2007 Gift Guide: CH Exclusive Discounts

by Tim Yu

There is no doubt that holiday shopping is taxing on the wallet. Luckily, a few Cool Hunting friends offered up a few discounts in our Gift Guide. Every little bit helps, no?

429
429 Life makes the softest t-shirts around and recently they've started a more comprehensive line including sweaters, henleys and hoodies. Featuring nice cuts with small details, they are always imminently wearable. Order strategically as the sizes run a bit small. Enter CH07 at checkout to get a 30% discount.

Behance
Behance Action Pads are a must-have for any creative professional. Strategically designed to maximize organization resulting in increased productivity, they are the perfect stocking stuffer for OCD types or anyone that likes to make a list.

Watchismo Watches
Our long time friend Watchismo has quite the watch collection. From the oldest vintage pieces to new and futuristic models, he probably has it. If he doesn't I bet he could find it for you and the re-released LIP line will wow any mod out there. For the first time, he's giving readers a special discount from his own collection. Just mention Cool Hunting at checkout for a 10% discount

Peter Ross: Spiritualists, Healers, Mediums and Psychics

by Jacob Resneck

Freelancer Peter Ross is a 41-year-old year old portrait photographer in Manhattan who makes his living taking pictures of celebrities.

His latest offering deals with spiritual mediums in two communities connected by the spiritualism movement of the 1800s. Today, mediums live together in communities in Florida and western New York which were both founded by early founders of the 160-year-old spiritualism movement.

Ross spent time with a western New York the spiritualism community called Lily Dale. He shadowed psychic mediums who claim to commune with the dead and returned with a series of intense portraits. “These people are very serene and peaceful,” he told CH. “They seemed very connected to their environment and their land, much more than most people.”

Even if he was sometimes skeptical, Ross said he was impressed by their empathy in reading other people, including himself. “I definitely think there are people who are attuned to the energy around them,” he said. “I don't know if I can believe if these people can talk to the dead or not which they claim to do. But they are a very astute group of people.”

This fall, he visited Cassadaga, Florida (near Orlando), which was founded more than 100 years ago by Lily Dale mediums whose psychic powers apparently were no use against the harsh snowy winters of the settlement near Lake Erie. At the moment you'll only find these images on his website, though Ross said he's shopping around to galleries trying to set up an exhibition.

In the meantime, Ross' website also includes a previous project, the product of a two-week visit to Kabul in Afghanistan in the spring of 2005, and it's definitely work a look.

Beautiful Decay Hoodies

by Tim Yu

Beautiful Decay have the t-shirt game down pat, but as temperatures drop here in the Northern hemisphere, we need something for the cold winter season. Luckily, our friends just released their first line of artist-designed hoodies, their first foray into outerwear.

The cut-and-sew pieces feature the same high quality craftsmanship and super soft fabric we've come to expect, customized stitching and a steel BD zipper pull—no YKK around these parts. BD and CH favorite Aya Kato's fairy tale drawings are featured on the back and front breast of the reversible Native America release (above). I also like the Mush hoodie (below) printed with a custom gray and green design on the back, interior and hidden in the pocket for your own enjoyment.

Not to worry, they have a fresh batch of t-shirts too. Check out and purchase all the designs at Beautiful Decay Apparel.

Famos Peeler

by Ami Kealoha

Sometimes the elegance of an object is perfectly on par with its level of performance. Such is the case with the German-made Famos Peeler, which features a sturdy blade that's ideal for the hard stuff (parmesean, chocolate) but works equally well on potatoes and apples too. Far superior to all the gimmicky "design" peelers out there, the shark fin-like blade is an added bonus for removing eyes from potatoes.

It's $12 from Kiosk.

via NYT

Jacqui Oakley

by Lost At E Minor

There's a wonderful rigidness about the work of Canadian illustrator Jacqui Oakley. Everything seems in the right place, with the perfect amount of color and texture. (Click image for detail.)

We asked her whether she had an instinctive sense of when to let an illustration go.
I try to find a balance between having the piece still seem spontaneous and loose in areas, and very detailed in others. Although, I do find it hard to know when to stop once I get going.

Do you collect art and, if so, which works hang on your wall now?
I'm living in Shanghai for the next few months, so I'm obviously very inspired by Chinese Art at the moment. My wall is littered by Chinese traditional paper cuttings, elaborate Chinese patterns and photos of the varied architecture of Shanghai. Also, I have work up from the recent Shanghai exhibit from photographer Wing Shya who often collaborates with one of my favorite directors, Won Kar Wai. The photographs are beautiful, moody, and lush, looking like they're displaced from an old Hong Kong movie set.

Is there anything else outside of drawing that you do better than all your friends?
I've been dancing Lindy Hop, a swing dance from the 1930s, for nearly 10 years. So I guess I'm pretty good at the Charleston, and any other "old timey" dance. Other than that I've been known to dabble in rollerskating.