Lately it seems that New Balance Asia have been pumping out some of the nicer shoes the brand currently stocks. The UNDFTD x Stussy x Mad Hectic 996 is by far my favourite release in a long time indeed and the Nonnative 997.5 isn’t too bad looking either. Our homies at UpThere are going to be releasing these bad boys in incredibly limited numbers on February 4th.

Featuring plush materials and a nice monotone dune colour scheme with bright blue hits, the 997.5 does well to not try and be something it isn’t. There was a time when NB Asia were pumping out solid colourways on models not available outside of Japan, but now it seems through retailers like Laced and Up There we’re gaining access to these once impossible to find treasures.

- t, Full details can be seen at Up There

Nike has been on a roll with their range of Lunarlon infused runners, and it looks like 2012 is going to be no different. First off for the new year are the LunarEclipse+ 2 and Vapor Trainer. The Eclipse continues the chunky shape of the first version but the side panelling changes mean the whole shoe seems a lot less bulky. Taz rolled with the first version for a while and commented on the comfort, and in this black/red colourway the shoe looks bananas! Definitely a shoe to look out for this year.

The second new model is the Vapor Trainer; taking the opposite path to the Eclipse it is actually based on Nike’s popular football boot the Vapor has a sleek profile without looking too feminine. The inital release colourway is this white/orange which might be a bit tricky to pull off but in the coming months I’m sure there will be a myriad of different versions to choose from. Definitely a winner in my books as well.

- t, Here’s to a great New Year!

This coming Thursday the 22nd, Laced will be releasing the latest collaboration between Asics and Patta. This time the guys from Amsterdam have taken to the Gel Saga, one of the nicest Asics retro silhouettes around. This serves as a follow up to their first Gel Lyte III, this time more focussed on being a winter friendly shoe. The iconic cross pattern is retained, albeit with a more subdued colour palette. Where these shine is in the material choices, with lush nubuck, reflective panels, tough rubberised leather and pony hair. There’s only three stores stocking these and number are really low. Hit up the store at 10am to ensure you have the best chance at getting a pair, and we’ll be in the new spot by then so you can grab a coffee and check out the new fit out!

- t, $180 and limited to one pair each…

The PERFECT combination…classic silhouette, great materials, and a great colourway.  There was no way on this earth that I could pass on this release and you’ll be sorry if you do.

-S,

I know, I know…the quality is far from great…and the shape is way off from the OG’s.  What can I say: I’m a weak man, the pain I felt the last time I missed out on the last release of the laser blues was too much to bear again so I gave in and pulled the trigger.

-S,

So, here I am back in the cold, wet and foggy UK. My first weekend back was spent with a couple of mates in London, one of whom was kind enough to treat me to a coming home present: The sublime Vac Tec Air Max 90 (Haystack).

- S,

Our boys at Up There have put out their first of three lookbooks. As the boys put it:

It’s that time of year again, where our shelves are full of the newest collections from your favourtie Up There brands. With so many options from all our brands we have put together a three-piece lookbook to showcase a variety of the different styles represented in the store.

Part one brings to you pieces from our newest brand Bedwin & The Heartbreakers as well as pieces from our regulars Converse, Noir, Norse Projects and Yuketen just to name a few. Please enjoy the images that bring Up There to life.

- t, be sure to hit up the guys for your new season wears this summer.

The other week Laced played host to the Australian exclusive release of the Crooked Tongues New Balance 1500s. The celebrate the occasion we threw a bit of a pre-release event to show some love to the big N. Alongside the shoes releasing, New Balance also provided photos from the NB574 “Journeys” show and samples for release in 2012. As well as these; myself and Stu along with help from a few other NB fiends put some of our collections on show. The number of shoes on display whilst not huge was pretty ecclectic. Hit up Laced for some images from the night and a side-by-side comparison with the original 576 and the 1500 re-colour.

- t, check out a video from the night here.

Released in 2009 the DMP pack V wasn’t a patch on the quality of the previous releases, but the fact that it was the first pair of Jordans I owned, meant that I had to pick them up no matter what.

- S

This latest collaboration with London based sneaker forum ‘Crooked Tongues’ sees the return of 2 classic colourways as featured on the 574 some years ago.  The shape of the UK 1500 might have changed for the worst in the eyes of some purists, but to me, it’s still nice enough and the quality of Cumbria produced shoes is still on point when compared to some other un-named manufacturers.

- S,