Miss Gaga (actually its Ms. Germanotta) knows how to make a statement and the latest cover of V Magazine is victory for the world of publication…if they could all just follow the trend. Struggling mainstream mags are fighting each other for ad dollars and consumer attention and while recycled photos dominate the interior the covers are speaking volumes. Famed celeb photographer Mario Testino shot this issue with the lady all dolled up in Georgio Armani makeup and Oribe hair. The cover is all tricked out with removable sunglasses on Lady Gaga’s leather face (not Poker Face) temping you to lift it squinting with one eye closed at what might lay beneath. V’s hoping you pick it up and pay for it but you may end up running from fright. Look for it on a newsstand near you…you won’t miss it.
Because everything’s bigger in Texas, it’s no surprise that Farmhouse Fresh’s bath salts would come in big ‘ole jars and big ‘ole sweet flavors. “Living life under a canopy of magic trees” is how the team makes all of its natural and organic creations and they craft the perfect gifts for even the pickiest of pickies. A variety of creams and scrubs make up the line and are all packaged in what looks like recycled Smuckers jars, Skippy containers, and milk pitchers. The only problem is, with ingredients like honey, strawberry and sugared maple, you’ll be left to wonder should I be wearing this…or eating it?
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Lineaus athletic bars, bags, and balls bring fashion to the fitness room with a line of equipment that is old school gorgeous. Made from chromed leather (not that veggie crap), hand-sewn and made to order, the material is soft yet durable and like fine wine, gets better with time. But like all good things, fashion for the field doesn’t come cheap, (like $4,800 for the bag) but it is a feast for the eyes and is sewn by Lineaus himself. Who wouldn’t want to get their mitts on these? Touchdown Cool Hunting!
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Art landed on his face. Featured in Interview Magazine’s August issue, 24 year old artist Levi van Veluw’s face-covered artistry is uncovered in the streets of Amsterdam by Viktor & Rolf. The drawings, in ballpoint pen, resemble stitching or checkered patterns. Other works are more complex using objects such as stones, carpeting, hair extension, and other unconventional materials. Levi considers these paradoxical pieces as performance art, not photography. Considering the commercial possibilities, I’d say his performance is only in its first act. –>
I know we’ve written about hair bags before but don’t get your split-ends all tied up in knots…it’s all about great packaging. These bags were designed for Muse Beauty Salon by the Toku Agency Inc. in Tokyo. The typeface is playful yet simple and sits distinctly on a crisp, white background. The handles come in four brilliant colored, braided extensions offered at the salon and are so tightly pulled together, it makes Vivica Fox’s weave look like dime-store diva. Just grab your locks and go!
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For all of you “green-folk” looking to light the way in your quest to save the earth, get out your matches. Filt, a candle company based in Tokyo, is grease-roots thinking. Based above Chubby cafe in Tokyo, they gather the well-filtered waste oil from the restaurant kitchen directly below, add vanilla scent and a wick…and voila. The sticky stuff is then poured into recycled glass from the local recycling bins and resemble those sand art thingy’s you made in summer camp. Thanks CScout for spotting this but unfortunately, it won’t fly in NY….its not trans fat free. –>
Finally, a bible arrives we can all get on our knees for… Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture. Does it get more heavenly than this? If there were ever a fashion house that should produce a book, it’d be Louis Vuitton and what a better time to drop it then when most people can do right now is salivate in front of the LV window. And like your Neverfull MM, its brimming with too many fabulous things. Stephen Sprouse, Richard Prince, and lots of other illustrious content are of course part of the colossal 400 pages under the cover. Need I mention that the artistic direction was spearheaded by Marc Jacobs…(why not?)? If you pick yours up at the store, you can get the special edition cover featuring the ’03 Monogram Hands print by Takashi Murakami. But with all the talent and creativity behind the beauty that is Louis Vuitton, couldn’t they have reached into their bags for a better title? Anyway, you can grab yours at Barnes and Noble, I’ll be getting mine on 57th and 5th. –>
In true MAC style, their 2009 Fall Colour Collection is introduced with high art and fab fame at its finest. MAC snagged Richard Phillips, Marilyn Minter, and Maira Kalman to produce works of art using their own set of color pigments and distinct style. With names like “Hold the Pose”, “Photo Realism”, and “Private Viewing”, you can’t help but want to be a part of it. The good news is, you can, but you’ll have to buy it ‘cause it’s as close as you’re gonna get to being MAC ’ed on by Minter. One stunning example was Phillips’ luscious Der Bodensee painting of a porn model sharpened up to shear perfection. Who cares if it was a retouching project, he’s busy with his NY opening for Gagosian and the painting’s retouching was done by the renowned Pascal Dangin of Box. Get your MAC on August 20th.
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So you’re back from your weekend in the Hamptons, bug-bitten, hungover, sandal-blistered, aching and sleepless from what you might have said at that surf-side soiree. What can you turn to? Help Remedies, what else?! These smart little packages, designed by ChappsMalina and Little Fury, are packed with all the aid you need for those annoying little scrapes, bites, and bad nights. Each remedy comes in a biodegradable pulp and plastic compact, rich in soothing color and printed with motherly messaging to help ease the pain. Too bad they don’t make one for “Help! Get me out of this share house!”
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If you didn’t know, designer Jason Wu began his illustrious career designing clothing for doll manufacturer Integrity Toys (and is still doing so). And after all his successes on the runways (large and small) he’s reaching back to his roots with this lovely little creation for Colette. “Look 20”, derived from Wu’s fall 09 collection, is not you’re average doll. Her belted ivory cashmere coat with fairylike feather-embroidered hem, black stems and an icy stare, make Barbie look like a dime store floozie. But, like most high style plastic chicks, her real name’s a mystery and she’ll cost you. $215 Euros at Colette and you’ll have to fly her home. Watch for another of Jason’s creations at Jeffrey New York coming this August.
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