Cool

- From DESIGN YOU TRUST

Ra Ra Ra-ah-ahhhhh

Lady Gaga, pahinga ka naman ng konti


We are convinced that Lady Gaga can’t stop, won’t stop and will never stop. After releasing her album, most celebrated doyenne of electro-pop immediately takes off for a world tour, sang the to Queen recently and is going to put out the Monster Pack of her latest album, The Fame Monster. Taking her fare for dramatic persona to a new level in ways only children raised in the ever-volatile city of New York can, the lady brings in Kanye West and acclaimed fashion photographer, David LaChapelle, to create images for the Monster Pack of The Fame Monster. David LaChapelle’s signature theatrical images washed in fantastic vivid colors bodes perfectly with Gaga’s outrageous attitude and style. Of course, the matrimony of these two also means nudity ensues, and don’t expect to see pants around either.

- FROM FRESHNESS

MOST WANTED: Dun... dun... dudududun.... dun... dudududun... dun...

 High Snobiety12/19/09 9:35 AM Pete Williams Other adidas originals applications star wars

The Galactic Empire has found an unlikely ally in adidas Originals. Find out exactly what they have in store for the world and you by experiencing the DEATH STAR application. Visit adidas.com/originals/deathstar to check it out!

- FROM HIGHSNOBIETY

MOST WANTED: Ano Ba Toes?

The FADER has a look into jewelry designer Carly Margolis’ collection for Keds. Carly “usually mixes up an inspirational cocktail of about five influences when she goes to work on a collection—science fiction, mythology, tribalism, futurism and something ancient—and the five marvelous plimsolls she’s designed for Keds are a gorgeous tongue-in-cheek combo of them all.” Photo prints of gold, barnacles, cosmic lights and even feet each make an appearance on the classic Keds Champion. Available now.
The full Carly Margolis x Keds Champion Pack follows.
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Read the rest of Carly Margolis x Keds Champion Pack

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© 2009 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: Pete Williams | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us | 

Thought for the Day (12/14/09)

Merry Christmas! "May 2010" be a year of hope - pun intended. 

Where the Wild Things Are :)

Following their Kubrick, Be@rbrick and other Where The Wild Things are figures, Medicom Toy releases a “Real Action Heroes” version of Max. Dialing in as the largest WTWTA toy thus far, RAH 220 Max measures 26cm (approx. 10 inches) tall. Now available from colette.
More looks at the Where The Wild Things Are x Medicom Toy RAH 220 “Max” follow.
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Read the rest of Where The Wild Things Are x Medicom Toy RAH 220 “Max”

- posted from Highsnobiety 

Thought for the Day (12/08/09)

Hound the shark. Don't let the sharks hound you :)

When I Say Look, You Say 'Who Bites?'

I'm heavy on the pop culture. If there's such a thing as a target market for anything related to pop culture, I'm probably the person, or the figurative target market they're referring to. I just really like to be 'in the know' with what everyone's thinking. What's the latest must-read book? Who's the latest love team about town? What's the latest score between this person and that person? I guess I'm also naturally chismoso. Knowledge to me is sexy. But smut is definitely sexier. Haha. 

This year, no doubt the award for biggest pop culture phenomenon goes to fang-araffic vampire community. Twilight, Vampire Diaries, and True Blood... oh my! Vampires are fast becoming every Juan's visual and emotional fixation. There's something about this blood-sucking bitches. Is it the Pinoy's predilection for white? Or maybe it's their sensitive, mysterious, bad seed within wanting to come out but because of some virtuous pledge, they sheath with all their might, and for most hormonal media like True Blood, their love. Whatever it is, every Juan is hooked. And so is fashion.


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Like it or not, Twilight has been this year’s media sensation. With news of Twilight covering the weekly glossies and easily found on gossip sites, it was no surprise to see the emergence of the vampire in fashion editorials. Interestingly enough, the majority of characters cast maintained a safe contemporary mode of dress that was far from the unorthodox silhouettes and draping expected.

1. Doug Bell and Jullien Herrera strut and pose their way through the pages of Dazed & Confused.

2. Roman Ivancic finds himself a part in Neil Barrett’s take on the Lost Boys.

3. Wound magazines goes for the sex angle with a tantalizing editorial featuring Martin Pichler.

- from FASHIONISTO

Empire's 20th Anniversary

There's nothing like a "Where are they now?" and "Many years later" shoot that looks back, and renders iconic movie figures in the present, and immortalizing them onwards to the future. 

I mean, who can forget Silence of the Lambs and that freaky, "Quid Pro Quo Clarice, Yes or No" line of Anthony Hopkins. The imagery. The themes. The whole shebang. I still shiver when I recall the cannibalistic ways of Hannibal Lector - in how he could scare the living shit out of you with one prolonged glance - proof of Hopkin's incomparable acting savvy.

Or Mel Gibson in Braveheart who had a blue streak drawn across his face as he led the charge in an all-out skirmish. I don't really recall this movie so well but I know that everyone knows Braveheart.

I might have to buy a copy of Empire Magazine just see which other movies, and actors within those movies, made the cut.  

Empire trotted the globe to deliver you 27 of the planet’s biggest stars, recreating iconic performances from two decades in film

Transformers Has Just Taken a New Form

I'm not so heavy on the baller/baseball caps. But this is something I'd wanna get, if only to wear it to a Transformers premiere, or a costume party. Haha! Drums, rock&roll, badass, ladies call, late night booty calls... shiny disco (caps). TToinkKK...


Team loyalty is the hottest accessory this season as various labels such as Nike are working the “versus” concept and pitting one thing against another. While varsity jackets and team jackets are a couple of ways to go, one easily overlooked item, the hat, is also a vocal wearable member for your allegiance. Even though the Transformers fever had cooled off since this summer (sad for fans of Megan Fox), the true-blooded fans of Transformers will appreciate these custom New Era Fitted Caps from ECAPCITY of West New York. Piecing leather panels together with metallic accents, the New Era Fitted Caps are instantly transformed into millinery renditions of the alien robots. As the caps are dropping tonight at ECAPCITY, figure out whose side you are gonna be on and pick your battle.

Read the rest of: ECAPCITY - Custom Megatron and Optimus New Era Fitted Caps

- FROM FRESHNESS

Thought for the Day (12/02/09)

Life is Simpler when you Learn to Detach. Less expectation, less disappointment.

Jeunesse Doree

I just had to post this - only because the title really caught my attention. Of course, the edgy images too that came with it. Jeunesse Doree is a term that I encountered in dictionary.com many, many years back, as I'm sure my friends will attest. I think there was a time that I kept repeating it and sharing it with the people in school.

It literally means "young people of wealth, fashion, and flair." Haha! I never forgot it since. Well, how can you? It's everything a lot of people aspire to be nowadays it seems. Or worse, it's everything a lot of people project themselves to be (even if deep down, they're not). That's sad.

I noticed that not a lot of fashion writers get to use this term - probably çoz they've never really encountered it before. Well now they have (if you're reading this blog) :) But true to form, ladies and gentlemen, in retro Stacy Orico fashion, "there's gotta be more to life, than chasing 'round, just about, temporary highs, to satisfy me..." Keep it real people. Keep it real

Tush just keeps getting better as more stunning editorials surface from the German publication’s winter edition. With Markus Pritzi’s contribution, “Jeunesse Dorée”, stylist Wiebke Bredehorst swaths Isa Asklof in a sleek combination of pattern and color.

Tush just keeps getting better as more stunning editorials surface from the German publication’s winter edition. With Markus Pritzi’s contribution, “Jeunesse Dorée”, stylist Wiebke Bredehorst swaths Isa Asklof in a sleek combination of pattern and color.

- from FASHIONGONEROGUE

MOST WANTED: Android Homme

Wow. These are really nice shoes. And the best thing about it is (if you notice), there's a zipper detail on the side. So it actually makes it easier to put on, rather than a shoe with laces - especially when you're rushing to get to where you gotta go and have no time to dilly dally. 

The perfect kicks for the cool guy on the street. It's black patent too, so you can dress it up. 


The other day we presented to you some new footwear from the Android Homme Holiday 2009 Collection. Here you get a first look at their collaboration with San Francisco brand BlackScale. They worked on a black perforated patent leather high top with side zipper. So far no release date has been announced, but we will definitely keep you posted.
More views of the BlackScale x Android Homme sneaker follow after the jump.
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Read the rest of BlackScale x Android Homme Sneaker Preview

- reposted from HIGH SNOBIETY

KINAREER

This is one crazy 20″ custom mega munny by PodgyPanda
More images at freshcharacters.com

Moo With Me

"Only thing to do is jump over the moon..."

The popular SK8-HI model from VANS had gotten an interesting Western treatment this season. For those who were in awe with adidas Originals’ ZX700 which seemed to embody a zebra in a shoe, here is the competing VANS SK8-HI that would be equally intriguing. Featuring pony hair in a cow pattern and a vintage Western-inspired leather tongue, these kicks do tread on the wild side alongside the matching brown laces and soles. Pair with your flannel to put an interesting touch and take your outdoor style to the next level, because, let’s face it, all every other guy out there has a flannel and the deciding factor now lies in the kicks. These new SK8-HIs are now available for order online at retailers such as Flauge.

- REPOSTED FROM FRESHNESS

Super Emo Friends!

Glass half-empty? Nah. There's something about these furry creatures that cheer me up. Signed, sealed, and delivered, make mine MARVEL! (and DC)




via Diskursdisko.

- REPOSTED FROM DESIGN YOU TRUST

FOR THE CHUCK BASSES OF THE WORLD

...coz I'm Chuck Bass... haha! how is that a reason for everything?

Back at that time I imbibed several flutes of champers while talking all things Dublin with The Sartorialist, I was asked by a certain lady at the event why I wasn't wearing a bow-tie since she thought it was my "thing". Granted, when the blog was born I did have a minor obsession with them but since then they've been relegated to the fringes of my wardrobe i.e. they only appear for formal occasions, and not them all either for that matter.

French stylist and designer Laurent Desgrange is fast convincing me to reconsider my decision, however. From set design to graphic print tees (the first I've liked in an age) to probably the most dynamic collection of bowties on the market, Desgrange has a finger in each and every one of the fashion pies.

Images from Laurent Desgrange

Bagoong with Manga

While PUMA’s collaborations with Sergio Rossi and Alexander McQueen proved that the label has upscale luxury on its mind, the label 917 Mid Manga proved that it can go on the other side of the spectrum. Taking on the silhouette of the label’s 917 Mid, these sneakers get a Japanese touch with details drawn and sewn own. Also, take note of the animated details such as the reflective bubble on the toe cap, dotted shadow and sketchy shading. If a manga artist was to draw the 917 Mid in his work and that resulting pictures is promptly realized in the real world with three dimensions, this would be the end product. Fun with a whimsical sense of humor, the PUMA 917 Mid Manga is available for pre-order now at FLAUGE.

Read the rest of: PUMA - 917 Mid Manga

-reposted from Freshness

Doesn't Matter if You're Black or White

Nahhh... i think these kicks are too out there... the wearer might have to take caution to the wind or throw it out entirely. maybe if the wearer had the bravado or the audacity to wear these out to a club or a bar or something - which most regular guys don't really get to do in this country for fear of being judged.

If stilettos could kill, they obviously haven't experienced a studded Louboutin. is this up your alley?

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French luxury shoemaker Christian Louboutin debuted a small collection of men’s shoes for Fall/Winter 2009. Well known for his fiery-red soles, these pairs are no different, and the solo sneaker style, the Louis, returns for Spring/Summer 2010 completely studded out. Available in black or white leather, with a retail price of around $1200 USD a pair.
Have a closer look at the Christian Louboutin Studded Louis Sneakers after the jump.
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Read the rest of Christian Louboutin Studded Louis Sneakers

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I think one has just the right amount of quirk to make your style savvy go full throttle. Plus it's Mickey! :)



Here’s yet another Disney capsule from XLARGE®. At this point, we’re well aware of your hesitation to be graphically groped by Mickey Mouse, but this time around it’s just the ol’ blindfold treatment. Not that bad. There’s also a t-shirt showcasing Mickey’s “lower body” that completes the image from the previous release. Available December 5th.
More colors/looks from the XLARGE® x Disney Collection after the jump.
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Read the rest of XLARGE® x Disney Collection | Latest Releases

- SOURCED FROM HIGHSNOBIETY

Every Breath You Take

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you takes...

but by those moments that take your breath away.

this is probably one of them.

- from wecouldgrowuptogether.blogspot.com

ONE BIG BITE

wow - is all I can say. i wonder if apple will ever put up something like this in Manila...


apple’s fourth manhattan store recently opened on the upper west side. the new outlet features an eye-catching glass arched roof and offers the brand’s full range of products and services, including the genius bar where customers receive free advice + tech support. location: 1981 broadway [upper west side].



© apple


- REPOSTED FROM WWW.SUPERFUTURE.COM

Charge of the Light Brigade

"Forward the light brigade! Charge for the guns," he said.

Nothing excites me more then walking into an up-and-coming designer's apartment to preview a collection before it hits stores. Recently, I had the chance to check out newborn Company of We, a progressive menswear brand that is bound to take the industry by storm. As a reaction to the escalating retail prices and a life-long commitment to maxing out credit cards at local specialty stores, designers Christopher Crawford and Jayzel Samontedecided to take matters into their skilled hands. How do they keep prices under $350? No smoke and mirrors nor inflated PR fees, plus a keen eye and industry relationships which helped them leverage the best pricing for luxury fabrics and prime materials -- think Loro Piana. The label juxtaposes Crawford's vintage style with Samonte's modern-centric aesthetic resulting in a well crafted detail-oriented capsule collection that brings a fresh and youthful reading on a handful of our most beloved closet staples. The charming and wearable line-up consists of a variety of outwear pieces, lightweight cardigans, knits, herringbone jackets, jersey pull-overs and an array of cuffed pleated trousers. The most desirable items for their debut this fall are a cashmere wool herringbone jacket complete with detachable rabbit fur collar and their signature ribbed knit cuffs and a cropped slim fitting natural horn toggle coat. Fall items are selling out quickly on their online shop and spring items will hit major stores including Saks and Fred Segal in the spring of 2010.

-REPOSTED FROM PAPERMAG.COM

Most Wanted: Leopard Topsiders

Niiiiice!

Constructed on top of an EVA pylon mid-sole, the Visvim Hockey SF-Folk Deck Shoes differentiate itself from its peers with ultra-lux materials, including genuine lamb skin leather as upper.  Pre-treated in a puma skin patten print, the leather’s semi-permeability means a natural trait to wick moisture and excess heat.  Available in light or dark brown, the Visvim Hockey SF-Folk Deck Shoes is currently for sale at hnyee.Store (Honeyee Store) online shop and Visvim flagship across Japan.


Read the rest of: Visvim - Hockney SF-Folk Deck Shoes

- From Freshness

Immortal Underground

I wrote about Ron English way back when he visited Manila. 

He was the billboard artist who popularized that whole Abraham Obama icon and the fat Ronald McDonald that you probably saw in Supersize Me. He has a new exhibit going on in New York. Go Ron!


Wildness descended upon Opera Gallery New York last Thursday evening for the special preview of Ron English’s Immortal Underground Exhibition. Over 200 fellow artists, friends and well-wishers worked around the SoHo space to see some 20+ new installations, including several large sculptures of the deathly smile of “Grin”, English’s reinterpretation of Charlie Brown, and “MC Supersized”, a satirical take on fast food giant McDonald’s and its official mascot, Ronald McDonald. The event became a carnival-esque atmosphere when at 7:15 pm sharp, a stretched limousine ushered in some of English’s caricatures - Cowgirls and MC Supersized, in real-life forms with full on body paint and costume.


Read the rest of: Ron English: “Immortal Underground” Exhibition - Opera Gallery New York | Event Recap

- from Freshness

Converse x Terence Koh

So remember I interviewed Terence Koh for Status Magazine? Anyway, so he's releasing special edition kicks with Converse - in his signature white - what else? If only people knew what his whites were made of... haha! Read my article on him on this blog. WHITE TRASH



The asianpunkboy is at it again. This time working with CONVERSE on its 1HUND(RED) project to create collaborative kicks to help fight AIDS in Africa. Taking on Terence Koh’s signature clincial, all-white look and obliterating the unnecessary, these new white leather kicks are streamlined in the soles and given all white laces to create a slimmer, tighter look. The shoes’ reductionist aesthetics reflect the artist’s interest in “hiding reality”. The only adornment in the shoes is the embossed CONVERSE logo on the upper. The shoes will be available for purchase via Opening Ceremony starting Nov 21, so keep your mouse clicking-ready for them. via: Cool Hunting


Read the rest of: CONVERSE x Terence Koh - CONVERSE 1HUND(RED)

Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd

YOUNG STAR

Audie Gemora shines in the Tale of Sweeney Todd CHASING TOFF By Christopher De Venecia (The Philippine Star) Updated November 20, 2009 12:00 AM In 1982, under the direction of the late great Zenaida Amador, Sweeney Todd opened for the very first time in our country, to mixed reviews. Apparently, there were people who’d leave at the end of act one because they couldn’t stand to see or listen further to the melancholy and heaviness that Stephen Sondheim spewed into this controversial work. Some fans and aficionados may consider Sweeney to be a misstep in the composer’s lionized career. Others dub the show Sondheim’s definitive masterpiece. Definitely, it was the first of its kind — the first musical told through the unassuming lens of the horror genre. And interestingly enough, some would claim that Sweeney was one of the best musicals that Repertory Philippines had ever staged to date. We can only speculate. Maybe it was the bloody gore or the complexity of the almost three-hour maniacal mayhem — recently remade for the silver screen starring Hollywood chameleon Johnny Depp. Perhaps it was the lyrical and vocal calisthenics that dovetailed with each song — obviously inasmuch as that the songs of Sweeney didn’t really sit as well with listeners as, say, a battle hymn from Les Miserables or a ballad from Phantom of the Opera — that, as with Sondheim musicals like Company or Into the Woods, there was hardly any room for audiences to blink or breathe as they tried to digest what was being sung, or said, or what was going on entirely. But for the preview night of the 2009 revival of Sweeney Todd, Repertory Philippines’ bloody glorious offering for the holiday season, audiences stayed glued to their seats. They listened, digested (even Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies befitting a preview night), and kept fundamentally aware and abreast ‘til the very end. They would later rise to give the cast a well-deserved standing ovation. Magnificent! Bravo! Bloody beautiful! It’s one of those big musicals that show you why nobody else can do like Rep can. And for the sake of those who have been living under a rock, they are no longer cooped up in Shangri-La Mall. The premise is out of this world. A victim of cruel injustice at the hands of the wicked Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford, Benjamin Barker is deported to Australia on false charges and is separated from his beloved wife and his daughter Johanna. Many years later, with the aid of the annoyingly optimistic Anthony, he returns to London disguised as Sweeney Todd and stumbles upon a nutty pie-maker in the person of Mrs. Lovett. Together, they plot the barber’s revenge upon his former miscreants, slicing throats of those who get in his way as the new “Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” and transforming them, care of Mrs. Lovett, into unsavory meat pies. The plot is almost deplorable — thick, ridiculous, humorous to a certain extent, yet delicious in the darkest and most vicious way possible. I could just eat up the f***ed up sense and sensibility of the play. But it works for the odd couple as their dastardly plan unhinges them from the cudgels of poverty and gives pork empanada a run for its money. Cue urban legend of stray cats being used for siomai — if only Mrs. Lovett was oriental. (Shudder.)

Playing the title role in the play is grand master Audie Gemora who, if I recall correctly, has always considered playing Sweeney Todd to be his dream endeavor. He is so indulgent of the character, in a good way, playing host to the wretched yet tormented man who becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street — sort of like how Heath Ledger becomes the living, breathing, spine-tingling Joker in Dark Knight. Audie plays it so well. His layers are full, and his stillness is frighteningly effective to say the least, proof of his incomparable experience and years of performing onstage. Where Audie shines, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo who plays Mrs. Lovett is not so far behind. The two celebrated veterans stand on equal footing.

She is humorous, haunting and gives a tour-de-force performance throughout the show. Her cockney English is convincing but more so, the depth and sheer brilliance that emanated from Lovett’s whimsically conniving character. Her enunciation, even in lyric-heavy songs like The Worst Pies in London, sits easy on the ears, and on your brain. She truly is the First Lady of Philippine Theater, and Audie, the First Gentleman — the good kind.
There are also a slew of stellar performances from the cast, including Robbie Zialcita as Senor Pirelli (the role that Sacha Baron-Cohen, a.k.a. Borat, essayed in the movie), Robbie Guevara as Beadle, Roger Chua as Judge Turpin, Liesl Batucan as the beggar woman, and Rep newcomers Lena McKenzie as Johanna, Franco Laurel as Anthony, and Marvin Ong as Tobias. Franco Laurel’s voice is hauntingly beautiful — coming from a strong family of singers that includes Cocoy Laurel who once played the role. The bright-eyed romantic suits him and provides the stark contrast to the otherwise heavy theme of the show. But the revelation is Franco’s fellow newcomer to the Rep stage, Marvin Ong.
His was a voice that was powerful, spot-on, and never once flinched. The guy seemed to have so much depth at such a young age, and it’s nice to see him sharing the stage with Menchu, Audie and the seasoned actors of Repertory Philippines.
But as with most ensemble pieces, it was really the cast in its entirety, including the star-studded chorus of Joy Virata, Jay Glorioso, Raul Montesa and Rem Zamora among many others, that make Sweeney Todd, directed by Michael Williams and Baby Barredo, work, work, and work. When the show opens, you’re treated to the deep baritone of Meynard Penalosa (although a faulty lapel mic unfortunately derailed me from the experience) and several others until you are slapped into an aural climax by the company — singing with piercing looks, 10 or 100-part harmonies, and skilled intensity. The play is strongest when the cast is facing the audience, and I quite literally pulled my hair at one point due to the sheer power that they exuded. I hadn’t seen anything like Sweeney on the Philippine stage before. Surely there is a first for everything — and this is one of those awesome, memorable, unforgettable firsts.

If only to witness the ensembles scenes, the theater magic and the brilliant performances, I will definitely watch it again. Performances are Nov. 14 to Dec. 13, 2009, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:30 p.m. Sweeney Todd runs at Onstage, 2/F Greenbelt 1, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. For tickets and inquiries, call 887-0710, 888-0887 or log on to www.repertory.ph or Tickeworld 891-9999 or log on to www.ticketworld.com.ph.

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Follow me on http://chasingtoff.blogspot.com, or e-mail me at imcalledtoffee@mac.com.

MINIMALIST TV SHOW POSTERS

further along my obsession with genius, this just proves the saying, "Less is More."

(without reading the title on the upper left - if that's even possible. ha ha, can you guess which TV show the artist is referring to?)

By art director, Albert Exergian who uses an iconic symbol from each show to represent its identity or theme in the most minimalist way possible.

[via Design Fetish]