Without its precious cargo, what good is a wine barrel, you ask? See for yourself. Fashion progeny Angela Missoni and Chiara Ferragamo, along with 30 other designers and architects including Daniel Libeskind, Marc Sadler, and Arnaldo Pomodoro, worked alongside recovering addicts in the San Patrignano Rehabilitation Center in Italy (Europe’s largest drug rehabilitation center) to repurpose wine casks into colorful, uncomplicated items of furniture. Now that's clean living.
On view May 17-19, Poltrona Frau Showroom, 145 Wooster Street, NYC. Proceeds will go toward the San Patrignano Center.
When it comes to the iPhone, on which we seem spend more time than jobs and children combined, who hasn't thought of the old adage that it's worth its weight in gold? Now comes evidence. An anonymous company in Hong Kong has commissioned high-end gadget bedazzler Stuart Hughes to create a model worth nearly $15 million. Almost 97% of that cost is encrusted in the home button, made from ultra-rare 26-carat black diamonds, making the remaining 600 white-diamond pave in a solid-gold casing seem almost paltry. Rihanna has one in every carat.
Granted, these shoes are pretty hideous. But like any new technology, it won't be long before we're all wearing 3D-printed accessories. That's the thinking behind of Layer by Layer, an exhibition at the London College of Fashion that examines the digital print phenomenon in fashion — okay, not yet a phenomenon, but soon. On hand will be works by Naim Josef and Souzan Youssouf, Ron Arad, and Daniel Widrig, as well as a MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer that will run throughout the exhibition, printing objects which will then be put on display.
Layer by Layer, April 10 - May 18, Fashion Space Gallery, London College of Fashion, 20 John Prince’s Street, London, W1G 0BJ
Hedi Slimane continues to mine authentic, pre-power-shoulder Yves Saint Laurent with his latest collaboration. The L.A.-based designer has teames up with the artist-musician Grimes (Claire Boucher) on a five-piece T-shirt collection. Inspired by Monsieur's Love Posters from the 1970s (he was an tireless scribbler), Grimes' alterations include mythical creatures and tribal heads framing the words "Love" and the trademark "YSL."
$320-350 at Luisa Via Roma
While it's not the most original concept ever—whiffing, as it does, of Louis Vuitton's collaboration with Takashi Murakami—Gucci can do no wrong in the wide eyes of its Japanese customers. The Italian house has commissioned manga artist Hirohiko Araki to produce a kind of comic campaign for its pre-spring 2013 collection.
The story—called Jolyne, Fly High With Gucci—centers on a recurring Araki character, Jolyne Cujoh, who, while sounding like something out of a Dolly Parton song, is a college student who finds herself inheriting piles of Gucci items from her mother. Naturally this sets her off on a series of strange adventures that involve wearing statement pieces and plenty of reasons to display the Gucci logo. In fact the artist routinely incorporates brand logos in his work, much to the chagrin of lawyers, reportedly.
Of all the things you pay for that only end up insulting your intelligence—age-defying goop, apps over 99 cents, Time Warner Cable—only a piece of mail from Mr. Bingo is sure to perk you up. The unassuming London illustrator will, for a small fee, send you a postcard with a deeply offensive message on it. He calls his particular brand of art Hate Mail. You won't know what form his venom will take; it could be blunt or more ornate. But no matter what you get, if you're the contrary sort, your spirits your spirits will be lifted...
Noritaka Tatehana—maker of towering heelless shoes, the kind destined for Lady Gaga's monster claws—has launched a couple of gifts for the holidays. And like his foot art, their prices are not for the timid. A leather keychain goes for $410 while a charm to hold incense—incense included!—can be yours for a very merry $450. But hey, shipping and tax are included.
Visit Noritaka Tatehana
Looks like Gwen Stefani, who apparently rides on the swankiest tour bus ever, has added one more step in her "creative process that never stops." No Doubt has collaborated with Fred Perry on a capsule line of three tops: of course a polo shirt ($95), as well as a collegiate 50s bomber jacket ($170), and a punk-inspired tartan sweater ($250)—all in a reggae palette of dark gold, red and green. Available in men's or women's sizing, the line begins rolling out in January. Pre-order here.
To demystify self-screening and have some fun with the holidays, the men's cancer-awareness group Orchid has gone altogether ballsy, coming out with a tree ornament in the shape of a...let's go with Christmas present. Dangling in the open, the bauble won't let you forget to, as the website says: "Check your Bauballs." Following Movember's experiments in facial hair, we can get used to this new male fixation. Available online December 10.
