A 'Snow Beasts' MINI and Custom Burton Snowboards by Illustrator Andreas Preis.

A creative collaboration between MINI, Burton Snowboards and urban artist Andreas Preis resulted in hand-painted Burton snowboards and a decked out MINI Paceman, all created for the Burton European Open in Laax.








A matte white MINI Cooper D ALL4 Paceman was given to Preis to use as a blank canvas. Left to the creative devices of Andreas, the car was transformed into the MINI Paceman SNOW BEAST.







Highlighting the MINI maxim of Creative Use of Space, he went to work emblazoning each side with heraldic creatures of the highlands, or SNOW BEASTS, as he calls them. The five emblematic animals include: the lynx for its gracefulness, the eagle for its vision, the ibex for ambition, the wolf for teamwork, and the owl for its wisdom.







"SNOW BEASTS all have properties that make them role models for people who move in the mountains and snow," Andreas explained while a warm winter sun shone through the glass of the MINI C_ART Container. "Snowboarders move with grace, ambition, vision and wisdom and have the most fun when they're on a team. These technical and aesthetic qualities of SNOW BEASTS are what I wanted to express on the MINI."



A dedicated snowboarder (and skateboarder) himself, Andreas imbued the installation with his first-hand knowledge of these qualities... and may have done some extra research while on site. "During the breaks I was able to get together with the Burton and MINI crew and put in a few runs, which was really cool. I'm definitely not as good as the kids competing, but I love to ride."

The beautiful snowboards:





In addition to the patina he gave the MINI Paceman, Andreas's stickers and hand-painted MINI custom SNOW BEASTS snowboards were given away to lucky riders both on site and online.


above: Andreas Preis with one of his custom Burton snowboards that was raffled of at the event.

You can also find some of Andreas' illustrative work for sale here at Society 6

information and images courtesy of MINI , Burton, and Andreas Preis

2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models Wearing Nothing But Body Paint.

I shouldn’t be surprised that my post on 2013 SI Swimsuit models wearing nothing but body paint is one of my most popular. That said, I’ve got a new one for you: 2014 SI swimsuit models in body paint. Once again, as part of their annual Swimsuit Issue, Sports Illustrated painted some of their sexy models with nothing but body paint.

Limited Edition Kodewa Performance Motorcycle, The Lotus C-01, Designed by Daniel Simon.

Following two years of careful planning and intense development, Kodewa is delighted to announce that that the prototype of the world’s first motorcycle to bear the legendary Lotus marque is now road registered and ready for action.

The 30 Most Stunning 2014 Oscar After Party Dresses And The 10 Ugliest.

By now you've seen the multitude of 2014 Oscars' Best Dressed and Worst Dressed posts from fashion blogs, gossip blogs and magazines. But many of the gowns and dresses worn to the Vanity Fair after party and the 22nd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Oscar Viewing Party event were even more beautiful than those worn to the award ceremony. And some, not so much.

The following are my own 30 picks for the best and the 10 worst.

The 30 Best Oscar After Party Dresses (in no particular order)

Miranda Kerr:

Emmy Rossum:

Lupita Nyong'o in Miu Miu:

Amy Adams (in Carolina Herrera):

Selena Gomez:

Anna Kendrick (in Versace Couture):

Gabrielle Union:

Kristen Bell (with hubby Dax Shepard) in Zuhair Murad:

Karlie Kloss:

Allison Williams:

Reese Witherspoon:

Kate Hudson (in Zuhair Murad):

Sofia Vergara (in Roberto Cavalli):

Anna Paquin (in Alexander McQueen):

Penelops Cruz (in H&M):

Anne Hathaway (in Viktor & Rolf):

Ashley Greene:

Sienna Miller (in Alexander McQueen):

Taylor Swift:

Aubrey Plaza:

Evan Rachel Wood:

Lady Gaga:

Jennifer Lawrence (in Tom Ford):

Zooey Deschanel:

Heidi Klum:

Sheryl Crow:

Emma Roberts:

Britney Spears:

Bellamy Young:

Jenna Dewan-Tatum:



And now, the 10 Ugliest Oscar After Party Dresses (sorry Ladies)

Diane Kruger:

Jessica White:

Melanie Brown:

Rashida Jones:

Karolina Kurkova:

Kelly Bensimon:

Sharon Osbourne:

Elisabeth Moss:

Elizabeth Banks:

Serna Williams:


And lastly, two dresses about which I am undecided.

Vanessa Hudgeons:

Kelly Osbourne:


And there you have it. My picks for the best and worst 2014 Oscar Party After Dresses.