Got to love the random inspiring emails that show up. Today’s from Alessandro Loschiavo Design just said “Hi everybody … believe me: it’s hard to forget a holiday in Andalusia! Alessandro” ~ and then attached a ton of pictures. And i couldn’t stop staring at them all! So here are peeks at some of the lovely design details, patterns, and colours he spotted on vacation! See more collections on the next page!

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Dominic Jones Jewellery always pushes the boundaries between the natural, the elegantly fashionable… and that crazy edgy look that will scare off a few folks. The latest collection has beautiful rhinoceros beetle rings i’m lusting after… an incredible shark’s jaw envelope clutch… and some intense gator jaw cuffs… see some of the most intriguing designs on the next page!

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Retro designs keep coming back lately! And remember the fun fact that Oakley started in 1975 with BIKE GRIPS? Well, their initial product was made of a special material, Unobtainium ~ and this also crossed over into their eventual eyewear lines, but it started first with the B-1B ~ and they’ve brought the design back in an extremely limited edition run, with an updated newer, softer rubber compound - and a 2010 stamp is embossed on the ends of the grips ~ they will be available in 5 colors, here’s a peek at blue and white and the black and grey… and more to come! In fact they even used fun retro inspired packaging! They gifted me a few pairs when i popped by their HQ today ~ and it was such a gorgeous day out, and we were joking around that “B-1B Guidance System” sounded like it could be for missiles… so naturally, had to take some pics of them in front of their huge missile before i left! See closeups of the packaging, the grips, and a peek at vintage models on the next page!

p.s. UPDATE! Check out the super limited edition NOTCOT black and white grips here.

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Took a little field trip down to Oakley HQ today in Foothill Ranch, CA ~ and am smitten with the new collaboration - Oakley Artist Series Fuel Cell sunglasses by Don Pendleton. There’s something so awesome about the simple lines ~ the green, blue, black, and white ~ and best of all, the adorable creatures hidden within! You keep finding more and more of them as you stare into the patterns… see more close ups of the sunglasses, the packaging, and even the skateboard designs on the next page!

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A bold roundup from an exciting week at NOTCOT.org includes so much fun design. To find out more about each post, just click on the individual images.

New from Aurelien Barbry for Normann Copenhagen ~ beautiful cork wine stoppers and wine pourers! Both designs are sculptural ~ there are 4 stopper designs, and most intriguing is the pourer, which hides the metal spout within the cork! see close ups of them all on the next page!

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What a gorgeous round of drinks we have over at Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on the individual images.

Alessi released their new Fall-Winter 2010 product collection. Our favorites in the collection are “Tea Matter” tea strainer and tea caddy by Alan Chan and “Scoiattolo” nutcracker by Andrea Branzi. Lately, been working a lot staring out the kitchen window ~ laptop open, with a background of dozens of birds happily chirping away and squirrels racing in and out of the yard barking at each other… so when the new Alessi press kit came across the table, perhaps its not so surprising that the birds and squirrels ended up being the designs that grabbed me first! Take a peek at close ups of both on the next page!

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Your favorite nightmarish monsters have never been cuter than this 4 poster series of Monster Friends by Family Tree design and illustration i discovered at OMG Posters. There is The Kraken by Alex Pearson, Yeti by Jeff Kandefer, The Lochness Monster by Andy Young, and The Sasquatch by Julian Baker! See close ups on the next page…

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Gucci’s latest ad just dropped ~ and it’s stunning! Even frame by frame, its incredibly beautiful ~ and unmistakeably Frank Miller! With a Metropolis/Gotham style… mind blowing vintage jag/city scenes… heels to die for… it stars Evan Rachel Wood and Chris Evans and Gucci Guilty “the new fragrance for her” with soundtrack by Friendly Fires. It’s really stunning, i think i just watched it a half dozen times… see the new ad as well as my favorite frames on the next page!

p.s. you won’t be able to stop drooling over the 1953 Jaguar C-Type or those sky high stilettos…

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This week we have a very colorful roundup from NOTCOT.org featuring tech, toys and other treasures. Click the individual images to find out more about each post.

Much talk on twitter this morning about clones… especially of the mentally networked type… so i could be in multiple places around the globe at once! One of the recent moments i wish i could be in NY and LA at the same time (or actually, i suppose teleporting would be ok too) ~ when the email came in with subject line: “CHANEL J12 Marine invites you to Montauk for Fireside Cocktails - Aug 21st”

As if i wasn’t bummed enough not to go see it in person, the pictures came in this morning ~ and it was just too picturesque not to share! Something fun about the way they were shot, it looks like the matte black and white Chanel logo’d surf boards were the stars of the party… in addition to their new brand ambassador, and the new J12 Marine watches of course! “Like CHANEL’s newest brand ambassador, Laird Hamilton, CHANEL has allowed themselves to be swept away by the beauty of the waves, and has incorporated these elements into the design of the J12 Marine, the newest addition to CHANEL’s fine timepiece collection.” I have a fascination with watching brands and experiences you don’t expect merging beautifully to create a whole new experience… Chanel + Surfing? Definitely quite the contrast to the socal surf scene and the art/design i usually imagine coupled with it… But lovely in its own way! Take a peek on the next page of the dinner Chanel’s J12 Marine and Laird Hamilton hosted in honor of “The Wave” by Susan Casey to benefit the Surfrider Foundation…

p.s. the email with pictures said “…dined on fresh seafood at wooden tables and then gathered around the fire pit for cocktails and smores.” How lovely does that sound right now?

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Ok. I gave in today at A+R to the Karim Rashid Water Bobble Water Bottle… First thing to note… its a water bottler that filters your water through the cap… so put tap water, drinking fountain water, etc in there, and suck it out filtered! Also for color commitmentphobes… when you replace the filter, you really replace the whole cap. So swap colors every 2 months (or more frequently even!) to keep things fresh and delicious. Also, nothing you need more after a night out than a bottle of water next to your bed, so it’s definitely a good night to test this squishy bottle out! And honestly, it’s making tap water taste pretty good! BUT, the bottle is far softer than i expected, and you can’t exactly chug water out of this bottle since you really have to squeeze/suck it out and let it re-inflate a bit before the next round. Also, as you squeeze it, if you squeeze/suck it as hard as you can, it does start to create more creases in the bottle itself that you can feel in addition to the main seam. Biggest design flaw is it’s lack of a valve to let air back into the bottle easily… Though that is slightly annoying, on first impressions, it is definitely prettier in person than i expected from the pictures circulating online! … and new smaller and larger sizes coming out any day now too! See more pics on the next page!

p.s. i kind of wish the cap/filter would just fit on random water bottles or plastic bottles i have around… then you can just add the cap/filters to nearly anything!

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Another stunning week of fashion at Notcouture. Whether you’re after gorgeous garments or drool-worthy accessories, this roundup has it all. Click the individual images to find out more about each post.

With a house full of people working on photoshoots this week and still unpacking and organizing the new place… here’s another post of random inspiration… popped by fred segal’s one plus minus today and ran into one of the seed bomb machines by Common Studio’s Green Aid project i wrote about over at h2o visions! Now the real question is… do they work? Ran into a slight hiccup where inserting the two quarters and spinning, nothing came out… then the store clerk put in a few more, and 2.5 bombs popped out! But they do seem to fear the mess on the carpet, and ran over with a paper bag to catch the clay remnants before they hit the ground. So, here are a few pics of the seed bombs up close and watered… now to wait and see if they sprout!

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