Tilt | Panic Room

Tilt designed this room at the hotel Au Vieux Panier in Marseilles.  

iBamboo Speaker

You can't speak to how well the iBamboo Speaker works, but the design is fresh and it sure is an intriguing idea. A dock for your iPod/iPhone is implanted in a piece of bamboo. The natural resonance of the bamboo amplifies the sound from the device's internal speaker. For only $25, you might consider springing for it.

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Sea of Japan, Hokkaido, 1987. 

"Black Sea" 

by Mark Strand

One clear night while the others slept, I climbed

the stairs to the roof of the house and under a sky

strewn with stars I gazed at the sea, at the spread of it,

the rolling crests of it raked by the wind, becoming

like bits of lace tossed in the air. I stood in the long,

whispering night, waiting for something, a sign, the approach

of a distant light, and I imagined you coming closer,

the dark waves of your hair mingling with the sea,

and the dark became desire, and desire the arriving light.

The nearness, the momentary warmth of you as I stood

on that lonely height watching the slow swells of the sea

break on the shore and turn briefly into glass and disappear . . .

Why did I believe you would come out of nowhere? Why with all

that the world offers would you come only because I was here?

Rohan S/S 2012

English outdoor outfitter Rohan shot their most recent lookbook in Mallorca, Spain. The rugged scenery pairs perfectly with the brand's no-nonsense style and technical designs. Some really great snaps.

Pat Towersey | Bonzer 5

Great shot from Floridian surf photographer Patrick Ruddy. It's of Pat Towersey on a Campbell Brothers Bonzer in California.

Elita Festival 2012

You're excited for the kickoff of the 7th edition of the Elita Festival in Milan, which runs from April 18 to April 22. In addition to art exhibitions and installations, lectures and panel discussions on contemporary culture, the festival features live performances by Skrillex, Jamie Jones, Little Dragon, Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble, Soul Clap, Matthew Herbert, Maya Jane Coles, Mr. Scruff, Connan Mockasin, The Field, Vondelpark, and Chelsea Wolfe, among others. The theme for Elita 2012 is "Work Hard, Play Harder," which is a call for development in the crisis era. The idea is that Italy can still grow and flourish if the right balance is struck between working and having fun. 

Meltin'Pot Summer 2012

This may be the time of year for you to pull the trigger on some color. Italy's Meltin'Pot has some bright denim offerings out for Summer 2012.  

Peter Gabriel | "Come Talk To Me" | Secret World Live

Peter Gabriel's 1994 concert film of Secret World Live is some moving theater. Perhaps no number illustrates it more than the introduction, "Come Talk To Me."

Alden x Leffot Marble Indy Boot

Another great Alden make-up from Steven over at Leffot. These marble suede Indy Boots are perfect.

Nigel Cabourn Lined Cameraman Jacket

The Cameraman Jacket from Nigel Cabourn has seen a variety of different colors and fabrics, but you really fancy this one. It's a lined, winter version with a waxed cotton upper and Harris Tweed lower section. You shouldn't forget that the Cameraman Jacket was the one worn by Wilfrid Noyce on his photographic expeditions to Everest.

The Guts of Duckie Brown

You cannot say enough good things about Steven Cox and Daniel Silver of Duckie Brown. You love the way they think and the way they approach design, and in your mind, they consistently kill it in every collection they create. This little documentary shows just how full of life--and downright funny--these two gents are. 

John's Phone

You appreciate clean, simple design. That's part of why this little Dutch piece really knocked you on your bottom. Designed by John Doe Amsterdam, the John's Phone is the simplest mobile phone around. It makes and receives calls anywhere in the world. That's it. Aside from a speed dial feature, which allows a number for every key, there's no digital address book. If people's phone numbers are important, the back of the phone contains a paper address book and a pen. The top of the phone displays inbound and outbound calls. It's basically an unlocked GSM phone, usable with prepaid and contract SIM cards anywhere there's a GSM network. It's $100.

Parrott Canvas Backpacks

Nice stuff from Parrott Canvas. The kids will like these. Credit to Brad for the spot.

 Uwharrie Day Pack.

 Uwharrie Camo Day Pack.

Vintage Blue Ridge Day Pack.

On Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go"

Seldom does a book convey existential melancholy as well as Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel, Never Let Me Go.  It may be because stories about loss, in particular the loss of hope, are rarely told so plainly and without melodrama.  At its core, Never Let Me Go is about human decency, particularly as it survives in the face of swiftly moving time and weighty, ever-present duty.  The memories recounted by the narrator, Kathy H., are imbued with what is best described by the Portuguese word, saudade, in essence, a nostalgic longing for something that does not and cannot exist.  Ishiguro captures the idea beautifully through characters who are compelled by their unique world to accept their own mortality.  

Taylor Knox on "The Green Angel"

T.K. doing his thing on a special Campbell Brothers Bonzer 5.

On Seeing "The Artist"

A few weeks back, you went to see The Artist.  It was a Monday evening, and you were alone, as you often are.  On that night, however, solitude followed you into the theater, and it was in her company that you eschewed the pre-show calls to silence cell phones with an ungentlemanly gesture at the screen.

You also said, in full voice, because you could, “It doesn’t matter!  I’m the only one in the theater!” 

But you turned your phone off anyway.

What you were expecting when the lights dimmed is still not exactly clear, but the cinematic experience that unfolded over the next 100 minutes was unprecedented.  Two realizations in particular remain with you. 

The first is that despite being a lifelong fan of silent films, you had never seen one on the big screen until that night.  The same was probably the case with most modern audiences who screened the picture; their exposure to Hollywood’s silent era likely came from watching on a television.  The scale made all the difference.  Nuance and subtlety were enhanced and the smallest moments were that much more powerful.  In a room equipped to deliver multi-dimensional sound, the images took center stage.

In the absence of other audience members, themselves a chorus of crunching, slurping, and other fidgeting, the only sound (other than your sobs) was the musical score of the film.  You might have forgotten that you were in a Cineplex had you not been reminded by the faint booms from the adjacent theaters.  You were, after all, in a temple of Bruckheimer and Bay.  While neighboring explosions rattled the chests and squeezed the heads of fellow moviegoers, the concrete walls did their best to rebuff any impingement on your cocoon of silence.  For that 100 minutes, you existed somewhere in the awkward intersection of art, entertainment, and history.  

M.I.A. | "Bad Girls"

Killing it.

At Duckie Brown F/W 2012

With their most recent presentation, Steven Cox and Daniel Silver, the duo behind Duckie Brown, offered the usual tour of the next level on which they’re operating. It was a collection full of juxtapositions—in silhouettes, proportions, patterns and textures. Buffalo check, wide-pleated trousers billowed beneath trim-fitting tailored jackets in Fair Isle and tweed herringbone. While the palette was primarily somber blacks and grays, including a fair amount of dark barathea, there were splashes of orange and purple in the form of an “exploded” plaid overcoat and oversized trousers. Designer Steven Cox calls the look “hiking-evening,” which makes perfect sense in the Duckie landscape.   

Amazing Beards #20

 Zach Galifianakis.

 Steve Jobs.

U.T. Curran.