Rima Suqi

Looks like Prada, priced like Payless:

Buy it here.

The facade is starting to shape up on the Jean Nouvel building on the West Side Highway (at 19th Street):

Even a bunch of jaded journalists agreed it is a cool store, although one very accurately commented that it reminded him of stores like Furniture of the 20th Century, circa 1989. The ’80s are back, after all.

The store carries both Droog and non-Droog items, and currently features an installation of a “house” made entirely of foam. Which was pretty interesting (note the fireplace).

Entrance:

One of my favorite Droog pieces ever – a fireplace:

This was a cool pinball-machine-type thing. The ball hits the, er, kitties and makes a gorgeous ethereal sound:

The Distrito Capital, designed by Joseph Dirand, opened over the weekend – it is owned by the same people who brought you the Habita, Condesa, Purificadora, etc.

Here are some of the first photos of the DF’s latest (I’m told the nun doesn’t work there).

It seems that ten of the most famous Cowboy belt buckle designers/artists/silversmiths have never shown their work under one roof. Not even a mall. Shocking, but it’s true. Actually, it WAS true until “BUCKLE: The Art and Craft of the Western Belt Buckle” opened at the Lyons Wier Ortt gallery on 7th Avenue in Chelsea. Now, I know what you’re thinking – images of cowboys with their big shiny silver buckles and the bar G within a two block radius point to one gigantic fetish fest. And maybe it will be – there is something sexy about the whole thing.

From the release:
The art of the buckle is one of the few bridges between the world of the cowboy, the art of the graphic designer, and the heritage of the European tradition of engraving, mastered by a select few silversmiths who are making award-winning, museum quality pieces. From diverse imagery like Longhorns, broncos, chieftains, and other portent Western icons, to the highly customized shapes and styles of the individual craftsmen, each with his unique signature calligraphy and stamp, these buckles speak volumes. It’s been said that “the trophy buckle is the billboard of the American West.”

From Hollywood celebrities to rodeo queens, from rockers to Country music kings, the buckle is the undisputed accessory. Among the invited artist’s clients are the Texas Rangers, President Bush, the Working Ranch Cowboy Association, Andrew Agassi, Brook Shields, and other discerning [EDIT NOTE: I'M NOT SURE I'D DESCRIBE ANY OF THE AFOREMENTIONED AS DISCERNING, BUT I GUESS IT'S ALL RELATIVE] collectors. Works on display & sale include ranger sets (buckles, tips and keepers) and trophy buckles in cast, chased and engraved silver, many with inlay, precious stones, pierced, scrolled and filigreed surfaces, and overlays of precious metals.

I’ve been running into a lot of people obsessed with Ping Pong. The latest was a wonderfully eccentric English man named Martin Summers who I met at the Hotel El Garzon in Uruguay. He was complaining of a lack of worthy opponents. The guy is a pro – anyone going up against him doesn’t stand a chance. Unless, perhaps, his opponents show up with Brodmann Blades:

They’re a new, allegedly more ergonomically friendly paddle designed by Alfred Brodmann, who until now was better known for his watch designs and graphic design work.
The company claims the glove-like design of the paddle contributes to “more spin and superior backhand.” For $100/pair they’d better!

Everybody is abuzz about the Barneys Warehouse Sale. And that’s fine, but ladies, the real selection and real DEALS are at Loehmanns RIGHT NOW. They’ve got the spring shoes out – and there are LOTS of great styles from killer brands like DVF, Miu Miu, Sigerson Morrison, Manolo Blahnik, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Maloles and a ton more.

It seems they just stocked the shoe floor so everything is still neat and organized. It won’t last. Go on a random Tuesday/Wednesday afternoon as weekends are a total zoo over there -

Some examples from my current flat-obsessed agenda:

Miu Miu:

DVF:

Sigerson Morrison:

Calvin Klein:

But I’ve got shots from my walk-through yesterday. It’s on Bowery between Prince and Spring, in a landmark building where Mark Rothko used to live. And now you can buy a variety of green items there. You might be thinking that you’re sick of the word green, and can no longer distinguish true green from bullshit green.
The woman who started Green Depot is a bit of a fanatic, in a good way. She created a whole filter system for vetting each product, and a questionnaire that every vendor has to fill out in order to be considered for the store.

Some photos:

The store has a combination of building products and home products -

They not only developed their own line of truly zero VOC paint (with Ivy Coatings in Brooklyn), they also have gigantic paint chips you can take home and affix to your wall. Note they are so big they are rolled up:

There’s also a “juice bar” where you can buy cleaning products by the ounce. They encourage bringing in your own bottles (duh):

A booth filled with lightbulbs – you go in, push a switch, and can see what type of light a particular bulb gives off – very cool idea:

Wall o’ flooring, including one of my favorites to say — “marmoleum”

Cute baby stuff:

Cool wall of doors leading into kitchen area:

A great light fixure:

And a couple products I found amusing:

I know, I know. I’m supposed to be posting pictures of great finds from the gift show or my life in general. But lately my in-box has provided such a wealth of entertainment that I can’t help but share.
Today’s winner: a press release about how booty texting will affect Valentine’s Day. No, it’s not a joke and yes, there’s a reference to Jeremy Piven. Turns out the same company offered Pivon $1 million to be their spokesperson.
And, btw, who knew there was such a thing as an “industry expert” on the topic of booty texting?

Mass Text Messaging Changing the Landscape of the “Booty Text”

By now, most people are familiar with the “booty text”, as it has infiltrated our society and become common practice.

It arrives at the wee hours of the morning, resembling a suitor beckoning a potential mate for the end of the evening. It’s short and to the point, with one objective in mind: find some nookie after a night on the town.

With the help of mass SMS technology, this phenomenon is being taken to a whole new level. Instead of sending messages to one particular sweetheart, mass text messages decrease the chance of striking out on the evening, allowing users to send the same message to multiple recipients, giving the impression of a personalized message.

“Entourage” star Jeremy Piven has perfected the “art” of mass-booty-texting, by using SMS Technology last month to land his current model girlfriend – through inviting a slew of women to his hotel room and spending the night with the first to respond.

So lovers beware. As if the late night booty text wasn’t insulting enough, you are now likely being grouped in with many others. So at 4AM when you get a message that reads “What are you up to?” or “Come to the bar,” you might not be the only object of his affection. And with Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching, there are sure to be more mass booty texts sent than ever before.

Industry expert and CEO of EZTexting.com Shane Neman commented on the topic, “As text messaging becomes increasingly popular as the most preferred method of communication, we are seeing a huge spike in the number of users wanting to send out mass text messages. The ability to mass text allows you to reach multiple recipients with the same exact message at the same time, exuding an impression of personalization and intimacy.”

And with this impression of personalization and intimacy at anyone’s finger tips, lovers beware this Valentine’s Day.

I know all you PR girls have 20 clients and are under a lot of pressure to perform but you might want to really READ what you are sending out before you send it.
I think this paragraph speaks for itself. I got a good laugh out of it (as did at least 2 friends at other magazines):

With the Inauguration of our new President, and patriotism at an all time high, Alex and Ani is celebrating our country with their new State Seal bangle and State charm bracelet. Take pride in all 50 states or (perhaps just your own), with an expandable state seal bangle made of Russian gold.

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You heard it here first. The way to be patriotic is to buy RUSSIAN GOLD.