At some point in life you can't really consider yourself fresh unless you've pondered the eternal question of Groceries vs Nikes or Girlfriend vs Creative Recs or Yves Saint Laurent vs Tom Ford or even just Balenciaga vs Givenchy (but then we're getting into matters of taste). It's not everyone's goal to be fresh and I understand that, and in fact it wasn't mine until junior year of college when I went to go on a date and realized I had two pairs of non-athletic shoes: big nikes and cheap dress shoes. It was at that point I made the active decision to get fresh and it's been a drastic road since then. I didn't get to where I wanted to be until lately (we're really killin em in the streets nowadays, not gonna lie), but I'm in a good place now.
For a guy, especially in AZ, to hold his own it's really not hard at all. You just gotta have a little bread (3-500 a month will do it), read GQ and shop accordingly. It's that simple. But for those that quest for something differet: I've prepared a list of what to do to get it cracking.
1. Buy your kicks at High Point (ladies, Glass Slipper). And buy them frequently.
High Point is on the Waterfront in Scottsdale and honestly they're just killing it. I was in there today and if I had any money left on credit cards I would have left with 2 new pairs, and if I was balling I woulda left with 5.
You're gonna drop $150 on sneaks probably, but shoes change the whole outfit... If you got wack jeans and a wife beater and some bad ass shiny new CRs or A Life's or whatever you can have the swagger of a whole fresh fit no lie. And now that it's apparently okay to rock the suit with some fresh sneaks, all the more reason...
Buy new ones every month, and get some cleaning materials. The one thing that pisses me off the most is when my kicks get beat up and I haven't gotten another pair in a month or so and I have no bread and the kicks are dope but just not at their freshest. Also buy three pairs of converse/chucks (white, black and whatever color tickles you) and never clean them. Builds indie credibility.
2. Cheap suits: Meet a tailor. (Ladies, sample sales also exist in Phoenix and are super unattended (compared to vicious fights at them in NY), use google)
Whether it's Nordstrom Rack (the one in North Scottsdale has Burberry!) or Goodwill, buy some awkward sized suits with great fabrics/colors and take them to one of the many Phoenix tailors and follow whatevers in GQ this month (I think the short suit is about to be timeless, showing wrist and ankles, but choose your own adventure). In Phoenix you can get a suit done for less than 50 no problem and if you get a tight cut you'll be killing the other guys in the office or the club. If everyone got a black jacket and you got black velvet tailored for a thinner euro cut you're killing it and you spent half all in what just a new jacket costs at Macys.
3. Buffalo Exchange- Is in Tempe and Phoenix, and Phoenix got it going pretty good.
It's gonna take hours and it's always getting more expensive but there's gems. You just have to look at every single piece in the place, and that's time consuming to the uninitiated. Make friends with a worker and tip them to put all the 70's clothes, mummuu's or whatever your style is aside or at least call you if they have a good day and you're gonna be on point. When we we're deep on the 80's gear I had a chick texting me whenever they got a Members Only jacket and it was damn near arousing.
4. Wear black.
Black is back and it's going super super hard, and head to toe tight fit black is just impossible to go wrong with, especially with a pair of kicks from High Point (they got these black joints with rocker studs that I'm about to try and get them to discontinue so I can be the only one in the state with). And while its on top this season, honestly it never went anywhere and if you're pale/nerdy you can pick up rocker girls/boys easier.
5. Accessories
Yes scarves and vests are old but honestly get a grip of bandanas, scarves, vests, necklaces, biker chains, hats whatever and really really rock them. Rock three plus matching accessories or don't rock any at all, and then you won't be "that dude in the scarf".
6. The Edge Up
Doesn't apply to me (haven't cut my hair in more than a year now?), but if you got the bread, or a barber friend, get an edge up at least every third day. NY heads know what I mean, I swear to god some of my people get edged up every single day. If you need a barber my man from Arthur's in Phoenix will come to your house and do you right.
Seriously, Scottsdale, kill the hair gel thing, get a close cut and keep getting edge ups, preferably with fresh, simple designs. I swear girls can smell new edge ups...
Anyway, enough of me ranting, yes we're hosting a night called Fresh on Friday at Sugar Daddies, and we just got hired to host we're not involved but hopefully it inspires attendees to getyourswagup(.com). I'm not supposed to post this pic below but I made it small and watermarked it and had to show where we're at now with our styles for the band.
Reinvention is what kept Madonna and Diddy relevant, and I'll be damned if it won't do the same thing for us.
Back to our usual more humble programming tomorrow.
