A Cuppa Owl

Iittala has always had a nice range of designs, but this coffee set from the Taika series, that I found at Bohemica's, sure are something special.

I love them!

Comme Wallet 2.0

Well, the funniest thing this Christmas is probably that me and tutelutten gave each other the same things, without knowing it, wallets from Comme des Garcons.

Actually, this was my first ever thing from Comme, that in itself is so exciting!! It is also the best wallet I've ever had so I'm so happy! It's perfect in size and the look of it feels very me. I take it up all the time from my pocket to just look at it. It's so nice.
Tack!!

Comme Reptile Patchwork Wallet in White Leather

I got this for Christmas and I love it! It replaces an old black reptile skin leather wallet in black. It's the perfect size for cards and a few notes and not much else... I hate carrying around bulky wallets and this just sits nicely in the front pocket of my jeans or pants. Thanks @tuteluttan!

Dover Street Market x Gloverall in Canary Yellow

I want this dufflecoat from DSM x Gloverall. Gloverall can you believe? Look here at their rather stuffy (and ugly) traditional range. Somehow, reissuing the dufflecoats in superbright colors has done wonders for this old English brand. Of course, association with Rei Kawakubo's flagship Dover Street Market is also priceless for Gloverall. These coats are unisex and are also available in other stunning colors. 

They don't make them like they used to!

"A woman’s jacket, from around 1616, in linen that was worked with silk, metal thread, spangles, detached buttonholes and satin stitches" - NY Times Seeing History in the Eye of the Needle

New Years

Not too pricey dresses for the Holidays from Lipsy. I don't have any problems with finding things I want on that site. :-)

Our Top Dressed Dictators

1. Papa Doc, Haiti

A style icon among tyrants who always dressed in black. I don't know if he demanded the people around him to wear white or if it's just because of the tropical climate. Striking however!

2. Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe

Mugabe is quite extraordinary in his extrovert, colorful and very African style. It is said that Mugabe is the security guards worst nightmare because you can spot him in his outfits with your naked eye from up to six kilometers distance.

3. Josef Stalin, Soviet Union

Stalin isn't famous for only creating the Stalinism and being one admitted excellent people killer, he is also a style icon for many men and (next to Burt Reynolds) fashion history's most important advocate for the mustache trend. Here he is pictured in a clean, snow white outfit inspired by the uniform look and with an impeccable grey back slick.

4. Adolf Hitler, Germany

Hitler's very significant look with the carachteristic form of brown uniform, typical side partings and the signature mustasche have been a style icon for fashion fanatics through the years.

5. Idi Amin, Uganda

Christmas tree fashion and nicknacks at its best. Idi Amin held no limits when it came to rewarding himself with medals. And to appear, heavily overloaded with these medals.

6. Augusto Pinochet, Chile

Pinochet had, for his whole life, a passion for the militant fashion. Here, he composed an outfit in the classic colors of marine, rosen red and milk white. The gloves in white leather are magnificent.

7. Kemal Atatürk, Turkey

This founder of the turkish republic and a symbol of Turkey itself, was always extremely well dressed, but still with his own carachteristic style. He was often seen in some sort of dress suit with a thin tie and almost always wearing his and the nations signature garment, the fur fez.

8. Fidel Castro, Cuba

Fidel has never been late in catching up trends, here he is seen in in the very first nerd glasses on Cuba, a whole 23 years before the man on the street caught the trend. Castro has always been as well manicured as long bearded, and has almost always been seen with his iconic accessories such as the hat and Havana cigar. The later has become on of the west worlds most powerful potency and masculine symbol.

Not on the list

Converse 100th Anniversary Special Edition Chucks

I want these special edition sneakers by Converse, spotted at Dover Street Market. Originally commissioned by Isetan Tokyo for Converse's 100th Anniversary.

Lampgirl

Jackets for Men by Comme X H&M

I came across these jackets by Comme X H&M for men that I quite like the look of. I'm stuck in the fashion slums of New Zealand for the Antipodean summer so I have not had a chance to actually see and try on any of them. I wonder what the quality of manufacturing is like as H&M is not renowned for high end tailoring or quality control. 

Samue: Zen Monk Styles

For those bored with the flashiness or absurdity of contemporary fashions, Samueya offers a return of an ascetic simplicity. Samue refers to the traditional working clothes of Zen monks, and the selections from Samueya are all produced in association with Dento Geijutsu wo Kiru kai (Association for Wearing Traditional Art). 

Whilst one might be forgiven for questioning the commercial feasibility of such a niche fashion enterprise (traditional Zen attire?), CScout Japan in fact reports that Samueya have served over 130000 customers since starting up in 2007! 

I wouldn't wear them out but they might make for some nice comfortable lounging clothing for at home wear... kind of like daytime pajamas!

Fragrances I love: Comme Series 3 Incense

Perhaps one of the most unique series of fragrances in the history of modern scents, Comme des Garcons Series 3: Incense features the incense atmospheres of famous holy sites - Avignon, Jaisalmer, Kyoto, Ourzazate, and Zagorsk - bottled in 50mls. One of the few to receive 9/10 from Monkeymanmatt at his fragrance blog! 

If you get a chance, smell these fragrances... once you do, you will never forget them. I'm running out of my bottle of Avignon...

Comme Everywhere: Strengthening or Diluting a Brand?

Have a quick look at Comme des Garcons flagship Dover Street Market Paper. The screencap above is taken from the end section of the latest DSM Paper. 

Comme (and its founder Rei Kawakubo) is perhaps one of the most distinctive fashion brands around today, with a reputation for quirkiness, cuts and styles that unsettle one's sense of being clothed and embodied. 

Recently however, Comme has gone all out collaborating left right and centre with just about everybody from H&M this season to Nike and Fred Perry. A great deal of these collaborations appear to involve nothing more than the appending of the Comme signature or label to an existing line, with minor stylistic variations. 

As I intimated in an earlier post, one really has to wonder if these expansionist activities work to strengthen or to dilute the CDG brand? 

Plaid Bags for Men

Just saw this on Blackbird and thought they looked remarkably similar to Karen Walker x Swandri bag I posted about here a while back. 

Licca-chan in Issey Miyake Pleats

Pleats Please Licca is a product deriving from the Power of Toy Project. It features an iconic Japanese doll draped in Issey Miyake's signature pleats. Cute.

Too Racy for Italian Vogue

Fashion photographer Steven Meisel shot these images for Italian Vogue, but when they saw them they said "no, no!". Too juicy for Vogue. And I can understand that. BUT! V Magazine felt differently and decided to publish the whole spread in their December issue.

I'm sure people are gonna say this and that about these photos, that were "too racy for Italian Vogue". But surely, that's what he wants, Steven. Provoke and try new limits.

Do you think it's too much?


See all the photos here.

Warning: Sending gifts is known to cause feelings of happiness

I saw this recently whilst checking out Tiger Bow - a mixed reality 'social shopping' site that allows you to send actual gifts to virtual places such as an email address or Facebook profile page. 

Thinking of gifts... there are so many things I'd like to give and receive. As for what I would like... any of the following would make me happy!

Jacket, shirt, and trousers by Junya Watanabe

Shirt and trousers (with foldover detailing) by Comme des Garcons

Images - thanks to Dover St Market DSM Paper

Comme Des Garcons Spring 2009 Men

I am just loving the CDG Spring collection for Men! Its a welcome return to restraint... sombre even. Especially after the rather manic Homme Plus collection. I have to confess I love black, I always have and always will...

Hirst X Levis: High Art meets Street Fashion

Now that Damien Hirst is a global brand hundreds of millions, it seems fit for Hirst to expand his brand to include everything under the sun. This of course includes fashion. Not wanting to be outdone by celebrities collaborating to break into fashion (e.g. Kate Moss for TopShop) Hirst has released a line of clothing with Levis. 

I rather like the paintwheel pants and skull jacket though they are exceedingly bright! Thanks to HighSnobiety for spotting this. 

Fashion, Attitude, and Arrogance in New Zealand

The Fashion world has a reputation for swollen egos and offensive attitudes though it is by no means fair to characterize everyone into fashion in this way. Recently however, I had the misfortune of stepping into a small and new'ish fashion store on 197 Karangahape Road in central Auckland - Vickie Sudarath. 

The people who work in there are offensive to the extreme and appear to have enough ego to fill the entire shop to overflowing. I have never encountered such rude salespeople... possibly one of them was Vickie herself. In any case, it was enough to put me and my friends off shopping there. I would advise against going in there as it is bound to put a dampener on your day. Furthermore, the clothing is neither fashionable nor well made. 

As a comparison, I have always had excellent and friendly service from Rei Kawakubo's Dover Street Market flagship store in London. If anyone can get away with ego, it should be Kawakubo but surprisingly, everyone at CDG is so friendly. 

More generally, New Zealand offers very little in terms of fashion, particularly for men. The fashion world here is like the art circuit here... small, insular, and full of inflated egos with little substance to show for it. 

H&M X Comme Des Garcons Men Preview

I just came across a preview of the much awaited collaboration between street-low H&M and high fashion artist Rei Kawakubo. It looks impressive and has key signatures such as the alternative fabrics on sleeves and bold patterns (polka ensemble). 

The high-low combo is however rather pale and insipid when contrasted directly against Comme Des Garcons current line for men (Homme Plus). 

    

If there is a lesson to be learnt here, it is to tread carefully with collaborations. Collaborations promise the serendipitous explosions of emergent creativity on the one hand, and the plain and simple dilution of substance and style on the other. 

Benetton Autumn/Winter 2008 Men's Jackets

I went shopping yesterday for jackets. I've been looking for a simple slimcut black jacket for some time. By chance I popped into Benetton on Oxford Circus. I haven't been into a Benetton store for years although I remember being obsessed with Benetton and Sisley almost 15 years ago. The Italian brand has more or less hovered at the sidelines of the fashion world in the past decade. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find a well cut Sisley jacket in black, on sale 50% off for £50. 

I also saw some great new season jackets from Benetton. They were really affordable (that surprised me too as I seem to remember them being more expensive) new prices for jackets about £120 and not much more for the trench coats. Clean cuts and well constructed, I couldn't resist buying one. 

The womens new season range is also quite attractive...