Archive for the ‘unclassified’ Category
Only thing bigger than my ego is my mirror. January 24th, 2012
It’s not even February and A$AP Rocky – of Purple Swag fame – has already release two videos to the world. Both via the A$AP Mob website, and both astonishingly great.
The first, Hands on the Wheel [below - work that one out for yourselves], takes the form of a collaboration with ScHoolboy Q – a west coast rapper signed to the same label as Kendrick Lamar [Top Dawg Entertainment], and described by XXL Magazine as ‘somewhat of an oddball within an oddball crew, dabbling in recreational drug use, sporadic mayhem, and the occasional foray into socially conscious rap‘. Sounds good enough for me.
The second, Wassup [above] projects a beautiful combination of humble beginnings and a mob already riding the crest of the wave of success, along with plenty of purple. Musically you can judge for yourself – I got it on loop.
Watch this space or his space for more A$AP throughout the year. ScHoolboy Q’s debut album Habits & Contradictions is available on iTunes now.
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Everything is purple. January 8th, 2012
A new day, a new dawn. Well 8 days ago at least. So 2012 is upon us – wave goodbye to such treasures as the tsunamic overuse of the word swag. In fact, I’m sure that particular trend will continue into this year.
Hardly a conversation has passed in the last week without the words New Years and Resolution uttered at some point, which got me thinking. What – I ask myself – is the point in taking up or giving up something that you know will ultimately lead to sustained [albeit relatively minor] suffering and/or failure? Why not – and I know I’m sailing dangerously close to the winds of sounding like a preacher here – instead continue a personal manifesto or mantra inspired by positivity? All too often these days we are reminded of the evils of the world, the failings of society, or the ill will of others. Capicú was started with the simple goal of sharing what is through my eyes beautiful, inspiring, and thought provoking – and as such positive. So I say this: forget your resolutions, to acknowledge the need to make them is to acknowledge shorfalls of your character, and instead continue to be the person you want to be, free from society’s calendary shackles. Go to the gym if you want, eat nothing but lemon juice if you fancy, even quit smoking if you so desire, but don’t feel you have to just because we are led to believe we should. It’s no great revelation that our society isn’t what it once was – gone is the backbone that kept our nation upright, replaced by a coxis on a couch, most likely playing MW3 and waiting for the benefit cheque to land on the mat – so why not make your resolution a simple one: to be you but a bit better. A bit of a cliché maybe, but it’ll save you seven hundred pounds a year versus the gym membership you know you’re not going to use after February.
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Sayonara twentyTEN December 31st, 2010
This has been a significant year. Particularly for dessert boots, angry avarian apps, fur-lined Italian down-filled shiny jackets, marriage ending kiss-and-tells, three dimensional cinema, and the tragic death of one of Tyneside’s more memorable bouncers. Mr Gasgoigne you did yourself proud during his final moments. You tried.
So on to 2011. May it be bigger, bolder, and more beautiful than the last. Canter on..
[Horsey by Korean designer Eungi Kim, shortlisted from 3,000 entries for the Seoul Cycle Design competition, 2010]
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Veuve Clicquot pt.1 October 5th, 2010
I wasn’t the first person to be afforded the privilege of experiencing the magic of Veuve Clicquot during the harvest, and I most certainly wont be the last – but that did not make the experience any less special. The voyage began with a night at Philipe Stark’s hotel Mama Shelter in Paris. The hotel itself was fairly unremarkable from the outside – and not what I was expecting at all – but the interior was far from disappointing. A swarm of Parisian socialites and international business men and women swarmed in and out of the bar, and later restaurant, like bees from a hive. And the decor was, as you’d imagine, cutting edge. Rather than fight for a table in the crowded hotel restaurant, we opted for a late booking at Derrière – a Parisian venture from Mourad Mazouz, the man behind Momo and Sketch in London. The food and decor – by Bambi Sloan – was inspired and delicious.
The next appointment we had was with the first train from Paris to Reims in the morning – via beautifully sunny French countryside. On arrival we were met and gret by the VCP taxi – and soon dropped off at the Place des Droits de L’Homme, the metropolitan home of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. There we were afforded a private tour of their visitor centre and subsequently their cellars. Although it wasn’t the first time I’d experienced the magnificence of the 24km of chalk-carved caverns, I was awe-struck nonetheless. If ever you find yourself in the north of France, a visit to the cellars is a must. From Stockholm to Salvador, it is literally one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever seen.
From there – and via a tasting of Vintage Rosé – we were accompanied to La Manoir de Verzy – the former home of the master of all Veuve Clicquot vineyards, which is now reserved almost exclusively for entertaining guests of the house. Graced by a warm sun, and saved by the shade of a 200 year old cedar, we sipped Yellow Label, pausing only to admire the vines at the end of the garden – dedicated to the VCP-endorsed Business Women of the Year. Madame Cliquot was, in her day, one of the first women in business [hence the endorsement]. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to start quoting the Suffragetes, but she was a truly remarkable woman.
Lunch was served inside the manoir, and consisted of 3 courses of the finest local, rustic cuisine – paired with a different Veuve champagne. The greatest taste, and in fact honour, was though the opportunity to try a 1993 Bouzy Rouge [pinot noir]. This is the elixir produced by the house of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin but reserved only for blending Rosé champange. So exclusive it is, that Francois Hautekeur [the cellar master who guided us on this enlightening experience] had only ever tasted it twice before in his entire life.
Thank you Veuve Clicquot for bringing champagne into my world. And for bringing me into yours.
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what am i doing? what am i doing? July 13th, 2010
Oh yeah, that’s right I’m doing me, I’m living life right now. And that’s what I’m a do until it’s over, but it’s far from over. Bottles on me. Ok too much. Anyway forgetting Drake Drizzy Rogers for a minute, this is a quick-fire post to thank my friends at bilingual fashion and lifestyle magazine M:/P Magazine for the love and exposure they’ve afforded Capicú in their inaugural issue. Titled The Notebook of Creativity, the first issue is available on pre-order now, and is limited to 1,000 copies, so good luck getting your hands on one. And if you do want to read the full interview – and find out a bit more about the inspiration behind and aspirations in front of Capicú then click the link [part 2]. Thank you
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esa hevita esta enterita, tiene tremendo July 7th, 2010
Some like them big, some don’t, but you can’t deny the female derrière is certainly an object of fascination. From country to country – and more specifically culture to culture – they are seen as either a bonus or a bane. Think about the question “does my bum look big in this?”.. to some people that would be almost unanswerable, as the mind flits between the choice of lying through your teeth or inflicting untold insult, most probably to the person dearest to you. But to others, the desired response would be quite the reverse. I side with them. So it was to my great satisfaction that Taschen, one of the publishing houses I hold in highest regard – and one of the few I could say I’d be hard pushed to find a book of theirs that I wouldn’t be proud to display on my coffee table [bar a few notable exceptions] – opted to make back off the focus of one of their latest publications. Available in hardback, and with over 400 photographs sandwiched in between, The Big Butt Book was edited by Dian Hanson – who has previously turned her attentions and editorial abilities to such titles as The Big Book of Legs – and features an anthology of ass, tracking the relative appreciation and depreciation of the female posterior. Right up to the pinnacle of appreciation we experience today, as epitomised below. Wow. So that’s what Mos Def was talking about…
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skin deep? June 29th, 2010
You know when you see an image and it just stays with you. The subject could be anything, and the reason impossible to put your finger on. This happens to me more than your average, and the latest muse was Brazil-born life long model Isabeli Fontana – as shot by Terry Tsiolis. Digging deeper [to view the rest of the set and learn more about the inspiration behind the shoot] I found myself knee deep in an archive of erotic art. Now I’m all for the stuff – call it what you will – but when the particular website you find yourself on has a degenerative header of PHOTOGRAPHY/SEX/EROTIC/PORN and you’re flicking through in a spare 5 minutes at work, it can potentially do you more harm that good. Which sounds hugely overdramatic for a form of art. Nonetheless art it is, and over the centuries art has frequently courted controversy. So between the passing gaze of the creative director I did enjoy more than a fleeting glance at what the website had to offer, and whilst some of it was too long on the erotic [and short on the art] to post here, other images were every bit as captivating as black and white Isabeli Fontana on a desserted beach. The highlight of which is below…
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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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llegó el frontú August 13th, 2009
20 days without a word, not even an explanation of my absence, and then a post about a fashion collaboration. It’s fair to say that doesn’t really cut the mustard. You deserve more, I know. So here it is, the explanation: I was on holiday with the fam. They say that the love of a family is life’s greatest blessing, and I’m inclined to agree. Hence the lack of attention Capicú has [or hasn't] received in recent weeks. A wise man once proposed that to love and feel loved is to feel the sun from both sides, and right now you and I are feeling the sun from one side only. So consider this an apology AND explanation for my disappearance, as if wiped off the face of this earth, and also a pledge to strive to continue to bring you the world’s finest design, music, fashion, life & style…
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bienvenido al castillo July 7th, 2009
Six months in and still Capicú rolls on, every bit as passionate and every bit as proud.
Regrets are few but forever felt, and I’d be lying to myself and everyone else if I was to claim I’d been as dedicated and attentive as I’d have liked to have been. That said there is a steady flow of you who share with me a common interest, and as long as that continues I’ll strive to put a product out there.
To mark the six month mile post, with a little help from my friends we have introduced a menu page to build a branded presence and make the site more interactive. Eyebrows were raised at the concept, and concerns voiced – with good reason – but the belief that Capicú needs this drove me on, against the advice of those who probably know best, and the domino was conceived and implemented.
Intrinsically linked to Capicú, the domino is the perfect symbol to represent the brand, and ultimately if the menu page is enough to stop you checking back then you probably shouldn’t be here in the first place. That said, feedback is always welcomed – whatever it may be - so message me if you feel strongly and I’ll see what we can do…
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