Maurie and Eve

by Lost At E Minor

With waiting lists and preorders already taking place, there's enough competition for this label without sharing it with the world. But what the heck. A little bit of fashion karma never goes astray. So listen up ladies. If you haven't heard of Aussie label Maurie and Eve, you need to pay attention. Because their current collection, "End of the Line" is due to sell out as soon as it drops this month. They're working tie-dye on loose midriff singlets, bra-exposing dresses and slouchy strapless jumpsuits better than any label around. And unlike other designers, they've been able to make the print wearable and edgy, while working it in effortlessly with the rest of their collection. We're already freeing up closet space in anticipation.

Ferran Adrià: A Day at elBulli + Giveaway

by Karen Day

How does one become known as the most wildly inventive chef at what is often regarded as the best restaurant in the world? As the new book "A Day at elBulli" from Phaidon reveals, raw talent only takes you so far. The rest is planning, planning and more planning. No one understands that better perhaps than Ferran Adrià, whose attitude is that "ambition without patience is a dangerous thing."

With what seems to be more methods and secrets than the CIA, chef Ferran Adrià is renowned for holing up in his hidden workshop for six months of research into new techniques and concepts he'll showcase the latter half of the year for the lucky 8,000 people who receive a reservation out of the two million requests to dine at elBulli in Spain's Costa Brava region. For those who never hit the gastronomic lottery, "A Day at elBulli" gives you an in-depth look at what you're missing with a play-by-play analysis of the chef and restaurant's daily activities. The routine includes everything from scientific experiments, like cooking with liquid nitrogen, to the more mundane, such as raking the gravel.

Much like the organizational systems in place at elBulli, the book itself is a meticulous and beautiful undertaking full of explanatory inserts, glossy pictures and best of all — recipes. You might want to invest in a Bunsen burner and some syringes before you attempt to recreate some of the dishes, as cooking elBulli-style often requires one part creativity and two parts chemistry.

We wish we could send you there but we can at least offer a copy of the book to a lucky CH reader. All you have to do is tell us why you deserve it. Go to the bottom of the page, click on Contact and select "A Day at elBulli Giveaway" from the drop-down menu. We'll pick a winner from entries received before 11:59 EST on 17 October 2008.

The book is available at Amazon or Powell's.

Also on Cool Hunting: Hervé This

Transformazium Benefit Art Show

by CH Contributor

by Ariston Anderson

Like many post-industrial cities in America, a loss of factory jobs in Braddock, Pennsylvania has led to urban flight. Calling themselves Transformazium, artists Erin Harrell, Dana Bishop-Root, Ruthie Stringer and Leslie Stem along with Swoon are intent upon setting up a shop in a city that needs it most. Their goal is to "use the creative process and locally identified resources to transform ideas into tangible social and economic benefits." By creating a community arts center, skill-building workshops, and public art projects, they're hoping to bring people back to Braddock.

To raise funds for their mission, the artists have launched a fundraiser art show, "Art Makes Eye Contact," this week in Brooklyn (see info below). Judging by the strength of the work collected, it's no secret they've got some artist friends in high places. The show includes pieces by Swoon, Kiki Smith, Barry McGee, the Maya Hayuk, Dave Ellis, Faile, Armsrock, Martha Cooper, Steve Powers and many more. Prices range from $10 to $4500 for prints, paintings, and sculptures. It's your chance to pick up an amazing piece of work at a low price, and benefit a very worthwhile cause.

Art Makes Eye Contact
Through 18 October 2008
Secret Project Robot
210 Kent Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211 map

info [at] transformazium [dot] org

TVOTR Dear Science Poster Giveaway

by Seth Brau

Since its recent release, we've had the new TV on The Radio album Dear Science on repeat at CH Headquarters. You'd think that between putting out the new album and flexing his thespian muscles in Rachel Getting Married, TV's own Tunde Adebimpe would have little time for anything else. But luckily this isn't the case, as Tunde found the time and inspiration to design this lovely poster (pictured above). And of course we have one to give away to one particularly knowledgeable CH reader.

To win, just tell us the name of TVOTR producer/guitarist David Sitek's studio by going to the bottom of the page, clicking on Contact and selecting "TVOTR Poster Giveaway" from the drop-down menu. We'll pick a winner from entries received before 11:59 EST on 17 October 2008.

Seven Deadly Glasses

by Leonora Oppenheim

The Talent Zone at Tent during the London Design Festival was a rich source of creativity. After being wowed by Debbie Smyth's Pins and Thread installation, the nearby dramatically-titled Deadly Glasses caught our attention. The elaborate opulence of designer Kacper Hamilton's work directly contrasts the minimalism of Smyth's. His seven hand-blown red wine glasses were exhibited in and around a beautiful wooden box with a crushed velvet inlay.

Each glass has been designed to symbolize, in its expressive form and function, one of the seven deadly sins. Hamilton says "The '7 Deadly Glasses' are about celebrating passion and encouraging the user to be sinful in a theatrical fashion." Eye-catching, witty and seductively beautiful, these wine glasses cannot be said to be practical — in fact through indulgence they could be very dangerous. Drinking from them poses a considerable challenge and some rather careful thought.

The Wrath glass with its very sharp point, implies a bloody injury if used without due care. Greed, with its many tentacles, could make quite a mess and Sloth, by its very nature, requires someone else to do the pouring while you lie back and enjoy. The other glasses, Pride, Gluttony, Lust and Envy, all have enjoyably distinctive characters of their own as well. As part of a limited edition series made in England, surely these glasses are the ideal collectors items for the gracious hosts who want to keep their friends close but their enemies closer.