Turns out Cambridge University Library isn't hiding some serious Victorian era smut after all. Its legendary library tower—described by Neville Chamberlain as a "magnificent erection"—was long subject to tight security, and (not coincidentally) rumored to house an extensive collection of 19th-century erotica. Well, the library is now putting more than 170,000 of the tower's works online, and evidently it's pretty tame stuff, as evidenced by titles like A Golden Guide to Matrimony. Now where will students find porn? Oh, never mind.

[Telegraph via BoingBoing]

Sure, in a pinch, a lesser pair of shorts will work as a swimsuit. But taking swimwear the other direction? Believe it. This spring, four designers—Thom Browne, ADAM, Opening Ceremony, and Shipley & Halmos (clockwise from top left)—have pairs out that would look perfectly fine with a dress shirt or even a blazer. Just don't get too carried away, guys—your knees should still be covered come dinnertime. At least if you're dining with us.
Thom Browne surf suit in cotton madras, $3,800 for full suit, available at Bergdorf Goodman, 745 Fifth Ave., NYC, (212) 753-7300, bergdorfgoodman.com;  ADAM beige cargo trunks, $225, shopadam.com; Opening Ceremony swim trunks, $220, Opening Ceremony, 35 Howard St., NYC, (212) 219-2688, openingceremony.us; Shipley & Halmos 100-percent-cotton twill swimsuit, $145, available at Barneys, 660 Madison Ave., (888) 822-7639, barneys.com

Not that we haven't hyped it up already, but it bears repeating: NBC's kitschy, probably ill-advised Knight Rider remake airs Sunday night. How better to rewind after watching a five-hour car race?

Remember when 007 took his Lotus Esprit for a quick swim in The Spy Who Loved Me? More than 30 years later, Swiss car designer Frank Rinderknecht has unveiled a concept car that pulls off the same trick. For his "sQuba" (get it?), premiering at the Geneva Motor Show next month, he converted a Lotus Elise (the Esprit's successor) to drive in water up to ten meters deep. Surprisingly, it actually works: He recently demonstrated it off the coast of Florida. Not surprising: There are currently no plans to put it into production.

[The Daily Telegraph]

Call us un-American, but we'll be rooting for Scottish-born Dario Franchitti as he makes his NASCAR debut at the race's 50th running. Why? Well, the former open-wheel champ brings a much-needed dash of European savoir faire to a sport whose main cultural contribution is the phrase "rubbin' is racin'." Plus, he's driving a Dodge Charger, just like King Richard Petty used to. And most importantly, there's always the chance Ashley Judd will end up parading around pit row in a soaking-wet translucent dress—again.

The concert doc U2 3D goes wide today. (Apparently, the dude from Edun is in a band, too.) It's most notable for being the first live-action film shot and edited with 3-D, but the footage, filmed over several shows in 2006, is just as compelling. (Throwing rarities like "Miss Sarajevo" into the mix doesn't hurt, either.) Of course, not everyone wants to see a five-story Bono just inches in front of them, but it's certainly better (and cheaper) than a back-row ticket to one of their concerts. And yes, you have to wear the glasses.

Artist Hunt Slonem has given the German carmaker's A5 a makeover (not pictured), based on his oil painting Flight, which depicts cockatoos painted in blue, black, red, and white. (We wonder what your date would make of that.) The one-off is being unveiled March 19 at the New York Auto Show, but you'll have to wait until fall to buy—that's when it goes up for auction to benefit the G&P Foundation for Cancer Research.

[Fashion Week Daily]

For Campana Brothers Select, opening today at the Cooper-Hewitt, the Brazilian design duo Fernando and Humberto Campana have raided the estimable design museum's vaults to create a show that illustrates their own eclectic tastes. Their 30-some selections range from the eccentric (an 1830 English dyed interlaced horsehair necklace) to the really eccentric (a page from the 1807 book New Illustration of the Sexual System of Carolus Von Linnaeus), and include examples of their own work, like this 1993 chair made from steel and rope. Maybe that was part of their strategy: Compared to their other choices, the chair almost looks practical.
Campana Brothers Select, today through September 28, in the Nancy and Edwin Marks Gallery, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 2 E. 91st St., NYC, (212) 849-8300, cooperhewitt.org

At the end of March, Tatsugo Yoda's Hawaii-based company—a pioneer of the artful mix of European and indie designer brands—will open its second-ever boutique. (The first is in Honolulu.) Located at the corner of Greenwich and Spring, the shop will carry selections from (among others) Ksubi and Lucien Pellat-Finet, as well as local favorites like Rogan and Tim Hamilton. Impatient? Get a preview at the brand's Web site; as for translating the Japanese, you're on your own.

Try Logitech's elegant new Harmony One universal remote. It sports an intuitive, simple-to-use touchscreen, which offers one-press switching between devices. It replaces up to 15 remotes—and we've found gadget clutter to be one of the top causes of domestic disputes. Speaking of, we'd say it's so easy our girlfriend could use it, but we don't want her to slap us.
Logitech Harmony One universal remote, $250, logitech.com

The world's most recognizable fedora enthusiast doesn't return until May, but the first trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—sadly, nothing to do with Damien Hirst—has just come out. Our first thought: Harrison's stuntman is underpaid.

[Yahoo]

Chasing the Flame, out today, is worth adding to your already overcrowded bookshelf (you do still read books, right?). Samantha Power's compelling biography documents the life of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the longtime UN rep who survived stints in Lebanon, Kosovo, and East Timor, only to die in a 2003 Baghdad attack. And for what it's worth, the Brazilian was also a dapper skirt-chaser who knew from scotch.

Need to preview before you buy? Check out Power's New Yorker piece on Sergio from earlier this year.

Michel Gondry has a gallery show for you. His movie Be Kind Rewind—about two video store clerks who make lo-fi versions of hits like Ghostbusters and Robocop after their store's tapes have been erased—opens next week, but this Saturday, New Yorkers can get their own hands-on experience at Deitch Projects, where the director has re-created the film's video store and set up a back lot for visitors to make their own films.

"The sets are premade, but you can adapt them. There's a waiting room that could be a doctor's office, a police precinct, a shop, anything you want," Gondry says. "The idea [behind Be Kind Rewind] is that people can create their own entertainment and enjoy it more because they're in it. It's about people who become resistant to consumerism. The exhibit allows people to be able to [actually] do that." Participants can take home copies of their footage, but everything created during the exhibition will remain available for viewing at the gallery. Valuable postmodern experiment, or more grist for the YouTubes? Why not both?
Be Kind Rewind (the gallery show), Feb. 16-Mar. 22, Deitch Projects, 18 Wooster St., (212) 343-7300, deitchprojects.com; Be Kind Rewind (the film), opens Feb. 22

Agent Provocateur has teamed up with defense lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, best known for being accused of smuggling underwear to an accused terrorist in that little U.S. prison off the coast of Cuba. The result: knickers in "Guantanamo Bay orange" and printed with the term "Fair trial, my arse." (There goes our idea for its contest.) Classier than the brand's "The only Bush I trust is my own" panties? We'll leave that up to you.

[Guardian]

If fashionable Brits' lapels suddenly get wider this summer, now you'll know why: The designer is opening a 1,175-square-foot pop-up store in the ground-floor tailoring section of retail giant Harrods, reports Portfolio's Fashion Inc. The shop is only a placeholder, however, until Ford can open his next stand-alone boutique, which is set to debut in the city at a date TBD.

Also, one of his Savile Row competitors just got a boost: Kilgour has been sold to KFS Group, a private investment firm. What that means for you: Creative director Carlo Brandelli will have a bit more money at his disposal, which he'll put toward the label's first runway show, happening this June in Paris. Kilgour is also reportedly looking at opening stores outside of London—wonder if he'll bring the stingray tank, too?

[DNR]

The Gutter Twins, a.k.a. Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan, can help. The gravel-throated frontmen from the Afghan Whigs (RIP) and the Screaming Trees (ditto) perform their first-ever show tonight at NYC's Bowery Ballroom (in between cigarettes). Their subject matter, as usual, is love, loss, and (primarily) lust; the mood, dark and sleazy. Dulli's oeuvre includes lines like "I've got a dick for a brain," which will probably squash any lingering romantic sentiments you—or, if you're daring, your date—may harbor. Not in NYC? Their debut album, Saturnalia, comes out March 4 on SubPop. We hope your heart has healed by then.

Good news for anyone who wishes their clothes could power their gadgets: Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new nano-fiber that—warning: reductive explanation ahead—uses movement to generate electricity, thus making truly high-tech fashion a possibility. Something tells us Yohji Yamamoto has already placed his order.

[BBC]

Today in Milan, the retrospective Richard Avedon Photographs 1946-2004 opens, featuring more than 200 pieces from the late master. (Including his last, a picture of Björk.) But if you can't make it between now and June, tide yourself over with this 1993 Charlie Rose interview. (And try to forgive the baggy denim button-down.)

Richard Avedon Photographs 1946-2004, today through June 8, Forma Centro Internazionale di Fotografia, Piazza Tito Lucrezio Caro 1, Milan, 02-5811-8067, formafoto.it

The lingerie maker just announced an online contest asking readers to submit "artistic interpretations" of the theme "naked." The winner gets a free bottle of itd Strip perfume (unfortunately, not in time for tomorrow's holiday) and will have their work shown in the company's window at London's Selfridges department store. Sadly for shoppers—not to mention contest judge (and AP creative director) Joe Corre—no photography is allowed.

If there's one thing a digicam lover's always hoping for, it's the power of a DSLR in the body of a compact. In late March, we'll finally see if Japanese brand Sigma's much-anticipated DP1, now available for preorder, lives up to the bill. What sets the classically styled camera apart is its DSLR-sized 14-megapixel Foveon X3 direct image sensor, which should provide excellent light sensitivity and image quality by—stay with us—piling color pixels on top of one another instead of laying them out in a single layer. Too technical? We hear ya. But it should be spectacular—and for $800, it better be.
Sigma DP1, $800, available now for preorder on Amazon.com

(PLUS: Check out the market's current crop of compact shooters in our digicam hotlist.)

Last night inside NYC's Desmond Tutu Center, Edun—Ali Hewson and Bono's organic fashion label, produced in Third World countries—presented its fall/winter collection, dubbed Nocturne. The clothes had a militaristic look, augmented by both the prevalence of epaulets and the (appropriately) noir color palette. (For contrast, some models sported bright silver Alejandro Ingelmo sneakers.) The knitwear stood out, particularly a gray sweater (pictured) printed with a poem by Gary Jermyn. So what's it like producing clothes under the watchful eye of a world-famous rock star and his missus? "They're very trusting," says designer Josh Amos, who had no trouble getting the duo's sign-off on, say, a black tuxedo shirt with a button-down collar. "Bono's always supporting ideas no one else gets," Perhaps that same trait explains Pop.

Click here for a slideshow >

An interesting post from The New York Observer's Real Estate blog: Yesterday at noon, the Wall Street BMW showroom was strangely customer-free. A dubious economic indicator, to be sure, but discouraging nonetheless. As the paper notes, though, things could turn around soon: Deutsche Bank reportedly hands out bonuses this Friday, which means the dealership should soon see a few more customers.

Not content to let Dubai have all the Middle East's man-made luxury resort islands, soon Qatar will be home to the Pearl. The 985-acre location will offer about 280,000 square feet of retail space, enough for about 1,000 shops, including freestanding stores from Hermès, Armani, and YSL. But don't pack your LV bags just yet: The project is expected to be completed in December.

[WWD]

We might be six weeks into the new year, but London's Design Museum is still looking back. Not a bad idea—the inaugural Brit Insurance Designs of the Year show honors 2007's best design, with selections both brilliant (Gary Hustwit's documentary Helvetica, Uniqlo's cashmere Pantone collaboration) and obvious (the Wii, the iPhone). Weirdly, the show will have a winner (billed as the Turner Prize of the design world and announced in March), but it's most intriguing as an exhibition—after all, where else can you find the Fiat 500 and selections from Raf Simons' spring/summer collection in the same place?
Brit Insurance Designs of the Year, today through April 27, Design Museum, Shad Thames, London, 08-70-833-9955, designmuseum.org

Axel Bjurström's TV Easel is pretty much exactly what it sounds like—a lacquered wood stand for flatscreens between 32 and 47 inches. But it's more than a silly play on words: The concept is being developed for Panasonic, which means it might (someday) be sold stateside.

[Dezeen]

While we try to restrict ourselves here to "stuff that matters," now and then we like to point out an esoteric way of goofing off. In that spirit, we recommend Bodies of Knowledge, the British Library's online exhibit of how different cultures have created art out of our inner workings. (Including drawings for human-machine hybrids like this one from artist Fritz Kahn.) Creepy, but cool.

[BoingBoing]

If you've ever wanted to hear Michael Jackson duet with Fergie on "Beat It," today's 25th anniversary edition of Thriller gives you the chance. For the rest of us, we'll stick with the brilliant original (on vinyl, thanks) and consider that, for all the guy's recent problems, MJ knew how to dress back in the day. We're not the only ones who've noticed—check out this jacket, pictured, from Tim Hamilton's spring collection.

Continuing a trend, the company just introduced a nonbranded version of its fashion phone. In this case, the KF700 adds a sliding keypad to its Prada-like exterior, complete with a generous three-inch touchscreen. It also has a scroll wheel on its back for quick features access and Web browsing—sounds uncomfortable to us, but our friends at Gizmodo call it "the best phone released at Mobile World Congress." Judge for yourself when it drops this summer.

Want to wait even longer? LG plans to release a phone with Google's new Android operating system later this year or early '09. Yes, the hype has already started.

Herman Miller's new C2 uses just 1.5 amps to heat, cool, and filter the air of your cubicle. (That's 90 percent less energy than your dad's space heater; the device has been certified by air-quality monitors Greenguard.) Perhaps accordingly, we found it needed a little more oomph, but the touch-sensitive fan-meter and (more importantly) the cooling function both work beautifully—as does the simple design. If only it could get rid of your boss' garlic breath.
Herman Miller C2, $300, hermanmillerseating.com

For its just-announced Fastskin LZR Racer, Speedo enlisted Rei Kawakubo to create a curious, calligraphy-influenced design, which might be one of the best-looking wet suits out there. (Trust us, that's higher praise than it sounds.) Also, NASA helped create a fully bonded fabric, which the company claims is its fastest yet. (It better be—the suit will outfit Team USA this summer.) While a "competition version" will set you back $550, you can get a basic knee-length style this May for around 100 bucks.

[WWD]

Making its long-overdue DVD debut today: cop show The Equalizer, about anguished secret agent turned private detective Robert McCall. The character is played with perfect reserve by Edward Woodward, whose trenchcoat will be difficult to fill when the movie remake hits theaters next year. (We like Hugh Laurie for the role.) It's also worth watching for the title tune alone, written by Police drummer Stewart Copeland.

Also out this week: Gone Baby Gone, which was unfairly overlooked in the fall Oscar-bait deluge. Ben Affleck—a lot more likable behind the camera.

For its first-ever line of bespoke suiting, California menswear shop South Willard enlisted an unlikely designer: Jasmin Shokrian, best known for her eponymous women's label. Still, based on her first effort—a midnight-blue lightweight cashmere suit for lanky artist Christopher Vasell (pictured)—we're willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. The coat is slim yet classically proportioned, and the inside is lined with cotton-backed silk. (Customers can select from a range of English and Italian fabrics.) Shokrian has two more art world clients lined up, one of them bicoastal, so there could be an NYC outpost in the future. "Everything I do is an experiment at the beginning," says Shokrian. So far, so good.
Jasmin Shokrian bespoke suits for South Willard, $3,000 to $4,000, South Willard, 8038 W. Third St., L.A., (323) 653-6153, southwillard.com

More news from the GSMA World Congress: Nokia's long-rumored N96 is finally here. The dual-slider sports a more streamlined design than its predecessor, the souped-up N95, with rounder edges and a minimalist four-button keypad. It also doubles the amount of internal storage (16 gigs) while keeping other top-shelf specs like the 5-megapixel camera (complete with Zeiss lens) and DVD-quality video. Just be prepared to pay for all the frills: It'll cost about $800 stateside when it comes out this fall.

[Engadget Mobile]

With its new W980i (introduced today at the GSMA World Congress), Sony Ericsson has completely redesigned its Walkman series. The phone now sports a clamshell form factor, augmented by an external screen (and controls) and retro-styled internal keypad. It ups the storage to 8 gigs (or 8,000 tunes), compared to the W880i's paltry 16 MB, but be warned: It weighs a whopping one ounce more than its 2.5-ounce predecessor. The phone drops in June.

The brand also unveiled two new lines: Xperia, whose curvy X1 has a sliding QWERTY keyboard (not unlike the Helio Ocean's); and the G Series, whose flagship is the solid if unspectacular G900, a candybar that comes with a touchscreen (we hear those are hot these days), Wi-Fi, and a 5-megapixel camera. Both are out in mid-2008.

[Gizmodo]

The latest rapper to try his hand in the fashion business: Lupe Fiasco, who just created a new line of jackets with L.A. streetwear designer Dr. Romanelli to promote his recent album, The Cool. Can't decide between black and pink? Good news: The jackets are reversible.

[High Snobiety via Pitchfork]

Kevin Erskine at The Scotch Blog has dug up two, um, interesting Australian commercials for Jim Beam. As he points out, they make Canadian Club's "Your Dad Drank It" campaign seem almost tame.

(PLUS: Check out our scotch Hotlist.)

Samsung just introduced the F480, which reworks Giorgio's phone by adding a stronger camera (5 megapixels), 3g connectivity, and FM radio. Unfortunately,the company's kept the Europe-only distribution plan. It drops this spring for about 400 euros, and was among the whopping 17 cell phones Samsung unveiled today at Europe's big phone show, the GSMA Mobile World Congress.

The other design highlight: the F400, part of the company's ongoing collaboration with B&O. The dual-slider reveals two external speakers and, perhaps just as importantly, looks a lot more practical than the duo's last cobranded phone, the Serenata. It, too, is Europe-only.

[Mobile-Review]

Could the lapel pin be having a post-American flag comeback? Judging by Jay-Z's bejeweled bit of flair at last night's Grammys, maybe so. Fortunately, his Tom Ford tux provided ample space for him to show it off.

Next month, Versace's men's runway line is finally returning to U.S. retail shelves, after more than two years of absence. The spring collection—Alexandre Plokhov's first as creative consultant—will be sold exclusively at Barneys, including the store's new Vegas outpost. No word on pricing, but lest this line prove out of your range, you can still pick up the (relatively) more affordable Versace Collection elsewhere.

[DNR]

Three-year-old L.A. store The Way We Wore made its reputation selling vintage Chanel and YSL to the city's retro-minded ladies, and this spring it's aiming to do the same for men. (And judging by the Mad Men-influenced looks on the runways last week, not a moment too soon.) In March, the shop will open a 1,600-square-foot space inside its newly opened Melrose pop-up shop, which will sell sweaters, suiting, shoes, and hats from the fifties and sixties. (Good news, pulp fans: Some forties stuff will be available, too.) Like many good things, though, this isn't meant to last—the pop-up shop will close its doors May 15.
The Way We Wore pop-up store, 7264 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 932-9490, thewaywewore.com