men.style.com has a great set of videos showcasing innovative stores in Tokyo. Tim Blanks checked out Project 1/6 and discovered Jack Bauer dolls from Fox's "24" show. They beat a guard dog any day.

Watch Project 1/6. Tokyo

continue reading "Jack Bauer Action Figures" »

My next pair of shoes. Period.

Keep reading to view more of the Spring/Summer 07 collection.

continue reading "Marc Jacobs x Vans SS07 Collection" »

Last night Microsoft unveiled Surface, a multitouch table [presently] for business and entertainment purposes.

CNET has a video of the device in action, along with a Microsoft's, ahem, point-person, showing off finger-painting for grown-ups (above, left), and it's uses for digital photos and movies, along with it's bar and restaurant mode.

The Good

- The card payment system (above, right) seems to work really well, and the user-interface is pretty elegant for a Microsoft device.

- There is also a map mode, similar to Google Maps you point to your destinations, and it brings up directions and information. This can all be dragged to your Windows Mobile powered smartphone which is handy (though I can't help but feel it makes the smartphone like an iPhone with a giant table attached).

- The digital photo and video management looks more fun than organized, especially for large collections, but I doubt it's intended for this purpose. I imagine Oprah photo edits on something like this.

The Bad

- When you place a drink down on to the Surface, it displays graphics and advertising (above, center), and while I see potential for this in casinos, it could get really tacky.

- While Bemelman's and French Laundry aren't ordering these any time soon, it seems like just another step to reducing general table manners. Once again though, the features seem to only benefit casinos and fast food establishments, niether of which I personally spend a whole lot of time in.

The Ugly

- I can't lie, it's not ugly. As I said earlier, it's actually pretty elegant for a Microsoft creation. The Zune interface was a step in the right direction, and I hear the XBox is getting better, too, but it still looks more of a computer interface than a human one.

The Verdict

I'd rather have an iPhone in my pocket than a table, but casinos, family restaurants, chain hotels wanting to trim their staff rosters, and airports are probably going to be all over this. Besides, I'd rather have a Reactable to play with.

On a lighter note, I'll leave you with a very amusing comment from a message board discussing Surface:

How does one shuffle the cards for Solitaire?

Say no more.

continue reading "Microsoft Surface - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" »

Speaking of Japanese phones, I almost forgot to mention Sharp's SoftBank collection of cell phones in Japan have recently been given a Pantone swatch makeover. The pictured 812SH comes in 20 colors, and is compatible with Sharp's S! FeliCa shopping system, E-Comics, and somehow capable squeezing 18 lines of almost-legible text onto it's 2.4" ASV LCD. That said, I'd still go for a silver 810SH, please.

@ mb.softbank.jp

continue reading "Sharp's SoftBank phones go Pantone" »

Two pairs of footwear I'm loving right now, both my John Lobb:

Left / Oakham, 2-eyelet Derby shoe in pale grey museum calf.

Right / Harborough, Jodhpur book in black calf.

@ www.johnlobb.com

continue reading "John Lobb, Bootmaker" »

While plush toy's in our apartment only stretch to a hammerhead shark, a mini-Chewbacca, and a "Friends With You" penguin-like thing, we're not in the market for more, but we could make room for the plush horse by Hermès.

Buy $450, Hermès.com

continue reading "Hermès Plush Horse" »

While I still can't order an iPhone, I can ogle the Summer 2007 range of phones in Japan's au by KDDI range.

I particularly like the W53SA (first on left) for actually looking like a chocolate bar, and the W53T (second from right) for it's subtle luminous sheet keys.

While I haven't seen the issue yet, I believe there's more on KDDI's excellent products in the current issue of I.D. magazine

@ www.au.kddi.com

continue reading "au by KDDI Summer 2007 Collection" »

I avoided stick for being the only boy at school in a houndstooth suit, and have loved it ever since. Here are a few items on our watch list:

/1 Haute Surface by Jaime Salm for Mio
Recycled cork gets a new lease of life in a tessellating jigsaw for your tablewear/mouse.
Buy: $20, Matter

/2 Houndstooth Rug by Jonathan Adler
We own this, and love it. Order in any color and any size, just go easy for the sake of your eyes.
Buy: $600, Jonathan Adler

/2 Houndstooth 10" & 8" Paper Plates
Picnic in style. And yes, there are matching napkins.
Buy: $4.95 & $5.95, www.platesandnapkins.com (where else?!)

/2 Houndstooth Towels by Williams-Sonoma
These are next on the list. But can a married man still have a black towel? Available in white, black, and ivory, and in washcloth, hand towel, bath sizes.
Buy: From $18, Williams-Sonoma

continue reading "Houndstooth of Love" »

Design*Sponge wrote a piece about Secondhand Rose earlier today, the downtown NYC wallpaper emporium. Growing up in a house wallpapered floor-to-ceiling in Liberty prints, I've always managed to both love wallpaper and yet never use any in my homes. The geometric RT-558, shown above, really makes me want to re-work my office though. I might need to work in sunglasses though.

@ www.secondhandrose.com

As an extra, if you've run out of wallspace, check out CITY Magazine's 2006 Design Issue online for other ways to use your wallpaper.

continue reading "Secondhand Rose Wallpaper" »

It's rare you'll find a company which offers such consistently beautiful products as 20Ltd, a new U.K.-based "idea," offering exclusive design items and collaborative products. And this one hasn't even fully launched yet!

20Ltd launches April 2, 2007, with 20 products, some limited to only three editions.

I was immediately drawn to the "Good versus Evil" Opus football table, by The Eleven Forty Company. The Glasgow, Scotland, based company has created a hand-crafted, 400-hours in the making, laqeured maple wood game table, featuring painted likenesses of God, Mary Poppins, Bobby Moore to name a few on the "Good" side, and Hitler, Caligula, and Lady Macbeth representing the "Evil" eleven. Priced at £14,500 ($28,500), you'll have to act fast—naturally, they're only making 20.

Other works include a stunning "Spoon Bowl" by Toni Grilo for Christophe, and a "Silver tea and coffee tower set" by Zaha Hadid for Alessi. Continue reading to see three more of my favorite items from the collection, and mark your calendars (and clear your credit cards) in time for April 2.

@ www.20ltd.com

continue reading "20Ltd Limited Edition Products" »