Lily Allen Heads Up

by SummerSeventySix

Just a quick heads-up for American readers: Smile by Lily Allen, who we wrote about back in April and who last month made her live stateside debut, is this week's Free Download on the U.S. iTunes Store. A gently-skanking tale of being dumped, the tune was popular in the U.K. over the summer, and serves as a decent introduction to the talented Londoner.

Steve Powers: Street Art

by Wendy Dembo

Do you really need a white cube to show art? Is a great painting sitting on a street corner still a great painting? Can someone make something new happen in an art world where everybody has seen everything already?

Steve Powers, armed with enough gallery and museum credentials to stuff a resume (he's a graffiti writer, author of The Art Of Getting Over and First and Fifteenth: Pop Art Short Stories, co-proprietor of The Indelible Market / Street Market and more) is betting all he needs to have a successful fall show in New York is eight feet of concrete sidewalk.

This Saturday, 11 November 2006, starting at 11am, the populist artist will show 20 new paintings on the corner of West Broadway at Prince Street, including "You and Me" (pictured right), which is also available as a print in an edition of 50, and "Puzzle" (pictured here), until all the works are gone.

Kissology Winner

by Letizia Rossi

Congratulations to Robb B. the lucky CH reader who is the winner of our Kissology: Volume One 1974-1977 DVD Box Set giveaway. Robb (pictured center), a Kiss fan since age five, has even signed autographs as Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley.

The Kissology Box Set is available from Amazon ($25).

Victor Vasarely Op-Art Watch

by Watchismo

Op-Art pioneer Victor Vasarely was profoundly influenced by Bauhaus, constructivism, cubism and surrealism. He began his unmistakable geometric abstraction from the 1930's through his heyday of optical illusion of the sixties and seventies. Late in his career, Bulova produced a series of wristwatches with Vasarely's artwork on the dial and engraved signature on the caseback. Very difficult to find, one of the more interesting models was the "Four Squares" (pictured above). A double-sided propeller-style seconds hand made this watch even more unique.

Cockpit USA

by Ted Cahill

Cockpit USA is a WWII-inspired clothing line designed to combine new, high-end fabrics with elements such as zippers and buttons that stay true to the originals, creating a highly unique military look. As recently mentioned on Thrillist, Cockpit's newly opened NoHo store in lower Manhattan functions as part museum, part time capsule, where you can buy authentic aviation, military and outdoor artifacts, as well as the latest pieces from the Cockpit USA collection. From their Fall '06 line, we're fans of the classic (and unabashedly now) field jacket (pictured, click for detail). But other styles—from a tweedy grey golf jacket to the hooded brown "Utah Beach Blanket"—are equally fresh choices for fall. Check out the grey golfer, the Utah Beach Blanket and more here.

Cockpit USA
652 Broadway
New York, NY 10012 map
tel. 01 212 254 4000

Nau sneak peek

by Evan Orensten

We paid a visit to Nau a few months ago and told you all about this exciting new activewear brand.

As their January 2007 launch nears they've started adding content to their site, including the first preview of their Spring 2007 line. They've also put up a video, narrated by the design team, about their unique design philosophy, and the Collective features inspirational stories.

Check out Nau's site for details.

Malcolm Venville: Lucha Loco

by SummerSeventySix

I never really took to Hulk Hogan and his friends when I was a kid, preferring instead the low-rent British version of wrestling. Big Daddy in a leotard and top-hat was about as colorful as it got though, so looking at Malcolm Venville's vivid portraits of masked Mexican Lucha Libre wrestlers makes me feel like I missed out big time.

The British photographer and filmmaker (above middle, with furry luchador 'Alushe') has collected more than 120 pictures he took in Mexico City last year for new book Lucha Loco. Fighters like Raziel (above right) didn't just pose for shots, but also gave interviews to Venville about their noble sport. As one of them says, "Mexican wrestlers have that sparkle, we make people laugh and cry." Who are we to argue?

Lucha Loco is available for $80 or £45, plus shipping.