Yatzer's Top Luxury Gifts

by Karen Day, 20 November 2009

For many, gifts with a three-figure price tag make a generous offering, but this year Yatzer upped the ante with their guide of gifts for the ultimate in luxury and the pinnacle in price points. CH picked a few of the gifts that may just be worth saving up for—providing you have a very large piggie bank.

Hasselblad's H4D medium format DSLR features a 60 Mpixel MF sensor and a new True Focus technology, an attribute built to provide outstanding focus throughout the entire image. The camera will be available January 2010 for €19,995 (pictured above left). Maison Takuya's wild alligator iPhone case adds even more class to the sleek device. The Bangkok-based luxury label offers the case and other bespoke goods in their signature alligator or ostrich leather. Find it at the finest department and specialty stores around the world for €293. (Pictured above right.)

The 24-carat gold and Swarovski crystal encrusted bike from Aurumania is a limited edition of ten, and features opulent additions like a Brooks saddle, hand-sewn grips and a ten-year warranty. Delivered via White Glove Service anywhere in the world for €80,000.

A limited edition of five, the fox fur hammock created by German design studio Bless for 20LTD provides the perfect place to relax after a hard day at work. Lined with cashmere and assembled by hand, the silky-soft hammock is a real pleasure. Available from 20LTD for €9,000.

via Yatzer

Tokyo Fixed Store

by CH Contributor, 20 November 2009

by Richard Prime

Now beyond a trend, the track and fixed cycling community thrives through the hard work of those involved in its passionate and dedicated scene. The latest proof of its staying power and those working for it, two-year-old e-commerce site Tokyo Fixed Gear's shop opens 25 November 2009. The physical manifestation from the group who have long fulfilled the demand in the U.K. for rare imports from Japan including hard to source frames and components, as well as local designers like Cyclodelic drops the "gear" from their name and makes their expertise that much more accessible.

A basement will house an enviable assortment of bikes and paraphernalia including vintage Italian frames, BMXs, Japanese track frames and a selection of hand-built frames from around the world. Rounding out the rarities, they'll stock the store with items from Brooklyn Machine Works, Leader and Gorilla Bicycles.

With Winter closing in, Tokyo Fixed will also carry a fine selection of cycle-specific clothing and footwear including the excellent Outlier clothing. London's fixed gear community has never had it so good.

Tokyo Fixed
4 Peter Street
London W1F 0DR map

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Cool Hunting Survey 2009

by Josh Rubin, 20 November 2009

Keep Cool Hunting content top-notch and free by completing our short survey. It takes less time than watching the latest viral video and when we learn more about you, our readers, it helps better tailor advertising and improves our independently-published site.

To thank you for your support, when you complete the survey you will also have the option to be one of the three winners of a Phaidon book of your choice.

The Recently Deflowered Girl

by Maggie York-Worth, 20 November 2009

Edward Gorey's strange and twisted illustrations, often coupled with his similarly odd prose, illustrates this inimitable book of manners "The Recently Deflowered Girl." Written by Mel Juffe under the nom de plume Miss Hyacinthe Phypps, advice for the society girl offers "the right thing to say on every dubious occasion."

Juffe, narrating with a humor so dry it resembles sandpaper, tells what to do when the marimba player, the spirit of Valentino or the Chinese detective deflower (and in other ways) act positively rakish.

What happens when your affianced cannot make the wedding? "Deflowered by Proxy," of course. Or when you are suspected of offing Lord Pilroy: "Deflowered by Chinese Detective."

Each vignette concludes with a condensed snippet of advice. For the lady deflowered by the doctor who, after the act, admits he is a fellow patient, one must reply that this visit must be free, because "Thrift is a virtue men like to find in a woman."

Originally published in 1965, The Recently Deflowered Girl was long out of print and considered one of Gorey's lost works when Bloomsbury republished it this month.

The lovely and darkly hilarious pairing of his ink and watercolor illustrations with Juffe's short tails make this book the harshest sweet in the bunch. Pick up a copy from Amazon or Powell's.

The Visual Miscellaneum Book

by Brian Fichtner, 20 November 2009

For those drowning in the digital age's information glut, "Visual Miscellaneum," the new eye-popping book of infographics by London-based visual and data journalist David McCandless, makes the perfect antidote. Forget about pie charts, bar graphs, line graphs and histograms; the book showcases McCandless' dexterity when it comes to the infinite number of ways to represent data through engaging graphics these days. (Click all images below for an expanded view.)

While some books open with a dedication to a loved one, an esteemed colleague or a revered legend, the author dedicates Visual Miscellaneum "to the beautiful internet." And no wonder, the internet both inspires and confounds with its labyrinthine paths and bottomless rabbit holes—it also provides most of the source data for the visualizations in this book.

Like most books offering a potpourri of information, this one aims to please with a random order that rewards flip-throughs with compelling graphics and interesting factoids pertaining to the state of our world today.

Turn to page 156 and find a two-page spread of cappuccino mugs, each filled with bars of color representing the proportion of ingredients in 18 varieties of coffee drinks. Flip to page 74 for a rather ominous chart of rising sea levels—St. Petersburg only has a few hundred years before it's underwater, while surprisingly New Orleans will stay afloat for another millennium. Land on page 160 to discover the most editied Wikipedia pages represented by a word cloud and each page's lamest point of contention.

By turns alarming and humorous in its revelations, it's a timely, if meandering, look at the state of our world. Oddly, while U.K. readers will have to wait until next year to grab a copy, the book is available now in the U.S. through Amazon (in addition to your local bookseller).

Those interested in getting a taste of David's work can follow his blog Information is Beautiful.

Timberland Yéle Haiti Earthkeepers

by Karen Day, 20 November 2009

Shifting his attention to altruistic causes, Wyclef Jean's recent collaboration with Timberland has less to do with his music than it does with the extensive charity work he's taken on in recent years. The Timberland Yéle Haiti Earthkeepers, a collection of 16 boots designed for men, women and kids, uses recycled and organic materials with the goal of raising awareness about environmental causes in Wyclef's native Haiti.

Named for the artist's Yéle Haiti organization—a charitable grassroots movement working to implement programs in education, sports, the arts and the environment—the eco-conscious footwear specifically aims to call attention to reforestation in the country.

The boots, constructed of 100% recycled PET and 100% organic striped cotton linings, organic cotton uppers and Green Rubber lug outsoles, also stay the distance with extremely durable Taslan laces and rustproof hardware.

A set of t-shirts, designed by Haitian artist Badio Joseph depicting the organization's symbolic tree completes the collection.

The shoes and tees sell online and from Timberland stores with prices ranging from $35-155, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Yéle Haiti.

Check out a few more images after the jump.

Japan Brand: The Wish List Holiday Pop Up Shop at Felissimo NYC

by Evan Orensten, 19 November 2009

We got a sneak peak at the Japan Brand NYC pop up shop at Felissimo today and can't wait to go shopping when it opens next Monday.

Japan Brand curates artisanal objects from Japan (including paper goods, furniture, fashion, kitchen and decorative items) and assembled an impressive group for this year's pop-up shop, which continues for the next five weeks. Most of these items are on sale in the U.S. for the first time, and almost all of them are available in small quantities. A range of events will also be held, including calligraphy demonstrations, sake tastings, and gift wrapping.

Some favorite CH products include the Alexander Gelman-designed lacquer bicycle and hand-made chess sets (watch out for our upcoming feature on him and Postglobal, a book that documents his last four years discovering the traditional arts of Japan. If you're in NYC you can meet him at a book signing this Saturday, 21 November 2009, 3pm at Kinokuniya), the very well priced Nussha floral bowls from Yamanaka, the very light weight cast iron cookware from Kawaguchi i-mono, and the amazing hand-dyed scarves, ties and hats from Tumugi. See our photos of these and other products below.

Japan Brand NYC Pop Up Shop at Felissimo
23 November-24 December 2009
10 West 56th Street
New York, NY 10019 map
tel. +1 212 956 4438

No online ordering is available, but you can email orders to info [at] japanbrandnyc [dot] com.