perfect gift

ruscha x kerouac





in 1951, jack kerouac wrote “on the road” on his typewriter as a continuous 120 foot-long scroll. few years later, in 1966, ed ruscha photographed “every building on sunset strip” and presented it on a 27 foot-long scroll. ruscha since confessed his obsession for his road heir in a book released by the great steidl in association with gagosian gallery.

“over the last couple of years, ruscha has turned his attention to on the road, resulting in his own version of kerouac’s beat bible. kerouac’s entire text appears accompanied by black and white photographic illustrations that ruscha has either taken himself, commissioned from other photographers, or selected from found images to refer closely to the details and impressions that the author describes, from car parts to jazz instruments, from sandwich stacks to tire burns on a desert road.”

the leather-bound book comprises 228 pages, signed and numbered by the artist in an edition of 350 and presented in a slip-case. we won’t write the price because it’s depressing… by pp’

CATEGORIES: art, perfect gift, photography

tough stuff


this should just become our new uniform considering the weather in new york lately. barbour waxed cotton jackets are stylish, classic and weather resistant. ready to fight off wind, slush, snow, rain, hail…bring it on!by kv

CATEGORIES: fashion, perfect gift

some sunshine on a cloudy day – scout & catalogue by breanna musgrove

what does one do when they are an overworked and overstressed creative professional? why, they move to the estados unidos mexicanos. usually people sleep, read, tan and possibly sip some tequila, but when you can’t help but start your own product line during your escape you know it’s in your blood. although it’s always too few and far between crossing paths, the creator of scout & catalogue is one of my favorite people, and here you can see why. you can find these hand crafted products of love at on etsy.com. by kl

CATEGORIES: fashion, musings, perfect gift

new york fashion week 2010: no model will compare: d’aquisto, d’angelico and gibson vintage guitars

fashion week is around the corner, hipsters are getting ready, magazines, luxury brands and model agents are throwing their parties… and hell, we will probably dread to a few, but i strongly doubt if we’ll find anything this beautiful and tempting at any one place in new york this season…

let me tell you… 12 years ago i bought a hand made classical/acoustic guitar from the legendary rudy’s music on 48th street (NYC) built by a small unknown guitar maker from spain for a little over a 1000. this guitar has become my love ever since, and the soft warm sound and the cedar smell has been my sole source of inspiration in unsuccessfully mastering eric satie triads… fast-forward to last friday, a cold sunny new york day, when i was strolling past the window of a music store in soho (who ever knew there was one?) where i saw a vintage gretsch. i walked in… past the gretschs, and simply fell in love again. upstairs were 12-16 pieces of craftsmanship to die for. it was only then, that i realized that this was in fact the newly opened rudy’s music downtown… and of course… (i mean who else?) now all i need is enough practice to earn and more importantly deserve one, and a lot more money to ever afford one. here are just 3 of my new loves. all totally acoustic, and all beautifully crafted…

item # 1: the 1998 d’aquisto prototype – $140,000 +plus

“james d’aquisto became an apprentice to acclaimed archtop builder john d’angelico when he was 17 and started making guitars under his own name when d’angelico died in 1964. in the opinion of many collectors, d’aquisto’s archtops were actually superior to d’angelico’s legendary instruments. the model above (avant garde) is considered one of d’aquisto’s finest achievements. he made this prototype in 1988 for vintage guitar dealer/collector hank risan who supplied the luthier with many ideas about its construction. risan sold the guitar to a private collector for $140,000. that said perhaps the most valuable d’aquisto is a one-of-a-kind advance model (not pictured) that was made for renowned vintage guitar collector, scott chinery. the estimated value of that guitar is $250,000, but, according to chinery collection curator, mike carey, it is not for sale”.

these are not electric guitars, but fully acoustic onesitem #2: gibson (1939) super-400C


you cant ever compare any two but here’s a more affordable masterpiece that still beckons a certain mastery. a beautifully crafted acoustic gem. (1939 gibson super 400C – S/N EA5384) “with original sunburst finish and spruce top, maple back/sides, 2 piece maple neck, ebony fingerboard and chrome hardware.”

item #3: gibson (1929) L-5 “snakehead”

and yet another rare dream… closer in reach than the first, but still a handful of responsibilities. “…a 1929 Gibson L-5 “snakehead” in original vintage sunburst finish. the guitar had the fretboard professionally replaced years ago. a little bit of binding repair has been done on the body, but very minimal. otherwise in fantastic original condition! plays beautifully, and sounds gorgeous!”

so if you are here, for what ever reason, and if you care for such things, don’t miss the chance to visit rudy’s. conveniently located near cipriani downtown. please park all cheesy italian sports cars in the back. by dd

CATEGORIES: music, ny places, perfect gift

the big blue: Wittelsbach-Graff blue Diamond

not a fan of jewelry in any way, especially the the overtly expensive ones, but i can see the desire of owning the rarest in any thing… it surely gives you the illusion of being special, perhaps even when you aren’t.

laurence graff paid more than $25,000,000 for this gem attaching his name to the original: “i’ve been privileged over the years to own some of the world’s most important and famous diamonds, but i would say that the wittelsbach diamond is the most valuable and the most beautiful. i had the opportunity to examine and value it in my own offices, and i came to the conclusion it was one of the rarest stones i’d ever seen. i knew it was a stone we had to have,”

initially valued at around $15,000,000, graff paid more than $25,000,000. in a controversial move he had it re-cut and polished, reducing it from 35.5 carats to little over 31 carats. critics say the act compromised the historical integrity of the stone, but mr. graff disagrees.

“every diamond that was ever mined, every diamond that was ever polished and cut, is still with us. who knows the story that this stone will tell in a thousand years time.” got a point the buddy. but 25 million dollars is a lot to make a point. by dd

CATEGORIES: musings, objects, perfect gift

hedi slimane american youth mk2 box set


i guess everybody knows about this box set already as it’s not first hand info, but this hedi slimane box set released with french “art & essai” movie theater mk2 is very promising. nothing first hand there either, but a collection of great movies that definitely explains a lot about mister slimane’s obsession for youth and a certain vision of america (as the title can let you guess).
so there are eleven movies:
Rebel Without a Cause by Nicholas Ray; Who’s That Knocking at My Door by Martin Scorsese; Woodstock by Michael Wadleigh; Zabriskie Point by Michelangelo Antonioni; Permanent Vacation by Jim Jarmusch; Rumble Fish by Francis Ford Coppola; Last Days / Mala Noche by Gus Van Sant; Boys Don’t Cry by Kimberley Peirce; Mysterious Skin by Gregg Araki; Wassup Rockers by Larry Clark. by pp’

CATEGORIES: must see films, perfect gift

the olivier theysken book

wow! photographer julien claessens looks back at olivier theyskens’ career thus far. in this special edition book claessens shows us the results of his unprecedented backstage access to theyskens’ fashion shows. with text by everyone’s favorite vogue lady (after the september issue) sally singer the book sounds to good to be true. but go ahead and see it for yourself flick at assouline. coming soon for $120… by kv

CATEGORIES: books, perfect gift