photos upwardly, undetected… skirt wearers take note. 

Back To School Rapper Sneakers

There’s no way I can knock when a shoe company partners with the stars. I’d have to make fun of myself because when I was a kid I idolized the Beastie Boys and RUN DMC and wanted to get the same kicks they had.

BeastieBoys&RUNDMCtogetherForever

I never did get a pair of the Patrick Ewing Conductors- at $160ish, that was like a thousand teenager bucks. I did have some shelltoes and Stan Smiths though. 

nycBeastieBoys&RUNDMCwtc

That was the late 80s. A quarter-decade later companies collaborate directly with entertainers to come up with a signature product that they hope will get you (or your parents) to open the wallet- especially as the classrooms of September loom over the waning summer calendar. It is virtually raining rapper sneakers. Let’s see:

Detroit Rapper Big Sean has some new Adidas high-tops inspired by the Hawaiian Islands.

Adidas
Adidas

Pittsburgh emcee Wiz Khalifa has a whole new collection of Wizzed-out All-Stars with Converse (Nike).

Converse
Converse

What about these Maison Martin Margiela pony-hair high tops for Kanye West– maybe inspired by Luke Skywalker’s Tauntaun ?

Yo PETA
Yo PETA…

Kid Cudi got with Giuseppe Zanotti and coming out are these:

KidCudiGiuseppeZanotti

Rap girl Iggy Azalea is reportedly launching a footwear collection via Steve Madden next year. Madden recently scooped up Dolce Vita for a cool 60 mil last week. 

He holds a tennis rod instead of a mic. Tennis pro Roger Federer now has his own Jordan (Nike) branded tennis kicks.

Reuters
Reuters

 ” I sport New Balance sneakers to avoid a narrow path”– Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Buggin’ Out’

Say Nikey! New Navy? No Tickle

To squash any debate about how exactly to pronounce the brand with the swoosh, chairman of Nike’s board, Phil Knight confirmed via letter sent with a self-addressed-stamped-envelope that it is definitely pronounced “Nikey”.

Screenshot of letter sent by Ben Martin and Kendal Peters to Nike's Phil Knight
Screenshot of letter sent by Ben Martin and Kendal Peters to Nike’s Phil Knight

Adidas is involved in a little marketing battle with international competitor Nike on who can out-sponsor each other in the glow of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Puma is playing the ‘come get me’ strategy by waiting until after the big match to promote their kicks, hoping that kids will see teams playing in Pumas and then press ma and pa for a ‘back to school’ pair. Does Skechers make cleats?

Meanwhile, the US Navy is wearing boots that they do not love. In an article in the Navy Times called “Building Better Boots”, writer Lance M. Bacon identifies the problem plaguing today’s Navy-issued footwear, and offers up solutions based on feedback from hundreds of current and former sailors. Sentiment says the things are too heavy, uncomfortable, and way out-of-date.

Navy Uniform Inspection
Image cut from photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Ian W. Anderson (via Wikipedia)

I wonder if ideas provided by these suggestions, along with increased commitment to the Berry Amendment can create a solution. Could we see New Balance and Wolverine footprints on aircraft carriers some day? Could another maker meet this need?

Clothing designers dropping shoes:

Thakoon Panichgul is releasing Thakoon Addition shoes this summer for the ladies (made in Portugal).

Tom Ford has line of Italian-made sneakers now.

Hi, I'm Tom and I'm $700 pr.
Hi Stan, this is Tom…

Stories that Boston College was being bothered by a serial foot tickler look to be unfounded according to Boston police on an update on Boston.com . Of course the story has been shared thousands of times by now, but can you blame folks? Serial tickler?

Thanks social media.

Popdiatribe: InstaKicks, BasketGolf and WorkFun

The brand with the three stripes is releasing an app this summer that’ll let users get custom photographs printed on a pair of Adidas ZX Flux sneakers.

Adidas Instagram Kicks
Customization is getting crazy with the MiAdidas photo print app coming this summer for Android and iOS

I doubt the brand with the swoosh will ever release high-top golf spikes like the ones pictured below. More likely the image serves as a symbolic reminder that Jordan did enter the golf space this year.  The brand’s first sponsored pro Keegan Bradley has been Instagramming a few pics of actual sneakerish golf shoes with the familiar jumpman logo on them.

JordanGolfHighTopsThe Motley Fool does report this week that Adidas’s market position is weakening compared to Nike’s due in part to performance in the golf category. As Nike’s Jordan takes more steps on the course, Adidas swings its putter with the less buzzy TaylorMade brand.

Heartland Footwear, Inc. manufactures rubber-based industrial boots right here in the USA.  Over the years, they’ve provided go-to protective footwear for those in the food processing industry, and any job that involves oily, chemical environments. This season they escape the workplace with a new line of women and children’s waterproof boots that will stylishly protect casual wearers from dreaded rainstorm wetfoot.

Waterproof and made in the U.S.A.
Waterproof and made in the U.S.A.

Another brand known more for work footwear, Wolverine’s Cat (Caterpillar), unveiled their own sporty spring/summer boot line at a fashion show in Grand Rapids Thursday.  This pic below has me thumbing through the imaginary rulebook to see if work boots without socks is okay. Since there is no proof that he may be wearing no-show socks, we must withhold judgement at this time.

Image: Lauren Petracca | MLive.com
Image: Lauren Petracca | MLive.com

 

 

Popdiatribe: Playoff Blues

Four Parsons The New School For Design students are each pitching an idea for a new mens’ shoe to Allen Edmonds and the world via a social media contest this month. I vote for this entry by Michelle Brown, which would feature a combination of both cow and salmon leathers to create a dress boot with a nod to Alaskan heritage.

Allen Edmonds Contest Entry

Brand Eddie Bauer plans to compete for your outdoorsy shoe bucks this summer by offering their own line of outdoorsy trainers. Reebok went Gundam style. Nike did some Kevin Durant MVPs. Crocs hired a new president, but is still looking for a CEO if any readers are interested.

Strong opinions continued to pour out in the press about the recent Vibram FiveFingers legal settlement. The debate about wearing toe-shoes has somewhat evolved into a tiered discussion, with the requisite edgy fringes, and even a piece by the Onion to put a smiley bow on the story.

East Village Shoe Repair Finds Footing In Brooklyn

Under the JMZ train that runs along Broadway like a zipper attaching the Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn New York, an old NYC favorite has popped back up to continue doing what they’ve expertly done for years.

East Village Shoe Repair moves to Brooklyn
      Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled footwear yearning to breathe free

The same footwear stretchers, buffing equipment, and years of experience that the fellas commanded on St. Mark’s Place has been transplanted to 1083 Broadway in Brooklyn, NY as part of the Brandhunters consignment store complex.  Think of East Village Shoe Repair as a hospital for your beloved kicks. Barring complete obliteration- there isn’t much that can stop EVSR from bringing your footwear back from near death. Resoling, re-lacing, regluing, reattaching, re-whatever it takes to get your favorite kickers back on the path- using top notch equipment from yesteryear- these guys can find a way if there is one. You might have another couple years left in those oxfords..

Congrats from Popdiatry on the new location! C