Jian Deleon on Best Dressed Men, East vs. West Shoppers & More

Summary

Canal Street Dreams
Episode: "Jian Deleon on Best Dressed Men, East vs. West Shoppers & More"
Hosts: Eddie Huang & Natasha Perrotti
Guest: Jian DeLeon
Date: December 23, 2025

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Episode Overview

This lively, unfiltered episode features fashion director and writer Jian DeLeon in conversation with Eddie Huang and Natasha Perrotti. Together, they explore the evolution of retail, the culture of shopping on both coasts and globally (especially East vs. West), the changing landscape of fashion, and personal style philosophies. The trio swaps stories from their fashion industry journeys, debates the cyclical nature of trends, and dig deep into what makes clothing—and the community around it—meaningful. Hilarity abounds as they reminisce, debate, and give rapid-fire takes on everything from the perfect chicken dish to the best-dressed men in media.

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Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Fashion Industry Origins, Relationships, and Nostalgia

(00:00 - 05:30)

• Eddie, Natasha, and Jian remember their entry into fashion, mentioning early-2010s blog and editorial culture—Four Pins, Complex, and landmark NYC events.

• Notable figures—Noah Johnson, Phil Chang, Jake Woolf, Nick Catchdubs—pop up, underscoring the tight-knit, overlapping creative circles.

• Jian describes his first staff writer interview at Complex, and the social glue that fashion industry events once provided.

  "Yo. If there was, like, a gas leak, that would have been, like, the day, like, the blogosphere died." — Jian (01:01)

2. The Nordstrom Experience & Customer Loyalty

(02:00 - 05:10)

• Both Natasha and Eddie glowingly review Nordstrom’s legendary customer service.

• Jian reveals Nordstrom’s detailed shoe-sizing and service standards.

• Discussion about careers as salespeople and building real financial stability in retail.

  “We take care of people...We got that guarantee.” — Jian (02:18)

3. Retail’s Resurgence & the Experience Economy

(05:10 - 08:50)

• Hosts discuss the decline of major online stores (RIP Essence) and the renewed appeal of brick-and-mortar shopping.

• Jian stresses the importance of in-person experiences: tailoring, trying on clothes, building relationships with sales associates, and the nostalgia of making a whole day out of shopping.

  “You can't sit down...spending a couple Gs on a nice pair of jeans, you want to be served a nice bottle of water, maybe be offered champagne. It’s the experience of being in the store that’s different.” — Jian (05:21)

4. Evolution of Shopping Habits: Online vs. In-Person

(06:10 - 08:50)

• Natasha, a self-described online shopping pro, notes that the thrill of personal shopping still trumps convenience, especially for building relationships and trying on fits.
• Jian champions “ship to store” options as the best of both worlds.
• The group reminisces about making fashion shows out of fitting room trips and the social side of shopping.

5. Favorite Retail & Fashion Landmark Eras

(08:40 - 15:00)

• Eddie gushes over the heyday of Opening Ceremony and Barneys, naming them peak retail experiences for “vibes” and community.

• Natasha shares how Nordstrom shapes childhood memories, tying family and retail together.

• The crew discusses the thrill of shoplifting in their youth, capturing the bad kid energy of the 2000s.

  “Peg Bundy ran so Blake Lively in The Town could walk.” — Eddie (03:45)

6. Style, Collecting, and the Philosophy of Fashion

(11:40 - 18:00)

• Jian distinguishes between "being in fashion" and “being in clothes”—for him, the heart is in cultural context and storytelling.

• Eventually, everyone collects too much; conversations drift to purging, archiving, and the satisfaction—and burden—of procuring “grails.”

• The cyclical nature of fashion is debated (Margiela Futures, Isabel Marant wedges) with a consensus: know your body type and personal silhouette; consistency matters more than trends.

  “It’s about the cultural context... what clothing and what designers and brands say about the zeitgeist. It’s just another way of viewing culture.” — Jian (11:45)

7. Designers & Brands: Personal Icons

(16:44 - 19:04)

• Jian and Natasha praise Ralph Lauren (“the GOAT”) for making classic menswear fun and transgressive.
• Natasha expresses devotion to Alaïa—calling it her dream brand—while also admiring Schiaparelli for sheer artistry, though she feels it “wears” her rather than the reverse.
• Jian shares details about Rick Owens collaborations and Japanese denim that fly under the radar: “Nobody knows I’m wearing Rick.”

8. State of Fashion: Big Brands vs. Independent Labels

(19:04 - 24:15)

• Conversation turns to Balenciaga’s youth-oriented ads, the evolution of high fashion, and the creative potential of smaller, independent, community-based brands (Kozaburo, Stofa, Ludon, Ven Space, Colbo, Commune).

• Jian laments the “budget inequality gap” that consolidated big brands have created, while praising the creative energy of Japan’s retail scene for specificity and subculture.

  “The monoculture of streetwear and fashion is, you know, beginning to break down. And...the new subculture is supporting your homie making five pairs of pants a month in his Bushwick studio.” — Jian (22:08)

9. Vintage Shopping & East vs. West Differences

(24:15 - 29:02)

• Vintage has boomed, but Jian notes Japan’s dominance—you can find stores for every aesthetic, and the culture of “drop day” drives true excitement.

• Western shoppers start to imitate the hyper-specific, collector-driven habits of Eastern shoppers.

• Natasha confesses her heartache over lost eBay grails, detailing the emotional stakes of the hunt.

  “Saturday in Japan is release day for everybody...People want to be able to buy...they want to see what’s new.” — Jian (26:02)

10. Social Media’s Impact on Style

(28:09 - 29:14)

• Constant surveillance and social archiving (photos, TikTok, etc.) intensify self-presentation and create pressure to always look unique.
• Natasha: “There is a digital archive of everything you’ve ever worn, so I think people are much more inclined to care about...how they’re presenting.”

11. The Collector’s Void: When You've Owned Everything

(29:14 - 33:04)

• Eddie shares how having every “grail” left him exhausted and forced him to stop collecting.
• The transition from clothing to other luxury collectibles (watches, furniture, art).
• Natasha and Jian discuss the merits of archiving favorite pieces for children or for personal history.

12. Rapid Fire: Ultimate Chicken & Winter Footwear

(34:04 - 39:13)

• Rapid-fire elimination rounds on favorite chicken dishes. Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken wins, with cross-cultural loyalty debated.
• Second round: New York winter footwear. Jian stays loyal to Nike ACG boots over many others, with X Alp and Timbs as strong contenders.

13. Rapid Fire: Best-Dressed Men Internet Showdown

(39:17 - 42:48)

• A hilarious, ultra-niche, meta debate: Jian is challenged to choose between a list of well-known media/fashion guys (Lauren Schlossman, James Harris, Jake Woolf, Chris Black, Them Jeans, Jeremy Kirkland, Noah Thomas, China, etc.).

• Jian ultimately shouts out “Noah Thomas” but reserves special praise for “silent killers” like China—those behind-the-scenes style legends.

  “China to me is the one dude I know in America in 2025 that could be in like an Edward Yang film. You know what I’m saying?” — Eddie (41:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Blog Era:
  "If there was, like, a gas leak, that would have been, like, the day, like, the blogosphere died." — Jian (01:01)
• On the Return of In-Person Shopping:
  "You can't sit down...spending a couple Gs on a nice pair of jeans, you want to be served a nice bottle of water, maybe be offered champagne." — Jian (05:21)
• On Personal Style Philosophy:
  “It’s about the cultural context... what clothing and what designers and brands say about the zeitgeist.” — Jian (11:45)
• On Archiving:
  "Keep them like in a part of your closet forever, because it’s for you, a time capsule." — Natasha (32:33)
• On Footwear:
  “ACG. I mean, go, go with domes, whatever.” — Jian (38:01)
• On Best-Dressed Peers:
  "China to me is the one dude I know in America in 2025 that could be in like an Edward Yang film." — Eddie (41:39)

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Segment Timestamps

• 00:00 – 05:30: Fashion career beginnings & blog era nostalgia
• 05:10 – 08:50: Nordstrom, customer care, resurgence of physical retail
• 08:40 – 15:00: Shopping experiences, shoplifting tales, the glory days of OC & Barneys
• 11:40 – 18:00: Why fashion matters, personal collecting, style over trends
• 19:04 – 24:15: High fashion’s future, indie brands, Japan’s scene
• 24:15 – 29:14: Vintage markets, East & West shopping cultures, the eBay heartbreak
• 28:09 – 29:14: The age of surveillance and style
• 29:14 – 33:04: Archiving, collecting grails, closing the loop
• 34:04 – 39:13: Chicken dish and winter footwear rapid-fire
• 39:17 – 42:48: Best-dressed men in the fashion world, shout outs to unsung style heroes

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Tone:
Conversational, witty, irreverent, self-deprecating, and deeply knowledgeable about fashion and culture.

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This episode is a vibrant, wide-ranging look at how retail, personal style, and fashion culture continue to evolve. For listeners, it’s a masterclass in how style is personal, communal, and always a little bit about the story behind the clothes.

Transcript

[Ed Wong]

All right, welcome back, Canal Street Dreams. Another special guest this week, the men's Director of fashion at Nordstrom and also a very illustrious fashion writer. I've been reading his stuff since the late early 2010s, I would say, for four pins. Era, right?

[James Harris]

Yeah, for sure.

[Ed Wong]

Jan DeLeon on the show. Welcome, brother.

[James Harris]

Thanks. You know what's funny is that speaking of that, you were there for my first ever interview for Complex.

[Ed Wong]

Oh, I was.

[James Harris]

Remember?

[Ed Wong]

Remember?

[James Harris]

I think it was Phil Chang was doing that Wynn Kennedy.

[Ed Wong]

Oh, the attack thing. Yeah, yeah.

[James Harris]

And it's like, that's the first time I met James Harris. He was selling clay sneakers and, like, the Bergman brothers bracelets and. But I met Noah Johnson at that sale, like, for, like, an informal interview.

[Ed Wong]

Oh, word.

[James Harris]

I think you were. You. You had. You. You. You were slinging bouts.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And Noah's now the editor of High Snobiety, so I. I'm writing for Noah now, too. That's crazy.

[James Harris]

Wow.

[Ed Wong]

Everyone was there because.

[Natasha]

Well, yo, you're gonna say. Wasn't Jake Wolf there as well?

[Ed Wong]

Jake was at that event. Yeah. Nick Catchdubs was at that event.

[James Harris]

That's wild.

[Ed Wong]

You are the.

[James Harris]

Yo. If there was, like, a gas leak, that would have been, like, the day, like, the blogosphere died.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, right?

[James Harris]

That'd be crazy.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. If there's a gas, everybody.

[Natasha]

No, that was like.

[James Harris]

That's, like the moment you send the Terminator back to stop that era of the Internet.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah.

[James Harris]

It's that event.

[Ed Wong]

All that would have been left would be.

[Natasha]

Kids, don't give the time travelers any ideas.

[Ed Wong]

Only Kith would have survived, man. No, that's. That's great. What was the article? You interviewed Noah.

[James Harris]

No, it was like, an interview. That was my first. I was still living in D.C. at the time, so I was, like, freelancing for him, but then.

[Ed Wong]

Oh, you interview for the job.

[James Harris]

For the job as a staff writer. Yeah. Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

Okay.

[Natasha]

It was going down at this party.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

That's crazy. Shout out Phil Chang.

[James Harris]

I mean, shout out Noah. Because he does not go to things like that. So the fact that he was like, all right, I'll meet you halfway at this thing.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. So that kicked off your career, basically.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

And then how did you get from there to Nordstrom's? She love. Natasha loves Nordstrom. My mom likes Nordstrom.

[James Harris]

We love y', all, man.

[Ed Wong]

I have credit card debt.

[Natasha]

There's literally. I think Nordstrom has the best customer service on the planet.

[James Harris]

We try.

[Natasha]

Like, literally, you can. You just. I don't know. I just feel safe if I get something from. Nor if there's an option to get it somewhere else. I'll get it at Nordstrom. Because I'm like, they will take care of me for life.

[James Harris]

We. We got that guarantee.

[Natasha]

No, for real.

[James Harris]

We take it.

[Natasha]

We take care of people all my.

[James Harris]

You're talking about the tire story.

[Ed Wong]

No, my dad would always talk about Nordstrom. I don't know if it's true. He's like, they guarantee they have that. Your size in their shoes.

[James Harris]

Yeah. That is like, we'll size match. Like, if you have like, you know, one size is like an eight, and when your other foot is like eight and a half, we. We do that.

[Ed Wong]

Oh, that's why he likes.

[Natasha]

I didn't know that.

[Ed Wong]

I love that and a half foot in a nine foot.

[James Harris]

Yeah, it's. It's a whole thing. Like, we. We train. I learned so much. Just about, you know, how to use a Brannock device that. You know what the Brannock device is? That's the joint that like, it. It looks like a podiatrist office. But like, they measure your foot. Yeah, there's a whole, you know, there's a whole five point standard system for all that, man. Yes.

[Natasha]

I think I have different size feet.

[James Harris]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Natasha]

But I just don't do anything about it.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. We also carry around the store with that thing as an excuse. Used to look at people's foots.

[James Harris]

Yo, there. There's a lot of people who work on the shoe floor that like, got like the. The shoehorn as the keychain crazy.

[Natasha]

That would be the illest job if you had a foot fetish. Just like work the shoe. The shoe floor at Nordstrom's and you're like, I have the. Put your foot in here, please.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

Like on Married With Children, they were always making a women's shoe salesman. But I was like, al looks like he'd be eating foot. I was like, I think he actually loves this.

[Natasha]

Peg Bundy looks like she likes.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. She's serving popcorn shrimp.

[Natasha]

I know everybody talks about the nanny, but like Fran Drescher. But I'm like, Peg Bundy put. Was putting her foot in it.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. Peg Bundy ran so Blake Lively in the town could walk. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Like, I feel they're connected.

[Natasha]

They are.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

There's definitely a pipeline. There's some like, you know, it's like a great aunt or someone and in a different universe.

[James Harris]

But honestly, it wasn't until I started working, you know, at Nordstrom that when I was like, you know, how could Al Bundy support a family as a shoe salesman? And then I was like, yo, I.

[Ed Wong]

Could see you can make commission.

[James Harris]

I just see how many, you know, like, how many clients a lot of, like, our top sales people have. And I was just like, yo, sorry.

[Natasha]

The Nordstrom at the Grove, you could. I would pull up there and buy a pair of, like, Saint Laurent.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

Flip flops.

[James Harris]

Yeah, everything.

[Ed Wong]

How much. How much do you make as a. On the floor?

[Natasha]

You could. I mean, you.

[James Harris]

Maybe you could make a healthy amount.

[Natasha]

You're selling.

[James Harris]

You could support your family for sure.

[Natasha]

Think about the Nordstrom at the Grove. You can go in there, you could buy. You could buy, like, Amina Muadi's. You can buy. They have everything.

[Ed Wong]

Actually, a lot of stylists, big stylists that I've worked with into the Grove, they cop from Nordstrom at the Grove. Like, that's how they get out of jams when they need something off the.

[James Harris]

Yeah, we just got a lot of very loyal customers that have been shopping with us since, like, you know, forever. So. And then, yeah, a lot of our salespeople, it's like my. My wife, she, you know, grew up in Delaware. She still buys when we go there to visit for the holidays. It's like the person who, like, sold her. Her makeup in, like, high school is still there, and we still cop from her.

[Ed Wong]

Damn. That's like being a server of Peter Luger's. Like, they do real well, too.

[Natasha]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ed Wong]

You know, but so, you know, question. Because I've seen a lot of, like, online retails going down. Like, Essence rip. There's multiple online retail rip. Do you think it's going back to brick and mortar?

[James Harris]

Oh, 100%.

[Ed Wong]

Okay. Yeah.

[James Harris]

Why? You know, it's like, you can't sit down. You're spending, like, a couple GS on, like, a nice pair of jeans. You want to be served a nice bottle of water, maybe be offered champagne. It's the experience of being in the store that's different.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

Make my dick feel bigger in these pants.

[James Harris]

Right? You know, it's. Or it's just like, tell me if I need a size up or size down, depending on the silhouette that I want to achieve around, you know, any particular area. But, yeah, it's just, you know, Lauren Sherman, she talks about, like, liking going to Nordstrom because she just likes the experience of, like, the jeans wall. Like, you know, like, how to make in America, how Barneys used to have that big wall of denim go in, like, give me like 5, 10 pairs. I'm gonna try them all on and whatever, you know, works, works.

[Ed Wong]

You want to feel like Brian Greenberg a little bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what's up.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

No, I mean, like, I, I never really moved to online retail. Like, I've obviously bought things online, but I was like, never good at it.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

And I'd get things and I was too lazy to ship and return. Natasha is a big online. I feel like you buy online real well.

[Natasha]

I, Well, I mean, there was definitely, I think, an era where if you even went into a store, like certain stores that I would go into. Even if I go into, like, I love shopping in person, but even if I go into like Louis Seville aroma, they'll be like, we just don't have your size, so we'll order it for you online. So you get to a point where I think, I love the in person experience, but I was just going in and buying it online and getting it shipped to the store, shipped to my house, and then I wasn't able to try it on and I wasn't able to get the experience. So I, I buy things online. I also source a lot of vintage online because that's just kind of the game.

[James Harris]

I'm a proponent of getting things shipped to the store, though.

[Natasha]

Me too.

[James Harris]

Because then it's like you don't know how something's gonna fit and you just want like the fitting room experience. And, you know, if it doesn't have, if they don't have your size or if it's a brand that's not carried in a particular store. You just, you want to be in a setting where you still feel like you're shopping even though, like, it's already paid for. But then you just walk out. When you try something on, you like, get the whole like, you know, panoramic mirror kind of thing going on. You're just like, okay, you feel confident. Ye, like, okay, I'm gonna go home.

[Ed Wong]

What it looks like when you look back at it.

[James Harris]

Right, Exactly.

[Natasha]

Yeah, I'm a big. Oh, sorry. You go ahead. I was just gonna say I'm a big. Like when we met, I'm a big, like, sales associate. Like building a relationship with one person like that. I'm really big on that because I like that experience. Like, I like when somebody knows what I like and then they just. Or be like, hey, we got this in. I think you'll like it. Like, I think you want to see it. I think that that's just a really cool, cool Dynamic. And then also just. I'll be like, oh, I like this. You have it online. Can you order it to the store so I can try it on? Like, that makes life a lot easier. Not. No. Like, not every. You can't do that at Zara, obviously. Like, there's, you know, tears to it, but that makes it special to me. That makes me, like, want to go there. Like, when we go shopping, I always want to go shopping in store with him, and we do, like, a fashion show, because I'm like, I want to, like, have fun and go in the dressing room, and then I'm like, it's sexy in the dressing room.

[James Harris]

What's that? I love about, like, you know, specialty and department stores that you can make a day of it. Like, back in the day, you know, you would go to, like, the mall with, like, your parents and your family, and it's like, oh, we're gonna eat lunch there. Like, I got, you know, my. Some of my wife's family does that. Or it's like, my family does that. They'll just, like, go to, like, Tyson's Corner.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[James Harris]

And they'll be like, oh, yeah, we're gonna get coffee, and then we're gonna get lunch there, and then we're gonna get some pants and some Uggs.

[Ed Wong]

And so, yeah, I appreciate the experience of shopping, so I'm glad it's coming back, because my favorite era of shopping had to be, like, peak opening ceremony.

[James Harris]

Oh, yeah.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

When, like, Patrick Spears was there, and, like, there was just a fun crew working at OC and literally, I would just hang out and then end up copying mad there.

[James Harris]

And, I mean, that's when they were still doing like, the whole, you know, one, like, highlighting one country versus, like, X. It was that. That was the initial theme of it. Right. It's like, I remember, like, when they did Japan and they had, like, and Hollywood, I guess, one of the feature designers.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah.

[James Harris]

And that was, like. That was crazy.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. I mean, they had, like, J.W. anderson just, like, on racks. Like, you were like, whoa, is this, like.

[James Harris]

They were, like. They were the first people to stock common projects. It was crazy.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. O.C. honestly, was my favorite retail experience ever. I feel like you love Barney's. Barney's.

[Natasha]

Barney, to me, was everything. I was a Barney's girl, for sure. I also, growing up was very Nordstrom. Like, I would go to Nordstrom with my mom, and then we'd eat at the Nordstrom cafe, which, like, God, was so good.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

I would boost from Sax, cuz sax had no I like saxophone.

[Natasha]

And you would steal polo in the.

[Ed Wong]

Front of the street. You could walk in through the parking lot and the last table on your way out to the big mall was polo. And it was very easy. Like when you wore basketball jerseys. I would wear basketball jerseys with jerseys over my neck. So I would just like swing like a polo shirt over and just walk out. And people thought it was part of my fit. And I stole mad shit from Saks.

[Natasha]

Wow, I love that. Didn't Winona Ryder gets arrested from for stealing like a Marc Jacobs bag from Saks? And then she later was like the face of the Marc Jacobs campaign.

[Ed Wong]

If you can't steal from Sachs, you should stop stealing because it was the easiest ever. It's not like going up in an REI with like clippers and shit. Like, you know, sacks, anybody could steal from sacks just like pick it up on the way out.

[Natasha]

Yeah, I was big on stealing from like CVS and like Target. I couldn't like muster the confidence at the mall. But I did have a friend who, her older sister worked at the mall. I think she worked at like Victoria Secrets and she would steal a bunch of like Victoria's Secret. Cuz she worked there, she like knew the game. And she would gift us the stolen merch and it had holes in it because they would like rip out the little. Do you know what I'm talking about? Those white tags. And like you would just see all these girls at our school walking around with like holes in the shirts and we all were just like, I would.

[Ed Wong]

Rock it with the alarm. Cuz there was a girl at Abercrombie that would just like let me put clothes on in the dressing room and turn off the alarm and let me walk out. Not the white clothes on. I would rock it with the alarm on.

[James Harris]

That's, that's like, that's the whole accessory now too though. Yeah. What like stolen item or whatever?

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, my mom, my mom would get super pissed.

[James Harris]

She's like, what are you doing?

[Ed Wong]

You're stealing clothes? And my dad's like, he's saving us money.

[Natasha]

Stealing clothes or saving money.

[James Harris]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ed Wong]

I would look at this.

[Natasha]

God.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

But let me ask you this. You talk about fashion, all that. Do you ever get sick of fashion? Like, do you ever. Will you ever get sick of copping John's?

[James Harris]

I mean, I think there's a difference between just being in the fashion and being in the clothes and like copying John's. Right? Because it's just about, for me, it's about the cultural context about it and, you know, what clothing and what fashion and what designers and brands say about the zeitgeist, I think it's just another way of viewing culture to me.

[Ed Wong]

Damn, that was deep. No, for real.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

No, like, Natasha, I don't think will ever get sick of it either. She's, like, into the craftsmanship of it.

[James Harris]

That, too. You know, and it's like I'm at the age where I'm just like, all right, like, maybe I do have too much. You know, I mean, I. Luke came by the other day. I was, like, getting rid of some stuff, and, you know, he was just like. I think out of a lot of the places I've been to, you probably have, like, the most out of a bunch of people.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah.

[James Harris]

Like, I was like, that's. That's not something to brag about. Yeah, it was a bit of a. Yeah. I was like, okay, man. Maybe got a chill.

[Ed Wong]

About six years ago, I was like, I cannot buy another pair of sneakers.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

You know, like, now I just kind of wear uniform shoes. Like, I wear my Solomons. I love, like, a black Solomon and the. The J. Jones Solomon, you know, and, like, I'll rock the Adidas slides, the Adidas clogs in the kitchen. But I really dress. Like, my. My shoes and my clothes are more utilitarian. Like, today I'm just celebrating the fake championship the Knicks won for sure. You know, the Emirati Abu Dhabi on, too. I got the Abu Dhabi.

[James Harris]

Of course.

[Ed Wong]

Yes. Shout out to Knicks. We are real fake champions. Yes.

[James Harris]

Inshallah. We won the actual championship.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Natasha]

I think this foreshadowing.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

I think this could be the year.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

I think, you know, because, like, the Thunder and Spurs are going to beat each other up in the West. The Nuggets, they're going to beat each other up. We'll be chilling. We will get through the east, and then we will just, like, face who stumbles out of the West. That's how I feel.

[James Harris]

I think we got a real chance.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. Yup. But, yeah, no, I. I don't know. I think I got bored. Like, I've gotten bored of food, and now I love food again.

[James Harris]

Yep.

[Ed Wong]

I think I just started to get bored of fashion maybe, like, two, three years ago.

[James Harris]

I still like sneakers. I still like fashion. I still like looking at things. Right. And then seeing. I think it was like Timmy Chalamet was wearing, you know, the Margiela Futures, which just came back out. I mean, I had a pair of. I'm like, I don't necessarily need a new Pair. And if I had it before, then, it's just like, I already had it and I had my time with it, but I can still appreciate that it's back.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

It's funny how the shit is back now. It's like, Isabel Morant sneaker wedges are back. It's like, I don't think women that were around for that the first time need to do that again.

[Natasha]

Like, yeah.

[Ed Wong]

That's how men don't need to do that Margiela shoe again. Like, I don't need to do Snow beach when it comes back around in five years.

[James Harris]

Or it's like. Or if you ever got rid of them, too, then it's like, all right, bet. You know, that's like. I like. I like what Dave1 is doing. Right? Because it's just like, he just. He stuck with it. He's like, all right, skinny was in. And, you know, it'll come back, but it just looks good on him. And he's just been consistent.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[James Harris]

In what he likes. And he's, you know, he's like the original Eddie boy. Before, like, being an Eddie Slimane archivist was, like, a thing. Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

No, we talk about. Because I just stay baggy. I have my thing. And it's like, I think it's important to know your body type.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

And dress for your type. Because Dave just. He dresses very well for his body type. Yeah.

[Natasha]

You know, I think it's a silhouette for sure. You know, your silhouette. And then if you can kind of do anything in that realm.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

You just change it up with your same silhouette.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. And after aggressively copping Johns for, like, 25 years, I have variations of everything that works for the silhouette of my, like, short, fat ass body, you know?

[James Harris]

Yeah. I mean, look, there's people that are really good and knowledgeable about, like, style and, like, what looks good on them, what looks on other people. And there's other people that are just huge fashion nerds. And, you know, I think it's easy to kind of get the two confused, but they're two very different conversations and two very different levels of expertise.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. I just copped so much, and then for, like, once I started, I feel like I started to do a. When I acknowledged body type, I was like, those are looks for other people I don't need to engage in. And then I just, like, got to Margaret Howell and was like, all right, that's. That's what works for me. Yeah, the Margaret Howell works for me. And this. This is what I will be wearing, you know? Yeah.

[James Harris]

I Mean, it's thing there's, like, designers I appreciate, and then there's, like, you know, stuff that I know that I'm not gonna be able. Like Rick Owens.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. Like, I wear crazy.

[James Harris]

Yeah, I wear Lick. I wear Rick. Like J. Crew.

[Ed Wong]

You would look like John Jay. No, but like, basically be John Jay if you started wearing Rick Owens.

[James Harris]

I. I have a lot of Rick, but a lot of it is, like, made in Japan. Dark Shadow. There's a company called Ironheart that does, like, these crazy Japanese flannels and just like, some Self Edge repro stuff. But there's a guy that worked there that now works for Rick that does a lot of his versions of that. So, like, you know, he. He does really good denim and like, he from Self Edge works with him to produce some of that out in Japan. So I have a couple pairs of those. And then just like, he does a really good cropped flannel that I wear, like, as a shirt jacket. But it's like the meme of, like, nobody knows I'm wearing Rick if I'm, like, wearing it, because people are just like, yo, that is the most non Rick Owens looking Rick stuff. And I'm like, But I just like. I like how. How it fits. And people who, like, understand what it is will kind of know.

[Ed Wong]

If there's one designer that you think makes things that you're just like, yo, this is for me. Like, this works for me. What? What is that? Oh, it's still Ralph.

[James Harris]

He's the like, for me, it's like Ralph. And that sort of classic menswear archetype is a lens of understanding menswear. Like, that's why I love Tom Brown. Right. Because it's just like, one. He worked for Ralph. But it's like, you know, in Japan, it's like you have the cult of designers that came from Comb. And then I feel like in America, you got all these designers that came and brands that came from Ralph, and it's just taking one version of prescribed uniforms and style and, like, doing their own thing with it. Right. I think why Ralph is still the goat is just, he's. He's the first guy to be like, yo, just have fun with your clothes. Wear Salomons with a tux, wear the air bacons with, you know, a red carpet fit. And a lot of men just still like, don't understand that it's okay to do that.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

What about you, babe? Who, like, if there's a desire that you're just like, a liar. Oh, I like, I agree. I would agree.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

I think there's a lot of, like, really sexy, classic silhouettes, but then there's a lot of, like, my. It's very me. Because there's a lot of, like, fun, quirky, eccentric looks, but then very classic, which I think is same. But then on a dated. I really, honestly, like, it would be my dream in life to just be like, a Ralph.

[James Harris]

What do you think is gonna happen if Peter Mueller leaves?

[Natasha]

I don't know.

[James Harris]

That's. That's.

[Natasha]

That's.

[James Harris]

That's fashion rumor right there.

[Natasha]

Yeah. I don't know, but I think, yeah, I'm gonna lie a girl for sure. Unlimited budget. I would just, like, archive ever. Like, I would have every piece. I'll be, like, deep on the Internet looking at, like, crazy. I know so many girls are like, Tom Ford, Gucci era.

[Ed Wong]

I like that was what Hyder was.

[James Harris]

Doing at Tom Ford, though. But I mean, I still think Schiaparelli is also just goated right now.

[Natasha]

You know what? I love Schiaparelli, but when I'm just talking about me, I love looking at Schiaparelli. And I think for me, like, when I put it on, it just, like, wears me.

[James Harris]

For sure.

[Natasha]

It does. Like, I don't have the body to, like, wear that shit.

[Ed Wong]

It's like Roman armor. But it's very fly.

[Natasha]

I don't have enough, like, meat on my bones to make it look fly. But I. When I see. Oh, my God, I'm obsessed.

[James Harris]

It's insane.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. Schiaparelli is, like, museum quality. I'm like. I'm looking at.

[Natasha]

I mean, even just, like, the costume jewelry, like, all of it, it's just, like, insane. I'm like, this is truly art.

[Ed Wong]

Recently, you know, one campaign I really like. Have you seen. I love what Denmar's doing at, like, Gucci.

[James Harris]

Right?

[Ed Wong]

Fly. But I actually like what Balenciaga. I'm. I can't say much about the clothes, but I like their photographic ads right now.

[James Harris]

Oh, yeah. I think it's. Yeah. Pierre Paolo Piccioli is there now and he's doing his thing. Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

I mean, advertisements look cool. Like, what they're communicating in story at Balenciaga of just kind of like youth cultural layabouts, you know, film grain on the image. Like, yeah, it's fly. It actually feels intimate.

[James Harris]

I mean, even in. When he was at Valentino, he's always been, like, sort of tapped into youth subculture. It's like, I remember that season he did a collaboration with Undercover, which was sick. And then when I was At High Snob, I had done like a backstage interview with him and he was wearing like a. A box logo hoodie. And I was just like, okay, like if this was before, you know, Supreme Baton happened. But you know, you always had this interesting, like interplay of high fashion. People who like, appreciated, you know, what supreme and it's ilk were doing and vice versa. But yeah, so he, to me, he's always kind of been tapped in.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. Do you think there is like, what do you think about the like young designer, emerging designer game right now? Is like, what. What's interesting going on there that you like?

[James Harris]

I mean, to me it's just like the independent people that are doing their own thing and just kind of making a world around it. I like what Kozaburo is doing a lot. You know, he does. In addition to all the denim, he has like these like hats that he kind of staples together. And I got a Knicks hat with like, it's like half Nick's hat, half Napa Auto Parts racing hat that he just like stapled together. And he just did something with Yokiyama Hat Market across the street too. And I just love the fact that you can have these culty, community oriented brands. And then on another level, there's like almost artisanal brands too. Like, there's the stofas of the world, Evan Connory, what have you. And that's to this idea of like creating something community oriented for a small amount of people who kind of get.

[Ed Wong]

It is the wave Joshua Simmons shit is cool.

[James Harris]

Yeah. Like, everybody's going crazy over a press out of Japan. Right? And to me it's like that's the guy that, you know, grew up with supreme, grew up with Stussy, that gravitated towards vis vim. It's like similar reasons and similar spending power, but it's like, you know, you're not necessarily going to graduate to like a lower piano customer that way.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. And I do feel like everything culturally in the world since I'd say like 2018, there's just this huge like almost like wealth or like budget inequality gap where like the big brands have all consolidated. And I think everyone was shopping with a few brands and. And that's where I started to sit out fashion and it got boring. But I have started to see smaller brands start to come around. And I think it's just like when it's a recession and like when there's crazy inflation, it's hard for young people to jump out and be like, I'm gonna start my own brand. And I just, like, wanna see the world get to a point where, like, people can start to do that again. And it's like a realistic thing, for sure.

[James Harris]

Well, I think it's also what happened is, like, the monoculture of streetwear and fashion is, you know, beginning to break down. And it's sort of like the new subculture is being a proponent and supporter of just like, oh, you're not up on this yet. Yo, this is my homie that makes five pairs of pants a month in his Bushwick studio. Or it's like, oh, I got introduced to this brand out of Berlin, and they make like three pants or like three shirts in their apartment. And so it's like, you're not up on this. Don't worry about it.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, yeah. You know, and we came up in that era in New York. You know, it's like early 04.05. I just remember, like, no one was shopping at Bloomingdale's or these stores. Like, we. They wouldn't have anything we wanted. We were all in little stores in, like, downtown New York or Brooklyn. And I just want to see that happen for the next generation of kids too, where it's like, you don't need to go to a big box store to buy anything.

[James Harris]

Yeah, I mean, look, I think it's like a balance of both, right? Because it's like for us, we started carrying Ludon and I feel like that's a brand new. Yeah, exactly. The homie.

[Ed Wong]

We did like DMV commander fan, man.

[James Harris]

And we got like some custom stuff from him. We have like a slurp noodles tee, and then we got this crazy, like, motorcycle jacket. So I think it's a balance. But for me, you know, it's also like, we shouldn't necessarily. We're kind of the barometer, right? So we can only lead so far because we have such, like a large platform. So it's a. It's. It's a balancing act. And I still firmly believe that independence can lead the way. And, like, should be like, we should be taking cues from them a little bit. And I'm aware of, like, what's happening with like, Ven Space and like, Qua or, you know, like Anson and like all. Or even there's like that one down the street. I forget the name, but they carried Socioki and like, Kozaburo and stuff. But yeah, or even Colbo. You know, there's like, there's a new way of, like, independent stores in New York that I feel like is definitely worth paying attention to. I mean, even I gotta shout out the commune guys. You know, in the l. A. It's like, that is the. The epitome of what's happening that's exciting to me is, like, younger people just super excited about clothing and the community that comes with it.

[Ed Wong]

What about vintage? Because I feel like vintage was like, you know, procell was really, like, leading a lot of that, like, early 2010, and he still is, but I feel like there are so many people doing it now. Do you know, I mean, like, down this block. Yeah. It's, like, very saturated. I think procell is still like, you know, the big homie in that space. But, like, I don't know. Like, I feel like when everyone is doing it and I'm seeing it, I kind of lose a little interest. But I don't know, like, what do you guys think?

[James Harris]

Yeah, I mean, again, it's like, that's why I'm, like, fortunate to be able to, like, go to Japan and, like, shop in Asia. Right. Or what? It's Japan is. They got the best yo Japan at the shopping Olympics. Still, like you, there's whole neighborhoods dedicated to specific aesthetics. Like, if you're into vintage, there's co ng there's a shop called safari, and they literally have, like, five chains. Yeah. Or in, like, each one of those five stores is dedicated to a different aesthetic. Like, one is all sonic UTs and like, Patagonia. One is pretty much 90% Ralph. One is, like, you can get old john lobs or older met. It's wild. But to see the level of specificity that exists there. What I've seen is like, you know, w. David marks is the author that wrote Amatura, like, and he just came out with that book blank space. The western shopper is probably adopting more of the habits of that eastern shopper, where even, like, Luke's exists now. But then the whole use select store where it's like, yeah, I don't want my old prada anymore. Other than the real real or like, depop, like, you didn't necessarily have a spot other than, like, beacons or whatever, where you could feel like you're getting a decent portion back for what you paid for it. Right.

[Ed Wong]

Was the difference between the western shopper and the eastern shopper.

[James Harris]

I feel like with the eastern shopper, they just love to shop. And it is just like, you know, Saturday in Japan is release day for everybody. Like, the whole drop model didn't necessarily exist there. It's just like, it gives impetus for people to go into stores. Because whether you're An Orly. Or you're. It beams. Or you're at supreme or Stussy. It's like Saturday. There's lines outside stores. People want to see what's new. People want to be able to buy. Like, you know, there's going to get. They're going to get five pairs of this Jean from Vis Vim that everybody wants. And they're already practically pre sold. But people are waiting to. To shop.

[Natasha]

I love that. Such an Eastern shopper.

[Ed Wong]

You are very much like, he'll come.

[Natasha]

Home from work and I'll be. He'll be like, what are you doing? And I'm like, having a panic attack because somebody just bought the jacket that I wanted on ebay. Like, I live to. If I live to cop my first time in Tokyo.

[James Harris]

Yeah. It's like I've never been carjacked in real life other than, like, in Japan.

[Natasha]

I've shed tears. Like, I've shed, like, hyperventilating crying. Like, I'll never get it again. I'll never forget. I got this, like, vintage Roberto. Roberto Cavalli dress when we had two Doberman and we went out one day. It was like, getting delivered to our house. And I told my nanny, I was like, this. I'm getting a package today. Like, if it's out on the street, get it. Because it's like a very expensive, very. Like, I. One shot at this bitch. I get home, I'm like, where's my package? Not like that. I'm like, oh, did you. I was like, it was delivered. Did you grab it? And she just wouldn't look at me. And I was like, what's going on? And I go outside and I just see our dogs shredded. It's. She was like.

[Ed Wong]

I was.

[Natasha]

She was like. She was like, it just. Somebody threw it over the gate and then they got it. And I literally was like, okay, cool. You. Can you say an extra hour? Because I need to go cry downstairs about this. Like, before I can be a mom. Like, I need to go shed tears.

[James Harris]

Oh, it's tragic.

[Natasha]

Yeah. No, it's like, will ruin your whole day.

[James Harris]

But I think also in general, too, like, there's people that are starting to care more. No, I think go back to that. I said, like, how heartbroken you feel about losing that is. Like, people are starting to. Like, people are starting to care more about clothes and, like, aesthetics.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[James Harris]

And they. Their relationship with, like, their own personal style and what it says about them. And that's why people are shopping more. Cause they're like, I need. I need to update my wardrobe. Like, I update my phone, I update, you know, my car. Like, I'm not saying, like, go out and buy blindly, but it's just like people are realizing, all right, like, maybe this is a bit outdated and I should get a new version of this, or I want my jeans to fit a certain way now. Yeah.

[Natasha]

And I think it ties heavily into, like, the surveillance state that we live in. Like, you're always. You never know when, like, you're gonna be seen. Like, you kind of always are seen.

[James Harris]

And that's part of. And social.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

You're literally always on the verge of being in someone's, like, photo or somebody's like a tick tock. Like, you're just always being watched and recorded and it's like there is a digital archive of everything you've ever worn. So I think people are much more inclined to care about, like.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

Or at least how they're presenting. Yeah.

[James Harris]

I mean, like, you know, when. When the Louvre D robbery happened, there was like that one French kid that went viral for looking like, you know, Hercule Poirot, which is wild.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

I think my thing is I just ended up getting everything I wanted and the game was over for me because, like, I had the crazy negotiated. Yeah, I had the infinity stuff.

[Natasha]

Right.

[Ed Wong]

I negotiated a crazy wardrobe budget on Wong's World. So every single episode I got to cop crazy johns. And on the road, like, we shot, I think at Koji, the Japanese vintage store, in our Tokyo episode. I copped mad crazy polo as part of the budget because we shot there. And when we started to move from crib to crib in la, I was just like, yo, this is like, so much to pack and care. I have, like, too many clothes. And I just. This is the most privileged shit I'll ever say. I was like, I had every article of clothing I think I ever wanted.

[James Harris]

But the thing is, it doesn't stop a clothing. Because when I say, like, shoes.

[Ed Wong]

No, I Like, when she met me, I had 300 pairs of shoes.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

There was a room and shoes.

[James Harris]

No, I'm talking about, like, furniture.

[Ed Wong]

I'm talking about ceramics, braided leather, Lang jackets. And it's like, it.

[Natasha]

Then it starts to seep into furniture and then it's like. And then it's even like, I now will be like, even currently I'm going to like, blow my spot up. But I was like, what do I get this man for Christmas, right? So I'm like, I'm deep in the Internet finding vintage Italian espresso cups from a Specific coffee shop that existed 20, 40 years ago.

[James Harris]

The Joe Columbo Smoking glass fire.

[Natasha]

What else could I get him? Like, now I need to do, like, the weird shit that no one's thinking about.

[Ed Wong]

Of course.

[Natasha]

You know, I'm like, that's the thing.

[James Harris]

It's like, there's a certain point where you're like, yo, the crib got to match the closet, right? And you're just like, yes, all right, I have enough clothes. What else can I do to make sure that everything kind of reflects. It is a lifestyle, right? So it's like, clothes taken care of. What's next? Like, I don't. I can buy tables. I can, you know, the car, financial health.

[Ed Wong]

I had to stop collecting things, right? I just. I had medieval French furniture.

[Natasha]

I had, like, that was crazy.

[Ed Wong]

We bought, like, pretty much every good vintage of Don Paranon and Crew Clota Menil. Like, I have crazy art. I was like, I got to stop collecting.

[Natasha]

Also, like, he got his first watch, and then he was like, oh, I'm into watches now. And then made a list of, like, five holy grail, like, watches I need to get over my whole life shit. Like watches you. It would take you 30 years to get. And then he got them within, like, six months. And then, mission accomplished. And then I was just like, like, okay. I personally have a deep, dark, endless, bottomless void pit that will never be felt. There's never enough. Like, there's never enough for me.

[Ed Wong]

I'll never draw. I just gamble.

[Natasha]

You'll never hear me say, get rid of stuff.

[James Harris]

You can sell it. Yeah, being able to sell. Flip it. Exactly.

[Ed Wong]

But here's the problem. My taste is too esoteric. Like, I don't have the stuff that, like, everybody wants. Like, I have. Everybody wants Polo. Like Polo, my polo collection. I got the everybody wants, but with, like, clothes. Like, no, people don't want the shit I copped. I was wearing my style. I was wearing wild shit.

[James Harris]

That's also, like, the difficulty, right? Because then it's like, if you want. If you look at your wardrobe as, like, liquidity, then you're just going to buy chrome. You're just going to buy chrome. You're going to buy, like, Louis. Because it's just. It holds a certain value. And then it's just like that. It's not about style. Then you're just looking at. All right, I'm going to wear $5,000 so that I can sell it for like, seven. Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

But even my comb, it's, like, tailored for a 5,790 pound dude. So it's like, who want it? Yeah.

[Natasha]

But you have a cool, interesting thing.

[James Harris]

Where, like, there's a customer for that.

[Natasha]

Yeah. But I'm also like, you a lot of your stuff too. Even when you're getting rid of stuff, I'm like, don't get rid of that because it's. You wore it on an episode of Wong's World or whatever, and then you can kind of like keep it and like, Senna is gonna watch those episodes and you'll be like, here's the shirt that I was wearing that episode. Like, that's really special. And I think that that's a cool thing that, like, you should just archive those, keep them like in a part of your closet forever, because it's for you, a time capsule. Like, that would be really cool. If I had something to look back on. I would be. I would do that too.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah.

[Natasha]

So it's like, I don't even think you should be selling those pieces.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

Like, I have one art. Like, I have a Hideo Nomo Boston Red Sox jersey with a giant tuna fish stain on it that I love because, like, I got the tuna fish stain with my boy dog and I like. So I would like, never sell that. Like, there's certain clothes, certain stains or I wore to something like I remember.

[Natasha]

But like, that's.

[Ed Wong]

That's like a grail for me.

[Natasha]

Stain in these pants. I saw this bad.

[Ed Wong]

This is the night I met Natasha and my dick stuck to my leg. And you can see it on the inside of.

[Natasha]

That's not what we're talking.

[Ed Wong]

This is after we smashed up at the Hollywood Roosevelt bathroom. You know, like the archival pair of.

[James Harris]

My meundies collab with like pandas on.

[Ed Wong]

Oh, yeah, I got those.

[James Harris]

I got.

[Ed Wong]

I have the prototypes too.

[Natasha]

I have.

[Ed Wong]

Yo. I have the holiday panda Santa mundies that never came out cuz we couldn't come to terms on a deal.

[James Harris]

Oh, super rare.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, super rare. Super rare. You know what? We may caress your balls in a pair of those. Fantastic. I got rapid fire for you. I got rapid fire.

[James Harris]

Yes.

[Ed Wong]

Oh, I really, I. I was up in bed writing a new menu and doing these rapid fire questions.

[James Harris]

Yeah, I ate here last night too, by the way.

[Natasha]

Oh, how was it?

[James Harris]

Yeah, word. How was it? I have a go to order now because you had like the ozempic meal, which is. I go. I get the arugula salad with the general chose fish.

[Natasha]

That's really such a good ozempic meal. That's one of my favorite.

[Ed Wong]

You on the GOP blockers.

[James Harris]

No. Oh, you know, if I were, that. That would be my go to meal. I just.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, I just eat kind of like this side. I mean, I could lose like £10, but I think I look funny if anymore.

[James Harris]

Oh, no, you good? We good.

[Ed Wong]

Funny.

[James Harris]

You know, I mean, you know what? I could try it, but I don't know. We'll see.

[Ed Wong]

I like food.

[Natasha]

I live to eat.

[Ed Wong]

So speaking of food. Yo, rapid fire.

[James Harris]

I knew.

[Ed Wong]

I knew you'd be into. All right, which chicken? Rapid fire. Korean fried chicken or Hainan chicken?

[James Harris]

Korean fried chicken.

[Ed Wong]

Korean fried chicken or Japanese curry chicken?

[James Harris]

Korean fried chicken.

[Ed Wong]

Korean fried chicken or butter chicken?

[James Harris]

Butter chicken.

[Ed Wong]

Butter chicken or Cantonese soy sauce chicken?

[James Harris]

Oh, Cantonese soy sauce chicken.

[Ed Wong]

Cantonese soy sauce chicken or Thomas Keller's roasted chicken?

[James Harris]

Cantonese.

[Ed Wong]

I like this. Cantonese soy sauce chicken or Eastern European chicken soup?

[James Harris]

Still Cantonese soy sauce chicken.

[Ed Wong]

All right, this. This is the Cantonese soy sauce chicken or adobo chicken.

[James Harris]

You know what? My wife's half Hong Kong is, so I'm still. I'm still going Canton respect.

[Ed Wong]

That is the correct answer. That is the correct.

[James Harris]

I can't. I can't front.

[Ed Wong]

I wanted to test you with your nationality and be like, you know, are you going to. Are you going to stay true to the Philippines and go, adobo chicken? But you chose the correct.

[James Harris]

And I've also been Hong Kong built. I went for the first time, I went with my wife. And I mean, look this. The chicken's just better there. Yeah, adobo is good, don't get me wrong. But it's just like, if I'm going to have like a chicken dinner, it's Cantonese soy sauce chicken.

[Ed Wong]

Chicken goes crazy. I almost put scallion ginger chicken, but Cantonese soy sauce chicken is just significant.

[James Harris]

I will say there is, like, one Chinese chicken style I can't do, and that is like the Chinese New Year cold chicken.

[Ed Wong]

Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. On the cold platter. I mad at that wine chicken.

[James Harris]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

The drunken chicken. Yeah, I am mad at drunken chicken, bro. I've eaten chicken sashimi in Japan.

[James Harris]

Oh, yeah, me too.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah.

[James Harris]

That's wild. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't. I mean, there's so much raw food in Japan that, like, at that point, you're like, whatever. Exactly.

[Ed Wong]

Honestly, it was so crazy. I ate it and it tasted the most chickeny thing ever. And literally in my head, I just heard Holla Purdue from one night.

[Natasha]

I was eating it.

[Ed Wong]

I was like, holla purdue.

[James Harris]

Done.

[Natasha]

That's crazy.

[James Harris]

Yeah. It's wild, though, because that's the thing. It's like, the food standards there are so insane that you can just like buy raw eggs from, you know, the grocery store down the stairs and you can just eat them over rice.

[Natasha]

Yeah, I would literally eat anything raw in Japan.

[Ed Wong]

Okay. Out of those, babe, which one would you pick? I'm curious.

[Natasha]

Oh, I don't remember all of them, but I definitely think. I don't know. Like, I really like adobo chicken.

[Ed Wong]

Oh, my sleeper.

[Natasha]

I really like it, but also I don't remember everything. What was. It was Korean fried chicken.

[Ed Wong]

Korean fried chicken. Hainan chicken.

[Natasha]

It was butter chicken for me. Oh.

[Ed Wong]

Oh, wow.

[Natasha]

Okay. Yo, I heard you say, when you said butter chicken, I was like.

[Ed Wong]

I think I actually would go Japanese curry chicken, even though it's the wackest one. Just because it's like, I don't know. I want it all the time.

[Natasha]

I also want it all the time.

[James Harris]

I can't front. Have you been a Nico spot curry up?

[Ed Wong]

Oh, no, no, no.

[James Harris]

He has like a. Oh, wait.

[Ed Wong]

In Japan?

[James Harris]

Yeah, it's good. It's pretty good. It's really good.

[Ed Wong]

Like, that's the kind I want. It's not super culinary. Yeah, but it's like slightly. It's just quality. It's like the Nando's of Japanese curry chicken.

[Natasha]

I was like, my pregnancy craving. It's all I wanted.

[Ed Wong]

Curry chicken.

[Natasha]

Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

I fuck with curry. Okay, New York winter footwear. Rapid Fire ACG boots or Arc' Teryx Norvan?

[James Harris]

ACGs.

[Ed Wong]

ACG.

[James Harris]

I mean, go, go with domes, whatever.

[Ed Wong]

ACG. Or Merrell Cold Pack?

[James Harris]

ACG.

[Ed Wong]

ACG. Or the L.L. bean Duck Boot?

[James Harris]

ACG.

[Ed Wong]

ACG. Or the Hunter Duck Boot?

[James Harris]

Still ACG.

[Ed Wong]

ACG. Or THE SOLOMON X alp.

[James Harris]

I'm going with the x alp.x alp.

[Ed Wong]

Or the sorrel caribou x out.x out.xl or the red wing x out.x alp. Or the Blundstone Chelsea boot? X out.

[James Harris]

Sorry, sorry.

[Ed Wong]

Blundstone X Alp. Or the 6 inch Tim Viettas?

[James Harris]

Come on.

[Ed Wong]

Okay, correct answer. Correct. Both of these are correct. I like it. You're not biased. You're correct. You're not pandering to the audience.

[James Harris]

I'm not. What? I have been wearing the hell out of. I got. I got the. The chop top Telfar Yutas. Yo, those are hard.

[Natasha]

Yeah, I really like.

[James Harris]

I love those. They're. They're like. They're like Belgian loafers, but yadas.

[Ed Wong]

I love it. We need it. We need a photo of this for.

[Natasha]

Yeah, we need.

[Ed Wong]

We need visual confirmation of this. Okay, the next Rapid Fire. This is. This is the most meta shit. Five people on the Internet are gonna get this. But you, I did this for you.

[James Harris]

My man. Thank you. Appreciate it.

[Ed Wong]

Best dressed.

[James Harris]

Okay.

[Ed Wong]

Lauren Schlossman or James Harris?

[James Harris]

I mean, I gotta go with Larry. He's just got.

[Ed Wong]

Wow.

[James Harris]

His samana Mel is great. I mean, James got his own thing going on too, but Larry's the person I saw the most recently. And he had an orally canvas coat that was fire.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, I got. Larry got that bad man thing going on right now. I like it, I like it, I like it. Larry.

[James Harris]

He looks like a yakuza boss, but white, right?

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, he. He looked like Last Samurai.

[James Harris]

Yes. The flower tie. And that's. That's my whole, like, that's my show.

[Ed Wong]

And he's always scowling now, like.

[James Harris]

Yeah, it was good. Yeah. I mean, somber Larry. Yeah. 100.

[Ed Wong]

Larry.

[Natasha]

Larry's up.

[Ed Wong]

The hotter guy on throwing song.

[James Harris]

James still love you, though.

[Ed Wong]

All right, Larry or Jake Wolf?

[James Harris]

Larry.

[Ed Wong]

Larry or Isaac likes. Oh, Larry Larry or Chris Black? I mean, it's Larry, Larry, Larry or them jeans Larry. Them jeans be showing a lot of good thigh. He.

[James Harris]

You know.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, he's showing the most leg, but them jeans.

[James Harris]

Jason does not have the samana male silk suit.

[Ed Wong]

He does not. He does not. Larry or your man's Jeremy Kirkland.

[James Harris]

I mean, it's Larry.

[Ed Wong]

Larry or Noah Thomas.

[James Harris]

Oh, this is a tough one.

[Ed Wong]

The mule Boy, this is tough.

[James Harris]

Is tough.

[Ed Wong]

I told you I was gonna fuck you up today.

[James Harris]

You got me fucked up right now.

[Ed Wong]

Whose dick would you suck? That's the best way to answer this.

[James Harris]

Wow. Wow. No comment. No. You know what?

[Ed Wong]

When you see them dressed, whose dick would you rather suck?

[Natasha]

Who? Would you let me.

[Ed Wong]

I don't.

[James Harris]

I don't think sexual orientation is about stu style. I think is different. Okay.

[Ed Wong]

Larry or Noah Thomas. The question is, is represented?

[James Harris]

You know what?

[Ed Wong]

I'm go with Noah, Noah or Jeff Hilliard? No, Noah, Noah or my personal final boss off, though. Okay. This is going to surprise you. Noah or China?

[James Harris]

Wow. Yeah, it's Noah. Wow. Sorry. China.

[Ed Wong]

I would have gone China.

[Natasha]

Correct.

[Ed Wong]

Honestly, of all those dudes, and he's not even like, blog. He don't talk.

[James Harris]

Nope.

[Ed Wong]

China to me is China gets fits off. China to me is the one dude I know in America in 2025 that could be in like an Edward Yang film. You know what I'm saying?

[James Harris]

But the thing is, like, there was a whole category of just like silent killers who are just behind the scenes, like Asian cats who just. That is that is the number one, like, consumer of, like, all the dopest brands, like, dudes like, you know, China and, like, Eugene that just are dripped out and that this is the guy you're losing vis vim mongrel to and, like, oppressy.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah. When I was doing the most just damage in the streets, it was me. Me and China were back to back. We're back to back in the club. You know, that's a. That's a bad man. I would have. I would have chilled shot. But you went Noah Thomas. Shout out Noah Thomas.

[James Harris]

Okay.

[Ed Wong]

The other mule boy.

[James Harris]

Exactly.

[Ed Wong]

That was one of my most. That was one of my favorite rapid fires. I like the niche meta that no one is gonna understand, like, five chapstick.

[James Harris]

Like, the three people that'll be like, oh, I understood that. Yeah.

[Ed Wong]

And our group chat gonna go crazy now. People gonna be mad. They're gonna be big.

[James Harris]

James is gonna be mad for sure.

[Ed Wong]

It's, like, real obvious now. You want to suck Larry's dick.

[James Harris]

Nah, No glaze. No glaze.

[Natasha]

Sorry.

[Ed Wong]

No, I love it, bro. This is.

[James Harris]

I might give him, like, the, you know, the New York Knicks, Jalen Brunson, like, thumbtack.

[Ed Wong]

Yeah, yeah, Yo, I love. Yo, I love you, bro.

[James Harris]

Thumbtack. That's it.

[Ed Wong]

I love this. Incredible. Thank you for being on the show.

[James Harris]

Thank you.

[Ed Wong]

Yes.