this blog is a visual notebook of inspirations for a group of bandit bloggers. we post things we see and like. our lives don’t revolve around singular topics and neither does our blog. sorry! nothing is in-or-out of context here. enjoy xx
forget the scarf and the hat, here’s the prize accessory for the dandy man: the ultimate briefcase comes from berluti and is made from the brands signature venezia leather that can be customized with one of their extensive and well guarded secret patinas. the bag is perfectly suited to fulfill the task as your everyday office briefcase and it will fit all necessary essentials on your overnight business trip. like most things premium it comes with a hefty cost, and can be yours for $3,300 (excluding tax of course). pay the cost to be the boss at you local berluti store, or take one of their “of the shelf colors” at mr. porter. by kt
created in the same style as the rest of his chairs from the “animal chair collection”, the aptly named maximo riera‘s “hippopotamus chair” was created in thick, black, leather with a limited run of just 20 editions. you can sit on one for a hefty $95,000, but just imagine, no matter how fat your future guest will be, they will feel at home and will forever appreciate your love of blubber (PS blubber is indeed found in hippos which makes these chunky animals surprisingly buoyant). by ar
jack nicholson will now demonstrate the new august smart lock
come on in… well, not alla youz!
we just received our august smart lock and are very excited to put it to work. the installation is supposed to be quite simple and should fit “any standard deadbolt lock”
once installed that’s all you see on the inside of your door
our august smart lock (a $250 cylinder you install on the inside of your door) is here and awaiting to mate with our lovely door. whats great is that we don’t actually need to remove our lock, because it only replaces our deadbolt’s inside module. once placed in and turned on well have a bluetooth-connected, motorized deadbolt that can remotely lock and unlock the door when we press a button on our phone… or automatically lock as we leave, and unlock as we approach the door… nice! but the best part is you can give temporary keys to anyone you choose, and disable them when you want. you can also schedule access, for say, cleaning lady, baby sitter, or your neighborhood dominatrix to set up. but there are a few caveats; 1- don’t forget, there is some effort required here; i.e any user must first download the app, register an account, take a picture of themselves, then verify their email address and phone number before they can open your door. bit of a hassle? yes. but you don’t want just anyone to get access now? 2- although august claims idiot-proof installation, the install does require a few logical considerations. a) if you have double locks you need to be aware that august only controls one (duh!). also b) the mechanism in the electronic lock has its limits. if your deadbolt is not smoothly operating or it was installed during the dark ages, it could affect the performance of the lock by causing difficulty for the august motor to push the deadbolt through. so be mindful that the assumption is that your deadbolt is in tip top shape, if it isn’t (as was the case with ours) you may want to amend the issue before install.
so what’s so great about all this? why would i want to change my current lock? here are a few good reasons that convinced us as to why we would need a key-less entry lock like the august smart lock;
– well firstly it’s designed by the swiss industrial designer yves behar. we were told you should just get one, to have one.
– need to allow temporary access for your most recently acquired boyfriend/girlfriend with out the awkward key exchange… and retrieval
– your pet monkey is really smart… but not that smart
– need to allow scheduled access to your fancy cleaning crew who own an iphone (don’t they all? besides it works on android)
– need to cut down on key and lock replacements due to fast turn-around of lovely “associates”
– forgot your 5lbs key chain at work
– your “roommate” lost his key again
– pierre and marilou are gonna crash in your ski chalet in graubünden, and you haven’t been there for “like weeeeeeks”
– need to let your guest/air b&b into your apt but cant leave work (will require the $50 august connect wifi plug)
– your super called and said there is fire in your study (that’s where you’re supposed to keep your damn books, which you don’t have)
– finally, how can you trust the kids with a key… when you cant trust them with a f#@kin’ plastic bag?
there you have it…if your still not convinced… then i suppose you don’t need one. stay tuned we’re gonna report back with a proper field test… photo credit: jack nicholson in stanley kubrick’s film the shining written by stephen king. by uh
source of inspiration for the now famous le corbusier LC2 and LC3 cube chairs
kubus in soft white leather
where did this come from? evolution of the less linear hoffmann clubchair
chairs we like… kubus is a perfect example of hoffmann’s strict geometrical lines and the quadratic theme in this iconic and historic armchair. designed back in 1910, it was presented at the international exhibition held in buenos aires on the centennial of argentinean independence known as the may revolution. his work was of great influence to modernist architects and this specific chair was reportedly the initial source of inspiration for the now famous le corbusier LC2 and LC3 chairs created back in 1928 for villa church that appeared at the salon d’automne in 1929. corbusier literally took the kubus chair and turned it inside out, bringing the structure of the armchair hidden under the surface material and placing it on the outer edge. hoffmann’s constant use of squares and cubes earned him the nickname quadratl hoffmann or “square hoffmann”. But he was not always bound by linera lines as evident in his club chair above. the hoffmann kubus chairs range from $4K to $2.5k ( pamono wittman edition ) and knock offs for even less. corrections are always welcomed in the comments section. by uh
taking it back to the 80’s with 5 boro’s new VHS deck series. each deck is designed referencing classic blank VHS tape sleeves we all used to film shit on. they did a killer job in retrofitting the 5 boros name into sony, NYC into VHS and so on. you can tell a designer with an eye for detail was involved. this gives supreme skateboards artist series a run for their money. well done boys. worth the work… buy some now. by xy
the white and silver pedro lourenço x nike blazer low. the sole and profile is suspiciously common projects but we love it just the same
one of the 2 colors available, but clearly the one to get. the gold and black (alternative design) are quite nice as well but best suited for those with a little louder taste
nice horizontal detail stitch on the back heels
nikes capsule collection designer pedro lourenco
dreading the hike to the nike lab store but that will be the only place you’ll be able to get your toes on one of these. i guess well just have to do that. nice one. by dd
the french bike maker les cycles victoire has certainly made quite a few unusual bikes, all made to measure and personalized… in an age were most bikes are covered with flashy stickers and fluorescent paints., this one is all about pared-down beauty
the berluti edition comes with leather shoe straps to cuddle your loved ones
specially made berluti shoes for your specially made berluti straps
a little about how it’s made
i am personally quite pleased with my british made armstrong 3 speed bike sporting a brown leather brooks seat, a black lacquered bell ring and metal basket. but for a few dollars more you could perhaps go for the french made les cycles victoireberluti edition (available now). and while you are at it, you may want to also pick up the pair of shoes berluti created specifically to go with this bike. after that, if you have any change left, you could then stop off for a cup of new york’s finest 50 cent coffee to complete your look and regain your sense of dignity. just be sure not to park it anywhere near the 5 boroughs. a great bike to store in your loft, but not very practical for the streets. we’re having trouble retaining our $300 brooks seat with out having to chain it down. one could just imagine the vultures descending on this piece of steel and leather ars. that aside it is a beautiful piece of chivalry. by dd
how to sharpen pencils: the el casco pencil sharpener approximate price $400-$600 pending finish
x-acto 1700 series pencil sharpener $30-$50
blackwing dual blade pencil sharpener: this one requires you to 1- sharpen the wood, 2-switch blades to sharpen the lead tip… and now how cool is that? approx $10
the results of the 3 sharpeners on the worlds finest pencil, the blackwing 602 cedar wood pencils, are displayed below
from left to right:
1- using blackwing dual blade pencil sharpener
2- using el casco pencil sharpener
3- using x-acto 1700 series pencil sharpener
there is no question that the middle pencil using the el casco pencil sharpener wins
above the legendary blackwing 602 pencils about $2 a pencil sold in cases of 12
first a little about the pencil: the palomino blackwing 602 are considered the best pencils in the world and have developed a following amongst pencil geeks like us. they are made of cedar wood (easy to sharpen with out causing “chips”) and feature a firm and smooth graphite core that combines lead with wax that helps it deliver on its promise of “half the pressure, twice the speed”. its unique and iconic ferrule allows you to extend and replace its eraser after extensive use or for super nerds to even “hack” their pencil to give it a custom look. erasers come in black, white, red. the pencil was used mainly by artists, writers and musicians and when the pencil was discontinued years ago, known writers such as joseph finder and stephen sondheim tried to convince eberhard faber to continue production or at least said some warm words about the tool they were so used to. while the company says that other pencils with similar leads are available, the devotees are convinced that there is no adequate substitution for the 602s, and we must agree with those devotees.
now a little about the sharpeners used: while the el casco pencil sharpener does an amazing job it takes some getting used to and in my opinion its not worth the cost of $400-600. that said once you get the hang of it it does do an amazing job sharpening the lead to a steady point that makes the nib stronger than any sharpener you’ve seen…. not to mention that it also looks wicked on any desk. but for nearly $600 its disappointing that when you sharpen a pencil some of the dust falls out of the casing in the front area and that the pencil grip in the sharpener damages and marks your pencils stem. it is the best sharpener resulting in the best nib but not $600 better…
the xacto sharpener is in word a piece of “garbage”. very disappointing for a company that is known for making blades. the motor is a DC motor using AC current (meaning its equivelant to a battery powered one) and can barely shave a rod of butter. the weak motor combined with, let’s assume a layman’s pencil, using inferior wood, results in a saw dust hell of a point with chips and dust all around it. not worth the postage we paid.
this brings us to the $10 blackwing sharpener which has 2 blades and openings. one is used to sharpen the wood alone and does not touch the lead point. you then insert it into the 2nd opening and sharpen the lead. i love this sharpener for its detailed attention and simple production cost that makes it cheaper than any other sharpener on the market and resulting in a very acceptable nib. while we purchased all three because we hate pens here we recommend the $10 socialist version over any other. ok so now you know… you can go around and say what complete geeks we are… by uh+kt
damn d we missed out on these!! solid gold it aint but sold out it is… nick tucker’s limited edition primitive gold skate deck made with 7 ply maple and topped with gold foil. you can ride wall street with this shit… now don’t tell anyone but it was priced at $54.95 and if you called now you’d get a pair of gold teeth to go with it. that’s cool… no matter if you get it or not. jeff koons would be proud. by dd
around the bunker, we blogging bandits have already started talking about holiday gifting. it is my pleasure to kick off this season with one very expensive yet necessary item, the punk vase by laurence brabant. anyone who is a tomorrow started fan may deliver one to a secret, but convenient new york city location. and then we will blog about you.
“a fresh and interesting interpretation of the vase, laurence brabant redefines the typology with the punk vase and infuses the common glass object with subtle twists and intricate details. the sinuous, blown glass form of the vase is penetrated along its axis eight times with deep impressions into the glass that angle downward to hold water and a stem, resulting in an innovative display of floral. the simple yet refined glass object is indicative of brabant’s oeuvre; age-old glass techniques are utilized to create compelling versions of standard objects that are suitable for a modern lifestyle. made in france” described by the source by kgb
we have to admit we do love these old little birds, made of reclaimed wood from chairs and tables and cabinets in norway. its the brain child of the anti grand people from norway. they are no longer available, but what cute gifts they would make, and we wouldn’t have minded having a few ourselves. by uh
new york based jordan betten, founder of lost art, the handmade leather goods merchant to the music elite (steven tyler, sean lennon, lenny kravitz …) has released a collection of 5 t-shirts on his website for $60-80 each. we are kind of diggin’ ’em. wear art, not brands, people! by kgb
a visual collective outlet of inspiration
taking it back to the 80’s with 5 boro’s new VHS deck series. each deck is designed referencing classic blank VHS tape sleeves we all used to film shit on. they did a killer job in retrofitting the 5 boros name into sony, NYC into VHS and so on. you can tell a designer with an eye for detail was involved. this gives supreme skateboards artist series a run for their money. well done boys. worth the work… 
x-acto 1700 series pencil sharpener $30-$50
