a visual collective outlet of inspiration“see, i will always have this penchant for what i call kamikaze women. i call them kamikazes because they, you know they crash their plane, they’re self destructive.
but they crash into you, and you die along with them.”
– woody allen
csys lamp
if you need a new floor or desk lamp, we highly recommend the csys lamp, designed by jake dyson (yes, its the son of the legendary vacuum designer james dyson). the beauty in the design comes from a highly technical and sophisticated approach to improve the longevity of the led bulbs and to enhance the user experience when adjusting the position of the light source. it’s revitalizing to see a designer developing a new lamp (since we really don’t need yet another one…) with a purely functionality approach and where the aesthetic is a byproduct of the construction rather than a mindless shell. by kt
Indulgence by Tyler Shields
birkin bags are overhyped anyway, especially this 100k alligator skin version. good to see it going full circle… now let’s all call peta. by sp
nobu white plains: ex-nobu chef opens sushi nanase
white plains is not exactly on the list of places to go but this is worth the trip. no walk-ins, make a reservation, “please don’t mix the wasabi in the soy sauce”, ask questions. show your interest. you will find that the takedas open up in their quiet, reverent way. by av
American dream: the ford GT40 story, it’s history and it’s versions at the 24 hours of le mans race
the story of ford GT40 is an incredible one. and yes that is steve mcqueen next to the MKIV with taped-up front lights. they did that to protect the headlights from flying debris during the day to limit maintenance in the 24hr race. winner of le mans, bagging 1st, 2nd and 3rd position against ferrari in 1966 is the stuff of legends. if you don’t know about the story of ford and ferrari’s feud, it is worth checking this out. here’s a conclusive look at the ford gt models starting with the prototype. anyone with further knowledge is encourage to make corrections in the comments or just email us to update. that would be much appreciated, as we couldn’t find a single site showing the range of models. thanx.
1964-1965 GT40 108
above and below: henry ford II in the ford GT40 108 prototype roadster back in the USA in 1965
one of the earlier (i believe 1964) ford GT40 models on the race track
in 1964 ford attended the lemans but all cars fell behind ferrari due to repeated pitstops credited to massive gas consumption of the mega powered ford engines. finally all ford GT40’s dropped out due to mechanical failure and ferrari as usual took home 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize.
1964 official results “24 heures du mans” otherwise known as “le mans 24-hour race”
1st place – ferrari 2nd place -ferrari 3rd place -ferrari
1964-1965 GT40 MKI
notice the bat mobile wings on this GT40 i had never seen that myself. like back in 1964 ford did not manage to win or even complete the race with its GT40 prototypes.
1965 official results of the le mans 24-hour race
1st place – ferrari 2nd place -ferrari 3rd place -ferrari
1966 GT40 MKII-MKI
this was the decisive year for henry ford the II and his GT40’s, by now ford had various improved versions of the GT40 MKII and MKI’s in the race driven by australian drives bruce mclaren and chris amon amongst others
the number 5 GT40 in gold and pink livery. in 1966 ford managed to win lemans for the first time, in positions 1, 2 and 3 finally taking vengeance on ferrari for all that enzo ferrari had done to henry ford the II. (more on that story here)
the #2 for GT40 in black white with gold rims driven by bruce mclaren and chris amon (the 24 hr race requires drivers to take turn as its a continues race for 24 hours)
the #2 car finishes first ahead of the other 2 fords.
the trio immortalized in detailed die cast available here for around $2,000
1966 official results of the le mans 24-hour race
1st place – ford 2nd place -ford 3rd place -ford
1967 GT40 MKIV
having wounded ferrari ford had to come back to lemans with a bigger gun. the MKIV was born
but ford wasn’t going to take any chances aside from the 4 GT40 MKIV’s there was also a MKII entered into the race
and the race was on…
ford once again took 1st place but this time ferrari was on its tail on position 2 and 3. the aerodynamic MKIV did not stand up to the test as well as the MKII’s did back in 1966, but winning lemans in 1st place is major accomplishment 2 years in a row for a company known for making mass production models Ts.
1967 official results of the le mans 24-hour race
1st place – ford 2nd place – ferrari 3rd place – ferrari
1968 back to GT40 MKI again
the revised ford GT40 MKI in gulf livery
car number 9 driven by pedro rodriguez and lucien bianchi wind the race
this is also the year actor steve mcqueen films the feature “le mans” using a modified GT40 to mount the camera on
1968 official results of the le mans 24-hour race
1st place – ford again 2nd place – porsche 3rd place – porsche
1969 GT40 MKI
troubles for ford
and yet… ford wins first again for the 4th year in a row… and where is enzo ferrari?
the story and the cars that came out of that story are simply legend and carry with them more than just beauty and power but an attitude of a man bent on making a point. now how can any one not love that? recently a GT40 used by steve mcqueen sold for an unbelievable price of $11,000,000, what a steal. by dd
THE MAGIC GAP
another one from the ‘define beauty’ series by guy aroch. summer is coming… you know, if you’re into that sort of thing. by sp
adidas colette: white on white
yes, yes, i know skittles are in but im sorry i prefer it easy breezy cover girl. adidas stan smith edition for collette paris by xy
ryan sarah murphy at pulse contemporary art fair
during armory week we stopped by pulse new york – contemporary art fair. one of the booths that caught our attention was that of odetta, a newly opened gallery in bushwick, showing work by ryan sarah murphy. the harlem based artist uses found material like cardboard and paper to construct wall sculptures reminiscent of aerial views and cityscapes. to find out more, visit odetta at 229 cook street, brooklyn, ny. by kt
Maison Martin Margiela: open that damn door and take some notes
maison martin margiela designer door stop in the shape of an egg, set of 2 approx $110
maison martin margiela notepad approx $35
i love these guys… not unlike droog design you almost want to make this stuff yourself at home, but then on the other-hand you want to support their genius. wish we thought of these. by uh
fashion vintage cars: Aston Martin DB5 with custom trunk by moynat
right hand drive aston martin DB5 – yum!
custom made moynat leather suitcase – sort of buckled in
JD classics (used-car salesman? i suppose) + moynat grace paris avenues
and why not… a jaguar e-type to sweeten the deal, a series-1 rather, if i’m not mistaken
ok this one did not get the full attention,just a duffel bag thrown in the front seat – i guess it was a bit half-hearted when you compare this to our hermes 2cv post…
so what happens when the oldest trunk maker in paris joins a couple of vintage british thoroughbred cars? a lot of excitement on first glance… on our end at least. because a) we love these cars, and c) moynat is the oldest leather goods and trunk manufacturer in paris. (we hate b).
established back in 1849 when louis vuitton was practically just an unknown french dude to pharrell williams’ grand father. well flash forward and vuitton made it big while moynat remained small and beautifully unknown to most.
so the story goes that LVMH pushed to initially buy out goyard… (you know, those cheap canvas and gum grocery bags they sell at barneys for just $1,400… i have a burgundy one, no monogram, that was extra $… and i needed that actually for my groceries). it turned out goyard wasn’t for sale, at any price. so after much negotiations, LVMH decided to just purchase little moynat and flip the middle finger at goyard and just mint their own canvas and gum grocery bags to sell for say $2,000… so there, you see… today’s luxury is not about material or even craftsmanship, although it really helps if you have a good “craftsman” story to tell. then you can go and sell anything with a logo on it… come to think of it i need a moynat tote. my keys punched a whole through my other grocery bag.
but then wait, how are we gonna sell moynat? no one knows about moynat? not a problem said mr. arnaut. “just get some one that people know… lets say that guy with a small head and the big hat, pharrell williams, he seems to be doing anything that comes his way these days… didn’t he just cashed in on some of those iconic, eternally white, adidas stan smiths? painting them with childish skittles colors or something? yes lets get him to do a capsule collection… but no skittles this time” ok that’s how you sell moynat to the mass… and tell the rest of us hard noses about the history.
i suppose this half-hearted attempt at old luxury was aimed at us people. and guess what? it worked. here’s the post and i’m off to buy my next luxury grocery bag… and as far as groceries goes, who needs that… didn’t karl say you can’t ever be too rich or too skinny? or was that notorious B.I.G who said that? shit i cant recall… by dd
creme caramel –
define beauty series
“when you are obsessed with someone, it’s not just with that someone—it’s with the shape of the hips, the color of the nipples, or the shade of her hair when she comes out of the shower.”
creme caramel is directed by nicolás méndez, lope serrano, oscar romagosa and alba barneda. leave it to canadians to examine beauty and desire in this successfully uncomfortable short. by yb
GOLD
i never thought rollerblading would be so sexy. this is a must watch. by lb
