Someone apparently spent two years creating the machine seen here—a working V-12 four-stroke engine made almost entirely from paper. As the blokes at Top Gear put it, the video is either strangely fascinating or "as dull as a diesel Auris." (Translation from Britspeak: Really effing boring.) If you like it, good news: The "origami-reinforced structure" is on sale for 116 bucks. Seems reasonable to us.
If Denon's just-announced DHT-FS5 soundbar looks familiar, it's because Yamaha made one first. But sometimes early adoption has its price: The new speaker system offers a similarly clean design, but with more power and a lower price. The only thing holding us back: It appears the product is Japan-only, at least for now.
We try to stay away from hot-button political issues, but we thought you should be aware of a push to make June 30 a National Day of Recognition for Corvette. (Apparently, it's by the same people responsible for that Corvette stamp a few years back.) The movement has the support of at least one Congressman—apparently it's not all investigating ballplayers on the Hill these days—but we're still holding out for a National Day of Recognition for the Aston Martin Vantage. (And yes, we know it's British.)
Apparently, they're still giving awards to the thing—the latest is a Good Design Award, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It's given by a program founded in the fifties by (among others) the Eameses, and Apple's humble cell phone was one of 400 winners. Their other choices were smart (Slingbox PRO), predictable (Boeing 787), and usually a bit of both (anything from Apple). Check out the full list here.
[UnBeige]
Based on the name of his latest eatery, Philadelphia chef Michael O'Halloran is a little shameless, a little clueless, or a bit of both. Introducing: The Waverly. (Judging by the fact that the news arrived via emailed press release, we're leaning toward shameless—though a publicist for the chef assured us the place is actually named after a nearby street and not the restaurant co-owned by a certain editor in chief.) While the French-leaning menu has its share of comfort food—duck-fat fried potatoes, anyone?—it appears to be mercifully free of truffled mac and cheese. Also absent: "Fritz."
The designer's retail rollout continues: On February 5, Yohji Yamamoto is opening not one but two stores in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. One is a 1,500-square-foot space devoted solely to his eponymous line—the city's first such shop in 20 years—while across the street will be a 2,100-square-foot Y-3 boutique, NYC's first.
[WWD]
New York hosted the second Capsule trade show this week, and while we saw a lot of interesting new concepts, three names stood above the rest.
Click here for our slideshow >
Given that it's about a young girl seeking something that rhymes with "shmashmortion," the new 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is understandably bleak. But thanks to the documentary-style camera work and some pretty impressive performances, it's also a must-see. (Think of it as The Wire, but in a foreign tongue.) Just as depressing, but for different reasons: Sly's got a new Rambo out this weekend.
Tonight, Mojo HD is unrolling a new block of reality shows—unfortunately dubbed Money Night—that go behind the scenes on Wall Street. The programs include Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist, Start-Up Junkies, and Wall Street Warriors, pictured, about six up-and-coming stock traders. Our advice to the guys on the show: Visit one of the nearby menswear shops before the next season.
That's The Sartorialist, a.k.a. Scott Schuman, at last night's opening of his first-ever gallery show. As you might expect, some of NYC's best-dressed stopped by Danziger Projects to wish him well, and naturally we had a few photographers on hand to capture the action.
Starting today: The Salon de Lingerie International, a four-day (!) Paris-based show devoted to what's next in (obviously) women's underwear. Planning to go? Tough luck—the event is trade-only (and inconveniently located across the sea), but judging by the epic video on its site (not to mention the photo above), we're missing out.
Well, besides Hamlet 2. Photographer Jeremy Kost has been documenting the Park City scene all week.
The title of the next James Bond film was just announced: Quantum of Solace, after a 1960 Ian Fleming short story. (The plot, however, will be all new.) Predictably, some Brits are already calling it the "worst Bond title ever." Then again, these are the same people who called Daniel Craig "James Blond"—and we think that choice worked out all right.
Narciso Rodriguez won't be showing menswear this season. (His women's collection will go on as scheduled.) But don't count the Cuban-born designer out just yet: A rep says the move is temporary.
[FWD]
The designer (and lover of late-eighties London fashion) is rumored to be in talks with Dunhill about taking over as its creative director, reports WWD. Interesting timing: The brand is supposedly opening a new flagship store this summer—though we can't say Jones is in much need of a haircut.
"This is a laboratory," Rogues Gallery founder Alex Carleton says of his first store, opening next week in his native Portland, Maine. "So it's something I wanted to keep close to me and play with it." The result of his experimenting: a 1,000-square-foot former perfumery—the lavender still lingers—with sweaters spun at local farms, hand-loomed blankets from Northport's Swans Island, and one-off bags sourced from vintage materials and overdyed on site. (And, of course, his main line.) Just don't look for him to duplicate it in NYC or L.A. "We're sort of interested in B-plus cities, like Seattle, Vancouver, and San Francisco," he says. Hey, we'd give Vancouver at least an A-minus.
Rogues Gallery opens Feb. 1 at 41 Wharf St., Portland, Maine, roguesgallery.com
The hipster tee will never die, so it's about time someone put it to good use. Enter Shea Mullen (sister to Save Khaki founder David Mullen), who reached out to organizations like the Boys & Girls Club and the National MS Society about selling T-shirts printed with their vintage logos. (Mullen has MS herself.) They agreed, and the resulting line, dubbed Give and Take Tees, goes on sale this spring at Barneys—and yes, you cynical bastard, 20 percent of proceeds go to charity.
Starting today, online music bible AllMusic will be posting old ads from Rolling Stone once a week. (Sounds kind of familiar …) Its first (pictured) is for Panasonic's mid-eighties sensation the Triple Take, a portable AM/FM stereo cassette with—holy moly!—a hidden slide-out turntable. We've never been so happy to live in the iPod era.
This week has a couple good reads if you like deconstructing American myths (and who doesn't?). In God Save the Fan, Will Leitch details how the cult of the athlete has been diminished by YouTube and sports blogs like Deadspin, which (not coincidentally) is edited by the author. A little heavier—thematically if not physically—is William T. Vollmann's Riding Toward Everywhere. In it, the writer describes his post-9/11 escape from society by (that old gambit) riding the rails. It's probably best to avoid reading it until after your next pointless business trip.
Guess he's really doing it: Richard Branson has just released the final design of the launch system that will take Virgin Galactic's customers into space. The funky "spaceliner" is dubbed the SpaceShipTwo—SpaceShipOne was the concept—and will be carried into the air by the funkier-looking WhiteKnightTwo. The vehicle is about 60-percent built, and will seat a mere eight passengers when it takes its maiden suborbital voyage in 2009. Need help packing? We hear another knight can help you with that.
[BBC]
Next week, British tailor Duncan Quinn is opening his third U.S. bespoke store in the Big D, following locations in New York and L.A. "I think it's a fashion epicenter for the market in that part of the country," he says of his new home. "We're looking forward to having some fun." Along those lines, the shop will host tastings of rare scotch and fine wine, and will also carry the designer's full line of shirts, ties, cuff links, brollies, and suits—both ready-to-wear and bespoke, with a two-piece custom starting at $4,000.
2420 Victory Park Lane, Victory Park, Dallas, (214) 953-1953, duncanquinn.com
Nearly two years ago, Ramak Fazel set out in a camper van to photograph the 50 U.S. state capitols. At each stop, he created handmade postcards, which he would then mail to his next destination's general post office. Unfortunately, he ran out of money before getting to Juneau. Even more unfortunately, his voyage was interrupted by the feds—apparently the FBI doesn't take too kindly to an Iranian-American snapping pictures of state monuments. He was briefly detained on suspicion of terrorism, but managed to complete his 78-day trip. The resulting, eerily beautiful photos finally go on display tonight.
Ramak Fazel: 49 State Capitols, tonight through Mar. 8, Storefront for Art and Architecture, 97 Kenmare St., NYC, (212) 431-5795, storefrontnews.org
We reported the rumor back in November, and now it's official: Raf Simons and Fred Perry have collaborated on a full line of menswear, due this fall. The 12-style line is a little bit Fred (plenty of polos) and a little bit Raf (a mohair shirt-sleeve turtleneck jumper, an update on an archival trouser), and it will be available for two seasons. Hope you like black, though: The clothes are noir-only.
So I finally got around to plowing through Time's Man of the Year issue the other day (Putin! Very controversial!), and made two unexpected discoveries. One, it turns out the Russians have a leader who's capable of speaking in complete sentences. You forget how nice that is. Two, and more to the point, the official poster for Vladimir Putin's "VV" fan club—of course he's got a fan club—may well be the most compelling piece of pop art of the past ten years. That future-directed gaze, the all-knowing expression (wait, is that a smirk?), the caption that says "WE SHALL PERSEVERE" rendered in Cyrillic—who needs Warhol? I've tried, so far unsuccessfully, to find a print for sale online. All you aspiring T-shirt designers ought to take that as a challenge.
For the man who likes to match his suitcase to his bespoke suit, there's Paul Smith's new luggage collection. Dubbed Maharam after his signature striped fabric (which adorns the bags), the six-piece line includes leather-trimmed trolley cases and laptop bags, and is due this spring. No word on pricing yet, though it'll no doubt seem cheaper on the designer's side of the pond.
Richard Harris was the coal miner-turned-rugby player in This Sporting Life, one of Britain's many stylish films from the sixties. (Somehow, it failed to make GQ's list of the ten best guy films you've never seen.) It's out today from Criterion, which means it's never looked better. The DVD also includes Is That All There Is?, the autobiographical final film by director Lindsay Anderson.
The band, that is—the Cavalli poster boys will be playing tomorrow night's opening of his new Soho store. Seems appropriate, as the brand has already attracted famous fans like Franz Ferdinand, the Rolling Stones, and Iggy Pop, presumably when he actually wears a shirt. ("We love our little rock stars," the designer says.) The 2,600-square-foot space will feature a relatively high-end mix of jeans, suits, shirts, and accessories, so those without a record deal might be better off sticking to Buckler's Meatpacking District base.
Buckler, 93 Grand St., NYC, (212) 925-1711,
bucklershowroom.com
Picking up a trend from last summer, Comme des Garçons is opening a store in a former L.A. bank. Just be prepared to act fast: The West 4th St. location is a "guerrilla store"—the label's first in America—and will only stick around for a year after the Feb. 16 opening.
[WWD]
After a long delay, Sharps Barber Store in London finally opens this week, and it was worth the wait: The full-service shop offer shaves, shoeshines, and (of course) haircuts, with a trim starting at just $50. That includes free beer to sip while you're snipped, but don't let it distract you from what's on the walls: Each month a panel will select an emerging talent to decorate the room, and at the end of the year, one of the 12 artists will receive a $10,000 prize—and a few complementary trims, no doubt.
Sharps Barbers, 13 Charlotte St., London, sharpsbarbers.com
Jeffrey Kalinsky is teaming up again with Gant. His store has carried an exclusive limited edition by the resurgent company for the past two seasons, and now DNR reports he's returning the favor by designing a full line of menswear for the brand. Set to debut this fall, the pieces include polos, cardigans, a reversible herringbone car coat, and a padded rain slicker, and will retail for between $125 (rugby shirts) and $900 (outerwear).
Those with more urgent prep fashion needs can head to the West Village this May, when Ralph Lauren will be taking over the 1,600-square-foot L'Uomo space. It's next door to his menswear shop, though what the new store will carry remains TBD. We'll keep you posted.
[DNR]
Also, YouTube: He's guest-editing the site while at Sundance. Frankly, the video below isn't the most promising start—granted it's better than The Science of Sleep—but his picks so far are spot-on, including videos with Noam Chomsky and Ornette Coleman. (Separately, not together.)
Once you're finished there, head over to ucbcomedy.com, the newly launched site from erstwhile comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade. Basically, it's another site to help you goof off at work—you're welcome.
Is the one at left—Jukebox's actual songs are spot-on. Though the singer's sources are diverse—they include Billie Holiday ("Don't Explain"), James Brown ("Lost Someone"), and, um, herself ("Metal Heart")—the album is remarkably coherent, thanks in part to the crack blues band she took on tour last year, not to mention guest work from former Al Green guitarist Teenie Hodges. Also out this week: Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles, by Steve Aoki, who apparently has a record deal. Good for him.
