Selectism

Wallpaper* Magazine's Annual Design Award Issue has always been one of those year end specials that mixes the best of everything. Its a multi-tool of sorts combining Robb Report, Cook's Illustrated, and This Old House into one annual chock filled with people, product, and designs you should be aware of.

What caught our eye with the 2008 Issue was their naming of Best Print to Liberty of London men's collection which injects 1940's fly prints found in their archives. Moving away from their usual flower patters, the Spring/Summer 08 offering places these insects onto silk and Egyptian cotton with incredible results.

According to WGSN this looks to be the first Liberty of London menswear collection to be available at botiques worldwide.

Duckie Brown's Fall 2008 runway show occurred last Friday at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC. Unbeknownst to many, Penfield collaborated with Duckie Brown on two jackets, the "Capulin" and the "Lockwood" which were modeled throughout the course of the show.

These are fine examples of Duckie Brown using the the resources of Penfield's active wear to develop some very well done crossover fashion.

Pierre Hardy presents a set of new futuristic sneakers. Entitled Colorama, the hi-top sneakers come with an multicolor design. They are available now at the Pierre Hardy store in Paris, Dover Street Market in London, Isetan in Tokyo and Barneys New York. Via Hintmag.

We reported about the limited edition "Gucci Hearts NY" collection that was released along with the opening of the new Gucci NYC flagship store. Now they also launched an entire website for the occasion, where you can take a tour of the new store, upload pictures of NYC, and read their celebrity blogs. The celebrity fashion bloggers also give their favorite spots in NYC.

http://guccilovesny.com/

All in all a nice site.

Declared as a must-read by Men.Style.com for all men that care about the way they dress - Modern Menswear by Hywel Davis.

"Hywel Davies spoke to designers from more than 36 labels, both big (Marc Jacobs, Raf Simons) and getting there (Victor Glemaud, Duckie Brown). But his biggest get might be that press-shy Belgian, Martin Margiela. "The whole interview was done by fax," Davies says. "At least the PR people know I'm a big fan." The book officially launches tomorrow night with a party at Paul Smith's Floral Street boutique in London, but American readers will have to sit tight: It doesn't hit shelves here until April."

Something we are definitely looking out for!

Here once again an elegant and practical new solution by the people at Incase.

"Incase is the first to offer a 2-in-1 iPod and iPhone charger that is both AV and DC compatible. Designed for both wall and car sockets, the charger combines function and economy with dependability. From home, to the car, to the office, the 2-in-1 Wall & Car Charger keeps your iPod or iPhone charged no matter your location."

For 39.95 USD, it's also well worth it!

There is an interesting article over at DNR about how we are returning back to basics this year. They talk about streetwear and the action sports market, rivalries of large and small brands, and especially the return of strong logo pieces. Read it here.

Fashion artist Kenzo Minami from Japan has been involved in many projects over the years, including sportswear giants such as Reebok. Over the years his t-shirt line has also become very successful. Here we present you the Spring/Summer 2008 offering. Once again he presents his very own style on the t-shirts, different from pretty much everything else out there! Look out for these to be in stores soon!

Commemorating the Y-3 store opening in Manhattan this week, the brand released the "Nice To Meet You" sneaker, that comes in black leather/denim on the upper, proclaiming its love for the big city on the tongue and the inner sole. Via Coolhunting.

Y-3
317 West 13th Street
New York, NY 1001

More pictures after the jump.

Head Porter is opening a new flagship store in Nagoya, Japan. This the the 3rd store after New York and Tokyo. It will be carrying both the Head Porter and the Head Porter Plus luggage collection.

Head Porter Nagoya
460-0008
Young-gu, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture 3-19-7
PROTECT4 Building 1F-2F

They will have the Snow White collection, that we reported about earlier on in store. Via Honeyee.

The Changes are made up of creative minds of today, with brains in the future, and eyes from the past. The brains actually belong to Sk*thng AKA KING ELVIS, Tokyo Sex Pistol and Icecream graphic designer, FERGADELIC AKA Aries Overlord, the graphic equaliser and the brains and pen of Tonite, and Misha and Shauna, AKA Dennis ROussos, and Veronique Cliche, of PAM, famous for travelling around and making the things they make.

Now they released a collection commemorating the Chinese Year Of The Rat. Each member of the Changes contributed one design, making it overall 4 t-shirts in the collection. They are now available in limited quantities at Someday.

The other t-shirts after the jump.

W)Taps has released a new pair of sunglasses under the Slinky Optics name. Their model is called "Bad Manner" sunglasses, which is underlined by the form and colors of the sunglasses. They are now available at SlamJam.

After the jump more detailed pictures.

In the last couple of months Levi's Europe was working on an interesting project in Belgium. They asked 100 artists to design the iconic Levi's backpocket. The pieces of art were then put on display at the Backpocket Gallery in Belgium and were auctioned off, with the benefits going to foundations fighting AIDS. Via Notcot.

Check out the various designs of the project here.

It looks like A.P.C. collaborated with Vans on an all white Sk8 Hi as part of their Spring/Summer 2008 collection. The sneakers are not in stores yet, but keep your eyes open. Via Dejour Magazine.

Bodega and Dr. Romanelli continue their resurrection of classic vintage with the release of the Surgical Strike Collection.

The entire collection is individually crafted & sumptuously detailed from war tested American Military pieces secured from the northeastern regiments. Each jacket comes with a personalized prescription from the Doctor documenting the original military garment it was reconstructed from.

Working from the idea of evolving the classic silhouettes as source materials, this proves to be one of Dr. Romanelli's most intricate endeavors.

The Surgical Strike Collection is available now at Bodega in Boston. Via Highsnobiety.

Photos of the full collection after the jump.

We give you a first preview of the Vans Syndicate 007 series. John Cardiel worked on part of the collection and used his favorite material - Pendleton Flannel. Three styles are part of the pack, including the Sk8 Hi, Half Cab and another lo-top shoe. Each sneaker comes with a different Pendleton flannel on the upper. Along with the sneakers comes also a shirt, of course also in flannel.

Three classics have found their way together in this collaboration and the outcome is a great product. These will be released in stores soon. Via Aspekt Ratio.

After the jump more pics.

Some more from AGENDA, we bring you some shots of The 7th Letter Armor Jewelry Offering. Made of sterling silver, the collecition encompasses unisex jewelry safe for all types. More photos after the jump.

Find them at www.theseventhletterstore.com

There is an interesting article in the NY Times on how fashionable men, or more specifically men that know a lot about fashion and that work in fashion, tend to dress conservatively. We can only agree with many points in the article! Read it here.

Since we just talked about Bottega Veneta, here a really nice slip-on by the Italian leather goods company - the Dodger 2. It comes in beige and is entirely made out of premium suede, the softest leather that you can imagine. That coupled with a boat shoe sole makes the perfect summer shoe! They are now available in their online store for 480 USD.

We take a quick first look at the collections of our favorite designers. The Fall/Winter '08 shows are finished and  already now you can see what you will be wearing in about 6 months time!

First up is Dsquared. The Canadian designer twins, living in Milan, continue to deliver sharp looks. When in the beginning the fleece line was interesting, we find that rather boring now, but their tailored collection has gotten really good! Sharp cuts and interesting twists also in the upcoming seasons!

Junya Watanabe presents interesting looks. English classics mixed with American classics and of course as usual very experiemental cuts!

Fantastic new Kris Van Aasche collection. We do not like what he did for the new Dior Homme line, but his own label is looking really good. The grey suite with the denim shirt works!

Above you see the fastest growing brand in the Gucci Group - Bottega Veneta. They have set new standards in quality, just unbelievable. The warm brown and beige colors of their collections are almost a signature for the brand and the mens collection is looking really good. If just the prices would look that good too?!

Comme des Garcons once again plays with the tartan patterns and as usual it works for them.The blazer with the pants is great, the shoes less!

Viktor & Rolf, the Dutch superstar designers, present as usual an interesting collection and of course the models wear hats. They also make nice casual clothes actually, what most people never get to see! On your next Milan trip, make sure to check out their store, its entirely upside down!

Number (N)ine has been a little disappointing the past couple of seasons. The Fall/Winter 2008 collection makes us hope again. More color, while keeping their style. Lots of leather and inspiration from the countryside.

Band Of Outsiders has become a favorite of ours. The young NYC brand has been very successful since its creation and continues to present strong collections. We look forward to the bright future of the brand!

Lanvin came back from the dead since they present a Pret-A-Porter collection. Unfortunately its still super hard to come by. Great suits, but also the cashmere and sneakers are a favorite.

And last but not least Rag & Bone. Once a small insider brand, they have become a major player. We still love their collections, which stay all in all very solid and also wearable.

In case you want to see an entire collection of one of the designers above, then check out men.style.com for more images!