a fine umberlla: always hard to find


todays summer shower proved that a good umbrella should never be left at home, unless ofcourse you are thomas mann: “it suddenly began to rain and, as if on command, there was an umbrella over every head. that was a symbol of cowardice and vulgar effeminacy, the end product of civilization.” –magic mountain. by dd

style note: paul weller vs pete townshend


oooh! just remembered… such perfect timing. been waiting and holding off for the right time to post this muffin. a good quality rare shot of pete townshend and paul weller at the peak of their time. while pete is a swell guy, i was never into “the who”, i never understood it or saw what all the fuss over the guitar trashing was back then. especially when that became an act at the end of every show. to me they were a big pop band with a trick or two. on the other hand i was an avid “jam” fan in its early days. pauls social views and activist stand was inspirational and while he drifted later years he always carried those views along with his great taste… (if not always in his music). here you have the dashing paul weller with townshend in as good as a condition as you’ll ever find him. by dd

vans+hermes or the other way round

i know it’s been around a lot on blogs but that’s really cool whatsoever. stylist robert verdi (no idea who the guy is and seeing what comes up when google him, not sure i want to know) anyway, he had his entry at vans and a stack of hermes scarves which turned into those fab shoes. ok that’s a bit futile and too much for an everyday use but some people can get away with it can’t they? by pp.

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