Sexin' Up That Stogie With Custom Bejeweled Cigar Bands & Gold Ashtrays

Okay, so smoking cigars and spending money on bejeweled accessories for them are both pretty gauche, but that's what made these products so fascinating to me. Ysenberg specializes in the design and production of high value accessories in the world of cigars. Their point, in their words, is to realize and arrange the individual wishes of the customer.



That said, they have two lines of products; Ysenbands (actual custom personalized gold or gold plated sterling silver and gemstone cigar bands with leather accents) and Ysentrays (cigar ash trays made with gold, gold leaf, gold accents and crystal or dichroic glass).

YSENBANDS







Some Ysenband customers include the King of Benin and Chief of the Ritz in Paris:



YSENTRAYS- crystal and gold leaf ashtrays






Ysenberg items come with a certificate with registered individual numbers on all their products.
Their products can be found at high end cigar and smoke shops all over Europe. Go here to find distributors.


YSENBERG e.U.
Johanna Fritsche
Tschapina 10
6707 Bürserberg
AUSTRIA
T: +43 (0)664 912 79 39
F: +43 (0)5552 62648 19
ysenberg.com

The AURA by Motorola: A Mobile Phone Inspired By A Luxury Watch

The Motorola AURA phone distinguishes itself from other mobile phones with some very unique features in addition to being pretty darn pretty to look at.



The world's first to have a round, 16 million color sapphire crystal display screen, the stainless steel phone also has a fixed focus 2 megapixel camera, quad band internal antennae, EDGE technology, video capture and video playing capabilities, bluetooth, USB high speed, multimedia and standby talk time up to 400 hours. It even comes with the following game apps: RealDice Chess, RealDice Backgammon.



AURA™ by Motorola is a timeless, classically designed device that delivers a sensory experience that is second-to-none for those with refined taste. Combining an exquisite interface with superb craftsmanship inspired by high-end watches, AURA breaks convention and re-establishes artistry in the design and manufacturing of mobile devices. From the moment an AURA owner picks up his or her device they embark on a journey of discovery.



• not available in black.

An Exquisitely Performing Device, Designed to the Highest Standards




Drawing on inspiration, materials and techniques from luxury jewelers, AURA begins with the world's first 16 million color, circular display with more colors and sharper resolution than has ever been seen on a Motorola phone. The product's richness can literally be felt, from the weight of its stainless steel housing and the textures and patterns chemically-etched into its surface, to its Grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens, one of the most scratch-resistant materials on earth.




Key Features:
* World's first circular display on a mobile phone, 16 million color
* Chemically-etched textures and patterns
* Three tungsten carbon carbide coated main gears
* The main bearing is Swiss-made
* Protective PVD coating and mirror polish finish, same as used on luxury watches
* 130 precision ball bearings
* CrystalTalk™ technology
* Made from over 700 individual components
* Assisted-opening blade mechanism
* Stainless steel housing
* Scratch-resistant, 62-carat, Grade 1 sapphire crystal lens
* 300 ppi resolution display
* Stereo Bluetooth® technology

The Return of Artistry

AURA™ by Motorola

93799XQBSA
Price: $1,999.99
buy it here.

If the phone is sold out directly from the above dealer, in the US you can purchase it at select Bloomingdales stores in NY, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago.

A Symbol of Failure Inspires: A Round Up Of Twitter Fail Whale Sightings

Yiying Lu is the artist behind the fast-becoming world wide known Twitter Fail Whale, the friendly aqua blue, white and orange image that appears on the social networking or microblog site, twitter.com when their servers are down.


above: original fail Whale artist, the adorable Yiying Lu

As you can imagine, any icon that symbolizes 'failure' quickly gets mocked or altered as a result of creative frustration- and too many artists with cyber downtime on their hands. There have been contests like the Fail Whale Pail Ale label contest, there are flickr groups and you can buy "official" Fail Whale tee shirts and products on Zazzle.



What I wanted to share with you are some of the creative works inspired by the Fail Whale from fine art and cupcakes to lego versions and real tattoos. As well as some of the beer bottle label entries for The Fail Whale Pale Ale label contest. While there are hundreds, probably thousands, of funny 'modified' Fail Whales out there, here are just a few of the clever, talented and amusing homages and take-offs I enjoyed.

Please click on the below images to enlarge.

Painted Fail Whale by Dache :

on flickr

Mixed Media Fail Whale by Gio loves you:

on flickr

A nicely rendered 3D rendered image by Mugginz:


And by Stephen Allred:


and a lovely painted and airbrushed one by Diamondie:


Ringorang Fail Whale (vector Art) by Robbie da Kid.


The above four images are from Deviant Art.

A 3D model rendering:

found on the Southern GFX blog here

A great little 3D kinetic sculpture by Hilary Talbot:

found on MAKE

Lego Fail Whale by Bjarne P Tveskov of Denmark:

on flickr

A Twitter image mosaic of 100 photos by software architect Chris Craft:

on flickr

Nick Bilton's murdered Fail Whale:

on flickr

Drunk Fail Whale:

on flickr

Helicopter Fail whale:

on flickr

Paul RJ Muller "CaffiNation"'s beached Fail Whale:

on flickr

Martin Gee's (Hellvetica) illustrated Fail Whale reverses the roles:

on flickr

Tim Caynes' Graphics hardware Fail Whale:

on flickr

Burning Whale found on Hack A Day:

on flickr

and a more morose Hack A Day Fail Whale:

on flickr

A great little cartoon doodle by Nozzman of the Netherlands:

on flickr

Desktop art Fail Whale illustration by Gerardo Obieta:

on flickr

Lunch time embroidery doodlings of the Fail Whale by emdot:


on flickr

Fail Whale cupcakes by Sweet Libertine Cakes:

on flickr

and a birthday cake for Chris Darbro (RocknRollGeek):

on flickr

Adam's Fail Whale pumpkin carving:


on flickr

Sean O'Steen of The Fail Whale Fan Club 's Twitter Fail Whale on his Peggy (which is like lite-brite):

and he made a cute little felt and string Fail Whale mobile:

on flickr

Sand fail whale by Justine:

on Tasty Blog Snack

The 'Real Life Fail Whale' composite by Ed Hunsinger:

Geeked.info

Jason of Gorilla Sushi created this Fail Whale Pale ale label entirely in photoshop for entry in the
contest held last year by TweetHunt:



Another label entry by Dirtdirt of Austin:

on flickr

And another label entry by Georgene Nunn:


Unfortunately I have no idea who won and the original site no longer seems to function.

Some people love the Fail Whale so much, they're willing to go to their grave with it. Tom Rowe and Ryan Goff get tattooed by Hunter Spanks with Fail Whales in Baltimore:




See the video here.

Critter, also known as Korneliuz on Flickr, got himself a permanent fail whale:


Here's video of David Hoang drawing his "I Luv Fail Whale":


Believe it or not, Yiying was not paid directly for the image of the sweet looking whale being lifted from the ocean, tethered by birds - she originally posted the image to iStockPhoto.com where the Twitter people fond it, purchased it and turned into a cultural icon.

The illustration blog, Drawn, interviewed the artist, which you can read here.


Yiying Lu is a full-time artist who runs her own illustration and graphic design studio. She is also a design lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
her personal site
her flickr photostream

Relevant links:
What Is The Fail Whale?
Original Fail Whale artist's site
The Fail Whale fan club.
Official Fail Whale Online Store

As Sexy As An Espresso Machine Can Get: The Brunopasso PD1

Designed by Tadahito Ishibashi, the Brunopasso PD-1 Coffee features auto-inspired designs like a stick-shift like pull handle, race car motifs, speedometer-like gauges and a curvacious design reminiscent of 60’s race cars. Even the colors are automobile -like.






Made in Sweden for deviceSTYLE
learn more here
Brunopasso.se

Why Only White from TEDA Showers Us With Color

Fabulous custom or graphic showers in various sizes, with several options from a small artisan shop in Italy will brighten up any bathroom, commercial or residential.



W.O.W. - Why Only White, by Teda
The “TOTEM” collection: an intriguing and personal approach in bathroom design. White is no longer the only choice in bathroom design but only one of the vast possibilities they offer to an ever-discriminating clientele. Every individually made WOW TOTEM is colorful, fully equipped, and almost weightless; an exact fit for each inclination.

Over a white or brushed aluminum body, they offer a collection of designs that changes periodically to reflect the newest trends and moods in fashion and design.











WOW TOTEM is offered in 5 standard formats and an array of choices between different kinds of water nozzles; a regenerating waterfall stream or a bubbly shower head. The thermostatic mixer unit is equipped with a safety system that cuts off the hot water flow if there should be any interruption in the cold water supply, in order to avoid unpleasant scalding accidents. Their standard equipment features low water consumption waterworks - 9 liters/minute or 2.5 GPM, while supplying superb aesthetics and a comfortable shower experience.




All WOW TOTEMs share the striking visual and structural lightness that set them apart from the rest of the crowd. With barely 8 cm (3¼") of thickness, WOW TOTEM is exceptionally unobtrusive. Innovative materials and superior components transform a utilitarian object into a true piece of craftsmanship that ideally combines form, pleasure and function.


USA SIZES (approx.)
• SWING 7.8”x 3’4” x 3.15”
• SPIN 9.8”x 3’11”x 3.15”
• RIP 9.8” x 6'05" x 3.15”
• FLY 12.6”x 5’3”x 3.15”
• TWIST 17”x 6’05”x3.15”
• SLIDE 17”x 6’05”x3.15”

METRIC SIZES
• SWING l 20x h 100x p 8 cm
• SPIN l 25x h 120x p 8 cm
• RIP l 35x h 185x p 8 cm
• FLY l 32x h 160x p 8 cm
• TWIST l 43x h 185x p 8 cm
• SLIDE l 43x h 185x p 8 cm (2 rows of bodysprays)



contact info:
Why Only White by Teda S,r.l.
Via Lago di Pusiano 13 - 36015 Schio (VI) Italy
Phone +39 0445.576327
Fax +39 0445.576328
E-mail: info@whyonlywhite.com

Funky Find Of The Week: Davey Sommers' Laptop Sweaters

Davey Sommers, editor for the Colourlovers Blog and a member of the Post family has an interesting way to utilize those old, and often ugly, family sweaters from years' past.



He's turned them into comfy little covers for laptops. And sells them for $20.00 apiece. He says they fit 13 and 15" laptops and can comfortably stretch to accommodate a 17" laptop as well.



His own description is as follows:

"Because of our need to look for new ways to reuse and put back unwanted materials into the product cycle, and as a way to remember what our relatives were wearing during the holidays in the 90’s, I made these laptop sweaters."

Buy them here.


above: David Sommers

Edgewater Wall Tiles: Marrying Art With Technology

Edgewater of British Colombia creates a variety of in-house artisan tiles using glass, stone, wood, metal and porcelain by using an industrial waterjet to create the shapes. Waterjet Cutting is a significant manufacturing technology that offers important new options in the cutting of materials. All types of metals from 1/16" to 5" thick are good candidates for waterjet.

Edgewater also produces custom shapes, cut glass and inlay materials enabling their clients the freedom to apply their own creativity. Take a look at some of the samples and installations of their unique and premium tiles:





















About Edgewater:
Edgewater was originally formed with a vision - to marry artistic design with an industrial waterjet. We set out to provide high quality, custom work that is locally made and affordable. Today, our expertise in precision cutting reflects a range of challenging projects and clientele - from artists to engineering firms.

Our success is based on strong client relationships built around an ability to provide exceptional customer service and unwavering attention to quality.

Contact Info:
Office Phone 604.985.9251
Fax 604.985.9254
email: info@edgewaterjet.ca
101-1429 Dominion St.
North Vancouver, B.C.
V7J 1B3

Folk Gets Funky & Peasants Are Pretty In John Galliano's Latest Collection

Fashion designer John Galliano has just shown his Fall/Winter 2009 RTW collection and, in typical Galliano fashion, it's quite fantastical. The line has a distinctively Baltic bent to it as it mixes brocades, embroidery, cashmere, coins and wild shoes to culminate in a Russian folkloric (and I swear I see a little Flemish in there), but fashionable style. Although it's a "ready to wear" line, as opposed to haute couture, I don't think you'll see many people sporting these in your local grocery store.




above: John Galliano talk about his collection

As is his style, everything is considered from head to toe, literally. The headdresses harken back to historical ethnic inspiration from both religious and royal realms. And the shoes? Well, the shoes are wild, as you will see.



Layered materials punctuated with everything from rosaries as accessories, cog-like hardware, metallic threads and pom poms on the shoes distinguish this collection.



White mascara on the models with lips painted a la clara bow contribute to the unusual, but appealing overall look.



I've rounded up enough photos to do a post on just the makeup and hair, just the shoes OR just the clothing... but nothing does justice to Galliano's creations like seeing all the parts together as a whole.

Get yourself a drink and settle in. I've got a lot of photos here.

The Clothes:
















The Headdresses and Make-up:










The Details:











The Shoes:







and of course, the designer, the inimitable John Galliano:

John Galliano

The photos in this post are courtesy of both John Galliano, The AP and Style.com. The full length runway photos were shot by Marco Madiera and the close ups of the details and models were shot by Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse.

Bela Borsodi Breathes Life Into Product Photography

Vienna born, New York based photographer Bela Borsodi has a unique approach to product photography. By incorporating three dimensional sculptural environments and unique materials, he builds mini sets that personify the products and turn what would be simple table top images into living breathing pieces of art.




He has used everything from bent wire, cut paper, shadows, balloons, silhouettes, collage, suspension and more as homes for the products, turning such static items as diamonds and shoes into sculpture. In some instances, the inanimate objects become 'people', in others, the editorials are reminiscent of artful narratives. Some executions mix photography of models with animation, adding whimsy to what might otherwise be a typical fashion shot.



He has such a large body of work, I wish I could share it all, but instead, I'll show you some of my favorites from the past few years. Several blogs have featured the image that is on the home page of his site, but frankly, that's nothing compared to much of his other work. In addition to his editorial work for magazines like Tatler, Wallpaper, V Magazine, and Elle, he has created advertising for such well known clients as Nike, Sportsac, Selfridges and Hermes.














Coincidentally, he collaborated with another photographer whose work I previously featured, Paul Graves, for several editorials in 2004 and 2005 - as in the "Inflated Egos" shown below.




He has some fabulous, but very sexually suggestive work, he's created for Swedish and Danish publications (no surprise there, huh?). I will share with you some of the tamer executions (like the wonderful foot fetish editorial), but for the more risque ones, those you must go see on your own. be aware that the following images are NSFW.







"I try to treat each of my projects equally and to make them interesting for myself. I always try to do something that can translate the joy and the intrigue that I experience when I am working on it. With commercial projects there is more responsibility involved with all the logistics and demands to deal with –but I believe in making images that inspire and tell stories, that touch and intrigue peoples’ minds and hearts. A fascinating image will always stand out and will be recognized –whether it is found in a commercial context or in a freer art context. I have the luck to work with interesting clients who trust me and understand what I am up to." -- Bela Borsodi

Bela Borsodi
bela@belaborsodi.com

Agent USA : Art-Department
Contact: Patrick O’Leary
tel (212) 925 4222
Agent FRANCE : Mily Kadz
Contact: Mily Kadz
tel +33 (0)1 58 05 19 19
mobile +33 (0)6 84 83 67 55
Agent SWITZERLAND : BMR-Fotografen
Contact : Beatrice Mächler
tel +41-44-709 20 11

The Dirt Show by H. Mathis

Clockwise from above left, Alaska, Florida, Hawaii and Utah, each with their respective soil samples

On Craigslist, artist H. Mathis, posted a listing in each of the 50 United States, letting people know he was working on an art project and hoping for samples of actual dirt from each state.



He explained that he'd created a "retrieval" system and would send a kit for the actual packaging and returning of the dirt, postage paid. He sent out over a hundred kits in hopes to get 50 usable samples for his project.



He then had to sift through the samples, remove bugs, gravel and some other disgusting items and then dried most of the samples out. He then bagged and tagged them.



From there he created a very artfully displayed presentation in the Dirt Show, part of the Multi Polar Exhibition, in which the culmination of the intensive dirt collection became an installation in which the dirt from each state was displayed on an individual rotating pedestal.




And the orange surface on which the dirt was placed is shaped as each state.

above left: Alaska and above right, Florida and their respective soil samples

Dirt from AK to WY:









See more of H. Mathis unusual thinking and expression at his site, antisuccess.

A Revealing Project: Naked People By Photographer Sebastian Kempa

Photographer Sebastian Kempa, 31, has an interesting photographic project called Naked People. As the name suggests, the site and shots in this post, although NSFW for many people, are in no way pornographic, but instead a simple study of ever day individuals, first as they appear in their normal clothing and then, in the same pose, only without clothing.



The site is a simple flash program that features 20 men and women, who, when clicked upon, their outfits disappear to reveal the human body beneath.


Above photo is courtesy of Mary at pertedetemps. Thanks Mary!

Their name, age, profession and hobbies are listed with each image as well, adding insight and personality to each individual.




To see photographer Sebastian Kempa's full portfolio, go here.


Visit the Naked People site here.

Booking & Contact
Sebastian Kempa
Dipl. Designer (FH)
Mail: office@sebastiankempa.com
Mobil: +49 151 21267081

United Nude: Shoes With A Blueprint

In 2003 a Dutch architect from an architects family and an English shoemaker from a shoemakers family decided to start a brand. Disillusioned with fashion and not wanting to be yet another shoe brand or architecture firm, a design company was born – set on releasing specific, iconic products and rejecting broad seasonal ranges. The products evolve in projects from international teams (United) in an open way with direct recognition (Nude).


Above left; Rem D. Koolhaas and right, Galahad Clark

The company has several fabulous styles of shoes now and continues to grow in both styles and staff. It was originally co-founded by Rem D. Koolhaas (Rem D. Koolhaas is the nephew of better known architect Rem Koolhaas and distinguishes himself from his uncle with the middle inital) and English shoemaker Galahad JD Clark, who is a seventh generation shoe maker from the Clarks family in Somerset. Galahad took over the running of Terra Plana, an eco friendly shoe company, in 2003.

The concept of the company was and still is to meld architectural design and unusual materials with product design, creating unusual but functional shoes. United Nude is part of a creative collective, functioning as a hub of interaction between architects, fashion designers, magazine editors and photographers.

Each single pair of shoes is a reinterpretation of an architectural object or represents an exploration of different materials and colours: the first shoe created by United Nude was called “Möbius” and it was inspired by the Barcelona chair created by Bauhaus director Mies Van Der Rohe for the International Exposition in 1929. The uniqueness of this special sandal stood in the fact that it was characterized by a single strip that formed the sole, heel, foot-bed and upper of the shoe.


Above: the Barcelona chair as the inspiration for the Mobius shoe

Mobius
In the Ultra mobius, a single piece unites the sole, heel, footbed and upper, a revolutionary achievment in shoe construction and design.




The Mobius is also available in hi and mid heel heights as well as in other color leathers, below are a few examples.


Eamz


Ray and Charles Eames' famous aluminum office chairs inspired the “Eamz” series, featuring pumps and sandals, even a tech sandal, that integrate the chair foot into the heel of the shoe, a feature that seems to suspend it in mid-air.





Stealth


The “Stealth” is a dynamic platform shoe inspired by the straight lines and styling of the Stealth F117 Nighthawk fighter plane. It's available as a peep toe pump and as a sandal as well.



Porn
The Porn Toe and Porn Toe Buckle styles are made from molding the strongest plastics in the world so the floating foot bed can function and support all while appearing to defy gravity.



above: Porn toe in mirrored silver patent leather


Mono Jane
Molded from very lightweight EVA material, this shoe claims to be the world's lightest weight wedge and comes in tons of fun colors.



Mono also comes in a flat ballet slipper like version.

Cosmo
the Ultra Cosmo uses hand molded carbon fiber for the light weight construction, creating a high-technology piece of art with sex appeal.




The Cosmo Ultra has a heel height of 11 centimeters, and is limited to production of only a few hundred pairs.

Also new for Spring Summer 2009 are the No.2 and the Six strap styles.

No.2
The No.2 is made of a tech nylon heel and available in four bright patent leather colors or two striped elastic versions.



Six Strap
The Six Strap comes in four different elasticized variations, one in solid black and three striped variations.



To learn more, see prices or to purchase any of the above shoes shown, go here.

Be sure to see their other styles and other color variations at United Nude.

If shoes made with unusual and or eco-friendly materials interest you, be sure to check out

Melissa Shoes of Brazil here.

Can Sayinli & Jorgen Evil Ekvoll Weave Sex, Drugs & Rock n' Roll Into Silk Rugs

above: detail from the silk hand knotted Rock n' Roll rug

Central St. Martins College of Art and Design graduates Can Sayinli (graphic design) and Jorgen Evil Ekvoll (fine art) are a talented and edgy design duo. Amongst their irreverent, unusual, somewhat anarchistic and definitely provocative work are two collections of textile art. In these particular cases, silk hand knotted rug designs.




Turkish-born Sayinli asked his dad to hook them up with traditional rug-making families from villages near Istanbul. Everyone works from the same computer-generated patterns, yet each rug differs hugely in appearance. “The way the knots are tied varies from village to village, making each rug unique,” says Sayinli – something that appeals to his hippie sensibility and brings us back into the realm of handicraft.

The rugs as shown in exhibition:



I'm sharing two collections by these young artists with you today, both are silk and hand knotted. The rugs are really art pieces as opposed to mass produced products and can only be purchased through galleries such as Galerist in Turkey.

Traditional weavers from villages near Istanbul hand make the rugs based on computer generated patterns:


The finished project: Jørgen Can 1 (Hereke)


Silk Rugs (The Sex, Rock n Roll, Drugs and War Rugs):

Sex:

detail of Sex:

Drugs:

detail of drugs:


Rock n' Roll:

detail of Rock n Roll:

weaving the Rock n' Roll rug:

War:

detail of War:

weaving the War rug:


The Carpet Project:

Jørgen Can 1 (Kayseri):

Free Paris Hilton:

The last days of Maradona:

Breaking Bill Gates:

The Portrait of pope Benedict XVI:

Putin's input:

The sun went down on Queen Elizabeth II:

Saddam forever:

Snoop Dog, another wild American puppy:

A quick visit to Takashi land:

A Zizek composition:


Jørgen Evil Ekvoll- b. 03 April 1981, Oslo
Can Sayinli - b. 12 April 1981, Istanbul
Saylini Evkoll website.

Galerist
TR-34340 Istanbul | Istiklal Cad. Misir Apt 311/4
Phone +90/212 - 244 82 30


If you like unusual, beautiful and artful rugs, be sure to see the over 130 rugs I've singled out for their design. Or search this blog for previous pots on rugs.

Anton Garcia-Abril's Hemeroscopium House: Cool Cantilevered Concrete

Located in Madrid, the Hemeroscopium House, designed by Anton Garcia-Abril and Ensamble Studio, took a full year to engineer but only seven days to actually build (including that amazing cantilevered swimming pool).

Albeit, it's not being embraced by the eco friendly community given its large carbon footprint (apparently 1 ton of concrete = 1 ton of carbon dioxide) and the fact that reader comments suggest it's 'blatantly wasteful'. Even Treehugger author Lloyd Alter smartly suggested that the beams should have been reappropriated 'from a dismantled highway'.

Regardless of its potentially negative effect on the environment, it's certainly has an aesthetically positive effect on me (although I do wonder who is gonna clean those two swimming pools and all those windows).





Hemeroscopium house materializes the peak of its equilibrium with what the Ensamble Studio ironically calls the “G point”, a twenty ton granite stone, expression of the force of gravity and a physical counterweight to the whole structure:






The order in which these structures are piled up generates a helix that sets out from a stable support, the mother beam, and develops upwards in a sequence of elements that become lighter as the structure grows, closing on a point that culminates the system of equilibrium. Seven elements in total.





The design of their joints respond to their constructive nature, to their forces; and their stresses express the structural condition they have. By the way this structure is set, the house becomes aerial, light, transparent, and the space kept inside flows with life. The apparent simplicity of the structure´s joints requires in fact the development of complex calculations, due to the reinforcement, and the pre-stress and post-tension of the steel rods that sew the web of the beams.





The Building Process:


The Architect with his team:


The Architect:


To see the entire building process including sketches and the architectural renderings, go to Arch Daily here.

Architects: Ensamble Studio
Location: Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain
Principal in Charge: Antón García- Abril
Collaborators: Elena Pérez, Débora Mesa, Jorge Consuegra, Marina Otero, Ricardo Sanz
Technical Architect: Javier Cuesta
Promotor: Hemeroscopium
Contractor: Materia Inorgánica
Project year: 2005-2008
Constructed Area: 400 sqm
Photographs: Ensamble Studio



special thanks to Ensamble Studios, Archinet and Archdaily for the images and info.

MINI Cooper, Airstream and Fritz Hansen: Cowabunga!

Airstream Inc. and MINI have teamed up to offer the best in both design and functionality with a one-off MINI Cooper S Clubman and Airstream creation designed by Republic of Fritz Hansen.

Republic of Fritz Hansen, the Copenhagen based premium furniture brand known for its minimalist and functional design, has spared no details when it came to designing the interior of the MINI Cooper S Clubman and Airstream trailer.

(click on photos to enlarge)




Drawing inspiration from the outdoor lifestyle of surfing, the Airstream interior will feature, amongst others, new interpretations of Arne Jacobsen’s Egg™ and Swan™ Chair and a table set up with four unique Series Seven™ chairs, allowing plenty of room for guests. Sleek wood panelling will top it off giving it the ultimate “modern surfer” look.

“Here at Republic of Fritz Hansen we are thrilled with the collaboration and really look forward to introducing this unique and eye catching concept,” says Jacob Holm, President and CEO at Republic of Fritz Hansen.

The MINI Cooper S Clubman will also reflect the same adventurous personality and style with clean lines, bold colours such as lightning green and all the interior gadgets you can expect to find in a MINI plus more.



The MINI Cooper S Clubman will be predominately jet black with black “wetsuit” neoprene accents along with green trim. The 22ft silver Airstream trailer will also enjoy the same exterior details as the MINI but will have an interior designed for beach goers with features such as a waterproof interior and a sun bathing bed.



The trailer, which showcases an über-chic custom-made interior by Copenhagen's Republic of Fritz Hansen, will be making cameos at events, exhibitions, and design fairs around the world. The first spotting will be at the Salone del Mobile show and the INTERNI DESIGN ENERGIES exhibition in Milan, Italy (April 21-30 2009).

source: MINI

2009 Red Dot Product Design Winners - All The Best of The Best

With more than 11,000 submissions from 61 countries, the international “red dot design award” is the largest and most renowned design competition in the world. It is divided into the “red dot award: product design”, the “red dot award: communication design” and the “red dot award: design concept.” The award-winning products are put before an international public in the red dot design museum.


Red Dot has just announced (on March 16th) the 2009 winners in the category of Product Design. While they released a list in an Excel spread sheet, they have yet to release images of all the winners (they did the same thing last year). They had a few images of the "Best Of The Best" winners and I did my best to find the others for you.

The "Best of The Best" winners for 2009 Product Design are listed below by category. The grouped images represent trends within that category, not necessarily the winners. The individual photos ARE of the actual winners.

Best Of The Best in Living Rooms And Bedroom


•MYchair by UNstudio, Netherlands:

•CONFLUENCES by Philippe Nigro, France:

•Phantom Sheer interior fabric by Jakob Schlaepfer, Swtizerland

Best Of The Best in Households And Kitchens


•DC24 by Dyson GmbH, Germany:

•Allegra Line by Tupperware Belgium N.V., Belgium:

•Autarkes Induktionskochfeld TT 4490 N by Constructa-Neff Vertriebs GmbH, Germany:

•DA6000W by Miele & Cie. KG, Germany

Best Of The Best in Tableware


•Caldafreddo by Alinea Design Objects, Belgium
•Leaves by Economy Class In-Flight Tableware, Switzerland
•Water Carafe with Smart lid by Menu. A/S, Denmark:


Best Of The Best in Bathrooms, Spa And Air-Conditioning

•Inipi by Duravit AG, Austria:

•SpeedXL2 Shaver HQ8290 by Royal Philips Electronics, Netherlands:

•Grohe Rainshower Icon by Grohe AG, Germany:


Best Of The Best in Lighting And Lamps

•SPACEWALKER by DARK N.V., Germany
•Noto by Artemide S.P.A., Italy:

•KAO by Artemide Megalit S.A., France:

•LED1 by Tunto, Finland:


Best Of The Best in Gardens & Outdoor

•PowerStep Garden Tools by Fiskars Brands Finland Oy Ab, Finland:

•Tango by Fischer Möbel GmbH, Germany:

•Langgrill by Russian Federation:


Best Of The Best in Sport And Games


•Waterproof W1 by Waterproof Diving International AB
•racemaster SLX01 by BMC Trading AG, Switzerland:


•Spine VPD Vest by POC, Sweden:


Best Of The Best in Fashion & Accessories

•Shopnic by Stelton A/S, Denmark:


Best Of The Best in Watches And Jewelery

•sphaira by formabina schmuckgestaltung, Switzerland
•ORIS BC4 Flight Timer by ORIS SA, Switzerland:


Best Of The Best in Architecture And Interior Design


•SecretSlide by Brems Doors, Belgium:

•ANYTHING Collection by Suikosha Corporation, Japan:

•Livraria da Vila by Fairbanks & Plinik, Brazil:



Best Of The Best in Office


•AC 4 by Vitra GmbH, Germany:

•PERLON RIPS TWIN by ANKER-TEPPICHBODEN / Gebr. Schoeller GmbH +Co. KG, Germany:

•COLORSTRIPE by LYRA-Bleistfit-Fabrik GmbH & CO. KG, Germany:

Best Of The Best in Industry And Crafts

•HiPace by Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH, Germany
•3M Speedglas 9100 Welding Helmet by 3M Sveska AB, Sweden:

•Berg Propulsion BRC800 (control panel) by Lilaas as, Norway:


Best Of The Best in Life Sciences & Medical


•Miscea 3.1 Medical by Miscea B.V., Netherlands:

•Kitten Scanner by Royal Philips Electronics, Netherlands:


Best Of The Best in Automobiles, Transport And Caravans


•Volkswagen Passat CC by Volkswagen AG, Germany:

•Pirelli PZERO 1400 by Tecnorib (Pirelli), Italy:

•SEAT IBIZA – 5 Türer by SEAT S.A., Spain:


Best Of The Best in Entertainment Technology And Cameras


•Pacemaker by Tonium AB, Sweden:

•Sountina NSA-PF1 by Sony Corporation, Japan:

•IPod nano by Apple, Inc., USA

Best Of The Best in Communication


•Domino by FIH Co., Ltd., Taiwan
•Bluetooth Portable Speaker with Swivel Hinge in Free-Form Design by LG Electronics Inc., Korea:

•BH-804 Bluetooth headset by Nokia Corporation, Finland:


Best Of The Best in Computers


•Freecom xxs Mobile Drive by Freecom Technologies BV, Netherlands:

•MacBook Air by Apple Inc., USA:

•Dell OptiPlex 960 Desktop Family by Dell, Sweden:


Some stats about the competition and winners:

The 3,231 entries for the “red dot award: product design 2009” stemming from a total of 49 nations testify to the fact that design is precisely the platform for international companies that appears to be essential in order to survive on the global market. The increase in the number of participating companies by around 16% demonstrates the economic potential of design in times of economic crisis in particular.

The international jury of experts awarded the “red dot” to 683 products for their high quality of design, and the best 49 received the “red dot: best of the best” award. Because it is often details that separate good products from great products, 194 products received an honourable mention in recognition of their especially refined detail solutions.

• 17% of all awards went to Asia this year, with 53 of the successful products coming from Taiwan alone.
• German companies received the greatest number of winning entries —329.
• American companies received 38 awards. Dell and Apple both received 8 awards, with Apple garnering 2 “best of the best” for the iPod Nano and the MacBook Air.
• Sony Corporation and Robert Bosch Hausgeräte were the most awarded companies, each with 15 selections.
• The most-honored studio is Stuttgart’s Phoenix Design, which can take credit for 12 winners.


See The 2008 Red Dot Award Winners here.

The Recuenco Casanova 2009 Calendar For The Fashion Show

Incredibly talented (and in my personal opinion, virtually incomparable) photographer Eugenio Recuenco and Jose Casanova of the Casanova Agency have joined forces to bring us an amazing photographic calendar called the Fashion Show Calendar for the Los Rozas Village (an outlet shopping mall in Spain) and the theme is To Kill You Is To Kill Me.





The calendar is formally being presented march 24th at the Los Rozas Village, northwest of Madrid. Only 50 of the calendars are available for sale and the proceeds go to Amnesty International.

I've got images of the entire calendar as well as some wonderful 'behind the scenes' shots for you here.

Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge so you can see them in their full glory.

Cover:


Jan/Feb

Mar/April

May/ June

July/Aug

Sep/Oct

Nov/Dec

the Staff:



Now for the 'Making Of' images (including shots that don't seem to have made it into the calendar):



















If you are interested in purchasing one - assuming there are any left-- call 96 667 5445

Las Rozas Village
Eugene Recuenco's website
Casanova Agency

Supermodels Battle The Forces Of Evil: Heidi Klum Is The Kluminator

Not quite sure how I missed this, but if you did too, then at least you can catch it here. The goofy, over the top series of videos was directed by Douglas Keeve, the fashion documentarian who directed Unzipped. The four series webisodes were designed for Fashion Week in NY and feature Heidi Klum and Coco Rochas a supermodel superheroes.

Synopsis: Klum aka ‘The Kluminator,’ and her stylish sidekick Coco “The Girl Wonder” Rocha battle the evil Dr. Faux Pas who is plotting to destroy Fashion Week. The heroines employ all sorts of tools in their arsenal, from blow-dryer guns to old-fashioned fist fights, in order to thwart Dr. Faux Pas’ dastardly plans. The Kluminator and Girl Wonder avoid a chain of fashion disasters in their efforts to neutralize an evil death ray that threatens to vaporize the entire community of fashionistas gathered in Bryant Park.




SPIKED HEEL: Supermodels Battle the Forces of Evil is directed by fashion documentarian Doug Keeve (Unzipped, Seamless). It began shooting as a lark during September Fashion Week last year and evolved into SPIKED HEEL over the next several weeks. SPIKED HEEL features guest appearances by the fashionably devoted Michael Kors, Leighton Meester, Mel B and Christian Siriano.

Here's episode 1 for you:


See the rest of the series exclusively on modelinia.com



Modelinia is the first video centric entertainment brand dedicated to the life of the Supermodel, beyond the pages of fashion magazines and far off the catwalks of New York, Paris and Milan.

Fitness Gets Funky: Beautifully Designed Dumbbells

You can finally throw away those gross velcro ankle and wrist weights, those toe breaking heavy steel dumbbells that sit on your floor, or god forbid, the ones whose spongey coating is peeling off, in favor of any of these. These hand weights or dumbbells look so great, that even when not in use, they can be left out as sculpture or a conversation piece.

Philippe Starck's ergonomically designed Dumbbells come in silver aluminum with metal inserts or in an anodised gold finish . The gold set weighs 2 kilos, the silver set weighs 3. Both are fabulous and come in a nice XO starck designed case.


Buy them here.

Another great looking set of dumbbells are the stainless steel magnetic dumbells designed by Henriette Melchiorsen. Each way a kilo and are as stunning as a sculpture.



buy them here.

Another pair of sculptural dumbbells are the Vita stainless steel hand weights


buy them here.

This set of polished “Zimbabwe” granite dumbbells on solid oak stand by Big-Game was made in a limited edition specifically for 20ltd.com. No. of editions 15. Price: £2,700.00


buy them here.

The design firm, Greece Is For Lovers, makes these fun all brass dumbbells called Build your Myth in the shape of Greek columns. They come in weights of 1.5 and 3 kgr.


buy them here.

Even Chanel makes a pair of hand weights, available in pink or yellow, they are made of neoprene and cost $760.00 bucks a pair.


Inquire about them here.

Spotted on Yanko Design are these Orrefors crystal dumbbells designed by Alex Undall. Unfortunately, as far as I know, these are a concept and not available for purchase:




The Wellness Rack is an innovative, yet stylish, weight rack for strength training. Contains eight 2kg discs, eight half kg discs and two high-tech handles with a unique locking mechanism, all contained within a clear acrylic container. Maximum load per handle is 12kg.


buy it here.

Don't want to work out with weights? Dumbbells and free weights aren't the only workout gear to get a modern makeover. Jumping ropes or skipping ropes are fast becoming fashionable as well. Two beautiful examples are the Seletti leather skipping rope with gold handles and the Philippi Vita skipping rope with nickel plated handles:


buy The Seletti skipping rope here.
buy The Philippa skipping rope here.

Hellish Furniture: La Divina Commedia & The Fall Of The Damned

La Divina Commedia Chaise and light



La Divina Commedia by Dutch designers Niels van Eijk and Miriam van der Lubbe is part of a new series of products where old images meet high tech production techniques and in which ancient crafts are combined with contemporary materials.


Above: Gustave Doré engraving for The Divine Comedy

In the project La Divina Commedia of Van Eijk & van der Lubbe, The Old illustrations of Gustav Doré, drawn in 1860 (known as the visuals of La Divina commedia of Dante) have been reproduced in a high tech way by laser engraving on a contemporary material, polypropylene, and after that, partially carved by craftsmen.


above left: Doré illustration, and right, carved into the furniture




details of the carving:


Another one of Gustav Doré's illustrations for La Divina Commedia:


In continuation of the project Godogan, (shown below) designed for Friedman Gallery New York and Droog Design, Van Eijk & van der Lubbe designed a new series of products where old images meet high tech production techniques and in which ancient crafts are combined with contemporary materials.



Beginning of the 14th century, Dante Alighieri wrote the well known epic poem La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy) which is considered to be one of the greatest works of world literature. In this epic poem, Dante describes the Christian life after death, and this story can be seen as the medieval worldview of the western church. Although this might seem only a Christian story, Dante integrated the political struggles of that time. Still, the story of La Divina Commedia can be read as a nowadays critic on politics and translated into problems of society nowadays.

Date: 2008
Material: polypropylene
Hotspot: 60 x 60 x 235 cm
Chaise Longue: 90 x 50 x 70 cm
Technique: laser engraving, hand carving
Images (adapted): Gustave Doré

Victoria & Albert Museum, London will be showing LA DIVINA COMMEDIA from 14 July - 18 October 2009 as part of their Telling Tales exhibit.

The Fall Of The Damned Pendant Lamp

If furniture about heaven and hell or damnation is your thing, check out Materialise's - 'damned' lamp by Luc Merx for the mgx 'private collection'.



This lampshade appears as a hovering mass of ornaments, opulent and bombastic. when viewed more closely it dissolves into single bodies, which are twisted in fear and seem to be frozen in mid-fall. The fleshy parts of the bodies, legs and stomachs reflect the light. Because of the shadows the bodies cast on themselves, only parts of them appear in the foreground. The association with the fall of the damned, a metaphor for guilt and punishment, this lamp undermines several taboos imposed on design in the 20th century: it is figurative, ornamental and narrative.





'the fall of the damned' lampshade -limited edition of 40 pieces
color: white
dimensions: 26"w x 11"h x 25"d
Buy the Damned lamp here.

Making Blow-up Sex Dolls Fashionable. Literally.

Jackets and hoodies fashioned from the crass novelty? Yep. 31 year old male designer and artist from Utrecht, Sander Reijgers (shown above and below in his creations) uses blow-up dolls as material in his wearable works of art.



“I customize existing tracksuit tops with parts of the blow-up dolls – the head, the breasts, the vagina, the anus. These dolls are so ugly and vulgar that turning them into something beautiful has become a challenge for me. The doll is a means to convey something else.” he says.


























Sander continues “It's near-incomprehensible that people could have sex with something as ugly and lifeless as a blow-up doll. However much air you pump into it, it remains an object that can't reciprocate the feelings of lust."

“The idea of doing something with blow-up dolls came to me after reading 'The Malady of Death' by Marguerite Duras. The main character of this novel is incapable of feelings for people, so he hires a woman hoping that sex with this woman will allow him to feel."

I do the exact opposite with my work: I remove the sexual function of the dolls by turning them into a jacket or a bag. In this way, the doll can 'feel' by performing a normal day-to-day task, rather than through sex. “In daily life, we are bombarded through the media and advertising with images of especially female nudity to stimulate consumerism.

I comment on this situation through my art, but with humour and without being too moralistic about it. In addition, it's a challenge for me to turn something empty and ugly like a sex doll into an esthetic object that can ellicit a positive response. “I like to operate in the grey area between art, design and fashion. The jackets are works of art, but you can wear them too.

People aren't afraid to wear my jackets because my work isn't coarse or vulgar. My work isn't about shocking people or about sex for the sake of sex. To me, sex is a means to make aesthetic, funny and multi-layered pieces.
-- Sander Reijgers

On The Runway:




In store:



photos: Maaike van der Hoeff and Arthur van der Vlies

Contact:
e-mail:mama.anders@hotmail.com

Sites:

WWW.SANDERREIJGERS.NL
His myspace site: Mama Anders Design

Pantone A Plenty... AGAIN! Now For The Kitchen

Regular readers of my blog know that I've already done not one, not two, not three, but FOUR posts on Pantone inspired items(see links at the end of this post). Well, they're at it again, this time with products for the Kitchen by Typhoon. Five new products, each available in five different colors.



The PANTONE UNIVERSE Kitchenware Collection by Typhoon includes the following product lines:

* Storage Jars

The 1.4 liter storage jar is available in color-coated enamelware with interchangeable magnetic labels for tea, coffee and sugar. The jar is also available in ceramic.

* New Striped Mugs

Ceramic mugs are available in two sizes, 12 fl oz (standard size) and 4 fl oz (espresso size). The mugs are dishwasher and microwave safe.

* Textiles




Made from and lined with 100% cotton, the textile line includes tea towels, aprons, pot holders and oven mitts.

* CrushGrind® Salt and Pepper Mills

Produced by CrushGrind, the salt and pepper mills are made from a high-gloss biodegradable plastic and are easy to adjust and clean. The CrushGrind brand guarantees the patented ceramic mechanism for 25 years. Buy the Pantone Crush Grind Mill


Pricing and Availability
The PANTONE UNIVERSE Kitchenware Collection by Typhoon will be available retailers worldwide like Amazon:
Pantone items on Amazon can be found here

Or check Typhoon dealers here. For more information, please contact (415) 884-9060 or sales@typhoonplus.com.

Be sure to see all the amazing Pantone inspired items posted about before:

Pantone Stuff
It's a Pantone Party
The Pantone Party Continues
Pantone's Colorful Collaborations

Dogs As Seen By A Dutchman: Maarten Wetsema's Fab Photos

It was quite by accident that I came upon photographer Maarten Wetsema's site and I'm quite happy I did. As a huge dog lover and a furniture and photography fan, his work struck me on many levels.

With four collections of photographs; Daan and Jacob, Dogs in their Domestic Environments, Portraits of Dog and Dogshoots, he captures the canine at their goofiest, yet manages to maintain the dog's dignity and beauty.

Below are a few of my favorites from all the aforementioned collections.



















Above: Maarten at work and below, the final shot


About the photographer:
Maarten Wetsema studied at the Art Academy of Arnhem. In 2004 he exhibited at Comme des Garçons in Tokyo. In 2005 he took part in Photo London and the KunstRai in Amsterdam, in 2006 his work was exhibited in both France and Miami, USA. In 2007, his work was shown at the Gallery Van Kranendonk in Miami, Paris and the Netherlands. His work is part of numerous national and international collections of private parties, companies and museums.

Maarten Wetsema's site.

He is represented by:
Gallery Van Kranendonk
Westeinde 29
2512 GS Den Haag NL
T. 0031 703 650 406

Contact info:
Maarten Wetsema
Rappardstraat 16
6822 CX Arnhem
The Netherlands
T. 0031 264 420 847
E. info@maartenwetsema.nl

If you love animals, these may be of interest to you:

Jill Greenberg's Amazingly Expressive Photos of Monkeys, Dogs and Bears
Erwan Fichou's Portraits of Owners In Clothes Made From Their Dog's Hair
Fine Jewelry Goes To The Dogs (and Cats)
Moira McLaughlin's Dog Gone Fun
The 2007 Wurstminster Dog Show

Wildfires Inspire Hot Music Video For Death Cab For Cutie by Walter Robot

Inspired by vocalist/guitarist Ben Gibbard's up-close-and-personal encounter with the devastating 2007 California wildfires, Death Cab For Cutie's latest music video, Grapevine Fires, is directed by Walter Robot, also known as the team of multimedia artist Bill Barminski and writer Christopher Louie.

The song, Grapevine Fires, motivated Walter Robot to create an animated short film which brilliantly relays the sense of devastating tragedy and forced optimism caused by the fire's wrath.

The animated video is poignant, sweet, scary and sad all at once. A perfect accompaniment to the song that inspires the same emotions. Using a mix of naive, childlike illustration with animation, the video is at once both charming and powerful.

Here are some stills (the full video is at the end of this post)











It's a mutual love fest between animator Walter Robot and Death Cab for Cutie as you can see from the quotes below:

"I have been an admirer of the beautiful art of Walter Robot from afar for a while, " says Death Cab bassist Nick Harmer. "Working with them on this video is an amazing dream come true and I am in awe of the stunning video they have made for us."

"We're huge Death Cab fans," says Walter Robot. "We had also heard from other directors how great all the Death Cab guys are and how really open they are to the creative process, which they were. They were extremely supportive and sincere."


above: Death Cab for Cutie is: Ben Gibbard: guitars, keyboards, vocals, Chris Walla: guitars, keyboards, Nick Harmer: bass, Jason McGerr: drums

Death Cab For Cutie


Walter Robot

A Mattel Goldie Hawn Laugh-In Barbie? You Bet Your Sweet Bippy!

I swear, Mattel must be making many of their new dolls for people like myself, because I know that most of the New Millenials haven't even heard of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (which was a popular variety show that debuted in 1967) and know Kate Hudson better than her famous mother, Goldie Hawn.



In an age of "sit-ins," "love-ins" and "teach-ins," NBC was proposing a "laugh-in" which somehow bridged generational gaps. Originally a one-shot special, Laugh-in was an immediate hit and quickly became the highest-rated series of the late 1960s. In a decade of shouted slogans, bumper stickers, and protest signs, Laugh-in translated its comedy into discrete one-liners hurled helter-skelter at the audience in hopes that some of them would prove funny. Many of them became catch-phrases: "Sock it to me," "Here come de judge," "You bet your sweet bippy," and "Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls."

The New Goldie Hawn Blonde Ambition Doll is an exact duplicate of the youthful Goldie as a sexy little sprite who used to dance in a bikini with faux tattoos on the popular Variety Show-- down to the drawn-on tattoos themselves which have been faithfully duplicated (as you can see below- click on the pic to enlarge).



She was adorable beyond belief and what an homage to have an actual Mattel Barbie Doll designed after oneself in a particular role (think they'll ever make Barbie Blogger Dolls? lol...).



The Doll its the shelves in a few months, but you can pre-order it now here:


Order Goldie Hawn Blonde Ambition Barbie Doll now before she sells out!

If Mod 60s Barbies Dolls are 'groovy' to you, you'll love this set available any day now:


Order Barbie Pivotal Mod Doll Gift Set here

Bond no. 9 Bottle Design Competition: Make Sure Yours Doesn't Stink

You may or may not be familiar with Bond no.9. Recognizable by the unique bottle design, Bond no.9 makes 34 different fragrances inspired by the city of New York.




The name of this fragrance collection, Bond No. 9, is also the address of its headquarters boutique at 9 Bond Street, in NoHo. They explain their mission as a dual purpose one: To restore artistry to perfumery, and to mark every New York neighborhood with a scent of its own. Each fragrance represents a specific downtown, midtown, or uptown locale or a city-wide sensibility.



They just introduced their latest addition, Brooklyn, which comes in a fun graffiti scrawled bottle. But... in addition to that, Bond no. 9 is having a design competition right now to create the additional visuals for this scent. Unfortunately, there's only 2 weeks left (it's not very well publicized), so... get cracking!



Throughout March 2009, Bond No. 9 invites everyone—amateurs and artists alike—to join their Brooklyn Bottle Design Competition and create additional visuals for this contemporary male-oriented cardamom-cedarwood eau de parfum.

You get a template to download like the one shown below:


Ground Rules:
* Create your design to fit within the outline of the Bond No. 9 superstar flacon and to include our circular “token” logo. * Any style, figurative or abstract, is fine with us.

* Inspiration can come from anywhere in Brooklyn—DUMBO, Park Slope, Flatbush, Canarsie, Midwood, Bay Ridge, et al.—or from the very idea of Brooklyn.

* Any medium is okay: oil, acrylic, watercolor, house paint, pastel, crayon, Magic Marker, makeup—even a ballpoint pen or pencil will do.

* Completed designs should be submitted to contactus@bondno9.com or Bond No. 9, 9 Bond Street, New York, NY 10012 by March 31, 2009.

After the two winners are chosen in early April, they’ll put the victorious designs into production, with the winner’s names displayed on the bottles. Each winner will also receive one bottle of Brooklyn per month for a year.

Perhaps some of their more interestingly designed bottles or their special limited editions or will inspire you:


Above: Spirit of Peace, Bryant Park and Andy Warhol Lexington Bottle designs.

Above: West Side

above: Andy Warhol Union Square

Above: Andy Warhol Silver factory

above: Andy Warhol Lexington Street Signature (complete with Robert Lee Morris necklace)

Above: Wall Street and Eau de New York

above: Chinatown regular and Swarovski limited version

above: Fire Island and Coney Island scents

above: Bleecker Street regular and Swarovski limited version

above: Saks Fifth Avenue for Her regular and Limited-Edition Swarovski Snowflake

So, download the template here and start designing!


Shop Bond no. 9 for the fragrances above plus more like candles, gifts and samples.

The Most Outrageous Watches I've Ever Seen & I Still Can't Tell What Time It Is.

HD3 Complications, Icelink, Hautlence and are three companies that make very high-end complicated timepieces that, although very pricey and admirably designed, are super difficult to tell what time it is. If you can get past that simple fact (lol) , take a look at the design, the workmanship, technology and plain audaciousness of these horological masterpieces.

Although all the companies offer various models, I'm blown away by the HD3's Idalgo XTII and the Biaxial, Icelink's 6Timezone Snow watches and Hautlence's models in particular. Frankly, I find it almost impossible to tell what time it is on any of these watches, but that doesn't stop me from staring at their faces.



HD3 complications is a company comprised of three different designers; artists Jorg Hysek, Valérie Ursenbacher and Fabrice Gonet working together to create luxury horological art. The Idalgo XTII and the Biaxial are two of their six lines of watches. The Idalgo XTII has side by side faces available in various 18k gold or titanium bezels and colored accents and can be purchased with or without diamonds on the bezel.

The HD3 Idalgo XTII:






Like I said, HD3 makes other models as well, here's their Biaxial Watch, another one from which I cannot deduce what time it is:

The HD3 Biaxial Watch:




HD3 COMPLICATION
Domaine Ganymède
Case postale 95
1184 Luins, Switzerland
T: +41 (0)21 642 03 03
F: +41 (0)21 642 03 04
E: sales@hd3complication.com
URL: www.hd3complication.com




Icelink's new "snow" collection is new to their line. Slightly different from their 6Timezone model, the Snow version has one of the six faces filled with little loose diamonds. The model is available as a small case or a large case style. Available in white, rose or yellow gold with white, black or white mother-of pearl faces, the watches are hard to ignore. See for yourself.

The 6Timezone Snow Collection:








They also come without diamonds on the bezel as well (you know, if you want to be a little subtle):






About Icelink:
In 2007 Switzerland's watchmakers welcomed into their ranks a new brand inspired by its founder Andy Sogoyan, a mover-and-shaker without complex and veritable icon of Los Angeles craziness. He is the incarnation of the era of no complex, undeniably the inventor of the gemwatch. IceLink continues to overturn conventional watchmaking.

From its Geneva headquarters, the Icelink gemwatch brand is poised to conquer new markets in Asia and the Far East due to the original design and ingenious concept of the new 6Timezone Snow collection. Thanks to its flagship 6Timezone collection, the brand already occupies key territory such as Europe, Russia, the Middle East and the United States.

Icelink
610 S. Broadway, 10th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90014, USA
T: +1 213 622 7707
F: +1 213 622 2624
E: info@icelinkwatch.com
URL: www.icelinktv.com




Hautlence gets its name from an anagram for Neuchatel, the city in Switzerland. Launched in 2004 by Renaud de Retz, Guillaume Tatu, Jean Plazenet, Jean Christophe Chopin and Alain de Forges , they have three collections, the HL, the HLS and most recently having added the HLQ series in 2008. All three models are made with various high quality metals like 18k yellow, white or rose gold or titanium and, unlike the other two companies are not available with diamonds.

Once again, these models have amazing design and movement. All are limited to production of only 88. Each have hand wound mechanical movement and feature exposed elements. Easy to read? No way. But then again, that's why they are included in this post. And a special thanks to Scott Rench for introducing me to Hautlence.

Their first model, The HL, which comes in 8 combinatons of colors and materials:










the HL S was introduced in 2006 (available in 9 variations):





The HL Q (available in 5 variations) was introduced in 2008:







Hautlence S.A.
6 places des Halles
2000 Neuchatel Switzerland
tel +41 32 722 65 50
fax +41 32 722 65 59
info@hautlence.com

Prices? if you have to ask, you can't afford them. None of these are available on the internet for obvious reasons. To inquire about availability or prices, please contact the manufacturers.

And would someone please tell me what time it is?

If watches are your weakness, be sure to check out the following posts:

Cartier's 3D Santos Triple 100 and Le Cirque Animalia and More

Kudoke: Luxury Skeletel Watches From Germany

Marc Newsom's IKEPOD watches

Watches Made From Actual Titanic Parts

Watches Made With Real Moon Dust

Some Wild Watches from Storm,London

Watches Without Hands Or Numbers: Abacus

SwissKubik's Hip Watchwinders

The Unusual Art of Christian Faur

Artist Christian Faur is the Director of Collaborative Technologies in the Arts at Denison University in Granville Ohio and his title couldn't be more apt. He works with shredded paper, hand cast encaustic crayons and mathematical formulas to create pieces that in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, say much more. But I will let his work and his own statement speak for themselves.

The art below was created with hand cast encaustic crayons:

True Color Series Girl 1, 2008:

True Color Series, Boy:

Boy, detail:

Where The Sidewalk Ends, 2008:

The Color Purple, 2008:

Charlie, 2007:

detail:

Mortgage On The Future, 2006:

The Dance I, 2006:

The Hours, 4 panels, 2006:

detail of The Hours:


In addition to his crayon work, Christian has experimented with many other mediums. His shredded paper paintings are pretty spectacular. Below is a 78 inch by 48 inch paper sculpture made from 12,000 strips of shredded paper:

detail:


The piece below (1000 Names On Paper) is made from shredded paper that is printed with one-thousand of the most common names of those currently between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight according to the Social Security Administration.

One Thousand Names On Paper:

detail:


And here are a few of his encaustic works in which he has embedded many references to scientific formulas, human chromosomal DNA, and mathematics, which function as metaphoric as well as aesthetic elements.




The Artist's Statement (abridged):

The things that inspire me to create, I find, are buried deep within the structures and systems that form the underpinning of our natural world. My studies in the natural sciences have made me aware of these hidden layers of complexity present in even the simplest objects. These invisible layers are seen most clearly through the lens of logic, which is used to decipher the underlying rules and laws that govern the physical world.

In my work, I try to mimic these elegant structures of nature by developing systems of my own with which to express my thoughts and ideas, so that the medium and the message appear as one.

I think of it like a game, with a set of axioms that are established at the outset through the limitations of the material or forms from which the work is constructed, which then dictates what can and cannot be "said" within the boundaries of the chosen medium. This material limitation can also be a strength, as there is the potential to contain thoughts and ideas in unique ways, so that the "medium" can become the "message." This intertwining of form and function can be seen most directly in my most recent work, which is comprised of crayons and shredded paper.

These systems function as a private language, that allows me to express many layers of meaning within each work that I create. I think of them as complex visual "poems," which can redefine the way we think about the meaning of communication.


You can view his entire portfolio here.

Another artist who does amazing work with crayons is Demi Chau.

Learn about her crayon carvings here.

Vanity Fair Photographers' Funny Folks Compared To The Originals

Various Vanity Fair photographers shot portraits of today's funniest folks in an homage to tv, movie and historical legends of the past. The photos are of the hottest comedic actors in tv and movies, either recreating some of classic film's best moments or adding a funny bent to cultural and historical icons. Either way, they are all beautifully shot and hilarious.


Above left clockwise: Seth Rogan as Frida Kahlo, Frida Kahlo Self-portrait, Jack Nicholsen in The Shining, Danny McBride as Jack

But to add yet another dimension to them, I've actually paired them (as shown above) with the original inspiration for each- with the exception of Annie Leibovitz's, because she already did that with her own hilarious recreation of her original March 2006 cover shot for Vanity Fair. Enjoy!


above: JONAH HILL, PAUL RUDD, SETH ROGEN, and JASON SEGEL, The Pretty Young Things, Photographed by Annie Leibovitz on Stage 28 at Paramount Pictures Studio Lot, Los Angeles.

above: Annie Leibowitz' March 2006 Cover shot for Vanity Fair (Tom Ford, Kiera Knightly and Scarlett Johannsen)

above: the shot as used on the March, 2006 cover

above: PAUL RUDD as Gene Wilder's Doctor Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein.
Photographed by Art Streiber in Los Angeles.

above: Gene Wilder in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein.

above: BILL HADER, ANNA FARIS, JASON BATEMAN, and LESLIE MANN, The Honeymooners Photographed by Norman Jean Roy in Los Angeles.

above: Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph in the original Honeymooners

above: DANNY MCBRIDE as Jack Nicholson's character in The Shining
Photographed by Mark Seliger in Los Angeles.

above: Heeeere's Johnny!, Jack Nicholson in The Shining

above: AMY POEHLER (Bonnie Parker), The Accomplices
Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier in New York.

above left: The real Bonnie Parker and right, Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker

above: WILL ARNETT (Han Solo), The Accomplices
Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier in New York.

above: Harrison Ford as Star Wars' Han Solo

above: JASON SEGEL (Buster Keaton)
Photographed by Norman Jean Roy in Los Angeles.


above: Buster Keaton in his famous pose, young and old

above: SETH ROGAN as Frida Kahlo's own self-portrait.
Photographed by Norman Jean Roy in Los Angeles.

above: self-portrait, Frida Kahlo

above: RUSSEL BRAND as Charlie Chaplin
Photographed by Mark Seliger in Los Angeles.

above: Charlie Chaplin as The Tramp

above: JONAH HILL as a young George Washington
This Side of the Truth. Photographed by Sam Jones in Los Angeles.

above: a young George Washington (that's him, on the right)


you can read more about Vanity Fair: Comedy's New Legends here.

If I Were A Superhero, Here's How I'd Roll: The Tramontana R-editon

Talk about a car Batman would drive!! Spain's just released Tramontana R-edition doesn't even look like a real vehicle, but it is.



Not only does it have the design and aesthetics of a vehicle not of this earth (lots of carbon fiber), but it combines aeronautical technology with a Formula 1 Race car. It has a top speed of 720 Hp and goes from 0-60 mph (100Km/h) in 3.6 seconds! In a limited edition of 12 and costing a cool half million dollars, I've got tons of photos for you here.




a.d. Tramontana is an European Company located on the Costa Brava (Spain) which manufactures an exclusive tailor-made supercar called Tramontana. It is a combination of a Formula 1 racing car and a fighter jet powered by a V12 engine which produces a maximum of 720 hp.

Photos of the Tramontana R-edition:



The whole car is made by using the finest materials and in order to achieve an extremely light and stiff car the chassis and the bodywork are completely made of carbon fibre.

Exterior (still):






Exterior (motion):








Exterior (details):






Interior:




For the Gear Heads:







Technical Data:
Engine:
12 cylinder V 60º Biturbo
5.513 cm3 displacement
Cylinder diameter 82 mm
Compression 9:1
Turbo pressure 1.4 bar

Max. Power Selector:
550 Hp – 404 kW at 5.000 rpm
720 Hp – 529 kW at 5.250 rpm

Max. Torque:
890 Nm at 3.500 rpm
1100 Nm at 4.000 rpm

Transmission:
Longitudinal mid engine
Rear wheel drive
Traction control (4 positions)

Gear box:
6 speeds sequential

Brakes:
Carbon ceramic discs, ABS
Front 380x34 mm 6 piston callipers
Rear 380x34 mm 6 piston callipers

Rims:
20” Carbon fiber rims & Magnesium core

Tires (tyres):
Front 245/40 R20” (Y)
Rear 335/30 R20” (Y)

Suspension:
4 wheel independent suspension
Double wishbone with push-rod
Variable ride height, 85 / 135 mm

Structure:
Carbon fiber Monocoque (cockpit)
Carbon fiber bodywork

Dimensions:
Length: 4.900 mm – Width: 2.080 mm – Height: 1.300 mm
Dry weight 1.268 kg.
Fuel capacity 100 ltrs.

Performance:
Max. Speed: 325 Km/h. (limited)
Acceleration: 0-100 Km/h.: 3,6 sec.
Weight to power ratio: 1,76 Kg/Hp

Wanna see it in person?

It debuts at Top Marques Monaco in April.

all photos and info Copyright 2008 © a.d. TRAMONTANA.
Carretera de Garrigàs a Sant Miquel s/n - 17476 Palau de Santa Eulàlia (Girona - Spain)
Telf.: (+34) 972 568 164 - Fax.: (+34) 972 568 320

Spend Ten Minutes In The Graveyard, You Won't Be Sorry

The Graveyard is a very short computer game designed by Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn. You control an old lady who visits a graveyard with your keyboard or joystick. Not the type of computer games you may be used to. There's no Wii controller, no jumping around in your living room, you just make the old woman walk around, sit on a bench and listen to a song. It's more like an exploring a piece of art than playing a game. An experiment with real time poetry, storytelling without words.



The game’s developer, Tale of Tales, helps explain the “point” of the game:

The purpose of Tale of Tales is to create elegant and emotionally rich interactive entertainment. We explicitly want to cater to people who are not enchanted by most contemporary computer games, or who wouldn’t mind more variety in their gameplay experiences. For this purpose, all of our products feature innovative forms of interaction, engaging poetic narratives and simple controls.

In the trial version of the short PC/OSX game (which you can download free here), players slowly guide a hobbling elderly lady through a cemetery, towards a bench. Alone and without ever saying a word, the woman sits on the bench while a poignant song, sung in Flemish but presented with English subtitles, plays.



The full, paid release (only $5.00) is nearly identical except for one feature -- the possibility of death for the aged woman.

Chris Kohler of Wired magazine says:
"Interactivity is a powerful thing. The Graveyard could have been a short film on YouTube and lost none of its presentational qualities, or its message. But the very limited interaction you have with the character -- you can walk her forward and backward, or turn -- instantly makes the connection deeper and more powerful than it would have been if you were simply watching."

"(Designers) Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn are determined to explore the potential of interactive media. They believe that for the medium to grow (up), designers need to have the courage to abandon the game format and dare to explore other types of interaction, other types of emotions, stories, etc.," writes Tale of Tales in their press release for the game.

The following interesting images are from the game's post-mortem ( a report about the making of the project):

Early concept sketch:

The inspiration for the environment:

Early working version:

The character was modeled in Blender:

The final game as displayed in the authoring app, Unity:


CREDITS:
DATA DIRECTOR: Auriea Harvey
PROCESS DIRECTOR: Michaël Samyn
ANIMATIONS: Laura Raines Smith
MUSIC: Gerry De Mol
SOUND EFFECTS: Kris Force

Download the free trial version for PC or intel based MACs here

Purisme: Light Luxury Products With A Heavy Price Tag

PURISME CARBON LUXURIES is the first global brand for design products made of carbon fiber and aims strictly at the premium market. PURISME GmbH in Vienna, Austria was founded by three designers and one business economist and has joined a strategic partnership with a leading carbon-processing company.

Their products are luxury design products, made of highly iridescent carbon. Light as a feather, yet stronger than steel. At the moment, they have four products. An award winning letter opener and a limited edition smoking pipe-- both available for purchase, with a super hefty price tag. Soon to be launched is a YoYo and a Bracelet-- undoubtedly pricey as well.

The Purisme letter opener:


The PURISME letter opener made a spectacular debut in the world of luxury design: Immediately after its first introduction, the PURISME Letter Opener, was awarded the prestigious international Red Dot Design Award and earned a similarly prestigious place as an exhibit at the 21st Biennial of Industrial Design 2008 at Lubljana, chosen by an international jury from 421 entries.


price: $447.00 USD

The Purisme pipe is a limited edition:



A delicate combination of choice straight grain bruyere wood with hitech carbon material gives the PURISME Pipe an irresistible aura, and delicately curved lines. PURISME has translated an age-old shape into hypermodern powerful dynamics, bringing ergonomics to ultimate perfection along the way. One amazing design detail is the unique "UpsideDown" pipehead: On it, the PURISME Pipe stands upright in perfect, safe balance wherever you set it down.


Price: $2,415.00 USD

The YOYO and bracelet have yet to launch, but will be available for purchase soon:




PURISME combines traditional craftsmanship with latest serial production technology. Each single product undergoes meticulous controls during production and an additional final inspection by the designer who signs his approval on the quality certificate without which no PURISME product can go on sale.


PURISME GmbH
Neustiftgasse 6-8
1070 Wien
T: +43 1 522 3497 10
F: +43 1 522 3497 11
contact@purisme.com
www.purisme.com

Matryoshka Madness (Or Babushka Bounty) Part 2 - Updated August 2009!

To jump to the newest additions as of August, 2009, please scroll about two thirds down of this post.

Just about a year ago, I did a very large post on the popularity of Russian Nesting Dolls aka Matryoshkas, Metroshkas, Babushkas, etc. Designer versions, hand painted artist versions, modern versions and their appearance on everything from textiles to jewelry.

Clearly, the trend has not subsided. So, I bring you Part 2 with more available items on the market. Even a fun commercial for milk uses the Russian Nesting Dolls (that is shown at the end of this long post).

Before showing you all the new products you can buy that reference Russian nesting dolls, take a look at these lust worthy versions by top fashion designers like Burberry, Prada, Gucci, Giles Deacon, Martin Margiela and more for Russian Vogue:








Unfortunately, the dolls shown above are not available for purchase, but here are tons of items that are!

Estee Lauder has made this special limited edition perfume compact of the scent Beautiful, inside an enameled Russian Doll exclusively for Neiman Marcus:


buy it here.

Last minute addition thanks to Wicked Halo!
This awesome Chanel miniaudiere bag:

And I found a pic of Lily Allen with it:

Not available until May and will reportedly cost $9,560.00 UD.

Mathmos has even come out with a color changing led Babushka lamp:




buy it here.

Russian designer Dima Loginoff's Fedora Lamp:



learn more here.

Wall art:

buy it here.

packing tape:

buy it here.

Rugs:


fun little Russian doll rugs! buy them here.

Pylones of France makes this Russian Doll pepper mill:

buy it here.

...and a Russian doll vegetable peeler:

buy it here.

Russian Doll aprons:

buy them here.

Plasticland sells candles, cosmetic bags and manicure kits:



Buy this cute set of 3 candles, cosmetic bags or manicure set here.

Babushka spinning tops:

buy them here.

Russian Doll photo album from Rose Bonbon:

buy it here.

Wooden whistles:

buy them here.

Katarina filigree nesting dolls by Michelle Ivankovic for Umbra:

above:
Five Russian inspired dolls nest into each other, each with a different filigree pattern. Finishes of silver, brass, copper, antique brass and a shiny nickel.

Russian Nesting Dolls salt and pepper shakers:

buy them here.

Since I posted part 1, Russian design firm Art Lebedev has added these two sets:


above: Bit, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte and terabyte take shape of Matryoshkas to make the right sequence in Russian painted, black or white, all available from Art Lebedev

Australian textile Designer Kristen Doran sells her Matryoshka fabrics:


Available in several colorways, purchase the fabric here.

A friend of Kristen Doran's, Carol of precious metal designs collaborated with her for this cute pendant:

inquire about it here.

Russian nesting dolls pacifier clip:

buy it here.

A cute jute tote bag:

buy it here.

Even a Russian Doll hot water bottle by Paperchase of the UK is available:

buy it here.

Threadless has some funny Russian Doll T-shirts available:

Buy the Russian Newborn Tee by Blake Suarez here.

Buy John Mitchell's Nesting Dolls tee (or art print) here.

Russian dolls are being used in all sorts of media. Check out this super cute Russian milk commercial using the omnipresent nesting dolls.:




NEW additions as of August 2009:

Babushka Bourres (drinking game):

buy it here.

Brand New From World Wide Fred, come the M-Cups, adorable measuring cups shaped like Russian Dolls:

buy them here.

..and the MatroshKeys, Russian Doll Key Covers:

buy them here.


Anthropologie sells Russian Doll measuring cups too:

buy them here.

Russian Doll Musical Jewelry Box by Bobble Art:


buy it here.

Russian Doll Storage Boxes:

buy them here.

Russian Doll Tins:

buy them here.

Porcelain Matryoshka Doll Set/Tableware by Qubus:

inquire about it here.

Matryoshka Cotton Lumbar Pillow Cover:

buy it here.

The Russian Doll Cosmetic case:

buy it here.

The Russian Doll Compact:

above: Stainless steel, glass and plastic compact with etched Matryoshka doll on top.
Buy it here.

Babushka Picture frames:

Available in black, natural or white. Buy them here.


Matryoshka USB Flash Drives:

Custom Rubber painted Russian Doll usb flash drives, like the one above, can be made here.

above: A more traditional Russian Doll flash drive from Decor Craft, Inc..

AudioMatyroshkas, audio speakers:



above: Russian designer Alex Mamontoff created these matryoshka shaped audio speakers that can easily plug into your ipod. Not yet available for purchase.

Russian Doll Cocktail Shaker:
Last Christmas Selfridges of the UK offered this limited edition Smirnoff Russian Doll Cocktail Shaker with their Smirnoff Black:

sadly, it's no longer available.

However, don't fear, authentic Russian Matroyshka Vodka, in three flavors; Lux, Honey and Cranberry, is available:


Never read part 1 of Matryoshka Madness? Read it here.

Borsalino Helmets And Hats: The Most Stylish Way To Protect your Noggin

Although all of Borsalino's products deserve a looksee, it's their crash helmets for motorcycles, snowmobiles, and more, that first caught my attention. The luxurious materials and elegant design are almost enough to make me take up Polo. Almost. Take a look:

The Black-Gold:

Notorious:

Alligator:

Tweed Summer: