Insa x Nike

Check out the Insa x Nike Looking for love in all the wrong places exhibition which is currently being shown at the Nike Sportswear store in London. If Nike actually did create a pair of heels based on the Air Max silhouette, I'd buy them (even though I can't stand sneaker heels).
The exhibition is a geometric feast, with the centerpiece a 6 foot inverted chrome heart.
The exhibition includes a whole bunch of new prints, including these gorgeous prints on mirrors. You can still buy these babies. Click here to find out more.
Maybe my favourite part of the exhibition are these stellar Insa x Nike tees! They come in the standard white on black and Insa pink on black. I'm loving the Insa pink!But maybe even cooler is this white on yellow bootleg tee which was spotted at the show. Hot.
Visit Insa to see more...

Mad Nike SB Ad

Fabric London

Killer lineup at Fabric London tonight. This is kicking off about now our time... Mad jealous.

Créon

Créon
Opening tonight, 23rd July from 6pm-9pm
Oh Really Gallery
55 Enmore Road, Newtown

Simply the Bez

Madchester just wouldn't be mad without Bez from the Happy Mondays. And with Happy Mondays touring for Splendor in the Grass at the moment, I was pleased to hear that Bez will be making a guest appearance at Teenage Kicks tonight.

Teenage Kicks @ The World Bar
Tonight, July 23 from 9pm
24 Bayswater Road, Kings Cross

I hope Bez dances.

Curses!

Drop the Lime is finally coming back to our fair shores in November for Stereosonic. And I'm ridonkulously amped.

If you haven't heard of Drop the Lime, you probably should have. My mate Tim told me about him a while back, and after much googling and listening, I became a serious fan.

Drop the Lime - aka Luca Venezia aka Curses! - is DJ, producer, promoter and all round musical genius (IMHO). A proud New York City native, he began his club night and record label Trouble & Bass in 2006.

He plays and produces a curious style uniquely his own - some might say it's Bassline House, Ghettotech or Fidget, but I think his style extends to many styles including Dubstep, Grime and Acid House. It's a great fun to dance to, and really reminds me of the energy of the early rave days. He has worked with my favourite Italian fidget duo, the Crookers, and he's remixed tracks for Armand Van Helden, Little Boots, Moby, Buraka som Sistema and many more.

Download his March 2008 Fabric set here for a little sample.

I personally love his Curses! mix of 'What I Need' - I was listening to a Bok Bok & Manara mix which included 'What I Need' and was reminded of just how rad a tune it is! I can't find a link to the original track, but here's a clip of someone else's 'remix' of it...

Marimekko Fall 2009

Marimekko have just launched there Fall 2009 line. There's some seriously gorgeous designs. See more at Always Mod.

After midnight quick question

If you had the chance to go to Bristol and see Banksy Vs Bristol Museum - would you go?

No Boys Allowed

No Boys Allowed is a super sweet girls-only sneaker shop in The Hague (Netherlands). These sweet, sweet photos were taken by the guys at Academy for the Gifted. See more photos and stuff here...
Sneaks + mad interior design = perfect combo for purchasing kicks. I definitely can't wait to get to the Netherlands and rock into this store for a visit... and maybe a few hot purchases like this No Boys Allowed sweatshirt:

An open letter to IKEA

Dear IKEA,

I really do love IKEA, even though most of the products I've bought over the years have been poorly designed rubbish that is generally difficult to build and often ends up in the bin the next I move house.

To your credit, the majority of stupid crap you peddle is been outweighed by a small number of well designed pieces of furniture that make it worth wasting my Saturday afternoon stuck behind soccer Mums, screaming children and honeymooners.

That was, until, you quietly discontinued the FROSTA.
In case you didn't know it, the FROSTA stool (above) was designed by Gillis Lundgren, the Draughtsman credited with inventing flat packed furniture. Legend has it Lundgren bought a table and couldn't fit it in his car, so he broke the legs off, and reassembled when he got home. He discussed this with his employer - IKEA - and flat pack furniture was born.

Lundgren based the design of the FROSTA on the Alvar Aalto designed 'Stool 60' (below). The classic 'Stool 60' was designed in 1933 - over 75 years ago.
An original 'Stool 60' can set you back more than $300 a pop. And a reproduction will cost you almost as much ($283 + GST) - a far cry from the affordable $19.95 a FROSTA stool cost at IKEA in Australia. Which begs the question - why would IKEA discontinue an inexpensive alternative to an expensive piece of popular, classic furniture design?

I don't know exactly what possessed you to stop producing this easy to build, multi-purpose and arguably, safe household item - but I would like to. Do you know why? If so, feel free to reply.

I can understand if an item is unsafe, like the FEMTON lamp (below), it would be recalled and discontinued. The FEMTON lamp was recalled last year because the clamp that attaches the lamp to a surface was found to be unsafe. For example, if you attach your FEMTON to a bedhead and the clamp failed, the lamp might fall on your bed and your bed might catch on fire; your house might burn down; and you might die.
The point I'm trying to make is that I can understand cancelling an item that might burn a house down. But dicontinuing an unthreatening wooden stool in Australia (the FROSTA is still readily available in the USA and many other countries) seems absurd, especially when 'Stool 60' is still readily available in here.

So perhaps then, the FROSTA was an expensive item to produce. And despite IKEA's profit expected to top 21.5 billion Euros this fiscal year and IKEA deciding to cut more than 5,000 staff worldwide, the FROSTA just had to go.

It's a shame you had to get rid of such a useful piece. You could have discontinued something like the IKEA PS GULLHOLMEN (below). I know the IKEA PS GULLHOLMEN is a chair (it's listed as a rocking chair on your website), but I'm not sure how to sit on it. Not to mention it's made of ratten, which is probably the most scratchy, nasty substance you could ever make a sitting implement out of. And don't even get me started on how dangerous this object could potentially be.
Or the REGOLIT (above) - a lamp that pays hideous homage to the classic Arco Floor Lamp (below) designed by Achille Castiglioni for Flos in 1962. It's insulting enough that lots of people spend lots of money buying fake Arco Floor Lamp reproductions - which makes it enough more insulting to imagine anyone would ever waste their money buying a REGOLIT.
As I said in the beginning, I really do love IKEA. But it would be nice if you let your legions of customers know if you're going to discontinue an item, instead of getting a little surprise when the item disappears from your website and off the shelves. Maybe you think that if you dazzle us with lots of new pieces of rubbish furniture, we won't notice that the good pieces have gone missing. Unfortunately for you, some of us are not so naive.

On behalf of everyone who appreciates IKEA's flailing commitment to inexpensive alternatives to design classics and delivering good design to the masses, I implore you. Bring back the FROSTA.

Yours Sincerely,
Chi Chi Ryan

High Tea Party

Sunday we had a lovely High Tea at Ki Ki's. This is the cheese and chocolate tasting plate I created. It included marscapone, goats cheese, gorgonzola, import blue vein and brie; strawberries, dates, walnuts and quince paste; and chopped milk and dark chocolate. I'm not the greatest cook but I'm not bad at presentation. Poh would be proud. Om nom nom.

They said NO, NO POH!

Even though I didn't watch much of it, congratulations Julie - Australia's Masterchef. Cooking as sport. It's compelling!

Sunnies Search

I started wearing spectacles when I was in year 4 at primary school. I remember the first pair of specs I got - they were white, with black and pink paint splatters all over.

It wasn't long after that I decided I wanted some sunglasses. I had a pair of black Oakley Frogskins with red/yellow Iridium lenses. One of my friend's parent's owned a surf shop, and surf brands were mad cool at the time. Frogskins were all the rage when I was in year 5, and I remember rocking a pink Oakley logo t-shirt, cut-off acid wash jeans and my Frogskins (I'm searching Mum's photo albums for a photo...).
Hipsters everywhere have been lapping up Oakley Frogskins for quite a while, and I can't deny I've had a major urge to cop a pair of vintage red ones like the ones below. I think it's part XXXX, part necessity. I wear a lot of red and purple. And I recently broke my red Wayfarers, so I've been scouting around for a pair of purple or red sunglasses. Or both.
But I haven't been able to find a pair I like - plus they are so expensive on eBay. And every second person at Fuzzy events has taken to wearing them, which turns me off. So alternatively, I've been looking around for a pair of vintage Oakley Razorblades.
In year 8 I was going out with this boy and I bought him a clear Razorblade frame set for Christmas. I thought it was the coolest present. But I dumped him because it was the Christmas holidays and he never got the frames.

If I could find a pair of purple Razorblades like these I'd be a happy camper. But I'd probably get bored wearing them all the time - they only fun for the temporary entertainment value.
As I said, I broke my red Wayfarers. And other than that, I've been rocking a pair of Chloe sunglasses since last year. I love them, but I'm getting bored.
Claw Money's line of eyewear is pretty rad. I've been admiring the Nuggets for quite a while - but they cost a little more than I'd like to spend right now. But I do have the hots for the Red Nuggets.
And recently Claw Money has released a purple Nugget! I think I like the purple best. And if I was going to get both purple and red sunnies, I'd get two different styles.So taking into consideration that I need to save my pennies at the moment, maybe I'll go back to the drawing board and look for some vintage sunnies on eBay. Or maybe keep an eye out at Zoo Emporium for a funky retro pair.

But I really wish I could have a pair of Nuggets!

Thursty Thursdays

Thursty Thursday - what an adventure. Abdul's for garlic and cider induced madness; Ching-a-Ling in the rain; the Brighton; the Gassy; and Only the Brave kept going... and going.

Shifty Sherlock you're my hero.

Good luck trying to save her... Part 2

I got my Fight Club tattoo today. The artist was Greg at Mischief Moon in Surry Hills, and he drew the type freehand. Thankfully he got the spelling right!
I'm so happy with it, I'll have to stop saying 'I'd give my left arm for that' and start saying I'd give my right because now I love my left arm so much more.

180 Vs ST - does this make me a Retifist?

Even though I copped some STs today, I still can't decide if I prefer the 180 or the ST. I'm not even sure I'd wear either of them - they're straight off the Westline. I just don't think I'm that eshay lad. But I can't help but feel like I need to possess them both. One without the other seems like Romeo without Juliet. Like the sun without a moon. Like Baskin without Robbins. Now that just wouldn't be ice cream...
I may be forced to go and try on the 180s tomorrow. Why do I feel so shredded with guilt, yet so empty without the sweet, sweet 180s in my possession?

Is this becoming a shoe fetish? Am I becoming a Retifist? True shoe fetishism (aka Retifism) apparently requires a fixation with shoes so strong that it interferes with sexual arousal. I'm not sure buying or wearing shoes gives me any kind of sexual gratification, but a certain type of gratification none the less.

On the other hand, a man wearing the right pair of kicks is significantly more sexually appealling than a man wearing the wrong kicks. Example: Man wearing Air Max 90 Infrared signnificantly more interesting than man wearing Puma Clydes. But man wearing Puma Clydes is always more attractive than man wearing Onitsuka Tigers. Did I just invent sexual sneaker Paper Rock Scissors? Clydes beat Onitsuka, but 90s beats Clydes?

I'm going to self test to see if I can prove if I am a Retifist. I've decided to play Lookbook NEXT! (you know, that dumb MTV game show). I've picked 5 random photos of Lookbook boys wearing kicks, and have assessed each one to decide whether I'd like to take them on a second date based on their shoes and what they're wearing...

Contestant A (below): Cute boy, bad sneaks. Full points for the cap, but those Tigers earn him an instant shutdown. Hang on... are you old enough to be legal? NEXT!
Contestant B (below): Well he immediately gets brownie points for the infrared 90s. But he's wearing a Hundreds cap and tshirt. Too much matchy-matchy. NEXT!Contestant C (below): Cute Asian with black Jordan 3s. Cap - check. Nerd glasses - check. Nice flannel shirt in my favourite colour (green) - check. Looks too much like my ex-Facebook friend - FAIL. NEXT!
Contestant D (next): The OG Structures are just about enough to get this guy a second date. And the cute glasses/cap/facial hair/vintage Nike tee definitely help his cause. But that looks like a hospital bracelet on his wrist. I could be wrong, and he could be at some totally rad club night and I'm sounding like a total numpty - but I'm gonna go with personal safety over style and suggest he escaped the loony bin and robbed some hot dude for all his rad clothes. NEXT!
Contestant E (below): Even though I think he actually tried super hard to get this look, he makes it look effortless. Mismatched matching, purple checks and infrared 90s - love it. Wanna go on a second date with me?
The moral of this story is I think I might be a Retifist. I definitely seem to have a tendency towards the men with particular kicks - although admittedly all the contestants, aside from Tiger boy, are wearing sneak style I personally love and wear myself. But I'm still not sure I've proved anything...

And yes, if you were wondering, I have thought about and had the discussion about leaving kicks on whilst doing the dirty. I'll leave you to make up your own mind about what I might willing to do under those circumstances... :P

Strangely enough, all of my contestants are also wearing caps. Is there such a thing as a cap fetish? Which leaves me confused. If I am a Retifist, and I also have a cap fetish, are the two mutually exclusive? I think I could be attracted to a man with good kicks and no hat - but not the other way around. You'd have to have a dope hat and dope kicks...

BUT NO TIGERS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE!
Tigers need not apply. To be continued...

My name is Cheech and I'm a sneakaholic

More new babies came home with me today.

Air Max 90s in a Red/Purple/White colourway (the Ki Ki/Chi Chi Combo).
And STs. They're going straight to the pool room.

Good luck trying to save her...

Fight Club has been my favourite movie since I first saw it not long after it was released in 1999 - almost 10 years ago! 10 years is a long time for 1 movie to hang on to my number 1 spot, especially because I'm a bit of a movie buff and I'd never had a favourite before Fight Club. But there's something about this movie that resonates with me so much that no other film has ever come close to knocking it out of the number 1 spot.

Wait, actually that's a lie - Secretary topped Fight Club for about 2 weeks after it's 2002 release, but I got over that pretty quickly. I must have a soft spot for weird saucy women. Thankfully Tyler Durden is a forgiving chap when it comes to weird saucy women too because soon enough Fight Club was back on top.

I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.
That's a fan joke. I'm a nerd.

If that's not enough, Chuck Palahniuk (the author of Fight Club) is one of my favourite authors, and David Fincher (the director of Fight Club) is one of my favourite directors. I've read all Chuck's books and I love Fincher's films like Se7en and Benjamin Button, not to mention that Fincher worked on visual effects for my favourite fantasy movie (generally I have favourite movies grouped by genre, but Fight Club is my overall favourite) The Neverending Story.

Yes, I am a Fincher nerd too!

Anyway, for quite a while, I've been trying to find the perfect Fight Club tattoo. It's something I've always imagined going terribly wrong. Furni logos and Project Mayhem have put me off the idea several times. I went through a period of thinking the best option would be the Tyler Durden quote, "It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything" - the idea that the things we own end up owning us, and that it's only when we let go of these things that you are able to choose to live life freely. But since I'm on the verge of finalising my divorce, I felt that it might seem like I was looking for a way to free myself of the shackles of marriage by getting this tattoo - especially over the past 12 months!

The irony is, despite what you might believe Fight Club is about, according to Chuck, and a bunch of others who argue the point, the story is about the journey a man takes to reach the point where he is ready to commit to a woman.

'How the hell does that work?' I hear you ask. A blink-and-you'll-miss-it piece of overlooked dialogue at the beginning of the movie pretty much gives it away. Remember the opening scene, where Tyler (Pitt) is holding a gun to Jack's (Norton) mouth, and Jack says "Somehow, I realize all of this — the gun, the bombs, the revolution — is really about Marla Singer."

Read this essay by Jennifer Kesler to get a much more detailed account of the theory.
So theoretically the reason for all the sexy fisty-cuffs, the death of bitch tits and Project Mayhem is actually the sauciest doctor shopping minx you'll ever meet - Marla. Kesler says Marla represents "caring about someone more than you care about your duty, your honor, yourself"'.

This theory got me thinking about what Fight Club means to me. Why do I really feel such a deep connection to a movie that from a superficial perspective is so violent and misogynistic? On a far deeper level, Fight Club respresents the awakening of those who have been numbed by reality. And arguably, Marla is Jack's catalyst to wake up.

So maybe it's because I want to be the catalyst.

In the scene where the police rush into Marla's building to save her after she overdoses on Xanax, Marla goes on a rant about herself, "the girl who lives there used to be a charming, lovely girl, but she's lost faith in herself. She's a monster! She's infectious human waste! Good luck trying to save her!"

Good luck trying to save her - perhaps Marla means saving herself from caring, no matter how cynical she might be on the surface.

I think I finally found my Fight Club tattoo.

Read Jennifer Kesler's essay I am Jack's Vagina.

I need this dress

I heart Henrik Vibskov.

Cold Rock Cherry Popped!

Om nom nom. I took D to Cold Rock. It was his first time. I think he almost pee'd his pants at how awesome it was. Then we were both so full of food we were both nearly sick.
Handmade Noodles = WIN
Cold Rock Ice Cream= WIN
Handmade noodles x ice cream = FAIL

Joe Not Nice

Although Saturday night was so damn shite, Sherlock made it rad. We went to see Joe Nice. It wasn't nice. There were tears, fights and a lot of vomit. Let's never mention this again.

KITTY POW!

I love my Ambush POW! pendant. I got it in Tokyo and I was super stoked to find one. I've never seen any Ambush pieces in Sydney, so it made me a very happy camper to get a POW! of my very own.
Now Ambush have teamed up with Hello Kitty to create this collabb (it comes in other colours too). I'm not a huge Hello Kitty fan, but I love Ambush. The perfect little gift for any Hello Kitty fan.
Ambush are also about to release some special Michael Jackson inspired pieces. As I'm not a huge MJ advocate, I'm not really into a piece inspired by him - but they are worth a look. The best place to find Ambush pieces is in Japan (because that's where the label is based).

Holy Shitballs Batman

I love Structures more than any other style of Nike. And these bad boys have just dropped at Seventyfive in Amsterdam. 35 days to go - fingers crossed they still have these when I get there. And I'm starting to put together a new lists of sneaker shops I'll be chasing in Europe...