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What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone has been having a good December. As I’m sure you’ve heard a million times at this point, I can’t believe the year is nearly over. Time flies! I recently returned from a very fun trip to Edinburgh and London and had a fantastic time out there. Especially Scotland. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back out there one day and explore the Highlands and more of the nature because it seems like it’d be right up my alley. Today I’d like to talk about something not related to music or really any media at all, but more of an experience. London can be a very overwhelming city, especially if it’s your first time visiting. There’s so much cool stuff to do and places to check out, but only so many hours in a day. There’s also a bunch of dumb shit, like any major city, and you kinda have to wade thru the bullshit to find the good stuff. One day while we were there, me and my girlfriend were out shopping for vintage clothing. We went to an area that was supposedly flush with vintage shops and a large market where people set up booths. I love going to different areas and looking for cool vintage shit cause you never know what you’ll find in different places, so I was excited to check it out in a whole different country. I was greeted with immediate disappointment, “re-worked” Carhart jackets that aren’t even a year old, Levis from 2022, the works. I don’t know if this is a result of social media, the internet, everyone and their mama wanting to sell vintage clothing or a combination of it all, but it seems individuality has gone out the window a bit. Everyone sees the same trends and styles online and it creates kind of a hive mind. Do these people even care about what they’re selling, or are they just trying to put some quick cash in their pockets? I’m not trying to sit on my high horse here and act like I know everything and have the ultimate authority to say what’s cool and what sucks, but it’s a bit disappointing when you’re in another country trying to find some cool different stuff and it feels like you’re just shopping in some lame rich kid’s store back home who got interested in vintage 6 months ago and his parents bought him a retail space. After a couple hours of finding absolutely nothing, I was feeling jaded and discouraged. While walking out of another disappointing store, something caught my eye across the street, a sick ass vintage military jacket hanging in the window. I almost didn’t even bother, but I thought why not and wandered in and I’m so happy I did. Levisons is a cozy, small store which was absolutely stacked with all my favorite shit: British, French, US military/work wear from the 30s-60s. I could’ve spent all day flipping through this stuff. It was all so sick. You could tell so much love went into this store and it was actually curated by the owner’s own style and taste. I got to talk with the owner, Michael, a bit and he was so knowledgeable and nice and told me how it all kinda came to be. We shared the same sentiments on vintage clothing and how each piece of clothing can be so unique and tell a story of its own. It was so refreshing to find a store that actually felt like it had a soul and someone behind it that really cared about what he was doing. I ended up snagging something I’ve wanted for a hot minute, a nice 50s French moleskin chore jacket that fits perfectly. I’m so thankful for people like Michael who do what they do for the love of the game, not for a quick buck. Whatever you do, do it with a love and appreciation for whatever that thing is and it’ll be 100x better.