Wednesday Rant - Black Friday Deals?

So Black Friday is upon us and after you finish stuffing you face with turkey you can hope on down to the local mall and wait in line for mediocre deals. Yes sometimes the deals are great but you have to arrive at noon on Thanksgiving to get a good place in line. Most of the really good deals are only good at stores like Target, Best Buy and Walmart; places that are pretty much not known for selling amazing fashion pieces.  I know the mall stores have deals but are they really that great of a deal, sometimes you end up spending more money to get that great deal and half the items you buy are things you usually won't buy.  Do you really need 5 hoodies or anything you buy on Black Friday. Most stores are just adding an extra percent off their clearance, which is really stuff you didn't want before, but now that it's a dollar you think it's a good addition to your closet that is already over flowing with crap you don't wear.  You know who you are you closet has become an abyss of bargains and impulse buys, which end up being returned days before the 60 day return period is up. Why would you want to fill the hoarders lair that is your closet; even if you are getting a super deal you should really only buy the things that you need.  Don't just buy because you are getting a good deal.  You should scout out what you need and want days before Black Friday; then you should walk to your closet start clearing out the debacle that is your walk in closet.  Some stores have stepped up and started offering ligament great deals, for a limited time, and it's not just on crap you might not need.  The best time to look is days before, ask the people working they will tell you what they are offering because they want you to shop at their store and some store have started offering their deals days before. Online shopping is always a great option because there are no lines and you can start at midnight.  Basically, just make smart sound decisions and don't just buy for the sake of the deal.  Please no one buy the Nike Dunk Deloreans, because I want them all for myself or if you send me a size 11.  Happy hunting!!

Junk Food Super Heroes

Seems like every year a new super hero movie comes out. Some are amazing and others are Ghost Rider.  Now you can wear you favorite hero on a shirt.  I picked a few favorite selections for the millions of Junk Food superhero tees; maybe not millions, but there are plenty to choose.  I picked 4 selections of upcoming Marvel movies; Captain America, X-Men, Thor and Spiderman.  I know that 2 of these movies are reboots, but I love the X-men franchise and 2 of the 3 Spiderman movies.  I picked this Spiderman tee because of the old school look and comic book style, I also like the really awkward poise he uses while kicking in the door. Next, I picked Thor because I am most excited about this movie.  The shirt is classic Thor, posing on a mountain holding his signature hammer.  I don't know if the movie will be any good, but you can have a classic tee to wear to the midnight showing.  The Captain America movie is technically a remake, if you were lucky enough to witness the original piece of garbage, but this shirt looks original and not shitty.  This tee does remind me of the logos and graphics from the 80's.  My favorite comic franchise is the X-Men and this tee features the original look from the 60's.  This would be a great shirt to wear since they are making X-men: First Class which features the characters on the shirt.  So come on folks let's support you local neighborhood  friendly wall crawler or team of mutant savages.

Junk Food Star Wars Series

Who doesn't love the original Star Wars Trilogy? There was Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Yoda and Darth Vader.  I was a Star Wars freak; I had the bed sheets and action figures.  I used to watch them over and over again.  Star Wars shaped my childhood, thank god I wasn't born in the 90's with those other 3 movies. Well what better to commemorate you love for the original 3 movies than buying a trilogy of equally awesome t-shirts.  Junk Food has a ridiculous amount Star Wars related designs, I picked my 3 favorite shirts from each movie.  The "A New Hope" shirt is a straight movie poster with a vintage feel.  It has the old school look of movie posters, back before computer graphics and everything was hand painted.  You can call it a work of art. The "Empire Strikes Back" has a more cartoon like concept, also hand painted and strategically vintage in a good way. I love they way Darth Vader looks and how he is in the middle of the picture, since he drops the biggest bombshell in movie history.  Last, is the "Return of the Jedi" shirt.  This shirt features Luke, Vader and The Emperor which was the epic battle at the end of the film; again the graphic is vintage looking and looks like a painting you would hang in your screening room, if you were wealthy enough to have a screening room.

Junk Food Garbage Pail Kid Series

    What can I say about Junk Food, but they are one of the best "branded" t-shirts.  They primarily use other brands for their graphics and now they have added the "Garbage Pail Kids" to their stable.  If you forgot who the Garbage Pail Kids were, they were trading cards from Topps designed to make fun of the Cabbage Patch Kids in the mid 80's.  They were all the rage and even had a horrible movie made about their cards.  They phenomenon died out in the 90's and became nostalgic these days.  Junk Food has taken the best of the best and immortalized the GPK on t-shirts today.  The shirts look exactly like the cards did, almost like you peeled off the sticker, from the card, and slapped it on the shirt.  All my favorites are represented Snotty Sam, Evil Eddie and New Wave Dave.  I hope they continue the shirt line and expand to more characters and even come up with some new kids.  We kids loved the Garbage Pail Kids because our parents hated their disgusting images and how they glorified social awkwardness. 80stees.com seems to have the best selection and you should check out their other Junk Food tees.

Top 5 Letterman Jackets - 2010

Last year we saw the return of the letterman jacket; except if you are still in high school, because the jacket is being worn by the guy shoving you into a locker. Here's the Top 5 letterman jackets of 2010, because in 2011 they probably won't be in style anymore.


#5  Black Apple - The Goldfinger Varsity Jacket

I have never heard of Black Apple, until today when I was searching for letterman jackets.  This jacket seems a little more fashion forward than the other contestants: The jacket have multiple zippers and a navy base with white sleeves.  If you look closely you can see Black Apple signature close pin on the right sleeve, the pin is featured on every jacket.  I like the look of the jacket, but I would have to try it on since I am not familiar with this brand.  I urge you to check this bad boy out. 
Black Apple Varsity




#4  Shades of Grey Baseball Jacket 

Shades of Grey is a brand that has popped on my radar recently and it looks like it's staying.  Shades of Grey is a mixture of New York High Society and Detroit urban flavor.  The Baseball Jacket is no exception, with it navy base and brown sleeves and accents.  One difference that sets it apart from traditional letterman jackets is the bomber jacket style pockets, at the bottom of the jacket.  They are mostly seen in military inspired outerwear, but on this jacket it adds a little class to an otherwise plain jacket. Check out Shades of Grey to upgrade you streetwear to high class.
Shade of Grey Baseball



#3 Nike Sportswear  Varsity Destroyer Jacket

You're probably surprised that Nike didn't top my list, like usual.  Well this is a great jacket but it's no number one.  Nike Sportswear has been designed casual shoes for a while now, if you have bought a non-performance based shoe in the last years, I guarantee it was from the sportswear line.  This jacket is one of there gems.  It's styled like a more traditional wind breaker jacket crossed with a letterman style jacket.  It only comes in purple and red (the red look more orange). I am pretty sure you can find a pair to match the jacket.
Nike Destroyer Varsity




#2 WeSC Balker Jacket
 

I have already done a blog this jacket (Balker Jacket). The came out with a new color port with white sleeves.  If I squint and turn my head to the left at a 45 degree angle, I almost like this colorway better than the black and gray.
WeSC Balker Jacket Port







#1 Obey Dropout Varsity Jacket

Obey makes some absolutely amazing jackets and their attempt at a letterman jackets scores.  It's different from most, for instance the quilted sleeves and antique buttons.  They call the color black, but it seems more charcoal than black.  This jacket looks less letterman and more classic fall jacket.  I know I seem to always praise obey, but if you are a fan of their apparel, then you know they have amazing clothes.  I haven't been burned once by anything I have purchased and will continue to sing their praises until they jump the clothing shark.
Obey Dropout



 As always check out Karamloop and use "jcam1981" as a rep code for 20% off.

*BONUS POST*

Obey Hillard Varsity Jacket

This is a crazy revolution in letterman jacket technology.  A cross between a peacoat and a letterman jacket, at first it looks pretty crazy, but after viewing it a couple time I am starting to like this Frankenstein jacket.  I understand how these two elements work together it's kind of like the jean jacket with the leather sleeves.  These sleeves are probably not leather since the jacket only costs $124 dollars.  Step outside the box with and try this new creation. 
Obey Hillard Varsity

Sorry not post today.

Sorry readers, I am very busy with my day job and didn't have time to make a post today.  So this means I will be posting the top 5 tomorrow, along with the regularly scheduled postings. See you all tomorrow!!

To All My Readers

Hey all Thread and Sole readers.  I have been checking my stats and I happy to see all the countries reading my blog. I wasn't sure when I started writing if anybody carried what I said, but I am glad to see people had similar beliefs and interests.  This is just the start for Thread and Sole and I am glad you'll are hear for the ride. If I could ask one favor, follow me and get some feedback going; let me know how to improve or what you would like me to to blog about.  I love getting email and answering comments; especially for those in different countries.  I know styles are different and there are certain brands I don't know about; tell me about them and I will write about them.  It's been crazy so far and I can only grow with your help, so follow me and tell me what segments you like and what segments should go.  Thank you all and I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Joe C.