donnellsw-blog

[donnellsw-blog]

What I'm Wearing (#18)

What I’m Wearing (#18)

Sherpa Pullover- Killion Tank – Fear of God Denim – Hyper Denim Cap – FourtwoFour Kicks – Y-3 Pure Boost

[donnellsw-blog]

Has the NMD become the new Roshe?

Has the NMD become the new Roshe?

As adidas has rose to footwear prominence over the last couple years they have spawned a slew of models that have captured sneaker lovers and common folk alike. One of their most sought after models has been the NMD runner.   Since its debut late last year (December 12th, 2015) it has taken the sneaker world by storm and become one of the hottest models on the market, especially the primeknit…

[donnellsw-blog]

What I'm Wearing (#17)

What I’m Wearing (#17)

IG: Donnell.sw Hoodie and Hat: Anti Social Social Club – (Buy here) Tee: Daniel Patrick – (Buy here) Denim: Rollas – (Buy here) Shoes: Jordan 1 “Bred” – (Buy here)   Thanks guys!

[donnellsw-blog]

IG: Donnell.sw

They say teamwork makes the dreamwork and I agree. It is always awesome to see two of your favorite brands, franchises or interests come together and create something awesome. Every year we see a slew of companies, both expected and some surprises, collaborate to give us some super dope shit. 2016 was especially full of great collaborations and I am going to count down my top 10 of the whole year. I know the year isn’t technically over and there may be some secret collabs on the way but I am going to try and stick too releases that have already happened or confirmed collabs for the rest of the year! Hope you guys see something you like, enjoy the read.

Disclaimer: These are solely my opinion guys so dont get on me if there is a collab you absolutely love that doesn’t make it!

10. Ronnie Fieg x New Balance Mykonos 997.5

The founder and designer of Kith always brings the fire with his collabs. Whether its Asics, New Balance or Adidas Ronnie is always on point with quality and colorway, this is no different. Honestly the 997.5 is a forgettable silhouette but this colorway GOES and I wish they came in size 15 so I could cop a pair for myself!

9. John Elliot x GAP

I love seeing designers working with with stores like GAP to provide us with quality products for far less than they would be straight from the brand. I really love John Elliot and was silhouette to hear about this excited in particular, it was easy to wear and very affordable. Look out for more collabs like this on the list

8. Supreme x Levi’s

It’s always fun when a supreme collab pops up with a surprise company. Now, there are other brands that would have been more surprising but supreme and Levi’s dont generally attract the same customer. None the less they came together twice this year to drop some pretty dope denim pieces with some flair that only supreme can provide.

Supreme x Levi’s Fall

Supreme x Levi’s Spring

  7. Nike x Acronym Air Presto

Earlier this year Nike and Acronym dropped a trio of zipper heavy silhouettes of the ever popular air presto. Acronym always brings a fresh and very unique design to any model that they work on and this instance was no different. UnfortunatelyI was not able to pick up a pair but these are still one of the best releases Nike has had in a long time.

6. Off white x Midnight Studios

Undoubtedly one of the hottest streetwear brands out right now, Off white is pretty much turning anything they touch into retail gold. Things were not much different with their collab with youth-punk inspired streetwear brand Midnight Studios. I think this is one fo the most creative and aesthetically pleasing collabs of the year and while it may not be worth the hefty price tag it is certainly a dope collection.

Off white x Midnight Studios rearranged Hoodie

5. Disney x Vans “Toy Story”

There’s a snake in my boot! Vans always delivers massive quality on any of their collaborations and this one goes above and beyond. The quality, nostaligia and details makes this one of the best collabs of the year and unfortunately they didnt run them in my size. Definitely a final product that Andy, Woody and the gang would be proud of.

Van’s x Toy Story Collection

4. Highsnobiety X adidas “UltraBoost”

The Ultraboost is one of the most sought after models since its release almost two years ago. The model has made its mark with minimal colorways and wearable tones, the Highsnobiety rendition is no different. This collobaration between one of the best editorials out there and one of the most popular shoes on the market right now is a match made in sneaker heaven.

3. Fear of God x Pacsun

With Pacsun on the verge of bankruptcy they pulled a fantastic business move and teamed up with one the hottest brands in streeetwear and one of the most innovative minds in streetwear in Fear of God founder and designer, Jerry Lorenzo. The product was the FOG collection, an affordable take on Jerry’s most sought after pieces excluisively available at Pacsun’s. They are two collections in now and both have sold out in minutes. There seems to be no sign of them stopping and I’m glad becuase it means I can keep picking up that Jerry shit for cheaaaaappppp.

FOG Collection 2 Hoodie

2. A Bathing Ape and Dragon Ball

If you know me you know I am a huge anime and Japanese culture in general, both of which are represented in this collaboration. DBZ was such a huge part of my childhood and Goku was one of my heros growing up. Mix that with Japanese streetwear giant BAPE and you have yourself one of the best collabs of the year. I wish I could have picked up the whole collection because seeing baby milo and Goku on the same shirt had me in my feels.

1. Supreme x Gucci Mane

Its GUUUUCCCCCCIIIIIIIIIIIII. Yes this is my number one collab of the year. Ever since Wop was released from prison earlier this year his streak of success has been… mind blowing. From his weight loss to his hit records, the east Atlanta Santa has been on a crazy hot streak and Supreme being the culture conscious brand it is couldn’t resist. This T-shirt was the most anticipated supreme shirt release of the year and rightfully so. Dont get lost in the sauce my friends.

  BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. WOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW

  My favorite Collaborations of 2016! IG: Donnell.sw They say teamwork makes the dreamwork and I agree. It is always awesome to see two of your favorite brands, franchises or interests come together and create something awesome.

[donnellsw-blog]

What I'm Wearing (#16)

What I’m Wearing (#16)

IG: Donnell.sw Tee and Hoodie – H&M (Tee / Hoodie) Denim – Minimal LA ( Buy here ) Kicks – Adidas Ultraboost “Triple White” (Buy here)   Thanks for checking it out guys, see you next week!

[donnellsw-blog]

Best Halloween costume ideas inspired by Movie Fashion

Best Halloween costume ideas inspired by Movie Fashion

Instagram : Donnell.Sw   Hey guys I am sorry I was M.I.A. last week but school was killing me! No worries though I am back and ready to finish the year strong. I hope everybody had a safe and fun halloweekend because I know I did. If your costume was lacking this year you might want to pay attention because I am going to talk about some of the best fashion inspired costume ideas that you guys can…

[donnellsw-blog]

Hey guys hope everybody had a wonderful weekend and that your week is going well. Here in Cali it doesn’t really feel like it but fall has quickly fallen (pun fully intended) on us! A new season mens a whole new choice of wardrobe and today I will be highlighting 10 items that are a must to keep your self comfortable and fashionable this fall.

  10. Denim Jacket

The Denim jacket is a year round essential so if you dont have a go to now why not pick one up for a season where it will be the most useful. There are some great options out right now and if you’re not looking to break the bank you might want to try somewhere like ASOS, Topman or H&M. Now on the other side of things if you’re looking for top of the industry I would go Fear of God for sure, Acne does a really nice on as well.

Acne Denim Jacket

Fear of God Raglan Denim Jacket

9. Some Sweatpants

These are a must for those lazy rainy weekend days, or heck even those weekdays where you want to do nothing more than lay around the house all day in something comfortable. While they are most effectively used in that forum, sweatpants have made themselves a surprising presence in fashion recently and some are even acceptable outside of your living room. Now, everybody can go buy a pair to kick around in at Target but if you want to stunt on everyone check out the pairs from Vetements, Yeezy and Gosha Rubchinsky. Definitely a trend I can get behind.

Yeezy Season 1 Caviar sweats

Vetements Cuff Sweatpants

8. Beanie’s

These may not get as much use for me here in sunny California but I know these are a must have for my people in the colder states. My go to this year will be a classic Supreme BOGO beanie which I know can be hard to find. Some other good options are Norse projects and Stone Island, both combine major quality and style.

Stone island beanie

Norse project beanie

7. Some everyday sneakers (White for me)

Its always nice to have that favorite pair of shoes that you can throw on with everything and you know they will look good and feel good. If you already have a pari you love why not add another to the rotation for a little bit of variety and maybe some flair. For me this season I will be going with some OG Stan Smith’s because you just cant go wrong. If those aren’t for you there are literally countless options. Converse, Raf Simons Stan Smith’s, Common Projects Achilles Low’s, Adidas Superstars, Van Classic’s, Balenciaga Arena’s Low and if you are really trying to flex you might go for the YSL Court Classic’s low.

Common Projects Achilles Low

Raf Simons Stan Smith

YSL Court Classic Low

  6. An Everyday Hoodie

What better item to wear with your sweatpants than a sweatshirt. For the colder months this is a must and there are some beautiful options out there right now. For my people trying to save money for the holidays you can check out H&M who just released some good ones or Killion who always offers great quality, style and price. For the people that want to get themselves an early birthday present I would check out all the brands listed in the sweatpants section and also Fear of God and John Elliott who are both industry leaders right now when it comes to quality Hoodie’s.

John Elliott Kake Mock Pullover

Fear of God Everyday Hoodie

  5. Flannels

Ah I dont know if anything screams fall more than flannels. I know everyone has a memory from their childhood of going to the pumpkin patch with a flannel and some blue jeans and feeling extra fally. They are a fantastic layering piece to be worn over a t shirt or under your new denim jacket or both! Again these will be readily available anywhere they sell clothes but I recommend checking out Public school New York, Fear of God, and A.P.C.

Fear of God fourth collection flannel

Public School New York Flannel

  4. Bomber Jacket’s

That’s right, more outerwear! Bomber jackets are the perfect accent for almost any outfit, you can dress them down or dress them up, either way they are going to work. And dont fear if you are in a hotter place like me, tons of brands offer light weight options so you dont burn up in your bomber. On the contrary if you are on the east coast and want to stay warm lots of brands offer really practical options that will keep you nice and warm all season. Most of the brands listed above (Fear of God, Vetements, Acne, Yeezy) offer bombers but fetch for a pretty penny. The bomber’s I wear are from Alpha Industries which, in my opinion, is the gold standard when it comes to bombers. They truly blend quality, style and price and better yet they make the jackets the U.S. military uses. Yes THE actual bombers….

Alpha Industries MA-1 Flight Jacket

3. A leather jacket

Channel your inner James dean this season and grab yourself a leather jacket. While it may not be an everyday wear, and for me it wont be, it is still nice to put one on once in a while and pretend like you’re hopping in grease lightning with Danny. This is a piece that I would recommend aiming for top quality on so you may not want to skimp on the price. these can be a bit pricey so they may not be an essential for you this season! Some of the cheapest options that I would feel safe recommending with the quality are from Topman and All Saints. Now if dont care what the price is and you’re ballin I would say check out the YSL one cause that joint is fire!

All saints leather jacket

Saint Laurent classic biker jacket

2. Camel Overcoat

Coming in at number 2 is the fall favorite, the overcoat. However as you can tell it is not just any overcoat, I am telling you that camel overcoats are a must have for fall this year. Camel has been all over runways this season and on shelves in stores, its one of the hottest colors of the fall and rightfully so. Over and trench coats have been a fashion staple for decades and this year is no different. Some great coats to take a look at come from Topman, ASOS, Ralph Lauren, Ted Baker and many, many more.

Topman camel overcoat

  Boots

Yes! My number one fall necessity is a good pair of boots. Mens boot’s have blown up over the last year or so and they are not slowing down anytime soon. The most popular silhouette has got to be the Chelsea and if you want to got that route I would strongly recommend the Common Projects one as it is the industry standard when it comes to Chelsea’s. Of course yeezy has made the military boot very popular and nike has a cheap option that looks similar. There are also the duck boots and strap boots a plenty so choose the silhouette you like most and rock it.

Yeeyz Crepe Boot

Saint Laurent Jodphur boot

Common projects Chelsea boot

  Thanks for reading guys and have a great rest of your week!

    10 essentials for the Fall Hey guys hope everybody had a wonderful weekend and that your week is going well. Here in Cali it doesn't really feel like it but fall has quickly fallen (pun fully intended) on us!

[donnellsw-blog]

What I'm wearing (#15)

What I’m wearing (#15)

IG: Donnell.sw Hat – James Perse (Buy here Tee – Kaws x Uniqlo Layered tee – FOG (Buy here) Denim – Rag and Bone (Buy here) Kicks – Y-3 ZG Pure Boost (Buy here)

[donnellsw-blog]

Have you ever been to a grocery store and walked down the cereal aisle (sorry I’ve been using so many grocery store analogies as of late) and checked out the frosted flakes but also saw the box of sugary corn flakes a couple rows down. The store brand is at least a couple bucks cheaper and for the price the taste doesnt take too much of a hit. So why dont we jump on buying the cheaper one that doesn’t have the cool cartoon tiger on the front? Well, while slight, there is still a difference in taste and we want the “real one” so to speak. Now I want to take this concept into a fashion and consumer lens.

I was at the mall today and began to notice a pattern.There was an H&M, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Zara, Uniqlo, Topman and last but not least my favorite, a Barneys. After making several walkthroughs of each this pattern became very evident and very blatant. I know this sounds stupid and obvious but low fashion stores like all the ones mentioned above dont even try to hide the fact they the bite off of the big designers and fashion houses. It makes sense though doesn’t it, just like the grocery store giving you an alternative so do these stores, in mass quantity.

This is so important to the game because not everyone can pay $300 plus for jeans or $100 for some John Elliott basics, I mean honestly you can get 10 t shirts from Zara for that price. Now just like I made with my cereal analogy there is of course a difference in quality and with clothes it is far more noticeable. It is incredible to walk into forever 21, try on a shirt and then go try one on at Barneys and notice the difference. Now this is in no way shading the companies that do this because this is how they make their livelihood and I benefit from it sometimes but at a certain point it can feel a little bit like plagiarism and thats what I felt a little bit of today. I was in Topman and I stumbled upon a pair of dual strap boots that look Identical and I mean Identical to the YSL pair from last season. And of course this comes with the territory and it is a huge sign of flattery blah blah blah but I felt a little odd holding an essential fake.

YSL Boot

Topman boots

here we have the YSL boots on the left and Topman version on the right (photo courtesy of me)

Again this takes nothing away from these brands because like the title says they are so damn important and they make the fashion world go round from top to bottom. So next time you are out and notice a knock off of your favorite designer try and get over the weirdness and if you cant get the real deal one of these places has you covered!

Thanks guys and have an awesome rest of your week!

Why fast fashion is so important to the industry Have you ever been to a grocery store and walked down the cereal aisle (sorry I've been using so many grocery store analogies as of late) and checked out the frosted flakes but also saw the box of sugary corn flakes a couple rows down.

[donnellsw-blog]

What I'm Wearing (#14)

What I’m Wearing (#14)

Instagram: Donnell.sw 3/4 Crewneck – Zara Tee – Alexander wang (Buy here) Denim – Rag and Bone (Buy here) Boots – Common Projects Chelsea Boots (Buy here) Thanks guys have a great weekend!

[donnellsw-blog]

What Nike can do to combat Adidas and Boost

What Nike can do to combat Adidas and Boost

Instagram: Donnell.sw One of my first posts on this blog was about the heated rivalry between footwear behemoths Adidas and Nike. In it I talked about how Adidas was making some ground in a race I thought was far out of their reach. While the numbers still point to that being the case they have certainly found a niche in streetwear and with their new Boost technology they dont seem to be slowing…

[donnellsw-blog]

What I'm Wearing (#13)

What I’m Wearing (#13)

Instagram: Donnell.sw Hat – Off white (Similar) Tee – Anti Social Social Club (Buy here) Shorts – H&M (Buy here) Shoes – Adidas UltraBoost Uncaged (Buy here)

[donnellsw-blog]

My top 5 most stylish NBA players!

My top 5 most stylish NBA players!

Hey guys if you’re a sports fan you know that the NBA season is quickly approaching and being a huge basketball fan (and player) I could not be more excited. Every year it seems more and more players enter the league that are fashion conscious, it is awesome watching postgame interviews and being able to ID everything one of my favorite players is wearing! So today I will be listing my 5 favorite…

[donnellsw-blog]

What I'm wearing (#12)

What I’m wearing (#12)

InstaGram: Donnell.sw Tee: Fear of God Fourth Collection inside – (Check here) Denim: Hyper denim – (Buy here) Shoes: Adidas AlphaBounce “Aramis” – (Buy here)   Thanks guys have a great weekend!

[donnellsw-blog]

Style versus fashion... The longest love affair ever

Style versus fashion… The longest love affair ever

What is the difference between style and fashion to you? If you ask Oscar De La Renta he might say “Fashion is a trend. Style lives within a person.” Or you may have heard these couple adages about the age old relationship, “Fashion is what you buy, style is what you do with it”- Monica Rose. “Fashion says ‘me too’ style says ‘only me'” – Geraldine Stutz. All these definitions lend their own…

[donnellsw-blog]

What I'm wearing (#11)

What I’m wearing (#11)

IG: Donnell.sw Hat – James Perse (Buy here_ 2pac tee – Urban Outfitters (Buy here) Layering tank – Daniel Patrick (Buy here) Trackers – H&M (Buy here) “OG” Ultra Boost – (try ebay or grailed)      

[donnellsw-blog]

IG: Donnell.sw

Over the last few years Calvin Klein has been taking some major steps with their marketing and their brand as a whole. We have seen marketing explode with their “My Calvin” campaign that has seen a plethora of high profile celebrities, models and artists participate such as the Jenners, Justin Bieber, FKA Twigs and many, many others.

FKA Twigs for Calvin Klein

Kendrick Lamar for Calvin Klein

These campaigns have spurred massive interest in their bralette and underwear combo for the women and their undergarment choices for the men but they have yet to take the next step in becoming a legitimate fashion force in the ever competetive industry. Until now…

Just a couple weeks ago Calvin Klein introduced former Dior creative director and every internet fashion experts favorite designer, Raf Simons. Along with his time at Dior (2012-2015), Raf Simons has found success with his own brand and multiple collaborations with other brands most notably his long time work with Adidas. This is a huge step forward for Calvin Klein and immediately puts them in a position to become a legitimate high fashion house.

They have handed over the keys to virtually every part of the company, from mens and women’s runway to furniture and athletic wear. Simons is sitting in the drivers seat with sole control of the creative direction of the brand. This is very exciting because of late their demographic in regards to fashion has either been undefined or uninterested, both of which are detrimental for a brand of any level. This all changes with Raf because he automatically brings a slew of customers and interest with him wherever he goes and I can only imagine he has a very specific plan of action.

  So be on the lookout for Raf and Calvin Klein in the near future and prepare yourself for Calvin Klein being cool again!

Why Raf Simons takeover at Calvin Klein is a big deal IG: Donnell.sw Over the last few years Calvin Klein has been taking some major steps with their marketing and their brand as a whole.