Barbour, the Brits who have been decking out adventure-seeking gentlemen for over thirty years, have gotten together with sportswear superpower Adidas for a three-part Fall/Winter 2014 collection: Country, Spectator and Military. With Country harkening back to the English countryside, the collaboration offers a modernized take on the classic Adiwick beeswax jacket. The Country jacket is represented by the Barbour Beaufort, with new leather trim for the sake of paring with the Adidas classic TS Runners — the sneakers being touched up with a waxed tongue and an upper of aged, tan leather. If your look is more that of the city park than the pasture, the sportier Spectator series provides choices in the Johbar Barbour beeswax jacket with matching ZX55 sneakers. Lastly, the next level of urban aesthetic gets you in the Military — the many pockets of the camouflage-lined Barbour jacket paired with the Adidas-fied waxed fabric-meets-napa-leather Barbour boot. Shop the full collection here.

See more of the Adidas x Barbour Fall/Winter 2014 Collection after the Jump…

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With the Wu set to release their much-anticipated sixth studio album A Better Tomorrow due in a couple weeks (December 2nd to be exact), Shaolin’s finest drops a track to whet y’alls appetites, “Necklace”. As fans of the Clan are aware, A Better Tomorrow was supposed to be out last year to mark the 20th anniversary of the Wu, but complications and in-fighting (especially with Raekwon) delayed the album till now. Let’s face it, Wu Tang Clan have not had a great album since Forever, and although Iron Flag had its moments can we really expect an album full of prime cuts? I guess we shall see, although there is no question we’re eagerly awaiting our chance to play it on the subwoofer. “Necklace” features verses by some of the Wu’s finest — GZA, Cappadonna, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah — and the results are promising. Stream “Necklace” below, and look out for A Better Tomorrow when it drops early next month…

In the current digital era, where every self-bloating site and social-media platform has made the lives of the painfully average into a constant news blast, it seems the stories of the truly remarkable among us have become overshadowed by the mundane. With those more worthy of memoir and memory in his mind, editor Patrick Grant — British fashion designer and creative director at Norton & Sons tailoring — has compiled a book dedicated to men with stories that stand apart from the everyman who has demanded our attention. Original Man: The Tautz Compendium of Less Ordinary Gentleman gazes back to before the dawn of the yawn era that is the look-at-me-being-boring culture of the Internet. Original Man not only documents the accomplishments and lifestyles of great men, but it excels in demonstrating each subject’s vastly different passions, accomplishments and personalities, their stories spanning from history’s modern martyrs to art’s zaniest eccentrics. Jimi Hendrix, Ozzie Osbourne, Iggy Pop, Yves Saint-Laurent, Andy Warhol and Malcolm X make just a short list of the exemplary figures who have led lives worthy of this 240-page hardcover. Pick up Gestalten’s go-to reference of the richly interesting for $40 when available.

More men of greatness after the Jump…

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Ah Shetland, the isle of funny accents, beautiful hand-knit sweaters, and those little ponies. Thanks to Jamieson’s of Shetland, you can at least knock out the sweater part, but you are on your own when it comes to speaking incomprehensibly or riding on a miniature trusty steed. Jamieson’s, despite the sprawling metropolis we think of when we imagine the shepherds and knitters of the isles, is a family business that’s been operating for five generations. Since 1890, to be exact, and they are now Shetland’s only spinning mill. As to wear to purchase one of Jamieson’s Shetland wool sweaters without a passport, we’re not so sure, but if you’re feeling ballsy — as in, you need some balls of Shetland yarn (and design) to knit your own — get in on the DIY-fumbled-Christmas-sweater-action here.

More looks at the Jamieson’s of Shetland Sweaters Collection after the Jump…

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With the Prologue Concept, Audi introduces its new design language. For an automaker that has ridden a wave of unprecedented success on the back of innovative design — definitive, clean and at times audacious — a concept vehicle that promises to usher in Audi’s new DNA is a game-changing moment.

Up high in the Hollywood Hills, Audi welcomed a roomful of well-heeled tastemakers in fine tailored suits and expensive eyewear to witness the beginning of a new era for the German luxury brand. With the City Of Angels sparkling far below the extended terrace, a lone spotlight shone on a veiled vehicle, long and imposing.

Even beneath the muted covers it was clear this was a machine of great importance — the first vehicle designed under the auspice of Audi’s new Design Chief Marc Lichte, a man who only took over the reins this past February. In that short timeframe, from a white sheet design, Lichte had penned the Future Of the Four Rings in the form of this Prologue concept, as well as the next-generation A8, A7 and A6.

“This is more than a concept car, it is the beginning of a new era of design at Audi,” Lichte explained as he stood next to his creation. “The [Prologue] is the essence of the future.” He then pulled the sheet before him, dramatically revealing an expansive coupé. Long and squat, shining like a diamond in its pearl effect “light diva gray” paintjob.

For a brand built on design and engineering, the aptly named Prologue offers plenty of each. Its exterior lines are sharp and angular, a motif that is repeated throughout the car — whether it’s the sharply stamped sheet metal, trapezoidal headlamps, creased aluminum hood, deli-slicer rims or diamond-patterned grille. Shorter and lower than the A8 upon which it is based, the Prologue chops two doors off its sibling and adds a striking fastback profile, pulling the C pillar way to the back. The effect is somewhat like a larger A7, but more striking due to its coupé silhouette.

The one feature that will instantly impose its will on you is the new Singleframe grille — now much wider, shorter and lower placed than any contemporary Audi. It is dominant, gaping, and yet still elegant in a world where ballooning grille sizes are becoming caricatures of automotive monotony. High-resolution Matrix laser headlamps define the top corners of the fascia, while sharp geometric air intakes define the lower corners.

Continue reading the Audi Prologue Concept reveal after the Jump…

“This is more than a concept car, it is the beginning of a new era of design at Audi…” 

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God bless the interwebs. Really, every once in awhile something so awesome pops up on these interconnected series of tubes that you just marvel you’re living in the modern age. Such is the case when we stumbled across this First Demo — Fugazi’s demo tapes while the band prepared to record their eponymous first studio EP. Seminal is an understatement; what would become 13 Songs — the album made when the band combined their Fugazi and Margin Walker EPs — is one of the greatest albums of all time. It was also the album that defined the “post-hardcore” sound, and along with Quicksand’s Slip are the definitive recordings of that era. Ian MacKaye’s Dischord Records put the studio EP out in 1988, and so they’re now kind enough to release the much rougher-sounding First Demo LP some 18 years later (fuck, we’re getting old). Enough talk though, time to play. Enjoy, universe! First Demo is out now via Dischord — pick it up!

Stream First Demo, below, and hit the Jump for full tracklist…

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Mo’ Wax Records has reached drinking age, and officially joined the shelves of music history/urban archaeology. Never one to shy away from commercial collaborations, their new “Build and Destroy” line with NikeLab is only the latest. Created in cahoots with Mo’ Wax founder James Lavelle, the “Build and Destroy” collection features the Mo’ Wax remix of the Nike Blazer sneaker (shown above). The “Build and Destroy” rendition of the otherwise classic basketball sneaker features a black-on-black upper comprised of oiled sued, ballistic nylon and waxed leather embellished with the Mo’ Wax logo at the heel, all set atop a clean, white rubber sole. Look out at the NikeLab for the Blazer sneakers, as well as the matching leather/wool MA-1 Destroyer jacket (below) when they drop November 26th.

One more shot of the Mo’ Wax x Nike Blazer sneaker interior after the Jump…

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With a 51-year band history, The Kinks  have carved their place in the Rock Rushmore largely thanks to the brothers Davies, Dave and Ray. Beginning with their early bill-topping singles such as “You Really Got Me” that cemented their place in the famed British invasion, The Kinks continued to make music deep into the 90’s. Now that fifty years have passed since the Kinks first hit in 1964, this five-disk collection of the band’s first five years, aptly titled Anthology 1964-1971, is completely appropriate. The anthology includes 100 songs, over two dozen of which have never before been released. Get a whole lotta love for the “Lola” makers to order for $66. Personal favorite? “Death of a Clown.” Official release via BMG.

Full song list for all five disks of The Kinks “Anthology 1964-1971” after the Jump…

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