New Mac Mini Concept

With rumors of a new Mac Mini on the horizon, designer Sait Alanyali, a proud Mac Mini user, decided to throw in his 2 cents. One of his gripes with the current machine are the I/O ports. It’s a pain to plug things in/out and so the “V” shape brings the ports within reach while keeping cables at bay. The shape also improves cooling as air moves freely thru the heatsink now that it’s not sitting on a flat surface.

Hard drives are hot swappable with one 2.5″ one installed and an empty slot to use at your leisure. There’s one HDMI port for you multimedia junkies and say bye bye to the power brick because this one has it neatly tucked inside. One last new feature is the embedded logo display. There’s a sensor inside that detects its orientation making sure the logo always faces up. Brills!

The New Mac Mini Concept from Sait Alanyali on Vimeo

InCase Power Slider doubles battery life of iPhone 3G without making it ugly

Finally, there's an iPhone auxiliary battery pack that isn't clunky. This Incase iPhone 3G Power Slider battery pack solves the iPhone's greatest weakness by doubling its battery life to 5 hours of talk time/330 hours standby, and doesn't spoil the pleasing design of the most popular phone in the U.S. in the bargain.

Peek around the back and you'll see five indicator LEDs that leave no doubt about how much juice is left. And, you can plug it into the iPhone's dock connector for charging and syncing.

We've run up against the iPhone's battery limitations so frequently, we'll gladly plunk down the Power Slider's steep $99 price when it hits Apple Stores (and elsewhere online) in the next few weeks.

Thom Browne: A Study of the All-Encompassing One-Man Brand

Reading GQ's 'Men of the Year' profile on Thom Browne, American designer of his eponymous line as well as Brooks' Brothers' niche 'Black Fleece' upscale line, revealed insights about a man whose clothes I have admired, but now look at with greater reverence in the way he has defined himself as a walking one-man brand. I think the future of branding lies in the idea of a mastermind selling a trademark through embodying the brand/product/concept in every aspect of their life. Life as performance art? Perhaps, but what grander stage is there than the street...

A comparison of how the 'one-man' brand works in different ways could be illustrated through a comparative look at Thom Browne and Rick Owens, two designers who create clothes that are somewhat autobiographical, if not of their experiences, at least their worldview. Both are excellent at getting themselves out there in their respective way. Rick Owens' clever use of life-scale models of himself placed in his stores, t-shirts where he is featured in provocative gestures like blowing his brains out, etc. illustrate how a man can sell an entire brand based on selling the world through his eyes packaged in an attractive and interesting manner. The difference between Rick and Thom, however, strikes me as being quite subtle (or maybe it's not?). Rick's gestures of self-promotion are all through the vehicle of aesthetics related to his brand and how he defines its ethos. Thom's vision seems to be pervasive through every aspect of his existence, in the way he seems to speak in interviews, his tastes in decor, or gestures like the precision of daily routine in meals/dressing/rituals Thom goes through to demonstrate the world he is trying to build. I think Thom Browne lives "Thom Browne" more than Rick Owens lives "Rick Owens" in this sense of totality.

Thom Browne's clearly talented; I think he does the best grey OTR suit in the world today (Sorry Tom Ford, comes close but doesn't quite have the character of Thom's contradictorily subversive take on conformity). I think the interesting thing he said in the interview was how he presented clothes based on an imaginary version of the 60s/Brooks Brothers/JFK era that was what he wanted to view that time as, but most likely wasn't the same as it happened...actually some kind of fragmented, inaccurate recollection of the past. In Thom's ideal world, it's always the early 1960s, Manhattan, New York City, everywhere, with everyone wearing the same Grey Suit and operating within the same stark, minimal interior spaces, whether they are an IBM technician or a real life Madison Avenue Don Draper. It's this inconsistency in 'selective perspective' of viewing or romanticizing an ideal based on the past that suddenly makes Thom's entire body of work seem so much more human to me. On the ground-level of product, Thom's communication of his vision is unlike the overt decadence and debauchery pervasive throughout Tom Ford's brand, to compare him to a contemporary classical sartorialist. Ford's 'image' is presented mostly through marketing, advertising and a superficial glance of Ford himself as a debonair and glitzy international man, rather than the clothes, most of which look quite plain and unassuming on the rack, even if well made. Thom's seasonal shows, always based on the same drab early-60s salaryman grey suit and his infinite takes on mutilating, reinventing and essentially redefining it makes him a visionary of a designer, in the context of the runway. On the rack, in stores, the clothes might be suits, sweaters, shirts, oxfords that could be the templates of any menswear brand, but something about Thom's jumps out at me, for a reason I can't really put my finger on. It feels stiff and rigid on a glance, but I can definitely see through Thom's own photos how the right person can make the clothes come totally alive and rock and roll (I'm sure Thom himself wouldn't relate to that last phrase, but it felt apt in my case). Despite the structure and recurring theme of 'restraint' which Thom himself has said underlines his entire body of work, the brand has been shaped in such a way that few designers offer clothes with such a sly suggestiveness that is so open to imagination and interpretation.

Abu Dhabi Plans World's Leaniest Building

The battle for the world's tallest building is already a fiercely contested one. How else can you get in the record books? How about picking another category? Developers Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) are working on Capital Gate, a building that will enter Guinness Book of Records as the "World's most inclined tower." The building leans at an angle of 18 degrees, a small amount perhaps but compare that the the most famous askew building, the leaning Tower of Pisa which leans less than four degrees. Creating a building with a lean like this is no easy feat, it requires extra steel reinforcements to compensate for the gravitational, wind and seismic pressures caused by the tilt of the building. The tower is part of a $2.2 billion business and residential project.


[Source: Luxist]

Comme des Garcons: A Retrospective of Mainstream Avant-Garde

In the context of the recently released Comme des Garcons X H&M collaboration, which seemed to be a wild success for a reason I cannot really fathom, I began to think about what I admire most in the brand and its visionary, Rei Kawakubo. She is not my favorite designer, but as a social and cultural architect who can mold the audience of the moment to her vision, the CdG corporation excels in its Warholian methods of operation.

Her designs, and the clothes themselves, are not consistently on a level of quality adhered to by a Yohji Yamamoto or Issey Miyake in his prime, to compare her to her contemporaries. Yet CdG is probably the most successful of this trio - Rei has been a master of invention and reinvention. More importantly, the value of the CdG brand name may have diluted amongst purists, but from a commercial standpoint, her openness to work with every and practically anyone has managed to keep an avant-garde design house relevant and at the center of attention going on three decades now. Whilst Yohji's signature lines are appreciated mainly by a niche audience (I do not include Y-3 in a discussion of Yohji as a designer), and the current Issey Miyake even more so, CdG still feels young and fresh, as if it was an upstart brand from the present decade.

The H&M collaboration was probably partly bought by young admirers of CdG, for whom the main lines are out of affordable range. I wonder, though, how many people who lined up all night actually understood, appreciated and wore CdG history before this? Like the previous H&M designer collaborations, perhaps they were just trying to get something with a 'high end design' label attached to it. The designers who collaborated with H&M previously may have been of a higher profile than Rei in the mainstream fashion media. Yet the present collaboration is undoubtedly the smartest and most successful move so far by both parties, when viewed from a marketing standpoint. It has bridged the conceptual with the accessible, the abstract with the commonplace, meeting in a perfectly compromised middle. Like some of the CdG lower end diffusion lines, the pieces may maintain some trace of classic CdG 'traits' like deconstruction and asymmetry, but are ultimately disposable and lack the statement or technique that is usually reserved for the mainline. The clothes themselves, quality and craftsmanship aside, do touch on one point about CdG and Rei that I admire, and it is something more intangible.

Rei's collections are the only ones I can think of, amongst anyone known enough to have their runway shows featured on Style.com, that are entirely devoid of context and meaning. Rei has once admitted to not following what is going on in the fashion world around her. Hence, she operates outside the boundaries of trends or 'key' colors, fabrics and items that often times swing the collective design world's direction each season. Whether or not this is actually true, I'll probably never know. But unlike Raf Simons or Miuccia Prada, whose collections are the most scrutinized for some hint of meaning or intention amongst fashion followers on the internet, the media, the intellectuals, there is an unspeakably enigmatic quality that has remained constant throughout Rei's collections. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. But CdG has maintained a funny kind of appeal which resonates with me - I can't quite explain why I would be attracted to some of her designs, when I am - but at the same time, to intellectualize or explain her work is an exercise in futility. Rei contradictorily innovates in her appropriation of existing concepts. And that's why I think she succeeds – neither here nor there, the clothes just are, as if they were created out of pure whim. Bravo.

Penthouse Office by Benthem Crouwel Architects

Located on top of the Las Palmas building in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, this Penthouse Office by Benthem Crouwel Architects have created a space for the lucky executives who get to overlook the city. Wouldn't it be nice to go to work here.. doesn't really matter WHAT you do, just looking out the window really meddles your worries away.

(Click for larger pictures)

[Source: Elanso]

Pagani Zonda S Roadster can be for girls too!

Who says Pagani Zonda S Roadsters were just for the big boys? It could very well be for girls too with a colour like this one. This daring baby was spotted outside of Marina Mandarin Hotel in Singapore. Paint job alone costing $100,000USD is something that could not be missed.

The young, media shy, 37 year old owner Mr. Yeo ; flew his 2004 Pagani Zonda S Roadster to Italy in order to have it repainted Pink and then he parked it outside the Marina Mandarin Hotel in Singapore in hopes of getting peoples attention for the official launch of his new luxury sports car the Wiesmann GT MF4 ($225,000 USD).

"The Pink Cadillac has historical significance. I wanted a colour that was different from the normal red and yellow sports cars people normally see."

[Source: Carzi]

Lux Bag of the Week

Valentino is a truly amazing designer, from their evening gowns right down to their handbags only converse in one language: Elegance.
Their new Shopping Culture handbag Spring Collection have created a series of 10 different handbags, amongst the ten blooms my personal favorite: The Soleil. This reminds me of Japanese Origami. These will go on sale from November thru April.
"a graphic design draws the rays of a couture sun, the curling element is secured by noticeable hand-stitching; transforming an artisan process in a detail." Bag Snob

Yours for $3,395! I would love one of those. I can see it equally as beautiful in a few other colors as it's white.. and white bags don't last ME very long.

Ice bar in Vegas

The Ice Bar trend is not the newest fad but still HOT. Apparently Vegas got their very own ice bar! It just opened in Mandalay Bay. For those of you who's been to Vegas in the summer would learn to appreciate what Mandalay Bay's got to offer. The scorching sun could use a little ice. Like other ice bars, guests have to put on warm clothes before entering the bar and pay for the experience. A 30-minute visit that includes one drink costs $30 in the bar which is chilled to minus five degrees Celsius (around 23 degrees Fahrenheit). The bar is made of ice, there are giant ice sculptures (including an ice Elvis) and drinks served in glasses of ice. Sounds like this place will be the place to be in summer when Las Vegas temps spike into triple digits.

Michelle Gookin of Escalon, Calif., near Modesto, likes this newest Vegas diversion. "I always wanted to stay in an ice hotel, so this is probably the closest I'll ever come. I come to Las Vegas a lot. I'm always looking for something different to do, and this is definitely different.

"It's amazing to me. You'll never find anything in Vegas that's done halfway."

It took about 150 giant blocks of ice, each weighing 265 pounds, to create the unique attraction. "All the ice is made in Canada," says general manager David Kuhn. "They have a process where there's no impurities, bubbles or anything like that. So when it settles in the room, it's as clear as glass."

Those blocks are also used to create giant ice sculptures. An oversized carving of Elvis, guitar in hand, graces the center of the room. It's a popular spot for pictures. Those photos are taken by a staff member and are for sale upon leaving the bar; personal cameras are not allowed.

[Source: LA Times]

Veuve Clicquot Opens Champagne Bar at Harrods

Veuve Clicquot is opening its first champagne bar and boutique at London's Harrods store.

The bar will be located on the first floor alongside international luxury fashion labels. It will stock the full range of Veuve Clicquot Cuvees, from Yellow Label and Veuve Clicquot Rose to Vintages and La Grande Dame, available by the glass and by the bottle.

Customers can also pair their favourite champagne with a selection of dishes from an a la cart menu.The boutique will offer Veuve Clicquot Gifts, such as the new Ice Jacket and Traveller, sold exclusively through the outlet.

Melanie Boury, brand manager for Veuve Clicquot, said: "We are delighted with our partnership with Harrods and having the motto ‘One quality, the finest', no doubt Madame Clicquot would have loved to associate her House with Harrods, another ‘best-in-class', renowned worldwide for its excellence."

[Source: Luxist]

Snowball Blaster

As it's getting chilly, kids are all waiting for those snow-filled days with no school. The Snowball Blaster has been created. It aims at your snow-enemy and aims accurately. Why didn't anyone think of this earlier, Super soakers have been invented for years! What a genius!

It combines slingshot technology with a trio of special forming chambers, and the result is a snowball weapon that might upset the balance of power in your neighborhood this winter. This snowball blaster can hit up to 50 feet, even the big bully hiding at the corner of his house will get a taste of his own medicine!

Zaha Hadid's Chanel Pavilion in Central Park, NYC

The Zaha Hadid-designed temple to art "inspired" by the Chanel 2.55 has opened last month in Central Park in New York City. Architectural masterpiece housing artistic brilliance, or gimmicky self-serving marketing tool designed as a shrine to hold the ego and vanity of its creators? The New York Times has an opinionated take on this conceptual project...


Photo and Article Source: The New York Times

Article HERE

Arte Povera Lux

A growing trend in men's fashion is the emergence of high end design that fits along the 'Arte Povera' aesthetic. In other words, it is clothing that epitomizes the phrase 'diamond in the rough.' Painstakingly crafted through artisanal craftsmanship and innovative treatment of fabrics, this school of design challenges the way we look at our relationship with clothing. It is a form of luxury, but rejects stereotypical notions that are associated with ostentatious displays of consumption without thought.

Today's entry will profile one of the pioneers of the movement - Carol Christian Poell

An Austrian designer who has redefined the boundaries of what is constituted as wearable clothing, his work continues to fascinate as his pieces are not a jacket or a pair of trousers you can just slip on and then forget. Breaking conceptual norms, what appears to be a simple button down shirt reveals tailoring of a more indescribably complex nature once worn, as you realize that you cannot quite move your arms about flexibly. Or a pair of boots which impede the speed of walking through the sheer weight of the sole; it's as if the clothes have added another dimension of gravity. Taken into a more abstract interpretation, one can say that Carol's clothes communicate the unbearable and suffocating constraints of the world we live in today. On a lighter note, he has pioneered in the area of fabric treatments, using the method of object dying in many of his garments and shoes. The technique of object dying will render a piece of clothing so stiff, it cannot be molded, let alone worn. Carol then beats and washes the piece until it is in a state of wearability. The result is a unique piece which tells a story, reflecting a worn and weary world view. Other interesting elements include the use of pedestrian stationery such as duct tape or glue in order to connect the seams of the pieces. The ideas of bondage, restraint and confinement are recurring themes in his work, elevating the grotesque, deformed and unusual into a meditation of how clothes can go beyond function into philosophy. Fragile, scarred and impenetrable at once, they are tough clothes for tough people.

Stockists include L'Eclaireur in Paris and Tokyo, Atelier in New York, Maxfield in Los Angeles, and Lift Ecru/Lift Etage in the Daikanyama district of Tokyo.











(PHOTOS COURTESY OF ATELIER NYC)

Paul Smith's limited edition Fisheye camera

Paul Smith's limited edition Fisheye Camera is a show stealer, but for all its good looks are worth, it is also pretty difficult to use. I'm not sure I'm all for what the camera offers. It adopts the old school way of capturing images with a 180-degree wide-angle lens onto 35mm film. Everything is going to appear rather round. If you want to see what you are capturing before you shoot, just use the fisheye feature. This is a pretty neat option. The looks are definitely for those who love style. Check out the PS stripes and designer cover lens. The price is a little steep at $150, but by now we know that all pretty things come with a large price tag.

Unfortunately, the Fisheye camera doesn't include a matching designer case. That shouldn't stop you from buying the camera and feeling like you are looking at the world through the eyes of a fish.

Christmas is coming up..... and I wouldn't mind this as my Christmas Present!! hehe

Bulgari's Save The Children Campaign

Italian jeweler Bulgari has announced a campaign to support the "Rewrite the Future" campaign of Save the Children. Through the "Rewrite the Future" campaign Save the Children is committing to providing quality education to eigh million children living in conflict-affected areas. Bulgari wants to raise 10 million euros by the end of 2009, of which one million euros will be donated by Bulgari in advance. Bulgari has created a silver ring for the campaign which features the Save the Children logo engraved inside. The ring will be on sale from February 1 to December 31, 2009 in all Bulgari stores throughout the world, in some selected department stores, and on Bulgari's e-commerce website for $290, $60 of which will be donated to the campaign.

Bulgari will also create a collection of 15 pieces of high jewelry and eight high-end timepieces, valued at three million euros. This collection will be officially presented on in June 2009 in Rome, on the occasion of Bulgari's retrospective exhibition "Between Eternity and History" to celebrate 125 years of the Bulgari brand. This collection of jewels and watches will be exhibited at various events throughout the year and the auctioned off on December 7, 2009 in New York and proceeds will be totally donated to Save the Children.

[Source: Vogue UK]

Isola S Yin-Yang-kitchen

Have you ever found it difficult to maneuver your way around the kitchen smoothly while cooking for expected guests? Ever wondered to yourself, if there was a counter that I could shift just a little bit, it'd be perfect! Well, either hit yourself over the head for not being the person to invent this or pump your arms in the air for celebration that someone actually has put thought into making your lives easier.
The Isola S from Japanese Toyo Kitchen's "Nobody" line is one stylish way to shrink a kitchen down into a sliding Yin-Yang. The Isola S can be transformed into different configurations depending on what you space you need.
It has an electric range with three burners, a circular sink, a section dedicated to providing some countertop space and a bunch of drawers. The drawers are corrugated, so you can stack plates in there or separate cutlery.
The whole thing is also studded with LED lights — just for those late nights or going downstairs to grab a glass of water.
The price for this isn't available yet, but in my opinion, probably for the uber-rich bachelor pad.

Hobart I-Cool Chair to help you burn fat

Are you lazy? No, really. Are you too lazy to go to the gym? Do you just sit at home all day smoking your cigars while watching TV? Well about 2 years ago, a Singaporean based company, Osim came out with a horse riding machine that is supposed to help you burn fat.

Padwa's Design came up with something to not only further enhance your decor, but this is supposed to help you burn fat as well, and apparently more effectively too. The Hobart I-Cool is designed to reduce body weight WHILE sitting.
This proprietary system, which induces accelerated calorie outtake via temperature regulation, creates a revolutionary personalized micro-environment, by allowing individual users to set their preferred temperature within the comfort of their own personal space, regardless of the climate around them.
A personal SAUNA CHAIR?! Sounds dandy to me.

Karma Sparkling Wine to be served on Virgin Airlines

While we are all aware that Singapore Airlines serves their selection of Dom Perignon or Krug to their First Class passengers, most other airlines hardly want to serve sparkling water to their economy class passengers and maybe, IF you are lucky, might just get Moet in business class.

Karma, the elegant California brut-style sparkling wine in modern single-serving bottles, has partnered with California-based Virgin Airlines on better drinks for high fliers(yes that includes Business class). Created by San Diego native Patrick Wilson, the premium ready-to-drink treat is packaged in a glass bottle.
Karma, made from hand-selected California grapes, is clean, crisp and dry with subtle hints of melon and pear. Wilson decided to package it this way to further the concept that every day should be a celebration.

Swiss Army Toilet for People with the Space Crunch: Vertabrae

I can't help it if I have a small bathroom. I'm living one of the highest rental cities in the world! Ulgh... Would love to have something like this. A vertical toilet, where I can store my toiletries... and NO, I don't happen to have space for that in my bathroom.

My bathroom HAS to be clean, I get paranoid if it isn't, thus I store my creams, masks, makeup, etc... OUTSIDE my bathroom. For those who have visited would know exactly what I'm talking about. Paul Hernon took into consideration the small sizes of most apartments while designing this. The Vertabrae includes a toilet, a sink, water cistern and two showers. $16,000USD for this whole unit. Not too bad if it includes everything, as most of these together would probably be about the same, minus the clutter. I must say, what a good design.

Utilizing the vertical space instead of horizontal floor space the stack looks impressive and easy to maintain. Of the two showers included one is meant for adults and the other for children. Both rotate 180 degrees however all the other units rotate a full 360 degrees.

All the piping work is concealed in the steel column, and each part simply pushes out when it is required. The Vertebrae is expected to hit the shelves next year. Bespoke versions will be available with shaving mirrors, lights and other additions.

Petite Coeur Wine Glass

I can't seem to figure out whether this is a decanter or a wine glass. On most websites, it's described as a wine glass, but wouldn't it be rather hard to sip out of? You'll have to be chugging it! The Petite Coeur(little heart) is designed by Etienne Menueau, a French designer who brought us a series of unusually-shaped carafes.


This work of art is an abstract reinterpretation of the human heart, complete with its atriums, ventricles, and an aorta for a spout.
This is 20 cm tall, thus it does seem a little too tall for a wine glass, and boy, seems like it's gonna be one bottle of wine per glass. This unique glass made of borosilicate glass. only 12 (eight numbered and signed and four artist proofs) were made and they cost a shocking €1,500 ($2,000).
Kit, don't walk into the wall with one of these, it could rack up some dollars there!