NOTCOT

MBeze Deodorettes

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:10:14 -0800

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!

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StarChefs' Rising Stars Revue

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 02:10:56 -0800

The latest in the Dear NOTCOT guest posts… here’s one from my old friend, Jackson Stakeman, who just might become our food editor… if we’re lucky! He was kind enough to help attend what sounds like a delicious event, and being a professional photographer AND food connoisseur, his pics are looking awesomely scrumptious!

Laid out underneath the enormous iconic tree of the Santa Monica Fairmont Hotel, StarChefs held its annual Rising Stars Revue. Tables were laid out in a massive ring, and there was fabulous food and drink in all directions. Being there an hour just before sunset, there was a lot of running around trying to photograph everything before losing the perfect light.

The food was fantastic, these rising stars were picked for a good reason, there was lots of amazing tastes, and fun playful ideas as you went table to table. The surprising and minimalist cube sculpture above is actually Jordan Kahn’s violet sauce topped white chocolate cube filled with cream a sponge cake served on a white kitchen tile. Equally amazing was having the chance to experience such a variety of dishes and drink pairings all in one event. It was also a great opportunity to watch many of this year’s rising star chefs prepare these delicacies before my eyes.

Culinary interests aside, the plates were also especially NOTCOT worthy. All of the 13,000 plates were provided by Verterra, whose compostable disposable dinnerware are not only beautiful, but made from fallen leaves!

Ready to dive in to see my favorite dishes of the night? There are plenty more courses on the next page…

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Fog + Planes + Soccer

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:34:30 -0800

After a long week, sometimes you just need something totally random and silly to reset you… tonight that ended up being…. grabbing a friend to get food, suddenly fog rolls in, and as we drive by the little santa monica airport… we vow to go wander around it if its still foggy on our way back (she was hungry, so food naturally had to come first). Well it only got foggier in the interim, so it was on! And here are the pictures that came from that exploration… driving around the parking lots, tiptoeing through bushes, and trying to find that perfect light that made the fog covered planes glow so awesomely. And suddenly we heard shouting and laughter… and as we got pretty close to the insanely foggy brightly lit soccer fields… we saw there were people playing! (Yes, it was foggy enough you had to get rather close to be certain!)… There’s something so other worldly about the way things felt in the ominous fog… see it all on the next page!

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Inside the Flames

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:25:59 -0800

On random saturday night inspiration ~ while hanging out at a friend’s i got mesmerized by the way the wicks were burning… and the crystal clear reflections of them in the melted wax… and then i couldn’t help taking a bunch of pics!

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Notcouture Roundup

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:00:39 -0800

Fashion’s latest from Notcouture. Click the images to find out more.

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Sainty + David Whittle at rp& (of RPA)

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:25:05 -0800

Had the pleasure of visiting ad agency, RPA, to see a friend today ~ and amidst the creative spaces, and many pics i couldn’t resist taking, firstly, i have to share their murals in the Acura team’s office that have inspired me to want to take a sharpie to my white walls… Jump over to the next page to see how beautiful these murals by Sainty and David Whittle are on the next page!!! Apparently they made these murals in the rp& offices (a division of RPA) while working with them on the insane Acura RDX advertisement where they spent 10 days on 1 wall with 17 painters and used 455 gallons of paint… to make a hand painted 30 second animated spot. WOW. So check out the close ups of the murals, as well as the actual ad spot and the making of! Beautiful stuff!

p.s. love that they are rp& ~ part of me wishes they were secretly behind The Ampersand blog! Or at least ON it more!

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Cool Haus Ice Cream Truck

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:25:54 -0800

Popped by the Architizer launch party tonight at the A+D Museum (major work in progress going on across the street from LACMA) ~ and then the Cool Haus Ice Cream Truck came! And it was ice cream for dinner…Architectural ice cream! From Richard Meyer Lemon to Frank Behry and Rem “Coolhaus”… the imagery for the Cool Haus brand of architecturally inspired ice cream is adorable… sadly the ice cream cookie sandwiches are just normal looking… i secretly hoped for a plate with a fake lawn and a cookie sandwich shaped like a house… that i could then decorate with doors and windows of sugary faux-glass panes? Take a peek at the scene and the truck and my cookies and cream smooshed between oatmeal raisin cookies on the next page!

p.s. the paper is edible, they’ll even let you print your own logo on it… but just because its edible doesn’t mean it tastes good!

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NOTCOT.ORG ROUNDUP

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:30:08 -0800

Checking in from NOTCOT.org, where it has been an exciting week. This week’s picks include skulls, creatures, architecture, and much much more. Something catch your eye? Click on the pics to get the scoop.

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Aston Martin Rapide: The Details

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:53:43 -0800

Aston Martin’s Rapide touts itself as “The World’s Most Elegant Four-Door Sports Car”… while it is certainly entering a growing market of 4 door luxury sports cars… and you can read quite a bit about it all over the web, what struck me most about it in person were the tiniest details. Some found on quite a few Aston Martins, others quite Rapide specific… if you’re ready, take a peek at the details that grabbed my attention… most notable are definitely the tiny sphere of a trunk opening button and the +/- cut matte metal and leather paddle shifters… and what an aggressive face it has when you look at it straight on! Also while from the exterior it doesn’t actually look all that much bigger than the others, yet once you’re inside its ridiculously spacious ~ and the rear seats fold flat! Anyhow, take a peek at all the best details on the next page from my tour at the Aston Martin Factory!

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LA Times Magazine: 50 Signature Handbags

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:21:31 -0800

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!

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humangear GoToob

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:50:49 -0800

On travel obsessions, someone just reminded me one of the few items that has made my MUST PACK list ~ i’ve been so busy using, i have yet to write about it. humangear’s GoToobs have been indispensable. Sure they are similar to Paul Koh’s Bubble Bottles ~ but they are much better. A more airport security 1 quart ziploc bag friendly shape for packing… the ring allows you to select Soap, Shamp., Cond., Lotion, Sun, … so no sniffing to figure out what’s in there, and no need for labels… wide mouth opening for cleaning/filling… the one thing i never thought i’d use, yet have many a time ~ SUCTION CUP! So far they come in green, blue, clear, pink, and a newly added orange! See more pics on the next page…

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Oakley HQ: The Details

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:45:15 -0800

I feel like such a tease. I keep showing you parts of Oakley HQ, but not the insides… well not the normal insides, just the secret bar so far. And since these are in fact their real offices with 1500 people or so… there is a lot of work going on, and the majority of it confidential… so for everything i CAN show you, just know that there were probably 10 things i was dying to take pics of to share with you… whether they were prototypes, new designs, renders, sketches, or even amazing future wall tiles that i’m still lusting after… BUT that being said, take a peek at how awesome the architecture is, a peek down memory lane of Oakley’s history, the ejection seats CEO Colin’s waiting room… and his mine… camouflage covered cubicles… a few allowed sketches… the GI Joe looking guy dropping out of a helicopter on me when i looked up… machine gun in the hallway… AWESOME diorama’s to put your childhood shoebox setups to shame… and a bit more.

On Oakley fun facts: Did you know the name came from that adorable dog up there? And you can see the original 70s acorn logo from their bike grip days on the next page too!

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Oakley HQ: The Secret Bar

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:10:51 -0800

Ok, so i have been calling One Icon, Foothill Ranch - Oakley HQ, but part of me feels like i should be calling it Oakley’s Secret Lair. or Oakley’s real life video game set of a compound (it’s very steampunk industrial massiveness)… or… yea, you get the idea. And since its friday, and closing in on Happy Hour in my time zone… next up i had to show you their SECRET BAR!!! Seriously, its behind a secret panel, in a secret location, that i promised not to share… so long as they let me show you some of the awesome lustworthy details of their bar… like the Marais stools i loved (which so happen to be on sale at DWR today)… the floor plan of the Secret Lair etched into the glass table… the walls covered in signatures and notes of what i imagine are Oakley folks and friends… their amazingly design taps (made by Oakley designers of course)… SO ~ if you happen to find your way over to Oakley, see if you’re lucky enough to go have a drink in their inner sanctum… the ER. Or perhaps you can have a top secret meeting in there, amongst the buzz and humm…. oh, i’ve said too much. Good luck finding it! See the few pics i got permission to share on the next page…

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Liqurious Roundup

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:30:18 -0800

Here are just a few of the delicious drinks over on Liqurious. Just click the images to find out more.

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Oakley HQ: Helipad - Pomegranates - Tank

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:12:06 -0800

So, today was incredibly inspiring. Popped down to Oakley HQ in Foothill Ranch ~ and was quickly overwhelmed with everything from the beautiful view on the drive into the space… to the entrance… to the design studios… architecture… ejection seats… history… future… and secret bar… but, lets start outside. Between the Helipad and the Tank out front… POMEGRANATES! Tiny clementine sized pomegranates growing on the more adorable bushes lined the pathway between. And i was tempted to climb on the tank… but didn’t, and in retrospect, i’m now extremely curious what those little pomegranates taste like. But before we get inside the building… take a peek at at the fun outside Oakley.

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Flexicords Cable Makeover Contest!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:10:23 -0800

Ok. I’m super excited about this one. I got a little obsessed with Flexicords when i ran by and saw their booth as CES 09 was closing then they finally made it into production and sent a few over… and they have been in my bag no matter where i end up ever since. They are bendy! They come in nice short sizes, and super long ones… and they have fun cables for everything: all forms of USB, HDMI, S-Video, RCA, and more. Apparently Flexicords are a big a fan of NOTCOT as i am of them ~ and they’ve given us 5 bundles of their popular cables to give away to you!

Additionally, Craig and Linhchi have been working hard on a new contest platform for us to play with, so we thought this would be the perfect chance to test it out! SO, this becomes one part contest, one part testing out a new experiment we’ve recently been playing with! Ready to enter to win a Cable Makeover? Help us debug and poke around with this new section?

Here’s the deal ~ To win one of the 5 Flexicord Bundles [Each one containing: - 1 6ft HDMI, 1 10ft CAT5e, 1 6ft RCA, 1 6ft S-Video, 1 6ft USB 2.0 A male to mini-B male, 1 6ft USB 2.0 A male to B male, 1 6ft USB 2.0 male to female, 1 6ft USB 2.0 A male to A male, 2 12in USB 2.0 A male to A female, 2 12in USB 2.0 A male to mini-B male, and 2 12in USB 2.0 A male to micro-B male.] SUBMIT A PICTURE (up to 3!) OF YOUR CABLE MESSINESS! Have your friends come vote for your entry! See all the details HERE!!!

Also see more close ups of the fun packaging and goodies to be won on the next page!

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Sweet Dreams by Daniel Bjugård

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:33:44 -0800

Wow just stumbled upon this incredible poster… up close it’s all stars… step back and the skull emerges… oh, and it Glows In The Dark!!! Sweet Dreams by Daniel Bjugård ~ discovered it on the amazing swedish print site Wonderwall. See close ups on the next page!

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Aston Martin One-77 Close Up

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:10:38 -0800

I’ve been thinking of a million and one ways to start this post over the last year… So, here goes! In Nov 2008, i was in talks with Aston Martin’s London agency and it came up to have a post looking for someone UK local to go to the Aston Martin Factory in Gaydon for NOTCOT. That was supposed to happen a month or two later… and between scheduling and the economy shifting and Aston Martin’s tumultuous year… a lot changed for them, and for the winner… and so, it’s been a year and a bit, but they happened to have a last minute opening around their customer tours, and we were finally able to squeeze in a visit to the Aston Martin Factory while i was in London. And Tom, thank you for being so understanding!

Ok, so all that aside ~ how sexy is that curve where the One-77 body flows to the side mirror? Putting the iridescent color shifting periwinkle/grey aside, there’s something very batmobile aggressive to the look of the One-77… even more so in person than those initial press shots. Not yet in production, and already sold out for its limited run of 77 customizable supercars priced at $1.5-2 million a piece… it was fun to get to take a look at some of the design details of this prototype up close… take a peek at my favorite details on the next page… as well as a video of it in action!

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Aston Martin DBS Saddle

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:30:59 -0800

Going through pictures from the London trip… i have so many i’ve been meaning to share from Aston Martin. Sadly, i wasn’t able to take pictures inside the actual factory other than some super glarey diagrams on the walls… and the lighting for most of the cars was a bit difficult, but lots of details and overviews to share! Unsure of where to start, this saddle jumped out at me when i was going through the pics… it’s like a picnic basket meets a horse saddle… for the hump in the backseat of your Aston Martin DBS… Apparently each saddle is individually handmade by Robin Coleman in Warwickshire. Each saddle takes two craftsmen 28 hours! It has room for everything including your bottle of wine! See more pics on the next page.

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NOTCOT.org Roundup

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:18:03 -0800

A grid full of inspiration ~ here are 25 of my favorites off of NOTCOT.org from the last few days! Click any of those squares to find out more! And don’t forget… its curated user submission, so feel free to submit inspiring finds that grab your attention!

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The Golden Puma Penguin

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:27:42 -0800

Another Dear NOTCOT surprise ~ this one comes in from Lou Mora ~ awesome photographer, and apparently between seeing the matte black penguin and the Oscars last night… he got inspired and decided to take some sand paper to a blue penguin and make a GOLDEN PENGUIN!!! Ready to see the evolution? See all the pics he sent over on the next page…

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Japanese Wooden Spinning Tops

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:25:47 -0800

Tops! They are universally mesmerizing! Regardless of age, they will definitely amuse… so imagine how my eyes widened when i came upon a huge bowl of these small wooden japanese spinning tops at Tortoise in Venice Beach… i kept going through the whole bowl ~ one by one ~ and slowly ended up buying a dozen. They were all so different! So hard to resist! And many have these floating rings carved into them that float as they spin… and they make the most amazing sounds… when still, the curvatures in your hand are just so beautiful… and then get them spinning, and it’s hard not to just watch them for ages… see the videos and more pics on the next page!

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Playmobil Safe Crackers

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:10:01 -0800

On random design inspiration ~ Playmobil seems to have evolved quite a bit since i was a kid. We had the zoo, rock climbers, fancy dressed victorians with car, the teepee, and farm animals… but definitely no disheveled stubbly striped shirt, sport jacket, sunglass, and beanie wearing safe crackers… these guys even come with graspable money, a canister with hose to freeze the lock(?), silver suitcase, keys, flashlight, and even a weighty metal gold bar… best part of all, the safe is actually lockable! You can set the combination by picking two numbers… and it actually clicks as you rotate the dials.

So for random weekend experiments, had a bit too much fun taking pics of this set on the pool table…

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Max Wanger - Weddings to Tees

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:00:30 -0800

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…

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NotCouture Roundup

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:44:18 -0800

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!

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