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PHOTOS BY VAN STYLES :: VISUALAPPAREL.COM

I have been doing a bit of traveling recently but I did manage to get some recently developed rolls back. Shot on a variety of film types the experience of analogue photography continues to be more rewarding to me personally in the end result. To me that is what the process of any art form should be. What makes you excited to do it and what puts the biggest smile on your face when all is said and done. The more and more I am starting to think this is it for me.

GQ - The Shoes Women Want You to Wear, Where

More than 200 women reveal what shoes they find most attractive.

You know that head-to-toe visual scan we all do when we first meet someone? Well, when women check men out, their visual scan prioritizes a few points over others. One of those points are a man's shoes. Your shoes, like few other pieces of clothing, broadcast what type of dude you are to those around you. Are you a sneakerhead? A hipster? A luxury-yacht-owning man of leisure? A crust punk? Or a grown-up Damn Daniel? But more than just a personality gauge, your shoes hold the power to attract or repulse (sorry) the woman of your dreams. "What about my great jokes and talents in the bedroom?" you ask. Those are important, for sure. But really it's the shoes she'll see first. For proof of this, and in the interest of anthropological research, we asked 200-plus women to help us help you. Here's what they said (note: all results based on our anonymous survey).

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"The first thing I do when I see a guy I think is hot is check if he's wearing a wedding band. If he isn't, I check what kind of shoes he's wearing. It means that much to me."

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"No holes, not overly worn, and no unbearable smells!"

"After you teach men to wear the right shoes, you need to convince them all to stop wearing boot-cut jeans."

"This is the best survey I've ever taken in my life."

Some participants were disappointed at the lack of sneaker choice.

"But I love sneakers the most!"

"I prefer non-leather shoes. Canvas, etc., so this was a tough-y for me."

With that in mind, we will be conducting a separate survey specific to sneaker preference—stay tuned.

TBS Is Developing a New Comedy Series Based on Notorious B.I.G.'s Lyrics

TBS is apparently cooking up a new scripted comedy series that draws its narrative from the lyrics of the late Brooklyn rapper, Notorious B.I.G. The series is dubbed Think B.I.G. and will spotlight the trials and tribulations of an inner-city teen who works hard to earn a living for his young son and daughter. The show was initially created by Mass Appeal who is teaming up with the iconic rapper’s mother Voletta Wallace of Notorious B.I.G. Inc. and Wayne Barrow of Bystorm Films for the show’s production. The Turner-owned cable network has not yet announced the lyrics that will drive the plotline for the Big Poppa-inspired series.
Stay tuned for the latest developments and let us know which lyrics you think the network should decide on.

Nas & Erykah Badu – This Bitter Land

                       

Nas and Erykah Badu decided to join forces for a new track called This Bitter Land. This is taken from the soundtrack to the upcoming film called The Land, which drops on July 29th.

KICKS: Kobe Tells Us About The Future of His Sneakers/ Nike Set to Lower Prices on LeBron's Signature Shoes/ Act Fast: The adidas UltraBOOST Multicolor "Red" Is Now Available

There was a major buzz around the cities at each stop of Kobe’s three-day “Mamba Mentality” tour. Local media and fans gathered around the gyms where he held basketball clinics, and lined up in the streets awaiting his store visits. At each location, Mamba fans waited in heavy anticipation of his glorious arrival. For the megafans and sneakerheads, however, there was an added anticipation. Just as intriguing as Kobe’s arrival was the anticipation of what signature sneaker he’d be wearing.
Through the Netherlands and Italy, Bryant personally donned the Kobe XI “Last Emperor” and the USAB colorways. He also donned the new Kobe XI “Summer Pack” introducing a clean white and teal colorway that we’ve been told will release August 31st.
In speaking with Kobe about the concept of being legendary, both with him as a player and in regards to his footwear line, he shared a uniform sentiment for the two. He spoke of this imminent status as one that should not focus on him as a player, or be based solely on his accomplishments. The Mamba wants his mark to be made on the game through the players he’s inspired, and for his mentality continue to live on in the future generation of players. In the same way, he wants his sneakers to be worn, enjoyed and glorified based on the performance and innovation – not because of him.
Even with footwear, of course, the comparisons must be made with Jordans. However, as far as we can see, it’s apples and oranges. The focus for Kobe, is not on how his shoes will become legendary, he does not have this concern for legacy the same way you may assume a 5-time champion, 4-time MVP would. Consistent with the way he went about his game for 20 seasons, he wants to let the output speak for itself, and if the amount of NBA players currently wearing his sneakers is any indication, his sneakers will continue on strong even while he’s stepped off the court.
We caught up with Kobe at the La Triennale di Milano design and art museum, the last stop of his Europe tour. Read the full interview below.

What are you thinking going forward with Eric Avar and other designers? Will you continue to play an integral part in the shoes designs?
Yeah, I think the challenge grows more so. We set the standard now for years to lead up to this point. Now, you have to continue to integrate, continue to push boundaries with designs and innovations that make sense. You don’t innovate and design just because.
Each shoe that you’ve made, you had always tailored it to fit your needs as a player on the court for that season. Now that you’re retired where will that inspiration or purpose come from?
It all starts with the product to help you perform better. With the background I have, understanding the game I can always put myself in the shoes of the athlete. What product do I think will help them perform; to have the greatest potential. That’s what I’ll continue to do. So, yeah all the shoes that I made, I started with me saying okay I feel this, or I feel that, tweak this or tweak that, but if you look at the innovations that I’ve made, they are not specific to only guards who are 6’6, they’re innovations that go across the board. So if you’re just checking the boxes, and it just works for me personally, we’re not innovating enough. It must be able to go across the board.

In terms of storytelling you’ve always always used your competitive nature and on court stories to inspire your aesthetic designs. Now where will the creative outlet come from?
Same place it always does. It’s me just thinking, brainstorming, drawing inspiration from nature and things like that. We just sit around, Avar, the team and we just talk like this. We just start brainstorming and the stories naturally just come. The stories have to be based more on the innovation for product. So I refuse to just do the easy thing, which is to just continue telling stories about me as a retired athlete, we’re going to focus on the product, the product is the star. Now, how do we tell stories about the innovation of the product that then can relate to human nature. So kind of just reversing those things. Before we started with the athlete and then connected innovation to that story, now we’re starting with innovation and connection that with human nature.
What sneaker do you think will become that one legendary shoe, like Jordan’s XIs?
If I have that, then I haven’t done my job. Because I try to make each shoe timeless in and of itself. The same shoe you may be attracted to because it moves your emotion in one way, or the way the innovation that we put on the shoe is what you’re more comfortable in. He may be more attracted to a different shoe because the innovation here. So if the shoe is based off of that, then we have done our job. If it is based off of Kobe, the player, we have not.

With the other things you want to work on the storytelling, the productions that you mentioned before, is that going to be about you?
No, no, no. I grew up reading the Iliad in Latin at 10 out here. I’m a big believer in mythology and fantasy and creating worlds, worlds that mirror the world that we’re walking in today, and having kids learn through those stories.
Do you see your shoes as design monuments? Kind of like the art you see here in this museum?
It’s funny. Art to me is things that are timeless. Great art is timeless, so hopefully we’ve innovated enough so that you can put on, any one of my shoes on here today, 10 years from now, 15 years from now, and they feel just as good. To me art is creating something is timeless.

Nike Basketball will be lowering the prices of its LeBron signature sneakers, starting with the LeBron 14s. Instead of the usual $200 USD price tag, they will be lowered to a more modest $175 USD. The reason behind this price adjustment is that LBJ’s kicks have not been doing as well as hoped. Various retailers and merchants — most notably Foot Locker — have lamented that a big reason behind the LeBrons staying on shelves is that the price is a bit too high. This isn’t the first time that Nike has lowered its basketball shoe pricing, as Kevin Durant’s latest signature shoe retails for $150 USD whereas previously they were priced at $180 USD. Hopefully, the lower price will move more units of the 14s. Stay tuned for more news regarding the LeBron’s signature line, which will likely be released before the end of the year.

Having made its way onto our radar almost two weeks ago, the adidas UltraBOOST Multicolor in white and red is finally available. Sitting atop a crisp white Continental™ outsole and BOOST midsole, this eye-snatching model features a mostly white Primeknit upper with subtle weaves of various hues throughout as well as a contrasting red TPU heal counter. This model is currently available online at adidas as well as select stockists, such as Sneaker Politics, for $180 USD.

Anti Social Social Club & PENTHOUSE Unveil Two-piece Capsule Collection Fronted by pornstar Skin Diamond.

Mainstay imprint Anti Social Social Club recently joined creative forces with PENTHOUSE to unveil a super exclusive capsule drop featuring a cap and a hoodie. Enlisting Pornstar Skin Diamond to front the lookbook, the provocative images do well to highlight the minimalist nature of the items. The limited run will be available through Anti Social Social Club’s online store as of July 29.

A Crying Kanye West and Kim Kardashian Star in Balmain's 2016 Fall/Winter Campaign

We recently revealed a few images and snippets of Balmain’s 2016 fall/winter campaign that stars the T.L.O.P. rapper, Kanye West. Now the French fashion house has rolled out the complete images of the spread and it reveals Kim Kardashian as well. We see here Kanye West donning the jacket he wore for the recent Met Gala and Kim Kardashian wearing the same dress from that night too. As expected from Balmain, the campaign shows off the label’s intricately-detailed pieces, reminiscent of the traje de luces (suit of lights) that bullfighters wear. What’s most striking about the imagery is that most of the models are crying, including Kanye West himself. What could they be tearing-up about? No one knows exactly, but a crying Yeezy could be the next Jordan meme.

'The Rocketeer' Is Finally Getting a Sequel and With a New Protagonist

An African-American female lead and Blake Griffin as a producer, sounds like blockbuster gold.
Disney is gearing up to reboot its 1991 cult-classic film, The Rocketeer, with a sequel penned by Max Winkler and Matt Spicer. Set in 1938 Los Angeles, California, the original film tells the story of a stunt pilot who uses his recently discovered rocket-powered jet pack to solve local crimes, but at the expense of a sadistic Nazi organization, the FBI and mobsters. The sequel, currently titled The Rocketeers, is set six years after the original and will feature an all-new African-American female lead. The twists don’t end there however, as the film will be produced by Brigham Taylor (The Jungle Book), alongside Blake Griffin of the L.A. Clippers and Ryan Kalil of the Carolina Panthers.
Stay tuned for more details on The Rocketeers.

The True Story Behind Prince's Basketball Game From 'Chappelle's Show' With Charlie Murphy “Game- blouses.”

With legendary tales like the infamous Rick James story, “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” is among the most comical episodes in the history of Chappelle’s Show. Aired in 2004 and narrated by Charlie Murphy, the segment came based off alleged true stories from the American actor and comedian’s life as he was being introduced to the wild world of Hollywood, at a time when younger brother Eddie Murphy’s fame was on the rise.
It was during the ’80s that Murphy happened to meet Prince, the sultry singer that the show exposed as a trash-talking baller who shut everyone down on the court in “something that a figure skater would wear,” catching rebounds Charles Barkley would be proud of. With Charlie sporting hoop gear with his brother Eddie and uncle Ray, the Murphys went head to head against a ruffled blouse-donning Prince and his team that included his brother Duane and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Micki Free (formerly of the group Shalamar). The public’s knowledge of Prince’s competence in the sport were nil, save for a brief glimpse of his basketball skills in his music video to the 2000 anthem “The Daisy Chain,” as well as a special stage from his LoveSexy Tour that was set up like a basketball court in 1988.
“Everything in that skit is true,” Micki Free told The Undefeated in a recent interview, “I played in that game. And Prince was Steph Curry all motherf***ing night! They checked the ball to me, I gave it to Prince and he went to work,” Free continued, “It was just like they showed on TV.” The singer born Prince Rogers Nelson was in fact an all-star basketball player who was active for two years on the Central High School team in his hometown of Minneapolis. His half-brother Duane Nelson had also went on to play for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Having quit only because he felt he wasn’t receiving enough playing time, Prince left an impact on his high school coach Albert Nuness who describes the late singer as naturally talented: “His game was quickness. He wasn’t the best shooter, but he could split the seams and pass the ball and because of his size people loved to watch him. The player he reminds me of — Spud Webb. He didn’t have the leaping ability like Spud, but his quickness was very similar.” Having kept his secret love of ball for after-club activities and private party tricks, Prince now has another accolade to add on to his legacy.
After the game, “His chef served us blueberry pancakes, for real!” remembers Free. Relive the hilarious Chappelle’s Show skit below.

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