If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

Secret Circus Clothing: They're Not Clowning Around

There's a new clothing company whose style is evident in both their website design as well as their products. A little regal, a little rock n' roll, a lot of sparkle, leather and cashmere and you have Secret Circus Clothing. With a youthful, wealthy, hip look and feel, it's bound to be a favorite amongst celebs.

In a goth meets rococco meets royal kind of style, Secret Circus makes tops, denim, leather and accessories for both men and women who like to be noticed. Their clothes are not for the meek or timid, but instead for those who wear them as a badge of honor- or style.

From cashmere hoodies embellished with imagery and text like "beauty kills" (my personal favorite, shown above) to leather jackets studded with Swarovski crystals and ornate text, Secret Circus Clothing is not what you'd call affordable, but certainly what you'd call original and artful.

Some examples of their cashmere tops and hoodies:

Leather jackets and vests embellished with crystals and text:

Denim: Back pockets display the SC logo in gold, black or blue:

The website is a feast for the eyes as well.

So, even if you're not in the market for a cashmere hoodie or swarovski studded leather jacket, you may want to check out the site just the same.

If the name of this company sounds familiar, they received a lot of attention when, to launch the company, they auctioned off a pair of diamond emblazoned jeans at this past January's London Fashion Week to an unnamed buyer.

The jeans featured five large diamonds (and ten smaller ones) on the back pocket along with the SC logo.
Two 6.0 carat brilliant cuts
A 4.63 carat marquise cut
A 5.36 carat pear shaped
A 5.09 carat princess cut
and 10 smaller diamonds.
Value? $1.3 million USD, making them the world's most expensive pair of jeans.

UPDATE: Since this post, Secret Circus has changed their site and their look and style. The clothes shown in this post are no longer in their inventory, but you can see what they have here

With A $2,800. Price Tag, This Car Wax Ought To Rub Itself On.

DIVINE -
The world's most exclusive car wax, specially blended for a particular vehicle and particular paint finishes.

Each year, Swissvax blends, for a very limited number of collectors and enthusiasts, a glaze of most exceptional quality containing over 60% by volume of ultra pure Brazilian white carnauba wax.

It is made to order and is specially formulated to meet the paint system of one particular vehicle. Each individual formula comes in its own exclusively hand-crafted packaging, together with a solid Sterling Silver plate bearing the vehicle's details and/ or owner's name. Apply after pre-treating with Cleaner Fluid.

Swissvax is also known as Swizol and Swissol, depending upon the country. Divine is their top of the line product, but they carry many fine waxes that are more affordable for the common folk.

Below is a demonstration of Swissvax Divine on a Lamborghini Murcielago.

Buy it here.
Or here.
Or here.
Or use the United States order form found here.
Visit the Swizol site here.

Musical Instruments For Your Eyes: Modern Pianos From Schimmel & Bosendorfer

Two of the most respected and renowned German piano makers have some amazing models with which you may not be familiar. Some are designed in conjunction with fine artists or Porsche Design and some are being hailed for their design in worldwide competitions. Schimmel and Bosendorfer are both well established, centuries old, family founded companies who make several lines of quality pianos. In addition to making traditional Grands and Uprights, they both manufacturer modern and unusual instruments that are as pleasing to the eye as the ear.

Take a look:

Schimmel Konzert Grand (The Glass Grand Concert Piano)
K 213 Glas, length: 213 cm | 7’0’’ inch

Schimmel Konzert Grand (The Pegasus Grand Concert Piano)
K 208 Pegasus, length: 208 cm | 6’10’’ inch

The Pegasus in white:

Schimmel Konzert Grand (The Concert Grand Piano by Artist Otmar Alt)
K 213 Otmar Alt, spezial colour, length: 213 cm | 7’0’’ inch

Schimmel Upright- C 116 M.

This new model Schimmel has just won one of the most renowned and challenging international design competitions, the "red dot award: product design 2008“.

Contact info:
Wilhelm Schimmel Pianofortefabrik GmbH
Friedrich-Seele-Straße 20
38122 Braunschweig
Germany
Phone +49 (0)531/8018-0
Fax +49 (0)531/8018-163
info@schimmel-piano.de

The Bösendorfer EDGE – Design by Edelweiss Industrial Studio:

Design by F. A. Porsche for Bosendorfer:

The Bosendorfer Brüssel, Designed by Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Felsenstein, office Nobert Schlesinger:

above: Specially designed logo for Model Brüssel

Contact Info:
L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH
Graf Starhemberg-Gasse 14, A-1040 Vienna, Austria
Bösendorferstraße 12, A-1010 Vienna, Austria
mail@boesendorfer.com, www.boesendorfer.com

Be sure to see Bosendorfer's latest collaboration with Audi designs here.

Multi Hip & Multifunctional: ]the MultiPot & the MultiBook

The MultiPot:

Article:	MultiPot
Family:	MultiPot
Year:	2005
Designer:	Dante Donegani - Giovanni Lauda

This belongs to a new generation of lighting objects and is the first of the Rotaliana products to combine lighting with other functions. This hybrid, multi functional lamp combines a LED ambient light with a multi socket, along with a space to tidy cables in the lamp’s vase.

MultiPot provides new comfort levels, both in the home and at work by catering for both old and new requirements: our habit of emptying keys and other personal items, from pockets into containers, with new requirements to manage our increased use of rechargeable multimedia equipment, home computers and the transformation of televisions into home theatres. With its familiar looks, lighting function and translucent finish (to filter the light while masking the electric cables), MultiPot is a picture of elegant functionality.

And now available in Glam colors:

Article:	MultiBook
Family:	MultiBook
Year:	2007
Designer:	Dante Donegani - Giovanni Lauda

The MultiBook:
A multifunctional lamp for use at home, on a table or desk, as a bedside lamp or while travelling … Its book shape combines different uses:
• Around 3 sides are 74 LEDs for a diffused
light;
• inside there is a 3-way multisocket and a
container for cables and transformers;
• the spine has a calendar and digital clock;
• the top cover has an illuminated label for your personal details.

With its book form and luminous performance, MultiBook is a technical object with a familiar face. It’s your personal toolkit to use in any situation: to light your desk, keep it tidy and free from the usual array of cables; to use as a clock in the bedroom, to recharge your mobile and MP3 batteries and when you travel, you can store the transformers for all your electrical equipment.

Made from plastic the MultiBook comes in 4 finishes: black, white, lacquer red and blue. The decoration is inspired by the ars illuminandi, or miniature illustrations that are found in medieval texts.