Tuesday, September 30, 2008

me loves de kitties

here's a joke i received today which reminded me of one of our cats at home. i've never laughed out loud so hard for quite some time. read on....


How to give a cat a pill

1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left
arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger
and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently
apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right
hand.As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth.
Allow cat to close mouth and swallow

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa.
Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm,
holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws
open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger.
Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of
wardrobe.Call spouse from garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees,
hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted
by cat.Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand
while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down
ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill
from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and
repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered
figurines and vases from hearth and set to one
side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie
on cat with head just visible from below armpit.
Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open
with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to
humans, drink 1 beer to take taste away.Apply
Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood
from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed.Get another
pill.Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard,
and close door onto neck, to leave head showing.
Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill
down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard
door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of
scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to
cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot.
Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect.Toss back
another shot.Throw Tee shirt away and fetch new
one from bedroom.

12. Call fire department to retrieve the damn cat from
across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed
into fence while swerving to avoid cat.Take last pill
from foil wrap.

13. Tie the little bas**rd's front paws to rear paws with
garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table,
find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill
into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak.
Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints
of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to
drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while
doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill
remnants from right eye.Call furniture shop on way
home to order new table.

15. Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell
and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.


How To Give A Dog A Pill

1. Wrap it in bacon.

2. Toss it in the air.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Feature Bag #18: Damier Graphite Tadao

TA-DA!

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Damier Graphite Tadao

i just can't resist a good large tote. especially since this comes with a practical and comfortable shoulder strap. this brand new design is named after the famous Japanese architect Tadao Ando, another Pritzker Prize winner. included in Damier Graphite's launch catalogue, here is Monsieur Duvauchelle modelling it:

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when im feeling understated, the sombre grey-on-black just sets the mood

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someone once described the new canvas as a black&white photograph of the original Damier ebene canvas. im inclined to agree. for A/W 2007, they printed photos of Damier suitcases and key pouches on t-shirts:

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were they already hinting of things to come? if you want to read more about this t-shirt, click HERE.


while looking rather conservative and corporate, this tote can shift from work to play with ample room to function as an overnighter too:

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here's a photo of the spacious interior fitted with a large internal pocket, smaller patch pocket and mobile phone pouch:

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yet another fantastic offering from Vuitton's newest line. undoubtedly one of the most popular too. SAs from both LV boutiques here in Melbourne told me that the Tadaos are flying off the shelves the quickest.

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i highly recommend it. get yours today!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

variations on a theme 1


we all follow certain patterns. when we like something we tend to gravitate towards similar things/events/sensations without any conscious effort. here's an example:

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18k gold pendants on silk cords by Louis Vuitton, Gucci and VanCleef&Arpels.

you can read more about the LV Richard Prince bread tag HERE and HERE.

the little Gucci coin necklace was a souvenir from a 4-day Dubai stop-over back in 2003. i spent an entire day at the world famous Dubai gold souk trying to find something for myself. but the designs were mostly too feminine (woven gold veils with matching nose chain anyone?) or too expensive (there was a 21ct Trillion-cut fancy cornflower blue diamond that i could never forget). i ended up buying this from the Gucci boutique at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers instead:

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as for the Van Cleef & Arpels, this little quatrefoil is part of their Alhambra Collection:

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the highly familiar shape of this jewellery collection was inspired by the windows of the great Moorish palace in Granada, Spain. this tiny 18k gold pendant is part of Visionaire #48 "Magic"

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in this issue, the world famous and highly collectible multi-format "magazine" was a stack of lenticular cards created by film directors such as Pedro Almodovar, Wong Kar Wai, Sofia Coppola and Gus van Sant. my particular favourite is the one by Spike Jonze:

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it features actor Jason Schwartzman looking rather melancholic with rockets shooting out from his chest. poignant and romantic, just how i like it.

(n.b. Spike Jonze's ex-wife is Sofia Coppola who is cousins with Jason Schwartzman)

Friday, September 19, 2008

take me back to the Mothership!

my parents are attending a conference in Antwerp this week. but before they go down to the business end of the trip, they had a little R&R in Paris to meet some friends and colleagues. of course a trip to Paris wouldn't be complete without a visit (or two) to 101 avenue des Champs-Elysées:

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they were so nice to take these photos for me. i didn't even have to ask.

*SIGH*

i want to go back!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Feature Bag #17: Damier Graphite Ieoh


Damier the GREYt



this has been a long time coming. i've always wished they would play with Damier canvas for a change and imbue it with a more masculine colour palette like black, silver or navy blue. especially after the more feminine Damier Azur has been quite successful since its release in 2006. wish granted! presenting my newest baby:

Damier Graphite Ieoh


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this bag is named after Pritzker Prize wining architect I.M. Pei who is widely known for redesigning the entrance to the Louvre and its glass pyramids. the Ieoh is a new larger reworking of the classic Monogram Canvas Nil:

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(you can find out more info about the Nil from
eLuxury)

after almost exclusively adding hand-held totes and bags to the collection for the past two years, i was hankering for something hands-free and fuss-free. and although this particular bag is now part of the permanent collection, it did appear on last January's F/W 2008-09 Menswear show. here is it's debut:

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the bag has also been featured in their F/W'08 RTW catalogue:

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and here's a couple of beautiful photos from a Japanese
web magazine:

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for more info in Damier Graphite, i've also made a few related entries in the lead-up to this: HERE / HERE / HERE / HERE / HERE / HERE / HERE

yes, im obsessed with Damier Graphite. who wouldn't be? this is the first time LV has introduced a new coated canvas in their permanent roster that is specifically aimed towards their male clientele. and judging by just how heavily they're promoting it, the company sure got high hopes for it's success and reel in more men into the LV fold. i really love Damier Graphite and hope to be adding some more in the future. here's one last look:

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=D


images taken from:
Louis Vuitton, eLuxury, men.style.com & Openers.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

just us boys: LoVe in Osaka




an Aussie friend living in Switzerland went on a trip to Japan just recently. he asked me for tips on where to go and what to do. one of the rec's i had given him was to check out the
Hankyu MEN's department store in Osaka. its a 6-storey building dedicated solely to men's fashion. it is of special interest to me because in it houses the only menswear-exclusive Louis Vuitton boutique in the world. here are a couple of photos he was kind enough to share with me:




(that's him by the way =P )

coincidentally,
i was in Tokyo when it opened last February. but sadly, i only found out about it afterwards. it would've been my kind of heaven *SIGH* this is definitely a top priority the next time we visit Japan.

a little more info about this department store (in english) can be found
HERE.


many thanks to Luke. cheers mate!

p.s. how's about a photo of your LV loot?
Wink




Thursday, September 4, 2008

COMME* hither...

here are some photos of the "Louis Vuitton at Comme des Garçons" pop-up shop in Aoyama, Tokyo:

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the minimalist and almost brutal space is typical of the avant-garde Japanese brand. the bags are the main focus and they were displayed in a sculptural way. at first i only wanted the multi-handled Mini HL Customise just for my collection. but after seeing these photos i think i also like either of these two bags to use:

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Sac 2 Poches & Petit Marceau


they actually seem bigger than i thought. hopefully i could acquire even just one. thanks to Chuvaness for the head's up!


SOURCE: trashbagaesthetics, Louis Vuitton.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

what's on the agenda?

i never really found the need (nor desire) for an agenda or diary. but the new small agenda LV has just released are proving to be quite irresistible:

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the silkscreened images were gleaned from their vast archive of old print ads:

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what better way to create new visual vocabularies by rediscovering their past. the little Steamer print (leftmost) is especially adorable. these prints give the once mundane daily planner that little boots. my picks would be the Malle Blanche in Damier ebene (top centre) and the Malles Empilees in Monogram (bottom left). now i just have to convince the rational side of me that i must have one. if they did something similar on Damier Graphite im sold!!!


SOURCE: Louis Vuitton

Tokyo anyone???

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the much blogged and highly anticipated collaboration between the king of luxury and the queen of avant-garde fashion has come. such an unlikely coupling, but it sure has the makings of another huge commercial hit.

here's the press release in the off chance some readers haven't the slightest clue:

"On September 4, 2008, Louis Vuitton opens an impermanent store inside Comme des Garçons in Tokyo. The idea for the project emerged from the memories of Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo. In 1978, as a young designer, she saw the first Louis Vuitton store to open in Japan and was fascinated by the image of French craftsmanship and art de vivre it projected – a luxury that seemed to her, at the time, unattainable. Three decades on, Rei Kawakubo wanted to revisit her impressions, and so the association between Comme des Garçons and Louis Vuitton was born.

Intriguingly, Louis Vuitton is celebrating this year its 30th anniversary in Japan. Rei Kawakubo has dedicated and re-designed the entire Comme des Garcons store on Kottodori, Omotesando especially for Louis Vuitton for the duration of the project, from 4th September through mid-December, into a space that will be a celebration of the Louis Vuitton Monogram. The fruit of this unprecedented collaboration – an exclusive collection of six one-off bags – will be presented in a minimalist space, at the centre of which will be a display of historic Louis Vuitton trunks. Inspired by her memories, Rei Kawakubo chose the legendary Monogram canvas to create two Party bags, small evening purses with outsized natural leather handles. The designer also customized two classic Louis Vuitton bags, endowing the Papillon with kawaii (cute) animal charms and the Mini HL with multiple slender handles. Lastly, Louis Vuitton is reediting two iconic designs from the 1970s – the Petit Marceau and the Sac 2 Poches – which Rei Kawakubo is likely to have seen in the windows of that first Louis Vuitton store.

The bags will only be available upon order, which is only to be placed at the “Louis Vuitton at Comme des Garçons store”. No telephone or Internet orders will be taken. In return, customers will receive a certificate inside a special card holder in Louis Vuitton’s traditional natural leather, embossed with the Louis Vuitton at Comme des Garçons signature. Only several months later will their bag be delivered to their chosen Louis Vuitton store. Other iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram bags, such as the Speedy and Alma chosen by Rei Kawakubo, will also be on display and available for immediate sale inside this special 'Louis Vuitton at Comme des Garçons' store."


here are the bags:

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i know to most these bags aren't that impressive. it doesn't have all the bells and whistles a Richard Prince or Takashi Murakami collaboration does. but they're unmistakably Rei Kawakubo: pared down and offbeat. not to everyone's taste. but to Rei's legions of followers and LV Collectors alike, these bags would be highly desirable. i for one would LOVE to own the multi-handled Mini Speedy:




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to me its more like a piece of art than an actual bag. i can just picture it inside a little glass vitrine with its own spotlight. but i don't see why it can't be used. the outermost loop seems long enough for shoulder carry. but you can also hand carry it with the smallest loop with the rest of the handles folded down like bee's wings. very cute. now if only i had the means and the time to fly to Tokyo...



SOURCES: Nitro:licious, Louis Vuitton
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