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...