Erik Halley Accessories

by CH Contributor

by Zeva Bellel

For fifteen years Erik Halley has been handcrafting one-off pieces—triple-tiered shoulder pads encrusted with rhinestones and metal-spiked headphones—in his Parisian atelier for the best names in fashion, e.g. Lagerfeld, Yohji, Givenchy, Mugler, Dior, to name but a few.

His mischievously extravagant designs (headbands with doll faces painted like Kiss for example) blur the boundaries between accessories and art.

Halley’s big break came in 1996 when Lagerfeld commissioned a collection of catwalk accessories for Chanel. Using a treasure trove of antique pelican and eagle feathers, he concocted a special heat and steam system to shape them into wispy frames for the face. A few years later, he became the first designer to ever stage an accessories runway show during fashion week in Paris.

From feather and metal to leather and crystal, Halley is a maestro of a variety of mediums and techniques. His signature is to mix together contrasting materials for a modern twist on chic, like turning Swarovski crystals on their backs to look like punk rock studs, or transforming Louboutin heels into hats.

“I’m a big surrealism fan,” says the designer whose lobster logo is a tribute to the movement’s favorite crustacean . “I love the madness of it and the freedom to do silly things.”

Sourcing vintage beads in New York, metal trimmings in India, glass beads in Morocco, and antique feathers from old stock suppliers, Halley first customizes his materials in his kitchen laboratory before working them into one-of-a-kind designs.

His technical and creative playfulness has made him the go-to guy for outstanding embellishments both on stage and off. Not only has he crafted performance pieces for Madonna (an oxidized metal necklace using Indian-inspired trimmings) David Bowie (feather earrings) and most recently Beyoncé (a crystal studded degradé bodice designed by Mugler), he does custom commissions for regular people with a flair for extravagance as well.

Prices start at €90, but the sky's the limit depending on design. To book appointments, contact me through my site.

See more images after the jump.

Base-V: Box 3 Art Prints

by Phuong-Cac Nguyen

Kicking any hint of soccer rivalry far aside, Sao Paulo's Base-V art collective got together with their compatriots south of the border to release a super-limited-edition set of 25 color prints showcasing São Paulo and Buenos Aires artists.

Called "Box 3: Especial São Paulo Buenos Aires" collection, each of the 75 boxes contains highly imaginative, hand made screens by some of the most exciting names from both cities, among them Carlos Dias, Pjota, Sebastian Lahera and Andres Sandoval.

The set, which is Base-V's third, comes out 3 October 2009 for about $128. If you can't get one at Livraria Pop in São Paulo, order it by writing to: info [at] base-v [dot] org.

Good Magazine: Transparency

by Karen Day

Good Magazine definitely lives up to its title, so discovering their Flickr page aggregating one of our favorite regular features, spreads of their info-graphics called Transparency, feels like striking Good gold.

The colorful charts cleverly break down a host of topics—teacher salaries, energy generation, public transit, the cost of museum tickets and much more— into easily understood charts for information-addicts' browsing pleasure.

via Exp

Click all images for detail and see more after the jump.

Vince Letterpress

by Fiona Killackey

Meaghan Barbuto scoured eBay, bought a half-ton vintage letterpress machine, and spent weekends experimenting with wedding invites, business cards and greeting cards for friends and family. Deciding upon a name was simple; she dedicated Vince Letterpress as to her late grandfather. "It was important for me to highlight my Italian background. Italians make beautiful paper and we had this stationary box of my grandfather’s on the family mantle piece that was such a special object for my father."

Six months later Vince Letterpress took on a life of its own when Barbuto saw the opportunity to cash in on her dreams, quitting her job as a senior book designer to spend her days feeding ink into a letterpress in her garage. “It was a huge leap. It was getting too difficult to do both and I have never regretted it. I’d encourage anyone to take the plunge.”

Checking online forums and buying as many texts as she could about the art of letterpress, Barbuto educated herself on the craft and sourced the globe for the best vegetable and soy inks and textured papers. “I think people like to engage their senses and with letterpress you can feel the impression and the beautiful texture of the paper. It really does have a timeless quality…it reminds us of the past and brings a unique element to each and every piece.”

Cards are available from Vince Letterpress. For more information or to request a quote contact meaghan [at] vinceprinters [dot] com [dot] au.

View more images after the jump.

Artist Miles Thomson

by Lost At E Minor

If the kitschy brushstrokes of Miles Thomson don’t transport you to a beachside speakeasy staffed by monkey waiters serving cocktails in tiki heads, well, something must be very wrong.

The Californian effortlessly blends elements of surf art, jazz iconography, cowboys and injuns, vagabonds and drunks, life and death—all that good stuff—in a lowbrow style that looks like a Hallmark card from the '50s. He’s also currently working on images of crime figures such as Al Capone, John Dillinger and Jesse James for Nickelodeon’s The Mighty B, so keep an eye out for his unmistakably groovy style on the box real soon.