As we have seen in various posts here on The Cool Hunter, footwear has become a genre of art all of its own.
Much like the how the simple need for shelter has
crescendoed into superfluous McMansions, the shoe started out as a
humble necessity: to keep the toes out of harm's way. Currently - as
anyone who's purchased a pair of platform sneakers or sky-high
stilettos can attest - a need for beauty and style has far overshadowed
the trivial want for comfort.
Oscar Wilde once
professed, "One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art".
The financially fortunate seem to agree, with well-manicured feet
peaking from artistic footwear worth their weight in rubies and diamond
detail. Cobbler extraordinaire Stuart Weitzman took this tendency to an
unprecedented pinnacle with the unveiling of his "Cinderella Slippers"
which were were worn by singer Alison Krauss at the 2004 Oscars
ceremony and priced at $2M.
Thankfully, the
art of footwear is not limited to those of stratospheric bank accounts.
The need for fashionable shoe has crossed all social boundaries.
Collecting retro-style sneakers to high-end designer fashion heels,
shoe sales are a major part of the international fashion market and a
serious indicator of status and sub culture.
Naturally,
the shoe store has evolved, side-by-side, into an equally stylish hub
of modern fashion. No matter if you're talking about a pair Jimmy Choo
wedges (a must on the streets of Manhattan) or a rare collectable pair
of original 1972 Adidas sneakers – there is a carefully manicured
storeroom and market-analyzed price tag for each.
So
what's your favorite shoe store? We're asking our readers to tell us
about the most unique shoe store in their part of the world for a
feature that will appear in magazine print.
There's a trend sweeping the UK that's so big,
even British Vogue in their current December issue felt the need to
dedicate a page to ˜The Rave Revival", which as they put it, is all
about˜acid grooves and colors being back in the house". Most people are
calling it ˜Nu-Rave, and British bands such as Klaxons, Hadouken and
Shitdisco are at the helm, powering the music and London club nights
such as Anti-Family, Bosh! and NamaleeLovesPop that the
fashion-followers feed off.
However, there is one band
at the moment who surpasses all of the above- their Nu-Rave sound,
their gangsta style, and the blinding amount of neon and glitter they
flash really are something to behold, and unusually enough they are not
from England, but from Iceland - they're called Steed Lord.
A true dance party act, they are equal parts gangsta, rave and glam. On
their Myspace page they say their influences range from, 808 state,
Prince, The Neptunes and genres such as ghetto tech and house, minimal
electro, Chicago house, sensational 90's house music and the old-skool
hardcore jungle massive.
They are absolutely a breath of fresh air, one of the highlights at the Iceland Airwaves Festival
that ran from October 18th-22nd (the festival is about new music,
whether rock, pop or electronic, with international and Icelandic acts
playing). Steed Lord are made up of M.E.G.A, Kali, Demo and A.C Bananas
and during their performance at local Reykjavik club Pravda they packed
the small venue to the rafters.
Their
keyboardist, Demo, was reminiscent of a Batman baddie, just dipped into
a pot of electric-pink paint. Someone in the crowd told me he's only 17
years old, which will explain why they referred to him as "the whiz
kid" on stage. M.E.G.A is the producer of the band and works at
the controls at the back of the stage, although he had a stripe of pink
painted over his face for good measure. A.C Bananas is a tattooed thug
rapper who wore a black hoodie with 'Steed Lord' proudly emblazoned on
the back in numerous day-glo colours, worn open with only gold chains
adorning his bare chest. He had a fake diamond and gold grill over his
teeth, with dramatic eye make up just visible from under his
sunglasses, and a painful looking purple diamond, (their logo),
tattooed right over his Adam's Apple. From the waist-down he looked
very Nu-Rave - lycra black leggings with electric-pink shooting stars
on them, the look was topped off with Nike Dunks, he looked like a
total hard-nut, but also the sort of man that a fashion designer like
Bernard Willhelm would lust over to use as a model in his Paris runway
shows. One of the most amusing moments was, when halfway through
their act, a camp-as-you-like glittered male dancer appeared with a
platter of gold chains for A.C to load up on. Done dead-pan and totally
seriously, the crowd went wild, cheering and laughing as he loaded up
his neck with gold of proportions that even Mr.T would have been proud
of.
The hardness of A.C was counteracted by their female lead
singer, (and star of the band), Kali who, resplendent as she was in an
electric blue flower fairy top, neon leggings and peep-toe black high
heeled boots, could give Kylie a run for her money in the 'petite,
blonde and seriously sexy' stakes any day. However, it's her relaxed
yet tough chick attitude with her mötley crew of band members on stage
that clearly sets her apart from anything too poppy. This girl is
street. Then there's her voice, which is incredible, at times sounding
like Eartha Kitt as she purrs to the crowd "He's a very dirty mutha
fucker" in the menacing electro 'Dirty Mutha' and in the uplifting sexy
old-skool rave anthem 'You' she drove the crowd crazy when she started
singing "Yooouuuu! Make me feel so good boy you're making me high!
Yooouuuu!!! Make me feel so high, boy I feel so alive! Cos every time
I'm near you I really wanna touch you and hear you say, you'll always
be mine!
By the time she finished singing the atmosphere was charged with a
sexy electricity, the crowd were sweating, salivating, grabbing each
other and reaching out to this gorgeous chanteuse on stage and loving
the feeling of the pounding baseline throbbing through them.
Hopefully
they will start touring soon for sure cities such as Berlin, London,
Paris (and maybe even New York) would just eat them up given half a
neon-coloured chance. by Elizabeth McGrath
From Mexico to Maldives, we want to feature the
most incredible spas the world has to offer. As part of the Cool Hunter
community, we want to hear from you (as you guys love to contribute)
with any cool spa tips you may have for us for a feature story that
will appear in magazine print.
We already have spas covering the UK, Italy, Iceland, Brazil, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Switzerland, Chile, Budapest & Quebec.
When it comes to thinking outside the square, Italian furniture design company, Lago,
is well outside the parameters of traditional thinking. With the
talents of its prized designers Daniele Lago and Massimo Bonnetti
virtually on tap, the boundless creativity and functionality is evident
in their current range.
The company takes a step back from the
design board and looks at the way in which people interact with
furniture on a daily basis and in a variety of environments.
Flexibility is the essence of these designs, and with it comes
functionality which is wonderfully executed in their floating 'Shelf
System' range, named Tangram.
This system can
be arranged in a generous number of varying designs. From expressive
geometric through to the letters of the alphabet, the floating shelves
open the boundaries of the way we look at storing and displaying items
in the home. The system invites the shelves themselves to interact with
their surroundings, and promotes them to the same footing as the
objects they house.
As many designers gravitate towards a
minimal look, Lago appropriates this concept by creating weightless or
floating aesthetics to their 'Flutta' bed range. The bed comes in
either a circular or traditional rectangular design, and evokes the
impression of weightlessness by its ingenious support system. With a
discrete wall mounted bracket and a metal streamline pillar placed in
the center of the bed's base, Futta literally appears to float.
These
designs not only impress consumers with the manner in which they
interact with an environment - they stun us with their shear simplistic
design, creating an overall stunning effect. In a market which demands
forward thinking from designers, Italian design company Lago is setting
benchmarks standards which will force others to follow suit. by Andy G see alsoCOMPARTMENT-MANandStorylines Bookcase
The Mini Mokes was perhaps the most loved sun
buggy of the 60's, 70's and even the 80's. What sealed its success was
the simple lack of doors. The convenience of jumping in and out of a
car without opening doors and then the added bonus of driving around
topless made it very appealing.
Today, riding on that success,
Fiat have created the Fiat Jolly Panda. Although it sounds like a
Japanese game show, this car is a successful remake of all the things
that made the Moke a hit. The FJP was first launched over summer where
it was used to ferry VIP's on the island of Capri.
With
the interiors created by Italian design co. Paolo Lenti who specialize
in the use of innovative fabrics, the FJP looks stylishly sixties from
within. On the outside, the car has been designed with nontoxic
and UV ray resistant materials, centered around a simple structural
design which makes the car appear almost seamless. It's simplicity is
its beauty, with an added element of fun throughout the design. by Andy G
We have featured a number of challenging designs constructed entirely from singular materials. From cardboard sculptures of cars through to this latest design made entirely from light wood.
This 'punch-out' design stool comes complete with its own hang sell. Easier than a three year old's jigsaw puzzle, the pieces pop out of the frame to create a simple yet stylish stool.
If you know of any other simple punch-out designs or cool cardboard creations, let us know and we will feature them in upcoming posts! by Lisa Evans
Lets
face it. Being a hospitalized kid sucks. Apart from the obvious
physical issues, the mental issues such as boredom can keep sick
children feeling very low indeed. Design team, Jetske Verdonk, have
come up with this simple and fun solution to trailing a drip frame
around all day.
The Zieken+Huis is a drip-cum-tricycle which
allows the pint-size patient to zip around the ward whilst remaining
attached to their vital fluids and intravenous medication. In addition
to this three wheeling wonder, the release of a curtain frame which
drapes around the patient's bed has also been launched.
The frame allows 'get well' cards to be hung around it, acting as a decoration for the otherwise sterile looking beds. by Billy T
With suction cupped feet and a warm inner glow,
these rechargeable , stick on anywhere lights are not only cool but
rather handy. The lights are surrounded by a rubber outer shell which
houses and protects the inner bulb. Three suction cups at the base act as feet, allowing the bulb to be placed just about anywhere.
As
they are battery operated and fully rechargeable, the bulbs are
cordless and can travel with you and take up new real estate in
the most unusual places. They will be available to purchase from online
store sometime in 2007. by Billy T
With a cargo ship load of various portable sound systems and
accessories on the market, the battle for the funkiest design has been
fiercely fought for a few years now. One design that certainly stands
out is the transparent ghetto-blaster from Nokia.
This simple, brief case inspired design comes complete with old
school handle for portability and small feet for stability. Inside,
which you can clearly see from the outside lies a simple shelf that
seperates your Nokia Phone from the internal speakers. Thats it! With
the addition of volume control, the transparent ghetto-blaster is
pretty much complete.
With the units campaign launch set around parks and beaches around
Finland, the push to take your music out of the house was a key factor
in the successful marketing of this clearly brilliant device. Nokia’s
vision is clear. by Billy T
Here at the Cool Hunter, we have a few exciting projects in the works
which we will be pleased to announce to you in the next few weeks.
One
upcoming project is the release of a series of Cool Hunter branded
books. The Cool Hunter and Harper Collins Publishing U.S have signed a
deal to bring you a series of lifestyle books from the pages of the
Cool Hunter. One of the first releases will be "Sleeping Beauties - The World's Coolest Hotel Rooms". The book will feature the finest and coolest hotel rooms the world has to offer.
Entrepreneurs looking to invest some cash into a great project don't
need to look much further than graduates from design schools across the
world.
Industrial Design graduating student, Tom Allnutt, from Melbourne's Swinburne University,
has created this automated magazine stand which replaces the age old
news stand and seller by encasing a selection of magazines within the
secure stand for purchase.
Simply swipe your credit card
through, make your selection and before you board your train, plane or
automobile, you will be reading about Brittney's next pregnancy. Cool
and convenient. by Billy T
TASCHEN’s new architecture series brings a unique
perspective to world architecture, highlighting architectural trends by
country. Each book features 15 to 20 architects—from the firmly
established to the up-and-coming—with the focus on how they have
contributed to very recent architecture in the chosen nation. Crossing the globe from country to
country, this new series celebrates the richly hued architectural
personality of each nation featured.
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