Monday 30 November 2009
My addiction "Californication"
Ok ok, I know the show is shallow as hell and doesn't even come close to real life. But f*ck it, the show is perfect to forget about the troubles of everyday life (if you have any).
Added info;
For christmas I got season one and two from Laura. I went through them in two days (that's 10 hours of DVD).
Why shout when you can whisper?
No branding at all is in my opinion the way to go but if you must, then do it subtle. Above you see examples of subtle branding on garments. I know for sure that a lot of you will recognize the brands, although in one case it's just a number and the other is just a few stitches.
Ceramic speakers by Joey Roth
The speakers are made from hand-thrown porcelain in a workshop that usually makes vases. Their stands are made from Baltic birch off-cuts (smaller piece) and Paulownia wood (larger piece). Paulownia is a fast-growing tree that's best known for its use in surfboards, guitars, and traditional Japanese pottery boxes. The amplifier is made from stainless steel, and has a raw cast iron base and Paulownia volume slider.
My goal was to bring the speakers out of the fast, trendy, disposable consumer electronic/ iPod accessory realm and make them objects that could last a lifetime, but are interesting in the moment.
~ Joey Roth
Saturday 28 November 2009
Friday 27 November 2009
Are you in the know?
I like details, just little things that somebody else may not notice, but tells a tale about the garment or its owner. The details can uncover value, quality and craftsmanship. Recognizing these tell-tale signs is what I mean with that you are "in the know".
Example:
Let's say you are a businessman that just bought a new watch and are sitting in an executives meeting with 10 other guys. 9 of them are wearing big shiny watches like the Rolex or Panerai. You reach for your water, which lifts up your sleeve unveiling a very small and subtle stainless steel watch. These 9 guys laugh ha ha ha what a cute little watch, but the tenth guy is quiet, because he recognizes the vintage Patek Philippe worth a 100k. This guy is "in the know" and this is the guy you want to impress.
Tuesday 24 November 2009
A true story
"Ever wondered why a pair of jeans should cost 300,- or more?"
The guys from Cheap Monday did and decided to do something about it. They felt that the other brands where cheating the consumer out of their money, as the jeans were not that special and heavily overpriced. So they said: let's make a product that is fashion forward (tight jeans) and sell it for as cheap as possible. They didn't want to put their well designed product in the cheap stores, but in the good stores where they want to shop themselves.
The initial idea was to sell the jeans on Mondays, because on Monday you are hung over from the weekend and basically broke. So why not be able to buy a cheap pair of denim? The demand for the jeans appeared to be so high that they also began selling the jeans on Tuesdays etc.
Cheap Monday doesn't think fashion is about money, but about ideas and how to take those ideas forward. Make the jeans personal in the way you wear them instead of wearing them because of the label or because it's on the ass of a famous Hollywood star. They want the consumer to think:
"I know these jeans are cheap and I don't give a fuck."
How do the jeans become so cheap? Well we know It's not magic, because H&M and the Gap are even cheaper. The reason is because they never fly their product to countries, but ship it by boot. Another major reason is because they don't do any advertising. They had a good product and thought that people would discover it for themselves.
I can tell you their concept worked. To give you an idea: in their first year they did 8.000 pieces, second 350.000 and third 1.500.000
Sunday 22 November 2009
Clémentine Henrion: Helium Eternal
Clémentine Henrion designed the Helium Eternal concept in reminiscence of a childhood memory of this magnificent, brightly shining balloon you proudly bring back from the park, but which will tragically deflate within few days…This early disappointment has influenced her to create a new interpretation of the balloon: an ETERNAL one, which would fly forever and never go down again.
The foolish hope to be loudest, the wise hope to be remembered. "Common Projects"
The title is very fitting for the brand Common Projects. In a time where everything seems to evolve around sneakers having the weirdest colour combinations or who collaborated on a design, the people from Common Projects walk a different path.
Saturday 21 November 2009
What Goes Around Comes Around NYC
WGACA consists of a blend of high-end women and men’s vintage garments including vintage Chanel jewelry. The vintage garments are complemented by contemporary brands such as Belstaff, Brixton, Gilded Age and Levi's LVC.
Sunday 15 November 2009
The Vintage Luggage Company
The Vintage Luggage Company, specializes in rare and vintage pieces from the houses of Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Oshkosh, Hartmann and other great luggage makers.
Light drawing "Gjon Mili"
The late Gjon Mili started the light drawing phenomenon when in 1949 he drew a Picasso in light. Now you see a lot of artists adopt the technique and bring it up to date to modern times, experimenting with different shapes and colour. Gjon Mili, respect.
The revival "Evisu"
Out with all the over the top seagulls in weird colours. Scott Morrison the new creative director and CEO of Evisu is set to bring back the focus to what really matters: traditional Japanese denim, where the quality speaks for itself. The seagulls on the back are slimmed down to their original size and added are some new wicked washes. I stopped buying Evisu 10 years ago (see my faded specimen further into the blog), but am tempted to give the brand a second chance.
Saturday 14 November 2009
Tinker Hatfield
Tinker Hatfield is the renowned designer of many of Nike's most popular and innovative shoe designs, including the Jordan III up to the Air Jordan XX and the Nike Air Max 87', later known as the Air Max 1.
Hatfield is formally trained in architecture. He realized that his skills could also be applied to athletic shoes. He claims to have designed the cross-trainer as a "multi-sport" shoe when he realized people brought various sneakers with them for diverse activities such as basketball, aerobics, weightlifting and jogging.
Received my copy of "The Sartorialist Book"
For inspiration I don't really look at magazines that much, as the editorials are to far removed from real life and often they all feature the same trend that is hot at that moment.
Most of the time I get inspired by people in the streets and then what better source to use than Scott Schuman's The Sartorialist, as he scans the streets in all the major cities like New York, Milan and Paris. I have been following his blog for years and it's very nice that I now can flick through the hardcopy version with a compilation of his very best.
G. Lorenzi store Milan
G. Lorenzi in Milan is stocked with the most exquisite objects of utility, many of which make you think: What could I possibly do with this? The store specializes in cutlery — the wooden knives are beautiful — but you will also find shaving instruments, cigar cutters, nail clippers, lighters, all the things you really don’t need but would love to own.
The shop and collections date back to 1929 so you could say it's basically a museum. Imagine the treasures it holds.
Friday 13 November 2009
Passion
I love people that have a genuine passion for something. Doesn't matter if it's cooking, sports or fashion. Do what you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.
Sunday 8 November 2009
HOPE wax wear
The waxed coat is a beloved classic. Now Swedish brand Hope has taken the wax concept to a completely new level with their Hope wax wear collection consisting of jackets, shoes and bags of the finest wax material.
Fade to black "Natalia Brilli"
Belgium designer Natalia Brilli's latest collection of men's accessories is seriously cool. All is developed in her signature style blacked-out, or as famous skater Rob Dyrdek would say "murdered-out"
COS s/s 2010 sneak preview
For everybody that does not know COS: it's short for "collection of style" and is a brand that operates under the wings of H&M. You could say it's their premium line that is sold under a different name. Style wise the look they go for is what you would get when you throw Jil Sander, Acne and Raf Simons in a blender. I think by now 30% of my wardrobe is from COS.
Above a sneak preview of the COS s/s 2010 collection.
Sunday 1 November 2009
1000 Tattoos
Laura bought this new book "1000 Tattoos" in Antwerp, Belgium where she spent the weekend. Even though I hate tattoos, I find it to be quite fascinating.
Tattoos explores the history of the art worldwide via designs and photos—from 19th century engravings to tribal body art, from circus ladies of the 20s to classic biker designs—giving a fascinating insight into the art of tattooing.
Food design "Proef Amsterdam"
Proef is a creative design studio where food concepts are developed and executed. The studio is located in Amsterdam’s cultural park Westergasfabriek in a monumental building.
[pictures 1+2]
Unlike western society, most cultures associate the colour white with death. This meal consists entirely of white food and especially designed white crockery. In this seren atmosphere next of kin can share a meal and their memories.
Dries van Noten s/s 2010
To me Dries van Noten is the epitome of style. He's one of my favourite designers, along with Lucas Ossendrijver (Lanvin) and Scott Sternberg (Band of Outsiders). You can check out the full show here.
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