Hasta La Ideas

The first shoe in Keds’ Century Collection celebrating the decades, the “Champion Take Flight” tackles the 1910s with a look that’s equal parts dapper menswear and ladylike detailing. Washed sateen lends an unexpected touch of shine, while a cap toe, other leather details and a striped lining speak to a classic early 20th century feel. We can imagine Amelia Earhart sporting the gum soled-footwear, though Keds cites “America’s coming of age during Industrial Revolution” as its inspiration.

As a partner with Keds on their Original Sneaker campaign (Keds introduced the first sneaker in 1916), we’re excited to have the exclusive on this premier sneaker in a series of 10 limited-edition releases that Keds will be debuting monthly—stay tuned for more! The edition of 200 sells online only from the Keds site for $50.

Bangkok-born artist Korakrit Arunanondchai originally created his wildly-colorful, limited-edition clothing label Kora-Krit as an extension of his digitally-influenced art. Working chiefly with silkscreen printing, Arunanondchai intended for visitors to his gallery shows to wear the pieces for a fully immersive and visually seamless experience.

The RISD grad (now based in Brooklyn, NY) takes up various themes in his work, but considers them all to have a shared feeling. He sees his layered compositions as a fortunate glimpse of a fleeting moment, like “a bunch of kids playing basketball” who appear to fight and dance as they bump into each other on the court. But in Arunanondchai’s amped-up world, the scene plays out at an even faster tempo and is possibly “happening in the sky.”

The current collection borrows strong graphic shapes found in video games, particularly the letters X and O, as well as triangle and square shapes. Printed on neon fabrics, the choice links the apparel back to his black light art installation on the same subject.

The forthcoming project, dubbed “Thrs” for the typical gallery opening night, takes Arunanondchai back to a simple black, white and gray palette for series of intricate prints that explore computer-generated gallery spaces. (Pictured above.)

A fan of Hieronymus Bosch, the phantasmagorical world Arunanondchai creates has something in common with contemporaries like Ryan McGinness, who similarly makes densely-layered imagery that toes the line between organization and chaos. On the fashion side, the artist’s futuristic prints connect him to those seen in the most recent collections by Proenza Schouler and the late Alexander McQueen (also a fellow Bosch admirer). His passion for creating an unabbreviated universe has led to multi-media installations that transcend physical boundaries, as well as projects as tangible as a laptop for Dell.

Kora-Krit sells online or from La Forêt in Tokyo with prices starting at $29.

by James Ryang

Pretty much anyone who went to school in the U.S. has had a Jansport backpack at some point in their life. If it could get books from point A to point B, while withstanding endless tosses over shoulders and the travails of school, it worked. Function, simple design, and durability have always been the key elements to Jansport’s enduring relevance as the iconic backpack. Recently, Jansport introduced their limited edition Heritage Series, re-issuing their original designs from 1967. Emblazoned with vintage Jansport labels, these bags are constructed in the same silhouettes and from the same materials as their ancestors.

Of our favorites in the series, the Hoss, pictured above left, is a top-loading backpack equipped with brass zippers, a re-enforced leather bottom, three utility pockets and seat-belt straps. The Snoqualmie duffel, above right, is a perfect, carry-on sized bag with three side pockets and an adjustable seat-belt strap. Both bags are available in four vintage colorways. Made from Classic Cordura fabric, the Hoss backpack and the Snoqualmie duffel are extremely durable. Cordura is a woven nylon fabric first applied by Jansport in the early 1970’s and still used in the production of military apparel and equipment. Jansport has taken a significant step backward to remind us why their brand is synonymous with durable, classic luggage.

At the height of the Art Deco era, the SS Normandie, an opulent transatlantic ocean liner fitted with lavish furnishings, attracted the most sophisticated passengers of the day. To commemorate the stylish ship, NYC’s South Street Seaport teamed up with Lalique—the French label responsible for much of the glamorous interior—for an exhibition opening this Thursday, 25 February 2010, and appropriately titled Decodence. Featuring original furnishings, rare passenger photographs, video footage, voyage logs, uniforms and fashion accessories, the show dives into the history of the glamorous vessel (before it was converted to a troop ship and caught fire in 1942) and we have a few exclusive images from the project to share with you.

The gem-like “floating city” arrived in New York City’s harbor in 1935 to over 100,000 spectators eager to check out the liner’s impressive structure. Pillars covered in Lalique glass stood tall in the three-hundred-foot-long dining room, a winter garden boasted exotic flora and fauna, the first theater-at-sea entertained, while an 80-foot-long swimming pool provided a place for leisure and exercise. Art Deco luminaries, including Hermés, Raymond Subes, Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Jean Dupas, designed many of the maiden voyage’s features. Organizers even tracked down the only surviving example of Hermés’ contribution, an exceedingly chic boat-shaped clutch given to first class passengers. (Pictured below.)

Jeremy Scott created a limited edition shirt and Lalique reissued their original 1931 Cabochon glass ring. All the exhibit-related products,pictured in the gallery below, sell exclusively through the South Street Seaport Museum shop or by calling +1 212 748 8733.