Material Archive

Ladurée Obsession

Yup. As per usual – I went a little bananas in Ladurée.

And I know this is going to sound contro – but I really hope they don't open a location in the old TDot, because I like the fact that I can't have it that easily. Makes it more special, oui?

 

Mast Brothers Chocolate – The Factory Visit

 

Paid a nice little visit to see the Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory in person.

Even though their line of chocolate has become so popular now that you can get them everywhere, MB and I wanted to see their operation firsthand – as we love their philosophical approach to their craft.

I also think I love it because their packaging design is a tastament to the power of branding. There are countless organic, fair trade chocolate brands on the market that insist on presenting themselves in stereotypical heavy-handed "green" looks. But the reality is, while those brands may be a fit on other ethical / production levels, they don't appeal to the child in us that wants a beautiful treat. Mast has struck the perfect balance between creating a great product in an ethical manner, while looking hand crafted and artisanal and also, very importantly, delighting the eye. 

 

Catbird Jewellery in Brooklyn

I started following Catbird on Instagram a while ago and as I've said before, when that social network is used well, it's an amazingly powerful selling tool.

Case in point, it got me to venture to Brooklyn to see Catbird in person, as well as Mast Brothers and another shop, coincidentally called Bird.

If you love delicate jewellery, have a look at their site. They carry a broad selection of thin, gold bands like the one pictured above that I got, as well as diamond pavé pendants and tiny earrings.

Super cute store.

 

Two Weeks in New York City: Quickie Intro

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I recently spent 2 glorious weeks in New York shooting an upcoming campaign for a client. During my "free time" there, I took the opportunity to indulge in two of my favourite past times – shopping and eating – and what better city for it!

This post is just a little preview of some fun stops. In later posts, I'll get into more detail about the specifc restaurants I visited.

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I have literally seen Ghostbusters enough times to actually recite the majority of the film from memory. Heck, my Mr. Stay Puft action figure is watching over me right now as I compose this post! So, you can imagine the unique childlike thrill MB and I had when we randomly walked by the original fire station from the film, while strolling through Tribeca. :)

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The new Uniqlo flagship store on 5th Avenue is ridiculously big. So large, that I actually was overwhelmed and felt lost on more than one occasion. Despite that, I still managed to find several great items to bring home. One of particular note was a great wool and cashmere trench coat.

Their prices are so reasonable, I really had to calm myself to not buy a whole other suitcase's worth of clothing.

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Wow – the Christian Louboutin store on Madison Ave is intense! When I arrived at 5pm on a Friday after work, I was greeted by a line-up of other patrons and a massive body guard! According to Mr.Big, a wait time to get into the store is a normal daily occurence. I noted that no other luxury retailer on the street had the same traffic.

When I got inside shortly after, I was met with an unusal scene. Picture: upper crust ladies who lunch, sitting next to hardcore rapper type dudes (all trying on majorly tricked out sneakers I have never seen the likes of before) and then working girls like me. A very odd mix indeed!

Regardless, all were very happy – especially this girl! Why? I had called ahead and secured the last brown Simple Bootie in size 40 anywhere in the whole bloody world after weeks of looking, calling and visiting every retailer that carries CL  – major shopping victory!

The staff were really great too and recommended that I get my soles reclad in red rubber – see below. That's one of them holding his colleague's boot to show the non-slip red rubber add ons. It's a brilliant idea, as the signature red does wear off pretty quickly in my experience.

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I had a pretty productive visit at Prada as well. A new winter coat, bag and wallet were amongst my newly adopted cohorts. :)

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Some random snaps I took during breaks while working at the photography studio...

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A quick visit the to the MET on the weekend recharged my creative inspiration batteries!

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Coming up over the next several posts: reviews and photos of Jean Georges, Corton, Del Posto, BLT, Gramercy Tavern, Nobu, Lucali – amongst others!

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My visit to Ladurée New York

Well, let's be honest, it's not like being in Paris. But, it is nice to be able to get a quick Ladurée fix while trapped in North America ;)

The store sadly does not carry any pastries, chocolates or Langues de Chat (which I expressly came for), but, it's packed to the gills with macaroons, tea, candies and even ice-cream.

I left with the most glorious oval box filled with everything I could get my greedy mitts on. :)

Stuffing my face with delicious caramels as I write this...

 

 

Louis Vuittton Travel Guides: The Perfect Gift

 

 

 

 

 

Faced with finding a fun gift for a friend this weekend, I remembered an old stand-by that always pleases. Louis Vuitton City Guides are a fool proof option for friends that love to travel in style – concise, compact, reliable, useful and so pretty.

I bought my first set in 2000 and carried the Paris edition in my handbag the whole time I lived in France.

Found some charming video excerpts here about Paris & New York:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nibbling on Mast Brothers Chocolate

 







Picked up some Mast Brothers Chocolate (fleur de sel and almonds & sea salt) while in New York this weekend.

Naturally I was drawn to the eclectic packaging, as it has a similar sensibility to the system I designed for my own firm several years ago now.

Above is a fun little video about them.

Today I bought: Giles & Brother Archer Bangle

 

Picked up this beauty at Opening Ceremony today – which incidentatly, I can't say enough good things about. I keep coming back everytime I visit New York because the staff there are lovely and the product mix is very thoughtfully curated and fun.





 

Pip-squeak Chapeau Etc.

 
 

Pip-squeak Chapeau is a clothing brand for moms and kids based out of Brooklyn. I've fallen in love with their clean and simple style and literally want their linen dresses in every colour. And look at the dolls – I know I went a little nuts posting tons of them but it's because I think they're so charming.

So, a question for friends with little girls, if I gave one of your daughters a doll like this, would I get laughed out of the room? – Are kids now even receptive to something so handmade after Dora? Personally, I think every little girl on the block should have one of these beauties and a pair of those puffy linen shorts shown at the top.

St.Kilda of Brooklyn

Buy here.

Taschen's Barcelona

 

Since I've been doing research on Barcelona, I thought I would share the lovely series of books from Taschen that I like to refer to when visiting certain cities. All of the books (Paris, London, Berlin, New York & Barcelona) are so well designed and thought out and have beautifully illustrated covers and maps.

 

Store Front – The Disappearing Face of New York

I saw this incredible book a while ago at Magic Pony and fell in love – but as usual – I didn't buy it because it was too heavy! This happens all too frequently to me... I see a great book but can't cope with the idea of schlepping it all around the city for the rest of the afternoon and so I don't ever get it. I will have to make a trip especially for it  – along with the Lanvin and Valentino tomes on my list!

Anyhow, now that I have bored you with the logistics of my book shopping habits – can you believe how great these shots are? This collection of New York's beautiful, decaying old store front facades are like precious little windows in to the past. The signage design, lettering and materials are all eye-candy. Read more about the book from it's authors here.

Great packaging design: C.O. Bigelow Apothecary

On a recent trip to New York City, I popped into C.O. Bigelow, my favourite apothecary, to poke around and admire their goods. I bought a couple of things and the one that stands out is my Rose Salve. Not only does it have the smoothest texture and the most delightful scent – it's beautiful tin never fails to make me wish I had designed it. I wish all things were so thoughtfully considered.
 
Above is a compilation of my favourite packaging designs from their house brand. You can see how a commitment to understated classic design has served them well from their inception in 1838 in Greenwich Village. See the pink mouthwash just above/right in a glass bottle? I mean look at that – it's mouthwash and it's gorgeous! The power of good design will make you covet the most mundane things. True story.

Neat fact: Thomas Edison, Eleanor Roosevelt & Mark Twain were regular patrons.

Partners & Spade

Andy Spade, of Jake Spade and Kate Spade fame, has a new-ish store he opened earlier this year now called Partners & Spade that sells various curios and gifts etc. Read more here. What I love is the inventory image on their website, which is that strip along the top under the boat image. Click to see it full size - it's really cute.