One of the more annoying questions we get asked is ‘do you think magazines will die?’ It’s not that the question in itself is annoying, it’s the assumption that our answer will be yes. While websites are all well and good, there’s no replacement for the tangible.

The Independent has a great feature on music fanzines, a niche sector of magazines which is still going strong. The article hones in on  music zines, focusing on everything from punk zines of the 70’s to Woofah, a grime and reggae zine which is being produced today. One quote which we thought was interesting was John Eden’s, founder of Woofah, thoughts on why fanzines are undergoing a resurgence in popularity.

“There’s a real move back to the physical right now,” he tells me. “People are fed up with MySpace and want to have something they can hold in their hands. There’s a whole generation that have grown up reading information on the net, and they see fanzines as something different and exciting.”

Read the full feature here.

Love him or hate him, it’s hard to deny that Jean Touitou does make some great pieces. We’re all about parka’s here at SL – they’re perfect for those days when you don’t need to fix up, look sharp. Add in some herringbone (one of our favourite materials this winter) and you’ve got a winner. We know it looks a little plain, but just go crazy with the rest of your outfit and everyone will still know that you’re a guy who cares about how he looks. (End)

Detailed images are after the leap.

Details have just put their latest rules of style, this time with Kris Van Assche. Unsurprisingly, the man helming Dior Homme is obsessed with monochrome palettes, leather jackets and white shirts. While he’s not as acidic as, say Scott Sternberg, he does have some things to say. His first rule rags on other fashion houses not thinking about how their clothes will be worn, a problem which doesn’t look to be going away anytime soon:

“A lot of fashion houses design for the catwalk and not the street—then you see the clothes on a regular guy and it’s a mess. Don’t disguise your personality behind labels; impose it on the clothes.”

We could write an essay on the above, but this is an industry where the word ‘wearable’ is used as an insult. But, our pithy opinions aisde, you can read the full feature here.

01. 97 Winners for the International Architecture Awards

“Ninety seven projects and urban schemes have been recognized as part of this year’s International Architecture Awards program.   For the 2009 Awards, the jury received a record number of entries, from firms in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas.  The International Architecture Awards has “become a global event of an unprecedented scale—an important barometer for the future direction of new architectural design and thinking today—celebrating, recognizing, and highlighting the world’s foremost architectural solutions…” (archdaily)

02. The Redesigned Apple Remote

“Control your Mac, iPod, or iPhone from afar with the sleek aluminum Apple Remote. Play, pause, adjust volume, move forward and back, and access menus while playing music and video.” (apple)

03. Invoice for Day-Ruining (above)

“Amazing creative person Jesse Hirschberg tweeted earlier today her new Invoice for Services Rendered Day-Ruining. This handy invoice form covers all the bases, like expenses for drinks, pizza, drugs, phone calls and general time-wasted. I love how many zeroes you could fit on the ‘In The Amount Of:’ box, that’s probably close to a googolplex. And of course, you get to sign it at the end, with a tiny note stating, ‘a designer who will most likely never work for you again.’ “(+kn)

04. The Practice of Everyday Design Mobile Office

“The Mobile Office was constructed from discarded materials within a one block radius from the site. All the material was transported to the site with our bikes and a makeshift dolly. The only purchased items were the hardware used to hold it together. The mobile office has allowed us to consolidate all the furniture and shelving into one mobile unit. This has freed up our office space allowing us the flexibility to make large scale models and have spontaneous dance parties.” (notcot)

Blackbird drops this black suit just one day after I hunted down a lovely black suit of my own. The Craig Robinson black suit features a hunter’s shoulder detail for the gentleman looking to get some “game” action before a big event. “Easily worn as a traditional suiting option (add Craig Robinson’s Dak Top Trousers), it can also be paired with more rough and tumble workwear pieces for that on point high-low look.”  This one will set you back about 1500$US.

More looks at the Craig Robinson Black Hunting Blazer after the click.

More from Lad Musician. After featuring the duffle coat yesterday, CqC reminded us that it would be proper to give a full view of the runway looks from Autumn/Winter 2009’s presentation. It’s a dark collection that outfits models with purely fitted looks that could be considered very localized in cut. See you next week Tokyo.

More looks from the Lad Musician Runway for Autumn/Winter 2009 after the click.

A crazy name for a great new timepiece from Chopard. The 42.5mm casing on the Chopard pays homage to the classic Monaco Grand Prix and features “both analog and digital readouts that show the hours, minutes, seconds, date, a chronograph, a GMT and a countdown alarm.” A great clean looking timepiece. (timezone)

Noodlepark is part of the new wave of young Italian firms looking to bring a new flavor to the outwear market. We preview their their outwear for Autumn/Winter 2009. “Ideas, research, and low cost” keeps the company in line. Looks move from “puffa” style jacket to trench inspired coats. Take a moment and give Noodlepark a look.

More looks from the men’s Noodlepark Autumn/Winter 2009 collection after the click.

How about some more previews of what the guys should expect from Neil Barrett for Spring/Summer 2010? Their footwear “Artisan Bonding” Collection  has some interesting deconstructions of classic footwear looks. Above are some of the more unique examples of what is coming down the road. The men’s footwear collection is quite broad so we’ll do our best to highlight a few of the models which standout. Be aware than many of these will be available in other colorways and fabrics.

Many more looks at the Neil Barrett Footwear Spring/Summer 2010 after the click.