KNOW THIS BRAND: OPINEL
Spotted at the new Miansai shop on Crosby Street in Soho, these wonderful little knives from Opinel. Born in the Savoie region of France in 1890, this essential little knife has been in the pockets of some of the greatest artists, adventurers, navigators and mountaineers including Pablo Picasso, Roger Frison Roche and Jean-Louis Etienne. Opinel No8 is their most popular and versatile, and is small enough to be used as a pocket knife. You can pick from a variety of colors, but summer red gets our nod. $18, available at Opinel.
VANS FOR J.CREW
The design team at J. Crew has a real knack for taking classic styles and reinventing them with just the right amount of love. The end product retains what made it cool in the first place, while quickly becoming the next hot thing. Take these canvas sneakers by legendary brand Vans: updated in new custom colors, washed for a vintage look then finished with hiking boot laces for a one-of-a-kind shoe. Not bad for $60. Available at J.Crew.
CLUB MONACO x GOLDEN BEAR
Club Monaco and their talented head menswear designer Aaron Levine have a keen eye for great brands and cool American style, and once again, they’ve picked an absolute winner by featuring Golden Bear on their website. The San Francisco-based sportswear company is a true heritage brand, having been founded in 1920, and they nail the summer-friendly varsity jacket with the striking style shown above. It’ll quickly become your favorite go-to layer on cool August nights. $289, available at Club Monaco.
SUMMER READING: EIGER DREAMS
“Eiger Dreams” by John Krakauer is pretty much the opposite of light summer reading. Yes, you’ll fly through the book, but it will keep you on the edge of your hammock. The book features a collection of 12 harrowing mountain adventures spanning the globe, from K2 to Mt. McKinley, and covers everything from the snooty climbing culture of Chamonix, to rough and tumble bush pilots in Alaska. As Publishers Weekly notes “Armchair adventurers can’t ask for better entertainment than this tour of the legendary locations of mountaineering and the eccentric climbers who gather there.”
Best known for “The Perfect Storm” and “Into the Wild,” two hugely successful books that were made into movies, Krakauer’s other titles deserve as much attention, including “Into Thin Air” and “Under the Banner of Heaven.” Eiger Dreams, $13, available on Amazon.
Shown above, the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, Nepal. Airstrips are steeply graded to accommodate shorter lengths and thinner air.
GUCCI SPRING/SUMMER 2015
PRADA SPRING/SUMMER 2015
Miuccia Prada unveiled her Spring Summer 2015 menswear collection yesterday in Milan and it was one of the best shows of the early season. It’s the hottest ticket of the week, primarily because it’s Prada, but the show also serves as an informative bellwether of what’s next in menswear. Habitually looking forward, Ms. Prada’s collections blend art and fashion in a sublime, ethereal way that never appears forced. Perhaps it’s the otherworldly music, or show space configured with a runway traversing a vibrant pool of blue water hammering home the point, but if you want to know what’s next, you’ve come to the right global HQ at the legendary Via Foggazaro.
The highlights of the collection: Modern sandals in a variety of colors, stitching details on pretty much everything including starched denim, an impossibly clean and crisp white trench, a lightweight camel v-neck sweater offset by a sky blue dress shirt (one of Ms. Prada’s favorite color combinations) and finally, a black turtleneck, looking right at home in the off season.
GQ JULY: EMILY RATAJKOWSKI
GQ July 2014, the cover everyone is talking about. An excerpt on dating from the accompanying feature article (why you’re going to buy it): “Generally, I just think there is a real lacking in men knowing how to hit on women. I have this whole running joke with someone: What Would Denzel Do? Like, you don’t think about how many days you should wait to call the girl—you just do it when you want. Fuckin’ Denzel. You do what you want, you know what you want.” On newsstands today.
CALVIN KLEIN SS15
Calvin Klein rocking spandex and pushing the color sand in a big way for next spring.
DOLCE & GABBANA SS15
Dolce & Gabbana taking the bullring theme quite literally for their Spring/Summer 2015 menswear show in Milan. One of the more dramatic moments of the week occurs at the 8 minute mark.
ONE TO WATCH: NICOLA PELTZ
Young actress Nicola Peltz is on her way to super stardom and no cheesy line by Optimus Prime about “saving humanity from itself” is going to get in her way. This Thursday, June 26th, the latest mind-numbing chapter of the ridiculously successful Transformers films, “Age of Extinction,” hits theaters worldwide. As a kid who grew up in the 80′s obsessed with the original toys and cartoon, the movies are nothing but an annoying disfigurement, a warped perception of a world that was much cooler in the imagination of a ten year old. But we won’t hold that against Nicola. Best known for her role in 2010′s “The Last Airbender,” things are about to change, fast. She’s evolved from awkward teen with braces to a stunning actress starring in this summer’s biggest film. And just a word to the wise for Nicola, don’t say anything disparaging about the dictator, err director – in particular any references to Bay acting like Hitler while on set. Comments like that will prompt Executive Producer Steven Speilberg to immediately call for your firing.
The original, god I miss him:
SUMMERTIME KICKS
Remember when Crocs had the lightweight rubber shoe game cornered? Images of chef Mario Batali zooming around the West Village on a Vespa in bright orange Crocs were a bit of head scratcher. Then you tried them on, and instantly forgave the less-then-desirable designs. Native Shoes has since redefined the category by combining that same incredibly comfortable foam resin comfort, with killer styles. Take the “Jefferson” shown above, it looks a bit like a classic Jack Purcell, but without the laces, and can be slipped on and worn as easily as a flip flop. Try em, you won’t look back. The Jefferson, $47, available at Native.
PORSCHE 918 SPYDER
Porsche has just launched it’s first true supercar in over a decade, the ridiculously fast, and surprisingly green 2015 918 Spyder. The “918″ doesn’t refer to the price, but it’s close with an estimated cost of $845K. Porsche enthusiasts and gazillionaires might even consider it a deal, as a similar class Lamborghini or Ferrari will set you back $1.4 to $4 million. What’s coolest about the 918 Spyder? It doubles as a plug-in hybrid, so you can start it up with barely a whisper, then hit the gas pedal and soar to the moon. We’ll call it neon green.
ADIDAS STAN SMITH 40th ANNIVERSARY
Hear from the man himself, Stan Smith, as he talks about the iconic shoe that bears his name. Forty years ago, in 1973, Adidas debuted a simple, classic tennis shoe that would go onto greatness. $75, available at Adidas.
FAHLGREN x GILT
If you’re looking for the perfect summer tie for an upcoming wedding, or for Father’s Day, check out the Fahlgren tie sale on Gilt Groupe. There are 15 total styles, all soft cotton, in colorful plaids and stripes. $49, available on Gilt until 12pm on Monday, June 9th.
WHAT’S HOT: GOL! AD SPOT
One of the best commercial’s yet for the World Cup debuted last week and is getting serious traction, not because there are any expensive futbol players featured, but because it centers around crazy trick shots that are 100% real. It’s a perfectly executed idea, created by ad agency DDB. Look for Argentinian model Fiorella Castillo about halfway through as she surprises a crowd while wearing a little black dress and impossible heels.
