Being a staunch fan of MINI’s I’m always excited to hear about new special editions being released. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Equipe Arden‘s British Touring Car Championship victory and to commemorate the event Arden who is better known for its tweaked versions of Jaguar and Land Rovers has teamed up with MINI and released the MINI Cooper Equipe 40th Anniversary model. Only 40 of these models will be made, sporting mechanical and stylish tweaks and signed by founder Jochen Arden. Most notable is the dashboard, seats and doors that will be covered in hand-stitched leather while the exterior will feature handmade stainless steel and chrome grills and special 18″ aluminum wheels. The engine will also have some mods with revised electronics, a new inter cooler and stainless steel exhaust system.

[SOURCE]

Read More

It’s been a long time since I’ve tripped over a photoshoot, but this shoot put on by La MJC for the Louis Vuitton x Kanye West collection of sneakers has some really nice, simple, everyday art direction going on. LA MJC got the entire lot straight from LV before its official release date in the coming weeks and decided to put on their own shoot of these upscale sneakers in everyday, street scenarios. The outfits are fresh, with some matching color schemes and quality pieces by Supreme and Surface To Air but I also love the mixing of these high end pieces against some old jeans and a plain white tee. Genius.

Read More

This collection has been picking up steam online as of late and I’m teally liking the non-fancy, non-fragile, industrial approach to these ties and handkerchiefs by Hill-Side. Named after Hillside Avenue because of its personal and nostalgic value to owners/designers Emil and Sandy, they’ve taken a tough, working man’s approach to neck wear. They are meant to be worn hard, every day and according to the designers, gain character with each use. Hill-Side ties is hand made in Manhattan using utilitarian fabrics not commonly found in neck wear like selvedge chambray, hemp/cotton blend selvedge denim, left-hand twill and waxed canvas. They’ve gone with a two-inch wide, square-end necktie because of its timelessness, never changing with trends, never being the coolest tie around yet never disappearing or going out of style. You may not think about wearing a handkerchief or tie everyday, but maybe it’s time you at least considered it for more casual wear.

Read More

LAZER SWORD is the duo of San Francisco based LOW LIMIT and LANDO KAL. They like to make music that sounds like your favorite top 40 rap shit chopped up into a tornado filled with razor blades and molasses. Or maybe like Frank Zappa rocking the home made Lil John tank-top at the rooftop party.

LAZER SWORD made the SWEATPANTS MONEY MIXTAPE for one of their favorite websites; Nalden.net. A lifestyle blog for people who love to stay ahead of the curve. SWEATPANTS MONEY is featuring 26 tracks blended into a tornado of heavy LAZER SWORD beats with a cappella’s from artists like Ludacris, Jay-Z, M.I.A. & Eazy-E. As a big fan of the duo from SF, Nalden is pleased to host this mix especially made for his blog. Like the blog, the music of LAZER SWORD is to put it bluntly, really next level.

Black-Marmalade Studios designer DeChazier P. Stokes-Johnson was kind enough to create the beautiful artwork for this online release. Available for free on Nalden.net.

Read More

You’ve no doubt already heard the song, but I’d like to use the official video release to spit a couple of lines. Everybody seems to be heiling the lyrical genius of Jay-Z and while I can’t deny there are some killer lines and decent production, I have to ask, does it live up to the hype? Video wise, there’s no creative concept which isn’t exactly a big surprise for a hip-hop/rap video (most recent let down: Kinda Like a Big Deal) but musically, I’m indifferent. Maybe it’s because at first glance, the title of Death of Autotune sounds like it’s going to cut into everybody from T-Pain to Kanye but then stops short of outright doing so aside from a “Get back to rap you T-Pain’n too much” and “No lyin, your niggas’ jeans too tight. Your colors too bright, your voice too light” which may or may not be a reference to the flack Kanye & Co. got at Paris Fashion Week. Maybe Jay-Z didn’t actually want to “offend his political connects”. So, is rap back with D.O.A. or has it just been so sorely missed in the last few years, that we’re  willing to accept mediocrity as genius beyond a Reasonable Doubt?

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t follow fashion shows. They always seem inaccessible and I could never really appreciate them. However, I was just checking out the coverage on Men.Style of the Louis Vuitton Spring 2010 line up and it’s looking mean. Too mean to not mention. Departing from the usual richness of the Damier and Monogram print that can be overbearing, they went more ‘traditional’ and used bike messengers, as inspiration. Now, that’s accessible, or at least relatable (I’m not in the position to cop an oestrich LV backpack just yet). The dress shoes, subtle gray, yellow, orange, black and white colours and bag/luggage pieces are unbelievable. I’ve only flipped over a backpack once – my Visvim Ballistic 20L – but the styles, shapes, colours from the backpacks alone in this collection will have me cutting back on sneaker purchases for the next little while.

Check out the entire collection here.

Even though pop-up shops have been grouped together with collaborations as a well-worn fad that everybody should do, there’s something about doing BOTH at colette that always seems to make blog headlines, even though colette is no stranger to hosting the pop-up and Comme des Garcons is no stranger to collaboration. Speaking of which, I really miss We Sold Out, anybody else? Here’s the deal: Comme des Garcons SHIRT is having a form of exhibition at colette entited “Geography” alongside photos from National Geographic. Aside from taking the wraps off two new labels – a world exclusive: Comme des Garçons SHIRT GIRL and DOVER STREET MARKET,  the latest models in the PLAY collection will also be on show. For this week and next week, the new temporary BLACK Comme des Garçons line will be available at colette on an exclusive basis with the new CDG store (Rue du Perche). Essentially, it’s the woman’s line consisting of reinterpretations of the most popular Comme des Garçons models just in black, however, they do make a pretty hot shopping bag that could be passed off as unisex. See it after the jump.

Hit up colette for more info.

Hit up BKRW for shots inside the exhibition.

Read More

We’ve long been a fan of James Perse’s incredibly soft, quality knits so we naturally jumped at this furniture collection. James Perse, the son of the man behind the famous Maxfield boutique Los Angeles,  considered one of the top ten brand boutiques in the world, has since become fashion pioneer in his own right when he launched a t-shirt line that blended luxury with casual. That said, James has recently taken another step in widening the brand with his new furniture collection that’s a perfect extension of his brand and exactly up my alley when it comes to style. Simple, timeless and all about casual living.

Read More

I strongly dislike anything involving antiquing, flea marketing, or vintage shopping, but if I really like idea behind ACL‘s Michael Williams and Randy Goldberg of Urban Daddy, for the Pop Up Flea. Some quality brands will be there, Billykirk, Mark McNairy, Hattan, Alexander West, One Trip Pass, Alexander Olch, Aether, Aprix, 3Sixteen, Gitman Brothers Vintage, C’H’C’M not to mention food from Cafe Select and fresh facial cut services by Tommy Guns. I’d really love to check out the collection of footwear on hand from Supreme’s Brendon Babenzien and see these handmade ballcaps from Hattan. Think of it as one-stop shopping to “Get Handsome”.  The WASP-like art direction on that poster is straight killing it.

If you’re in the area, let us know how it is.

I flipped when I peeped the previews from the Parisian photographist, Phoks, for his upcomming Kicks Series exhibit at Creativity Lab. While it’s not exactly a new idea to combine art with Nikes, Brian Jungen‘s work with Air Jordan’s immediately comes to mind and the more recent origami Air Yeezy project by Filippo Perin, Phoks has managed to tastefully merge portraits on sneakers. In only 3 years, Phoks has surpassed the title of ‘up and commer’ and has since made a name for himself using high-tech imagery, flashy colors and mixing influences such as cartoons, pop culture, sneakers and fashion. The Kicks Series exhibit will feature NIKE DUNK HI, JORDAN or AIR FORCE with overlays of cultural icons, all in black and white.

Check out the other previews after the jump.

[SOURCE]

Read More

We all have that friend that’s always chronically late, so as soon as I saw this clock I knew exactly who it would be perfect for.  Designed by Diamantini & Domeniconi and Fabrica, it was first shown at the Palazzo Borromeo during the Salone del Mobile di Milan in April. The On-Time clock’s minute hand  clock is bent three minutes forward, definitely a great way to keep you always on time.

[SOURCE]

Read More

Nooka has teamed up with Dustin Canalin of UNDRCRWN to create yet another unique, one of a kind watch. UNDRCRWN appeared out of the woodwork in Philadelphia a few years ago and since has been making a name for itself with a slew of successful collaborations with artists such as Asher Roth and Mos Def. We’ve featured a few Nooka’s in the past as well since we appreciate good watch design, though this breaks a few molds with it’s slightly geeky, bar graph time telling.

This watch cleanly combines two styles very effectively, and the Paul Smith’esque stripes look great while they’re sure to catch a few looks too.

Available in a limited run of only 200 pieces, so get yours here.