Hasta La Ideas

(Courtesy Claridge’s)

What do you get when you mix a swashbuckling designer, a famed Parisian fashion house, an iconic London hotel, and a squad of shimmering starfish? Dior creative director John Galliano‘s Christmas tree for Claridge’s. Unveiled yesterday in the lobby of the Mayfair landmark, the ocean-themed creation replaces a traditional holiday fir with a giant (papier-mâché) branch of pink coral ornamented with silver leaves, opalescent anemones, and shiny seahorses. “I wanted to create an underwater fantasy,” said Galliano, who first worked with Claridge’s last year on a more climatically appropriate “frozen” tree that combined icicles with chinoiserie. This year’s “Under the Sea”-themed design is a tropical tour de force that brings a bit of Palm Beach to the hotel’s art deco lobby. “Both Claridge’s and Dior are synonymous with with timeless glamour and impeccable heritage,” said Thomas Kochs, general manager of the hotel. “And we look forward to celebrating the festive season together.” Santa, however, is expected to keep his distance from the Dior tree, for fear of being impaled on its coral spikes. The tree will be on display at Claridge’s until January 5.

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Chris Kabel’s “Money Vase,” made from bronzed coins, and Oskar Zieta’s steel “Plopp” stool are two of the items that will be featured in Yoox’s “Xmas Craft” collection.

The glad retail tidings continue, this time with news of a design collaboration that has more immediate gifting potential. Global fashion and design e-commerce powerhouse yoox.com (which we have to thank for many a discounted Rick Owens topper and for feeding our Fornasetti addiction) has teamed with Italian design magazine Case da Abitare on “Xmas Craft,” a curated collection of design objects that will be offered exclusively on yoox.com later this month. Think of it as a highbrow, design-savvy version of Oprah’s Favorite Things.

The holiday partnership, which the Bologna, Italy-based Yoox Group is slated to announce tomorrow, will celebrate innovative approaches to traditional materials with a focus on what happens when industrial processes get a handcrafted twist. Look for linens designed by Valérie Barkowski for Bandit Queen alongside BTC’s handspun brass pendant lights and Oskar Zieta‘s award-winning powdercoated steel “Plopp” stool (pictured above) for Danish manufacturer HAY. And for your holiday table, there is porcelain a-plenty, including cups and saucers by Marco Bertolini for DMK and elegant platinum-coated bowls by Tsé Tsé Associées. Case da Abitare editors selected each item to “tempt and delight the discerning Christmas shopper,” according to Yoox. Design fans in 67 countries will have through New Year’s Eve to splurge.

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(Courtesy PUBLIC and James Mueller Photography)

Since resolving its brand identity crisis, Gap has been busy expanding its horizons. In recent weeks, the mega-retailer has opened its first wholly-owned stores in China (two in Beijing, two in Shanghai) and Italy (on Milan’s Corso Vittorio Emanuele) and announced plans to enter South America next fall. But the Gap store we’re most excited about is a temporary outlet right down the road from the company’s San Francisco HQ. It’s a seasonal pop-up shop (above) that features the covetable steel-framed bikes and gear of PUBLIC, the enterprise started in May by Design Within Reach founder Rob Forbes.

“I’ve been watching the growth of city bikes in Europe for almost ten years and seeing the changes here, such as the Bloomberg initiatives in New York,” Forbes told us. “I’m passionate about urban design and mobility, and want to help us get over our car addiction.” And so PUBLIC was born. The San Francisco-based company specializes in practical bikes designed for cities. Its classically styled models come in a growing range of gorgeous hues—a tangerine inspired by the ’68 Vespa that is a fixture in the PUBLIC offices, a pale blue purloined from a vintage Porsche—and boast frames that are guaranteed for life and “ride like butter.”

Word of snazzy urban bikes travels fast in the Bay Area, so it was only a matter of time before Gap came calling. “Their team visited our South Park space, liked our vibe, and asked if we’d work with them on the pop-up,” explained Forbes. “They are developing a bike share program with their staff also, and we align with their internal mission.” The deal was sealed by PUBLIC’s new more affordable models (the recently launched Public A7 and J7 each sell for $495, compared to the $550 to $890 price range of other models) and its quirky assortment of non-bike merchandise, including pretty air pumps, art, antimicrobial striped socks, and wooden deer heads.
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Book your Eurostar ticket now, because fashion designer John Galliano has whipped up two terrific projects in Paris and London. First up for the Dior creative director is a delicious collaboration with legendary Parisian pâtissier Ladurée. Reportedly a passionate fan of macaroons, Galliano now has one of his very own. Ladurée’s John Galliano macaroon is a pink-on-pink confectionary play on the rose and ginger notes of the designer’s new fruity-spicy fragrance, Parlez-moi d’Amour, itself inspired by an Edith Piaf chanson. Boxes of the fashionable indulgences are covered in sepia paper printed with lines of flowing script (tear-stained love letters, bien sûr) along with Galliano’s signature blackletter and a couple of vintage-looking stamps.

Meanwhile, back in his old stomping grounds, Galliano is once again creating a spectacular Christmas tree for London’s Claridge’s hotel. This year, he’s decided on a whimsical “Under the Sea” theme—but don’t expect the screaming bold hues evoked by the Disney song of the same name. “I wanted to create an underwater fantasy and have mixed pink corals, seahorses, anemones, and jellyfish, all glinting like gem stones, swimming amidst the silver leaves,” said Galliano. “I hope we create something as sumptuous as its setting and that this inspires a truly luxurious escape and a very festive season at Claridge’s.” We’ve posted Galliano’s just-released design sketch below. The hotel will unveil the festive fir on November 25, and it will be on view through January 5.

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From wind turbines and self-driving cars to mail goggles and consumer genomics, Google likes to experiment. Its latest foray into the world of ideas focuses on digital journalism, an ever-evolving and increasingly graphics-rich area for which the search giant has just committted millions. Google announced yesterday that it will give $5 million in grants to non-profit organizations that are working to develop new approaches to journalism in the digital age. “Our aim is to benefit news publishers of all sizes,” wrote Nikesh Arora, Google’s president of global sales operations and business development, on the company blog. “We hope these grants will help new ideas blossom and encourage experimentation.” First up: the Knight Foundation, which has received a $2 million grant to support its media innovation work (you’ll recall their Knight News Challenge initiative). Googler Marissa Mayer co-chaired the foundation-sponsored Knight Commission on Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, which made recommendations to extend broadband access to all Americans, and on media literacy. As for the other $3 million in up-for-grabs grant money, Google plans to invest it in creative journalism projects outside of the United States. Details are expected early next year—so bloggers, now may be the perfect time to open a Belize bureau.

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