fall '12 VAN DOREN series review & print profile

earlier this year several (micro)blogging sites leaked pictures of the forthcoming van doren series, the conception of which we then proceeded to claim influence upon. we may have gotten ahead of ourselves somewhat, however this is only the beginning remember. we were approached by vans eu though late last year with insight into the timely homage to the van doren prints, with the request of any availability of the original productions. as such, not consulting on any conceptual or design basis (yet), we were happy to oblige with the presentation of all 4 og prints for the fall '12 internal product launch, which of course we had in stock.

there was much hype anticipating this release & it seems not much noise thereafter, however we dont claim to keep our ear to the grindstone of modern retail release by any imagination stretch. twas however hype that we feel was justified with some poignant re-release of some classic prints. you've got to give it to vans because they didn't go for the most obvious prints & they didn't simply produce carbon copies of the og's. of course the shape is all wrong & the vulcanised effects will never be re-captured, but the nuances have arguably been rectified with new answers. the prints are admittedly spot-on & they all feature the pre-washed vintage-style fade which works on some prints but not on others. the use of the 'customade' van doren box is a nice touch albiet from the wrong era & inclusion of the 1st-generation slimmer eye-stay on a sk8-hi for example is a welcome change. the colourways in the most part are pretty fresh we must admit, especially the 3-tone slip on & the 'stripes' sk8-hi.

1st under the microscope is the rare aformentioned native print which goes by the (un)inventive modern name of 'stripes'. we are yet to uncover the original reference for this print however im sure back in the day it was something a bit more creative. ignoring the fact the shape is far from the sexual curves of an original #98, the print is very nice. in our opinion the effect of the print is lost however by mis-matching the grain of the stripes which should have remained as vertical linears of the original. in addition the finish was absolutely butchered on the multi-colourway era but parity was restored with the success of the teal sk8-hi.

next up we have the heavily anticipated return of 1 of the most infamous prints from the vans back catalog in the form of the pirate skulls. silhouette & production method aside, this re-release we can not fault! this time the mis-matching rotation of adjacent panels works well, offerring upright wayfarer pirate action from every angle. to my knowlede this has seen a sk8-hi japan-only release since mid 90's phase out & it is a welcome return, & the 3-tone #98 is hopefully a sign of things to come.

to follow is the 'maroon hawaiian' which unfortunately misses the boat. the print itself is on the mark however the washed maroon looks more like a washed out brown unfit for the shores of hawaii. the royal blue had already been done & should have been left at that, & im sure my own personal og royal blue hawaiian we provided for the vans product launch out-performed its modern appropriation on every level.

last & not least comes another hawaiian print in the form of the modern 'parrot' re-hash of the og 'black jungle' . again the print is almost spot-on apart from the interchange of the traditional parrot with a cockatoo on the modern release. you should however bird-watch past this mild oversight, & the inferiorities of cold cure production, because after all a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.... but both can be killed with 1 stone.

without focusing too much on the future or heaven forbid living in the present moment, we will continue to keep our head firmly buried in the past, unflinchingly grasping that NOStalgic sense that 'they dont make them like they used to'. this series did provide an insight however into the abundant vans timeline & as such inspires us to open up what is the dense black jungle of the endless vans printing press.

tosotp x VANS ROMA vibe case ¬ when in rome

a preview of our latest collaboration with vans on their new store opening in rome last week!

historical narrative & originals supplied by the other side of the pillow.

more details coming soon.
when in rome....

THIS is vans camden!!

the latest london venture by vans/vfc launched last month in camden complete with original archive 'vibe case' supplied by yours truly! more of our vault items go on permanent display, showcasing the off the wall trajectory of original vans from humble beginnings in 1966, through the fast times of the 80's til going public in the mid 90's. we got good vibes about this 1!

VANS carnaby street x TOSOTP vintage

pop down to vans london on carnaby street & check out our latest re-merchandising of our vintage archive which, over the last 2 years has become the staple spectacle in the flagship store! we have provided specimens from each decade from brand origins til the mid 90's. you may notice some never b4 seen pieces fresh from the pillow vault. it is arguably the strongest collection existing today which depicts the legacy started by the van dorens back in 1966. thanx must go out to our young apprentice steph, rich 'dickie' dawson & the guys at vans, especially charlie whom ensures our backs are not up against the wall, & instead remain off the wall!

style #45 turns 45; a history

vintage van's style #45

ecru canvas, blue siped sole
made in usa circa 1966
new
US9.5

the life of this van's style #45 deck shoe prior to 2009 i can only imagine. i will henceforth however pay them due respect & fulfill what i feel is an obligation & update fellow admirer nicholas maggio with their life thereafter.

i 1st saw these on ebay back in early '09 & was equally taken aback by their minimalist charm & refined sensibility. it was a time i had convinced myself I could wear US9.5 vans, before realising in fact vans were best worn snug to best facilitate the vulcanised effect. as such, i watched reluctantly as they soared out of my price range & out of my grasp, into the realm of the 'one that got away'. perhaps by fate the ghosts of van doren's past conspired to facilitate an apparent high bidder fail which saw them re-listed.... & i snagged them for a cool $60. i was stoked! upon their arrival however i came to the understanding the size was not ideal & to do them full justice i did not want to thrash them just for the hell of it. & so they sat covered in plastic, in good company you should know, however not getting the full appreciation they deserved. that was until the footwear gods again conspired to crystallise my now full-time devotion to original vans in the shape of our London carnaby street archive display. once again they were an object of appreciation, albiet in a museum of sorts & sadly not being worn like they should be worn.

it was only much later while scouring the web I recognised my style #45's from nicholas' post. i thought is it the same pair? but of course like he said, these authentics cannot be reproduced! my education since then of the malevolent detail & rich history of vans originals tells me these are in fact a very early example of vans style #45 boat shoe perhaps even a sample or jim van doren side-project? they feature the siped bright blue sole & vinyl heel pads of the classic #45 however the former with an iregular zig-zag siping & the latter 'van quality' naugehyde heel. they also lack the familiar vamp tag below which the toe guard also features a straight edge articulation with the foxing side wall as opposed to the regular contoured edge. to me however it is the subtle idiosyncrasies such as the soft textured laces, the faded ecru canvas, the Van outer heel tab & the kidney shaped 'pool' on the siped blue sole which justify their label as true 'van quality'. & so their life continues on, this time instore & back on the rack after a 45 year abscence, again available for someone lucky to wear the hell out of 'em

THIS is vans CARNABY STREET! here endeth the lessen

THIS the 2nd installment display for London's flagship vans store provided by the other side of the pillow.

vans carnaby street x tosotp

pop-in to the pop-up

link up here for the official photos of the vans carnaby street re-fit
complete with our very own archive display, contributing footwear & accessories dating back to brand origins back in 1966.