“Belts, because they stop you from looking like a rapper in the 90’s (or a hipster in the ’00s)”. That’s our official tagline for belts. We think it’s a great little line – we hope none of folks in advertising reading this site steal it – and use it for every belt post we do. Starting right……now. (CHCM)

01. Frank Foster, Saxophonist for Count Basie, Dead at 82

“Frank Foster, the saxophonist and composer best known for his 1953-64 tenure with the Count Basie Orchestra, died yesterday, July 26, in Chesapeake, Va. The cause of death was kidney failure. Foster, who was honored with an NEA Jazz Master award in 2002, was 82.” (JazzTimes).

02. A Glimpse at the Glamorous Dita Von Teese

“Dita Von Teese carries herself with an elegance and determination that has made her an icon in the world of burlesque, modeling, cosmetics, and fetish. By paying homage to striptease icons of the 1940s and ’50s, Von Teese helped pioneer the burlesque revival in the ’90s, and is still entertaining people by the thousands. On Tuesday, July 26, Dita Von Teese will be bringing her variety show “Strip Strip Hooray!” to House of Blues New Orleans. The glamorous Queen of Burlesque was kind enough to give Offbeat a glimpse into her world.” (OffBeat).

03. New aerial photos of London 2012 Olympic Games venues (Above)

“New aerial images of the 2012 Olympic venues.” (Telegraph).

04. Red Boxes and Cloud Movies

“By now, you’ve probably seen one of the ubiquitous Redbox DVD vending machines that populate the various malls around the nation, and perhaps you’ve had occasion to even use one, too, although given Flow’s readership, this latter prospect is somewhat unlikely. All Redbox DVDs are “top forty” hits, so to speak, aimed squarely at the lowest common denominator viewer, and incessantly chatted up in the various gossip columns and media outlets that hype the latest releases. And the machines are remarkably popular, and they should be: as Brooks Barnes noted in 2009, they are the result of a once-failed entrepreneur retooling his marketing strategy to reach a wider audience.” (FLOW).

Some Japan love. This Sunforger Day Duffle bag from the South 2 West collection. Considered a duffle, the bag comes with a shoulder strap and is formed with a wide mouth for getting your life in there. A solid offering that is slightly unique to every other canvas duffle out there. The rucksack may be more your speed. See it in our gallery.

Another look after the click.

I’m actually a fan of many of the remaster releases for LP release anniversaries. I’m actually anxiously awaking the “Achtung Baby” remaster which has to drop this year to be in line with the album’s 20th. Same year U2 dropped what I consider to be their most essential record, Nirvana clearly came onto the broader scene with their signing onto Geffen and the release of “Nevermind.”

The only issue is that Universal’s press release does not list who exactly remastered the new reissue. We hope whomever did the work keeps the sonics foremost. Boxset fanatics will of course love the Deluxe Edition that comes with a remastered version of the album as well as a second disc filled with b-side (most of which were actually fantasic). The full Deluxe Super Edition supports a bunch more include a live DVD show shot at the Paramount Theatre on Halloween night in 1991 and bonus discs galore.

What I am not usually a fan of is new mixes of classic records (Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten‘ may be a rare exception that shines sonically in its new form). Knowing Vig, this new Devonshire Mix of “Nevermind” with bring out the instrumentation a bit more without losing the fuzz that makes the record what it is.

Mr. Williams delivers look at Napoli’s Salvatore Piccolo shirting for Spring/Summer 2012. The Italos are in focus at the moment. “In addition to making hand made custom shirts for some very serious clients in Europe, the U.S. and Japan…, Salvatore Piccolo also produces a small collection of off the rack shirts and ties in his factory in Napoli. Every detail on the shirts are done by hand, often the shirts are made from exclusive Italian fabrics that the mills produce just for him. I learned recently in a conversation with Tom Kalenderian, the general merchandise manager executive vice president of mens at Barneys New York, that many of the prestigious Italian fabric makers will go the extra mile and bend their rules concerning minimums for Salvatore Piccolo.”

Read and see more at A Continuous Lean. View select looks after the click.

More looks after the click.

Limited to 250 pieces, the IWC Big Pilots watch will be exclusively available at IWC boutiques in Los Angles and Las Vegas. “Movement is the Swiss automatic IWC in-house caliber 51614 with Pellaton winding system and a power reserve of 7 days. The moon phase display of the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition 2010 deviates from the actual state of the moon by just 12 seconds in each lunar period. In other words, the discrepancy amounts to just one day in 577 years. All the calendar displays such as the date, day, month, year, decade and century, as well as the moon phase display – which is advanced by the weekday star wheel – are based on an ingenious form of synchronization. All the displays are advanced automatically and take every leap day in the Gregorian calendar into account until 2100, without any need for further adjustment.” (via Timezone).

Dr. Martens delivers the MIE is a clean burgundy. A bit too heavy for the summer but prep yourself for the fall and winter. “The upper is shiny leather in rich burgundy with muted brass eyelets and black waxed cotton laces. There is also the signature Dr. Martens heel tab, which comes in grey.” Oki-ni has them.

More looks after the click.

Acq turns us onto a new Rizzoli offers coming this September 2011. Francois Chaille’s Audemars Piguet book is a thorough history on the watchmaker and we’re excited to get our hands on it.

“The pursuit of excellence is reflected in Audemars Piguet’s most prestigious models, painstakingly crafted by artisans for over 130 years. Audemars Piguet’s expertise, creativity, and state-of-the-art technology are behind the company’s luxurious and innovative watches. At the turn of the twentieth century, the factory employed more than seventy craftsmen, whose mastery and excellent grasp of the changing times enabled the development of traditional pieces and the production of revolutionary watches, both of the highest quality. These include the slimline jeweled watches for women in the art deco era, chronographs in the forties, the first perpetual calendar watch in 1957, the famous Royal Oak–the first high-end sports watch–in 1972, and the ultramodern Millenary MC12 in 2008.”

Pre-order from Amazon.

On view at Design Museum through October 30, 2011, Kenneth Grange: Making Britain Modern celebrates the 50 year career of the industrial designer in his first retrospective exhibition. Grange, with partners Alan Fletcher, Theo Crosby, Colin Forbes and Mervyn Kurlansky, established Pentagram in 1972, a firm that has blossomed into the one of the most renowned multi-disciplinary design consultancies. Kodak cameras, bus shelters, and Kenwood food mixers are just a few of Grange’s well known objects.

The exhibition features 150 objects products complimented by sketches, prototypes and photographs.

Above:

Kenneth Grange – Making Britain Modern
Instamatic 33 Series, 1968.
Kodak Ltd
Kenneth Grange

More of Grange’s designs follow after the jump.

This weekend brings us the annual Newport Folk Festival down in the fort in Newport, RI. The list of guests and performances is a strong one and we’re excited to be attending along with many in our business. The festival itself is sold-out for the weekend so we recommend you all get in early in 2012 with your tickets.

Those on site will of course be able to purchase one of two limited edition screened posters commemorating the event. On the right we preview the official Newport Folk Festival poster, designed by Nate Duval. It will be available in limited quanities beginning Saturday.

On the left, we preview the special benefit only Backstage BBQ poster designed by Chris Capotosto. It is only available to those attending Saturday evening’s benefit BBQ on the fort. Much harder to get a hold of.

More looks after the click.