• Turn Back Thursday: Kanye Wearing Gucci Shaman Moccasins

Some of you may have forgotten all about Turn Back Thursday, but if you recalled, we announced that it would appear on the blog the first Thursday of each month, rather than every Thursday like it used to. We’ve also changed the format so that each Turn Back Thursday post is more concise and focuses strictly on clothing brands and dates.

Kanye West wearing Gucci Shaman moccasins and a Gucci scarf in 2007, on the set for the “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” music video.

• Turn Back Thursday Announcement

If you’re wondering what happened to yesterday’s Turn Back Thursday, I’ve decided to make it a post that only occurs the first Thursday of each month. My apologies to all the fanatics of Kanye West’s vintage outfits. Expect the next Turn Back Thursday on December 3.

• Turn Back Thursday: Polo Bear Sweater

For this week’s Turn Back Thursday, we go back to 2003/2004 when Kanye West was merely known as a college dropout who had an interest for bears. From the bear head artwork to the mascot that Kanye would bring out during shows, the Dropout Bear, as it was officially referred to, became  imagery that would forever be linked to Kanye. Here is a photo that was used to promote the album “The College Dropout”, where Kanye is wearing the Dropout Bear costume with a complementary red Ralph Lauren Polo Bear sweater. This specific Polo Bear sweater is a vintage piece that is no longer sold by Ralph Lauren, but can be found, on rare occasions, at  thrift stores and even on Ebay.

• Turn Back Thursday: Kanye and Pharrell

For this week’s installment of Turn Back Thursday, I won’t be going too far back for a Kanye West outfit. Here’s a backstage photo from a 2008 N.E.R.D show of Kanye and Pharrell. Appropriately enough, Kanye is wearing a Billionaire Boys Club (Pharrell’s brand) hat, a camo Bape cape, and red Ato Matsumoto shoes. Although Kanye’s recent outfits from 2009 have been more refined and represent a classic look, he will still occasionally put together outfits similar to this one, most notably with the hat and high-top shoes.

Source: Billionaire Boys Club Blog

• Turn Back Thursday: Kanye and A-Trak

In 2004, Kanye West released The College Dropout, which did a very effective job of bridging the gap between mainstream rappers and backpackers. Not only did he revolutionize the radio with his soul samples and conscious rap style, but he changed the rap uniform forever. Kanye spearheaded a movement that made it cool to wear Ralph Lauren and collared shirts when everyone else in the rap community was wearing a jersey and oversized shirts. Here’s a photo of A-Trak and Kanye from 2004, when Kanye ’s outfit usually consisted of bright colors, a popped collar, and Polo.

Source: A-Trak

• Turn Back Thursday: Kanye Wearing Great Dane

This week’s installment of Turn Back Thursday brings me back to 2006. It was a year where Street Wear culture and fashion blogs peaked and trendy fashion was defined as bright colors, bandanas around your neck, and all-over print hoodies. It was also a year where it seemed as if everyone and their mom claimed they had their own “clothing line”, when all they really had was just a bunch of screen-printed t-shirts; a simple t-shirt line, if you will. One of those t-shirt lines that emerged from 2006 and actually had a solid following on the Hypebeast forum was Great Dane. Here is a photo of Kanye West wearing the Great Dane Easter t-shirt and a multi-color Murakami x Louis Vuitton bandana. Standing alongside to his right is the owner of Great Dane.

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