putthison:

The German Army Trainer - GATs - A Sneaker Icon

It can be maddeningly difficult to find a simple pair of sneakers.

If you’re comfortable with something that’s heavily branded, there are some decent options. There are Adidas Stan Smiths and Sambas, Nike Air Force Ones and Tennis Classics, Converse Jack Purcells and Chuck Taylors. But when you’re looking for something without a logo on the side, your choices narrow dramatically.

I recently went on a quest for all-white summer sneakers, and ended up with a pair of Common Projects Achilles, the laughably expensive (but tastefully simple) designer sneakers favored by streetwear enthusiasts. I paid for them with some store credit to a website that had been gathering virtual dust for months - I was days away from using it to buy artisinal sausage links. If you haven’t returned something expensive for credit lately, though, CPs might not be an option for you; the retail on the Achilles was $380. The shoes are made in Italy and the materials and build are excellent, but there are few among us who’d feel comfortable dropping that kind of coin on sneakers.

The good news is that there’s an alternative.

There is one simple leather classic that bears no brand: the GAT, or German Army Trainer. As the name suggests, it was designed for use in the German military, who’ve been using them for decades when exercising indoors. The simple, utilitarian style has inspired famous designers to knock them off - the Maison Martin Margiela version costs about $500. Adidas has knocked them off as well, but adding branding to a shoe whose raison d’etre is its unbranded aesthetic seems a bit silly.

The real deal is still being manufactured, though, and like most military surplus, they’re reasonably inexpensive. The only tricky bit is that they’re tough to find outside of Germany. You can search on eBay, where, for example, this seller is selling them for about $50, shipped, and says he has a variety of sizes. You can also use the search terms “bundeswehr turnschuhe,” “bundeswehr hallenschuhe,” and “bundeswehr sportschuhe” on ebay.de to see if you can turn any more up. They tend to sell for about $30-50, with an additional $25 or $30 for shipping. (You’ll need an assist from Google Translate here.)

There are also German style enthusiasts willing to proxy. One who’s gotten good reviews on StyleForum is this guy, who sells the shoes new for $85, including shipping to anywhere in the world. That’s a lot to pay for surplus gym shoes that go for $30 or so in Germany, but what you get is a genuinely iconic shoe, and I don’t use that term lightly. Simple, unbranded and imminently wearable: qualities that are shockingly difficult to find.

mostexerent:

Abarth 500

putthison:

Headphones for Listening

I’m in the audio business.

The media business, really - I’ve hosted on TV, I write here on PTO, I do web video - but the core of what I do for a living goes in your ears. As such, I’ve been vexed in recent years as I’ve seen more and more overpriced, overbranded headphones being sold to folks who simply don’t know any better. I care about how my headphones sound, especially when I’m listening to music, so I thought I’d offer a quick recommendation for folks who are looking for cans that will sound gorgeous at a decent price.

Grado Labs specializes in headphones. Unlike Beats Audio, they’re not the audio equivalent of a George Foreman grill. Unlike Sennheiser, they haven’t mass-marketed their once-quality products into extinction. Instead, they focus on making headphones with a simple aesthetic, a decent pricepoint, and exceptional sound.

As you can see above, they look like headphones. Classic headphones. They’re not comically oversized, and they don’t feature a goofy, futuristic logo that also advertises your favorite hip-hop producer and soft drink. They’re comfortable, and feature open construction, which means that you’ll be able to hear what’s going on around you in addition to your music. This is how your ears and brain were designed to process sound, and will improve your listening experience, not hinder it. Trust me.

They’re designed for the long-term, as well, with replaceable and repairable parts and a solid build quality that you simply don’t get from most consumer electronics these days.

The SR-60, their base model, sells for about $80. The SR-80, pictured above, sells for about a hundred bucks. Both are exceptional values, and will sound better than the $300 set you might buy from whatever Circuit City is called now. You know… the ones with the red “B” on the side. Of course, Grado has a whole range of options that go up from there for serious audiophiles, but the difference between what you’re listening to now and even their most basic model will be huge.

If you’re looking for something smaller and cheaper, there’s another old standby, the Koss Portapro. The aesthetics are less elegant, but for less than $40, you’ll get exceptional sound for the price, and from personal experience, Koss will replace them for you if they fail for almost any reason.

There’s nothing more inelegant than the wrong tool.

wienerswingtips:

Definite auto reblog.

mouldedshoe:

Cherry…

Alden #975 Shell Cordovan #8 Long Wing Tip

Barrie Last

thedapperdad:

Legend.

mostexerent:

SNAP

mostexerent:

Zagato Alfa Romeo 2600 SZ

coolerthanthat:

“And to Siouxland residents, many of whom consider themselves connoisseurs of fine food, a city is not a city without an Olive Garden. So as of Monday, Sioux City becomes a real city.”