back to purity, back to simplicity

Dieter Rams will never cease to inspire me. His influence can clearly be felt decades after he created some of the most most beautiful and interesting industrial design for Braun and Vitsœ, most notably in the work of Jonathan Ive at Apple. Dieter Rams' Ten Principles for Good Design was written when he was concerned about the state of the world around him, which had become "an impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noises." This fear, and these ideas, are so pertinent today.

1. Good design is innovative

2. Good design makes a product useful

3. Good design is aesthetic

4. Good design makes a product understandable

5. Good design is unobtrusive

6. Good design is honest

7. Good design is long-lasting

8. Good design is thorough, down to the last detail

9. Good design is environmentally-friendly

10. Good design is as little design as possible

for more on these ten principles go here

images clockwise from top left: Braun radio 1961, Dieter Rams, Vitsœ Shelving System 1960, Braun radio/phono combo 1959, Braun speaker 1958

on & ever onward

This time last year I stood third row from the stage as Dirty Projectors played in a small rec center in Echo Park. Last Thursday I saw them play to a crowded house at the Wiltern Theater. If you aren't going to see Dirty Projectors on their current tour you have no idea what you're missing. David Longstreth is like the David Byrne of our generation, such a musical innovator, and the sounds Amber, Angel and Haley create with their voices is just unbelievable. They are by far my favorite contemporary band.

Alas, Björk did not make an appearance to perform the songs from Mount Wittenberg Orca, so I'll have to settle for these videos for now.

loving: scotch & soda

I'm more than a little in love with Dutch clothing line Scotch & Soda. Simple designs and quality constructions that they best describe as a blend of vintage and varsity. I'm totally into the sophisticated tomboy look right now and want to give myself a complete preppie makeover.

Plus, their video lookbooks are so gorgeous I want to live in them.

on my nightstand...

The Selby is one of my favorite blogs eveerrrrrr. Love love love interiors. I can't wait for the day when I settle down in one place and can really transform a space to make it completely mine. In the meantime, I'll just have to flip through the pages of The Selby Is In Your Place and lust after the incredible living spaces of Erin Wasson, Lou Doillon and Karl Lagerfeld, just to name a few.

(special thanks to my fantastic brother and his lovely wife for this perfect birthday gift)

teenagers in love

Now I wanna do an underwater photoshoot. *sigh* But instead I'm working on the computer all.day.long. Teenagers In Love lookbook shot by Travis Deuel

art crush: lizzy janssen

What better way to start the week than with kittens, horses and crystals. Surefire path to my heart. Totally loving the drawings, collages and tee shirt designs of Lizzy Janssen.

via my love for you is a stampede of horses

um, I was wondering...

via friends of type

Here's hoping this weekend brings us what's left of our dwindling summer.

from the desk of...

What happened to the good old days when people actually wrote letters to each other? And had impossibly stylish stationery to write those letters on? I've had enough of this texting and Facebook, this archive of interesting letterhead designs at Letterheady makes me want to design myself some fancy personal letterhead. Here are my favorites.

from top to bottom: Art Kane, date unknown; Muhammad Ali, 1975; Marlene Dietrich, date unknown; Michael Cooper, 1967

bizarre love triangle

I've found myself in the middle of a love triangle of sorts: I've completely fallen for these two bicycle panniers...how is a girl supposed to choose?!

The Linus Market Bag has all the practical requirements. It's large enough to hold all my stuff, it rolls up when not in use, and it easily comes off the bike so it can do double-duty as my everyday tote bag. The Swiss Army panniers, on the other hand, just look soooo good, and they have so much character (I'm a sucker for anything vintage).

So...what's your vote?

art crush: tom hines

Tom Hines has shot some of my favorite campaigns for collections from Lorick and Rebecca Turbow. His photos make me swoon. The framing, perspective, the muted color palettes, the gorgeous boys and girls styled in impeccable vintage looks...*sigh*

comic sans has it's day

It's no secret that Comic Sans is strongly detested within the design community. It has even spawned a grassroots movement calling for it's abolition.

Well, now the font everyone loves to hate is finally getting it's retribution, thanks to Mike Lacher's short imagined monologue over at McSweeney's. An excerpt follows, but for a good laugh head over and read the full version here.

"People love me. Why? Because I'm fun. I'm the life of the party. I bring levity to any situation. Need to soften the blow of a harsh message about restroom etiquette? SLAM. There I am. Need to spice up the directions to your graduation party? WHAM. There again. Need to convey your fun-loving, approachable nature on your business' website? SMACK. Like daffodils in motherfucking spring.

When people need to kick back, have fun, and party, I will be there, unlike your pathetic fonts. While Gotham is at the science fair, I'm banging the prom queen behind the woodshop. While Avenir is practicing the clarinet, I'm shredding "Reign In Blood" on my double-necked Stratocaster. While Univers is refilling his allergy prescriptions, I'm racing my tricked-out, nitrous-laden Honda Civic against Tokyo gangsters who'll kill me if I don't cross the finish line first. I am a sans serif Superman and my only kryptonite is pretentious buzzkills like you."

(shirt pictured above available from Veer)

my love is strong, and my heart is weak...

My roommate and dear friend Jennifer June gave me a copy of Delta Spirit's History From Below on vinyl. She was so certain I was going to love it, she said it's the kind of album that can bring you to tears, and she was right. I've been listening to it over and over again, wanting to hold onto that feeling of perfect melancholy. This live version of "Bushwick Blues" is almost too much...

because each day should be full of them...

This flag will soon be the newest accessory on my bike, to remind myself that every day should be full of tiny adventures. If you want yours, hurry. This is a limited edition run of 100 by artist Nigel Peake and sold through Tiny Showcase. Each flag is handprinted in Rhode Island and a portion of the proceeds go to benefit Kopernik, a non-profit that brings progressive technologies to people in developing countries.

via my love for you is a stampede of horses

four-eyes

When I first read about Warby Parker I thought it was too good to be true. I've been wanting a new pair of eyeglasses for so long, but just couldn't bring myself to shell out $500 for the pair of Oliver Peoples I had been lusting after. Warby Parker to the rescue! Now I can get stylish, affordable glasses and help out someone in need. Thanks to their innovative business model that eliminates the overhead of a brick and mortar retailer, Warby Parker offers quality frames and lenses in boutique styles for a mere $95. Plus, through their partnership with non-profit Restoring Vision, for every pair of glasses sold, Warby Parker donates a pair to someone in need.

me wearing my new Warby Parker Miles frames in Amber

arctic adventures

For three weeks in July and August, Warren was up in Alaska shooting. Of course I was insanely jealous because I have had an unrequited love for Alaska for years, which was mostly sparked by seeing the incredible photographs taken by Cory Arnold. Warren decided that I should come up for a long weekend when he had some time off, so I did. The trip was very bittersweet because my time was limited. It was like a taste test of Alaska, and I will definitely be heading back for a longer adventure in the future. 

clockwise from top left: exploring Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park, conquering my fear of heights while hiking outside of Anchorage, my man, elk at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Exit Glacier, Warren and me reminiscing about the night we met, Seychelles Gallium (my "hiking boots"), hiking with friends outside Anchorage