Cool Shop Window In Boston

My pal Seth sent me these photos he took from a jewelry store display in Boston's South End neighborhood. The cool display is made from garden hoses, to a very eye-catching effect.

Have you got some pictures for me? Saw something cool and interesting and want to share with the world? E-mail me the images (via the link on the right column) and I'll post the ones that have the best fit for Little-Pumpkins. High resolution please, folks!

New Ann Demeulemeester Shop in Seoul

Ann Demeulemeester is a graduate of Antwerp's Royal Academy of Arts, that along side Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkenbergs, Walter Von Beirendonck and Marina Yee formed the Antwerp Six, an influential group of young Belgian fashion designers whose distinct vision established Antwerp as a notable location for avant-garde design in the mid 80's.

Her new shop in Seoul, Korea - after Antwerp, Tokyo and Hong Kong - was designed by local architectural firm Mass Studies and it's a vision of the incorporation of nature and design.

The building is comprised of one subterranean level and three floors above. The shop is located on the first floor, with a restaurant above and a Multi-Shop in the basement. Landscaping of dense bamboo form a wall along each of the remaining three sides that border neighboring sites. Inside the first floor shop, undulating dark brown exposed concrete forms an organically shaped ceiling. Round columns on the edges of the space continue the ceiling surface while providing the necessary structural support. The outside building material is primarily a geo-textile planted with a herbaceous perennial to form a living facade, while the other three sides that face bamboo borders are clad in steel sheets.

Via Yatzer

Speedo By Comme des Garçons

Brazil usually comes to mind when one thinks swim wear fashions, after so many beach trends hailed from the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana in the past decades. The warm weather, the beautiful paradisiac beaches and the sexy locals make it the perfect inspirational mix for Brazilian designers but the new wave in swim wear seems to be coming from the unlikeliest of places. Not Iran, Japan! One of the most surprising partnerships in recent memory, Comme des Garçons' designer Rei Kawakubo joined forces with swim wear powerhouse Speedo for an unexpected capsule collection. Prices range from £9.00 for her logo swim cap to £55.00 for a women's one piece, not bad at all considering how much her own label retails for. The pieces are definitely on the basic/functional side - no 3-legged trunks to be found anywhere in sight - and surprisingly logo-heavy for an usually minimalist designer.

I still find hard to envision Ms Kawakubo, a creator of many challenging and cerebral avant-garde fashions, splashing about in a Speedo maillot of her own design, but what do I know?

Available at Dover Street Market

iPods & Nutcrackers

The Apple Store shows it's holiday spirit in their shop windows in Florida. I caught these great life-size nutcrackers with their neon iPods at the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens yesterday. The mall was packed with last minute shoppers (like me) and was open from 9 am to 9 pm on the last Sunday before Christmas.

Fun Holiday Gifts @ Urban Outfitters

Leave it to Urban Outfitters whenever you are looking for cool, fun, unusual and affordable gifts. This temple to everything-hip is notorious for their inexpensive up-the-minute alternative fashions, colorful home accessories and great gift section, not to mention their everything-must-go basement sales. At times I feel too old for Urban's but I somehow always manage to spend money whenever I go in there. My last purchases were a couple of do-it-yourself books, four great collectable toy-art tchotchies and a pottery garden gnome.

I have a couple of fun suggestions for that secret Santa that you couldn't weasel your way out of:

-Ass/Face Soap
Whether you're needing a cheap gift for a friend, or have a hard time remembering which side is for which part, this Ass/face Soap ($6) will do the trick. As you might have guessed, the bar has "Face" on one side and "Ass" on the other. Most definitely classy.

-Butt/Face Towel
When you think about it, it's pretty crazy that this kind of thing didn't come around a lot sooner. This handy towel takes all of the guesswork out drying off - there's one side for your face, and one side for your butt - just don't mix them up, and you'll be set!

*25"w, 44"h 100% Cotton - US$20.00

Via Uncrate / Urban Outfitters

Comme des Garçons New Perfume - 888

Comme des Garçons’ new 888 perfume, previewed to editors last week, has been made available just in time for the holiday season thanks to a special temporary preview shop that will only be open through December 8 at 5 Burlington Arcade. The cozy two-story shop features 888, the new scent, as well as branded T-shirts and candles upstairs. Downstairs, meanwhile, will stock rare vintage tees and collector Comme des Garçons perfumes from the past, including Pearly Monster, Over the Moon, and White, all limited-edition scents from the last five years, for £20, or US$41.
While cult collectors of Comme des Garçons will appreciate the out-of-stock finds available, the main attraction will undoubtedly be 888, retailing for £48, or US$99, for 50 ml. The shiny gold bottle, in keeping with the brand’s whimsical visual packaging, is representative of the contents, as created by perfumer Antoine Lie in collaboration with Christian Astuguevieille, Comme des Garçons’ perfume creative director, with topnotes of saffron, pepperwood, coriander, and geranium.
But stock up now—and quickly. After the shop closes this weekend, the product won’t be available until its official launch in March.

Via Fashion Week Daily

Vintage Biba Poster @ 55MAX London

New and Exclusive to 55MAX, unsigned original Biba posters by James Wedge. Posters were printed in 1974 to be sold in all the iconic Biba shops - never hit the shop floor as Biba just went bust. A serious collector's item and an investment for the future.

Poster Detail : Gold Biba Logo printed top left hand corner

28 x 13 inches(Print only) @ £150.00

28 x 13 inches(Gold frame) @ £295.00

Available at 55MAX London

Comme des Garçons Builds Niche Perfume Empire

What do Daphne Guinness and Stephen Jones have in common - apart from their English eccentric style? They are both launching first fragrances under the auspices of Adrian Joffe, who heads up the company of his partner Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons and has developed for her a fragrance empire.
The idea of Joffe as the beauty industry's new prince of perfume sounds unlikely. But, as Joffe says, there is an increasing demand for niche marketing in this area where big does not always seem so beautiful.
The proof is in the steady development of Comme des Garçons fragrances since the early beginnings in 1993. When its Eau de Parfum was launched around the swimming pool at the Ritz, it seemed more like a medicinal congress than a beauty event, as bags of yellow liquid were the decoration of choice.

Instead of the standard $50,000 launch parties that reverberated through the 1990s, Comme des Garçons brought out a different concept each year, with the 1999 series of "Leaves" a hit with customers.
But Comme des Garçons Parfum has remained an individualist and a family affair.
Jones explains that he worked closely with Kawakubo herself on his concept, saying "she's not a perfume person," but that "she is a very good editor."
While Kawakubo has always been labeled an iconoclast, Joffe has broken the mold in a more nuanced way. The Dover Street Market, set up as a London multi-brand store, was dismissed as an aberration in the era of brand retail flagships. But now, with its mix of cool and traditional fashion and accessories - not least from Comme des Garçons' own labels, the store is looking increasingly visionary.

The financial side is also moving ahead, with wholesale figures up 32 percent to $3.5 million for year end to May 2007 and profits rising by 50 percent. The new phase of development will see Comme des Garçons managing its independent names and paying them a royalty. "Our role is like a producer in a movie," says Joffe. "And like a producer, we have to be satisfied with the plot and the text."

Text by Suzy Menkes

Via International Herald Tribune

Sassy Assy Jeans

Sassy Assy Jeans - Brazilian low-rise jeans.

Found on Washington Avenue, South Beach - Florida.

How sassy is your assy today?

Dualit Classic Toasters @ Target

Cutting-edge technology meets old-fashioned practicality in the Dualit Classic 2-Slice Toaster. The award-winning ProHeat system efficiently and evenly toasts the bread, while a manual browning dial and ejector lever put you in control. The chunky, retro design features an insulated stainless steel body with extra-wide, 28 mm slots for thick bread slices, bagels and English muffins. Or make yourself a hot sandwich using the Sandwich Cage with built-in drip tray (sold separately). Includes auto shutoff, removable crumb tray for easy cleaning and an adjustable rear foot to compensate for uneven countertops. Hand-assembled in England. Imported. 9Hx8Wx10L". Available in pink, canary, mint green, red, cobalt, white and stainless steel. Love it!!

Available at Target for US$239.99

Kate Moss @ i.-D Magazine

Kate Moss is the cover star of i-D Magazine's November o7 edition - the !*#? Issue.

In the "Too Fast to Live" editorial she appears as post-punk Pris look-a-like - Daryl Hannah's character in Blade Runner - with severe bleached hair and blunt bangs. She is hawking her new Topshop clothing line, in a quite fetish-y layout, with black stockings and stilettos in bed. The cover tag "You want me to say who I am?" makes me think of Madonna's Erotica video, as Ms. Moss could just answer in a raspy voice: "My name's Kate and I will be your mistress tonight"

Photography by Emma Summerton.

Via A Socialite's Life

Duggie Fields @ Dover Street Market

Set Of Four Badges by British Artist Duggie Fields , special edition exclusively at Comme des Garcons' Dover Street Market in London. Diameter 5.5 cm £16.00

Available at Dover Street Market

Theme & Variation - More Rua da Alfandega

On my previous post about Rua da Alfandega, I might have missed to mention the chaotic foot traffic that, together with the narrow streets and on-the-sidewalk discount bins, can make anyone scream and run home. If that does not discourage you, that's the place to find good bargains in Rio, specially if you are in the market for a new carnaval costume. It's already October and the cariocas are already planning what they are going to wear comes February. There are a good dozen shops that cater to beads, rhinestones, materials, feathers and all things carnaval-related. If you are the lazy/uncreative type there are also places that will sell you the head-to-toe ensembles, just like they do on Halloween in North America. The best known shop is called Casa Turuna, that occupies a large chunk of the corner of Rua da Alfandega and Rua Senhor dos Passos. Casa Turuna, founded in 1915, is the paradise (or the claustrophobic's nightmare) for carnaval paraphernalia and accessories. Just simply ask for "it" and they sell it there. In such an eclectic place you may also purchase your maid's uniform, no not a costume, an actual uniform for "the help" so your cleaning lady or butler can look sharp when you have guests over. Among the mix you will even find Candomble's religious iconography, clothing and what-nots, that seems like an odd place to carry that stuff, but what the heck - that's Brazil to you.