For many, gifts with a three-figure price tag make a generous offering, but this year Yatzer upped the ante with their guide of gifts for the ultimate in luxury and the pinnacle in price points. CH picked a few of the gifts that may just be worth saving up for—providing you have a very large piggie bank.

Hasselblad's H4D medium format DSLR features a 60 Mpixel MF sensor and a new True Focus technology, an attribute built to provide outstanding focus throughout the entire image. The camera will be available January 2010 for €19,995 (pictured above left). Maison Takuya's wild alligator iPhone case adds even more class to the sleek device. The Bangkok-based luxury label offers the case and other bespoke goods in their signature alligator or ostrich leather. Find it at the finest department and specialty stores around the world for €293. (Pictured above right.)

The 24-carat gold and Swarovski crystal encrusted bike from Aurumania is a limited edition of ten, and features opulent additions like a Brooks saddle, hand-sewn grips and a ten-year warranty. Delivered via White Glove Service anywhere in the world for €80,000.

A limited edition of five, the fox fur hammock created by German design studio Bless for 20LTD provides the perfect place to relax after a hard day at work. Lined with cashmere and assembled by hand, the silky-soft hammock is a real pleasure. Available from 20LTD for €9,000.

via Yatzer

Now beyond a trend, the track and fixed cycling community thrives through the hard work of those involved in its passionate and dedicated scene. The latest proof of its staying power and those working for it, two-year-old e-commerce site Tokyo Fixed Gear's shop opens 25 November 2009. The physical manifestation from the group who have long fulfilled the demand in the U.K. for rare imports from Japan including hard to source frames and components, as well as local designers like Cyclodelic drops the "gear" from their name and makes their expertise that much more accessible.

A basement will house an enviable assortment of bikes and paraphernalia including vintage Italian frames, BMXs, Japanese track frames and a selection of hand-built frames from around the world. Rounding out the rarities, they'll stock the store with items from Brooklyn Machine Works, Leader and Gorilla Bicycles.

With Winter closing in, Tokyo Fixed will also carry a fine selection of cycle-specific clothing and footwear including the excellent Outlier clothing. London's fixed gear community has never had it so good.

Tokyo Fixed
4 Peter Street
London W1F 0DR map

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Edward Gorey's strange and twisted illustrations, often coupled with his similarly odd prose, illustrates this inimitable book of manners "The Recently Deflowered Girl." Written by Mel Juffe under the nom de plume Miss Hyacinthe Phypps, advice for the society girl offers "the right thing to say on every dubious occasion."

Juffe, narrating with a humor so dry it resembles sandpaper, tells what to do when the marimba player, the spirit of Valentino or the Chinese detective deflower (and in other ways) act positively rakish.

What happens when your affianced cannot make the wedding? "Deflowered by Proxy," of course. Or when you are suspected of offing Lord Pilroy: "Deflowered by Chinese Detective."

Each vignette concludes with a condensed snippet of advice. For the lady deflowered by the doctor who, after the act, admits he is a fellow patient, one must reply that this visit must be free, because "Thrift is a virtue men like to find in a woman."

Originally published in 1965, The Recently Deflowered Girl was long out of print and considered one of Gorey's lost works when Bloomsbury republished it this month.

The lovely and darkly hilarious pairing of his ink and watercolor illustrations with Juffe's short tails make this book the harshest sweet in the bunch. Pick up a copy from Amazon or Powell's.

For those drowning in the digital age's information glut, "Visual Miscellaneum," the new eye-popping book of infographics by London-based visual and data journalist David McCandless, makes the perfect antidote. Forget about pie charts, bar graphs, line graphs and histograms; the book showcases McCandless' dexterity when it comes to the infinite number of ways to represent data through engaging graphics these days. (Click all images below for an expanded view.)

While some books open with a dedication to a loved one, an esteemed colleague or a revered legend, the author dedicates Visual Miscellaneum "to the beautiful internet." And no wonder, the internet both inspires and confounds with its labyrinthine paths and bottomless rabbit holes—it also provides most of the source data for the visualizations in this book.

Like most books offering a potpourri of information, this one aims to please with a random order that rewards flip-throughs with compelling graphics and interesting factoids pertaining to the state of our world today.

Turn to page 156 and find a two-page spread of cappuccino mugs, each filled with bars of color representing the proportion of ingredients in 18 varieties of coffee drinks. Flip to page 74 for a rather ominous chart of rising sea levels—St. Petersburg only has a few hundred years before it's underwater, while surprisingly New Orleans will stay afloat for another millennium. Land on page 160 to discover the most editied Wikipedia pages represented by a word cloud and each page's lamest point of contention.

By turns alarming and humorous in its revelations, it's a timely, if meandering, look at the state of our world. Oddly, while U.K. readers will have to wait until next year to grab a copy, the book is available now in the U.S. through Amazon (in addition to your local bookseller).

Those interested in getting a taste of David's work can follow his blog Information is Beautiful.

Shifting his attention to altruistic causes, Wyclef Jean's recent collaboration with Timberland has less to do with his music than it does with the extensive charity work he's taken on in recent years. The Timberland Yéle Haiti Earthkeepers, a collection of 16 boots designed for men, women and kids, uses recycled and organic materials with the goal of raising awareness about environmental causes in Wyclef's native Haiti.

Named for the artist's Yéle Haiti organization—a charitable grassroots movement working to implement programs in education, sports, the arts and the environment—the eco-conscious footwear specifically aims to call attention to reforestation in the country.

The boots, constructed of 100% recycled PET and 100% organic striped cotton linings, organic cotton uppers and Green Rubber lug outsoles, also stay the distance with extremely durable Taslan laces and rustproof hardware.

A set of t-shirts, designed by Haitian artist Badio Joseph depicting the organization's symbolic tree completes the collection.

The shoes and tees sell online and from Timberland stores with prices ranging from $35-155, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Yéle Haiti.

Check out a few more images after the jump.

We got a sneak peak at the Japan Brand NYC pop up shop at Felissimo today and can't wait to go shopping when it opens next Monday.

Japan Brand curates artisanal objects from Japan (including paper goods, furniture, fashion, kitchen and decorative items) and assembled an impressive group for this year's pop-up shop, which continues for the next five weeks. Most of these items are on sale in the U.S. for the first time, and almost all of them are available in small quantities. A range of events will also be held, including calligraphy demonstrations, sake tastings, and gift wrapping.

Some favorite CH products include the Alexander Gelman-designed lacquer bicycle and hand-made chess sets (watch out for our upcoming feature on him and Postglobal, a book that documents his last four years discovering the traditional arts of Japan. If you're in NYC you can meet him at a book signing this Saturday, 21 November 2009, 3pm at Kinokuniya), the very well priced Nussha floral bowls from Yamanaka, the very light weight cast iron cookware from Kawaguchi i-mono, and the amazing hand-dyed scarves, ties and hats from Tumugi. See our photos of these and other products below.

Japan Brand NYC Pop Up Shop at Felissimo
23 November-24 December 2009
10 West 56th Street
New York, NY 10019 map
tel. +1 212 956 4438

No online ordering is available, but you can email orders to info [at] japanbrandnyc [dot] com.

by Anna Carnick

The upcoming retrospective at NYC's Museum of Modern Art explores the career of Tim Burton, whose talent has led him to transform often frightening notions—death, loneliness, the apocalypse—into charmingly approachable forms, creating strange worlds that closely mirror our own, but with all the appropriate Burton-esque accoutrements. The creative mastermind behind films like "Edward Scissorhands," "Beetle Juice," "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "9" and the upcoming "Alice in Wonderland," Burton now finds his own world onscreen.

A fascinating review of Burton's artistic career, the exhibition focuses on his evolution as both director and concept artist for live-action and animated films, in addition to his work as an artist, illustrator, photographer and writer. Tracing Burton's creative history chronologically—from his earliest childhood drawings through his mature work in film—the survey unites over 700 examples of rarely or never-before-seen drawings, paintings, photographs, notes, storyboards, moving-image works, puppets, costumes, and other cinematic ephemera, as well as an extensive film series spanning Burton's 27-year career.

Given the sheer breadth and depth of work and the excitement of it all on view for the first time, the exhibition is a must-see. Bringing it all together for everyone to enjoy are the show's curators, Ron Magliozzi and Jenny He. In thanking the pair earlier this week, Burton himself joked, thanks, “for trying to make some sense out of my life so far.”

Cool Hunting had the pleasure of speaking with Magliozzi, Assistant Curator for MoMA's Department of Film, about the new show.

How was the Tim Burton exhibition born? What was the catalyst?
It has always been our mission to honor the work of the cinema's most important and influential artists. This exhibition provides us with the rare, virtually unique, opportunity to focus attention on a filmmaker who has created so much remarkable work that is appropriate for display in a gallery setting as well as on the screen.

The Museum of Modern Art Department of Film has staged approximately 80 gallery exhibitions on the cinema since 1939 (in addition to its film screening programs), including gallery installations on D. W. Griffith, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Roberto Rossellini, Ernie Gehr, Ray, Harryhausen, the UPA, Disney and Warner Bros. animation studios, British, French, German and Italian cinema, Yiddish and Black cinema, and in 2005 the Pixar Animation Studio. Tim Burton follows in this tradition.

The precise moment of inspiration came to me at a screening of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005). Early in the film when the Wonka character throws open the door on a Pop Art candy-colored world, I made a sudden comparison in my head to the Gothic world of Corpse Bride which I'd seen a few months before, and the looks of all Burton's other worlds, including that of his "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories" (1997), and thought, "We should approach Tim Burton for an exhibition at MoMA."

How would you describe the organization of the exhibit itself? Can you walk us through some of the show's major highlights?
Faced with the responsibility of being the first Museum to present so much previously unseen work from an artist as popular as Tim Burton, who luckily has saved much of what he's done creatively since adolescence, we felt our first job was to provide some chronological and narrative structure to its exhibition.

We've attempted to accomplish this by organizing material under “Surviving Burbank” covering the years of Tim's upbringing in Burbank, CA; “Beautifying Burbank” on his years as a student at CalArts and an apprentice animator and concept artist with the Walt Disney Company, including his early collaborations with sculptor and artist Rick Heinrichs, animator Joe Ranft and effects artist Stephen Chiodo; to “Beyond Burbank” for the years since his first feature, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (1985), to the present, when he's called on a number of successful collaborators—costume designer Colleen Atwood, special effect make-up artist Stan Winston, character designers The Carlos Grangel Studio, puppet fabricators Mackinnon and Saunders and composer Danny Elfman—to bring his vision to the screen.

Which themes stand out most consistently?
The dynamic, ongoing relationship between childhood and adulthood and the saving grace of creative activity seem to be his most comprehensive themes. Motifs include a creature-based notion of character, masks and armor, body modification, and the Carnivalesque.

Was Burton involved in choosing works or installation?
Tim opened his archive to us, without any apparent restrictions, and left us alone to make our choices. We also chose work from the Disney, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox archives, as well as work from his collaborators without limits. Our hopes for the exhibition were exceeded this past July, when, after studying our selections of the art, objects and films we'd chosen for the exhibition, Tim spent several days contemplating our gallery and the museum's public spaces, and responded by creating seven new sculptural installation pieces that he then offered for our consideration. I'm pleased to say that all seven are now highlights of the exhibition.

This exhibit introduces the full spectrum of his work—beyond film—to a broad audience. How would you describe Burton as an artist?
Ultimately an optimistic one, whose recourse in creative activity in all periods of his life has been a path to success.

How do his different creative fields complement one another?
We hope that our show will demonstrate that they are virtually the same.

In addition to the show itself, I understand MoMA is presenting Burton films. Can you tell us more about this?
Moving image material is being presented in three ways. My co-organizer, Jenny He, has programmed two film series for our Titus Theaters, which will be ongoing through the five month run of the exhibition. The first consists of Tim's 14 theatrical features and two shorts, and the second—"Tim Burton and the Lurid Beauty of Monsters"—a survey of films that have influenced and inspired him, including work by Ray Harryhausen, Rankin and Bass, Roger Corman and Ed Wood. Thirdly, we are exhibiting Tim's Super 8mm and 16mm amateur shorts such as Houdini, the Untold Story (1971), Doctor of Doom (1980), his long-thought "lost" TV adaptation of Hansel and Gretel (1983), his TV commercials and music video Bones (2006) for The Killers, and an excerpt from the stop-motion puppet tests he directed for Mars Attacks (1996).

See more images after the jump.

Tim Burton Retrospective
22 November 2009-26 April 2010
Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd Street
New York, NY 10019 map
tel. +1 212 397 6980‎

Equinox Fitness Clubs go beyond neighborhood gyms in just about every way. Most places purchase music from a service or play the radio, but Equinox Creative Director Bianca Kosoy and her team wanted people to get excited about the music, so they took things into their own hands.

First they recognized that different areas of the club—lobby, workout floor, spa and locker rooms—require different music. Next they thought a lot about the various genres of music (classics, pop, electronic, hip hop, R & B, and most importantly what they call "discovery," music from new musicians as well as less popular music from more established musicians). The team also considers the mix, how much of each genre feels right, and comes up with a monthly playlist of about 600 songs. And, last but not least, they also take the beat into account; songs in the workout area are optimally at 130 beats per minute, for example. Each month Equinox updates a significant portion of the playlist with new songs, modulating the percentage from each genre.

Bianca feels part of the Equinox brand experience is to introduce members to new music. Some of her current favorites currently in rotation include The Silversun Pickups, The Virgins, Chromeo, MSTRKRFT and Black Kids

EQ Sessions, available on the Equinox site and iPhone application, features monthly highlights from the mix and September saw the launch of Sessions by guest DJs. First up was Madonna followed by Paul Sevigny, and next up you'll hear Sessions by Cyndi Lauper (who's doing two Sessions, one of her favorite holiday music), Laroux, Cher, Michael Boublé, Stevie Knicks, Tommy Lee, Dave Navarro and Jason Mraz.

Experience a music-enhanced workout with a no-cost, no obligation three day pass at any Equinox club.

Lavanila Healthy Deodorant
Comprised of completely natural ingredients, Lavanila's Healthy deodorant mixes a long-lasting blend of polysaccharides, anti-oxidants, botanicals and varying essential oils that provide each scent's distinct fragrance. Aluminum-free and 100% recyclable, Lavanila benefits both the body and the environment. From Lavanila for $18.

Nuxe Tonific Deodorant
For anyone that struggles with sensitive skin, Nuxe's Tonific deodorant is a gentle mix of soothing ingredients including bamboo, aloe vera and Mourera Fluviatilis—a moisturizing plant found within nature. Nuxe uses an invigorating unisex scent with a powerful protective composition that keeps both men and women feeling dry longer. From Apothica for $15.

Fresh Sugar Roll-On Deodorant
Recognizing sugar as a natural antiseptic, the founders of Fresh use the organic ingredient's humectant properties in their Sugar roll-on deodorant. The sugar inhibits odor-causing bacteria, while the lemongrass astringent and witch hazel work as an antiperspirant—the scent makes us want to eat it. Get it online from Fresh for $18.

L'Occitane Verbana Cooling Deodorant
Tense situations increase the need for a deodorant that will keep you both cool and dry. L'Occitane's Verbana Cooling Deodorant not only prevents odor-causing bacteria but the formula provides an "ice cube" effect that refreshes and soothes the skin. It sells from L'Occitane for $16.

Burt's Bees Herbal Deodorant Spray
Renowned for their natural products, Burt's Bees herbal deodorant allows the body to behave organically while still maintaining a neutralized odor. The spray consists mostly of sage, a plant with inherent soothing properties and believed by some Arab cultures to make users immortal. With a woodsy scent, the deodorant makes a great pick for men. Burt's Bees sells it for $8.

Kiehl's Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant
The Hercules of deodorants, Kiehl's superbly efficient antiperspirant and deodorant keeps underarms dry with its powerful combination of aluminum chlorohydrate, propylene glycol and witch hazel. The unscented non-residual cream protects for 24 hours and leaves skin feeling smoother. Pick it up from Kiehl's for $12-16.

Spa Therapy Vegan Deodorant
Spa Therapy's handmade vegan deodorant allows the body to cool naturally, relieving bodies from a potential buildup of harmful toxins. Free of paraben, alcohol, aluminum and bactericides, the deodorant adds antioxidants, amino acids and protein. Spa Therapy sells it for $8.

Erbaviva Lemon Sage Organic Deodorant
Originally developed for pregnant women and babies, Erbaviva offers a line of organic (at least 99%) products, completely free of harsh chemicals. Their organic deodorant curbs the growth of bacteria without clogging pores while the sage, lemon, patchouli and tea tree oil extracts leave you smelling great. From Erbaviva for $18.

What began with a young Swedish explorer's determination to build solid, functional camping gear, Fjällräven has been experiencing a brand resurgence with the recent U.S. launch of the 50-year-old company and their new NYC outpost opening today.

Expedition essentials and cozy Scandinavian sweaters alike pack the vault-like shop, Fjällräven's first in North America. Standout items include their classic, double-layered down jacket stacked along the wall like sleeping bags. The puffer, built for survival in the most extreme of climates, makes a perfect choice for climbing Everest or facing another winter in Northern cities like Minneapolis or Montreal (pictured below).

Other notable items filling the 1,700-square-foot basement location (formerly occupied by boutique I Heart) include Gränfors Axes, interesting clog-like boots, as well as practical Hanwag hiking boots, Greenland wax—an essential for their Oban jacket—and Woolpower long underwear.

Whether gearing up for the next trek or looking for winter weather vitals, the Swedish label—the name means Arctic Fox—has it covered. See more images of the space after the jump.

Fjällräven NYC
262 Mott Street
New York, NY 10012 map
tel. +1 212 226 7846

The free-spirited Swedish label Happy Socks teamed up with six promising artists to add even more joy to the holiday season, collaborating on a series of cards starring their quirky socks in various settings. Riffing on the brand's design ethos, punchy graphics and playful approach, the irreverent images also allow each artist's particular aesthetic to shine through.

The line-up of artists consists of Marok, Fanny Boström and Bill Gentle, Giorgio Camuffo, James Jarvis, Liselotte Watkins and Jérôme “Cream” Degive. (Click on any image for expanded view.)

In one of the most entertaining, by creative team Boström and Gentle, two sock puppets lock one another in a prolonged "romantic" embrace (pictured top left). Yet another sock, by Belgian artist Jérôme "Cream" Degive, this one with a large red nose, wishes you the biggest merry Christmas that can possibly fit on the card (above left).

The cards will be given away at key retail locations in poster and postcard packs throughout Europe, cheerfully reminding recipients to stay warm and creative this season.

Venice-born photographer Renato D'Agostin recently spent time in the world's largest city capturing the abstract side of its urban landscape. The resulting monograph "Tokyo Untitled" was released this month and is the subject of concurrent exhibitions in Paris, Tokyo and now Manhattan's Leica Gallery.

D'Agostin's unconventional narrative of his Tokyo journey makes for a series of images imbued with a language made up of dislocated objects that—divorced from their ordinary context—create new meanings in themselves.

Already the 88-page book (his third published work) is being lauded by critics and artists alike.

"'Tokyo Untitled' photographs bring me back to the destroyed Tokyo as it appeared right after the war ended," writes Japanese photographer Eikoh Hosoe. "It may be totally impossible for young Renato to imagine that his 'Tokyo Untitled' reminds me of such tragic images as Tokyo's air raid attack which happened 64 years ago."

After completing a run in the Leica Gallery in New York that opened yesterday, D'Agostin's exhibition will move next February to his native Italy for a stint at the MC2 Gallery in Milan.

In the meantime, the book sells from Amazon and the limited edition version (available by contacting D'Agostin) makes a great gift for photographers and Tokyo fans alike.

Check out more images after the jump.

Tokyo Untitled
Through 9 January 2010
Leica Gallery
670 Broadway
New York, NY 10012 map
tel. +1 212 777 3051

Sartoria Vico joins together the worlds of fashion and product design with a small series of essentially functional clothes and accessories, focused more on use than aesthetic.

The brand is one of the projects by the creative collective Dissociate, comprised of Benedetta de Bartolomeis, Monica Battistella, Stefania Casacci and Cristina del Buono—four girls who met while studying industrial design at the Politecnico di Milano.

Like other emerging Italian labels, Sartoria Vico tends to shy away from the traditional concept of seasonal collections in favor of changing materials or adding new designs, products and projects as they are ready, while reinvigorating and improved existing items as they reconceive them.

Since the very beginning, Sartoria Vico’s core research aimed to reinvent Made in Italy, knitwear and knitted accessories for the winter, which still characterize the heart of the collection. Their most notable styles include the Maglione Pancia (a sweater which extends to cover the legs while crouching), Vestito Manicotto (a mini dress with round neck and sleeves that can extend and cover the hands) and Collo (a composition of two collars, one narrow and one wider to wrap around décolleté or shoulders).

The color palette consists of basic colors like black, gray and navy blue, combined with more vibrant colors such as green and dusty mustard. An industrial design focus lends a versatility and functionality to the clothing—each piece comes packed with a set of detailed instructions on the various ways it can be worn.

See more images after the jump.

Brainchild of a strategist and an art director, This Is Plot's necklaces illustrate the subtle beauty of economics, turning one of the most classic data visualizations into a physical object. The London-based duo (both of ad agency Wieden+Kennedy) handcraft the accessories, which use gold, silver, oil and lead to graph the materials' market performance. Celebrating the "stories of exact facts," each necklace plots the course of its corresponding commodity over the span of thirty years for an elegant representation of its highs and lows.

Strategist Lisa Prince, one of the two behind This Is Plot, came up with the side project while daydreaming in meetings. Thanks to W+K's remarkable ability to embrace creativity, the line now involves several players making it not only the first accessory that we know of to plot data, but also the first collaboration between a strategist, writer, graphic designer, art director, jeweler and ad agency.

Another collection is already in the works, but the current collection sells now from This Is Plot with prices ranging from £94-240 depending on material.

Edited by Craig Kanarick, EXP looks at the ways innovative brands express themselves in the digital age.

Spotted at this year's Habitat Valencia, the Galaxy Reclining Armchair by Spanish manufacturer CasaDesús blends space age style with suburban functionality.

The sleek chair, designed by company founder Jaime Casadesús, puts to shame every La-Z-Boy in existence with minimal lines, luxurious upholstery options and automated articulations.

Just now making inroads into the American market—currently available through Moura Starr—CasaDesús produces an opulent range of furnishings quite similar in style to Italian brands Molteni & C or Poltrona Frau, but with a Spanish flair.

Expect to see more from this brand in the coming years.

by Stephanie Miles

Whether given as a gift or used to wrap them up, Kamal Patel's couture paper goods exist in a league of their own. To go along with her popular collections of letter-pressed cards and recycled coasters, Kamal recently debuted an all-new collection of custom-designed "mini wrap" gift wrapping, just in time for the busy holiday season.

Smaller than a standard roll of wrapping paper, Kamal's mini wraps measure just 16-23 inches and come in four unique colors and designs. Each wrap includes two sheets and two tissues. For baby showers, birthday presents, or just special gifts to celebrate the ones you love, they add an extra touch of whimsy and fun.

Born in London, raised in New Jersey, and currently residing in Richmond, Virginia, Kamal graduated from the Pratt Institute and worked as a graphic designer in New York before branching out and starting a company of her own. Although Kamal's paper goods now sell in 16 stores across the country, as well as online, she says she still creates each design herself and has them printed up in a nearby factory to assure quality and eco-friendliness.

Prices for Kamal paper goods range from $6.50 for mini wraps to $16 for an eight-pack of recycled chipboard coasters. Uniquely designed letterpress cards start at $4.50 (for individual cards) to $20 (for sets of six). The entire line sells online from the Kamal website or at select retailers across the country.

Making a statement about supreme perfection, Allie Pohl's Ideal Woman: Necklace tangibly expresses her concerns about the ability to create overly ideal images through modern technology.

Created using a cookie-cutter pattern, the necklace reflects Pohl's belief that women are becoming obsessed with the image of the perfect woman and in turn all look exactly the same.

Ideal Woman: Necklace is available in a variety of colors and either a short or long chain, with prices spanning $20-55. To purchase the necklace, contact Allie Pohl through her website.

Rapha Performance Roadware is proving itself equally adept in fashioning urban cycling gear as it does the most desirable racing apparel on the market. With each new collection, the company improves upon previous releases by honing details and getting ever closer to a perfect balance of on-the-bike functionality and off-the-bike wearability. Their latest collection for the city rider is one of the best to date.

The new bomber jacket ($290), which I've had the opportunity to test out in recent weeks, is an update on last year's Fixed Jacket. Featuring 3xDry Schoeller weather-resistant fabric for the body and a durable lightweight Cordura on the shoulders, it handily repelled water in a recent rainfall while keeping the cold wind from penetrating the shell. Some obvious details I've already grown to love include the forearm zippered pocket with key lanyard, a concealed breast pocket with buttonhole for the iPhone and articulated shoulders for a full range of motion when leaning over the bars. The bomber jacket manages to be roomy enough to layer while providing the slim profile one needs for riding. It also combines the technical, like bonded seams, with comfortable features, like jersey ribbed cuffs. Basically, this is a fine fall coat that doubles as practical cycling jacket—wear it either way.

Rapha added plenty more jerseys and jackets to its war chest (its latest rain jacket is a true thing of beauty), but a few accessories for the city rider have really stood out. The latest collection of gentleman's caps ($60 each), which toes the line between stylish and foppish, includes a feather cap, a polka dot cap and a waxed cap. Naturally, the waxed cap is the safer bet for gents who want to err on the side of sartorial caution—it also looks swell with the bomber jacket.

Continuing the dandy theme, Rapha introduced another handsome silk scarf by Adamley ($70), this time with a paisley pattern inspired by bicycle components. To round out the ensemble, the leather town gloves, made by the English luxury goods manufacturer Burfield, come in a matching olive green or black. The goatskin leather gloves feature marksman-like palm padding, Cocona inner lining and a single wrist strap. At $160, they don't come cheap, but then again, true quality never does.

Our favorite ode to weird music and the singular satisfaction of printed artifacts, the Journal of Popular Noise's latest issue recently launched. Produced in limited editions of hand-folded, letter-press printed copies, the semi-annual audio magazine simultaneously recalls the joys of high-end design periodicals, photocopied punk rock fanzines and the intricate liner notes and packaging of the seven-inch.

We like the new special edition so much that we decided to give three away to lucky and loyal Cool Hunting readers.

The new Journal, produced in an edition of 300, features selections from Foscil's album Residential.

According to Journal mastermind Byron Kalet, “In 2008 Foscil participated in an artist residency at the now defunct BLVD gallery in Seattle. These recordings are the end result of the experiments and performances that took place between January and June of last year.”

To enter, go to the bottom of the page, click on "Contact" and select "Journal of Popular Noise Giveaway." Tell us about your favorite experience with a music-based printed artifact—your most treasured old 'zine, the craziest seven-inch packaging you discovered at Amoeba or maybe just your favorite seamless integration of music and print. Our three favorites will receive a free copy. Submissions must be received by midnight EST, 24 November 2009.

by Julie Wolfson

After many years of Old Crow Medicine show performances and his longtime collaboration with partner Gillian Welch, it's hard to believe that A Friend of a Friend is Dave Rawlings first solo album.

Mostly developed during a series of Rawlings Machine performances with Welch and an evolving line-up of incredible musicians in Los Angeles, the four star rating in this week's Rolling Stone announces to the world, that for this solo effort, Rawlings is more than ready to front the band.

Rawlings and Welch played so many gigs at Los Angeles's Largo at the Coronet Theatre this year jamming with Benmont Tench, Jon Brion, John Paul Jones, Emmylou Harris, Sara Watkins, Sean Watkins (and so many more) that one gets the feeling that their life is a music-filled dreamland. Largo concerts are filled with appearances by new talents and legendary masters. The Largo music love-fest has inspired live albums by Mike Viola and Glen Phillips, numerous musical partnerships, and now A Friend of a Friend.

Recorded in Nashville at the celebrated RCA Studio B, Rawlings deep knowledge of authentic country music comes through in the seven songs he wrote for the album including "Ruby" with Ryan Adams. The other tracks “The Monkey and the Engineer,” a country blues by Jesse Fuller, who died in 1976, and a medley consisting of “Method Acting,” by Conor Oberst, and “Cortez the Killer,” by Neil Young round out the album. Rawlings 1935 Epiphone Olympic archtop guitar adds depth to his authentic sound. From the musicians on stage to the loyal audience, it always feels like family and friends have gotten together to enjoy a front porch hootenanny. In a world of high tech everything, Rawlings music is truly the perfect friend.

A Friend of a Friend by Dave Rawlings Machine drops today, 17 November 2009, and is available at the iTunes store.

For all of us out there who still love turning the printed page, the premier issue of Vintage Magazine, printed on various card stocks and boasting an open spine bound with red ribbon, is a joy to hold and explore.

The title Vintage hints at an era when we still read magazines, but also at a future when gorgeous magazines and art books will become rarities to treasure. Founder Ivy Baer Sherman Sherman explains, "the magazine uses the term 'vintage' in its broadest sense--focusing on the excellence of, the finest of things...aiming to do so both in content and in presentation."

Vintage Magazine was modeled on the legendary Flair Magazine (1950-51), a publication that the New York Times called "one of the most extravagant and innovative magazines ever published." Flair featured die-cut covers, fabulous foldouts and illustrations, and contributions from the likes of Salvador Dali and Tennessee Williams.

Vintage magazine aims to present similar delights, with each article presented in as thoughtful a manner as it was written. Jazz critic Gary Giddins pays homage to the lost art of the album cover, told on pages cut to resemble 45 rpm single album jackets. Randi Gollin tells the history of the Ferragamo wedge, illustrated through a die cut window. Artist Judith Oksner tells her story of a year abroad in Paris through watercolors. And Kristen Frederickson breaks down 60-year recipe cards from her grandmother. The magazine is filled with still more surprises, including, a pictorial history of haircuts staged in flip-book form, and one man's ode to his 1973 Dino Ferrari.

Subscriptions run one year for $32 and two years for $60 and are available at Vintage Magazine's website.

See more images after the jump.

Shutting its doors in 2005 for renovation, much of the interior of the infamous Plaza Hotel was broken down and put up for sale. Jewelery designer Lisa Salzer of Lulu Frost recognized this as an opportunity to marry pieces from the hotel with her own design sensibilities, resulting in one-off vintage necklaces, bracelets and brooches (click on any image for expanded view).

Her new collection, aptly called Plaza, is comprised of the hotel’s room letters and numbers she came across in a local antique shop, often accented with distressed silk ribbon and other baubles such as crystals chandelier crystals. Embracing the spirit of Eloise, the collection has been so well received that most of the original pieces have already been sold. Salzer recently cast the remaining letters and numbers, replicating them in bronze to share with the growing Lulu Frost audience.

Describing her inspiration, Salzer says, "From the time I was a little girl growing up with a grandmother in the estate jewelry business to being an art history major in college, I have always had a fascination with jewelry and the past. Being able to combine vintage jewelry with modern elements to create something totally new and fresh is a huge passion of mine, and I'm so thrilled I am able to do so on a daily basis.”

For future collections Salzer explains that Lulu Frost is "working on collections that are a bit easier for us to replicate exactly and produce more efficiently, yet still keep the vintage aesthetic alive in every piece. By doing this, we are able to reach out to the masses and grow as a company, though we of course will still always sell our one-of-a-kind and vintage staples that Lulu Frost is known for."

Fittingly, the Lulu Frost Plaza collection is available exclusively at the reopened Plaza boutique, priced at $240-$400.

Equinox Fitness Clubs takes the design of their clubs very seriously—as of course we think they should. We sat down with Aaron Richter, AIA, the VP of Design, who told us a bit about what he and his team think about every day to make the clubs look good, stay fresh and wear well.

Many gyms want to have as many members as possible and hope that most of those people don't show up. Equinox Fitness Clubs takes a much different approach. They think about it as your "home away from home." They understand that you can't force yourself to go the gym; you have to want to go there, to exercise there, to eat there, to spa there and to shop there.

That's what Aaron and his team think about all day long. Is this the right location? The right space? How do you feel when you walk by or walk in? Is the layout intuitive? Most importantly they are thinking about what it's like for people to use the clubs, and what it's like for the people who work there to support and maintain them. Most companies probably wouldn't invite the maintenance staff to design meetings, but Equinox understands it's not just about how things look—it's about how they perform and how they wear over time.

There are two initiatives Aaron and his team are working on that we think are particularly exciting. The first is thinking about the role digital technology plays in the physical space. The second is thinking green (including air dryers, waterless toilets and sustainable building materials), looking at ways to reduce water and energy consumption, or even ways to create energy from the the many treadmills, bikes and jumping that goes on every day.

What better way to experience Equinox's great design than with a no cost, no obligation three day pass.

A lesson on 100 of the most adept contemporary chefs from around the world and the food they prepare, Phaidon's new book "Coco:10 World Leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs" assembles an in-depth list of who's who, affirmed by 10 renowned culinary luminaries such as Alain Ducasse, Ferran Adrià, Gordon Ramsay and Mario Batali.

Beginning with chef Hugh Acheson of Five & Ten in Athens, Georgia and ending with Eric Ziebold of CityZen in Washington D.C., the alphabetically organized, comprehensive survey includes talents from Oman to Norway, spanning a broad range of styles and specialties.

Pictures of the chefs sourcing ingredients at local markets, at work in the kitchen and the resulting dishes they've envisioned, pack the book clearly illustrating their labor-intensive commitment and its beautiful outcome. (Jakob Mielcke and the team at Mielcke & Hurtigkarl pictured above.)

Each four-page spread devoted to each chef includes detailed recipes, offering insight to the complexities of their signature dishes and allowing budding chefs to have their hand at recreating the enticing menus. Chef Pascal Barbot (pictured above right) offers up his instructions for a nage (aromatic bouillon) of Norwegian lobsters, while Kevin Davis (above left) provides his formula for caviar pie (pictured below).

Without overshadowing the sheer aptitude of the contemporary chefs, the leading masters recount their first-hand experiences cooking with each one and extend their reasoning for selecting the culinary artists for the book.

Over 430 pages long and full of fruitful information, Coco makes an ideal book for any chef or person who enjoys the fine art of cooking. The book is out now and available from Phaidon or Amazon.