February 13, 2010
I think the cover of the latest issue of Vice is largely coincidental.
Happy Chinese New Year, if you’re into that sort of thing. Hell, happy Chinese New Year even you’re not into it—it’s going down tonight whether or not you observe it.
Tiger (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Unpredictable, rebellious, colorful, powerful, passionate, daring, impulsive, vigorous, stimulating, sincere, affectionate, humanitarian, generous. Can be cold, restless, reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, obstinate, ruthless, selfish, aggressive, unpredictable, moody.
–Wikipedia
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February 8, 2010
Better slip you an Ambien. –Jay-Z
Even as I watch Vinsanity tear the Hornets a new one, I’m not quite sure if I’m looking foward to NBA All-Star weekend as it approaches hot on the heels of the Super Bowl (and, perhaps, will step on the toes of Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day). It’s not so much that it’s an inopportune time, but the fact that the game and competitions feel like empty spectacle since there is really nothing at stake.
However, these new Nike spots (both by W+K’s Portland headquarters) definitely do the trick.
Advertising has picked up on the scent of the vampire / wolfman fad for some time now, but I think it’s pretty well-executed nonetheless… though the microsite strikes me as uninspired.
At very least, they’re better than the garbage that aired during the Super Bowl—though the NYTimes‘ Media Decoder did a decent job liveblogging the Super Bowl commercials while the rest of us were busy televiewing the nation’s most-watched sporting event.
Bonus pic:
January 30, 2010
» Tiga – Shoes (3:48) – 8.2MB mp3 @ 293kbps
Dior Homme Chukka, via HB as always.
At this point in short history of IYK, it should be fairly obvious that I have a thing for shoes.
Hiroshi Fujiwara is on point as always. Via DQM.
Hair and shoes say it all. Everything in between is forgivable as long as you keep it simple. Trying to talk with your clothes is passive-aggressive.
–Rick Owens, Rules of Style on Details.com. Total classic.
Jak & Jill has an absolutely gorgeous (vaguely pornographic) look at Louis Vuitton's F/W 2010 Accessories
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January 22, 2010
–”Super clean” Air Max 1. (I can’t really justify buying another pair of shoes right now, but these are at the top of the list anyway…) (DQM)
–Marc Jacobs mixtape USB hub. (HB)
–Deconstructed Red Wing boot.
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January 19, 2010
–Andy Woodruff of Cartogrammar has mapped his “whole darn year“—a map of routes he travelled in the Greater Boston Area last year. He acknowledges that UrbanTick has done the same thing in the past, but the flash movie (linked above) is worth watching nonetheless.
–Stereogum has just posed a new track by David Byrne & Fatboy Slim, “Please Don’t,” featuring Santigold on vocals. The song is from Byrne’s forthcoming concept album Here Lies Love, a collaboration with Norman Cook, plus guest appearances from the likes of Tori Amos, Róisín Murphy, etc. (I never would have guessed that I would someday have a picture of Imelda Marcos on my blog, but it must be cool if David Byrne thinks its cool.) (Stereogum; previously on BV)
–Stereogum also recently brought my attention to Wieden+Kennedy’s web series “D.I.Y. America.” Say what you want about insidious corporate marketing industry appropriation of authentic art and music movements, the videos definitely benefit from high production value. Three of the four episodes focus on skateboard culture, plus an interview with NYC artist Swoon.
–Anomaly London handled Diesel’s latest cheeky ad campaign, “Be Stupid.” It’s fine for what it is, though I don’t think anything will ever top the viral ‘SFW pornography’ video by The Viral Factory for Diesel’s XXX extravaganza (video after the jump). (DB)
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January 11, 2010
In the interest of organizing “Assorted Links” into semi-sorted links, I’ve decided to offer them in several different editions. (This will also allow me to post more links more frequently by obviating the embarrassment of a constant stream of “Assorted Links” posts in the Recent Posts section.)
These are objects.
–A Continuous Lean is giving away limited-edition motel-inspired key rings. Get ‘em while they’re hot.
–Chinese industrial designer Daizi Zheng is getting some buzz for her innovative Nokia green phone, which runs on a carb-fueled bio-battery. Enzymes convert the sugars from, say, a can of Coke, into electrical energy. (Dezeen)
She has also created concept packaging for fruits and vegetables.
–The Nike Air Force 1 High Hiking Boot is the latest manifestation of the hiking / workboot aesthetic—hexagonal eyelets, heavy-duty laces, stiff leather upper, earthy colorway—that they introduced last fall with the Royal Mid (pictured below). Drawing inspiration from the likes of Red Wing Boots, the workboot look—classic in itself—refreshes a classic sneaker silhouette. I’ve never been a big fan of the AF1 midsole, but the perforated swoosh is a nice understated touch. (HB)
That said, I prefer the inaugural Royal Mid version: the trademark strap of the AF1 High imparts more of an overt streetwear aesthetic as opposed to the cleaner cut of the lesser-known Royal Mid style.
January 6, 2010
–Pavement’s 2010 comeback continues, this time in greatest-hits form. The “fully remastered 23-track compilation”, entitled Quarantine the Past, “digs deeper than the hits” and is slated for a March 9th release. Matador has challenging fans to guess the final tracklisting in order to win a handful of Pavement-related prizes. (Matador)
–Arrested Motion is on top of its game as usual, with recent coverage of Blu, Os Gemeos, and Ryan McGinley (all of whom are worthy of fuller discussion in future posts), plus a nice December recap. Good stuff.
–Raphael Zarka = Richard Serra × DQM. Awesome. (DB)
–The Knife has posted a new mp3 (download link) from their forthcoming operatic (literally) recording Tomorrow, in a Year. More details here. (The Knife / Soundcloud / YANP)
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December 1, 2009
–Nike Sportswear NSW Holiday 2009 Collection. (The Chinese happen to love Nike, myself included… which is somewhat ironic because I just read Naomi Klein’s No Logo. Possibly the topic of a future post.) (HB via Starcow)
–Ministry of Sound × Transportation for London × New Year’s Eve (PSFK)
–Looks can be deceiving: Susan Boyle slays the charts (Daily Swarm)
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