The quills over at Interview Magazine have delivered a short but informative piece on eclectic Belgian designer Dries Van Noten and his Spring 2012 collection. Van Noten explains why he thrives on limitations, why David Bowie is a great muse and what it means to grow witch hazel in winter.

The article also paints an exciting picture of the new collection: “… the juxtapositions between imagination and practicality abound: technical sportswear fabrics like paper-thin nylon are paired with elegant, slender leather belts or a silk jumpsuit; shorts are placed over pants in a subtle reference to the functionality of a fly-fisherman’s uniform; and a bright yellow raincoat is decorated with black adhesive bonding on the outside instead of its interior.” We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more looks.

Photography by Matthew Brookes

More looks in our gallery…

We featured the trailer for this much anticipated insight into mid-century’s pin-up couple a while back. While those of us still waiting for its release twiddle our thumbs impatiently, this interview with director Jason Cohn over at Imprint might just keep us going. “When you were buying a piece of Eames furniture, you were buying a little bit of that joie de vivre, the free and easy California lifestyle, that Charles and Ray represented to a generation of people,”

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We take a look at the Part One in the series of ‘Conversations in Modernism’ from Ben Sherman. “For the first of our Conversations in Modernism, we brought together bespoke shoemaker Sebastian Tarek and music entrepreneur Alex Robinson to share their thoughts and experiences of being creative in the modern world. From childhood ambitions of wizardry to the apparent decline of craftsmanship in the digital era, the problem with progress to the unwritten rule of the grey shoe, the conversation flows through the lives and times of these two gentlemen, and explores much more in between.”

Sir Terence Conran, master of design, is the subject of ‘The Way We Live Now‘, a retrospective of his work recently opened at The Design Museum. The Guardian’s Jonathan Glancy talks to the 80 year old about his life and incredible career spanning decades and trends.

Our friends at Cool Hunting sit down with Jean Touitou for another “informative” interview. “The past decade has seen A.P.C. grow from a cult French label to a brand recognized the world over for clothes that deftly mix contemporary style with classic looks—all the while helmed by founder Jean Touitou since 1988. Curious about what has kept the line going strong throughout its gradual expansion, for this video we sat down with Touitou to find out.”

We caught up with Sergei Sviatchenko, the man behind one of our favourite sites, Close Up and Private. Read the feature for an insight into his world, his favourite decades of style, his love for the Beatles and why CUAP isn’t preppy.

Read the feature here.

A cultural conduit of sorts, Elliot Aronow has translated a life long love of music into a unique digital space. As Creative Director and VP of A&R for RCRD LBL, Aronow oversees the first and only completely free and legal curated music site. RCRD LBL has been instrumental in breaking acts like Passion Pit, Theophilus London, Kid Cudi and MNDR – primarily through evangelizing acts Aronow falls for and sharing exclusive MP3s.

Aronow’s growth in the music industry follows a familiar path – record store clerk to music magazine editor – but with an unusual twist on how to best introduce new acts to the music loving. blog reading public.

Our short profile of Aronow and RCRD LBL follows after the jump.

Radcollector Columnist,  Cullen Poythress, works over a nice piece with Henry Rollins. “Entitled Internet Party: Henry Rollins On Youth Resistance Then And Nowthis is modern day historical document about the way skateboarding has influenced and been influenced by one of a generation’s loudest voices.

Read the entire story at Radcollector.

This is a little outside our remit, but so what? Longtime (and sharp) readers will know that we’re quite the fans of Curb Your Enthusiasm, so anytime a fashion magazine interviews Larry David we have to feature it. Dazed caught up with the Seinfield and Curb Your Enthusiasm creator recently and quizzed him about how close he is to his Curb character, what he watched and the show’s title.

The title is very un-American – curbing your enthusiasm.
Yes (laughs). I mean, who likes enthusiasm? It’s quite sickening isn’t it – to see enthusiastic people when you’re miserable. Nobody wants that. Nobody wants to ask how’s everything and hear; ‘fabulous! Things are fantastic! I feel great!’ No. You want to hear – ‘ehhhh, you know.’

Read the full interview here.

Très Bien recently added an editorial section to their site and their first interview was with Mr McNairy. An in-depth read, they talk about his influences, collaborations and why his shoes are made in England. When it comes to the latter topic, he gives an interesting answer:

‘There are almost no factories in the U.S. to make those shoes. The few that exist aren’t really interested. My whole thing has always been modern, traditional, Anglo-American sportswear. The button down shirt originated in the UK. The traditional dress shoe industry, Savile Row–the whole thing grew out of the UK.’

Read the full interview here.