For those looking for less than traditional take on the chukka “desert” boot, may I recommend this Pony Skin version from Acne. After having spent two weeks with a Berliner who was continually complimented for a similar look on his sneakers, I found these as proper as most. The boot is finished with the expected three hole lace-up with the addition of pearl details. Find then at Acne for around 480$US. Comment away…

More looks at the Acne  ”Pony Skin” Chukka Boots after the click.

Gesa Hansen, the Scandinavian designer behind the very warm The Hansen Family line of fine oak wood furniture, takes her sourcing seriously. Their “Homegrown” theme for business extends into the natural oak resources which they harvest from local forests. Growing up in a family of carpenters and designers has surly helped as well. Nothing works in your favor more than a solid family “tree” of support. For now, we look at her “trunk” – a simply yet beautiful two box construction which splits open to reveal dresser drawers, cupboard shelving, and a unique rack like hanger which finishes off the trunk beautifully.

More views of The Hansen Family Trunk after the click.

Dior Homme’s Kris Van Assche extends his reach with an exhibit at Paris’ Galerie des Galeries which takes the viewer through a multi sensation presentation. “Picaflor” works around the idea of reconstructing “flora” by using visual elements that are complemented by custom scents and sound – all of which borrow from Van Assche’s previous work in fashion and beyond. Mirrored “flowers”  and a piece by American artist Matt Saunders, make up most of the exhibit which runs at the Galerie des Galeries in Paris through February 27th.

More looks from Kris Van Assche’s Picaflor Exhibit at Galerie des Galeries after the click.

Located in Houston, Texas, Saint Arnold is the state’s oldest craft brewery.

Saint Arnold shipped its first keg on July 9, 1994. Today the brewery produces 10 beers, five of them seasonal, mainly of German style. Their summer Pils is the most decorated in the line-up, winning silvers and golds at the Great American Beer Festival several times in the past decade. Other beers included at Texas Wheat, an Amber Ale, and the Fancy Lawnmower – a true German style Kolsch.

For the kids, and the DD’s, Saint Arnold also produces a cane sugar Root Beer.

Learn more at Saint Arnold.

Here’s another piece from the difficult Sophomore album that was Jil Sander’s SS10 collection. We love our cardigans as much as the next man – maybe even more so – but it was getting hard justifying buying yet another cardy. Unless that cardigan has panelling, therefore making completely different to any other cardigan we have. And, at the risk of sounding like a market trader, at £30 how can you go wrong? (Uniqlo)

Leap for the stars and take a look at a couple more shots.

While the numerous Selectism offices have been toe tapping in unison to Hot Chip’s new album, It’s Nice That have a nice little interview up with their artwork creator. Darren Wall, aka Wallzo, is a longtime collaborator, having worked on both their previous album covers. An interesting answer is when he talks about the relative pressure of creating artwork for Hot Chip’s third album.

“Yes, I think I was a lot less nervous about this one. When I did the first album, The Warning, I created a cover with no prior understanding that it would become so well-known. Of course this was a really wonderful experience for me and I was hugely grateful for the chance to get my work seen by so many people, but when it came to sit down and tackle the second album cover I must admit I felt the weight of expectation upon me. That pressure is good of course – it makes for good work – but now its much more self-imposed than anything else.”

Read the full interview here.

Take that leap to see a couple more images of his artwork.

Yeah, we know  – we never thought we’d be featuring Kurt Geiger’s own range either. But times have worn down the snobbiest of the snobby (we mean ourselves) and we’ve gotta admit, this is a handsome boot. Now, let us witness the ways this boot is handsome. 1 – it’s a chukka boot. We love those more than our respective partners at the moment. 2 – the contrast sole. We could talk functionality, but the only reason for that sole is this day and age is because it looks good. And last but not least – It’s a great shade of green. Need we say more? (Kurt Geiger)

Levi’s Cords for Opening Ceremony launches the seasonal collaboration between Levi’s and Opening Ceremony.

For Spring 2010, Levi’s and Opening Cermony work in cord. The collection includes the iconic trucker jacket, a cord button down, and two slimmed versions of the 505 silhouette – available in pant, cut-off, and short. All manufactured in the United States, the collection bursts with spring color. Inspiration, apparently, comes from “the habitual spring migration of New Yorkers to the scenic upstate country side.” Regardless of back story, the collaboration yields cords of teal, fuschia, olive, curry, beige and more. These are designed to be mixed up or styled monochromatically (as our friend Mr. Mort has shown).

Levi’s Cords for Opening Cermony launches at select retailers in the coming week and becomes available through levi.com on February 15, 2010. Prices will range from $106 to $178.

For more looks from the collection, and to get a sense of the color spectrum, read on.