can i order them on this weird gray box? they don't sell them anywhere within the next two counties where i live.

ypu can't buy them, you have to steal someone elses.

PEOPLE of the COnverse generation Quote"Every man needs at least one of these classics"Unquote................."in their wardrobe!! are you trying to say that men have a wardrobe .That is honestly the bbest advice i have heard in years. Guys should take time out , i mean heaps of time out into the fashion industry because when you have fashion on your body you're surrounded by a brilliant life that changes every day Fashion Rules so go get it boys!!!!

I love my chucks to death. Unfortunately, it's very hard to buy them here, so any time I know someone going to the States I get them to buy me some. So far I have 2 pair of Black High Tops - one nearly dead, and one still in not bad condition. I have been wanting some coloured ones for a while now, but people I know aren't travelling so much these days. The other thing I love and can't buy here are Levi 501s with the short leg and women's fit. The jeans stores tell me the market is too small (sic) to bring them in. Oh the joys of living in a small country at the ends of the earth.

That may be true NZ Angel, but at least you can easily pick up some kiwi flavored underwear. Hard to locate them over here in the states.

Can I? I hadn't noticed! I'll have to find some now ;)

Liam, can't say I've found kiwi flavoured undies in any of the stores i go to *l*

No - and who would want undies flavoured like a fat flightless bird anyway!! *g* For the record - it's kiwiFRUIT! Plain old kiwi is our national bird.

Maybe that's why you're having such a difficult time locating the undies. I mean, who would want to eat bird flavored panties? :) Do you have Marks and Spencer in NZ? They have a very nice undergarment department.

No, not even Marks & Sparks have made it down here. A friend of mine went to europe last year, and got some fabulous underwear from M&S. I guess the problem here, is that with only 3.5 million people, the sales are so small it's not worth setting up shop if you're from the other side of the world. Don't get me wrong, I love NZ, and Chch in particular, but sometimes I wish we could see more of the cool stuff you guys can buy stateside or in europe. After all, our government has worked hard to turn us into a consumer society!

Don't forget that's there's a downside to too much consumerism: large, ugly malls, empty city centers, boxy stores taking up farm land, etc. Besides, all of the stores look the same and sell the same merchandise now: Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Polo, blah, blah, blah. I only shop in small stores now in order to find different types of stuff so it's really no different for me than for you, other than, of course, I do have the option of giving in and going to the mall if I want. Several friends have gone to NZ and they loved it. They all said it was incredibly beautiful. I would like to go there some day and maybe have a kiwi margarita. Whooops. I'm mean kiwi fruit margarita!

Oh we have all the malls etc! Chch has 350,000 people, and at least 5 large malls. Plus all the little malls as well. It's just that they are filled with NZ chain stores selling much the same stuff. For example, last night my hubby and I went shopping at our local mall (includes 6 cinema multiplex, food hall, department store, travel agents, gift shops, sports shop, book shops, hairdressers, 2 menswear stores, 6 womenswear stores (incl a lingerie shop), music stores, jewellers, etc, etc, etc). Out of all the clothing retailers, there was not a single boutique selling clothes that you couldn't buy at any other mall in the country. The problem is, the big chain stores have pushed out the small retailers by pushing up rents in the malls, and the mall managers are more interested in stores with the backing of a nationwide chain. Our local mall is a classic example of this. Ever since I was a child I have shopped at this mall, and there was a kiosk selling cheap fashion jewellry - nothing special, but it was owned and run by a local woman. When they remodelled the mall a couple of year ago, they forced up her rent to the point she couldn't continue in business. When I saw she was having a closing down sale, I asked why. She told me that the mall management no longer wanted her in the mall as they had a new tenant (a nationwide chain of stores) selling much the same things she did, and were basically forcing her out of business. By my reckoning, she had run that business for at least 15-20 years in the same location. Now her kiosk has been taken over by another jewellry retailer, selling arty little silver earrings from Mexico! But don't let me put you off NZ - it is a beautiful country, and the people are mostly friendly, as long as you don't expect us to be like the USA! To find out more about NZ, you might like to have a look at NZine, a Chch based ezine that has won numerous awards.

What you talk about in NZ is basically happening all over the US too. Every mall is the same, same stores. The big dept. stores and a lot of the clothing chains sell the same stuff. Exact same "designers". Jones New York Liz Clayborne etc etc. And it's boring stuff for the most part, and a lot of the clothes fall apart after you wear 'em a couple of times. And everybody looks the same. Uniform.

I think there is a strong element of conformism in NZ society - people who are different or excellent in their field tend to be put down or disliked. So we slavishly follow the trends that emerge from overseas. Twenty years ago, if it was hip in London, everyone wanted it here. Now, with US TV invading more and more, we follow what happens over there. The result - kiwi kids dressing like gangsta rappers, or getting Rachel haircuts! It's very hard to be an individual here. Most schools have compulsory uniforms (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), but we learn at a young age that it is not good to be different. So on mufti days (when you don't have to wear a uniform) everyone shows up in the same sort of clothes. It may not be the school uniform, but it is the uniform of youth in NZ. I used to scandalise my school mates by (shock horror) not wearing jeans on mufti days! I would even (more shock) wear a dress. The reason I don't think school uniforms are always bad, is that our society is becoming more fragmented, with a widening gap between rich and poor. The uniform is reasonably affordable, hardwearing, and no-one gets beaten up because someone wants your school shoes or jersey. The best uniforms are those that still allow some personal choice of garments, like a selection of skirt, dress, trouser, shorts, blouse, etc. That way, everyone has the same basic items to choose from, but can decide which combination to wear on any particular day. At the moment, I often make clothes for myself, just to have something different. I also have some clothes being sent over from my mother in Vietnam, where she has a tailor working on some dresses and pants for me!

I agree with both NB and NZ Angel. Malls are all the same and they ruin everything. Here in Los Angeles there's a wonderful place called the Farmers Market which dates back to the 1920s. Back then it was in the middle of the country, but today its in the heart of the city, right next to CBS Television. Anyway, the market is filled with stalls selling food to eat there, fresh produce, cheese, wine, etc. There are also some gift shops for the tourists and an old, classic diner called DuPars which sells very good pies. There are also two pubs which on the weekend have karaoke contests. Across the street there is an enormous complex called Park La Brea where a large number of elderly people live and they tend to come over and hang out at the Market, especially on the weekends. The karaoke is fab because not only do the older folks participate, but it draws in a lot of the scenesters from Hollywood so you get this nice mix of young and old, rich and poor, trendy and well, let's just say not so trendy, all getting together, drinking beer and singing. It's become quite popular and I really enjoy it. Alas, the developers have found a way to "improve" the Farmers Market. They're going to "restore" the original part of the market and then, where the parking lot is, they're going to put in an outdoor shopping arcade reminisent of the shopping arcards of Venice. They're bs words, not mine. In order words, it will be a like an outlet mall, with stores on both sides of an outdoor walkway. Pottery Barn, the Gap, Borders, three Starbucks, Old Navy, DKNY, yuck, yuck, yuck. As for the real Farmers Market, not only will the "restoration" ruin it, but most of the shops will go out of business during the process, there will be no more free parking which will kill a lot of it, and for the old folks, the neighborhood feel of the place will be gone and what's the point of walking over to just another mall? It's sad, but that's how we do things here in LA.

SWEET!! high top black all-stars are the coolest!

the main page is saying I posted on this thread... I assure you, if I had, thered be 4 other ones directly underneath it before someone else ever wrote something