This is Steve Jobs’ wardrobe evolution since 1998, the year he returned to command Apple as interim CEO. You gotta admire a man who is loyal to his style no matter what. But my favorite Jobs is the old school Jobs. More »
There are certain things worth paying to upgrade: earbuds, perhaps, and maybe even Spotify. But when it comes to buying fancy 3D glasses for the sole purpose of looking cool in a pitch-black theater — well, aren’t we already spending enough on popcorn and Funyuns? EX3D doesn’t seem to think so. Starting August 13th, moviegoers in San Diego will be able to trade in those freebies for fashion at a 3D glasses vending machine. At $22 – $30 a pop, these “affordable” and “stylish” glasses may be a boon for those who wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the same specs as their friends. Of course, you can also use these babies out of the theater on a passive 3D TV. As for us? We’ll stick with the freebies, thank you very much. Jump past the break for the full PR.
Continue reading 3D glasses vending machine lets you be fashionable in the dark
3D glasses vending machine lets you be fashionable in the dark originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 04:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We recently came across an article in Ginza Magazine regarding a new beauty buzz that has people chattering about it – “teeth art tattoos”. Having been available in other countries before it is only now that teeth art is starting to creep onto the fashion scene here in Japan also. The most popular global designs tend to be diamond shape or any glittering rhinestone, giving wearers a ‘blinged’ up smile.
Of course, Japan has taken the fad and added its own twist, offering personal designs and outfit combinations, rather than just going for the sparkles. The idea is to express a more individual fashion statement, and as ever in Japan, usually combined with a certain cute charm. There are plenty of combinations to reflect the seasons as any good fashion item has including red ladybug characters or marine look anchor tooth art giving the necessary summer charm, or a golden heart or shining star design tooth look for a night on the town.
Another way the Japanese girls are putting their twist on things is matching their nail art and teeth art, both in the design and the colors. For example; red lipstick and nail polish with same rhinestone pattern on both.
The process of the teeth art is simple and safe enough according to the magazine, chosen items are attached to the tooth by a special glue, using LED light which simply fastens and dries the glue. The “tattoo” is easily removed after a few days (according to the information given at “Heart Dental Clinic” in Minato Ward in Tokyo) and in this way, you can freely design your personal combination and display different and unique smiles whenever you want.
Not sure how much of a mainstream trend this will become in the Japanese beauty world, but there is market a market for the unique trends among Japanese youngsters searching for individual identity and self expression.
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This post was written in collaboration with Ronald Jin Chu.
The grand opening of “The Terminal” in Harajuku was definitely a site of interest for those associated with the art-design scene in Tokyo. Young, hip and stylish atmosphere filled three spaces on different floors with mixing DJ’s, Brooklyn lager beers, food-art, retro-hip interior design, Vintage Chic-Geek look artists and 6 iMacs.
The concept of The Terminal can be deemed as creative recreation, which they express as “work+study+eat+drink+play+24H”. The board members of The Terminal are not your average stern looking businessmen dressed in pinstriped suits: a stylist, fashion, graphic, and product designers, and architect are the masterminds behind this creation.
Respected designer, Masato Sekiguchi – the President of “Think Green Produce”, was the creative director in charge of the overall facelift of the place. His works (such as Tabloid) are known for revamping old locations with art, food, fashion and music. And this is exactly what he did at the opening event of “The Terminal”; by emphasizing the artistic atmosphere, Sekiguchi turned food into a showpiece with “Takibi Bakery”, book shelves into art installations, and a new concept of creative open working space into fashionable cultural hub.
On the opening night, people were rooming between the three floors which consist of an open space gallery, the internet lounge and a roof top floor for smoke and air brake. The main crowd consisted of young designers and creative freelancers, wearing 50’s vintage black framed glasses, striped button shirts, casually combined with a pair of suspenders, while browsing through the web pages of the installed iMacs or the recent issue of Monocle, placed among other magazines that would capture the interest of creative designers.
General manager Yusuke Kawamata said that the space name was derived from the idea to provide a “terminal” and community for people with various needs, with their main audience being those who worked or were interested in the creative sector, including nomad workers. Hence, the location of Harajuku makes sense given that it is one of the most unique fashion capitals of the world. Kawamata intends for The Terminal to be a welcoming space where visitors can “relieve the tenseness off their shoulders” (a common Japanese expression for relaxing) and will “become what it will become,” meaning that the customers are going to be the key shapers of this new development.
What we could call a Third Space, the Terminal is truly a depiction of a new “lifestyle,” as telecommuting allows people not to be confined to offices, WiFi has brought the internet to the streets, and social gatherings are slowly moving away from meeting rooms and “izakayas” (Japanese bar restaurants). It acts as an anchor of community life and fosters creative interaction; deviating from your normal internet or manga cafes, found all around Japan. Absent of individual rooms and cubicles, here, the open space allows people to feel comfortable with each other, whether they are using the internet, lounging on the sofa and reading magazines or just exchanging inspirations while consuming beer.
Visiting the Terminal once again following its opening party, the atmosphere was much different from our previous visit. Interesting enough, most of the customers brought their own laptops or iPads, demonstrating that the provided 6 iMacs were sufficient enough.
The second you enter the Terminal (on its normal business hours), you are engulfed by a whole different atmosphere, with soothing background music selected by musicians from CUBISMO GRAFICO FIVE, a popular Japanese solo unit. A relaxing internet cafe would be an understatement: with four staff members catering to your every need from computer questions to the food/drink services, customers are provided with excellent service at a place similar to home, but with a more sociable crowd. With 2 semi-private meeting rooms that accommodate up to six people, it can be used for business purposes as well.
The ground floor is set to be used as rental space for approximately 2000 US dollars for one full day. Although the floor could be used for anything ranging from a live studio to a film set, given the whole theme of the Terminal and its surrounding market, we expect it to act as an exhibition gallery displaying the work of Tokyo’s finest creative artists and designers.
Third spaces like The Terminal are simply rental spaces like karaoke boxes, love hotels, and izakayas, all of which the following activities can be done from home but chosen to be carried out in a more social and unique setting. Access to the Terminal requires membership, which can be acquired for approximately US $3. The $2 per half hour rates include unlimited refills at the drink bar (besides beer), access to their WiFi network, and a place to spend your productive creative time.
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It was bad enough when Pierre Cardin’s first tablet waltzed into CeBIT 2010 flaunting an outdated processor, but now its little sister is hitting the scene wearing a démodé OS. Admittedly, running Froyo isn’t exactly scandalous, but we’d expect a 7-inch slate bearing the name of a legendary designer to at least keep up with current trends. While Pierre’s pad isn’t hip to Honeycomb, it does sport a respectable 1GHz Samsung S5PV210 Cortex-A8 processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage, MicroSD support up to 16GB and built in WiFi. True to its fashonista roots, this tablet knows that it needs to accessorize to look its best; 3G is just a separately sold dongle away. The clout of fashion-label tablet computing can be yours for only £275, and when you’re all ordered up and ready to go, come on back — we’ve got a belt buckle that might interest you.
Pierre Cardin PC-7006 touts itself as UK’s first ‘designer tablet,’ wears last season’s Android originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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“Brand Mook Series” has been a Takarajimasha Publishing House registered trade mark since 2005, and in the last year has become huge business in Japan. The Japanese publishing giant has collaborated with more than 80 brands from local fashion brands like Tsumori Chisato to international designers such as Top Shop, the Finish Marimekko and haute couture brands such as Furla and Yves Saint Laurent
A Mook is basically a magazine or book containing special edition branded items, and usually priced for less than $18. Break-through sales of about 200 branded magazine issues and a total of 20 Million copies turned the series into a huge success. For example, Kitson alone, an LA based celebrity fashion brand, have sold 1.2 Million Mooks in Japan. The tie in with numerous fashion houses has seen the Mook become an established success both in terms of sales and also as an exercise in branding collaboration.
This year, a number new brands joined the series, offering a new Spring – Summer 2011 collection of bags, pouches, purses and make up cases, which can be collected with each weeks Mook in the same way hobby magazines work offering new parts to figures each week, and driving continued sales. High end fashion brands have recently joined the Mook bandwagon, Armani Exchange, collaborated with Takarajishima for their Mooks earlier this year in Japan. In the magazine, you can find information on the new NY Spring-Summer collection and receive a limited edition set of unisex tote- bag and pouches. Cult fashion labels such as Bathing Ape have also released their own branded Mooks but at a premium rate of around $41, however with limited sales they prove particularly popular with the die hard BAPE fans.
The magazines formula is fairly simple, readers get information about a brand’s new collection, shops information, new trends and some personal information about the designers themselves along with some “exclusive” items. Basically it works as a great advertising vehicle, a PR magazine for the brand, but drawing in the reader with the offer of a uniquely designed bag.
In accessory excessive culture such as in Japan, it is a natural success where this kind of large scale marketing collaboration where limited edition bags act as the lure in the readers purchasing these magazines. As with hobby magazines, where enthusiasts want to collect the complete series of whatever it is they are colecting, similarly people are drawn to continued purchasing and collecting the special edition branded items. Taken further there is a large scale potential then for marketing in other spheres in Japan.
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Tablets and smartphones might rule the present, but if you ask the folks at WIMM Labs, the future of data consumption is a one-inch by one-inch square. The Palo Alto startup just revealed its new, wearable computing platform, developed, in part, through a partnership with Foxconn, that it hopes will change the way we look at computers. Currently known as the WIMM wearable platform, this new modular device packs a full-color 160 x 160 touchscreen, WiFi and Blutetooth connectivity, an accelerometer and magnetometer, and runs on good old Android. What’s more, it’s waterproof. Basically, it’s a tiny, multifunctional computer, packed with “micro apps” that can make it anything from a smart watch to a health monitor, from a mobile payment device to an all-in-one remote. As of now, the company doesn’t have plans to market it direct to consumers, but says it has a few partnerships in the works that could bring a WIMM-powered something to market by year’s end; a developer kit will go on sale in the next few weeks for an undisclosed price. If you’re itching to ditch that tired old diamond-encrusted nano watch, check out the galleries below and hop on past the break for our first impressions, video, and full PR.
Continue reading WIMM Labs introduces tiny wearable computer platform, we go hands-on
WIMM Labs introduces tiny wearable computer platform, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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I’ll never forget my first time in Neighborhood’s Harajuku shop (The Filth and the Fury). They had an amazingly ornate Hitler tea set where you could pour right out of the Führer’s elongated nose.
This interview with the founder of Neighborhood is a look into what once was, what’s still hanging on, but not necessarily where anything’s going.
Via Naked Tokyo’s cool new blog Naked Play. The biggest bright spot about economic turmoil could be that the tired luxury brands on Omotesando close shop, split town, and we can turn the Prada building into a skate park.
We’re no stranger to discovering some of the best cooling products out of Japan aimed at beating the summer heat and humidity. In a bid to help show how you can keep every part of your body comfortable, from head to foot, we were delighted to come across these in a Tokyo show store. Air conditioned shoes are the latest offering that any self respecting Japanese salaryman will want in his Super Cool Biz wardrobe.
We came across the Hydro-Tech men’s shoes in the “best seller” section of a prominent Tokyo shoe shop advertised with the slogan, “My energy saving starts from my feet”! The Cool Breeze shoes will apparently keep your feet dry and aired in the 120% humidity that are the Tokyo summers. The shoes work through their new filter technology that releases the heat and humidity and allows air to flow in keeping feet “refreshed and clean”.
“Super Cool Biz” campaign that was launched by the Ministry of Environment at the beginning of June and turned out as a big marketing opportunity for many existing and new products, trying to find any way possible to reduce power consumption in a natural way.
Although we still think a pair of beach sandals go better with the Super Cool Biz Hawaiian shirts that the government were promoting, getting the “Japanese Salaryman” to ditch his classic white shirt and black suit look is easier said than done. So days where beach wear just won’t cut it but you still want that bit of extra breeze on your freshly pedicured feet, Hydro Tech shoes seem to be the next best answer!
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When we first got wind of Versetta’s line of iPad-toting totes, we were immediately intrigued. Handbags and cases that deliver form and fashion you say? Well, we took the extra two seconds to scroll on past the press release and found — to our surprise — the peak-a-boo bag featured above. Now, Versetta’s clearly taken some liberties with the English language here — its bags are more Paris, Texas than Paris, France — but we’re nonetheless impressed with the novel approach to stowing your iOS slab. The company’s pushing two separate lines for its pouches — one for professionals and one for ladies who lunch — both of which allow you to access your iPad, ports and all, without taking it out of its case. Sure they’re more QVC than LV, but if you’re into trap doors, you can grab a bag at the source link below. Full PR after the break.
Continue reading Versetta iPad cases promise form and fashion, deliver something else
Versetta iPad cases promise form and fashion, deliver something else originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 05:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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