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Friday, April 30, 2010

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT.

We hope you're enjoying the day, the sunshine, and the lack of apocalyptic winds (did you see yesterday, Boston?) because it's simply Friday and there must be some written rule, somewhere that says something about having to enjoy every Friday. And you know every Friday, it's all about our favorite things. There are some really fantastic things on the horizon, so keep looking out for them, PHI readers.

SKELETON FRIENDS. Scott Campbell's first solo presentation of his works in NYC will be a showcase of his unique eye through sculptures, paintings, and drawings. Campbell combines blue collar grit with the very unique, very visceral lore of tattoo culture to tell a story through all bodies of his work. The exhibit is called If You Don't Belong, Don't Be Long and runs from the 29th to May 30th.

ALL NEWS IS MUSIC NEWS. While some of us are believers in the idea that the music video, the good music video, is a dying institution, there are still people that seem to manage to keep it alive. Spike Jonze has directed the new LCD Soundsystem video for the single Drunk Girls. LCD Soundsystem's new album is due out May 18th, but check out the video. It's pretty great.

ICE CREAM. Now, let's think about warmer ties for a moment. Sun shining. You're about eight or nine and much better at getting away with running through the sprinklers, but enough of a kid to still want your ice cream. So Nestle Ice Cream and JWT Johannesburg created a new summer accessory, in that same vein, a hat made from ice cream sticks. It's adorable.

A JOURNEY WITH LOUIS VUITTON. Louis Vuitton is showcasing their Men's Fall 2010 via website through "The Journey of a Man's Wardrobe" where we, as viewers, can follow through pictures and illustrations of the journey of popular photographer The Shelby, starting in Paris.

THE PERFECT BLACK DRESS. There's a little black dress for everybody and everybody for a little black dress. And Style Melbourne is featuring Nevenka's Autumn Winter 2010 collection, called Concrete Jungle. Now, velvet isn't for everyone and personally, I have memories of seventh grade chorus and those dresses that my mother used to make me where as a kid - but wow, Nevenka's collection is fantastic and the black dress? Too cool.

SEDUCTION BY FRAMES. I'll admit that I'm easy. Put something shiny, something sparkly, or unapologetically cool, I'm there and I'm in love. And cool frames? Just another way to my heart. Frames like Herricht's wood ones, which both have this really clean look and almost romantic feel to them - everybody loves a poet, of course. They're pretty gorgeous and something that you do need to check out.

ERASER+ING ERASER. Where was this when I was in in school? No, it's not a ring pop but a stylish way to keep an eraser on hand should you be a pencil lover or a pencil user. Love it.

NICHOLAS K. I think the great thing about the internet, and the legions of odd corners and information that it does provide us with, is that we get to have a peek into the inspirations of some really incredible designers like Nicholas K. Spend some time going through each post - it's time definitely well spent.

TATTOOS, TATTOOS, TATTOOS - are always really interesting to me, as you can tell a lot about a person and their tattoo, and there's always a really cool story attached to it in some way or form. Check out this slideshow, where a dozen ... unique (asparagus?) food related tattoos are displayed. It's fascinating, for sure.

IT'S IN THE WAY YOU LOOK AT ME. There's something to be said about the right lighting. The right cool lighting too. Check out Lighting for Treluce, from designer Marcus Temonto, which is just guaranteed to impress.

ROLF SACHS. The London-based designer recently teamed up with designers Patricia Urqulola and Ron Gillad for an installation that features "various levels of expanded metals" - they're just pictures that you definitely need to see for yourself. Also, visit Sachs' website. It's pretty cool.

(IMAGE)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN.

The Time Wasting Tea Machines aid the process of time wasting, which is the combination of the greatest thing in the world (tea) and well ... let's be nice and call it R&R. But these three devices take the simple act of making tea and turn into something kind of cool.

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIX.

I'm ... I don't want to say hesitant because I'm not, but when it comes to body image, I think I'm still learning about how to talk about it. But I haven't been ignoring this story, and you know the story, the one where FOX and ABC pulled Lane Bryant ads for lingerie that feature plus-sized models doing what Victoria Secret's models do best ... wear underwear. And let's be honest, you can figure that for every hour of major, prime time television, there's a VS secret ad or two. It's just the truth.

Of course, it's a polarizing argument. Of course the networks don't comment or apologize or say, "hey, that wasn't our intention ..." etc, etc, etc. But at time where girls, where women of all ages where you're in your twenties or your sixties, struggle with things like weight and size, feeling great about yourself, wanting to feel beautiful and sexy regardless of whether or not it's a great top or that fantastic black dress ... these things don't help. Yes, okay, there's a lot of work to be done regarding food choices and exercise, but sometimes, most times, people don't talk about that additional side. To the point where you hear these stories and you don't get angry, you don't get sad, but you get it. You start to see why it's hard, why it's a struggle to maintain a confidence in your own shape, in your own self. There's no support and when there's the support, it's often angry and jaded, it gets lost in the hoopla of who did what and why. And even the articles, like the MSNBC one, make a reader go "..."

There just needs to be a bottom line declaration. It doesn't make any of this right. It really doesn't. So to FOX and ABC, I've read the comments and the articles, I've even seen the news talk about you too. You made a stupid decision. You should be kicking yourself in the butt.

You need to know this though. You're not going to sell me on what's beautiful to me. It doesn't work that way. (IMAGE.)

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE.

The stars must be aligning or something BECAUSE BECAUSE Interpol has just dropped new music. I mean, I'm giddy. Go to their site and you'll be able to download Lights which your truly will be listening to for the rest of the week, on repeat, and then over again. Do it.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR.

The Gallery Kreo welcomes designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, and the very cool, very modern light installations that they have on display. Check them out!

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-THREE.

Admittedly, I still get the giggles every time I see some member of the animal kingdom, thanks to Oprah and Discovery's Life series - which if you haven't watched, I suggest you do ... just be prepared for a lot salad tossing talk from Oprah. No animal is safe. But this is what I want to talk about, what I do want to talk about is Ray Cicin's photography which is nothing short of incredible. It speaks for itself, of course, and if you're not a bug person, I suggest only peaking, but it's a marvel, really, seeing how close he gets when capturing each image. (IMAGE.)

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-TWO

One of PHI's current, on-going projects is the construction of the Urban Hound Hotel, Boston's first luxury 24hr pet care facility. To see some of the before photos, you can check out our flickr feed as well as check out the UH's blog. We'll be updating you more as well with great photos from the site, so keep checking back!

Monday, April 26, 2010

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-ONE.

Amazing paintings by Norwegian artist Jorund Aase Falkenberg, which is sort of mysterious, where you kind of gives you the impression that someone swiped the paintings.

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING. HBO's The Pacific is the pseudo-follow up to the 2001 mini-series Band of Brothers. You know, Tom Hanks. Steven Spielberg.

BUT WHY SHOULD I WATCH THIS? You should watch it because it's brilliant, and if you're familiar with Band of Brothers, you know that the Pacific is just as amazingly shot - sometimes colorful, sometimes dark, sometimes amazingly bleak. It follows the lives of several soldiers including Robert Leckie and Eugene Sledge, whose memories were used as part of the series. It's brutally honest and sometimes, like this week's part eight, it's very hard to watch. But what makes it different than Band of Brothers? This series dives into the personal lives of these soldiers, how they got there, how they went home, the friendships they made and had to made in order to survive. Of course, as viewer, the extent of what happened to them will never truly understood but as a viewer, as one living in a time where war is very much a part of our lives in many, many ways, it's something that needs to be seen. And it's another reason why we learn that all good shows, with brilliant writing, head over to HBO.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-NINE.

I'm going to be completely honest. The easiest way to my heart is a really great bookshelf. Laugh all you want, but it's true. One day, when there are enough hours in the day, the world's going to be introduce to the library of books that have that span from my small South End apartment to my parents' basement where, legions of books spread from there to upstairs and into my old bedroom.

But these shelves, created by architect David Garcia, as part of the Archive Series. Read more here - it's a fascinating read.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-EIGHT.

Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us at Saturday's fantastic Greatest Party on Earth at AFH's Epi Center. PHI had so much fun at the event with great music, great food and drinks, and overall, seeing everyone else have a great, great time at the event.

Take a look at some photos from Saturday, from before the party started - which you know, of course, if you follow us on Twitter, is a really fun time. It's always interesting too to see the difference between how everything looks in the daylight only to get to really see the finishing touches when the party's in full swing, the lights are low, and it's really a true, almost magical experience.

This year's theme was water, and it great to be able to play with the different interpretations; whether it was through the displays of wildlife, from dolphins to jellyfish, to the importance of conservation, putting to use things like plastic bottle ends to create something as magnificent as the center piece of the Sponsor tent, the chandelier.

Yours truly ended up buying a really great painting for her apartment that hangs over the ever-so fabulous reading chair. It was really great to be there, at the party, and get a chance to support AFH and their great work.

Check out more of our photos at our flickr and we hope to see everybody again soon!

Friday, April 23, 2010

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-SEVEN.

Happy Friday everyone! And happy birthday William Shakespeare. If only the sun decided to stay outside, the weather would be weekend ready. But until then, please enjoy some of our favorite things this week. And I'll try not to include something about hills and music. Can't promise anything.

ANTHROPOLOGIE. It's virtually impossible to walk into this store and not walk out with something, be it the legions and legions of gorgeous pieces (dresses for me, thank you very much, and the odd cardigan, of course) or their home accessories. It's not just the big things either; the little odds and ends, the coffee table books and the notebooks, the stationary and a knob that you never intended to get, walking inside, but do anyway. There's something so charming about the store, at any location, that you can't help but fall in love with everything. It's like my sister said today, "imagine if this were your closet - " and I do, I promise you, I do, I do, I do.

THE NATIONAL - HIGH VIOLET. I promised myself that I was going to go and try to hold out onto talking about this until its release - and I will, rest assured. But today, right after you read the rest of the favorites, you better march over to the NYTimes so that you can stream the National's new album. 1) You will not be disappointed. 2) You will not not be disappointed. 3) You will not be disappointed.

CYNTHIA VINCENT FOR TARGET. The best part about the warmer weather, or the sunny days, are the impossibly cute shoes that seem to come out just at the peak of the change. Personally, I'm not a wedge person. But the gladiator wedge sandals? So adorable, and while the Target I went to, who shall remain nameless, didn't have my size, they looked ridiculously comfortable.

MOBSTR. British graffiti artist mobstr recently had a pretty funny exchange with the Newcastle City Council, who painted over his stenciled statements directed at them. Check them out, they're fantastic.

LOUBOUTIN. THAT'S RIGHT. Commissions from photographer Khuong Nguyen are used in the new F/W Louboutin collection. Not only is her work gorgeous, but there's something really charming about it. A favorite? The Alice in Wonderland inspired piece.

WANTS AND NEEDS. Artist Erin Hanson organizes her needs and wants in a series of really fun illustrated posters.

BLIK. Blik has just announced its new partnership with 2x4, Inc, an award-winning design firm, on a design collaborative for some really great wall prints. Explore the site too, when you get a chance; there are some really great products.

FOR YOU, A WEAVE. From Dutch Design Week, designer Christian Kocx presented a series of non-woven chairs, lamps, and bowls, all unwanted bits of plastic from an injection moulding machine.

KATHARINE HARVEY. Toronto artist Katharine Harvey does some incredible work with recycled plastics, creating large scale installations that will absolutely blow your mind. Take a minute to go through her site. Harvey takes her inspiration from water and its obvious moment; it's really fascinating to see.

THE GREATEST PARTY ON EARTH. Remember guys tomorrow is the Greatest Party on Earth! PHI is super excited for the event. Tickets are still on sale for the event and we hope that we get to see you there.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX.

It's a six hour train ride from home to the city that included a bunch of odd, almost Lifetime-esque events that only seem to occur when I'm traveling. So old high school classmates aside, oversleeping, and a funny taste in my coffee, I've managed to put together a few links that you should check out.

THE PARTY NOVEL. A brand new blog, but blogging at its finest; there's a little bit of personal style, a little bit of adventure, and a really great example of what to do when you want to start a blog. Check it out.

Don't forget to head over to the NYTimes website to go and listen to the streaming of The National's High Violet. I'm about to remind you nine other times too. Remember. Tomorrow. Tomorrow.

THINK ANIMAL PLANET. BUT AWESOME? Photographers Will and Matthew Burrard-Lucas are responsible for a series of really incredible shots, close ups of animals in Africa. BettleCam, kind of like Wall-E, shutter buggy that the brothers rigged in order to get some of these outstanding wildlife shots. Take a look.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE


The cure for boredom is curiosity.
There is no cure for curiosity.
Dorothy Parker
(Photo)

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR.

While I continue to remain insanely jealous of anyone who got a chance to go to Coachella, I did manage to make myself crazy with some of the cool photos that surfaced. (We'll talk music another time, promise.) But there's this, this massive crane installation by Crimson Collective, an LA-based group of artists, architects, and designers. The photographs are pretty incredible.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE.

Connected is a self-portrait by artist Kasey McMahon, incorporating steel, CATS, and plenty of data cables. With all the new technology this, new technology that, it's an incredibly piece that really seems to grasp the new weight of the digital age. Check out Kasey's portfolio!

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-TWO

Happy Earth Day, PHI readers! Tickets are still available for this Saturday's Greatest Party on Earth, at the Epi Center. You can also purchase raffle tickets and check out photos from last year's fantastic event! Go now.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE.

Let's talk 10,000 origami flowers. 10,ooo origami flowers folded by one guy. Artist James Roper took three years to create this massive installation. It's called Devotion and is made up of three main arrangements: the big target, the sun outline, and the snake. The pictures are really incredible, do check it out!

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY.

Um. We interrupt your regular blog postings for a total, utter GEEK moment. Had to hold off, seeing as it's LOST night and all and talking about it makes everybody's, including mine, head spin. These cards, however, are from a series of LOST themed tarot cards by artist Alex Griending. A cool keepsake, and maybe even a neat party trick.

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-NINE.

Nymphenburg is one of the oldest and most traditional porcelain makers in the world. These skulls, first created in 1756, are based on the very first creations. They're fantastic.

Monday, April 19, 2010

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-EIGHT.

Malva is a series of lights, inspired by the natural properties of cellulose and viscose. They're incredibly beautiful, simple, with this very neat, almost antique feel to them. From Ett la Benn.

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN.

Really adore this little black dress from Orange. Designer Angela Chen wanted to launch a collection that is both structured and minimal, but also really feminine and wearable. It can also be accessorized with some really great, bold jewelry. Check it out.

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX.

design for mankind is a daily design blog from writer Erin Loechner that offers daily inspirations and design finds. There's something so unique about Loechner's blog - clean, soft, and let's be honest, the way to my heart is through really lovely photos. You can also search by post and date, should you find something you love, and follow her renovation project. (Photo.)

Friday, April 16, 2010

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE.

Think of this week's Friday Favorites as a last minute end to your Friday, work day week. There are some really great ones this week, a continuation of this week's music theme that we've seemed to really favor as well as the ever-so-important fantastic little things. Check everything out!

SALONE DEL MOBILE is the largest international decoration trade fair in the world shown in Milan every year. It showcases the latest in furniture and design. Abitare has a really great run-through of this year’s best of the best, for those of us who couldn’t be there and are aching to see.

THE JAZZZ LOFT PROJECT is a personal favorite of this week’s Friday Favorites. Archives of photographer W Eugene Smith’s myriad recordings and photos of jazz musicians from 1957-1965 available for the first time, not just for looking but for listening too.

FROM HERE TO THERE is a collective of artists living and working in Los Angeles, whose mediums range from photography to collage, video, sound, and installations. They meet bi-weekly to discuss their work and ideas and it’s just a really great example of how collaborations, in any form, work fantastically. They have a blog you should check out as well.

YOUNGER THAN I’LL BE runs to May 23 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The exhibition includes works from the likes of artists such as Marcelo Gomes and Nan Goldin, and looks back at the NYC of the 80s and 90s, the city where curator Skye Parrott grew up. She says about the project, “When I started the process of putting together this photography show, I thought it was going to be about New York and its many incarnations. However, as I started to edit, I realized that what I was putting together was a portrait of New York past–the city as it was when I was growing up in the 80's and early 90's. Not all of the works date from those years, but they all encompass the feeling of being young in the city as it was before the big boom, back when Manhattan could still feel dangerous.” Check it out.

THE AMPERSAND ID CHART by Douglas Wilson, is a limited edition letterpress print from Douglas Wilson. It’s a cheeky nod to the Snellen eye chart, using the ampersand. Each print is hand letterpressed and comes with an ID key that details the names and weights of all sixty-one ampersands.

COCO AND LA VIE EN ROSE BY BRAN EGMOND redefines elegance at its best. These gorgeous fixtures are really striking, taking black and white and crystal and really working with the elements to create something extraordinary.

GUERRILLA STYLIST: FASHION FROM THE FRONT LINES belongs to New York stylist Celine Griscom, who shares her day to day findings as she works for her clients. There are some great finds, some cool trends, and it’s definitely the place to go and check out.

THE FARMLINE CHAIR BY TIMO HOISKO, From the CONTEMPORIST, Finnish designer Timo Hoisko has created the Farmline chair out a single metal tube and locally grown hemp fiber. It grows on you. Pun not intended.

THE FLY LIGHT. This installation is almost magical – literally. By Design Drift, it takes its cues from the idea of a “flock formation” or simply, the Fly Light is a collection of a hundred and sixty light-infused glass tubes hung at varying heights to mimic the flock formation. It’s gorgeous.

PIL is a pendant lamp that hangs, looking fantastic in your space. Made with hand-turned logs from New Zealand's Southland forests and glass, Pil marries old and new taking LED lighting technology to produce a really gorgeous piece.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FOUR.

And you thought it was going to be animal planet this week. I didn't forget to post about the National and their upcoming EP, set to be released on May 3rd of this year. There's nothing you couldn't say about the National; to put simply, fold and catalogue all your experiences, past and present, whether it be about love or change, idealism or loneliness, and it's like the unintentional soundtrack to your life. Take a listen.

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-THREE.

Street art collective Evoltaste has taken upon itself to redecorate electrical transponder boxes around Berlin to mimic small houses. It's kind of extraordinary.

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO.

Brooklyn artist Jimmy Miracle creates incredible site-specific installations and sculptures usually mostly found objects, needles, and thread. Take a minute to run through his portfolio, there's something almost ethereal about his work. Really lovely.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-ONE.

The Metaphys Susuki is a floor lamp that is inspired by susuki, or Japanese pampas grass. The lights sway with the wind, mimicking the movement of the grass and a really beautiful look.

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY.

One of my goals this week was not to talk about the iPad. I'm talking about the iPad now. Leave it to Disney to jump on the bandwagon and pour out the apps, one of them being an interactive storybook where users can manipulate the character just by moving the iPad. There's a video at the source and this where, I'm going to go and say it's pretty cool.

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-NINE.

So I've been putting this one off. When you think Peter Gabriel, you don't think cover album. And when you think cover album, you worry about breaking into hives - because let's be honest, there are some pretty terrible cover albums.

I think one of the reasons why I've been putting Scratch My Back off - and really putting it off -is because I'm not really sure what to do with it. Peter Gabriel is a tremendous force, there's no doubt about it, and I suppose, if anything, you have to give the guy credit for covering some of the big names of these last couple years like Arcade Fire, Radiohead (which, wow, still very, very unsure of what to do with the cover of Street Spirit ...), and Bon Iver. Of course, there's your Neil Young track and your Lou Reed track.

It's just that I don't know what to do. It's an album that, however much it'll grow on me or on the off chance that I may be walking in the city with my iPod on shuffle, I'm not particularly attached to. There might be a rainy day. There might be a cranky day. He's good, don't get me wrong. The album though falls short however with songs not really finding their own weight, being either flat or too melodramatic. I do keep wandering back to his cover of Arcade Fire's My Body is a Cage and am remind of Johnny Cash and his cover of NIN's Hurt; the difference between the two cover songs is simple: Johnny Cash's song is Johnny Cash's song. Peter's? Well, it's just a cover. And that's how you know a good cover song.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-EIGHT.

Mark your calendar. Buy a calendar. On May 4th, after five long years, there's going to be new Broken Social Scene. You know, there's been solo efforts from nearly every member since then and they've been great - but this is going to be a new album and I can't even begin to express how excited I am for it. This is the best part of the changing seasons, without a doubt, when new music, the right kind of new music, is gearing up to come out. So keep an eye out for Forgiveness Rock Record.

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-SEVEN.

These animal bookmarks are designed by Mai ONO and I want. There's something completely delightful about something so small and so practical; and maybe, okay, it's the whole, sudden animal theme spilling over from yesterday. But I want. For any book. For any planner. A place for every animal bookmark and an animal bookmark for every place.

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-SIX.

The Wooster Collective is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating street art in cities around the world. Take a minute and look through it, there are some really great things in here. It makes you want to really walk around and take a second look.

Monday, April 12, 2010

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-FIVE.



Ellie Goulding is an incredible singer-songwriter and guitarist from across the pond and has just released the video for Guns And Horses, off her album that just came out in March. The album is a definite must have full of lush sounds and just this inexplicable feel of being breathless. Tracks to listen to? Salt Skin and The Writer are instant favorites, to name a few. But check out the video above. It's quite the fairy tale and definitely captures the feel of her album.

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR.

Animals on the brain! Animals on the brain! Artist Jason LaFerrera has created some really beautiful collages of wildlife from cut-up historical maps. Check them out!

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-THREE.

Let's take a minute to talk about a few really cool things. First, if you haven't been watching the Discovery Channel's Life series (amusingly enough, it's also narrated by Oprah - if that doesn't compel you right there, of course) but you should be watching Life. Beautifully shot, fascinating, and just the perfect way to end your Sunday night. If that doesn't get you? There are babies. Baby monkeys. Baby seals. Did I mention babies?

Second, a really great exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo just opened. It's called "Creatures of Habitat: A Gazillion-Piece Animal Adventure," features the work of Lego artist, world-renowned Lego artist Sean Kenney. According to the artist, the thirty-four animals he created for the project took a year for him to complete - his largest project to day. Me? I'm dying to go. There's a polar bear made with 95,000 Lego pieces!

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-TWO.

PHI DESIGN GROUP is so excited for this year's event. Please go and purchase your tickets now! We'd love to see you there.

Friday, April 9, 2010

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-ONE.

There are lots of new and exciting things brewing for us, PHI readers. Lots of great changes that we're looking forward to sharing with all of you. But for now, let's talk about our Friday Favorites. A little bit of this, a little bit of that - perfect for reading while catching up on this week's Project Runway on a little bit of a dreary day.

COMPANY-WISE. “Studio belenko!" is an internationally known part-design, part-production internationally company based in Odessa, Ukraine. Founded by architect Denis Belenko in 2003, the studio can be described as a combination of vintage and modern. A favorite? Without a doubt, it’s the paper lamps, which has a really quirky flavor of unusual for sure.

LOVELY PACKAGE. Let’s be honest. We do judge books by their covers. If you were offered a choice of two kinds of chocolate and could only pick one, you’d either go for the brand that you know or the prettiest one. Don’t lie. But lovely package is such a neat site; it explores the uniqueness of packaging all across the board, whether it is wine bottles or your favorite coffee for home.

ANNIVERSARY DAYS. How cool is this? For their 50th anniversary celebrations, Dr. Martens and ten producers are working together to recreate their favorite tracks from the past. So far bands like the Noisettes covered The Buzzcocks, “Ever Fall In Love” and the Duke Spirit (a favorite of yours truly) covered Sham 69s, “The Kids are Untitled.” So, so cool. Check it out.

FOG BANK. It’s quite the cool installation piece at the 3A Gallery in San Francisco by fifth year architecture students Patrick Delorey and Keith Houchin from Cal Poly.

HOWDOOS. I can’t get over how neat these are; howdoos are by Delicious Industries, a design studio based in Brighton, UK. They have a fantastic blog that definitely lead to the discovery of these howdoos, letter-press business cards. They come in two colors, pink and black, and come in packs of ten. Lovely, lovely, lovely!

FOR THE WARMER WEATHER. The best part about the warmer days is the clothes and the shoes, but mostly, it’s the fact that your fingers are going to fall off because the temperature went from two to three with wind chill. From Snowflake by Debbie Sutton, the Nora skirt is such a fantastic way to celebrate the warmer weather with a little bit of linen and a great, classic fit.

ALL ABOUT THE NINETIES. Everybody loves a good list. Letterman’s made somewhat of a career of it. You can absolutely find a list in a major periodical, whatever medium’s your poison. But give me a quirky list. Give me a list that is full of random gems from the 90s like Spice World (you watched too, don’t even try and lie!) and Goodfellas and Fargo. For the movie nerd in you, this one of those things that you just have to check it out.

FLORAL, FLORAL, FLORAL. What a gorgeous idea! Use bunches of fresh herbs as floral wedding decor. At a warm outdoor wedding, the smell would be incredible.

THE SURREY. We love, love, love The Surrey in NYC. Beautiful interiors – clean lines, gorgeous colors, and definitely a place that we’re dying to look up when we’re in the city.

FASHION STAKE. From the New York magazine, Fashion Stake is the brainchild of Harvard Business School student Vivian Weng. Weng previously worked in finance by helping fashion companies secure funding. "Fashion’s dirty little secret is that no one really has a lot of money — even people who are well-known and household names,” she told WWD. “One designer’s first round of financing took 18 months to complete." The cool new site will be launched this fall and really has an aim to give young labels a shot at funding from the masses. Anyone can invest just $50 in a label they like. Read the article here!


Thursday, April 8, 2010

ONE HUNDRED FORTY.


With spring here (or, well, it's supposed to be here) it's only natural that our love of all things green and gardens comes out to play. Check this out - 15 Awesome Secret Indoor Gardens.

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-NINE.

How great is this? The firewood stool is made from a selection of cut longs, each is held together with a tension belt that creates a seat. The handle attached is for portability. And each piece is custom; by German company, oliver conrad.

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT.

There's nothing like the perfect fashion blog. Listen, it's all well and great when you show your readers brilliant, gorgeous pieces - whether it be shoes or a great dress. But the perfect fashion blog, one where it's not only conscious of fashion and the readers, but of personal style. Champagne Taste/Beer Budget is a wonderful blog that takes care of a lot of things that most of us forget about ... so it's pretty, but what does it do our bank accounts?

There are some great finds. And nothing's over a hundred dollars - favorites? Love the Banana Republic tote. But the other great thing about this is - besides the really fantastic find, oh my goodness - is the where to wear. It's an interesting thing, a curious thing, watching how the personal style comes into play in the blog sphere, particularly this end. Definitely check this out!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN.

Some really great news today, PHI readers! Madison Skin & Laser Center's brand new website has just gone live and it's a great space designed by PHI DESIGN and Jessica Sutton Graphic Design; clean lines, great photos, and all around excellent space. Be sure to stop by and take a look!

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-SIX.

How about a little mad science? This is a new lighting project by Maarten De Ceulaer. It takes a simple but unique concept; adding a few drops of food coloring to the water inside the bottle, you can change the color of the lamp and the atmosphere of the space. Read more here.

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE.


Had to share this one. Just had to share. Little Fille is a maker of some of the most extraordinary headbands - extraordinary in the sense of you're going to want every single one. The colors are lovely. The shapes and the knots, the use of rope and bows -want, want, want. Check it out. It's entirely too wonderful for you not to.

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR.

It was inevitable, talking about the iPad. I can't promise any jokes, of course, or bad ones at that. But with the release of Apple's new product, it seems that everybody's either fallen for it with hearts in their eyes or are completely unable to process what's going on.

Of course, it's shiny. It's really shiny. There are lots of pretty buttons. There is the fact that it doesn't weight two hundred pounds, when carrying it around the city, as a laptop. There is the allure of the millions and millions of random, sometimes unnecessary apps that you're only destined to fall for. The catchy commercials. The tunes - it goes on.

And while all this is great, there are things like price. Of course, too, there is by the time you go through all the pros and cons, there's going to be a second and third generation iPads waiting for you to go and look at. There's the competition. HP is prepping to release it's would-be iPad killer and if you, like the rest of us, are big fans of this season's Project Runway, you know that HP's stuff is just as shiny too.

So what do you? Do you go and spend the money and regret it later like a bad date and a few scoops of ice cream too much? Personal choice is personal choice, but I do think I'll be waiting to see what's coming next.

Monday, April 5, 2010

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-THREE.

As an avid lover of shoes and more shoes, I can't help but admire Caroline Sciancalepore and her work. Take a look on her 'support for women', incredibly imaginative artwork.

ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO.

These clinker tables by Rich Brilliant Willing and produced by Innermost have been created from wood slats resembling clapboards. They then overlap each other and random lengths create the haphazard form of the tables. Pretty cool, huh?