Jason Dike (our man in London) may approve of these looks from the second collection by John Bartlett for Claiborne. The A/W looks from “Claiborne by John Bartlett” offer well priced looks from men without the usual embellishments found at this pricepoint. Clean, refined looks styled with that “workwear meets the streets” manner.

Many more looks from the Claiborne by John Bartlett Autumn/Winter 2009 collection after the jump.

More chrono beauties from the Only Watch Charity Auction in Monaco. The Vacheron Constantin offering comes from their tantalum metal “Quai de l’Ile”. This is how they put it.

“Tantalum is a metal that is used by the airspace and airplane industry, as well as in surgery” says Julien Marchenoir, Head of Marketing Communications at Vacheron Constantin. “It has gray-blue tones and is very difficult to work with being much harder than any metal we normally work with.” The tantalum case of this watch is diamond-cut, the same way as you would cut platinum, but since it is very hard it is costly to cut as it destroys the cutting tools so they have to be constantly remade.

Needless to say, the “Quai de l’Ile” is something special.

A full look at the Vacheron Constantin Only Watch 2009 after the jump.

It feels like sports day at Selectism. When you’re like James Perse and have what many consider to the best the best quality basics line out there, you do your best to try something new. The ping-pong table was cool enough but the Perse surf and paddle boards seem even more friendly, but you’ll need an invite to order yours. “James Perse Surfboards are classically designed and hand shaped by one of Southern California’s most reputable shapers from the 60’s. Limited production and hand-crafted personal touch make for a performance board offering versatility and accuracy.” Hit them up if you are interested in these “designer toys.”

MWM is on a roll at the moment - Wired loves his work and did you see his custom Mini Cooper? He continues to push his graphic look onto new forms. Take his upcoming show at Open’s Chorus Gallery, “Momentum,” which explores his graphics against a series of Traitor track bicycle frames. “In part with Open and Traitor Cycles, Matt will be presenting a series of five hand-painted frames, a cycling cap and some other soft goods.  In conjunction with the frames, Matt will be hanging some of his signature canvas work.”  We’re fans.

More looks at the MWM for Open, Traitor Bike Frames after the jump.

An important figure in the Belgian avant-garde of the late 19th-century, James Ensor is subject of an exhibition at MOMA exploring his contributions to modernism. 120 works are presented highlighting an allegorical use of light and the artists deep interest in the carnival. In the end, Ensor is shown as an artist engaged with his time and contemporary debate about modern art. The exhibition is on view until September, and is complemented by a well produced interactive component

Explore the interactive here.

He may look a bit like Rick Rubin, but Peter Follansbee handles a very different type of board. Since 1980, he’s been working with furniture. First as a chair maker and later as a joiner. Now, Follansbee is one of the most respected and renowned makers of reproduction 17th-century joined furniture. His scholarship is widely published and his workshop at Plymouth Plantation one of the institutions true joys. Follansbee’s work relays the craft of early America. Beautiful stuff.

More of Peter’s work after the jump.

Camoflague is, to put it lightly, a difficult pattern to work with. So we were surprised that this Mackintosh and Griffin collaboration came out so well. It’s still a challenging piece to wear, and we don’t think Joe FHM reader will be wearing it anytime soon, but it is very wearable. Griffin have been on a collaboration rampage lately, working with Baracuta, Berghaus and Bagaboo but at least they’re making an effort to collaborate with labels who don’t start with the letter B.

The coats have a starting price of £450 and they’ll soon be available from Griffin’s e-commerce site.

We know the hunter look is what’s popping on ‘teh internetz streetz’ nowadays, but we’re still enamoured with the duffle coat. The hunter thing is great for the autumn but when winter really hits, you’ll need a heavy duty coat. That’s where the duffle comes in. Layer it under some nice knitwear and you’re good to go. You’ll be out the door before your hunter friend can finish sorting out his fishing vest. You can get this Nigel Cabourn piece from Arks or you can email Cabourn’s company and order it through them if a proxy is too much hassle. (Arks)

Go after that jump for extra pictures.

We do love us a good ol’ boot. Low profile shoes are all well and good, but this autumn we’re all about boots. The main problem with some of the boots we’ve seen is that they try too hard. Too much of anything is bad for you and that’s definitely the case when it comes to embellishments.

That’s why we find these Church’s boots so refreshing. There’s nothing too crazy, just a good looking boot with a sole that won’t have you slipping all over the place. That’s all we can ask for (apart from a lower price, but let’s not push it). (Edwards of Manchester)

01. Site Wins Fashion Fans by Letting Them Design

“Polyvore is a user-generated fashion magazine filled with user-generated ads. The people who go to it play fashion editor and create collages featuring pictures of clothes, accessories and models from across the Web. Readers view the collages, which the site calls “sets,” and if they click on a dress or necklace, they are taken to the Web site that sells it.” (nyt)

02. Ian Brown streams new album “My Way” online.

“A scan of a handwritten letter from Brown also appears on the site, declaring that fans should “beg, steal, borrow or buy” the album.” (Ianbrown.co.uk)

03. Grace Jones at the Hollywood Bowl : The Diva Reborn

“Last night was an epic night in my life. We went to see Grace Jones at the Hollywood Bowl and were obviously really excited to be the first in the US to see her perform after all these years. Jones took a 30-year-hiatus from making music, because according to her she had nothing to say. But with last nights performance I can guarantee that her energy, at now 61, and talent has been brewing inside her for a long time. I could have never expected the caliber of performance that she delivered.” (trendland)

04. The World’s Most Successful Male Models

“While the industry is dominated by doll-faced, lanky females, male models with more classic looks tend to be the most successful. In the midst of a recession, agencies have had to renew older contracts to save money, thusly narrowing the types of men represented. The Cole Mohrs and Ash Stymests, although trendy “image guys,” tend to fall once they’ve been used and seen enough. In addition, those who have been branded to a fragrance campaign tend to endure a low profile in the industry since such campaigns are so publicly widespread.” (fashionindie)

05. Hunting Vests (above)

“I’ve been looking for the perfect hunting vest for ages, it seems that the 40+ plus generation have this item on lock. Some i’ve found…” (bntl)