make yourself happy

this year, my only resolution is to take responsibility for my own happiness. eek.

may 2010 be a colourful year-


...admiring it


...eating it


...wearing it


...and feeling it.



let's make something good.

x

sartorialism

lord knows why, but i've been fossicking around in men's fashion these last couple of days. it's pure aesthetic indulgence - i don't even have to consider what it might look like on me so i'm free to just appreciate.


i've been enjoying the cut of selectism's jib. it bills itself as a 'daily men's fashion, footwear, lifestyle and design culture magazine'. i would call it 'pretty things for boys'. i am especially enamoured of the damir doma hightops...


put this on is brilliant, too.


a "web series about dressing like a grown up", they aim to help equip men with the knowledge they need to avoid dressing like a manchild for all eternity.


in a friendly, straight-talking, no-a-pink-shirt-won't-turn-you-gay manner, they dispense wisdom on how to choose cashmere, why you need a belt that's not made of webbing, how to go shopping without once setting foot in a sports store, and where to get a custom-made bow tie.


(okay, they also make an occasional worrying foray into mancapes, but whatever, each to their own...)

in a quasi-related sidenote, i really want this florian rope necklace from oki-ni:


...santa?

anOther magazine's new 'loves' blog is also a honeypot of covetability...

and that is quite enough of that.

fix up, look sharp

i stumbled into an amazing photography exhibition at londonewcastle project space at lunchtime.

called 'gentlemen of bacongo' (and accompanied by a book of the same name), daniele tamagni documents in glorious technicolour the 'sapeurs' - men of the congo who, though they live in slums, revel in wearing handmade designer suits. new york times magazine explains:

The culture of La SAPE, La Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes, began when the country was ruled by the French and the local men began to adopt a little European flair. The sapeurs, as they are known, spiff themselves up with colorful tailored suits, fedoras and the occasional cigar — it’s more English aristo than Iceberg Slim pimp daddy.

it's the details i love best - the bright streak of a fuschia pocket square against a black breast pocket, the trilby, the impossibly expensive leather belt, the cummerbund, the glossy pipe, the single glove...


oh, and the best. sunglasses. ever.


the way these dandies strut and pose in their finery is incredible. it makes the dusty streets look like wonkavision.

if you're in the neighbourhood, go see - it's only on for a couple more days.

wow

this has to be one of the sweetest labours of love i've ever seen. when this talented illustrator realised he wanted to spend the rest of his life with his best girl, he painstakingly crafted this question-popping work of art.


good work, mister.


also, apologies for the nuptial flavour this week. i find it as weird as you do.

in six weeks' time

for elena and nic, and for kate and david, for being brave.

You are the known way leading always to the unknown,
and you are the known place to which the unknown is always
leading me back.

from wendell berry's 'the country of marriage'.

coveting

the empire of wonder that is it's nice that just keeps growing with the launch of a brand new zine 'if drawings were photographs'.


from the website:

The brainchild of designer Rob Matthews and Illustrator Tom Edwards, put simply – “Tom gave drawings to Rob and Rob tried to make them into photographs.”

keep an eye on goings-on over at it's nice that towards the end of december, when sanky will be rummaging about in his bag of tricks for a special series of guest posts. yay!

while on the subject of pretty things, present and correct is brimful with goodies making my credit card itch.

this has my name all over it:


maybe i'd be better at remembering what day it is if i had this calendar...


and anyone who watched last night's installment of david attenborough's 'Life' series will have a whole new appreciation for this no-nonsense educational poster:

home (?)

checking flight prices this morning for my upcoming trip back to my hometown, perth, i checked my rss feeds and saw that facehunter has just been through.






that scorched blue sky and bleached, scrubby landscape makes my heart ache with longing.

the sight of amplifier bar, rosie o'grady's (where i once had my drink spiked), and 'beware snakes' signs do not.

it gets less and less like home every time i go back but somehow that strange outpost with its back to the desert will always be in my marrow.