Skater In Motion; Melbourne

A quick flash and he was gone, but I clocked enough to pick up this skater and his retro Puma's from the First Round 'Soda Pack'.  The shoes were originally released in 2009 and the colourway is designed to represent Diet Coke (other colourways were released for Coca-Cola, Sunkist, Sprite).
He may have been quick but I saw enough to give you the lowdown!

Dreaming of New York; Melbourne

While many people’s shoes make a statement about their style, Bridget’s footwear was chosen to represent her hopes and dreams for the future.

In fact Bridget didn’t buy these shoes with any stylistic reasoning, instead, Bridget picked up these A Lifes for one simple reason; she one day wants to go to New York and the shoes were chosen to take her one step nearer to that dream.

The shoes work well to counter her feminine style, and with A Life’s being an embodiment of iconic New York sneaker design when she does eventually get to the Big Apple Bridget has the perfect footwear for Manhattan.

Jeremy Scott Party Time; Sydney

OK sneakerheads, Jeremy Scott has been busy in the lab again putting together another range wacky and wonderful pieces for his latest adidas Originals collab.

Nothing involving JS is done by halves, so B2 and the crew at Espionage are unveiling the new product in style with Australia's launch party so if you're in Sydney on the evening of Tues 31st and want to get along check out the info above.

Enjoy! 

Margarita; Melbourne

Margarita is a firm believer that shoes can say a lot about their owner and in these shoes I think she's found a style that speaks volumes about her interesting character.

She told me that she has been wearing DMs for about a year now after looking for a brand that offers comfort, support and style.  She constantly straddles a fine line at work as she has to adhere to what can and can't be worn in a corporate office environment, but she loves pushing the boundaries and the shoes tie in with her boho chic look, and her rebellious streak!

Brunswick St B&W Pt 2

Back In Black; Melbourne

 

Elliot (left) and Bryn (right) both have a similar approach to footwear as they both wear black low price point shoes that straddle that space between sneakers and smart-casual.

Bryn goes for the iconic Australian brand Volleys as they're cheap and last, while Elliot goes for simple black Dunlop slip ons, shoes that he knows won't last long from the demands of his skating but can be easily replaced.

I was happy with how these shots turned out; great light, fantastic backdrop and interesting subjects whose looks characterise a lot of whats going on with men's style in Melbourne; eclectic, thoughtful and intriguing.

Brunswick St B&W Pt 1

One of my favourite streets in Melbourne or anywhere to be honest; Brunswick St's gritty eclectic style makes it a joy to shoot.  Here are some reportage images from a recent visit. 

HIT'M; Melbourne

James (left), Junior (middle) and Chris (right) are all members of Melbourne's HIT'M Krumping crew.

HIT'M is a collective designed to spread the word about Krumping, and without realising it the guys are also spreading the word about some serious sneaker loving too.

James is a Nike die-hard, and even works for the brand at one of their Melbourne stores.  However, when it came to picking up some shoes recently he decided to mix things up when he saw a great deal for some red hot A Lifes.

Junior is another Nike fan whose collection is split between Air Max and Jordan shoes.

Chris's Air Flighr's are his favourite shoes from his collection and only wears them rarely. He picked them up from a Melbourne market where they were being sold without the owner knowing their true value, so he hussled and got them for a knockdown price. 

All up, they were great guys and if their dance moves are as fresh as their shoes I'm sure they will go far!

The Reigate Squires; Melbourne

 

Outside Melbourne's iconic GPO I stumbled upon James (left) and Laf (right) from the Melbourne band The Reigate Squires.

The band are focused on making ear-catching folk/punk but while their musical tastes are finely honed, their fashion tastes are highly eclectic.

James is a founding member of the band and their guitarist, and his style is a low key blend of tight jeans, white tshirts finished off with his trusty and well worn Puma 917s that look like their best years may be behind them!

As for Laf, he's the group's Bass player, and despite only becoming a Squire just a few months ago he has injected some of his 50's styling into the group.  He loves denim and US influences, including his unique personalised All Stars.

If you're looking for a cruisey soundtrack to your summer (in the southern hemisphere) or winter (northern hemisphere) check out the band here now! 

Street Action; Melbourne

 

Toby is Overcome; Melbourne

Toby is a skater and graphic designer who only moved to Melbourne in 2011.  As you can see he has something of an individual look and feels right at home in his new location.
He embraces the edgier side of urban style which is reflected in his skate influenced clothing and heavy inking, which he caps off with Vans.
It's amazing the range of people that go for this brand - from skaters to everyday people there can't be many brands that attract such a diverse following and although their styles are worlds apart the shoes look just as natural on Toby as they do on Tom who I focused on recently (see here).

Street Peeps; Melbourne

Although many people say that black is THE colour that Melbournites wear, some colour is never hard to find. 

Connor; Melbourne

Connor is something of an intrepid explorer and was spotted out in the Post-Xmas sales picking up a new backpack for an upcoming trip to China.
He has a non-conformist approach to style, trying to avoid the trendies of Melbourne in favor of a more unique and self-satisfying look.  To help achieve this he has opted to delve into the world of Dr Marten footwear in the last year, and has fallen in love with the shoe that symbolised punk, grunge to name just 2 key counter culture eras.
That said...Dr Martens are getting increasingly popular at the moment and are something of a style choice, so to avoid being labelled with the trendies I suggest Connor might look for a new brand!

Converse Store; Melbourne

 

Australian's have been treated to an exciting first as the doors were recently opened to the world's only dedicated Converse store in Melbourne.

The store is a fantastic shrine to everything connected with the iconic US brand, with an exceptional fit out offering great product, cool detailing and classic iconography.

All of the cult shoe styles are available ranging from Chuck Taylors and Jack Purcells to exciting collabs with Marimekko, and if you ever need some help choosing from the stores great product you can always speak to the staff who have their own favourites.

Carlos (left) loves the tough Pappalardo skate shoe who's design is dedicated to the Philly skater of the same name.  

Lani (middle) is a Chuck Taylor Hi purist and has so many pairs of the shoe in her closet she couldn't pick just one - so ended up recomended the style in Port Royal, All Black and Black/White colourways.

Geoff (right) likes his shoes comfortable, classic and simple so he opts for the all white Jack Purcell, a shoe for all occasions.

There's plenty to choose from so head down to the store to add some great new product to your wardrobe!