Goodbye Melbourne

It's been great exploring and celebrating Melbourne over the past month.
Below are some of my favourite pics from my month-long Melbourne mission that showed that the city has a fresh elegance and sense of chic that comes from it's blend of new and old, shabby and chic, and monochrome with colorful.
The city is rich with character with personal expression evident at every corner.  Melbourne is quite simply a city that never fails to disappoint and I hope to get back there soon.

  

 

 

Beggar Man Thief; Melbourne

 

For those of you who feel that style starts with the feet then the Melbourne store Beggar Man Thief is for you.
The specialist shoe store shows some real 'soul' for the 'sole', with its stock of premium footwear ranging from sneakers to shoes and everything in between.
With sneaker lines including New Balance, Pointer and Feiyue, and shoes from likes of Loake, Grenson and the fantastic Sydney shoemaker Andrew McDonald; there really is something for everyone, and if the footwear isn't enough the store also offers enough high-end accessories to transform Melbourne's men into the chicest in the world.
Iconic stars looks down from the walls, and you too can gain iconic status by succumbing to Beggar Man Thief's doubtless taste and style.

Up There Video

As August winds down it's time to bring you the final instalment of this month's Up There trilogy.  We have intro's the store and it's stock, so now it's time to intro one of the store's owners Brendan in my latest video.
In the clip below Brendan describes the store, explains why Up There is the answer to Melbourne's monochrome tag, and also talks passionately about the store's great premium brands.

Don't forget to check out our great August comp that we're running in conjunction with Up There - hit the competition button on the right for more info.

Enjoy.

Up There - The Video from Sole Digger on Vimeo.

Dakota 501; Melbourne

According to my Mum, one of the best things to happen in 1976 was me coming into the world.  That could all change though if she ever visits the Melbourne boutique Dakota 501 which opened in the same year.  

Like myself, the store is a bit rough around the edges to look at, but is full of charm if you take the time to get to know it.

From the moment you walk into the store (yes, the analogy with myself has stopped now) you are confronted by it's character as it's rustic shell is illuminated by contemporary light fittings that brings the stores array of great product to life.

The store has an array of great apparel from urban brands including Nudie, Edwin, Neuw, Levis, Deus, Herschel (and more) plus a great variety of accessories and footwear to match.

Next time you're in Melbourne check it out, I know I will.

ILL-Logic Exhibition 2011; Melbourne

It's Melbourne-mania on I Dig Your Sole Man this month, which means it's the perfect time to promote an event tonight that will be adding even more colour to the city.  

Following on from my recent coverage of the Red Bull Wreckers Yard final (see here) ILL-Logic is an urban styled art exhibition, which showcases fresh creative talent from the worlds of graffiti, stencil, paint, video and illustration, and it all concides with the opening of Fitzroy’s newest back alley cafe, Juddy Roller.

Artists that will be appearing include; Itch (you can see some of his great work below), Flake, Sex Panther, Rick Sweden, Taylor White, Paul Rodgers and more!

There will be live DJ’s, projections and drinks and it all kicks off at 6pm ‘til late check it out, details below!

ILL-Logic 2011

August 25^th, 6pm ‘til late

Chapel Street, Fitzroy

www.ill-logicexhibition.com

House vs. Hurricane; Melbourne

Ryan splits his time between working on houses as a painter, and being the singer and guitarist of the Melbourne rock band House vs. Hurricane.
His hard rocking lyrical style (you can hear his music by clicking on the band name above) is offset by a contemporary look as he offsets his fashion forward rolled up workers trousers with his pair of trusty old Vans.
These classic suede shoes were picked up from a charity store a few years ago; old, broken in and comfortable they are a perfect weekend shoe for hen Ryan isn't painting the town, or houses red.

Follow The Lines; Melbourne

Louise; Melbourne

Louise is a public speaker who enjoys standing out from the crowd, and the outfit she was wearing when we met certainly helped achieved this.

She is a hat lover with an array of headwear at her disposal, and for this looks she chose to match a simple yet classic pastel overcoat with her autumnal hat and accessories that saw her glow among the (mostly) black wearing Melbourne locals.

It wasn't just her outfit that glowed as she was full and excitement and enthusiasm about being in Melbourne as she searched for Little Collins St ... I hope that my directions helped her!

Lars is Born; Sydney

I was lucky enough to be invited to a fantastic event last night that saw the launch of my mate Matt's fantastic new Viking themed comic book Lars The Last Viking Goes To The End of the World.

I was at the gallery launch to check out the incredible artwork, and lovely party people that turned out in appreciation of Matt's fantastic work.

The comic book is simply amazing and I urge you to check it out at the link above - Matt is a great bloke, a fellow Dad, a sneaker lover (he wore his prized Limited Edition hemp Vans - nice!) and is incredibly talented.  He also does a mean Viking roar (see the last pic for evidence).

 

Saturday Shoes; Melbourne

While many people feel that Melbournians can be characterized by their mutual love of black clothing, this subject prides herself on wearing enough colour to paint the entire city.

Every day she adds colour to her outfit in different ways, and she always celebrates her Saturdays by slipping into her favourite bright boots.

She claims that the shoes give her a true Dorothy feeling as they always make her feel happy and free when wearing them.

It's Friday so I hope that over the weekend you can find that happy and free feeling yourself, and if you're looking for some special shoes to spice up your life click on the competition button on the right to enter our August comp!

Stepping Out; Melbourne

Happy Birthday Clae

CLAE Tenth Year Anniversary from Clae Footwear on Vimeo.

A Happy Birthday to Clae who have just turned 10! 

 The brand have sent this video through of their big celebration from NY so sit back, enjoy and feel part of the celebrations no matter where you are in the world.

Good Girlfriend; Melbourne

This sneaker lover's girlfriend put herself straight into the good books when she took care of his sneaker needs when she purchased these green All Stars as a present to replace an old pair of overly worn Cons.

These shoes could be making some significant steps as their owner embarks on some global travelling before embarking on a career in theatre/acting - remember this face!

adidas Originas x RANSOM

We're always keen to see what our good friends at adidas Originals are up to, and I was very interested to get the heads up on their new RANSOM collaboration.

Characteristically combining fashion with function the new range offers some great stylings, that will look as good on the street as they do within their press campaign styled within the Canadian Southwest.

The first drop from the range is in store now at all good adidas retail outlets with a second drop due to take place in October with more iconic footwear showcasing some digital prints.

Check it out!

Diamond Dozen; Melbourne

Some shots from the Diamond Dozen PR Office - cheers for the dandelion tea Ed and Jade.