New Balance has just come up with the latest Luxe Version of their 247 silhouette sneakers. Labeled as a “lifestyle” sneaker, the 247 Luxe is constructed with full grain leather. Inside is a stretch synthetic nubuck sock construction taking the comfort level to new heights, and its available in three color option: orange, black and white. They also offer you perforated toe vamps to maintain ventilation to the feet. Fitting into both formal and casual settings, these shoes are great news indeed.
As the season of merry making and mirth continues, this holiday gifting guide will keep you in the good books of your near and dear ones, as we suggest some novelties, off the beaten track, catering not to ‘him’ and ‘her’, but to the personalities that we espouse. So, it could be a friend who is a corporate jetsetter but a gadget lover at heart, or a home maker who loves to read, or a traveller friend who wants to keep up with style, we have all fronts covered with the selection of fine giftables.
We will start with the TASCHEN’s SUMO-sized David Hockney monograph, A Bigger Book, which is as spectacular in format as it is in scope and the perfect present for the book lovers and curio collectors. Comprising of a repertoire of the artits’works over 60 years, it includes a range of his works, from drawings, photo-composites, multi-perspective collages, stage designs, multi-camera video works, to iPad drawings, and text based on the artist’s own writings and other reviews. The book is a masterpiece as it unfurls across each colourful page, charting the artist’s astounding growth story from his teenage days at the Bradford School of Art, through his breakthrough in 1960s Swinging London, life by Los Angeles pools in the 1970s, up to his recent extensive series of portraits, iPad drawings, and Yorkshire landscapes. The limited collector’s edition comprises 9,000 signed copies, each with a Marc Newson bookstand, while the four Art Editions, each limited to 250 signed copies, are accompanied by an iPad drawing and a Marc Newson bookstand. Price – US$ 2,500, available from taschen.com
For those who love to play, and not just in the boardroom, here’s a gift which is sure to win their mind and then the heart. Inspired by the American visual artist, Man Ray’s, abiding friendship with avid chess player and fellow artist, Marcel Duchamp, is this specially designed chess set, a re-edition of the 1920s Wooden Chess Set, which is a singular piece of beauty and design, with abstract geometric chess pieces designed by Man Ray himself and the matching board later created by a specialty game manufacturer. The pieces are made of beechwood and carefully finished by hand, while the board, also in beech, is carefully crafted and finished to match the pieces. Price – $590, available from dwr.com
And for the adventurer at heart is the Ticino 8D in Racing Green is packed with bike brand Electra’s superb design details, like the vintage, hammered-finish alloy fenders, classically-styled alloy crankset, touring pedals and a brilliant chrome-plated stem. With unique reverse-hinged bar-end levers operating retro-style brakes, it has cantilevers on the men’s and center-pulls on the ladies’ bike. A bike lovers’ dream, this looks every bit fashionable on the road and in your backyard. Price – $930, available from electrabike.com
As wearable tech becomes all the rage, we have the Michael Kors Access smartwatches making Android Wear totally glam. While Bradshaw is the more feminine model which comes with eight different bezel designs and straps to choose from, there’s also the additional options of switching between thousands of watch faces, access applications and more. A truly good looking accessory for the wrist, this wearable watch is a multitasking beauty. Price – $395, available from michaelkors.com
You heard that right: Aston Martin’s brand new waterfront residences in Miami will sell at the steep price of $2,865 a square foot for even the smallest units. Since this is the first such luxe real estate step by the super car maker, the buzz and glam around the residences is obvious. Units will range in size from 698 square feet to 18,811 square feet (this latter floor space will belong to the building’s penthouses) and while prices for conventional units range from $2 million to $8.5 million, the penthouses could cost as much as $50 million. But construction is yet to begin on the residences, and they are expected to be ready only by 2021. The asking price for these condos is supposedly around double the list price of the most expensive condos in Miami. But we’d still advise you to go in fast before the others, for we’re talking Aston Martin after all!
Among the most far-fetched combinations possible, the skateboard guitar sounds the most bizarre. But here it is, a different kind of music for those that like to gel multiple loves. Self-taught woodworker and industrial design student Nick Pourfard has created Prisma Skateboard Guitars as a perfect medium for expressing that combination of his interests. Each Prisma guitar has been built from old used, broken, and destroyed skateboard decks and all the work is done inhouse in their San Francisco workshop. The recycled boards provide a unique look to each instrument but you can go even further in the uniqueness by getting a custom ordered guitar made of your own old skateboard decks! Now is that cool or what? Each guitar is made to heirloom standards so it will stand up to even professional expectations for its sound. MONO Creators provides a TSA approved gig bag for each of these beautiful handmade instruments. For the price of $4,000 a completely unique gadget becomes all your own. We absolutely love this one !
The MINI John Cooper Works Clubman is here finally, an answer to your premium compact desires. Offering an all-wheel drive system and enhanced features such as LED headlamps, MINI driving modes, park distance control, comfort access, radio MINI visual boost, multifunction buttons on the steering wheel and cruise control with brake functions, the MINI has taken every care to stuff your Christmas stocking well. Further, it combines the current 2.0-litre petrol tank with a 4-cylinder engine that is twinned with the MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology. Along with a sprint time of 6.3 seconds and innovative shooting brake concept— for the first time in the compact segment— the MINI also sports a “sporty yet chic” look in a Metallic black and Chilli red avatar. Talk about substance with style! With the John Cooper Works logo emblazoned on the radiator grille, side scuttles and the rear, you’ve got a complete package here. It holds five full-fledged seats on the inside, each done in dinamica/fabric and carbon black, with integrated headrests. The steering wheel comes in the signature John Cooper Works leather, with the pedals and driver footrest done up in stainless steel. And its all yours for $30,000. Now that’s one helluva set of wheels!
If you’ve paraded around as a Disney princess in childhood, Jimmy Choo’s here to turn your fantasy into reality. Sparkly ‘glass’ slippers straight from the Cinderella story, designed by creative director Sandra Choi are the perfect way to pamper yourself and the perfect gift for the fairytale woman in your life. “Cinderella is the most famous fairytale with a shoe at its soul. It ignites a love affair and fascination with footwear in childhood that never fades,” says Sandra Choi, who designed the slippers for Disney’s 2015 remake of Cinderella, which are now being offered to customers on a made-to-order basis. The pumps are covered with 7,000 Swarovski crystals, the Cinderella pumps are a quite the breath-taking thing, along with their £3,000 price tag. “It harks back to the innocence of childhood as well as an appreciation for beautiful, jewel-like things,” she says. And the best part, we think, is that they are available in three heel heights, allowing every princess her comfort level. Sandra’s playing the perfect Fairy Godmother, we say!
So you’ve finally got a backpack not just for camping trips but seim-camping ones as well. Helixot has made a backpack so extreme it can keep up with the most daring of cross-country trekkers. The XO 6.2 Backpack is completely waterproof and totally submersible for wherever the trail might go. And just in case some accident were to ever penetrate the special coated fabric, the Helixot XO 6.2 also has a watertight PVC compartment for holding electronics and other important items completely dry. It has a rigid back built right in but is neoprene padded to make it as comfortable as possible for your back. This backpack with an ergonomic design and extraordinary features is all your for $110.
Latest from the stables of the prominent Indian designer is ‘Indian’ a deliciously contemporary and festive collection that coincides with the launch of Arora’s second store in Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda area. Directed at the wild and free spirit of the modern Indian woman the collection takes inspiration from the vibrant, kaleidoscopic traditions of as diverse regions as Russia and Turkey. Combining Banjara Mirror work from Rajasthan with Pointillism, a painting technique that uses colourful dots, and drawing in the elements of Russian imperial art crowns and palace interiors from Istanbul, the collection is a veritable feast of arts and colours, a delight for the senses. To take it up a notch, Arora has added glow-in-the-dark elements to the dresses. The entire collection comprises 35 outfits and is just perfect for the festive season!
Love winter and winter sports but your feet hate the thought? Fear not, Swiss brand +t has just made the cold season a lot better for the cold-soles. Possibly the thinnest warming insoles on the market, the +Winter Heated Insoles are also waterproof and only 2mm thick at the toe and 6mm at the heel. The light insoles charge wirelessly (one at a time) via an included charging pad. Simply slot them inside your ski or snowboard boots, cycling shoes, ice skating boots or any type of semi-rigid shoes and turn them on. Temperature is set via Bluetooth using an application on your smartphone, while the built-in battery is claimed to keep your feet warm for up to 5 hours. Oh, they also want you to know their product is “designed in Switzerland and made in Italy, not in China”! Now that’s what we call catching the fancy. The price of the Winter Insoles is about $98.
Great news for Ducati fans! The marquee has teamed up with acclaimed American publishing house Rizzoli for printing a manuscript that covers the brand’s upswing over the past 90 years of its glorious existence. Titled “Ducati 90 Years: Stile Ducati: A Visual History of Ducati Design”, this book defines the Ducati dream with its chapters written by various authors. The official release is scheduled for February 7th, 2017and the book priced at $90. So auto aficionados, rejoice, for this is when you get an immersive glimpse into the iconic brand’s origins, ideas, course and rise. Now that’s a real New Year Present!
