*Sub-Studio -
07.11.08
, 12:34 -
NOTCOT Note: Here’s a new post from Anna of Sub-Studio. I’d also like to say congrats to Jason Gregory on Makr, which he coincidentally emailed me about earlier last week ~ the leather line of simple wallets are stunning!
I saw these über-sexy wallets over at Kitsune Noir. Made by Makr, each wallet is laser-etched on leather. They are all limited edition, so you’d better click over there fast if you want one! The wallet patterns are minimal and functional, with little surprise details here and there (detail images after the jump).
The wallets from the One series (above) are super simple in shape and function - a single pocket card holder for cards and folded cash. Maximized for ergonomic comfort, the curves of the opening mimic the natural position of thumb and forefinger. See more on the next page, as well as the full press release and link to the line sheet.
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*notcot - , 00:14 -
It’s felt like Friday every day this week! No idea why, perhaps its the weather, or how productive we’ve been suddenly… today’s been quiet because we’ve been busy playing with iphone apps, trying the rather hyped new Anisette Brasserie, finally seeing Wanted (LOVE it - but i’m a sucker for action), and checking out the launch of the new Indigo Farm Pop Up Shop at Fred Segal Man in Santa Monica.
Ok packaging fetish time: the denim in this beautiful 20 piece limited edition collection, and only 50 or 60 units per style, come in engraved wooden boxes. And to top those gorgeous boxes… “For the truly devoted collector, there are also three 3-piece sets of handmade denim luggage, each one including a steamer trunk lined in 100-year-old Asian woodblock printed poplin.” See the close ups of the black and white woodblock print on the next page, i was absolutely taken by these woody/denim steamer trunks.
Next thing i gushed over: the space! “Warhol Factory X Levi’s X Damien Hirst designer Adrian Nyman presents his second installation at Fred Segal Man in Santa Monica, a capsule collection with cult Hong Kong denim brand Indigo Farm, making its U.S. debut here exclusively from July 1st to August 14th.” What does this mean? Much like those steamer trunks, the whole room was denim or wood, from floor to ceiling. The walls were all denim or stacked with firewood, creating a fabulous multifaceted effect. And to add to the ambiance, there was the tattooed rocker of a banjo player, Elijah Trotsky, which was quite mesmerizing. So take a look on the next page to catch up on tonight’s scene…
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*notcot -
07.06.08
, 20:51 -
*ShadeElaine - , 10:51 -
It’s that time again… NotCouture roundup! Click the pics to find out more!
Hope you all had a great 4th of July! And now the work week approaches which is reason enough to give anyone the summertime blues. Here are some items to help you express your inner blueness, and one crazy silver crab bracelet that’s just too awesome not to share!
*notcot -
07.01.08
, 17:58 -
American Apparel Thermochromatic Sheer Jersey T-Shirt!!! I know this is going to sound pretty silly, but first i went over to American Apparel because i was in disbelief that they are making Oxford Shirts… and quickly got distracted by the idea of heat-colorchanging/mood shirts! At which point, Linhchi quickly caught me up that they were bringing the 80s/90s back - and somehow i totally missed that trend as a little kid… but i want one! To play with? Work out in?
And then we hit up Wikipedia - so, catch up on Hypercolor: “Hypercolor was a line of clothing, mainly T-shirts and shorts, that changed color with heat. They were manufactured by Generra (now a division of Public Clothing Company) and marketed in the United States as Generra Hypercolor or Generra Hypergrafix and outside the US as Global Hypercolor. They contained a thermochromic (temperature sensitive) pigment made by Matsui Shikiso Chemical of Japan, that changed between two colors-one when cold, one when warm. The shirts were produced with several color change choices from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. Unfortunately the effect could easily be permanently damaged, particularly when the clothing was placed in a hotter than recommended wash.” and on vaguer research, read about Thermochromism (think mood ring tech)…
OH - and see the video of the AA girl microwaving the shirt to white, then wearing it into the freezer!
*ShadeElaine -
06.29.08
, 14:00 -
NotCouture Roundup! You know the drill, click the images to find out more!
4th of July weekend is coming up, so we thought we’d pick some stuff that you can wear to all those upcoming backyard pool parties and BBQs. From cute poolside attire to lightweight shirts and jackets, we’ve got you covered!
*notcot -
06.22.08
, 15:07 -
The Ojon Rare Harvest Takawa “Ball” - as it popped up on Sephora, and all around the beauty sites, the stock photos of it intrigued me to no end… I needed to know how they packaged that ~ what it was ~ and ultimately, what does it feel like to rub what is essentially a giant dark chocolate ball on your body like a mud mask???
SO, i bought one for NOTCOT’s sake ~ to indulge and share my curiosity with you. The packaging is awesome, from the cardboard tube, to the saturn/ufo looking molded papery holder, to the foil wrapped baseball sized cacao ball, to the wooden bowl (made in china)… its not to be missed! So it has definitely won me over as far as packaging and presentation/experience - and after trying it out in the shower, my skin feels pretty amazing as well… so full unpackaging walk through on the next page, as well as more info/vids on what it actually is!
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*notcot -
06.21.08
, 13:41 -
Click the images to find out more! Today is a scorcher up and down California ~ Linhchi (SF) and i (LA) are dying in the heat, and i’m about to head out to Point Dume (where unfortunately that amazing Iron Man house fictitiously exists) for a birthday bash… but while we were trying to figure out what to wear to beat this weather and still look good… we though a proper roundup was in order! So top row we have sun dresses and shorts for the ladies, middle is sandals and sunglasses ~ and bottom row is all boys! If you feel like contributing to the cause, come add your summer survival wear to NotCouture!
*notcot -
06.17.08
, 01:24 -
Flipping through a free issue of Malibu magazine that i grabbed from our usual thai place… i noticed an ad for Surfmonk… and while i have managed to live in many a beachy cities/towns, i never did manage to get on a surfboard, but do feel most at home bumming out on the beach… (the TasteSpotting drama that has yet to die down has been tormenting me for about 2 months now… maybe that’s why i’m suddenly finding myself hunting for cozy, comfy, relaxing products/environments lately).
Anyhow, Surfmonk! A line of eco-friendly bamboo terry robes, cover-ups, blankets, and more for men, women, and even kids! They range from full length friar tuck/jedi robes to these shorter cover-up hoodies i’m coveting, and i love the way their cozy looking beach blanket has a padded shoulder strap… also check out the cute knee length fanny wrap and more close ups on the next page! So tempting, to grab some, a good book, and road trip down the coast stopping and laying out on the beaches all the way down…
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*notcot -
06.09.08
, 14:07 -
The press release starts off “In these days of soaring gas prices, yelps of cash crunches and real estate depression, the last thing anyone would do is destroy money. Well, anyone but Yoko Devereaux that is. Launching for spring/summer 2008, Old Money, is a collection of coins hand cut into works of art Yoko has attached to aged sterling silver necklaces. As Creative Director, Andy Salzer, explains, “It is about taking something that is so relevant in our society and then destroying it.”
Somehow, i think the destruction of pennies, to turn them into 88$… is not exactly the dumbest way to “destroy money” in a recession, but that’s just me. Personally, i have always admired some of the more gorgeous designs to appear on money, and this is a beautiful way to isolate those elements… now if only they would make one with that one pound coin that has the dragon on it! See a close up on the next page…
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*notcot -
06.05.08
, 14:04 -
A gift from Cartier ~ Assouline published “les must de Cartier” and describe it: “1968—the year all certainties were shattered, it was in good taste to burn what one loved and to trample underfoot the values of yesterday. If, in this new world of dissent, luxury was no longer appropriate, the taste for beauty didn’t completely disappear. No, luxury was not dead! It simply needed to be reinvented. In the midst of this new counterculture, which burned all belongings and luxury markets by creating a lighter that landed with the impact of a bomb - “Les Must” de Cartier saw the light of day. Hovering somewhere between tradition and modernity, Cartier’s lighters, pens, watches, glasses, jewelry, leather goods and perfume engulfed the world. Cartier justified luxury by offering a more perfect modernity. Protected by a panther-skin slipcase, this limited-edition volume invites you to visit the delirious parties that followed every new “must”.”
Flipping through the 400 pages images in this Cartier logo embossed leather bound, gilded paged, panther print covered slipcase of a book… i just relived the decadence of the late 60s, 70s, and 80s… and it looked like a hell of a lot of fun. Take a peek of some of my favorite pages on the next page… from a young christopher walken in bond flicks, to elephant polo, to warhol and studio 54… good times.
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*notcot -
06.04.08
, 20:24 -
Cartier is taking on love ~ and was kind enough to surprise me with a DHL package this morning with a little gift in it (more to come on that later) ~ in part announcing their new Love.Cartier site. Today i learned the story of their classic “love” bracelet - the iconic piece with the screw heads along the band - and a screwdriver to lock you in - “In the 1970’s, imagination soared to new heights and any folly was possible. Cartier created the ultimate symbol of loving commitment: in the manner of handcuffs, the famous bracelet closes with a tiny screwdriver. Its humorous impudence appealed and was immediately adopted by legendary couples as a cult jewel. Love is a provocative talisman, a rallying cry for modern love, totally free from convention.”
In their marketing comeback, they have created a site dedicated to love - manifested in music, art, and film. The music is nice if you’re into that romantic mood setting stuff… and the art seemed a bit buggy on their flash site for me… but i was surprised that the films are what really caught my eye, and i actually sat here going through all 12 in order and loved them. The filmography is absolutely breathtaking ~ the black and whites, playful uses of light, gorgeous parisian backdrops… *swoon*… and they go through 12 tiny fragments of love stories tackling: The Declaration, Forgiveness, The Kiss, Infinite Love, Hero of Love, First Love, A Life of Love, A Loving Liaison, Love on Hold, Knowing How…, Seduction, and The Decision. Personally my favorite are First Love, Seduction, and Love on Hold - i’m sure you’ll see why - if you have the time i recommend you go through them in order though, renowned director, Olivier Dahan, ends every pieces with a hint of what you see at the start of the next ~ and weaves them all together in such a beautiful way… see a few screenshots on the next page…
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*notcot -
05.20.08
, 11:48 -
Ran into blogfamous Sorapot designer, Joey Roth, a few times this weekend (yes, the first NOTCOT reader i ever met)… and after posting about his Garden Geta project over 3 years ago, i FINALLY got to see them in person!!!
At the Rubin Chapelle and IDSA New York Opening reception for Equilateral 08:01, they had Joey’s Sorapot, Garden Geta, and Shika literally on pedastals, spotlighted for all to see, and being slightly early, but spotted walking past the window while they were setting up, Joey snuck me in early and i got some nice clean shots of the woodiest flip flops i’ve been dying to try on since ‘05. I am still in love with the fact that the pair are cut from the same slice of tree stump… and there must be some correlation to be drawn if he made kids pairs that were from younger trees… something about rings in the tree measuring your geta/shoe size? So check out more pics on the next page…
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*notcot -
05.14.08
, 12:31 -
*notcot -
05.10.08
, 12:13 -
Really. A free classic for download on the Hermes site… i thought it was bizarre when Fendi went all DIY with its white canvas baguette that came with Pantone markers, but to see Hermes release Hermes Branded pdf’s of DIY cut+glue models of Kelly bags… i just had to laugh. Then press print. Then post.
How do you feel about it? Is it awesome that these luxury brands are reaching out so strongly to a younger demographic? Embracing the DIY/customization trends… taking inspiration from dunnys and paper craft trends? Or does it cheapen the brands? Honestly, i’m pretty out of it, and not sure what to make of it. But first impression is certainly that these could be cute (cheap) branded place cards for a girly dinner party quite easily… See more screenshots and the pdf on the next page!
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