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Filed under Uncategorized
For anyone who appreciates the fine art of writing, jotting notes by hand is still a very much admired skill that can also justly be regarded as an art form. At World Man About Town, we are big fans of putting pen to paper in all literal forms and choosing the right notebook is crucial for a much admired creative process. As much as we embrace the convenience and speed of technology, there is still something very fitting about carrying a paper notebook and a pen to jot down thoughts and descriptions about an exhibition, a fashion show, or a glittering personality. Furthermore, there is something rather reassuring in the process of making your own letters, words and sentences, and in allowing yourself creating language before migrating it into the digital realm.
Herewith, and after having had many opportunities of using them for the most diverse activities, our favourite notebooks.
Aspinal of London in pastel blue calf leather
Christian Lacroix at Victoria & Albert Museum
Monocle
Noble MacMillan Chelsea Pocket Journal
Noble MacMillan Eley Kishimoto notebook
Paperchase
Paperchase
Paperchase
Roger la Borde
Roger la Borde
Roger la Borde for Liberty
Smythson
Smythson
Smythson
Vivienne Westwood
Vivienne Westwood
Filed under Accessories, Art, Design, Style
Although the Dutch label Avelon has been around for a while, its success under the creative direction of Erik Frenken from 2010 has made it a brand to watch out for. Avelon’s Autumn/Winter 2011 menswear collection manages to be sophisticated and yet pushing the boundaries of fashion. Every item incorporates a futuristic language, playing with shapes and proportions to create an urban and industrial feel that is also extremely flattering to the male silhouette.
This season, the brand has focused on the ratio between the softness and volume of the garments. Slick tailored pieces such as skinny jeans or tight-fitting knitwear and cropped jackets contrast elegantly with oversized cardigans and harem pants and chunky knits. Leather, a trademark of Avelon’s collections, features on most garments (including trousers, knits, shirts, and tops) in the form of elaborated detailing and patchworks, providing the whole collection with an understated luxury feel while keeping it in line with the label’s philosophy of mixing different materials and textures to recreate the most unusual effects.
Great attention has been paid to the detailed construction of the garments, as evidenced in the use of raw edges, patchwork detail, and layering effects with sheer fabrics and leathers. Fabrics in dark muted tones have been used to create oversized parachute shaped tops, chunky knitwear and trousers. Some of the fabrics have been specially washed to create a worn vintage feel.
Avelon was discovered by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana for their multi-brand boutique Spiga 2 in Milan, and is now listed amongst the store’s most popular labels. It is available in retailers in China, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, UK, and in the USA, in prestigious stores such as Browns, the Shop at Bluebird, Opening Ceremony just to name a few.
For more information visit the brand’s website or its online store.
In the opinion of World Man About Town, the Japanese conglomerate of style Uniqlo is currently one of the most exciting high-street brands. Not only does it offer basic and yet stylish staple garments and accessories, but it has developed interesting lines and partnerships that have justified its deserved commercial growth and success.
Uniqlo is owned by the Fast Retailing Group, a sartorial power house founded in 1963 by Tadashi Yanai that also owns the brands Comptoir des Cottoniers, Helmut Lang, and Theory. These and other labels can be purchased in over 2,000 retailers with annual net sales of over 800 billion Yen (10 billion US Dollars). Uniqlo started in 1984 in Hiroshima, Japan, under the name Unique Clothing Warehouse and opened its first shop abroad in London in 2011. Since then, it has been a remarkable phenomenon in the fashion world and it currently boasts 843 stores in Japan and 181 stores in other countries (including China, France, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, and USA), playing the biggest role in generating revenues for the Fast Retailing Group.
The label took one giant step forward in March 2009, when it signed a contract with fashion designer Jil Sander and offered her a position as design consultant. Sander’s minimal style allied to the focus on quality fabrics lead to the creation of the very popular +J label collections. At World Man About Town we have been big fans of Sander’s biannual ranges for Uniqlo and have always looked forward to seeing the smart garments and accessories in store.
The rumours that Jil Sander may be stopping her partnership with Uniqlo in the near future made us revisit the brand’s lookbook for Autumn/Winter 2011. Herewith, our recommended favourite five pieces for this season.
+J Wool Flannel Shawl Collar Jacket
Body Warm Light Down Parka
+J Premium Down Light Parka
+J Wool Pea Coat
+J Extra Fine Cotton Slim Fit Long Sleeve Shirt
Filed under Accessories, Design, Fashion
The product designs by innovative and award-winning architect Zaha Hadid are at the centre of the exhibition ‘Zaha Hadid: Form in Motion’ currently on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art until 25 March 2012.
Hadid, who we have featured more than once at World Man About Town, is renowned for having advanced the vocabulary of contemporary architecture and design through the exploration of complex fluid geometries and the use of cutting-edge techniques and manufacturing technologies. For this exhibition (the first in the United States to feature her product designs) the Iraqi-born and London-based architect has devised a sculptural environment for a selection of furniture, decorative art, jewellery, and footwear that she has designed over the last few years.
This exhibition emphasizes the continuous nature of her work, reinventing the balance between objects and space in interior landscapes. Sleekly curving sofas, tables, and lounge chairs (made of materials ranging from wood, steel, aluminium, and polyurethane) inhabit the gallery, while biomorphic forms represent the new and unusual shapes Hadid has introduced into the language of design. Among the highlights are a collection of Swarovski crystal–encrusted necklaces and bracelets, spiralling, strappy shoes made for Lacoste and Melissa, and the three-wheeled Z-car I, a prototype created of high-density foam that echoes several of her sculptural forms.
On 19 November 2011, Collab, a group of design professionals and enthusiasts who support the museum’s modern and contemporary design collection, will honour Hadid with the 2011 Design Excellence Award.
Photographs © Paul Warchol
Filed under Architecture, Design
Photographer and publisher Rankin is launching a new self-published fashion and lifestyle magazine called The Hunger. Expected to be unveiled on 17 November 2011, the new title is being published with support from the Dazed Group, publishers of magazines such as Dazed & Confused, AnOther and AnOther Man, highly favoured titles at World Man About Town.
Rankin
The Hunger will be a biannual magazine with a supporting website, and both platforms are being designed as ways to support emerging talent across all artistic fields. Each issue will feature two covers, a male and a female, and will include articles and news about those people that have propelled culture forward in their own fields. Shot entirely by Rankin, The Hunger will celebrate artistic ambition from the past offering inspiring imagery and original editorial about fashion, art, technology, comedy, travel, literature, world affairs and entertainment to upcoming creatives.
The debut issue includes interviews with the likes of Rhys Ifans, Terence Stamp, and Ray Winstone, and fashion stories with Milla Jovovich, Heidi Klum, Erin O’Connor and Kelis among others. The Hunger TV website will be updated weekly, offering filmed interviews, fashion films and documentaries.
Filed under Art, Design, Fashion, Photography
The image of a bathroom showroom displaying toilets and sinks is not always welcomed with sexiest of thoughts. However, the challenge to make the display of such products attractive was successfully achieved by award-winner architect Zaha Hadid with the recently opened Roca London Gallery. A showroom in London’s Chelsea Harbour for Spanish bathroom brand Roca, the gallery is a stylish (and almost futuristic) space that is also intended to function as a venue for exhibitions, seminars, meetings, and other events.
The Roca London Gallery consists of a single floor measuring 1,100 m2, where, following the design intentions devised by Zaha Hadid Architects, water plays a crucial role in sculpting every detail while flowing and merging exterior and interior spaces. This image of fluid and bright luxury is further stressed on the inside of the building by the use of glass-reinforced white concrete panels and integrated shelves to display Roca’s products. In addition, examples of sophisticated lighting (namely, the large and bulbous fittings and lights placed within recessed grooves) are used throughout to connect different areas.
Photographs courtesy of Luke Hayes
Filed under Design
Created in 2010 by Valentijn Merkens, Amsterdam Shoe Company aims to create products that are true to their essence. The brand draws inspiration from casual and formal staples of men’s footwear, blending modern and classic aesthetics. Simple, elegant shapes are executed in the right fabrics and subtle colours with the intention to complement what men wear, whether by blending in seamlessly or by providing a subtle accent.
After producing a range of relaxed and elegant plimsolls for summer, Amsterdam Shoe Company has produced the stylish Suede Canal Moc high-tops in chestnut and charcoal for autumn/winter 2011.
For more information visit the label’s website at http://amsterdamshoeco.com/.
South Korean fashion label Wooyoungmi (and one of World Man About Town’s favourite menswear brands) has unveiled a collaboration with five creative talents from London at Selfridges department store in the heart of the British capital.
Jewellery designer Jordan Askill, illustrator and designer Gary Card, blogger Steve Salter, men’s designer wear and contemporary buyer at Selfridges Reece C risp, and editor of Dazed Digital magazine David Hellqvist have redesigned the classic Wooyoungmi coat No. 51 which can be seen in a pop-up event at Selfridges until 3 November. Ten percent of the sales of the £650 coat made in the temporary shop will be donated to the charity Art Against Knives.
World Man About Town paid a visit to see the designs for the coat at the opening event and found them all outstanding creations for a commendable cause, and worth considering partying with the money in the name of style and a charitable cause.
