Carhartt x Nike (when your favorite brands collaborate and you’re in Amsterdam)

Just before the holidays, Carhartt WIP and Nike came out with a beeeaaaauuutiful line of sneakers. (Yes, I’m very behind in posting.) As you probably guessed, it was a men’s line, but that would never deter me. I got a pair of the Air Force 1 07s. These little babes are covered in Dearborn Canvas, have a snap loop, and a Carhartt logo on one of the tongues. Scroll down to see some of my favorite details.

I happened to be in Amsterdam shooting for Carhartt Europe during their release. What better way to celebrate?

I met a few gypsy brewers and photographed them while they worked.

I got to see my favorite paintings–Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette–again while at the Van Gough museum. He painted it while attending classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Before rendering human models, it was common practice to sketch skeletons. The smoldering cigarette was a nod to Van Gogh’s humor, although I think it may have been a premonition of the painting’s eventual home in Amsterdam, with all the coffeeshops it has to offer.

We photographed artists at the NDSM former shipyard. I’ve never been to the part of Amsterdam before, but it feels like an up and coming neighborhood. There is street art everywhere and a boat motel. Oh, and don’t miss out on Sexyland if you’re in the area.We were lucky enough to spend an afternoon with a family who lives on a houseboat. I was fascinated by their way of life, as I’m sure you would be. (Read more about them here.) We even photographed at the only functioning lumber mill inside a windmill in all of Amsterdam. It was moving to see such an old tradition maintained. Most of the crew even wore wooden clogs.

The windmill below is someone’s home. How wonderfully perfect and quaint. As I stood there, marveling that this is how some people live, a man came out of the windmill in full on Dutch garb to get into his boat and paddle away. I do believe it was the most Dutch thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.