Cool Hunting
| 20 October 2008view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Aedes de Venustas Fragrance Boutique
by CH Contributor
by Ariston Anderson
Finding a signature scent requires more than a visit to the aisles of Bloomingdales or Sephora. For scent aficionados in the know, the place to start is Aedes de Venustas, a hidden West Village gem. Dark, mysterious and with plenty of velvet, the store is decorated like a French boudoir. For years New Yorkers have been venturing to this quiet shop, run by Germans Robert Gerstner and Karl Bradl, to soak in their expertise of hard-to-find fragrances. They've traveled the world to bring you scents like Escentric Molecules (starting at $135), which claims to combine the scent of gin-and-tonic, Austrian lemonade and the whiff you get when you open a brand-new Apple laptop. They also carry the somewhat more common Acqua di Parma, which was created in 1916 and was a favorite of 1950s movie stars.
But the boys who have developed a following based on their noble noses and fine taste are about to open up a whole new legion of fans with the release of their own signature scent. Created with L'Artisan Parfumeur, their new Aedes de Venustas Eau de Parfum is a dark mixture of leather with pink pepper, orange oil and cardamom. It's the perfect flavor to match their boudoir-like store. Bottled in a sharp violet and capped in gold, 3.4 ounces will run you $185 and complementary items like votive candles ($65) and room spray ($70) are also available.
Their house label can be purchased at the store and online, along with a selection of other products. And don't forget to choose some samples while you're at it — you can even order a selection of seven samples to try out at home.
Aedes de Venustas
9 Christopher Street
New York, NY 10014map
tel. +1 212 206 8674
Banksy's Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill Video
by Ami Kealoha
For something as bizarrely inventive as Banksy's current installation of animatronic food, we couldn't conceive of a better video than this one that Notcot commissioned from CH pal Seth Brau. The piece is a montage of the various vignettes—hot dogs in love, chicken nuggets sipping water—cut to a twangy country soundtrack which was inspired by the music that's actually playing at the gallery. Seth's video is only second best to visiting the exhibit yourself, watch and enjoy.
Horological Machine No. 3
by Watchismo
I was lucky enough to be one of the first people in the world to see the latest from Maximilian Büsser & Friends last week. Max and Stephen Hallock of MB&F met me for breakfast at NYC's Brasserie to unveil the most amazing of their Horological Machines yet. I hate to use one word to describe the HM3 Sidewinder and Starcruiser but here it is: Wow.
Summed up, this watch has two variations. The red gold Starcruiser (above) and white gold Sidewinder (below) both feature two sapphire cones rising up from the case. One displays hours and has a day/night indicator, while the other displays minutes. Ceramic ball bearings transmit the info to laser-cut hands and remain visible as a drivers-style watch on the side. Each watch shown here displays 10:45 am.
But what really sets it apart is the fact the movement with automatic rotor is upside down! No more turning your watch over to show off its most essential element. The signature "Grendizer" (a popular Japanese TV robot) battle axe rotor swings wildly under each dome adding to the many layers of the most dimensionally effective Horological Machine to date.
The date wheel surrounds the movement through each dome and indicated by an arrow cut into the case.
Two styles are available in both red gold and white gold for $74,000 each. The Starcruiser has both cones on the inside of your wrist and the Sidewinder with cones vertically next to your hand. Both are read easily without turning your wrist. Great when you're driving so fast you can't take your eyes off the road...or sky.
Read the complete press release and see more images on my site.
iBerry Homemade Ice Cream Shops
by Doug Black
More often associated with curry and chili peppers, Southeast Asian cuisine is less noted for its ice cream. I was of this mind while traveling through the region until happening upon an attractive Bangkok location of iBerry Homemade. The small chain of ice cream, smoothie and bake shops have been thriving throughout the Thai capital for years and for good reason. Highly-stylized, the shops sell a seemingly endless array of treats that get points for both taste and creativity. Old standbys like blueberry cheesecake meet green tea pastry rolls made to look like sushi rolls.
But with more than 100 flavors, ice cream is their biggest draw. Flavors range from the everyday (chocolate, vanilla, coffee) to the unusual (creamy corn, black sesame, blueberry cheese pie). They also stock plenty of sorbets derived from regional fruits — like guava, mangosteen and jack fruit — that they rotate often so you're always getting what's currently in season. My favorite was an unlikely combination: salted plum sorbet. Purchased out of pure curiosity, the salty-sweet interplay was initially strange but remarkably satisfying.
Arguably more enticing than the product itself is the setting. Though it's a growing chain — with a dozen locations around Bangkok one in Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya — iBerry retains a fiercely independent feel. Each location exhibits a totally distinct appearance, with unlikely chandeliers and other creative decor. The iBerry I visited in Chiang Mai (pictured) is set back behind a sizable lawn, and surrounded by sculptures and a giant Koonsian dog.
