Things I Have: Kickass Uniqlo T-shirt

On my recent trip to Shanghai I picked up a few things (see prior posts on shoes, t-shirts, jeans). One of my buys had been a really cool striped t-shirt from Uniqlo, which my brother Adam subsequently said he wanted.

So... I decided to give it to him and get a new one for myself.

Enter this awesome + kickass shirt with cool Japanese illustration and an exclamatory phrase whose meaning escapes me. Kiiiiiiin!!

Can't wait to rock this around L.A. as an addition to my tees from Japan that no one here has.

Check it out on the Uniqlo Japan site: http://store.uniqlo.com/jp/CSaGoods/289399-16-002

Things I Have: Feiyue

Whenever I arrive in Shanghai I pick up one of the local English magazines, which provide news and events for around the city. On this trip I read an article about Feiyue, a Shanghai produced sneaker that has been made since 1959.

Like many retro items that are coming back, the Feiyue brand was picked up by a Western entrepreneur who modified the shoe a bit and started selling them in France and the U.S. The article I read mentioned you could get them now at Fred Segal for $50.

However... there is a small shop in Shanghai that still sells the original. The low cut version is the equivalent of $4 and the mid-top shown here are $7.

So yesterday I hopped on the metro and went to find me some Feiyue! The shop selling them is a very typical local place, a very tiny storefront with merchandise packed inside. The woman inside looked at me (the only Westerner for miles) and immediately knew what I had come for.

And that's how I walked away with a pair in white and in black for a total of 96 RMB. Incredible!

Things I Have: White Specs

Some of you may remember last year when I posted about some h-o-t white specs from Dita.

I later saw them in a store in Seoul and while they were amazing, they were also a bit out of my annual spectacle budget.

Fast forward to last month when I was (again) in Shanghai... I convinced my very kind colleague Jane to take me to the eyeglasses market. Yes, in Shanghai there is a whole street that sells only SPECS!

And there, to my glee (and the excitement of my wallet) I found these beauts:

Now I realize they're not exactly the ones by Dita. But at 1/20th of the price, I am okay with that. And I love them... they're shocking and contrasting and no one quite knows what to make of them.

And I did see another pair at the eyeglasses market that I may need to acquire on my next trip. Stay tuned!