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Going East

Monocle knows their way around the continent a lot better than we do, when they start listing shops, we start taking notes.

The latest piece on their 20 favorite retailers (via PSFK) held more surprises than most. The stateside entries are reduced to New York’s Odin, L.A.’s James Perse, and San Francisco’s Bi Rite, but the best finds are from a bit farther out.

Osaka usually misses out on the West’s Japanophilia, so it’s good to know about Truck Furniture. But most of all, we’re happy Beirut’s Johnny Farah is getting some love. Farah used to consult with Donna Karan, and his handbags still find their way into boutiques around the world, but his flagship shop is in Lebanon, where the artisinal cobbling tradition never went away, and you can get a pair of hand-crafted shoes unlike anything you’ll find in London or Milan.

1) Demasié in Barcelona for beautifully packaged confectionery and great interiors.
2) Roden Gray in Vancouver for its rough interiors but very gentle staff.
3) Folk and Oliver Spencer in London for Made in Britain menswear and good service.
4) JR Leder in Berlin for bespoke men’s leather bags made at the back of the shop.
5) Monmouth Coffee Company in London for loving what they do and knowing their beans.
6) Rough Trade East in London for its handwritten recommondations and outstanding vinyl and CD selection.
7) Truck Furniture in Osaka for when you want to re-engineer your life.
Ciclic in Barcelona for its recent renovation and overhaul of art titles, international DVDs and hard-to-source magazines.
9) Eslite in Taipei for every form of printed matter available 24 hours a day.
10) Isetan food hall in Tokyo for the breadth of choice, sensory overload and uniforms.
11) Odin in New York for its ever-surprising and eclectic mix of menswear for any season.
12) Frédéric Malle in Paris for its limited-edition perfumes and focused vision.
13) James Perse’s Beverly Hills branch for its activewear range, laid back but attentive staff and indoor/outdoor interior.
14) Svenskt Tenn in Stockholm because the older we get the better we look in Josef Frank.
15) Hakusan in Tokyo for its perfectly designed ceramics and bijou, museum-like setting.
16) Johnny Farah in Beirut for comfortable house shoes and a handcrafted ethic.
17) Bi Rite in San Francisco. The type of business you’d be proud of if you had the idea to do a neighbourhood grocery store.
18) Pierre Hardy in Paris because their desert boots are best.
19) Lisn in Kyoto and Tokyo’s Aoyama for the best incense, smart staff and packaging.
20) Aspesi’s Milan emporium for its airy rooms, cheeky merchandising and consistency.

List courtesy of PSFK

—R.B.

Loose Threads: Transport Edition

We see a lot of bikes on our daily RSS trawl, and as strange as they get, they all get at least one thing right: function comes first. It’s not a car, and it’s not a tie. Let’s not overthink it.

For instance, by covering it with fake fur.

—R.B.

Off to the Races

It’s no secret that the blogosphere runs mostly on caffeine—much like the banks, the government, and the bulk of the western world. In fact, we’re inclined to chalk most of the achievements of human civilization up to the arabica bean. How else would we get anything done?

But like most fun things, we assumed it was bad for us. Not so, apparently.

The New York Times just informed us of an interesting and growing trend among runners. Many find downing a cup of joe before setting off for their morning jog can put a few extra miles in their tank or shave a couple minutes off their time. Muscular chemistry and the magical powers of caffeine combine to make bodies run a little faster, minds work a little better, and the previous night’s headache thump a little less persistently. That’s right: this stuff might actually be good for you.

To be honest, health concerns were the only thing holding us off from truly Balzatian levels of caffeine intake. Now? Sky’s the limit.

—R.B.

Gone Skankin?

For a few years in the 60s, the plaid blazer was the height of country club sartorial adventurousness. But for the past 30 years, it’s been worn with a decidedly different intent.

These days you’re most likely to see it in a record store, accompanied by a Mohawk and a full set of piercings. The off-color patch makes it clear Junya Watanabe is on the latter side of the equation with this Commes des Garcons item. But maybe he should have checked with Vivienne Westwood before he took this one on. He seems to have missed the point.

The appeal of the loud plaid blazer doesn’t just come from the fact that it looks like something Curtis LeMay wore on weekends. It also looks like something you picked up at a vintage store for $5, which might make its boutique appeal somewhat limited…

—R.B.

Agyness, Austin and Art

Cherchez Le Femme: Agyness Deyn has traded Albert Hammond for (we assume) a less technically proficient guitarist. [The Cut]

Heading South: Michael Williams tours Austin’s finest boutiques…one Olch at a time.[A Continuous Lean]

Crazy Time: Gawker looks at Dubai and decides to get crazy artsy. We’re not sure either. [Gawker]

Greatest of all Time: Deb counts down the 100 blogs most likely to improve your life. Somehow, Failblog does not make the list. [AskDeb]

—R.B.

Just in Case

Laptop sleeves usually stick to neoprene and the occasional hard-plastic shell, so when someone takes a few steps in the briefcase direction, we take notice.

This particular model comes from the Aussie firm Toffee Cases, which took the simple but critical steps of giving the average 13-inch case a textured leather exterior and—most importantly—a handle.

It’s all in the details…

—R.B.

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