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6.30.2011

Insect

One thing I cannot stand about summer heat is appearance of bugs -- from the buzzing of bees to the flitting of insects. But jewelry connoisseurs Lanvin and Kenneth Jay Lane may just have me singing a new tune. Their dramatic statements pieces recently caught my eye as I was pursuing the shops last Sunday and I think I've finally cured my fear. I wouldn't mind one of these pretty insects landing on my fingers... as delightful embellishments they would add sparkle to any outfit and work best with both relaxed and glamourous clothing. N'est ce pas ?


Lanvin, Swarovski crystal insect brooch | £440

Kenneth Jay Lane, Gunmetal-plated Swarovski crystal bug ring | £85

Judge a book by its cover



Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs - TASCHEN, 2011 - 264 pages

When she met Paul, Linda Eastman was already a well established photographer whose camera had captured some of the biggest rock stars of her time.
Created in collaboration with Paul McCartney and their  children, 'Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs' is an oustanding visual biography of the life and work of the photographer. Featuring images of  The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa (and many more) as well as personal photographs, the book is beautiful and touching.
PS: Props to TASCHEN for releasing a smaller and cheaper edition of this limited edition book that you can cope here.

6.28.2011

Fashion Breathes

Imagine this... clothing that actually purifies the air we breathe. Fusing the worlds of fashion and chemistry Catalytic Clothing is a radical new project that does just that.

"Employing existing technology in a new way, it seeks to explore how clothing and textiles can be used as a catalytic surface to purify air as we walk around our cities."
Fashion helping the planet with an eco edge, just what we like.


Created by Artist Professor Helen Storey MBE, London College of Fashion and scientist Professor Tony Ryan OBE, PVC Faculty for Science at University of Sheffield.



Sunnies


On the hunt for the perfect sunnies? Look no further, 80's Purple may just have the pair you've been dreaming of... Shop the different styles here.
PS: If you're like us, you're going to buy all them...

6.25.2011

We are Handsome

80s-cool meets glamour.



























Created by Australian design duo Indhra Chagoury and Jeremy J Somers.

6.24.2011

The Summer We Love


Love the new summer styles that Madewell recently unveiled. The “Looks We Love” series by J.Crew's younger sibling has been under our radar for a while and these looks where maxi skirts, checkered shirts & marinieres nd flower prints all meet, just say casual-chic.
What do you think?


6.23.2011

True Hip-Hop

I recently had the privilege of attending New York-based photographer Mike Schreiber's book launch, exhibition and live Q&A session in East London. Entitled, True Hip-Hop, his book features stunningly captured photos of Common, Mos Def, Nas, M.I.A and many others. You do not have to worry that you missed out, his photo book is available here.


P.S: Check out our interview with Mike Schreiber for some insight into his creative process.

For more images check out Protein blog.


6.22.2011

A Summer Rebellion








































Love this new summer collection by Free Peoples Rebellion.With names like 'Surma', 'Woodabe' and 'Mursi'. designer Sarah Williams offers a line of accessories that mixes African wax, wood and metal. We approve.
Shop the full collection and more here.

6.21.2011

Words of Wisdom

 

6.20.2011

Easy Conversation: Luca J. Sage


We first stumbled upon the work of British photographer Luca J. Sage here and were immediately drawn to the beautiful and sophisticated honesty of his art. A lover  - and crafter- of beautiful images, Luca is also an avid football fan whose dreams include snapping shots of some of Europe's biggest football stars! We had a chat with him and it went a little something like this.


1.Tell us a bit about yourself, who is Luca Sage?

I’m a photographer based in the UK. I have a fairly clean and graphic style. I tend to work fairly slowly with a large format camera. (It’s the old fashioned sort of camera where you have to put your head under a big dark cloth.) I specialize in portraits and my work has been exhibited around the World, including the National Portrait Gallery in London. 

2.When did you first fall in love with photography?
Unlike many photographers, I didn’t get a camera when I was 5yrs old. My Dad eventually let me take one picture with his Canon SLR when I was about 12 years old.  I remember it clearly, we were on holiday in Scotland and I had pestered him for days to use his camera. He always thought I would drop it for some strange reason. I had a great dilemma about when to use my ‘one shot’ and to this day I’m gutted that I didn’t stand further back to get more foreground into the shot. Later when I was a teenager I used to cut images out of The Independent Magazine and stick them on my bedroom wall. They had a fantastic picture editor called Colin Jacobson, who really set my passion alight for contemporary photography. My Dad eventually gave me his old Canon camera and I’m pleased to say I never ever dropped it.



3.Tell us about your creative process? Who / what inspires you?
My first degree probably underlies a lot of the work I do. I studied Social Anthropology and Development Studies and my photography often entails trips abroad. I’ve always been interested in the way we interact in this world; unfortunately history reveals that we are forever in conflict. We are bombarded by mass media with images of war. In some small way I try to readdress this visual balance. My work is purely visual responses to cultures that for one reason or another are in my consciousness. I’ve shot projects in Serbia, Lithuania, Northern Ireland and Cote d’Ivoire. Empires and governments come and go but what always exists is the individual. This is probably why I love portraiture.

I don’t often take pictures of anything I don’t love. I slow things down and show a perceived essence of a person, but at the same time there is always a dialogue going on between the photographer, the sitter and the viewer. What you see is just my view, it’s not any sort of truth. I just stop time and say ‘hey, look at this, I love this.’


4.Growing up what did you want to be / do?
I always wanted to be a footballer, in fact I lived and breathed football. I was actually doing really well and playing for Chelsea Under 15’s but everything else seemed suddenly so much more attractive when I was a teenager and it wasn’t to be. Though my dream of playing for Arsenal has gone, my love of football still remains. My dreams now consist of big commissions to shoot footballers like Fabregas and Messi for Nike or Adidas.

5.Who are some of the artists who've influenced your work?

There are quite a few but namely Paul Graham, Rineke Dijkstra, Broomberg and Chanarin, Stephen Shore, Mark Power, William Eggleston and Simon Norfolk. They are all amazing photographers and I was lucky enough to have one of them as my tutor.


6.What projects are you working on these days?

I’ve just come back from a road trip in America and I’m currently shooting a commission for the Photographers Gallery in London. After that I will be going on another journey with my 5x4 camera, I have two options but can’t decide which one to go for, time to toss the coin. Or maybe I’ll roll the dice and do a twitter vote. I tweet far too much but it’s a great photographic resource for me. I’ve met some great people through my @lucajsage twitter family.

7.What's playing on your Ipod these days?
Right now it’s paused on Florence and the Machine with Dizzee Rascal, ’You’ve Got theDirty Love’. I love listening to Florence when I’m in the studio; I think I’m a bit addicted.


Luca J. Sage elsewhere

6.18.2011

We Real Cool

6.17.2011

Hot from the press








Have you seen these new serigraphs produced by House Industries?
Out of the 15 hand-printed posters, these are some of our favorites.
More info here

6.16.2011

Creative Ideas 101


6.15.2011

Sac (s) du jour: Grey & Orange


Grey or Orange cotton canvas and leather backpack.
B.TEAM BY BENSIMON

6.14.2011

Good Treats




San Francisco artist Ed Bing Lee