On fun additions to the world of the Standard New York ~ their new store is like a wonderland of practical and playful designer goodies. Greeted by a giant ALL FOR YOU made of ring pops ~ you discover a hotel store filled with everything from forgotten amenities like meds and toothpaste in card catalog drawers to power adapters and magazines… and then fun gifts like the beautifully bound penguin classics to giant dunnys to glossy apples and stunning jewelry… and of course there are even naughtier gifts like vibes and condoms that you can wrap in raunchy double sided wrapping paper and pair with chocolate! See lots of pics on the next page!

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Tags: gifts - hotels - luxury - new york - shopping - standard

So far you've seen the close ups of the Standard + Quiksilver Boardshorts and vending machine ~ the packaging/experience/etc... but as i was photoshopping my way through my pictures, there were SO many more filled with fun absurdities, design details, quintessential LA... everything from the vintage incredible hulk wallpapered gym bathroom with green tinted mirror... to the number to call for encouragement... to the kids that perk up and pose in the pool... to the bikini girl with her red chanel bag traipsing through the downtown LA parking lot... to the red bed pods... to the tubs of flip flops which couldn't make a matching pair unless you had two left feet... to the huge twister board... and the photobooth with vintage mannequins... and so much more i couldn't bare not to share with you! So take a peek at this stunning LA saturday up at the roof of The Standard Downtown LA launch party scene with Quiksilver!

p.s.
on unphotographed things... it was hilarious that beyond water guns and beach balls there were even cupcakes and jello shots circulating... good times...

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Tags: events - hotels - los angeles - luxury - pool - quiksilver - standard

There is really only so much you can get about an actual user experience, packaging, presentation of a product from press photos. You saw what i had to show you about the launch in the previous post... For the rest you just have to go play with them in their natural setting! So for part one of the posts from The Standard Downtown LA's rooftop pool party with Quiksilver to launch their boardshort collaboration ~ let's focus on the SHORTS! And the vending machine! And the people wearing them! And then on to the rest later... I was lucky enough to get a chance to sneak away from the party to play with samples in one of the Standard rooms ~ so actual close up pics of the adorable pouches and details on the next page too! Take a peek at it all on the next page!

P.S.
I wish they had them smaller than a 30! The feel amazing ~ dry super fast ~ and are so cute with the retro upside down labels, pouches, special buttons, and more... the bikini is adorable too (subtle stripes, oh so soft, cutest buttons ever on your bum)... and to purchase them, its ok if you're not by the pool vending machine ~ they are also on the Standard online store!

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Tags: beach - events - fashion - gifts - hotels - los angeles - luxury - pool - quiksilver - shopping - standard

I've never lusted for board shorts before, well not men's anyhow... but i must say these Standard Boardshorts by Quiksilver are tempting! Not to mention they are sold in VENDING MACHINES (which are really all the rage lately) ~ and come in an "odor resistant waterproof travel bag" ~ and much like the standard, the labels are upside down (and adorably retro styled too)... but perhaps most unique of all? Inside each waistband is a list of addresses... a quick tips city guide precisely curated by Natas Kaupas. With a limited edition of 250 of each product, and so much attention to detail, this premier collaboration between The Standard and Quiksilver is stunning.

Now as for the style itself, these are "based on the original retro design from Echo Beach era - New wave/post punk style first pioneered by pro surfer Danny Kwock." There is also a "Standard Issue" Bikini for us ladies, but i'm curious to see how the shorts fit girls too... You can find them at The Standard Shop, as well as the poolside vending machines at the hotels. Also exciting? "Official launch event will be a pool party on the rooftop of The Standard Downtown LA on Aug 8th and from Aug 8-16, the hotel will have "ECHO BEACH RETROSPECTIVE, 1978-1982: Surf Culture Art Exhibition" show. Includes art, photography, paintings, film, vintage beachwear, and surfboards curated by Will Pennartz of The Surf Gallery. Art show admission is free." ~ See you there! As for now, see lots of pics on the next page of all the gorgeous details!

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Tags: beach - fashion - gifts - hotels - luxury - pool - quiksilver - shopping - standard - surf - swim

A floor literally tiled with thousands of copper pennies... it's pretty surprising to look down and see them when you walk into The Standard Grill in the Standard Hotel New York, below the Highline. The design was selected by the restaurant's designers,
Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of New York-based design firm Roman
and Williams. See some more peeks of it on the next page!

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Tags: hotels - luxury - money - new york - restaurants - standard - travel

I've written about quite a bit of packaging design, and alcohol packaging in particular often has some beautiful designs, but i think this is a first where the detail that grabbed me most was the cork! Once we popped this cork, i couldn't help but spin it around and around, and as we drank the bottle the question really became, who's chasing whom?

This is the cork of the André Balazs Sunset Beach Rosé ~ which is a collaboration with his long time friend and local Long Island winemaker, Christian Wölffer. Apparently vines planted at his Sunset Beach hotel will also contribute to future réserves. The label is also a fresh, beautiful water color representing that French Riviera/Miami lifestyle ~ lounging on towels with toes dipped in the water, raising glasses of Rosé as the bartender wades into the sunset behind with tray over his head? Cute label ~ rumor has it the girls on it are his daughters? Anyhow, take a peek at more pics on the next page...

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Tags: cork - drinks - gifts - hotels - liqurious - luxury - packaging - shopping - standard - wine

I have so much to show you its hard to know where to start ~ especially when all i want to do is curl up in bed, stare at the view, and pass out! Sad to be leaving NY tomorrow already, but will definitely be back soon! SO, for starters, it only made sense to run a hot bubble bath to figure out what to write, and that lead to taking pics in the bath, and then of course i had to give you a peek into my favorite part of The Standard New York... while i did tour the facility (both open, and not - the roof is so awesome!) with Andre Balazs the other day, that will have to wait. Prioritizing, what you really need to see first is the TUB! You can literally open up the slats so from the tub you can watch the skyline ~ which is stunning whether its day, sunset, night, etc... or i guess you could watch tv too... or chat with whoever you have in the room with you. It's also such a deep massive tub you could easily sink into it, or fit a bunch of people in, whatever suits you.

So take a peek of the view from the tub ~ and around the room and various details that have caught my eye. While there are 16 different room layouts/color schemes in the hotel ~ of the ones i toured, this one is definitely my favorite! Take a peek on the next page, and view shots to come...

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Tags: bathroom - bathtub - furniture - hotels - luxury - new york - standard - travel

Sinking into my bed barely conscious, debating what to show you before i give in and pass out... been quite the night of wandering, but the most bizarre and not so design week related event this evening brought me back to those awesome Artek Shigeru Ban chairs i showed you... only instead of being on a tour... this was the The Standard SPiN New York Classic - for those (like me) who know little about the ping pong world - here is the SPiN bio: "SPiN New York is a 13,000 square foot ping pong social club on Park Avenue in Manhattan's Flatiron District. The club offers unparalleled table tennis courts with Olympic quality cushioned flooring and 17 individual tables, including a stadium-like center court. In addition, SPIN New York houses a pro shop, lounge, bar, private room sponsored by Fred Perry and over a dozen internationally known professional coaches and players who are available for private and group instruction." Intense, right? Did you know Susan Sarandon is a huge ping pong lover?

Anyhow, in addition to this party of a ping pong classic (don't get me wrong, there were some there extremely serious about the sport, and alongside were many party goers and an open bar) - the sunset out on the deck and in the background was absolutely stunning. Jaw dropping to say the least... so check out the many pics of this scene on the next page!

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Tags: events - hotels - luxury - new york - ping pong - sport - standard - travel

There are some things you can read about and only when you play with it and get to take it apart in person do you fully understand how awesome it is. It also doesn't hurt to first see it in an awesomely large grouping arranged like a sculpture on the 3rd floor deck of the The Standard, New York with all of NYC as the backdrop... and then again back down on the ground in a shipping container both intact and taken apart...

Of course i'm talking about Artek's 10 Unit System by Shigeru Ban! Both Artek and Shigeru Ban are known for their love of beautiful simplicity, functionality, and sustainability ~ so it's no surprise that this 10 Unit System emobodies all of those qualities wonderfully. "Systematizing, Standardizing, Making It Accessible." This is the chair who's motto is boldly "One chair is enough"... and being constructed of 10 identical L shaped pieces, one can create chairs of varying designs, stools, coffee tables, and even combine them for benches and more. When feel like a quick change, simply rearrange the pieces! These are made from ProFi, an environmentally friendly wood-plastic composite - non-toxic, sustainable, and recyclable, it utilizes the surplus materials from the label stock production of UPM. (Artek also used this material for the Artek Pavillion that was sold by Sotheby's as well as floor tiles.)

Take a look on the next page for images from the The Standard, New York deck ~ in the Playful New Finnish Design 09 shipping container ~ up close ~ press photos ~ and even the really fun propoganda cut/paste/photocopy zine looking booklet!

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Tags: artek - chair - events - furniture - green - home - hotels - icff - luxury - modular - recycled - standard - travel

As you know by now, there is nothing standard about The Standard ~ their logo likes to be upside down, their decor unexpected, their store schwag designer... is it any surprise that their Staff Calendar this year resembles a retro yearbook? Well, a yearbook where everyone is incredibly attractive and calling out all the stereotypes... from the prom queen and the stoner to the jocks and nerds... which were you?

Well while you ponder that ~ jump over to the next page where you can watch a fun little video where all the characters unfold ~ followed by a candid "making of" the video and calendar shoot!

There are only 500 copies of this 4th annual calendar available, and while traditionally they were only sent to say thank you to their most regular guests... this year and they can be found in The Standard Shop! "Shot at on location at The Standard, Downtown LA by Michael Elins, this year's is perhaps our favorite yet. Staff flew to LA from each of the Standards' home towns after being cast for the shoot. Designed as a desktop or bookshelf calendar, it measures 7.5" tall by 3" wide when folded, and about 6" wide when assembled."

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Tags: calendar - gifts - hotels - luxury - photography - shopping - standard - video

Freshly back from adventures in downtown LA, with our excuse being the Unique LA VIP night ~ which was honestly a bit bizarre ~ lets get the weirdness out of the way first, most vendors less than friendly and not quite prepared, meh music, and a strangely super bright spacious layout ~ BUT, that being said, still found some really fun randomness i'm super giddy about, and it was an awesome excuse to finally meet up with our winter intern, Alyssa, in person finally after all her help keeping me afloat with the gift guides, giveaways, and coupons ~ and finally check out The Association (that new dark, moody, retro cocktail bar ~ delicious!) and grab a bite at The Standard... random animal sightings: massive rat trying to climb its way out of a trash can, and a mouse darting towards the car and into a drain....

Things i'm most excited about and possibly worth getting over to Unique LA for this weekend? Imaginary Friends Inc. with the gorgeous nature inspired prints, cards, clothes, and more... has a secret stash of overprints to pick from (you can see an example above, and a few more scans below)... and i'm trying to convince them to make more woody ones (also see below!)... Designer Poptarts from Cake Monkey ~ yum! The meringue samples were yummy too. I Heart Guts did not disappoint, adorably cuddly innards and really cute sticker packs (see scans below!) ~ anyhow, see pics of some other finds and an overview of some of the what you'll find there!

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Tags: gifts - hotels - luxury - prints - shopping - standard

Finally! An artist's twist on the usual city tourist t-shirt ~ a much classier more exciting gift for those who didn't get to go... Starting today, 3 limited edition t-shirts will be available at The Standard Hotels in LA, NYC, and Miami... Andre Balazs has commissioned three contemporary legends, Natas Kaupas, Eric Haze, and Jose Parla to design these t-shirts for their respective cities, and only 1500 of each design have been produced! When first described to me, i wasn't sure what to make of it, but upon seeing images, it is gorgeous black and white typography bringing out the feeling and culture of the cities ~ and especially when seen together you can really feel how different the vibe is of each... not surprising my favorite is really the LA one, NYC next... and for designs which are so blatantly screaming out the name of a city, they feel more like artwork than branding. Also adorable? The red pouches sporting the artists signatures that the t-shirts come in!

So check out the shirts and more about the artists and this collaboration on the next page!

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Tags: art - fashion - gifts - hotels - luxury - shirts - shopping - standard