The Cool Hunter, Roaming the globe so you're in the know
Hot Pick
June 9 2006
The hoodie is hot. From the early days when Rocky wore one whilst pounding into meat carcasses, through to our modern day rap poet Eminem, the hoodie, unlike corduroy pants has stood the test of time. Now the infamous hoodie has gone to the dogs with a variety of poochie hoodies for your favorite Fido. Your Shitzu can look shit hot in any one of these awesome hoodies from new Amsterdam based dogsdepartment.com by Andy G
June 6 2006
Personalization and regulation are two words that work beautifully when referring to your own indulgence. This brilliant shower system from Kohler DTV, is the worlds first fully digital unit that caters for your exact showering requirements.
Both water temperature and water pressure can be inputted to the system and set as a customer shower mode. The strength and type of water spray is also open to your personal touch. Both the control pad and the shower itself are smart, sleek and ultra modern looking, turning the bathroom into a futuristic cleaning unit! At just $2000 the age old custom of waiting for the right temperature and pressure have just swept down the drain. by Bill T
June 2 2006
If you are currently in Germany, you may be driving under the world's biggest set of balls. Adidas have graced an overpass at Munich airport with this brilliant ad for the world cup soccer featuring goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn. The campaign needed to be as large as the current wave of soccer fever sweeping the country. That's a definite goal for the ad gurus at Adidas. What a save! by Billy T
May 31 2006
If you've got the cash (a cool $US 2.5 million) you can now own your own piece of one of the world's most luxurious exclusive holiday villas at The Banyan Tree in Phuket. Next month the renowned resort will launch the hot new double Pool Villas, which owners can use exclusively for 60 days of the year. Owning your own piece of world renowned luxury is the ultimate in status, and the offer is expected to be taken up by status conscious celebrities, royalty and other millionaires for whom money is no object. For members of this exclusive club it's no longer enough to sample a luxury brand, true status now is about owning it. If you're not in the market for a luxury villa you can book a short stay for $2,200 a night. The centre piece of the villas is the floating bedroom, surrounded by floor to ceiling windows that open onto a wading pool. The villas also have two private pools. Why two? Well, in the land of the rich and famous, one (of anything) is never enough, of course! by Bill T
May 30 2006
Forget Europe's hot spots, if you're aching for a moment of pure, indulgent, unashamedly hedonistic bliss you MUST put a stay at Phuket's exclusive Banyan Tree resort on the top of your to-do-before-i-die-list. The gods were smiling upon me this week when I got to sample this slice of super-luxe-heaven myself. My real-life fantasy began like this: The Banyan Limo awaits at the airport, a gentle smiling chauffeur greets me. Within 30 minutes I arrive, greeted by a barrage of staff bowing to me as if I am some kind of Buddha, one of whom hands me a bracelet made out of Jasmine flowers (very Fantasy Island). They form a phalanx around me like protective body guards, escorting me through the grand foyer. So this is how Mick Jagger feels, I think to myself. But the star treatment is no act, it's sincere and endearingly polite - so humbling to be on the receiving end.
A golf buggy awaits, the resort is so big that they require the buggies to ferry guests to their villas. I arrive at Villa 205. The Pool Villa (pic above). Sonthaya, my private host welcomes me. I'm completely blown away. The bed, ever so inviting, faces out to the pool. I've stayed in numerous 5 star resorts in my time but this one is exceptional. Sonthaya explains where everything is, a beach bag with a towel and sunscreen is prepared for me, a fruit bowl with some exceptional fruit sits on the table, my own toiletry bag with everything in it. They have thought of everything, even an outdoor bath to soak in later.
After Sonthaya leaves I decide, like a scene out of Porky's, I strip naked and jump right into the pool. It's extremely private and not only can nobody else see in, it feels as if I have the resort to myself. But then I've barely left the villa, it's that kind of place. On the second day, I head out to the beach just a two minute walk away. I spot a French couple enjoying an $8 per/1 hr foot massage on their lounge chairs. By the end of the day I have a golden tan. Later I spot the Presidential suite, or what I've dubbed The rockstars VILLA. It has its own private drive-away entrance so paparazzi shy-celebs can glide straight in from the airport. I'm told Liz Hurley, Olivia Newton John and Pierce Brosnon have stayed there recently.
The following morning as I head out for breakfast walking pass numerous staff who, bow after bow, greet me in Thai 'Sawatdi Kha'. Their smiles contagious and its then I realize what makes this place so special. It's the exceptional service. The Banyan Tree more than deserves its perpetual place on Conde Nast Traveller's HOT LIST. It's the service, those gently sincere smiling faces, are like nothing I've ever experienced before.
At the extraordinary breakfast buffet I mouth the words OH MY GOD over and over as I swallow bite after bite of the perfectly made omelette, poppy seed pancakes, the fruit, the yoghurt, washed down with pineapple and mint juice. The waitress asks if I would like a copy of the paper, another one passes asking if I would like champagne, "coffee or tea Mr Bill". I order peppermint, I pour a cup, spilling a drop on the plate and it's replaced a second later. The attention to detail by the staff is incredible.
I'm not surprised The Banyan Tree Phuket is one of the most traveled destinations in Asia. The privacy of one of the 127 private walled villas creates the feeling of utter seclusion. I'm told it's a favorite amongst celebrities, royalty, and other VIPs because it's so paparazzi-proof.
It's difficult to avoid hyperbole when talking about the Banyan Tree. It has earned its reputation through its indulgent service, radiant beauty and spectacular setting. We have hunted cool before and will again, however my stay at the Bayan exceeds the word cool and encompasses something brighter, deeper and stronger which resonates within you long after you have parted ways. by Bill T
May 30 2006
GPS although amazingly brilliant in its technology, is not the most fascinating product to advertise. The design team from Contrapunto in Spain have taken on this challenge for client JEEP and have succeeded. Their recent advertising campaign uses the iconic arrow in a wonderfully creative way by having it comprised by minute images of animals herding. From birds flocking to elephants roaming, the images are as beautiful as they are inventive. This ad brings the concept of GPS back to its roots, the art of traveling. by Andy G
May 21 2006
Forget what the designers say, most trends emerge not from their studios but organically from the street. Cool young things all over the world are the true pioneers of fashion, wearing clothes in new ways by customizing and accessorizing and creating a pastiche of retro and modern. Coolhunter's Paris correspondent, Yvan Rodic, has been so inspired by the street fashion in his native city that he's started to document it in his own blog, facehunter.blogspot.com. And he's not the only one. Street style blogs have popped up all over the world, from London to Helsinki, New York, Shanghai, Moscow and Berlin, featuring pics of the what the cool kids are wearing right now. We can hear fashion's top designer's book-marking the blogs right now. by Lisa Evans
Here's the best of them: Helsinki, Finland New York City London Berlin Stockholm Moscow Australia Tokyo Shanghai Paris Sao Paulo Toronto Barcelona Zurich Vancouver Reykjavik Oslo Milan Mexico San Francisco Lisbon Munich
May 12 2006
The 2 photos above were taken at Volkswagen's new storage facility in Wolfsburg, Germany. The actual space that the facility occupies is approximately only 20% of a comparable facility with the traditional design that is used primarily in the US. Not only is the German structure less expensive to build, but vehicles are also "retrieved" in less time and without the potential of being damaged by an attendant. Collecting your new car is an event in itself. "In a fully automated procedure, your new car is brought down to you from one of the 20-story Car Towers. Large signboards in the Customer Center show you when your turn has come. Then, you're handed the keys, your picture is taken, the glass doors open and your brand-new car appears. You're all set to go". Also, check out the transparent factory in Dresden by Bill T
May 10 2006
The best ideas are often the most simple. This fantastic ad to discourage drink driving is a case in point. Used by the Hotel Marriott in India for patrons of its popular nightclub Enigma, this ‘personal stamp ad’ listing the phone number of the local cab company proved to be so effective the idea is now being taken up by the Mumbai police and is being adopted by other clubs. by Bill T
May 3 2006
Always wanted a tattoo but afraid of what your boss will say? Thanks to a fascinating new technique you can cover yourself in body art and no one will be the wiser, unless they see you in the dark, which is the only time these tattoos are visible. The new technique uses blacklight reactive ink, which is reactive to UV light. It's kinda freaky but imagine the fun you could have after dark. by Bill T
