Bonhams & Butterfields is hosting a sale of exceptional motor cars on August 15th.Among the many grand lots, this Porsche driven by Steve McQueen in the film Le Mans will go on the block. Estimated to sell for 2million, the car is a 1969/70 Porsche Spyder. Quite the auto, and certainly enough to make Jeremy Clarkson jealous. Thanks to Retro to go for the heads up.
Located on the Atlantic Coast of Brazil, Bahia has some of the most recognizable architecture in the country. The three main ethnic influences (European,Indigenous and African) are apparent. Native materials fuse with the environment and local climate. The state of Bahia is noted for its music and culinary history, and the architecture makes for just one more reason it is fast becoming a very popular tourist destination.
Living in Bahia is a new title from Taschen celebrating Bahia's rich architectural tradition and highlighting its laid back lifestyle through select homes. Interior shots and page views after the jump.
United Bamboo have teamed up with design firm, For Office Use Only, to transform the hoary cube into a cubicle centerpiece. Designed by Ahn Tuan Pham, the cube lifts images from United Bamboo's campaign photography and places them onto an elaborate sequence of circular and geometric collages much in the tradition of artists Piero Fornasetti or Bridget Riley. The result is a functional block of peel-and-post masterpieces so artful, we doubt you'll be placing too many reminders. Via R29
Old is meeting new this month as Church's, the English shoe brand established in 1873, reopens its historical store - plus a little cutting-edge interior design - within London's Burlington Arcade. "The Church's store adopts a new design concept interpreted with great composure by architect Roberto Baciocchi, combining the most classical elements of the brand with its international new image, in full respect of Church's historical identity," a spokesperson for the label explains. Vogue.com.UK
Blackbird's latest arrival in mens sneakers: "This time around DBSS's basic sneaker is made from this unbelievable foiled goat skin leather. They are built super tough like boots but when worn somehow manage to feel light as a feather. Due to the silhouette, these can be worn a number of ways; slim pants tucked into them, pants going over the top, pants cropped at the ankle, etc. Once they are on your feet they are surprisingly subtle and work in an endless amount of configurations." Avaialble now from Blackbird Seattle.
More views after the jump.
This gather warm up jacket from Brown Bunny (Buraunbani) is a love or hate look that will go over well with those crowds that appreciate a good gathering of extra fabric as style positive. It is indeed a quick dry jacket and can be worn under all circumstances. The elongated sleeves make it perfect for the taller gentleman looking for a higher waist. Available now from Rumors Japan.
More detailed views after the jump.
Garment House Mania is a denim factory brand in Japan. Aloha Rag has collaborated with them on a limited denim run as an introduction to the peopleinternationally. "A 'GARMENT HOUSE' is where clothing enthusiasts create items for fellow clothing enthusiasts by meticulously applying their knowledge and skill as craftsmen." The GHM for Aloha Rag is made in Japan and available in 3 styles and feature a slight boot cut across models.
More views of the Garment House Mania for Aloha Rag denim after the jump.
Memorial Day weekend in the USA means the official start of summer. The launch of summer also begins the countdown to the Olympic games in Beijing. The good people at Omega Watches have been keeping the official Olympic time since 1932 and will continue through at least 2012 in London.
For this years games, they took their Speedmaster Chrono and added (for the first time) 5 counters fashioned in the form of the Olympic rings - a 7 day chrono recorder, a day indicator, a 12 hours chrono, a 20 minute crhono, and a seconds chrono. Wow. Talk about really watching every second. Look for it in either leather or stainless steel bracelet.
A more detailed view of the 5-Counters Speedmaster after the jump.
In case you missed NY Design Week, design blog Core 77 has wrapped it all up in a neat series of posts. Click here to what you've missed or just want to revisit.
Although they are distinctly different, Thom Browne and Tom Ford are a lot of peoples favorite designers. The New York Times compares the work of both men and includes such literary gems as "the Tom Ford man is an Anglicized gloss on Hollywood style, while Thom Browne's designs evoke the hipness of eternal adolescence" and Tom Ford's brilliant definition of masculinity; "to be masculine is to fuse the debonair cut of a Savile Row suit with the swagger of a star from 1970s pornography." So who is better... read the full story here.
Changing attitudes in consumption are reflected in the way design and fashion bends and mutates. Designers from Europe, Japan and America are leading a new wave, taking inspiration from the British Arts and Crafts Movement, exploring ways that bring new technology together with creative processes. Evolution Revolution explores how an understanding of how things are made gives designers greater control over their output.
Evolution Revolution: The Arts and Crafts in Contemporary Fashion and Textiles is up at RISD until June 15.
Founded in 1995, E15 is a German based furniture company specializing in traditional craftsmanship with an eye toward a modern aesthetic. Solid woods, stainlesssteel and fine leather drive the products. Strength and durability, elegance and endurance are the aim.
New pieces from E15 are inspired by Persian seating furniture and the public seating traditionally used in hotel lobbies. Included are a bed, the pardis, and some intriguing lounge furniture. These are being exhibited at by Andreas Murkudis now. (via arktip).
See the bed following the jump.
There is something lovely about mid-century travel posters. The color and line. The images of perfect leisure.
This summer Villeroy and Boch take inspiration from those posters for a new line of retro tableware. Monte Carlo is represented, so even if your average desert and general living arrangement is a bit drab, you can add a bit of French sophistication to an evening. (via retro to go).
There are many misconceptions about the great state of Connecticut. It's all rich folks. They're is too much interest in women's basketball. The only fun thing there are the Indian casinos.
These perceptions deny a rich heritage. For much of the 19th Century, Connecticut was a hub of manufacture. Cities like Waterbury, a major Brass center, dominated heavy industry. The center part of the state, connected by the great waterway of the Connecticut River (now the base of the I-91 corridor), developed a set of totally unique food ways and cultural traits that were fueled by industry as they fueled the workers themselves.
One of these grand traditions is the steamed cheeseburger. Almost completely exclusive to Meridan, steamed burgers have fed hungry folks for over 100 years. Now, thanks to Dale Greenbacker you can have your own home steamedcheeseburger chest . Thrill your taste buds. Captivate friends. Relive history, and become part of a continuing tradition of fine invention from the Constitution State.
While not a totally new item, our discovery of it is too good not to share.
Men.Style.com has a retrospective of its top 20 Cannes fashion moments. Most of the fashion moments come from the 60's and 70's. It's a very interesting look to see what the worlds "leading men" have worn across the decades.
Those of us who live in New York or London have probably seen this in the news today in the 'fluff' portions of the broadcast. Artist, Paul St George, created a functional "Telectroscope,” a device based on an 18th century hoax. He told the press that invention works by using strategically placing mirrors in a large tunnel between New York (ending at the Brooklyn Bridge) and London (ending at Tower Bridge). Thus New Yorkers and Londoners can spy on each other. If you would like to keep the romance of a giant telescope peering between New York and London alive then don't click here to read the BBC article about how it really works.
Thanks to Lil' Wayne a lot of buzz around styrofoam has been flitting through the popular press. But, there is much more to the material than what narcotics are held inside a cup. From insulation to modeling building to packaging, styrofoam is a widely adaptable material. Styrofoam at Rhode Island School of Design investigates how artists have reacted to, employed and explored the potential of stryofoam in their work. The work of artists featured, like Sol LeWitt, adapts the use of styrofoam and pushes the boundaries of art and sculpture. The show is up until July.
A new chair inspired by mid-century style (it's got a bit of Florence Knoll's version of the Barcelona chair about it), Brastilo's tufted leather chair is an eye catcher. Leather cushions slide into a solid wood frame. The taper of the legs is also pretty alluring, and its hard to not like a thin set of ankles.
(via retro to go).
Vancouver's Illustrated Example has produced their first run of wallets with the design help of locals Anemergency. Made of goat leather with gingham lining to enhancet he break-in and aging process, the white leather wallet also comes fashioned with hand sewn in aluminum spine money clip that doubles as a bottle opener.
More views after the jump.
Topman, a British based leader in cutting edge mens fashion is solidifying its links with the music industry by sponsoring the NME New Noise Tour 2008. Topman has a reputation for supporting the best of young British talent both in the music and fashion industries, and keen to show its grassroots involvement, the mens clothing retailer is taking part in the promotion of the NME New Noise Tour. (webwire)
