The third store designed by Dimitris Padopoulous and Yiannis Konilus for Comme des Garcons in Athens is a more permanent vision than the previous pop-up (Gorilla) shops. Conceived as white cube meets boutique, the effect (as seen) is minimal. Shelving of white wood against white walls. The space is shared by Bearbrick, who inhabit the raw space of the old pop-up. This allows for a striking change of pace from brand to brand, as well as a contrast between the design duos new and early spaces. (via Frame).

We’re just gonna come out and say it. We’re still really into shawl collars. We know, that was a groundbreaking announcement – we’re expecting this post to be read out on CNN any minute now – but it’s true.

Shawl collar cardigans were all over the gaff last year and it’s a trend that may just work it’s way into ’staple’ status, a term that’s being misused and abused right now. Staple or not, this Paul Smith shawl collar sweater manages the feat of pulling off two two trends at once and not looking over-designed. Now that’s a CNN worthy feat. (Paul Smith)

You know the drill, detailed shots after the leap.

Mainstream magazines tend to err on the side of caution at the best of times and with circulation falling across the board, most magazines are sticking to things they already know. So it’s nice to see that the UK edition of Esquire has attempted something different, if not entirely new, with this hardback issue.

The issue itself is a september suit issue and it interviews Vincent Cassel (who’s married to Monica Bellucci – not that we’re jealous or anything) and Quentin Tarantino amongst other suit related things. As you’d expect for an issue like this, it’s limited edition. And not the ‘you can only buy it in 2000 stores’ type of limited edition either. We mean that unless you can walk into a shop – or know someone nice enough walk into a shop for you – you’re out of luck.

It goes without saying that magazines aren’t doing great right now. Publications are closing all over the shop, monthly’s are cutting back to quarterlys, quartlerlys to bi-annuals and bi-annuals are shutting down altogether. So it’s nice to see a new magazine that breaks magazine conventions.

Curated covered micro-magazine Abe’s Penny a while back, but we felt that we should let everyone know about this unique idea.  The twist in Abe’s Penny is that instead of a normal magazine format, it comes in the form of four weekly postcards. Each one teams a writer with a photographer and writes a short story. The guys from Abe’s Penny describe the idea as a “boiled down magazine”, which perfectly describes the look and feel of it.

Detailed shots after the leap.

01. Les Paul, Guitar Innovator, Dies at 94 (above)

“Les Paul, the virtuoso guitarist and inventor whose solid-body electric guitar and recording studio innovations changed the course of 20th-century popular music, died Thursday in White Plains. He was 94…Mr. Paul was a remarkable musician as well as a tireless tinkerer. He played guitar with leading prewar jazz and pop musicians from Louis Armstrong to Bing Crosby. In the 1930s he began experimenting with guitar amplification, and by 1941 he had built what was probably the first solid-body electric guitar” (nyt)

02. GRO’s Bi-axis Concept Refrigerator

“This concept for a refrigerator can be transformed from the traditional vertical orientation to a horizontal ’sideboard’, giving a stronger reference to furniture than a large domestic appliance.” (core77)

03. ATM Desk System

“Featuring cast aluminum legs, chromed steel sub-frame, sculptured MDF or laminate top. Optional power sockets, cable management and a range of attachments and desktop accessories are also available.” (ianc)

04. Wall to Wall: Paul Rudolph’s Florida Houses

“Paul Rudolph’s beach houses expressed the sunny side of Cold War brinksmanship. They were light and airy and uplifting, the exact opposite of the bomb shelters that paranoid suburbanites were building at the same time. This was a new way to live, or at the least, a new way to enjoy the increased hours of leisure that Americans were beginning to enjoy. These beach houses and other Florida projects are elegantly chronicled in Christopher Domin’s and Joseph King’s ‘Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses’…” (wsj)

The Bespoke Column on Esquire UK discusses the shirting of Frank Foster. “I went to meet Frank in his basement atelier/ storeroom in London’s St. James and was impressed by what he said, and, daftly, by the fact that he used to make shirts for Cary Grant. Impressed enough to place an order, which was quite a leap of faith given that the shirts are £125 each, there’s a minimum order of five and you have to pay up front.”

One more look at the Frank Foster Bespoke Shirts after the jump.

Located outside of Boston in Chelsea, MA, the Forbes Lithography Company is site of the regions newest green development. Building X (shown above) will house 70 units following a policy of construction with 80% recycled material. The effort not only saves an industrial landmark, it transforms it to a new beacon of sustainability. Read more at Dwell.

Felissimo is launching its 500 Colored Pencils competition. Felissimo is looking for a set of online banners or print poster that promotes this very special and unique product. But there’s a catch you can’t get all 500 pencils at once. They ship 25 pencils a month over a period of 20 months because that’s how long it takes to make them. They believe this gives the artist a chance to become familiar with each family color set and build their own story and experience. The project is being curated through Social Designer who are all about the greater good! -cw (acquire)

There are a few solid out door fireplaces on the market. These work wonderfully for your average night drinking beers and (for some) making s’mores. The Fireplate from Radius Design sets itself apart by a) being a little nicer looking and c) including a removable grill plate. This means the potential of cooking things over open flame without just the use of a long stick. Not bad. (via Yatzer).

More images after the jump.

Cqc drops a stack of images from the Topman Autumn/Winter 2009 lookbook.  The friendly looks are  well priced for the market which Topman sits in. Pleated slack and knitwear round out a very broad range of wears from the UK based retailer.  You will of course be able to find all of these looks on Topman online shortly.

Many more looks from the Topman Autumn/Winter 2009 collection after the jump.