Valentine's Day Gift Guide 2009, Part One

by Ami Kealoha

We know we're not alone in the general uneasiness inspired by the pressures of Valentine's day. In addition to provoking relationship anxiety (among singles and couples alike) and the extra strain on wallets, there's something particularly stressful about picking out yet another gift when confronted by the sappy, frilly options out there. In an effort to help restore a little sincerity to the holiday, this first of two guides sorts the sweet from the saccharine, the cute from the cheesy and the lovely from the precious.

For those looking to avoid shopping all together, check out our DIY guide.

Anatomical Heart Paperweight
Gilded but unsentimental, this paperweight is a nerdy twist on the symbolism of the day and perfect for all those flashy scientists on your list. The pewter objet is coated in 14k gold and will set you back $180 from Bestow. To make sure of on-time arrival, Bestow offers 2nd-day air for $16 and next day for $27.

Martin Margiela Nail Keyring
Masculine enough for a dude's dude but with plenty of fashion cred to make it suitable for anyone, Margiela's keyring transforms common hardware into a covetable golden accessory. It's £99 from oki-ni. If you're outside of the U.K., we recommend tracking down the accessory elsewhere as it won't make it on time.

Melissa's Passion Fruit
This unconventional gift sends a sweet message (never mind that they're named for the Passion of the Christ) to a paramour. Sweet and tart, the fruit's purple wrinkly exterior and soft edible seeds lend an exotic beauty and sensuality to the holiday. A box of eight is $30 from Melissa's and requires three-day shipping which varies in price depending on location.

Carve Your Own Postcard
With winter still here for many of us, finding a tree malleable enough to carve out you and your honey's initials may be hard to do. SUCK UK allows you to keep the same sentiment with their wooden postcard, a lightweight version of the real thing. All you need now is a sharp set of keys. Available at A+R for $12.

LOVE Earrings
From custom jewelry designer Janet Fraile, these 14K gold earrings are a cute interpretation of Robert Indiana's famous sculpture. The dainty LOVE earrings are sure to please any girl, whether she's into jewelry or just you. Available from Auto for $900.

Petit Bateau Floral Print Underwear
Increase your odds by giving your girl a sweet set of underwear she's bound to feel sexy in and will also want to wear year round. This charming floral set from Petit Bateau will show her that you don't just want to see her in skivvies but that you want to see her in tasteful skivvies. Available from Petit Bateau for $56 for the set.

Ring +
Puzzle her with this one-dimensional felt cut-out that turns into a three-dimensional ring. It's aptly named for the plus sign appearance the "diamond" ring gives off from an aerial view. Available from Molla Space for $20.

We Are So Good Together Poster
If you're not ready to say those three magic words but you want to let your special someone know you're digging them in a major way, this simple graphic is for you. The fact that it's letter-pressed on recycled paper with soy-based inks just makes you even more big-hearted. Available exclusively at ReForm School for $36.

American Apparel Adjustable Apron
Heat things up with this customizable apron from American Apparel. It's a great gift for the chef in your life or a fun accessory to sport while you cook your honey a romantic dinner. Have yours professionally emblazoned at your local silk screen printer or DIY with these easy iron-ons from Dutch Trade Shop. Available from American Apparel for $24.

Tandem Umbrella
Unfortunately Jasmine Raznahan's umbrella built for two (pictured) isn't in production, but we liked the concept so much we managed to track down a similar style for all you lovebirds out there who want to keep close and stay dry. Available from Kikkerland for $25.

Martin Margiela Silver Hospital Bracelet
We like the edginess of giving Margiela's hospital bracelet re-envisioned as a silver-plated brass bangle. The adjustable band makes it unisex and the label's engraved logo stands-in for a patient's name. Pick it up for £139 from oki-ni. (Only U.K. buyers will get it in time if they order within the next few days.)

Formosa Cell Phone Charm
From the Latin word for beauty, the Formosa phone charm also doubles as a mirror. The stainless steel charm was created by Swedish product designer Eva Schildt who likes to ad humorous twists to objects from our daily lives. Available at The Shop At Cooper-Hewitt for $25.

with contributions by Karen Day

Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand

by Doug Black

Now a household name for his iconic take on the presidential visage, Shepard Fairey is uniquely suited for a career retrospective. And not just because of his Obama-fueled stardom. This year marks the 20th since the street artist/graphic designer/general renaissance man began printing his infamous "Andre the Giant has a Posse" stickers while a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. To mark the milestone, Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art is presenting "Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand," Fairey's first ever museum survey, which traces his oeuvre from 1989 through works he completed just weeks ago. The location is no accident either. Fairey admits a close connection to the town, as it was the first "real city" where he came to display his omnipresent street works.

Unlike many retrospectives, "Supply and Demand" is not organized chronologically. Since he regularly revisits certain concepts throughout the years, his work is separated into seven different thematic sections. The "Propaganda" portion, for instance, focuses on Fairey's "Obey" theme, and includes plenty of works with Andre the Giant's goofy mug. The "Music" section includes images of his biggest musical inspirations. In that room, portraits of Joe Strummer and Sid Vicious hang next to Tupac and Chuck D. But if there's one underlying theme in the show, it's exemplified by the last category, "Question Everything," which subverts everything from Middle Eastern imagery to American currency. Running from this Friday through 16 August, the show is exclusively sponsored Levi's, which couldn't be more appropriate: the famed jeans company has championed Fairey since 2002, when they sponsored one of his group shows in Los Angeles.

We were lucky enough to get a preview of the exhibition, given by none other than the artist himself, who was dressed more GQ than DIY. He discussed myriad subjects, from the concept of street art to his creative process and post-Obama expectations. But since he explains it better than we can, we offer a particularly rough Rough Cut Video. Enjoy.

Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand
6 February-16 August 2009
Institute of Contemporary Art Boston
100 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA 02210 map
+1 617 478 3100

with contributions by Karen Day

Frederik Roijé: Two of a Kind Ring

by Ami Kealoha

Bucking nearly every Valentine's Day gift cliché out there by dispensing with traditional materials, colors, ornamentation and the like, this porcelain double ring is a minimalist piece of jewelry that still packs a sweetly sentimental punch. Designed by Dutch designer Frederik Roijé and produced by Droog, "in breaking the ring an engagement with each other will exist." We can't think of a more elegant interpretation of a ring's symbolism, though we imagine this one's more suited to wearing on a chain than on a finger due to its size and fragility.

The Two of a Kind ring is $119 from Generate Design. Ground shipping is free in the U.S. and Canada but can take up to four weeks, so order at your own risk.

Hidetoshi Takahashi: Cara & Kami Cups

by Karen Day

Carved out of wood from Japanese trees, Hidetoshi Takahashi's new series of cups for design-oriented boutique Merchant No. 4 are excellent examples of his meticulously executed work. The series offers two styles, the Cara and Kami.

The Cara cups, designed by Rina Ono, include a tea cup, a milk cup and an egg cup, all comprised of wood from the Linden tree. The Kami is a collection of three various-sized drinking cups, made out of wood from the Castor Aralia tree. Both the Cara and Kami cups are solid wood and coated in a food-safe resin to protect the wood from liquids. With their brilliant finish, the cups are not only great for their intended purpose, but also as a small flower vase or pencil holder.

Takahashi, who works from his studio in Asahikawa, formerly only sold his products in Japan. His series for Merchant No. 4 is the first available work from him for the U.S.

The cups are available from Merchant No. 4 and range in price from $15-85.

DFC Mexico City: Treasures from the Mushi Mushi Collection

by Brian Fichtner

Tony Moxham and Mauricio Paniagua, the duo behind DFC Mexico City, recently returned from an exotic trip to the People's Republic of Mushi Mushi. At last week's New York International Gift Fair, they exhibited a most quirky series of objects, inspired by their travels to this fantastical land. Here's what Tony had to say about the Treasures from the Mushi Mushi Collection:

"The idea of working with a fantasy country such as Mushi Mushi was propelled by the idea of finding a place rich in artisans, hand-crafts, and magic. Most of the collection was hand-painted by Mauricio and myself, with a lot of inspiration from abstract expressionism, tribal face-painting and art, Japanese youth, African, Asian and Caribbean textiles and decoration, Communist Cuban graphics and '68 Mexico Olympics graphics, Romanov excess and beauty and Gatsby era white-ness (in terms of interiors, eccentric aristocracy and fashion)."

Eccentric turns out to be a rather appropriate word for describing DFC's latest work. Wacky, far-out and hallucinatory are other words that spring to mind when first viewing pieces such as the Baby Something (above), a hand-glazed ceramic sculpture that retails for $349, or the Grasshopper Table (left), a resin-coated, hand painted iron table for $1,955. Not surprisingly, these mirthful designs caught most everyone's attention at the fair. Tony and Mauricio even bagged best design in show for the Grasshopper Table.

More treasures after the jump.

Also on Cool Hunting: DFC Design: Sexy Robot Super-Universe and Yoko Devereaux x DFC: Housewares