Cool Hunting
| 09 January 2008view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Tryphone
by Tim Yu
The newly launched website, Tryphone provides the ultimate assist in purchasing a new mobile phone, allowing for test drives of different models on their site through a virtual interactive design. Clicking on buttons gives a sense of the user interface and functionality, just choose which phone you'd like to try from their surprisingly well-stocked inventory. Also featuring reviews and side-by-side comparisons, it's a good way to educate yourself before making a purchase—which you can also do though the site.
Still in beta, there are still a few glitches with the site (I can't get it to open in Safari and we've been waiting for it to work at all before posting) and the virtual usability of the phone could use a bit of tweaking to make it more realistic. However, it's a great idea and we fully expect a seamless experience by the time 1.0 goes live. In the meantime, test out that cellphone you've wanted at Tryphone.
Jean-Philippe Rajotte
by Lost At E Minor
Montreal-based artist Jean-Philippe Rajotte has been working in the gaming industry for the past seven years doing 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, UI Design and now as an Art Director. Of his work, he says, "I am trying to achieve a strong visual result with my 2D and photography work; my 3D work is more quiet and subtle. Most of all, I try not to take myself too seriously!" (Click image for detail.)
Sruli Recht Shoes
by Ami Kealoha
Part accessory and part myth, "a memory that doesn't exist," each pair from the new line of unisex shoes by Reykjavik-based designer Sruli Recht has its own story. Incorporating obscure materials and impeccable craftsmanship (this first collection was handmade in Sydney by a master costume maker), each pair is a futuristic, statement-making look. The end result are shoes that perform that ultimate fashion miracle, elevating the mundane act of walking into a rarified, near magical experience.
This may sound like hyperbole, but trying on the pointy sheep skin pair called "Slipping Away" (pictured above right) was truly a transformative experience—for at least as long as I had the shoe on, I felt at once elegant and otherworldly. It's fashion that's as much about style as it is about fantasy and romance; Recht says he chose the sheep skin because it looks like peeling paint and the slipper is advised for situations that include, "cat burglary of reclaimed Nazi heisted artwork."
Other editions include the "Czech Bootleg" (above left), which repurposes canvas blankets meant for cows as a cowboy boot. The subtle (and intentional) humor of both using the material to mimic its original purpose (it covers the lower leather portion) and reinventing it as a shoe has a Zen koan-like wit to it.
The "Grey Nurse" (above left) and its sister model (above right) share the drama of a Cuban heel and the impressive craftsmanship of pleated leather (made from one piece). But, the deep green ankleboot on the left is made from leather and inspired by seaweed and the experience of having your head underwater, while for the one on the right Recht sourced the minke dork (whale foreskin) from fisherman in Iceland.
See more images from the stunning collection after the jump and find a boutique near you to purchase them.
Say it in Chinglish
by Lost At E Minor
Chinglish is rampant in China. It's so prevalent that the government has dispatched teams of bloggers and linguists to clean up signs all over Beijing in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympic Games. The f-word has mysteriously cropped up in many signs and until now government officials have been baffled and expats amused. Sinologist Victor Mair recently announced that he may have found the culprit: a translation program that translates the Chinese "gan," meaning "dry" or "to do" as the most notorious word in the English language.
