Cool Hunting

Speckled Quail Egg Necklace
I think I might like Stephanie Simek's latest creation even more than her Tammy Faye Eyelash necklace previously featured on Cool Hunting. Yet another eerily unusual necklace, this time she makes the pendant using an actual quail egg, which she purchases from a woman who raises quails in her backyard in Texas. Varying slightly in size but approximately 1", the entire shell is reinforced...

Blackbird: Seattle Men's Shop
In recent years, Ballard has become a destination Seattle neighborhood for those in the know, thanks to Scandinavian industrial charm, a few new bars, restaurants, a gallery, music stores and boutiques—including the standout men's clothing boutique, Blackbird. With a good selection of the labels we know and love, some of the more obscure and lesser-known brands, like the Italian shoemaker Marsèll, put the two-year...

Vintage Tools
A well-made tool can last a lifetime, and it's often true that they just don't make them like they used to these days. The cleverly named Mantiques carries quality antique tools from well-known brands like Stanley, Bailey and Millers Falls. Levelers (left), bone handle knives (right), vintage flashlights, old-school binoculars (center) and even some fishing tackle are available for purchase. As functional designer objects...

In God We Trust Boutique
SoHo's latest additon, In God We Trust, opened 1 May 2007, and perfectly translates the curiosity/antique shop essence of its Brooklyn predecessor. Closet-like racks bear clothes and accessories by Ritten House, Shennan, Kristen Coates, Beard and Bangs, Harvey Hats, M. Carter, and Shara Porter—designers with a homespun aesthetic much like the In God We Trust label. And as for the much–loved In God We...

P.A.M.: Dreams Freud Dreamed
Every item in P.A.M.'s new Spring/Summer collection (titled "Dreams Freud Dreamed") has character, creative design and boasts quality construction. T-shirts, sweatshirts and jackets incorporate subtle stitching details, at times creating unique triangular shapes and textures. The graphics used are eye-catching but not loud and the jewelry is imaginative and striking. Creative cuts and details make P.A.M. a label to look out for this summer....

Anuschka Hoevener
Thanks to the connection to Berlin that Project No. 8 co-owner Elizabeth Beer has (she's a partner at Arratia, Beer gallery there), the shop has a selection of some of the best Berlin lines. In addition to Schiesser, Kwik Shop and Bless, they carry Anuschka Hoevener, a designer who often incorporates sculptural volume into her work, though not in the usual puffed sleeve kind...