Back for the Spring ’13 Vault season, is a brand new Authentic LX. They’re constructed in premium pigskin suede, with a contrasting full-grain leather toe, sitting on top of an off-white vulcanized sole, with a stitched leather foxing stripe. Say that in one breath! Basically, there’s a lot more going on here than it appears. There will be two colors offered: Tan/Brown, and Black/Grey. Watch for these in the coming month!
info via FreshNGood
one more color after the jump Read More
It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a Prison Issue from Vans Vault, let alone from Vans period, and I’m pleased to see it make a return for the Spring season. The materials and tonal colorways are on point, and the perforated nubuck is oh so buttery! Another nice feature, for those of you who don’t like the “Burt & Ernie” white rubber toecaps, these have a color-matched nubuck one. Available in 3 unofficially named colors: black, burgundy, and a dark tan colorway. I might just have to swoop up a pair of these!
info via FreshNGood
more colorways after the jump Read More
Words via Chris @ Vans:
“Vault by Vans unveils the next assortment of Original Classics with three new colorways of the OG Sk8-Hi LX. Utilizing the design specs from the Sk8-Hi’s first production in 1978, the OG Sk8-Hi LX revives the archived Palm Leaf print for Black/Beryl Green, Black/Red and Navy/Bronze offerings. The spring editions of the Palm Leaf OG Sk8-Hi LX are available this May at select Vault by Vans dealers”
AND Blends San Diego was blessed to be given an exclusive early release of this pack for 4/20! Head on over to their location between 6-9 pm to cop your pair early! Them Black and Beryl Green joints though!!!
Vault by Vans Palm Leaf OG Sk8-Hi LX:
OG Sk8-Hi LX in (Palm Leaf) Black/Beryl Green
OG Sk8-Hi LX in (Palm Leaf) Black/Red
OG Sk8-Hi LX in (Palm Leaf) Navy/Bronze
more pics after the jump Read More
It’s not very often that I write sneaker reviews anymore. With the amount of sneakers that bombard us each month, it’s hard to pick and choose which shoes are worthy enough of a review. The Montebelluna Hi LX seen here, is undoubtedly worthy. When we first caught wind that Vans was doing a high end collab with Italian shoemaker Diemme, we were all ears. Months later, when we realized the MSRP on this collection, we were all up in arms! With the Montebelluna Lo LX (Slip-On) coming in at a pricey $300, and the Montebelluna Hi LX (Sk8-Hi) at a hefty $350, one can understand why the sudden commotion, but let’s break it down as to what we have here. We’ve got a hand-crafted, updated, Italian made, super limited, luxurious, classic silhouette, of one of our most favorite sneakers, from (well at least, one) of our favorite sneaker brands! This is an epic shoe, and if you’re a serious Vans collector, especially one from the earlier days, then you can appreciate these. The material choice is better than what you’d find on most douchey brand labels at your girlfriend’s favorite high end department store, and the instant you touch the supple inner lining, you’ll be sold. If you don’t got the money for these, then sell of 2 or 3 of your earlier Supreme or Syndicates. You can always find another one of those! These will probably sit around for a little bit, but once they’re gone, they’re gone. There’s no room for a reseller to make profit, so these will be bought up by people who will own and wear these. Right now’s the time to make a move, as you can get these for below MSRP on eBay. I got mine for $330 shipped, which I thought was a steal, until I got the shoes and saw that the seller left the price tag on the box, and saw that he paid $270 from Hot Rod! As others stay on the fence, hopefully you pull that trigger on a future classic.
Check out my pics, that will hopefully help you in your decision, and no need to thank me Vans! I just hope that you guys keep putting out dope stuff like this. Stuff that the other brands don’t even bother to venture into. Next up, hopefully you guys bring back a program to make one-off customs here in the USA, like the good ‘ol days! If we’re willing to pay $350 for these shoes right here, then perhaps a premium price point will be worth paying to get a pair made!
more pics after the jump Read More
Words via Highsnobiety:
“The Vans Era remains to be one of our favorite sneakers when the weather gets better. Vans Vault presents a new series of premium suede Era LX’s for Spring 2013. Premium suede uppers, suede Vans tag and leather lining make these a solid choice for the coming months.”
more colorways after the jump Read More
We now have some new information on the upcoming sneaker collaboration with Vault and Italian brand Diemme. They’ve already teamed up on a high-end boot a few months ago, and this time around they’re working with two familiar silhouettes. There’s some differences though, and so the collaborators gave the shoes their own name, respectively. First up is the Montebelluna Hi LX, the Sk8-Hi variation, and next is the Montebelluna Lo LX, which gets it’s good looks from the classic Slip-On. Both are hand-constructed in fine black or navy Italian leather, and sit on top of a cupsole that is stitched to the upper, and from 10 feet away you couldn’t tell that these aren’t equipped with a standard Vans vulc sole. Good thing, because with the $300 and $350 price mark, you want these things to last longer than your average pair of Vans! Oh, you didn’t know that was the price? Hehe, well what do you expect from a fine hand-made Italian piece of craftsmanship? Now, the question is…will you pay full retail for these in April, when they start showing up in assuming limited numbers?
more pics after the jump Read More
Success! That was the general feeling going around amongst the Blends family. The excitement was in the air, and it was infectious. Preparing two events, to coincide the same day, is no simple feat, and my hat goes off to them for a terrific job. Read on, after the jump, to see how my journey went, following this SoCal release throughout the day in the OC, all the way into the night, ending in San Diego. Read More
Vans Vault has partnered up with Blends on this awesome Sk8-Hi Zip LX to commemorate their 10 Year Anniversary, and I wanted to write up a little review for y’all. The first thing that draws your attention to these, are the bones that are prominently displayed on the side of the upper. Replacing the typical jazz stripe, yet keeping the familiarity of the classic lines so you know what they are. Fuckin’ dope is what they are! When I first laid eyes on them, right away my thoughts went towards those high end Japanese labels, such as MASTERMIND, NEIGHBORHOOD, or our beloved WTAPS. These could’ve easily been something that we’ve seen from them, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a little bit of inspiration came from that lifestyle. These are wrapped in motorcycle jacket leather, and feature muted tongues, so there’s no label on it. The only branding is on the footbed, where you’ll see the Vans and Blends logos. Let’s also not forget that they went with the Sk8-Hi Zip LX, which has only been in the Vault lineup for about a year and some change now, but has been an instant success. It features the “re-issue” last, for that old skool timeless look. The shoes come equipped with black and white thin laces, and you get your standard white classic vulc sole, with black foxing stripe. The bottoms are black as well. Size down half a size, as these Sk8-Hi Zips have a non-removable insole. You’ll thank me later on that heads up! Blends only made 100 pairs of these, and they release this Friday. No set price yet, so you’ll just have to take a gamble when they drop. I honestly believe that these will be one of the top 5 drops from Vans this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up on a lot of people’s year-end lists. Great fucking job, Blends!
I also want to give a special shout-out to Nobu, for blessing me with a pair early, so I could share the real deal info with y’all. We know our Vans better than anyone else out there, and I’m glad that he recognizes us for that. I don’t ever ask for stuff, so when I get that swag sent my way, I truly am thankful for it! I’m not worthy! And while I got the mic, I wanna shout out the rest of the Blends and BTNC homies! Thanks for being down with OTWS, and hashtagging all your Vans drops with our #OTWS tag. Game reckonize game son! (Wait, what are y’all doin? What the… Gimme the mic back… hold up…lol alright guys peace! -Guamstyles)
tons more pics after the jump incl. on feet pics Read More
BLENDS is pleased to announce, in celebration of our 10 year anniversary, a collaboration with Vans Vault for the BLENDS SK8 Hi Zip LX. Sticking with the iconic SK8 Hi OG mold, we injected the classic shoe with Blends venom, calling into play a premium leather upper, a gun metal zipper on the heel and switching the classic jazz stripe for a bone. The shoe was designed by Blends co-founder Tak Kato.
The Blends SK8 Hi Zip LX will be releasing on Friday, March 8th at our Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana locations and online at BLENDSUS.com. They will also be available at the opening of the VANS x BLENDS shop, located at our Downtown San Diego location.
100 pairs made
more pics after the jump Read More
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