*notcot - 12.03.07 , 16:46 -

Diesel Sweeties’ Robot Socks

robotsocksm.jpgHaving one of “those” days ~ but thank goodness for surprise packages from people like RStevens of Diesel Sweeties ~ angry red robot socks. I don’t even know what gift guide theme these should be on, and i never even knew i needed them, but they deal with a less than shiny mood very nicely. I recruited RUGenius to be the sock model in this shot! Although not quite available yet, both the red robot knee socks (for ladies) - and shorter men’s red robots - and even some cute pixely owl knee socks - are available for pre-order here. And that bumper sticker made me smile - there have been some pretty nasty, ignorant emails and reports coming on all the sites today for some reason. Why are people so angry? It’s just the internets! Yay. Angry red pixel robots on my feet.

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*notcot - 11.28.07 , 13:46 -

Conroy and Wilcox Thorn Cuff

thorncuff.jpgNOTCOT Note: Here is our second post from our new contributor Dara Lang (who i just told you a little bit about in the last post)!

Conroy and Wilcox, two designers from New York have designed this stylish Thorn cuff bracelet. Coinciding with the up and coming trend, glam rock, Conroy and Wilcox have successfully achieved the marriage of two very contradicting styles. Its versatile design can appeal to both men and women and if you look closely, each thorn is slightly slanted, creating a subtle wave in the pattern. This beautiful thorn cuff bracelet not only screams out Rock and Roll, it echoes a touch of allure! Available in 18k yellow (see below) and in white gold (see above).

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*notcot - 11.25.07 , 22:08 -

On 2D Rings

2drings.jpg2D looking rings… love em? hate em? What’s your take on this trend of silhouettes and handscapes? Since every time a new one comes out, people seem quite into them, i needed to collage them all for some perspective, and i love them all as a means of creating a mini puppet show or diorama on my fingers, but i’m not sure about sporting them around town regularly (particularly for the sake of my knit goods who are unlikely to survive!). So here we have: Alissia MT Diamond Rings in plastic and silver (also available in gold), Blank & Reed’s Bling Rings (in Bird and Bitch), Zelda Beauchampet’s Handscapes, and Soop’s City Farm (etsy store launching the 30th of Nov). There’s something so pretty about seeing them all together, can’t you imagine the story your punch could tell if you arranged them right?

*notcot - , 21:03 -

Noon Solar

solarbag.jpgNoon Solar. Just in time for holiday wishlists… a line of solar bags that look great. I am currently debating whether to order the black Cortland Tote…. and they were smart enough to put the solar panel on one side so you can easily choose whether to face it outwards, or have it face your body and look like a sleek leather tote… well a tote with “entire exterior and interior constructed from Bavarian sourced, chrome-free, naturally tanned and dyed, full-grain cowhide leather and naturally dyed hemp cotton blend” to be precise. It looks like the perfect size for a 15” macbook pro… close ups below of the bags and the technology within… read more about the solar power and battery pack here. Also a great potential gift for the men in your life… their Logan Satchel in brown. Isn’t it about time someone put solar panels to aethetically appealing use? (Yes, i’m thinking of you, ugly solar backpacks.)

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*notcot - 11.24.07 , 14:28 -

Barney’s Green Holiday

barneysgreen1.jpgI can’t stop giggling. The latest Barney’s Babble Live cracked me up… only Simon Doonan (Barney’s Creative Director) can get away with asking things like whether these “sequins are made of tofu by blind lesbians” seriously… and then look at Julie Gilhart (Barney’s Fashion Director) and as seriously as he discusses her future relationship with Prince Charles (her future *green* husband) he asks her “Do you have a composting toilet at home, Julie?”… and tells her how he can feel the sheep (as sheep dances by) in the ecological wool scarf. All with a little green gnome sitting between them. OH, and the intro and exit music feel straight from one of those claymation rudolph/snowman films of my childhood… so cute.

Anyhow, stepping back ~ Barney’s has gone green this holiday season, and i’ve been swooning over their fonts and catalog layouts… and then further browsing the awesome Green Holiday catalog, i ended up watching the video ~ both of which include everything from Arbor skateboards and this great green Goyard Matellier Depuis Recyclable Canvas bag of all natural materials and a recycle logo, to the new Loomstate for Barneys Green line, Phillip Lim’s organic dress, and more. So see below for my favorite pages of the catalog, and some of the graphics from their mailers, gift cards, video and more.

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*notcot - 11.23.07 , 14:22 -

Swims

swims.jpgSwims. First impression? Are these the tuxedos of crocs? Can i really go puddle jumping with these and protect my nice shoes (that aren’t heels.)? Love the photography! and web design! (particularly the way you access the gallery with the little stack of images on the far right. And then from there, i actually started reading… The Swims story is an interesting one of Johan, who grew up in norway and never let go of the galoshes that his grandfather had passed down to him… and as he moved to paris and new york and even put in his time at Parson’s he realized that there was a need to develop Swims, the “modern galoshes”. Being a socal girl, i have never gotten quite caught up on the vocabulary of people with “real weather”… apparently Galoshes are “overshoes that slip over the wearer’s indoor footwear but is made of waterproof material to protect the more delicate materials of the shoe as well as the wearer’s foot from cold and damp”.

Fun detail other than great packaging… the “ballerina” version for ladies leaves trees where you step… and see some of my favorite images from their catalog below as well as close ups. And i know these are one of the trend blog post subjects that are everywhere this week, but they were so cool and no one covered the great photography aspect, so i couldn’t resist.

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*notcot - , 02:40 -

Gift Guide Day 29

day29.jpgDay 29 of our ambitious gift guide features the eco friendly Tope* Wallets of db clay. We’ve reviewed and shown you the great packaging previously, and after a few months of use, the boys of NOTCOT are still using them, and they are certainly a nice alternative to leather, and for those who like the subtle yet detailed, the Puzzle collection that just launched featuring 500 unique hand printed wallets! You can see some of my favorites in today’s gift guide! (Oh, and as always, click the pictures to find out more info.)

*notcot - 11.21.07 , 01:06 -

Oakley Minute Machine

owatch.jpgOn unexpected things ~ i’ve been having a lot of conversations with mid-20 something guys about high priced watches, particularly those who didn’t grow up with them, and the desperate coveting of high end watches as status symbols, followed by the implication that that watch would get them some. And i’ve been mocking them all, but after this weekend - OK, i take it back, maybe the watch thing *can* work. The unexpected stand out from this Oakley weekend is definitely the Oakley Minute Machine. It caused some amusing drama at the after party, and perhaps that IS the best marketing strategy, after all that now even i find myself curious about it… well the Oakley Minute Machine Diamond Dial Edition ($3,500) anyhow (left watch)… although the Black face Titanium Edition ($1,195) is tempting too (right watch)… then there is the Unobtanium Edition($995).

*notcot - 11.19.07 , 07:57 -

Katharine Hamnett

hamnett1.jpgI’ve been off t-shirts lately, we’ve been inunddated with them to the point that our closets can no longer handle it and its getting pretty wasteful! BUT the trend of in your face, bold, large fonts on tees to state your cause of the moment has been coming back in a huge way, and there are some pretty nice options out there. (Or perhaps i’ve just been more conscious of them since the Social Atelier launch) - I just noticed these Katharine Hamnett ones in Domino and the “MAKE TROUBLE question everything” Chomsky tee is terribly tempting as a holiday gift to everyone i know. Other favorites are Clean Up or Die (with skull!), STOP and THINK, EDUCATION not MISSILES, WORLD PEACE NOW, CHOOSE LIFE, SAVE the Rainforest, SAVE the SEA! Anyhow, you get the point, i don’t need to keep screaming them at you (do i?) ~ and sure its pretty easy to just grab a sharpie and go at a plain tshirt for a similar impact, so i’m really showing you the Katharine Hamnett line because i also love the way she’s shot the shirts on playful models (although a bit borderline AA) and has a sleek website. See more of my faves below!

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*notcot - 11.15.07 , 01:11 -

Toy Me

newtoyme.jpgToy Me has some fun new pieces ~ from their newest collection the ones that grabbed me are the macho arm, robotino, and the sunglasses to hang your sunglasses from (at first they almost look like the tabs from soda cans)! The mini rayban wayfarers and even aviators are far too cute, definitely a fun add on gift if you’re gifting sunglasses this holiday season. Close ups below… and if Toy Me seems familiar, maybe you’re remember those sweet Hunting Trap bracelets and Tank Cufflinks!

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*notcot - 11.14.07 , 20:38 -

Bittersweets Vampress

vampress.jpgOooooh. Robin over at Bittersweets has outdone herself with this latest creation. (For a refresher, we’ve written about Bittersweets a few times over the years, and even featured her opening and also showcased her products in the gallery)… this Vampress is the diamond ring variation of our favorite pairs of Baby Vamp Rings (see my favorite picture from NOTed featuring them after the jump). There is a slight issue with the wearing the two thin bands and keeping the jaws perfectly aligned ~ a minor issue that is instantly solved by having them holding a diamond… so the holidays are around the corner! Buy one for your Vampress.

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*notcot - 11.13.07 , 01:57 -

Shane by Brooks Salzwedel

shane1.jpg
Ok, this is going to be a bit backwards, but i needed to share this product discovery from the A+R launch dinner before the dinner itself. I’ve long loved the deep resin works of Brooks Salzwedel from my discovery of his belt buckles back in sept of 06 to further exploration of his intriguing and mesmerizing larger resin “paintings” of sorts (and the smaller ones in found tins, etc) in august 07. Well as it turns out, Andy (the A of A+R) loved them as much as i did, and got in touch with Brooks who is also a Silverlaker, and the buckles did amazingly… and as the story goes Rose (the R of A+R) even helped Brooks get into the GenArt Fresh Faces this year, where his work was incredibly well received. So although A+R is stocked with so many things i love (it was like being in the NOTCOT store, if there were a NOTCOT store, it was incredible, but more on that later)… these teeny tiny new necklaces caught my eye. There was that moment of literal - OMG. Are those…?

And here you have it, the latest - in fact the FIRST - pieces of jewelry from Brooks Salzwedel, which Andy and Rose had *just* put out tonight… incredibly intricately cast metal woody pieces with the classic Salzwedel depth in resin. And in those teeny tiny logs, are even tinier little trees, which are truly the coolest things i may have ever seen (and i see a lot.) So if you feel so inclined, these may not make it into any store or website for a while, but you can contact A+R for more info… just please don’t buy these specific little logs! I need to go back and beg them to let me buy them… once they figure out how much they are. Many more images below (please don’t mind my super quick mid-party shots) - including one of the belts gorgeously displayed on logs in the storefront. And click to see more of Brooks Salzwedel’s Buckles and Art.

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*notcot - 11.11.07 , 22:08 -

North Face 485

northface485.jpg*Drool* The last thing i expected this sunday night was to find myself desperately wanting to see one of these new North Face 485 Collection coats in person… but i’m pretty blown away by the images and concept so far. The Tagline for the collection is “Artistic design meets extraordinary performance.” This mix of sophistication and multipurpose usage (look good AND survive that freak blizzard) has quite possibly completely raised the bar for coats in my closet.

From their site: “The North Face presents 485, a premier outerwear collection that breathes and urban, artistic spirit into trusted quality and technical construction. Let these sophisticated silhouettes accompany you from extreme outdoor environments to sidewalk settings.” These are a mix of Primaloft, Goretex, and down ~ delivering warmth and comfort while waterproof and breathable… not to mention how sleek they look! More images below. Love the whole jet black with red details for the tag, etc inside… mmm. (oh wait, just noticed on the paragon sports site that they have other colors… their choice in the other colors is making me question things slightly…) via Uncrate

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*notcot - 11.07.07 , 19:21 -

C&M + AMT Reusable Shoppers

cmbags.jpgWhy, yes, this IS yet another option for your reusable grocery shopping bag collection. From one of our favorite designers, Alissia Melka Teichroew in collaboration with her husband, Jan Habraken (of WATdesign), and Charles and Marie come this line of canvas shoppers with bags printed on them… So far they have shown off pics of Blue Tote/Pink Clutch and Pink Tote/Blue Clutch, but they just gave us an exclusive sneak peek of the one that is coming in a few weeks… Caramel Tote/Silver Tote! Which certainly seems to be a fun one to shake up some of that supermarket check out monotony.

P.s. does Alissia sound familiar? That might be because you know her inside out martini glass and diamond rings we posted about earlier. And if you’re needing some reminding or a quick catch up on the many reusable bag posts, see below.

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*notcot - 11.06.07 , 12:12 -

Folding Sunglasses

foldingtrend.jpgWe find weird trends pop up on NotCouture ~ or we notice certain types of pieces becoming more and more prevalent and then simply bubbling up in our consciousness…. first there were the Fingerless Gloves, and as the seasons progressed we just kept finding them everywhere! Lately the thing that keeps finding me are these folding sunglasses. I used to think that glasses that folded into strangely compacted slightly flattened cigar cases were reserved for reading glasses… but its been interesting to see that Rayban adapted their 1952 classic Wayfarers to be folding… Ralph Lauren has foldable wrap around sunglasses… and John Varvatos has the hybrid Transitional Readers - yes, folding reading glasses that automatically darken to become sunglasses. And they all have cute cases for these too… although they don’t look all that guy pocket friendly, more purse friendly? Perhaps its for the wives to carry for them. Anyhow, unsure of whether this has been an ancient design trend and i’m just noticing, or if its make a strange comeback. I’m quietly tracking them on NotCouture, so feel free to add any nice ones you find as well.

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