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Images: island*atelier
Intricate chains, body jewellery and other accessories from Perri Gold of The Gold Label

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago's Independence, international rum brand Angostura (and creator of the iconic Angostura aromatic bitters) has created the world’s most expensive blend of rum: Legacy by Angostura. The first bottle of the luxury blend has already been launched auctioned in Australia and another bottle will be auctioned for charity on August 4 in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The production of the special blend has been a six year project for Angostura's master blenders and involved seven of the brand’s most rare and precious rums.  Not only is the rum of the highest standard but the decanter, stopper and presentation box are also unique collectors’ items.  Angostura engaged Asprey of London to design the twenty limited edition bespoke decanters, and with only twenty 500ml decanters available worldwide, the bottle is currently valued at EUR 20,000. 

Legacy by Angostura is destined to be the greatest sipping rum ever produced and the ultimate celebratory tipple of Trinidad’s culture and Independence. 
Image: island*atelier
Repurposed vintage fashion featuring this season's neon colours from AToK.


One of my favourite 2013 resort collections was Tibi's which featured strong colours and marine-inspired prints. 

Image: Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier has put his stamp on two versions of the 330ml cans of Diet Coke which follow the release of the third limited edition bottles he designed for that company.  The “Night & Day” designs pictured above feature an interpretation of Gaultier’s corset and iconic cone bra and his signature Breton stripes respectively, and is the first time in the brand’s history that a design collaboration has been translated onto the can.

Cave House is one my favourite and one of the most unique properties in Bermuda.  A partially historic home (with portions dating to the 1600s) and abutting a major road, the property is situated amidst landscaped terraced gardens and has a pool as well as water views across the Great Sound.  The house been renovated but maintains a few traditional touches including exposed beams and polished hardwood floors.  It also comes with its own dock, moorings and water rights.

Paying homage to George Corliss, the founder of the first independently-powered steam engine, this Corliss Chair from Studio DUNN cleverly integrates traditional American hardwood construction in its maple seat with a graceful, handcrafted aluminium backrest.  This union of sustainable and recyclable materials harmoniously joins along a curved plane.

These streamlined pull toys called Waldi and Sprinter are made by Ellen Heilmann in collaboration with Kathrin Schumacher.   Made from leather and designed with children in mind, I think they are beautiful enough to  qualify as sculpture in their own right.


Most of us sleep with our phones by our bedsides, whether using them as an alarm clock (I have at least three apps designed to get me out of bed in the morning with varying degrees of success ) or simply charging them, so I like the idea of this device which transforms the iPhone into a sleek alarm clock-cum-charging station.

Snooze by distil union comes housed in either a Maple wood or an aluminium case and features a tactile rubber snooze bar along the top which easily lets you quiet your alarm or incoming phone calls.  Beneath the rubber top is a hard resin insert that transfers pressure to the iPhone volume buttons and in turn activates the snooze feature of the alarm.  While any app that uses the volume buttons to trigger the snooze feature will work with the Snooze housing, distil union have designed a free app that works seamlessly with the unit.  The Snooze app is based on the native iPhone clock, but has the added ability to change the length of the snooze timer and features a landscape clock-face display which can be dimmed.

The charging (and sync) component of Snooze features an optional, bright red cable called Weave which has a woven outer cover inspired by vintage electrical cords.  Both Snooze and Weave are still in prototype form.  To learn more about the projects and help get them funded, click here.


Similar to the Beute lights we wrote about here, are these Scraplights by Graypants.   Made from laser-thin slices of recycled corrugated cardboard, the components are glued together by hand using non-toxic, biodegradable adhesives. The resulting shade casts a soft, variegated glow when light is shone through it.
Image via  WGSN
It's all about shoes today.

As part of the presentation of Brazilian fashion which is being featured during London Fashion Week, jelly shoe brand Melissa, whose past collaborators include Vivienne Westwood, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Jason Wu, opened a pop up store in Covent Garden today.  The store represents the first ever standalone store in London for the 30 year old Brazilian brand.  The opening was hosted by British artist Julie Verhoeven who created Melissa-inspired installations for the launch, and features installations by architect-come-neon artist Kleber Matheus.


My second footwear post of the day, but this time it's Casbia's mesh and leather combination sneaker from that line's new 2012 spring/summer collection. 

Here's another interesting collaboration with a Japanese designer which launched in New York's SoHo today.

This time, Cole Haan has joined with Hiroshi Fujiwara of Fragment Design to create a collaboration which was inspired by Fujiwara's desire to update the saddle shoe.  The line, which is part of Cole Haan's LunarGrand series of footwear, features a Scotch grain leather wingtip, spectator and chukka boot in three new colourways and two new leather treatments.  The end result is a subtle colour-blocking effect and a contemporary take on the iconic shoes with bright white, neon pink or blue soles. 
This is the new Louis Vuitton concept store in Soho, New York which was conceived in collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and opened earlier this week.   The store features an extensive range of shoes, bags, dresses and scarves, all of which reflect Kusama’s unique aesthetic and her signature polka dots.   The collaboration with Louis Vuitton isn't Kusama’s first foray into apparel and merchandise; she designs high- and low-end products for the Japanese market and in the 1960s sold dresses and textiles in boutiques, including her own, under the Kusama Fashion Company label.  The fashion house is also the sponsor of Kusama's retrospective art show at the Whitney which runs until the end of September.

Have a look at the lookbook after the jump.

Last Saturday saw lots of beautiful people wearing some great fashion come down the runway of the Evolution fashion show which was held in front of City Hall in Hamilton, but the most innovative presentation of the night was put on by Colosseum, a shoe and accessories store which carries mainly high-end Italian lines.

The runway is not the easiest forum for showcasing accessories in their best light, but working with the platform they'd (literally) been given, this problem was elegantly solved by Nino Lombardi and his team who sent their models out (occasionally on swings) wearing simple white outfits and carrying trays or platters wrapped around their bodies on which their wares were prominently displayed.

It definitely made for one of the more interesting and entertaining portions of the show.
These sweetly whimsical, painted wooden people by Séverin Millet are called Les Composites.  Each piece is individual and unique.  The ones pictured here are from the series completed in 2010.
Image: Vipp

I love the idea of adding a little style to my desktop, and that's what you can do with this free download from Vipp.  Designed in conjunction with colette, Vipp lets you to swap the boring, digital trash bin on your desktop with this super stylish version by New York artist Kevin Lyons which features his signature monsters in colette’s classic blue colour.  The funky design was originally one of 30 Vipp limited edition pedal bins designed by Lyons for colette.
Image: Patric Johansson
Another IKEA post (sorry folks) which perhaps will give the perennial KIVIK which has kept the IKEA 2011 post at the top spot for more than 18 months a run for its money.  A great mix of cozy and stylish, the new SÖDERHAMN sofa, which will be launched later this year, really encourages you to curl up and disappear. I like the high back, armrests and the generous cushions which make the piece a snug and inviting. The sofa will be available in several different combinations from three-seater, chaise, sectional and sofa bed. 

This strikes me as a little sad and funny at the same time.  The Poor Light from Poorex is a conceptual product with a semi-practical application.  As a free download, it lets you turn any light source into a lamp.  It is available as a download or simply click on this link to turn your desktop into a softly glowing lamp.
Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Bermuda Art is now on at the Bermuda National Gallery and features the work of artists like William Collieson, Antoine A.R. Hunt, Manuel Palacio and Ouroboros, this interactive installation by Fungus Art Collective.

 The Biennial runs until November 24.

The Corbs is one of the forward-looking designs from Ron Arad's debut eyewear collection.  It features hingeless arms, a design which was based on the vertebrae of animals.  The shape of the glasses was modelled after Le Corbusier and the lenses are inserted at the back of the frame.  The Corbs comes in three different versions.

Pride & Prejudice is one of my favourite books, so I was thrilled to see two different versions of the story geared toward introducing the timeless tale to children.  The first, Pride & Prejudice: A BabyLit Board Book, uses the story to teach basic counting.   The second version from Simply Read Books will be published in November of this year and is called Cozy Classics: Pride & Prejudice.  The latter re-telling features a highly condensed version of the story accompanied by the most adorable felted illustrations.

Although quite different in style, I love the way both the books have been illustrated and applaud the attempts to bring great literature to the very young.
These chairs and footstools known appropriately as The Stick Collection from Tel Aviv design company Godspeed, are designed to look like matchsticks held together with string.  The trigger for the collection came from a curiosity about the appropriateness of materials and the question as to whether the humble stick could be used to make permanent and solid furnishings.  In spite of their fragile appearance, these rustic-meets-modern furnishings apparently are strong and durable enough to be used on a daily basis.

I like the recurring circular theme of AB Concept's design for the E-Wow Suite and Spa at the W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak, Indonesia.
Suno's second collection of slip-on and lace-up footwear launched recently with seven new sneaker designs in a variety of fun colourways, each perfect for summer.  The patterns used were derived from the brand’s previous three collections and made from remnant fabric which makes them ecologically- and environmentally-friendly and each pair comes in its own co-ordinating Dutch Wax printed bag.

The sneakers were produced in Kenya and proceeds from their sale will benefit Kenyan wildlife via The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.