splurging, dom p, rosé
March 1st, 2010
This special edition carry case created by Australian designer Mark Newson for the iconic champagne house Dom Pérignon has successfully maintained the iconic equities of the brand (bottle shape and label) and combined them with modern colours, packaging formats, and substrates to create an eye catching and fully functional addition to their portfolio. The outcome finely balances the exclusive, heritage-heavy perceptions of a category king, with a more accessible and practical format.
This is Newson’s fourth collaboration with Dom Pérignon, in a time when - as the house of Dom Pérignon themselves put it - designer collaborations with luxury houses tend to be one-shot events. It is however every bit as creative, striking, and practical as any collaboration I’ve seen for a long, long time…
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they say hello they say hola and they say bonjour
February 25th, 2010
I stand by my statement last week that the US music industry is strides ahead of ours over here - but UK music is experiencing a rebirth, and growing from strength to strength. These are beautiful times for us, and tracks like this can hold it against the best. Pass Out is masterfully produced and Tinie Tempah’s lyrics are pertinent and true. Like him, I used to listen to You Don’t Want to Bring Arms House, and I’m pissed I never got to fly on a Concorde…
download here
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all black everything
February 17th, 2010
Jay Z is king. Musically he is unequivocally superior. In business he has proven to be up there with the best. And his 14 year career is marked with too many achievements to list. Success was a word coined to describe people like him. But…
Empire State of Mind Part II, the solo version from Alicia “Augello Cook” Keys is perfect, even without the king of rap’s midas touch. Her vocals are so silky smooth that they sum up everything that is alluring about New York: the city lights, the cultural diversity, the American Dream. I can’t argue that she is an astoundingly talented musician, but apart from in a couple of exceptional cases, I am not amazed, or touched by her. With this song however, she has achieved something amazing: whilst reaffirming that the US music scene is way beyond that over here (can you imagine Beverley Knight coming up with a track of this stature about London?), she has made me wish I was American. Ok New Yorkers are a different breed from most Americans, but the principle is there. What’s more her voice is so seductive I’d give up everything I’ve got and up sticks in a flash to share that life with her.
This is already, and surely will always be a classic of our times…
Download here
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go lower than the grades on your report card
February 5th, 2010
How Low has got more than a touch of You’re a Jerk about it - but typically from Luda it’s balanced with a dirty south twang. Add Ciara’s silky vocals [don't watch her lyrics] and Pitbull’s trademark Miami-Latin flow and this official remix is as close as it comes to the complete package. Listen/download here, or catch it in your local hip hop spot…
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i got to testify, she come up in the spot looking extra fly
February 3rd, 2010
I found this image on the world wide web - and yes that does make me a plagiarising thief, illegally in possession of somebody else’s masterpiece. So if PC Mac got hold of me he could probably send me down for theft, handling stolen goods, taking without consent, as well as all types of IP violations. Which would mean he’d probably shut down Capicú and in some countries chop off my fingers. This may seem a high risk to take just to post a photo of a hot girl eating a donner kebab. But there is something strangely alluring about this shot - a credit to whoever took it. Albeit obviously staged, the juxtaposition of fine female form with the faveleiro of fast food is beautiful. I could continue to try to explain the reasons why, but it doesn’t seem necessary. The photograph speaks for itself…
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board shorts, socks, trousers, shirts…
January 14th, 2010
Pop up stores are selling out faster than letterman jackets these days - but surely this pop up closet from Levi’s is taking the trend a step to far? Yes as a Brit I should really be describing this as a pop up wardrobe, but to save all you people across the pond from confusion I’m sticking to it’s given name of closet - that is what the Belgian agency Moriterbrigade who created it call it after all. Anyway despite the fact it’d be a deathtrap if your apartment caught fire - and rendered useless if you had to carry it home in the kind of weather we’ve been blessed with lately on our fine shores - it’s a nice idea and represents forward and creative thinking - and willing - from the worlds most famous denim brand…
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home is where the art is
December 30th, 2009
This creative housing project was the brainchild of Stockholm architects Wilhelmson Arkitekter. As you can see, the idea is that the windows are designed and dressed to look like gilded picture frames, which are - as you have probably noticed from the walls of your local gastro-pub/coffee shop/ independent art gallery - very much the flavour of the month these day when it comes to interior decoration. To use them on the exterior of a buliding, as Proffessor Wilhelmson has done here, is however a striking and impactful first. With views across the water to Denmark, this project forms part of an exclusive apartment complex just north of Helsingborg, Sweden. The frames are made of cast aluminium and painted with gold leaf, to provide a stark contrast with the glossy white enamel facade of the buildings.
For more information -visit his website (Swedish)
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there’s no such thing as a new idea
December 30th, 2009…is a phrase heard almost daily in creative industries. Personally I’m not sure how I feel about that belief, but in the interest of keeping my job - and the Creative Director happy - I tend to keep my mouth shut. That being said, for Nixon to take 2 of my favourite watches of the last decade: the U-Boat Classico and the Chanel J12, and combine them at a relatively affordable price does bring a smile to my face. And it’s not as if some guy from Walthamstow Market has bought a bunch of knock offs from the back of a dim sum lorry and is trying to shift them, Nixon are reputable and credible watchmakers. The Ceramic 51-30 is made with a 300m custom ceramic case, which houses a 3 hand, Swiss made mechanism with date, automatic winding, and sweeping seconds - behind a hardedned mineral caseback window. In fact, retailing at $2,400 if you do find one on a local market stall let me know…
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i’m G double-O D good
November 26th, 2009
The say absence makes the heart grow stronger - and I for one hope that to be true in this instance. I’m not going to flounder around clasping at straws trying to come up with a valid excuse for my recent absent mindedness. Instead I’m a launch straight into a fresh post, which like many other soon to grace these pages, I’ve been meaning to post for a while. Fittingly I chose packaging - the entry point to most brands - for this return to the floor, in the form of Naoto Fukasawa’s innovative fruit juice packaging. Fukasawa is an idustrial designer hailing from Japan, and his ambition for this project was simple: to create packaging that not only looks, but also feels like the actual fruit that produced the juices contained in the cartons. Juding by the visuals alone, it’s fair to say he has achieved at least half his goal…
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avalonia
October 25th, 2009
On the whole I shy away from bar and restaurant reviews – more than anything for fear of being tarred with the same brush as the plethora of writers who shamelessly strive to post the newest, and supposedly hottest venues. However in this case I decided to make an exception. The Avalon isn’t especially new, nor is it necessarily hot through the eyes of genuine or wannabe trend spotters. It is however fantastic, and well worth a mention here.
I had been meaning to go for a while, and can say for sure that it was worth the wait. The décor is classical and quintessentially British – reminiscent of an opulent sporting lodge or old boys club – with all the characteristics you’d hope for in such a setting: butcher shop style white tiled walls - adorned with taxidermic trophies - and deep weathered chesterfield furnishings. One glance at the bar and my already high regard for The Avalon was compounded: Belvedere Vodka [Pure and Citrus], Appleton Estate [including a previously unseen 3L bottle], and Patrón [Añejo and Coffee]. It was by now plain to see that this was a venue after my own heart. The menu was equally inspired, with home made wild boar sausage rolls, and Wright Bros oysetrs the pick of the crop on the day I visited. If you find yourself south of the river, a visit to The Avalon would be well worth your while…
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