Recently reissued by Knoll, George Nakashima’s Straight Chair has become subject of some scholarly attention. Not least among this evaluation is The Design Center at University of Philadelphia’s single object exhibition, George Nakashima and Knoll: The Making of An Object. As name implies, the exhibition traces the history of the chair and the craftsman’s relation to the manufacturer. Open for a few more days (to June 6), it is a grand example of Nakashima’s working methods.

Should you wish to learn more about the Straight Chair, and don’t want to travel to Philadelphia, The Magazine Antiques has recently published an informative interview with Mira Nakashima related to the reissue by Knoll. Read that here.

More images from the exhibition after the jump.

In Future: A Recent History Lawrence Samuel offers, well, a recent history of thoughts and ideas about the future. Samuel looks at how intellectuals, scientists, artists, and more have viewed the future, and tracks these thoughts over the course of the last century. Ultimately, he believes that with the speed of technology we’ve all become futurists, with a new need to anticipate change. The book is out from University of Texas Press.

Available now from Amazon.

Louis Vuitton looks to celebrate the 40th anniversary of man landing on the Moon with their new campaign around the theme of travel and personal journey. “Louis Vuitton is proud to have brought together three exceptional figures whose own remarkable personal journeys have taken them into space:  Buzz Aldrin, who in the course of the historic Apollo 11 mission with Neil Armstrong on 20^th and 21^st July 1969, became the second man to set foot upon the Moon;  Jim Lovell, the commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission in 1970, who − as the world watched with bated breath − heroically guided his crew back to the safety of Earth;  and Sally Ride, who in 1983 became the first American woman to venture into space as a crew member on Space Shuttle Challenger.”

Here are some behind the scenes look from the shoot out in the California desert as shot by Annie Leibovitz. View more after the jump.

Japan’s Honeyee has recently launched a feature covering the Autumn/Winter collection from Band of Outsiders. The feature looks to cover some behind the scenes action at their recent lookbook photoshoot from New York. Though the text is in Japanese, feel free to browse the feature for a look into what to expect this Autumn.

More looks from the feature after the jump.

Our friends at Fashionisto point us towards a great Summer 2009 campaign from Matinique’s Blue label collection which focuses in on casual wears for the city and street.

Nicole Farhi’s mainline collection is a little too ‘middle-aged bank manager’ for us, but the accessories are right up our alley. There’s bags galore in this collection and they come in all the neccessary shapes and sizes. Our favourite bag has to be the square charcoal grey bag (pictured after the jump) with the purple holdall (above) a close second. We’re not so sold on the Lanvin-lites though.

Take a look at the collection after the hop and skip.

The American Society of Magazine Editors have recently opened up voting on favourite covers to the public. One new category that’s sure to gather a lot of votes is the ‘Best Obama Cover’ category. Voters can cast their choice through Amazon, who ASME have teamed up with to increase exposure for the event. You can still submit magazine covers for consideration, as submissions are open until June 12th. Voting starts September 1st. (magculture)

In case you hadn’t noticed, Chambray’s pretty popular right now. We’ve seen every style you could think of – from shawl collars to see through patterns – but sometimes less is more. This Neil Barrett chambray (The one man denim encylopaedia that is Kiya tells us below that isn’t chambray, we had our suspicions – but this confirms it) shirt isn’t as over embellished as other versions out there but there’s a lot to be said for its simplicity. We don’t mind short sleeved shirts, but we do advise that you roll up the sleeves to maintain your cool. Get it from Start.

01. Edgartista: The New Millennium

“Meticulous and relentless, Edgartista’s four year project, “The New Millennium,” began with a sketch on his daily train commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Inspired by the urban landscape, the upshot is a large-scale futuristic drawing that incorporates major landmarks from cities around the world, signifying unification among everyone to create this new life for the future.” (coolhunting)

02. Core77’s Dutch Master Bicycle: Sneak Peek

“We’re putting the final touches on our limited-edition Dutch Master bicycle, the ultimate blend of street and cruiser riding. Designed and hand-built in New York, It will hit the pavement later this month so we can’t give too much away yet – but rest assured, this will be one super smooth summer ride!” (core77)

03. Iris Hantverk Brushes

“A process that turns a production flow of traditional vegetable brushes into a new flow of shoe brushes has been implemented into the company Iris Hantverk.” (notcot)

04. VIDEO: 2010 Camaro RS/SS drag races its 1968 counterpart… on a bridge?

“It’s a classic case of old versus new, classic versus current, father versus son. A 1968 Chevy Camaro RS/SS lines up against a 2010 Camaro with the same options packages. According to the comments on YouTube, the ‘68 is anything but stock, with a 406 cubic inch small-block V8 mated with a five-speed manual Tremec transmission and a 3.73:1 posi rear end.” (autoblog)

05. This Is A Happy House: The Juan MacLean Interviewed (above)

“It would probably be an overstatement to say the story of John Maclean was one of redemption or deliverance, but it is true that the New Yorker has faced a demon or two on his way to producing the dance album of the year so far in The Future Will Come, out on DFA records…” (quietus)

Cheap Monday comes correct with menswear that remains fashion forward while remaining economically priced. Their Jason shorts for the Spring and Summer offer a flat front, slim fit short pant with cuffed hems. Well price at 55$US. Available now in black or big check. (need)

More views of the Cheap Monday Jason Shorts after the jump.