The web presence for Miss Dior Cherie has finally launched and it comes in the form of an interactive pop-up book. The visuals here are fantastic and it captures Ms. Coppola's charming vision quite nicely, though Brigitte Bardot's "Moi Je Joue" can get a little tiring after the first thirty seconds... I recommend browsing this one with the sound turned off.
Via Adverblog.
MISS DIOR CHERIE
VISIONAIRE 55 SURPRISE
Visionaire's latest issue presents intricate pop-ups by Sophie Calle, Andreas Gursky, Cai Guo-Quiang, Steven Klein, Yayoi Kusama, Alasdair McLellan, Steven Meisel, Guido Mocafico, Nicola Formichetti with Gareth Pugh, Solve Sundsbo, and Mario Testino.
Executed by renowned paper engineer Bruce Foster, the issue features moveable images, three-dimensional scenes, and surprise reveals, The Pop-up folios are housed in a dark purple cloth-covered case with a magnetized closure and engraved number metal plaque.
Via Selectism
THE HAZARDS OF LOVE
Designer Mario Hugo (Hugo & Marie), known for his shape-shifting approach to design and typography, recently worked with illustrator Carson Ellis on this gorgeous album & vinyl sleeve for The Decemberists' latest release.
Mediocre album or not, this will be one of the few album purchases I make based solely on the packaging.
THE SELBY AT COLETTE
The Selby Paris book is being produced for colette and will be released April 2009 at the opening of The Selby Paris show. It includes watercolor paintings and photographs of all the people that were photographed in Paris for the show, many of which have not been seen on The Selby website. This book is limited to 250 copies. The spines of each book are hand painted red white and blue. All the books are signed and numbered by The Selby.
Via Hypebeast.
HONDA'S SHINING LIGHT
Not to be outdone by a bunch of LED lit sheep from Wales, Honda and W+K Amsterdam put on their own grid-based light show with a new spot for the Insight... And if you were as impressed as I was, be sure to head over here for the "making of". Check it.
Via Creative Review
NEWWORK MAGAZINE
NEWWORK magazine is a large-format arts publication designed for connoisseurs of fresh ideas. Designed and published biannually by the Brooklyn design studio of the same name, each issue features new work from a wide range of artists and creators in the worlds of fine art, design, high fashion, culture, and politics.
Via h(y)r collective
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE TRAILER
I'VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU
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THE BIG PICTURE: SIGNS OF SPRING
Iraqi Kurds carry torches up a rocky hill as they celebrate Nowruz in the Kurdish town of Akra, 500km north of Baghdad on March 20, 2009. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in Iranian calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on March 21.
Via The Big Picture.
CAT SHIT ONE - THE SERIES
Apparently there is an upcoming animated series titled "Cat Shit One" (bound to be retitled in North America) featuring various cute furries duking it out Call of Duty style. Tack on some amazing production values to this brilliantly absurd premise and we've got a winner. Check it.
Via Motionographer.
I'VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU
Paul Smith limited edition Yorick print tee. Available here (but not for long).
THOM BROWNE PRINT CAMPAIGN
Thom Browne's debut print campaign photographed by Lauren Winslow. View the rest of the ads here.
Via Selectism.
THE DAYS
The film 歲月 (The Days) from director Boi Kwong, tells the tale of Singapore’s rival street gangs as they clashed between the years of 1989 and 1990. Josef Lee/Mojo directed this insane titles sequence for the film, which condenses the entire narrative into a 2 minute Manhua-style animation. The title track is "My Freedom" composed by indie rock group Black Forest. Check it.
Via Motionographer.
KOSTAS MURKUDIS S/S 09'
SAGMEISTER FOR LEVIS 501
After working with art-world luminaries Damien Hirst and Shepard Fairey, Levis turned to star graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister for their latest art-based collaboration. The result is this quirky window installation that debuted at L.A. retailer American Rag. Being a Sagmeister fan myself, it's great to see his unique brand of typography being put to good use here. Cheers to the Levis team for bringing us another tasteful collaboration.
Via Design Taxi.
PRADA SPRING 2009 LOOKBOOK
Prada's curious Spring 2009 lookbook, produced and designed by the brand's go-to architect, Rem Koolhaas and his Rotterdam research firm, AMO. Exploring the collection's "domain of inspiration", the lookbook shows the clothes on some highfalutin mannequins—namely, Greco-Roman statues.
Via Men's Style.
THE BIG PICTURE: ERUPTIONS NEAR TONGA
On March 18, 2009 an undersea volcano erupted off the coast of Nuku'Alofa, Tonga, sending plumes of steam, ash and smoke up to 100 meters into the air. Dana Stephenson of Getty Images managed to capture this stunning shot of the eruption.
See the rest of the set over at The Big Picture.
EDWARD BURTYNSKY
I recently discovered the work of large-format photographer Edward Burtynsky through Jennifer Baichwal's documentary Manufactured Landscapes. Burtynsky's most famous photographs depict sweeping landscapes altered by industrial expansion. The grand, awe-inspiring beauty of these images is often in tension with the ravaged environments they portray, a point that Baichwal emphasizes in her documentary.
Burtynsky's most compelling work (in my opinion) is his visual documentation of China's ongoing Industrial Revolution, you can view the entire series here.
PUMA LIFT
PUMA's ad for its new LIFT footwear line tells a charming tale of two underwear-clad lovers through the use of some light projection wizadry. Spectacular work here by MJZ and MassMarket. The featured song is "Underwear" by The Magnetic Fields. Check it.
Via Boards.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE POSTER
Today the first poster of Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are has finally surfaced and boy does it look fantastic. Whoever designed this absolutely killed it; the tasteful cropping, Carol, the charming hand lettered type, and Max's expression... perfect.
Here's hoping that a trailer will soon follow!
KALLE HAGMAN
Now here is a refreshing idea, re-skin Google Maps into a topographic view of your portfolio. Graphic designer Kalle Hagman did just that and the results are pretty rad. It'll probably look even better once he has enough pieces to really clutter the thing up. Check it.
Via Greg Washington.
THE JOURNEY
Here's to catching up with old news. 1st Avenue Machine's alter ego Special Guest recently signed on Brazilian director/illustrator Vinicius Costa, and to celebrate the occasion they commissioned him to direct this gorgeous short titled "The Journey". The concept behind the film emerged from Costa's own "journey" to his new home at Special Guest. Check it.
Thanks to Ozan for the heads up.
17 CREATIVE WEBSITES YOU SHOULD BOOKMARK
When it comes to knowing the who's who of today's most talented creatives, Jeff Hamada is your go-to guy. So when he decides to make a list of 17 websites you should all be bookmarking (unless you're dumb) you'd better be listening.
THE BIG PICTURE: HOLI
Last Wednesday, people in India and other countries with large Hindu populations celebrated Holi, the Festival of Colors. Holi is celebrated as a welcoming of Spring, and a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. What that translates to in action is an enthusiastic dropping of inhibitions, as people chase each other and playfully splash colorful paint, powder and water on each other.
It's like living through one of those Color Like No Other commercials... what I would give for an experience like that! For more stunning photography from the event, head over to The Boston Globe's Big Picture.
H(Y)R COLLECTIVE ISSUE 11
h(y)r Collective has finally dropped Issue 11 of their self-titled magazine. Gotta give props to Ryan Williams and his crew for upping game with every new release, this latest issue is packed with solid content. My favorite bits are Ryan's interview with Supreme's marketing director Angelo Baque and the piece on kitchenware duo Teroforma. So head on over to h(y)r, it'll do you good.
ARTISTIC LICENSE
The latest issue of NY Times' T-Style Magazine launched a few days ago, shifting our focus back to menswear with the current spring/summer collections. After a quick scroll through the bit that really stuck with me was Eric Nehr's 'Artistic License' spread, an homage to my favorite expressionist artist, Egon Schiele. The photography here is beautiful; Nehr did a fantastic job of capturing on camera the contorted proportions and angular poses that characterized Schiele's work. Check it.
THE PERIODIC TABLE OF TYPEFACES
The Periodic Table of Typefaces is a cleverly designed list of the 100 most popular, influential and notorious typefaces today. I'm just curious as to how Comic Sans didn't make it onto the table, after all it is notorious for being the shittiest typeface available, that has to count for something.
For the high res version, click on the image above. Via Swissmiss.
IKEA PS
IKEA's latest interactive ad campaign takes us on an ethereal journey to IKEA PS, a world composed enitrely of IKEA products (and one likely to fall apart after a year of living in it). I was a huge fan of last year's brilliant IKEA Catalogue 2.0 so count me a little disappointed that they didn't up the ante with this one; that being said IKEA PS is still a great looking site, so if you do have a few moments to kill it's well worth a visit.
IKEA PS is a collaborative project between Nordpol, Parasol Island and KOKO KAKA.
Via Motionographer
JIMMY CHOO S/S 09'
No one today photographs sex in fashion better than Terry Richardson (actually that probably isn't true but I'll run with it for now) and it shows in Jimmy Choo's S/S 09' ad campaign. Say what you will about my tastes, but I make no excuses for my fixation with this gorgeous shot of Angela Lindvall's uhhh... shoes.
Via Frillr.
KALINA
Kalina is an independent magazine started by Brooklyn based photographer Noah Kalina (made famous three years ago for his Everyday project). Each issue features a photography project built around a single concept or theme. The current (and debut) issue is titled "WHY WON'T YOU LOVE ME" and is available for purchase here.
Via Sebastian Waters.
DEPECHE MODE - WRONG
Every once in a while, I come across a music video so fucking dope that I could watch it a hundred times over and still be blown away with every subsequent viewing (think Chris Cunningham for Björk). This probably isn't one of them, but it does come close.
Directed by Patrick Daugthers of The Directors Bureau, the music video for Depeche Mode's latest single "Wrong" is as eerie as it is beautiful. Depicting a backwards traveling car wreaking havoc on the streets of Downtown L.A., it's a simple (albeit absurd) concept, but the top notch direction and gorgeous cinematography manages to elevate this into so much more. Check it.
JAMES JOYCE FOR IT'S BIGGER THAN
Over the years, British designer James Joyce did these rad flyers for the monthly London party It's Bigger Than. Each month, with the help of Dave Oscroft, a flyer was animated and projected in the party's venue, creating an evolving show reel of animated illustration.
Via Kitsune Noir.
THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'
So on Friday I watched Watchmen, and to my surprise it was actually pretty damned good. I could have done without Snyder's excessive use of slow motion (and yes, there is an assload of it here) but the film certainly wasn't the flop many fanboys had expected it to be. Anyway, this is not a film review so I'll just cut to the chase. One of my favorite parts of the film was (surprise, surprise) the opening credits. Created by L.A.-based yU+Co, the sequence features Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" set to a gorgeous montage of historical events in the Watchmen universe.
Unfortunately, Flickr caps all of its videos at 90 seconds, so I've only been able to upload half of the sequence. Drop me a line if you want the full Quicktime video.
VOGUE HOMMES JAPAN VOLUME 2
For those of you who remember Hedi Slimane's wicked L.A. shoot from last December, the photographs are now available on print in the latest issue of Vogue Hommes Japan (in newsstands today). Though if you're hesitant on forking over the import premium your local bookstore is bound to charge, you can still view the entire set on Mr.Slimane's own Fashion Diary. Check it.
Via Hypebeast.
MAGAZINES
Picked up these magazines over the weekend and so should you... Purple Fashion, Fantastic Man and LOVE. Of the three, LOVE is definitely my favorite.
DIGITAL TEMPLE ISSUE 5: WE ARE ON
Design magazine Digital Temple has recently dropped its 5th online issue. Titled We Are On, the issue is jam packed with amazing work from some of my favorite emerging artists. McBess, Neil Krug, Raul Allen and Hilde Holta-Lysell are just a few of the many talented names that you'll find in here. Check it.
For back issues of the magazine, click here.
GARETH PUGH F/W 2009
The Showstudio crew have finally unveiled their video presentation to Gareth Pugh's A/W 09' show.
My reaction to the video can be summed up by two simple words... Holy and Shit (I'll assume that there are others out there who share a similar sentiment). Created in collaboration with filmmaker Ruth Hogben and model Natasa Vojnovic, the film is quite literally a visual assault on the senses. I was one of those fashion stragglers who never "got" the appeal of Pugh's previous work, but now after seeing this you can consider me sold.
WELCOME TO LEGS
Legs, most famous for their work with Diesel on Pete the Meat Puppet, Hair Bath and Dance Party, have just launched their website Welcome to Legs. A word of caution however, the site opens with a montage of flying naked people (full-frontal nudity folks!) so depending on where you work, clicking on the link may not be a good idea.
(Thanks Ozan for the heads up)
RICK OWENS, THE MASTER OF DISASTER
Israel's daily newspaper Haaretz recently posted this great interview with influential fashion designer Rick Owens. The article gives us an in-depth look at Mr.Owens' life as he shares about his humble beginnings in L.A., his relationship with Michele Lamy, plans for an upcoming fragrance line and his thoughts on pop-culture icons wearing his clothes (oh yeah, he even calls out his own protégé Gareth Pugh on his notoriously flamboyant designs). For those of you who have been faithful fans since day one, the article doesn't offer anything new, but for the rest of you here's a great chance to get caught up on one of today's hottest designers. Check it.
Via Stylezeitgeist.
SUPREME x A-RON THE DOWNTOWN DON
So just a few days ago I called out Supreme for dropping what I thought was a half-assed S/S collection, but now I'm going to eat my words because peeping the recent A-ron x Cool Trans shoot has changed my mind completely (not that they'd care anyhow). A-ron the Don rocked the shit too well, if I had seen the lookbook before seeing each piece individually my first opinions would have differed greatly. Chalk up another win for Supreme. Check it.
Via HighSnobiety.
KID CUDI - DAY N' NITE
Ed Banger regular So Me brings his hand-drawn illustrative style to Kid Cudi's first music video, Day N' Night. I was never that big a fan of So Me's other work, so I'm not sure what it is about the video that actually "drew" me in (get it? okay, sorry), but I've probably watched this thing five times now and I still dig it. Post-production and animation courtesy of Paris-based studio Mathematic. Check it.
Via Motionographer
JIL SANDER F/W 2009
The Jil Sander show pretty much made this season's fashion week for me (with Prada and Bottega coming in at a close second). The architecture, the shapes, the fabrics and the details my god the details, Raf Simons has certainly come a long way in the realm of Womenswear. Barbara Atkin of Holt Renfrew described the collection as a "Dior's New Look" moment in fashion and though that may be too bold a statement, this was certainly one of Raf's strongest (though in my eyes, his defining Jil Sander moment will always be S/S 09'). Anyway, by no means am I a fashion journalist so don't take it from me, you're better off seeing this shit for yourself!
Click here for the entire collection and while you're at it, check out this fantastic interview with the man himself by IHT's Suzy Menkes.