For the four eyed variety like myself, we’re always open to brands jumping aboard the eyewear train. The more the merrier I say – widens my options a bit during my next hunt. Men.style discusses the forthcoming eyeglass line from Australia’s Ksubi, who have in the past, dabbled in the world of sunglasses. “For the line’s first optical glasses, however, they’ve toned down the hipster quotient: The Japanese-made frames, available this fall at Ksubi boutiques and selected retailers, come in several cool-nerd shapes, like the chunky Crux (pictured)…” 

Read more on Men.style.

Again, men can rock rain guards outside the normal drony greys and blacks. Consider this colorful piece from Marimekko available now at OAK. The Red Kiku Mini Umbrella has a vibrant red color teflon coated poly skin with a red wood handle. It works.

More views of the Marimekko Red Kiku Mini Umbrella after the jump.

We featured the “The Accurate” watch from Mr. Jones some time ago. “The Accurate” accounted for the little known fact that a watch will let you know when you will die, but before that happens, how about a watch that gives you reminders of your “Average Day?”  Produced in a limited run of 100 pieces, “The Average Day” from Mr. Jones, designed by Crispin Jones, will give you notes on eating and working habits. Something to think about. This ain’t no Swatch. (via watchismo)

More views of the Mr. Jones “The Average Day” Watch after the jump.

The DRKSHDW Collection from Rick Owens provides street ready fashions that modernize and bring a sense of the gloaming to your wardrobe. You wear DRKSHDW for the details, and this hoodie is not short of them. Available now from Fever.

More views of the Rick Owens DRKSHDW Hoodie after the jump.

The recent brew-ha-ha (sorry) about best “blue collar” beers prompts a little investigation beyond subjective voting and toward a history of each. As noted, the beers up for “best” now often come from the same place, but of course that wasn’t always true. Milwaukee, being home to reader favorite Miller, is our focus. However, if you’d like to learn a bit about Philadelphia beer history Art in the Age is showing an exhibition curated by beer historian Rich Wagner.

Among the most interesting pieces of brewery ephemera (in my opinion) are lithographs and related post cards that feature the factory. After the jump, check out examples from Schlitz and Blatz. Just as there is a comforting similarity in the brews, there is also a comforting similarity in the historic branding efforts of some of Milwaukee’s finest. Guided tours of my own beer ephemera collection available on request.

All images in this post come from the Museum of Beer and Brewing.

Fashioning Felt opened last week at the Cooper-Hewitt. The exhibition explores the various new uses of felt in different, but related, design disciplines. Architecture, fashion, home furnishings, and product design are all given equal attention. The museum’s website includes run downs of many of the objects from the exhibition and also features a blog about the goings on around Fashioning Felt.

On view until September 7, 2009. Copper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 91st Street and 5th Ave, New York.

Nylon Guys turns us onto this ‘Birdie light’ lampshade. Based on the shuttlecock, this is a rather bizarre choice for a lampshade. Badminton’s a long way from being a popular sport, but the result does work better than say, a basketball cut in half. Not sure if it will actually do the job very well though. Still, it’s only $50, so you can afford to take a chance on this one.

It’s no secret that we like Comme Des Garcons. Shirts like this are a reason why. It’s not your average shirt and a lot of people will be put off by the challenging design, but sometimes you need to step outside the ‘oxford and sweatshirt’ box that people put themselves in. We’re also seeing a lot of designs on collars and cuffs lately and we’re hoping this trend continues. Get this shirt from Browns.

Sometimes you have to think of the future.This hat won’t be any good now – unless you like sweating – but come next winter, everyone will be wondering where you got that. Also, ask yourself this – When next will you be able to buy a Maison Martin Margiela knitted hat for less than £50? Go get it from Farfetch.

We present you one of our favorite pieces from the new Band Of Outsiders Spring/Summer 2009 Collection. The brand managed to give the classic baseball jacket a more sophisticated style, while keeping it clean and sporty. Certainly a nice lightweight spring jacket. The jacket is now available at Tres Bien.