NOTCOUTURE roundup
A few of our recent stylish posts over at noutcuture. Click the images to find out more!
A few of our recent stylish posts over at noutcuture. Click the images to find out more!
Ok, i kind of freaked out a little when i saw the new Freitag Reference collection Limited Editions over at 10 Corso Como, and instantly needed the laptop sleeve. This feels like a classier more refined Freitag than what we’ve become accustomed to over the years. I had a Freitag wallet that was worn pretty thin through high school, and let’s just say that was about a decade ago… The messenger bags were usually pretty heavy and not so lined… still truck tarps though! These SILVER limited editions pulled me right over… and they are lighter and lined with a nice light yet sturdy canvas. The Laptop sleeve also fits my requirement of no zippers… and has a magnetic clasp! Also the metal logo is darling… So it turns out that this is part of a limited edition series, 34 numbered silver pieces for 10 Corso Como, and gold pieces for Colette. How i never heard about them till now, is honestly, a little embarrassing. Apparently they dropped mid January… But better late than never? And i’m grinning and playing with the sleeve as i write this! Also incredibly tempted by the overnighter bag… and i’ve been scouring the net to find more pics to see what else is in the collection, and came across HopeHope’s post mentions that this is a sneak preview of the collection to appear in Fall 2010. In addition to the laptop sleeve and overnight bag, i saw a larger tote, two wallets, and two ipad sized handbags… from the HopeHope pics it looks like there are messenger bags, vertical totes with pockets, and more. See closeups of the laptop sleeve and a peek at the overnighter… the details are stunning.
A selection of the latest posts over at notcouture include some gorgeous dresses and shoes, as well as stunning accessories. Click on the images to find out more.
Swinging us back towards man made design (vs the little nature sidetrack of posts!) ~ here’s a sneak peek at something i wish i had on this trip!!! While at Oakley HQ ~ i got a quick lesson on military gear ~ and really amazing to hear some of the design/user experience stories. I also had no idea quite how much military gear Oakley made (they’ve been in partnership with the US Armed Forces since the 80s)… also this is where many of their most innovative patents arise! (If you’re curious, apparently Shot Show is the place to go keep up on it all in person ~ and to browse online check out - US Standard Issue - Oakley’s Military & Gov’t Sales site.) Incredibly ergonomic, thoughtful design ~ and some smart fun details/research that luckily creep over into their retail lines as well!
My favorite discovery was the MultiCam pattern LSA (Land Sea Air) Boot ~ ridiculously lightweight, dries nearly instantly (drainage mesh in the soles), super grip soles, and even fits into fins… drop in from the air into the sea, swim up to shore, and you’re already dry and good to go. Well, your feet anyhow. Now adapt that to civilian design, and it becomes a stunning black/grey super water shoe with a design that is oh so oakley, and far more fun than other water shoes on the market! Bring the height up a bit, and i’d give up my dive booties for it! I’m wishing i had these right now for running around in the low tide over all the coral shrapnel! The LSA Boot wont be available for military until later 2010… and this civilian super water shoe is merely a prototype… but let’s keep our fingers crossed that it makes it in to production! See more shots of it all on the next page!
Net-A-Porter “just for you” emails are dangerous in the morning… my mom’s old Burberry crepe trench has been a lightweight travel friendly MUST PACK for nearly every trip, after all you never know what type of weather the world will throw at you these days… And then here comes the Burberry Crepe biker-style trench to my inbox, and it’s so tempting (and sold out in my size!) ~ a lovely combination of sleek classic simple trench dressed up with a few fun silver zips and motorcycle jacket details. Love the collar! And it has black and white lining… See more details on the next page…
MBeze is a natural + organic cosmetics company with a line of fragrances and deodorants… and Deodorettes! Ok, so the packaging pulled me in first. The graphics… the cheeky naming… and then the concept… i’ve never seen a Deodorette. And while in travel shopping mode, it’s a dangerous thing when every mini/sample/travel-size/etc looks far too tempting to toss in for those “you never know when you may need it” moments. It’s precisely all these that might add up into a heavy suitcase. None the less, these little deodorettes a the size of a shortened roll of quarters. Perfect for gym bags and purses. Take a peek at more pics ~ and the airplanes on the Aim To Be Pleased Collection are totally my favorite… see the close ups on the next page!
Fashion’s latest from Notcouture. Click the images to find out more.
One of my favorite things about my mom, she’s always cut out comics, pulled magazine articles, cut up newspapers… and now emails me links all the time as well… perhaps she was one of the curators of my world and editors of NOTCOT before it even came to be… one of her recent saves for me, which i couldn’t help sharing, LA Times Magazine has this awesome feature of 50s ~ in this case, 50 Signature Handbags ~ Cachet and carry ~ beautifully illustrated by Jameson Simpson. While i love the way the 50 look on the page (so i had to take a scanner to the mag for you) ~ i love the functionality of the web version ~ it slides along as you hop between numbers… but i’m torn, i do love my visuals more on the ‘overwhelming, all at once, let me choose what i want to see’ side of things… BUT on the web you can see the fun illustrations of our fashion classics up close! Anyhow, browse them all on the next page!
I’m not the kind of girl who peruses bridal magazines, wedding dresses dresses, planning websites… i don’t dream about that moment in my life… but somewhere along the way i fell for Max Wanger’s unique style of photographing love ~ for weddings, for engagements, just because. There’s a way he sees the world and the lovers in it… and a way he shares it with all of us that is just irresistibly nostalgic, romantic, and joyful ~ all while feeling like a work of art… you step into the techni-colored dream where only that couple resides… AND, he’s taken it one step further. Now the portrayals of Max Wanger’s most iconic moments of hipster love are translated into t-shirts! Currently there are coming out in limited his and hers editions monthly (available to anyone!)… but imagine doing your engagement shoot, and using that imagery throughout your invitations, your table settings, and then giving away tshirts to your guests or wedding party?
First came the silhouette of the couple with a balloon… Then hands spelling out LOVE… the WISH tickets blowing in the wind… the lone seagull blowing a heart… and freshly launched for March: Giraffe! He’s found a way to capture the essence of a romantic shoot into versatile tshirt designs… as symbolic or literal as you decide to interpret them! See the collection thus far on the next page…
A peek at what’s hot at NotCouture this week! Click the images to find out more… feels a little dark, edgy, playful, and ready for sunny weather!
On fun mysterious packages that just arrived ~ i got a text at around 3am while i was in london from NY, asking what size i was… followed by “black or white?”… i was so asleep, but have a tendency to sleep text back… and as i got back to LA, this glossy black super cozy Moncler Clairy arrived too! After much discussion the last few days, it seems that my friend and i have agreed that i must have somehow tuned out the snowy side of fashion, because i certainly didn’t know much about the brand, yet as i delved deeper into the history it was all too familiar… LOVE their retro skiing pics! I’ve never been into the puffy jacket thing, but this is definitely the warmest sleekest puffy jacket option i’ve run into… maybe i’m ready for some play time in the snow now!
Most important thing however is… how did i never know that these guys have a full on COMIC inside their jackets with a bilingual duck giving you washing instructions? And they also had Bruce Weber do the most adorable photoshoot for their recent ad campaign, including his golden retrievers decked out in custom Moncler jackets and self portraits of himself covered in cameras curled up in bed… Take a peek at the playful details on the next page!
On fun press kit design and packaging - this one made me pretty giddy. Nike put a jersey in a bottle! And no, as much as i tried, pulling it out of the little hole doesn’t really work. They ingeniously put a pull tab across the label which hid the split in the bottle. Conceptually it really drives the point home that these super light dry-fit jerseys are each upcycled from 8 plastic bottles. I do hope they didn’t waste more making/using the plastic bottles to house these though! These also came with the most adorable teeny tiny USB keys containing the press releases and high res pics of the newly launched collections.
On design details to watch out for as the Nike World Cup team kits get launched (home kits we got a peek at, but official launches are to come…) ~ All of the 2010 World Cup Nike jerseys have a secret message printed on the inside behind the team emblem, next to the hearts of players ~ for the Brazilian one it says “orgulho e amor”, which is Portuguese for “pride and love”! It was the most exciting feature i was looking forward to once i got the shirt out of the bottle… for the others, waiting to see the artwork/calligraphy when Nike has pics ready! Take a peek at the un-bottling and details on the next page!
James Jarvis!!! Ok, that’s my first reaction… or, maybe my second after, “oooh, florescent lights.” But what we have here is a first look at a the jackets in the new Nike Sportswear Six Collaborations… and its 5am, and i should sleep, but i wanted to share it with you… so see the pics on the next page, and SlamXHype has some good info and apparently more will come tomorrow… but for now, check out the close ups of the artistic crests and crazy fonts on the back. For each of these 6 countries, artists from the respective countries were selected to reinterpret the full team kit! The artists are as follows ~ USA - Mister Cartoon, England - James Jarvis, France - So Me, Netherlands - Delta, South Africa - Kronk, Brazil - Nunca. See the fun pics on the next page. I’m madly James Jarvis lusting.
Good morning 3am London ~ it’s been quite the evening with Nike Football/Soccer, running around and ending up on buses with ~400 international press folks ~ ending up at Battersea Power Station in the rain with its huge purple projections, only to delve deeper into what some felt was like a bat cave or villainous lair of lights and steps and shiny new products to tempt us with. But the main attraction announced tonight (with the help of Cristiano Ronaldo) ~ was what all this purple was about! And my favorite part of course is not only the new shoe, the Nike Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II… but the magical glowingly purple glass/cement box that looked like an apple store in a shipping container. The purple dots on the glass became smaller and smaller until you could see the wall of shoes hung upon them… On the next page see pictures of the installation, the new Nike Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II, the new Nike Football+ iphone app (with twitter/facebook integrations), design sketches… and the full press release!
On new shoe technology i gave in and had to try… Kenneth Cole’s 925 Technology was too fascinating not to pass up when i knew i’d be running around in inclimate weather through NY and London the next week… And i DID need some basic black pumps… and they feel crazy comfy/bouncy and are filled with things like Memory Foam, Cork, Flaxseed, and Sheepskin even! (See the dissected diagram on the next page!) The rubbery sole means really being able to bend in ways my pumps have never bent before… which after the last few days i’m a little mixed on the overly bendiness, it’s as if you have to hold yourself up even MORE in a way… though when i slipped back into my favorite louboutins they felt like i was in a thin padding free shell… if only i could get that memory foam in all my shoes?