Valet Interview with J.Crew’s Frank Muytjens
Valet caught up with J.Crew’s Vice President of Men’s Design, Frank Muytjens. In the interview Muytjens elaborates on his earlier influences and how it has affected him throughout his career, including his previous gig at Ralph Lauren. Muytjens has also talks about his design rituals and some new collaborative projects J.Crew will be working on – specifically with knitwear specialists Inverallan. The interview really shows the progression of the brand, its great direction and alignment with a culture who pride themselves in being knowledgeable about quality and cut.
Read the rest at Valet Mag.
Project Le Tour Photos by Brent Humphrey
While one famous Texan has been getting all the Tour de France headlines, perhaps another Texan will end up best capturing the legacy of this year’s tour. Austin-based photographer Brent Humphrey’s Project Le Tour portfolio captures the grace of the racers and the morning fog coming down jagged hills, yes, but also the tents of campers waiting for a brief glimpse at the riders, rotisserie chicken being grilled at roadside stands, and the proclivity of sunbathers along the roadside. In all, a fascinating, quirky glimpse at the world’s most famous bicycle race. Lance who?
See more images of this collection after the jump.
The Malcolm Interview with Richard Haines
Perhaps even more inspiring than Scott Schuman’s The Sartorialist blog is Richard Haines “What I Saw Today.” A veteran of Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis, and Bill Blass, Richard’s quick sketches of New York’s most stylish capture the essence of his subject’s cool, which allowing enough vaugeness for the look to be interpreted by the viewer. Since starting barely over a year ago, the blog has led to Richard producing in-store portraits and catalog covers for J. Crew. Read his current interview with The Malcolm here.
More images after the jump.
Spacesuits at the Smithsonian
Amanda Young, a spacesuit caretaker for the National Air and Space Museum, has released a book entitled “Spacesuits,” which takes a detailed look at the carefully preserved suits worn by astronauts throughout missions during the 1960’s and 70’s. What began six years ago as an archival catalog eventually developed into a glossy coffee-table book. Young collaborated with Mark Avino, head chief of photographic services at NASM. A majority of the photographs in the book focus on the suits worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The book’s release also coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission. “Spacesuits” can be purchased at Amazon.
See more images after the jump.
Sydney Police Mug Shots from 1912-1930
A Time To Get showcases what is undoubtedly the coolest set of mug shots you will ever see. Taken in Australia in the early 20th century, the accused are generally shown photographed twice, once from roughly the chest up (for facial detail) and again as an off-center full portrait. Dressed in their own clothing, the subjects project an air of casualness and confidence, some with arms around another, many with satisfied postures, and all accentuated by the variety of backgrounds—including a trees, plants, and other people. Similar to Richard Avedon’s American West series, the pictures highlight a peculiar mixture of hard-times and informality. For a fascinating in-depth explanation of these photographs and how they were rediscovered, visit Scan.Net.
More images after the jump.
New Ferrari Store in Nurburgring
So, you trot your 599 GTB Fiorano out to one of the greatest test tracks in the world, but sadly, you’ve been rained out. What to do? Fear not, Ferrari has your answer. Scuderia drivers and Formula One stars Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen cut the ribbon on the merchandise-only store earlier this week. The modern design and layout is courtesy of Studio Iosa Ghini, a renowned Italian architecture and design firm that has been at the forefron of avant-garde styling for over 20 years. The track-level store boasts meeting rooms for corporate execs, as well as a relaxation lounge to sit back and take it all in.
See more after the jump.
WWII and Korean War Aircraft Nose Art
Web Urbanist gives us a great look into the evolution of war plane graphics. Originating with German and Italian pilots, military plane nose art has evolved into a distinctly American tradition, dating as far back as 1915 and peaking during the 40’s and 50’s. Always created by amateur artists, the practice generally focused on two subjects–women and war. The women were usually drawn in the distinct pin-up girl style of girl-next-door gone glamorous, while war themes largely were portrayed through fierce animals, screaming bombs, and by anthropomorphizing the nose into teeth-baring terrors. Cartoon characters also began to make frequent appearances on the noses of planes in the late 30’s and throughout the 40’s. While the practice still carries on, popular imagination will forever place the practice firmly in mid-century Americana.
See more images after the jump.
Horween Genuine Shell Cordovan (Video)
As mentioned in the RRL post, the genuine shell cordovan used for the upper of the Bowery Boot was crafted at the Horween Leather factory of Chicago. Founded in 1905, Horween Leather Company is one of the oldest operating tanneries in the country. They offer a multitude of tannages mainly using cowhide and horsehide with smaller quantities of calf and bison hides also used. The quality leather is used in various products ranging from shoes to sporting good to bags to belts. The video will highlight several steps of this rigorous process, and the journey to produce some of the world’s best leather.
Watch the video after the jump.
The Frame – Second Week Tour de France Photos from The Sacramento Bee
“The Frame” section of the Sacramento Bee is a truly impressive photo blog that documents many world events in stunning fashion. All photos posted in the feature are in high definition. These collections closely follow the concept used for the the Boston Globe’s “Big Picture,” though the subject matter varies, obviously.
For its latest installment, the Sacramento Bee multimedia staff acquired images for a piece on the numerous stages of the Tour de France. This storied race has grown enormously popular in the US much in part to the success of Lance Armstrong. The backdrops for these pictures are nothing short of awesome. You’ll find that photo blogs such as these can be quite inspiring.
See all of the photos at The Sacramento Bee website or head over to the jump to see some of our selections.
Core77 Dutch Master Limited Edition Bicycle
Design group Core77 has released 25 limited edition bicycles that they call “The Dutch Master.” The overall look is based on the classic Worksman cruiser frame, an iconic design that dates back nearly 100 years in the bike messenger and delivery history of New York City. The bikes were hand-built by KT Higgins, a Brooklyn-based ex-bike messenger and proprietor of Bushwick Bike Shop.
As part of the product launch, the Apple Store SoHo (103 Prince Street) New York will be presenting a Live “Meet the Designers” Event on Saturday, July 11th at 3pm, featuring the story of the Core77 Dutch Master Bicycle. Following the event, the Dutch Master will be on display in the lobby of the Ace Hotel (20 West 29th Street) from July 11 – 18.
For more information, visit Core77.com/dutchmaster.
See more images after the jump.
