Thinkspot - Loud

Nixon

Baby Milo

James Jarvis

Tokyo street shot

Per Loken

Dieter Rams - Braun

James Jarvis

Thinkspot : skulls

Vanitas Collection by Vladi Rapaport

Rick Genest

Alexander McQueen - Savage Beauty

Maskull Lasserre

Damien Hirst

Does the world really need another celebrity clothing line?

Kanye takes his bow

So Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen can ask $39,000 for a handbag, Kanye West can debut a collection during Paris Fashion Week and Victoria Beckham can be described as a great designer. Is this the last (almost) logical extension of celebrity culture into our lives…………

$39,000 for a handbag from a couple of actors?

Celebrities still aren’t content with being recognised in their field of excellence, acting, music or in the case of some, not really much at all other than having rich parents, but they still feel that they should complete themselves with a clothing line.

The saddest part of this is that (real) designers who were recognised for being creative in their own right are now having to much like writers “ghost design” on behalf of their celebrity employers who take the bow, take the credit and are recognised for something they often have had little input in whatsoever other than lending the gleam of their cult of personality.

The biggest problem with this phenomenon is that as soon as a brand appears it so often disappears, linked so closely with a celebrity that once their star fades so do the sales.

For every Sean John or Rocawear that seems to trundle on despite the faux pass of its celebrity designer in chief, there are many that have failed along the way and the mere mention of that brand makes people laugh or cringe that they ever thought this was worth their hard earned cash.

No matter how much you want to be like them, this is not a good look

Even Kanye West who just launched at Paris fashion week is not immune. His Pastelle clothing collection imploded after he took to the stage at the MTV awards and aired his complaints about Beyonce not winning.  JLO has had three clothing collections fail, JLO, Just Sweet and Sweetface, but still keeps trying! Lets not even go near the Natalie Portman and her foray into vegan friendly footwear.

My point being I think we really have to question a celebrity clothing line launched by someone who has to employ a stylist to dress them in the first place.

Air craft

some inspiration shots

Antlers – how to get a head

You cant open an interiors or lifestyle magazine without seeing antlers being used to decorate the wall of the latest modern apartment or town house.

Here’s a few interesting antler inspired looks and uses to start thinking and inspiration

 

Skateboard art at Pool, Las Vegas, 2011

Frozen Caribou in the snow

 Alexander McQueen

 

Antlers Bike - Jenny Nordberg

Great Scott! They actually made them - Nike Mag

Anyone who saw Back to the Future 2 knows and covets these shoes. Well now they’ve been made! Only 1500 pairs and all are being auctioned via e-bay at 350 pairs a day from the 8^th September for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

True to the ones in the film, except for the automatic lacing any sneakerhead would kill for a pair in their collection

Well Tinker Hatfield says 2015 for the automatic lacing version, but it has been patented so who knows.

Few days left for anyone with a few thousand quid spare, hover boards and Delorean not included

Check out freshness for more info or the nike auction site 

Rise of the Chap - The streets are getting slightly smarter!

The gentrification of menswear, particularly streetwear has been creeping up on us in the past few seasons. Smartness with a wry smile, a prod at the stuffy lord of the manor tweed jacket and plus fours of the last century. A few observations about key trends and things happening……..

Tweed with everything, from ipod covers to dunks

A few books designers need

Just my Type – Simon Garfield

You will think a lot longer and harder about Gotham, Helvetica or Gill Sans than you ever did in your life before and never use Comic Sans again!

Designers are Wankers – Lee McCormack

Funny title but a good book about how to get into design and the mistakes we have all made and probably will in the future, a good one for graduates!