BUILDING BLOCK

LA-based Building Block makes really nice hand-made leather bags. Pitch-perfect website and art direction, too.

THINGS

Some nice things found here. Images from top: Allison Diaz, unknown, Stella McCartney dresses, dip dyed baskets, self-portrait by Joeri Bosma.

PAINTED

From a great textiles tumblr, found here.

CACHE

After just deciding to search for a loft space in ernest, I've inadvertently found this blog; a thoughtful collection of bright airy lofts, tropical waters (another obsession), and classic, pared down looks. 

MOOD

Recently one of my favorite blogs posted a couple spreads from A Magazine and although I follow A Mag on facebook, I'd sort of forgotten about them. This morning hung out with a few back issues online: Top Martin Margiela 2004, center Proenza Schouler 2010, bottom Olivier Theyskens 2003, (curated by Martin Margiela).

BLURRY

Cruising around the internet I found these Obfuscation images, which I really like. I found them on a blog called Broken Blog, via ambient record label Root Strata, via artist Keegan McHargue's website. Gotta love links lists.

SMALL TIME

Love this product packaging found at Old Faithful Shop. Top: D.S. & Durga; bottom: Bonnie's Jams. When I checked out Bonnie's site, I found this great quote on her blog: "Like most people in business, I think about branding. So I was struck by Osama’s cave and hills branding strategy. In fact he lived in a villa with all the usual comforts." Tying into this, earlier this morning I happened to read an article from last year about Andy Spade: "'The bigger you get, the smaller you act.' [ie] The more personal a brand, the more stuff it can sell." Great news, but frankly I think I prefer the idea of business growing while keeping true to themselves rather than becoming big and then 'down branding'. Bonne Maman is a great example of this, have they ever changed their packaging? I don't think so.

DREAM COME TRUE: NO LAYOUT

Conceived by Daniel Pianetti (who also has a really good found photo blog), No Layout is a digital library where you can actually view entire issues of hard-to-find rags online. Stoked. Via here.

OLD FAITHFUL SHOP

My favorite inspiration board, Old Chum, belongs to Old Faithful Shop in Vancouver, BC -- one of my favorite cities. I've actually not set foot inside the store, which is why it's great they've just launched an online one. The balsam fir and cedar incense, and the wooden tape dispenser, seem especially appealing.

DUDE

Genius. http://nerdboyfriend.com

SSENSE

Images from ssense.com; discovered the Montreal-based shopping site this afternoon while cruising around http://manishtama.blogspot.com/ -- good stuff.

AUTHENTICITY VS. KITCH

Recently Thinking for a Living blog posted The Ultimate Toy for Boys, featuring 24 carat gold miniature soldier figurines by Partners & Spade in collaboration with Chandelier Creative (side note: Chandelier's use of video as background for their site is not something I see around very often, however the content, which opens with three models in jeans walking away from the camera, is incredibly cheesy). I'd heard of Partners & Spade but never looked into it, and in light of the ridiculous 24 carat soldiers (what kind of statement does this make?) I thought I'd better check out their website. Despite the logo looking like Prada's engraver's font, I could immediately see where the soldiers came from -- P&S have this Holden Caulfield aesthetic down pat and of course, in the 50s, soldiers had an entirely different meaning than they do today.

Most surprisingly, their blog, curated as an inspiration board, is actually quite good. Images they've found from top, include imagery from Socialite Inept, artist Hollis Brown Thronton, and photographer Phyllis Galembo. They also publish books of collections of everyday objects and observations (à la J & L books or Daniel Eatock) which I was happy to find, in that I imagined P&S had much more commercial aims given they are mainly a branding firm. 

I almost wish there were more of a separation between their conceptual and commercial work, but then again the combination is sort of what saves them. Even if it's well executed, the obsessive and ultra-stylized throwback gender aesthetic used in their commercial work (see also: Kate Spade) isn't interesting at all unless looked at as purely kitch, so mixing other works highlighting the mundane lends authenticity to their practice. It's as if they dissected a Wes Anderson movie, putting kitch on one side and authenticity on the other -- but it's all still very considered. Is the mundane by nature authentic in the first place? Below, images from their books published in-house and by Harper Collins. 

ANOTHER GEM

Hoping for Happy Accidents is a blog on the theme of interiors and modern artifacts. All culled into one place, from top: A Viennese Attic Apartment (via NYTimes), Carl Auböck (via Reference Library), McCobb furniture (via Treadway Gallery), and that is only the first page. Found on Door Sixteen.

MEN'S MOOD

http://thedayafteryoudie.blogspot.com
Tasteful babes, modernist architecture, the rugged outdoors, minimalist typography experiments and some grafitti/skaterisms here and there must be universal across arty dudes. see also: haw-lin.

JULIA BORN

Graphic Designer Julia Born has an interesting website. Instead of showcasing her professional work it's more an overall tribute to herself, which is awesome. The style is 90s animated gif, or paper rad with a little less neon. The tunes make it. Found on ManyStuff.

UNCHANGING WINDOW

Photos by http://www.unchangingwindow.com