How much would you pay for a pair of slippers? What if these slippers were a collaboration between Hurley and Nike? Take the Hurley Phantom line of slippers aka sandals then add a Nike Free outsole, and you got yourself a $60 pair of slippers. I just can’t pay that much for slippers, even in that beckoning grey/orange colorway. And yes, they do feel very comfortable.
For $40, I’d be there. 😉
The days of stopping by Foot Locker at the mall to look for new shoe releases are long since gone. In this modern, connected times, there are no kicks secrets. Sites publish release dates way in advance and build the hype as releases gets closer. Now with software-based bots to speed up online purchases, coppin’ popular favorites is very difficult.
A simple suggestion for this dilemma is to increase your view and look to alternate stores. Everyone knows about nike.com, Footloocker, and the neighborhood boutique kicks carriers. But you might be pleasantly surprised at what’s available elsewhere. Like where? There’s the hit-or-miss searching at Ross and other discount stores. You just never know what you’ll find. Zappos sells mainly mainstream shoes, but it doesn’t hurt to search their site for a specific model.
One of my recent favorites is Nordstrom. Yup, that Nordstrom. Not only do they carry a variety of athletic shoes, they feature their Sneaker Project collection. This upscale retailer doesn’t only offer conservative kicks; they have an eclectic collection including Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Saucony, Asics, and more. Online inventory is expectedly much better than what’s in brick-and-mortar stores, but I still nod at what I see in-store.
An alternate shoe source in Hawaii is the luxurious Leather Soul. Leather Soul is a purveyor of the finest, so carrying lifestyle sneakers may seem far-fetched unless you’re a New Balance fan. Just don’t expect just any NB model at Leather Soul. Think upscale like the NB Connoisseur lineup.
I saw @ryankanno wearing these NB M1300BK from the Connoisseur Painter’s collection and with the pop of color, these kicks polished off his look.
The world of kicks is a big place. Take a look around, see what’s out there, and you’ll find kicks that you can indeed cop.
Maybe it’s purely coincidental or it may be an effect of Hawaii-born Marcus Mariota, but Nike has been releasing several Hawaii-themed goods. There’s the Mahalo Marcus shirt, and now there’s the Air Huarache “Aloha” and Roshe One Print for the women.
Then there’s the “hot lava” colorways like this Air Jordan 5 for girls.
The feet of the wahine are well taken care of, but where’s the aloha kicks for the kane? I guess there is this upcoming LeBron 12 low hot lava.
And the Air Max Lunar90 Breeze Hot Lava.
Oh wait, it’s just not Nike. Looks like Hawaii is a theme destination for this season’s kicks designs. New Balance has their Luau Pack.
Adidas is featuring “Hawaiian camo” on the body of the Tubulars or just the laces.
I just can’t decide which of these is my favorite.
Nike is starting its marketing machine for young Marcus Mariota. No, Nike is not making Marcus’ draft day kicks a reality for all, but the brand is starting to sell Mariota merchandise. You can pre-order Marcu’s Titans jersey or pickup this “Mahalo Marcus” shirt that says “Pride of Hawaii” on the back.
So you know not to sleep on’em, and while that may be scary to plunk down cash on a pair of unknown kicks, the second kicks coppin’ rule will alleviate your concern. Know the return policy.
I’m surprised at how good return policies are. There are a few businesses that make returns difficult or costly, but for the most part, many offer liberal return policies. No cause for returns, no restocking fee, no shipping charges – look for these clauses with the business you’re dealing with. Most do have a return timeframe, usually 30 days, but that’s sufficient time to figure out if you’re keeping your kicks. Even after the 30-day window, some vendors may accept the return but issue store credit instead of a refund.
Nike has free shipping for orders more than $75 for members (membership is free). This is okay for regular kicks purchases, but you may run into issues with clearance kicks that are less than $75. But you can always buy more to get over the minimum cost then return the unwanted items. Who knows? You may keep everything.
If you’re shopping for shoes aka kicks coppin’, there are a few rules you should know and heed. The first rule is don’t sleep on’em, meaning if you see a pair of shoes that you’re interested in and your size is available, you should buy now and return later.
If you wait and sleep on your purchase, the shoes will be gone. The kicks game moves so fast now, especially with limited runs, special releases, and a very competitive connected marketplace out there. This rule just doesn’t apply to online purchases but in real life as well. You may be able to sit on your purchase at a retail location like Foot Locker, but at a discount store like Ross, most definitely buy now. You never know about Ross’ inventory so you may never see that pair of kicks again, even at other locations.
Don’t sleep on’em was a lesson driven home today. This morning I came across the Saucony G9 Shadow 6 Mint Chocolate Chip, the first from its Scoops Pack. When I looked at the online sizing, there was every size, and since I didn’t know much about Saucony, I wanted to read up. Time passed and when I re-engaged two hours later, guess what? Yup, sold out. No mint chocolate chip for me, and I’m guessing ever again since I doubt there’ll be a restock.
If you see’em, get’em, and don’t sleep on’em!
Major props to Marcus Mariota for his collegiate football career that led him to the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. But that’s not all. I’m very impressed with this commercial highlighting the ohana aspect of Mariota’s life.
Did you see that brand lineup? Yes, this production is from Beats by Dre, now owned by Apple. Marcus palms an iPhone in preparation for his workout while garbed in Nike and wearing swoosh-y cross trainers. It would have been totally over the top if Marcus beach workouts using rocks and coconuts flashed an AppleWatch on his wrist. Only that would be able to top these crazy sick Nike Lunar Force 1s custom made for Marcus for the NFL Draft event. Only two of these were produced to include the all Koa wood box. Props Marcus, props.
Found this unusual Air Jordan 1 version at Ross the other day. The AJ1 silhouette was apparent, just not the makeup. Then I saw the “BHM” insignia that goes along with shoes specifically designed for Black History Month. These Jordans were part of the BHM 2014 collection and meant for the ladies??? So this size 13 may be a WMNS 13. Still big for a men’s equivalent of 11.5 though. It’s a catchy colorway with nice details and accents and only $50.
Yes, I’m still fascinated by the successful disaster that was the Lilly Pulitzer collaboration with Target. The demand and attraction, the fanfare, the hate, the Black Friday-like lines of shoppers, the crazy resale markup – all so fun to watch (from afar). In most locations, all traces of the Lilly Pulitzer launch have been sanitized, making you question its existence.
However, at the Kailua location, there’s actually a few Lillys still available, but I’m guessing this must be the dregs of the collection.
Actually, the set of colored drinking glasses is okay but not at $30.
A mere two days after the release of Lilly Pulitzer’s affordable collection at Target, it’s like it never happened. On Sunday, Lilly fans overwhelmed Target and its stock. On Tuesday, there was nothing to be found. Even the signage celebrating the collection was removed, and all the clothing displays reset. You would’ve been none the wiser.
But scouring around,I did manage to find two Lilly Pulitzer products proving the release did indeed happen.
But by now, I’m sure there’s no trace of the Lilly + Target line.
When Apple made the AppleWatch available to public viewing on April 10, 2015, I was at the Ala Moana Apple Store learning more along with fellow tech geeks, Ryan and Burt. Besides the questions about specs, performance, and apps, Burt asked a simple question that stumped the Apple Store staff. Does the AppleWatch work for left handed people? Can the digital crown and touch screen operate when the axes are reversed?
The answer is yes. All the controls “flip” just with the physical crown oriented on the lower half of the watch. Apple itself visually confirmed this left-handed operation on their video Rise as a lefty answers a call from some guy named Tony Rivas. Hmmm, this is the same guy in that Siri demo for the iPhone 4S and iOS5.
Take a look at the 0:47 second mark.
I so wanted to love these shoes, but in the end, I had to pass on them. The Adidas Tubulars have been out for a few months and while they caught my eye, I just didn’t act…until I saw someone wearing them. The silhouette of the Tubulars was distinctive, but the texture and colorway muted the uniqueness into sneaker-ish sophistication. Then I saw the new batch of colorways announced by Adidas, and I had to go looking for the Tubulars. Hawaiian camo!?!?
Sadly, when I tried on a Tubular size 10, they were considerably too big. A half size down to 9.5, and they were still too roomy. Dropping to a 9 was just too snug. This unusual sizing might be due to the single layer bootie-like makeup of the upper. Instead of your typical shoe with a tongue, the Tubulars upper is like a sock made out of Neoprene. Because of the construction and material choice, the upper is also very pliable like the Nike Roshe Run and Adidas ZX Flux. With stretchy Neoprene, you just won’t get that lockdown feel or rigid structural support no matter how tightly laced they are. Me and my flat arches need more TLC.
Surprisingly, the exaggerated EVA outsole felt pretty good. Even with its hollowed out middle, the ring of EVA was firm with tacky traction. Overall, the shoe is very light in weight. But that size. I just couldn’t find a size that fit just right. Too big or too small. It’s like I needed a size 9.25.
Even more sad, Champs Sports had a few (original) colors discounted $30, going for $80 instead of $110.
I wish I coulda loved me some Tubulars…