Hasta La Ideas

This is a good omen: my vintage typewriter tins are featured on The Dieline today! Coincidentally, I am working on the tin design for A Collection a Day. (Thanks for the tip, Jen!)

From honey bear bongs to portable Bluetooth speakers, Cool Hunting’s limited-edition series of collaborations

This year, Cool Hunting teamed up with select favorite brands—innovators in technology, design, fashion, and perhaps most fondly, food—to create limited-edition versions of their much-beloved products, available exclusively through our online store and at our pop up for Gap.

When we learned that 160-year-old Swiss watchmaker Marvin was undergoing a revival, we worked with their designer to put a CH spin on their newest style, the Malton 160 Cushion. Our interpretation ($1,250) features green accents and is signed and numbered, as well as engraved with “Toujours Plus” (a riff on one of our taglines, “Always More”). Already sold out, the last chance to get this sleek watch is through our upcoming charity auction. (Stay tuned for details, and check out our recent video on Marvin to learn more about the brand that supplied JFK with gifts for Marilyn.)

Created by CH founder Josh Rubin and his father, the tech-friendly glove brand Freehands came out with a CH Edition ($80) this season. Like all Freehands, these are designed to keep your hands warm while using your mobile phone, camera, iPod and more, but this luxurious version is made from 80% pure cashmere in gray-on-gray stripes, and features the new magnetic design that discreetly secures the finger and thumb flaps back out of the way.

We collaborated with Brooklyn brand Outlier on this Swiss wool hat, an accessory technically designed for bike riding in less-than-cheery weather. Completely wind-resistant, highly water-resistant and with a brim that perfectly shields a rider’s brow, the stylish cap ($90) comes in three colors, keeping you protected from the elements without ruining your holiday party entrance.

Maintaining their minimalist design, local sourcing, and small-footprint credo, Rickshaw created one of their bestselling Zero Waste bags for Cool Hunting. Featuring a green interior and a black exterior, our exclusive multifunctional Zero bag ($150) and its matching CH Edition felt and nylon iPad case ($30) keep your precious goods protected on the go.

Already fans of their caps and belts, we commissioned the creative Tokyo-based label Zillion to completely cover a series of vintage skateboard decks in their dead-stock kimono fabrics. The limited-edition collection was crafted in two styles—with wheels ($850) or without ($750) —each in beautiful patterns that look fantastic hanging on any wall, especially when grouped together.

Local artisan Jill Platner (another craftsperson who’s long been on our list of favorites) created a series of 12 of her signature rawhide bracelets exclusively for Cool Hunting ($205). Handcrafted in New York for nearly two decades, Platner’s jewelry features her trademark sterling silver toggle clasps, but our version comes in a longer bracelet length and a custom dove gray leather.

We’ll be hosting an event premiering our video on Jill in our pop up shop for the Gap soon, check back for details.

Handmade from locally-sourced vintage fabrics in one of the few remaining factories in Manhattan’s Garment District, 3sixteen‘s four patterns of classic ties for Cool Hunting ($80) boast clean lines that demonstrate the menswear company’s extreme attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Other collaborations include the pairing of Brooklyn chocolate purveyors Mast Brothers with San Francisco fruit gastronome June Taylor to create an out-of-this-world artisanal chocolate bar ($10), a beyond delicious Happy Goat scotch caramel sauce, an Esque honey bear water pipe ($360), and Good Fight’s herbal smoking blend. Stay tuned for more in the upcoming days on those Cool Hunting exclusives!

Though it’s not for sale, also keep an eye out for CH giveaways of Jawbone’s brand-new portable Bluetooth speaker the Jambox in custom Cool Hunting Green.

Almost all products will be available through our gift guide as well as our new Cool Hunting x Gap pop up store.

A ’65 double-decker bus puts Portland’s latest vintage shop on wheels

On the corner of Williams and Failing in northeast Portland, OR, a newly-restored double-decker bus gleams in the early afternoon sunlight. People walking to any of the nearby cafes and restaurants take out their iPhones and take pictures as they pass. “I have the greatest job in the world,” said the owner, Erin Sutherland, who restored the bus with the help of a few friends and converted it to a vintage shop, now called
Lodekka.

The name comes from the bus model. It’s a 1965 Bristol Lodekka that Sutherland found and renovated with the help of her friends, ripping out chairs and scraping off wallpaper paste. When Sutherland lost her job six months ago, she found herself with a lot of time on her hands and an ingenious idea. Portland has a booming food cart industry, why not start a vintage dress cart? The idea meshed well with Sutherland’s other occupation as a member of the Portland 1930’s jazz band The Stolen Sweets. Now she can sell vintage clothes by day, and sing vintage music by night.

Sutherland spends half the week shopping for stock and the other half chit-chatting with customers as they navigate the bus interior, examining its many treasures. Sutherland manages to display a lot of items in a small space, from vintage magazines to silky sweaters. A dog snoozes outside in the grass while Sutherland prices some items on a restored bus bench. A girl from Brooklyn tries on a pair of white cowboy boots and hauls some dresses up the spiral staircase to the dressing room. Downstairs, her mother squeals, “I haven’t seen this book since I was a kid!” Which book is uncertain, but one thing is clear: Sometimes getting fired can be the best thing to ever happen to you.

Lodekka has a Facebook page and a Twitter account. The shop is open Thursday through Saturday, 11am to 6pm and Sunday noon to 5pm. For more information, check out Lodekka’s website.

The recent calls for submissions (Feeling Bookish, Foxes) have been really well-received, so I hope you like the next one… Inspired by vintage matchbox labels, I’d love to see your design, typography and illustrations that pay homage to these small treasures of graphic design. Traditionally, the box label messages were public service announcements, recommending citizens “Eat Vegetables” or “Be Careful with Matches” or “Save For Happiness” or “Alcohol Will Sink Your Plans”. Or they celebrate more decorative topics like animals, national sports or fables. What is your modern take in subject matter for a modern matchbox label? Printed inexpensively, specimens from the 50s and 60s have lovely misregistration, overprinting and dot patterns. Feel free to emulate these effects in your design. The best ones will be published in the winter edition of UPPERCASE magazine (Issue #8, out in Jan/Feb 2011).

Submissions should 3″ x 2″ either horizontal or vertical and 300dpi. Please label the file with your last name and include your name, address and contact details when uploading it here. DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 30.

I didn’t have time to scan my collection (yet – see it in the magazine, issue 8), but Maraid‘s photostream is full of thousands samples of inspiration.

Hollywood hand-me-downs now available online from the designer consignment experts at Decades

Sourcing from some of the most phenomenal wardrobes around the world, L.A.-based designer consignment shop Decadestwo takes their tightly-edited collection of luxury threads online with Decadestwo.1—making it easier than ever to find a distinct look on a budget.

The user-friendly site allows for easy navigation through the collection, with categories spanning styles of clothing, as well as helpful guides such as “Editors Favorites,” “Future Collectibes” and “Under $300.” The site’s blog is updated daily with stories about the newest consignment, constructive advice such as how to spot a fake Chanel bag, the latest fashion news and a weekly column from editor-in-the-know Billy Garcia.

While they keep their consignors confidential with a Bond agent-style number, each week Decadestwo.1 features one of their favorite contributor’s closets, revealing just a little information about the woman behind the wardrobe. Often though, the consignors don’t mind sharing their identity (Rachel Zoe is #143 Decades founder Christos Garkinos tells us) and the site will share those stories about what makes their closet so special in full.

With all of the brands you covet right at your fingertips, Decadestwo.1 is an inspiring site to scour (read: slightly dangerous addiction). In celebration of their online launch, Decadestwo.1 is offering CH readers 20% off of all purchases until 19 October 2010, simply by using the code DEC20. For those in NYC, check out the Decadestwo.1 pop-up shop at Kiki de Montparnasse from 14-17 October 2010. (Sunday includes their $150 shoe sale.)