Rima Suqi

It’s not the first time (which I believe was the Visionaire/KidRobot set, which I happen to own) but it’s pretty damn good.

Today’s WWD reports that “Tokidoki, the Italian maker of Japanese-inspired collectible figurines has immortalized the designer in vinyl – 10 inches tall.

Villa Collection by RFMAS

Roberto Faraone Mennella would be the man everyone would love to hate, if only he weren’t such a nice guy. He’s gorgeous (see below). He’s got a ridiculous body (ditto). He’s a gentleman. And he, with his high school best friend Amedeo Scognamiglio, design a jewelry collection of beautiful baubles any girl would love to have.

And now he’s launched an 85 piece home collection based on pieces from his childhood home. Which happened to be an 18th century villa in southern Italy. The same artisans his mother commissioned to make their tabletop, made this hand-thrown hand-painted ceramic collection, so no two pieces are alike.

They allegedly arrive Bergdorf Goodman’s 7th Floor next week.

If you’re lucky you might get a glimpse of Roberto as well:

You can check out their jewelry collection on the ground floor, near the back elevators.

I don’t have a bike, but these panniers from cyclechic.co.uk make me wish I did:

Safari Pannier

Vintage style box bag

From today’s WWD:

Calvin Klein Collection is taking its affinity for the arts a step further next month when it partners with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to present a newly created art awards ceremony conceived by artist Rob Pruitt. The Rob Pruitt Presents: The First Annual Art Awards will take place at the museum on Oct. 29 in association with White Columns. The awards will celebrate contemporary artists in a Hollywood-style ceremony, with The Delusional Downtown Divas as the night’s masters of ceremonies; Glenn O’Brien as its official announcer and presenters such as James Franco, Nate Lowman, Mary-Kate Olsen, Cecily Brown, John Currin and Rachel Feinstein. Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces will perform that night.

Joan Jonas and Kasper König will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards, and other awards include Artist of the Year, Curator of the Year, Writer of the Year and several nods for shows of the year, as well as the Calvin Klein Collection New Artist of the Year. The event will benefit the Guggenheim, White Columns and Studio in a School organizations.

Normally I’m not into promotions of this type, but this one is a raffle that benefits Evelyne Lauder’s Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and it doesn’t involve anything pink.

Here’s how it works. Starting October 1, go to the front desk at the Mandarin Oriental Spa, buy a $50 Long Life Raffle Token. If they choose yours at the drawing, you get a two-hour treatment every week for a year.  I just got back from 3 weeks in hawaii where I had a total of 14 spa treatments – and I can tell you my skin is beyond baby’s butt smooth. That’s an extreme case, having a spa treatment every 2 days or so, but imagine – EVERY WEEK FOR A YEAR. It’s been a stressful year, people. Go for it.

More info from the release is posted below:
The winning token holder will receive a year’s worth of two-hour spa treatments* at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, New York – one treatment per month, for 12 consecutive months.  Mandarin Oriental, New York’s “Spa for a Year” prize is valued at over $6,000.  Long Life Raffle Tokens are $50 each, 10 tokens are $450, and 20 tokens can be purchased for $900. All proceeds from the Long Life Raffle Token sales are donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

When I saw this image my first thought was ” I. Want. That.” followed by “What Is It?”

I clicked on and found out the following:

“The Object Without a Story” is an on-going project by Andrea Bandoni and Joana Meroz. Having made an in-depth analysis of hundred of stories accompanying design objects, they used the most significant words and expressions to create random stories. The designers then created the objects described by these random stories, one of which is “The Archetypical Vase”.

An intellectual description the sort of which normally makes me insane but honestly, who cares? Just give me the damn vase. A bit of info on the designers -

Andrea Bandoni and Joana Meroz are both Brazilian designers based in The Netherlands. They met during their studies at the IM Masters department of the Design Academy Eindhoven, from which they graduated in July 2009. The aim of their work is to bring to light invisible design conventions and question their validity.

Until now I wasn’t familiar with Andrea but I have written about Joana before in the NY Times and am a fan of her work (and brain).

ISABELL’S WILL: Sotheby’s is gearing up to sell select pieces from the collection of event planner Robert Isabell, who died in July. Known for his imaginative style and high society party planning, Isabell created his own utopia in an expansive Greenwich Village apartment. His finds include items from Jean Prouvé, Harry Bertoia, Paul Evans and Charlotte Perriand. The auction house expects the 130-lot December sale to drum up more than $1.5 million in sales. An Evans’ sideboard from his Sculpted Front series is expected to fetch upward of $60,000. In accordance with Isabell’s will, proceeds will benefit the Gerald B. Lambert Memorial Foundation Inc., for the sole purpose of preserving the Oak Spring Garden Library and Greenhouses in Upperville, Va., which was established by Isabell’s friend, Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, in memory of her father.

From the release:

Step aside, Pinocchio.
There’s a new wooden toy in town.

Brooklyn designer, David Weeks, has given Dunny — Kidrobot’s artist-interpreted vinyl collectible — its first-ever large scale wooden revamp, christened the “Chiseler.”   Modeled after Weeks’ poseable timber toys Hanno the Gorilla and Ursa the Bear, the ultra-exclusive Chiseler (only five were fashioned) is hand-hewn and sanded from zebra-striped hard pine, creating sculpted facets out of Dunny’s familiar roundness.

Despite the swivel head and arms, each distinct Chiseler is less a plaything than an individualized artwork, right down to its custom-crafted wooden crate displaying the action figure’s laser-etched image.

Each sculptural Chiseler subtly differs from its sibling, resulting in a real Dunny rarity: a one-of-a-kind creation made just for you.

Limited Edition of 5

Dimensions: 7″ x 5″ x 3″
Price: $1,200
Materials: Hand-carved hard pine; laser-etched beechwood case
Date Available: Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Available exclusively at:

Kidrobot
118 Prince Street
New York City
(212) 966-6688

I love Marc Newson — he’s talented, smart  and sexy as hell — but I’m not sure how I feel about his latest project. See below.

From the release:His limited edition outerwear collection for G-Star Raw is the result of a six-year collaboration, and features sumptuous jackets in leather, sheepskin, silk sateen or Goretex and equally sumptuous cotton/nylon Hoodies, for men and women. Each style is limited to 100 pieces, and each is signed and numbered. Available now, exclusively at Moss.

Goretex jacket, $1,440

Men's cotton/nylon hoodie, $2,170

Leather jacket, $5,360

Womens Sheepskin jacket, $5800

Womens leather jacket, $5,360

Men's silk sateen jacket, $3,910