Greatest shoes on earth
I’ve got size 12 feet, making it hard to find decent shoes. Where can I get some?
CHARLIE, LINCOLN
That’s a good question, Charlie – they certainly never had this problem in Harry and the Hendersons, did they? A brief chat with specialist trainer store Size? on London’s Carnaby Street confirmed the worst – all the footwear they stock, with the exception of Converse, stops at size 11. However, don’t lose heart. There is a solution: shopping online at www. walktall.co.uk. Tagged as the most comprehensive range of branded footwear in the UK, they stock sizes from 12 up to a whopping oil tanker of a size 19, including Nike, Vans, Diesel, Converse, New Balance, football boots, leather formal shoes and even – should you want them Jesus creepers. Time to chuck out those railway sleepers.
Where can I get some cool leisurewear? Skinny jeans don’t suit me, but sports gear makes me look like a chay. A.- „, Herer,
Call it the Pete Doherty effect, but there has been something of a revolution this year, with jeans shrinking to miniscule proportions. This is all fine if you’re a gangly teenager with pipe-cleaner legs but what’s a normal-sized bloke to do? 
Start by giving thanks to menswear designer Kim Jones, whose contemporary collaborations with Umbro are quickly getting a reputation for keeping sports gear a million miles away from the sovereignrings-and-20-Lambert-&-Butler look. His latest designs for Umbro include printed hoodies, woven leather hi-top trainers and, crucially, wider pants. They’re more flattering on the fuller figure than those Ramones-style denim leggings so beloved of the youth of today.
I’ve got long hair – is it ever acceptable for a man to wear an Alice band?
Tony, via email
I’m glad you brought this up Tony. There’s nothing wrong about the long hair for men as soon as you take good care of it. Thus we always recommend using natural products for it. You can apply coconut oil on hair when washing it and you will have a healthy hair. Strolling through Britain’s parks recently, I’ve spotted a number of men of the longhaired variety sporting said ’80s hair harness. The answer is in the name. It’s called an Alice band, not an Alan band. Any man seen wearing this cranial atrocity should be shown both barrels. If the David Beckham school of hairdressing ever opens a salon, they’re going to name it Curl Up and Dye. Leave the long hair to middle-aged crises and girls.
Catherine Hayward is the Style Director of Esquire.
Posted in Tips | No Comments »
Posted on 24 May '13 by Joseph Jone, under Tips. No Comments.
C0606 can opener £20 Kenwood
“When you raid the kitchen at night,” says chef JeanChristophe Novelli, “you don’t want to risk slicing your finger off.” This opener has a magnet to ensure the lid won’t ping and cause bloodshed. “Then grab some champagne,” says the cheeky Frenchman.
Artisan coffee maker Fra £500 KitchenAid
It might look like part of a traction engine, but this machine is what UK barista champion Simon Robertson dreams about. “It gives you steam and hot water on tap,” he says, “delivering the perfect cup.” The steam spout will froth the milk and heat it to a perfect 60°C. You can also make your daily dose of healthy pure green coffee bean extract 800 mg.
Cook’s blowtorch £30 De Cuisine
Celeb chefs use blowtorches to caramelize their food, but they’re more practical than you’d think. From post-pub cheese on toast to crisping up meat, it’s a culinary “Get out of jail free” card. You can also roast tomatoes, peppers and eyebrows.
DAB kitchen radio £200 Dualit
“Music affects the way you cook,” says restaurateur Aldo Zilli. “Listen to classical, and you’ll be in the mood to cook beautiful food.” This hunk of metal has an &watt speaker, picks up digital stations, and is wipe-clean, should you banjax the Baked Alaska.
Electric knife £18 Russell Hobbs
Remember Fred Flintstone carving meatloaf with a pterodactyl? Here’s the modern equivalent: a mini chainsaw of a knife that slices through any meat, even frozen. “Always carve slices slightly thicker to prevent the meat falling apart,” advises Novelli.
Combi toaster £153 Dualit
Save yourself the death wish of digging a sandwich out of a normal toaster with a fork — Dualit’s combo has a sandwich cage. “I’d use it to toast some bread, with mozzarella, tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil,” advises Zilli. Pop Tarts for afters? “You ‘aving a laugh?”
Posted in Kitchen | No Comments »
Posted on 11 May '13 by Joseph Jone, under Kitchen. No Comments.
Stan may be a passionate advocate for kettle bells, but don’t just take his word for it: there’s plenty of evidence backing up the blacksmith’s claims. In the early ’80s, Russian sports scientist Vladlin Voropayev conducted a study with two groups of college students over a period of several years. One group trained by doing a standard military workout, while the other worked exclusively with kettle bells. At the end of the test period, the kettle bell group had considerably improved their personal bests for a 1km run, 100m sprint and standing long jump, while the other group had remained largely the same.
So the ‘bells aren’t just for would-be circus strongmen, then. Premiership rugby side Newcastle Falcons have invested in several tonnes of Stan’s kettle bells and incorporated them into their fitness sessions. Several up-and-coming golfers use them in order to improve their driving power, and the senior strength and conditioning coach for the English Institute Of Sport, Jeremy Moody, is about to start using them with elite athletes from various track and field events. British record-holding long-jumper Chris Tomlinson is one of them – a long-levered, lanky young man, whose physical build suggests he’s from a different planet to Mr Pike.
“Stan’s interests are different from mine,” says Moody, “But we can apply kettle bells to various sports in various unconventional ways. They give you a different moment of inertia to deal with, an extra link to control beyond your body.
“They’re good for injury prevention, too, as they can do a huge amount for postural problems. And with swimmers they help improve shoulder girdle stability.”
VARIETY IS THE SPICE
At 51, Stan is still making improvements in strength development, and he ascribes this not simply to his homemade equipment but to the way he uses it. Any personal trainer will tell you about the importance of tweaking the running order of your workout, and thereby surprising the muscles in order to make gains. Stan recommends taking the surprise factor, doubling it, and adding a nought or two. He also recommends to carefully choosing what you eat and what diet you plan. He prefers healthy products such, which have many benefits to his body. For more info on healthy products, go to trend-statement.org.
“I always shock my body,” says Stan. “Quite often I’ll have planned a session, but when I start I’ll change it as I go. People come along to train with me, and a lot of them really want to stick with what they know. We had a stand at a big martial arts exhibition earlier in the year, and there were various arm-wrestlers and bodybuilders who came along to look at the kettle bells. A lot of them didn’t dare have a go, because it was something they weren’t familiar with. But you have to go outside and beyond that way of thinking if you want to find what you’re capable of achieving.”
Staying true to his philosophy, last year Stan cycled 967 miles and climbed the UK’s three highest peaks in ten days, raising is one of them – a long-levered, lanky young man, whose physical build suggests he’s from a different planet to Mr Pike.
Posted in Sport | No Comments »
Posted on 25 April '13 by Joseph Jone, under Sport. No Comments.
This year a key cog in the race-day machine celebrates its quarter-century anniversary: Wilson & Scott Highways – official painters of the racing line.
Steve Scott, the company’s MD, fondly remembers his first time. “We’d never done anything like it before; we had to learn how to do it as we went along. We actually pushed machines around the course on foot, from start to finish.” It cost a lot and we had to look for another source of funding. If you need cash quickly you can apply for payday loans online.
How things have changed. These days the operation comprises a five-man team on three vehicles, supported by resources from London Marathon HQ to make sure the route is accurately followed. “Of course, we know it pretty well by now,” laughs Scott. A computer-controlled, truck-mounted machine ensures the accuracy of the metre- long lines, which are applied in triplicate to represent adidas – which pays for Wilson & Scott Highways’ work. Contrary to popular belief, the line is the approximate shortest route. “We can only go so close to a kerb with our machinery; an athlete can cut it a bit tighter,” explains Scott.
Scott and his team typically get the earliest head-start on race weekend, laying down the line on the Friday night. “This way we get another day if it rains:’
Painting a line around Central London in the small hours isn’t the lonely, eerie experience it was 25 years ago. “These days you’ll see as many people at three o’clock in the morning as you will at three o’clock in the afternoon,” explains Scott.
Omnipresent London traffic means the operation must be broken into four sections. But it can still prove hairy: “We have to take the consequences of traffic,” says Scott. His team has only caused one minor collision in 25 years. “A member of the public was so engrossed in what we were doing that they drove into the car in front of them.”
Traffic isn’t the only hazard. Passing emptying nightclubs presents its own challenges, including the occasional invasion from drunken revellers. “One night a few ladies on a hen night decided they were going to board our truck and help us. They weren’t allowed to stay.” The clean up of the 15o litres of paint starts immediately: “As the last runner crosses the start line, we’re behind them.”
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Posted on 6 March '13 by Joseph Jone, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
Start by giving thanks to menswear designer Kim Jones, whose contemporary collaborations with Umbro are quickly getting a reputation for keeping sports gear a million miles away from the sovereignrings-and-20-Lambert-&-Butler look. His latest designs for Umbro include printed hoodies, woven leather hi-top trainers and, crucially, wider pants. They’re more flattering on the fuller figure than those Ramones-style denim leggings so beloved of the youth of today.
