a visual collective outlet of inspiration 
aaah, i can just imagine the smell of the hinoki and what a bath in this gorgeous box must feel like. sign me up. by dd
perfect gift
on a quest for the perfect breakfast toast
like wallace, i like my toast… well toasted!
my first purchase: a delonghi toaster oven – set my toast on fire and nearly my apt… approx $100-120
a cheap and clean looking cusineart “classic” toaster, acceptable but completely inconsistent… approx $70-80
and finally my latest addition: a magimix vision toaster… $240
well perhaps you followed me in my previous adventures when i was looking for a matress or a dvd player, or for that matter choosing a worthy drink.
well, having your breakfast toast, toasted shouldn’t be that complicated, but like anything that matters, it actually is. for my first purchase, a counter top toaster “oven” was chosen for its perceived multi-function. i though, well… i can heat up a chocolate pie for my ice cream and toast my bread all at once. well the $100 contraption worked for a bit but many-a-toasts lost their soul’s to fire. after the 3rd toast inferno, that threatened the cabinets above, i came home oneday only to find it in the recycling bin. in a bind (as i’m the only toast fanatic here), i then made the quick and easy dash for the cheap cusineart toaster. i have to say i loved the look and still find it to be possibly the best looking toaster out there, and who would want to start the day with an ugly one? that worked well, and was fully fire retardent, however the toasts… inconsistant. i would toast a bread on a perfect setting only to find the very next in the bin. then i was finally introduced to the french fancy manufacturer magimix. i had no idea what it was but the name made me laugh, i imagined an anne-sophie look alike in white apron mascotting a “magi mixer” with stars sparkling around her. little did i know this little muppet was what ive been needing all along.
the design is so simple you wonder why arent all toasters like this? the clear glass on sides not only allows you to see exactly where your toast is at, but it also opens up my counter top to let some light in ; ) the unit is super well constructed, and surprisingly made in the southern part of france! i think today even hérmes is manufacturing certain items in china so consider this with amazement. the unit weights 5 times my previous toasters and the retrieve button is a solid lump of steel. being an audiophile i will tell you, electronics that weigh a lot are “potentially” very good, doesn’t mean lead will help performance, but trust that, manufacturers don’t add weight for no reason. the colorless silver toaster (like my previous toasters) goes quite well with my thermador oven… mind you i’m no yuppie with some fancy professional oven that i never use, i’m actually a renowned chef… well amongst friends that is. im gonna post this under “perfect gift” just for all you gromits out there. – love wallace. by uh
shit forgot this set: vuitton spoof decks
actually the supreme spoofs on vuitton decks are probably my favs. good luck finding one at this point. by ar
before you hit the deck: supreme skateboards
before pulling the trigger and getting the WKR decks we posted, consider this: supreme annually issues a series of artists boards that run about $80 to a $100 not much more than the beautiful and minimal WKR’s. above, and all sold out at this point are the robert longo decks above the previous damien hirst issues. no one knows what the next series will be. it’s a tough one as you have a collectors item vs. a truly beautiful “now” piece. so, just some food for thought. by xy
oh the irony
you can find these here. yet these cost more than the ones on the corner. by jr
meert – forget laduree
since laduree became such a tourist’s place, selling in airport duty-free and being now closer to disneyland rather than parigot, it’s a good time to go back to the basics. the real deal is meert, it’s not in paris, it’s further north, in lille, and even if you can find some of those waffles (not the ones you think about when reading waffles) in paris, lille is the place to have the fresh ones and check the great boutique. like laduree, meert is not forgiving for your summer diet but let’s face it, guilt is totally part of the enjoyment 😉 by pp.
$6,000 iphone 4 by gresso
you have to love the new term “luxury” which roughly translates into “how to sell crap to the nouveau rich who cant tell the difference”. gresso a company that materialized from vapor in 2005 specializes in stealing a brilliance piece of technology (created by some one else, in this case apple), and sticking their crap on the back in order to offer it to “no idea whom”. in this particular case they claim to offer mechanical time pieces embedded in the back of the iphone 4. i mean first off the phone itself will be dated technology in less than a year and second what kind of a true horological connoisseur would actually go for that? you think you’ll invest in a patek that remotely looks like this? and for that matter costs so little considering there are 6 movements? unfortunately there is no saying how many idiots walk this earth as there is no twit counter on gresso’s site, but the locations they sell at will hint at the migration of such idiots perhaps: they apparently reside or frequent miami, vietnam, arminia, iran (looks like the sanctions are working as planned), ukraine, and of course moscow and 19 other cities in russia. if you already happen to have one, we highly advise you to use it at home and ideally at night time…. preferably in the basement. if you don’t, for good measures, be sure to ask your russian boyfriend to stick to depleted caviar. by dd
second installment of the perfect case
my everlasting search for the perfect elegant, sleek yet functional cases lives on. these are brought to you by pack & smooch.
by jr
beautiful board
i need one just to hang on my wall. mkr carry goods warm grey custom shape skateboard deck, under $70. with individually numbered leather risers, and hand finished… and all sold out by now. by dd
made-to-measure sneaks: it’s worth the feit
for approx $300 you can get your very own made-to-measure sneaks. now that’s a deal! unfortunately most of the styles are neither chic nor simple, but love the idea of made to measure sneakers. well be looking for future models and will be available to consult, you’ll just have to take a number. a good pair is always worth the feit. by dd
it’s nice to have friends in paris: alexandre mattiussi
comme les autres, yet unlike others… any house that uses a track by winston tong to open a show deserves attention, especially one lead by a man who paid his dues at dior hommes and givenchy… and alexandre mattiussi’s mens line “ami” surely deserves some attention. the line will be launching this fall in paris through pop-up shops and will not be an easy find, but that just makes it that much more attractive. on your next trip to paris, here’s a gift you can get there that isn’t here yet. that said we’ll be looking forward to seeing it across the atlantic. by xy
celine tote leather bags
i was at barney’s a few months ago where i picked up my 2nd goyard tote and finally saw these celine bags that we wrote about in 2010. i seriously considered them, for almost a $1,000, a few hundred less than the goyard canvas and gum totes, these ubber soft leather bags are a clear choice, however i ended up with the goyard as i just could not see these celines handling the weight of my laptop on a daily basis. that said this is perhaps the last frontier that has yet to be knocked off by the exclusive ateliers on canal street. so at least you’ll be in style for a few more months. by dd
