What do I know

So I was talking with my father this evening, a man who spent a couple of decades as a creative director (and therefore has a special place in his heart for Don Draper) and he thinks the Utterly Repellent M&S campaign is brilliant. "I'd be very pleased if I came up with that," said he. He's of the opinion that, known for their less than beautiful suits, Marks and Spencer are having an hilarious joke with themselves and us. I suppose they are.

REPEL ME!!!!!!!

Best breakfast in Dublin

It's a lovely colour too. (via Cafe.ie)

We had meetings in town the other morning so breakfasted at what we've now decided is the purveyor of Dublin's most delicious breakfast: Gibson's on Wicklow Street. I had toasted brioche with maple syrup, caramelised banana and the most incredibly lovely thing I've tasted in a long time - cinnamon cream. Sam had blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, also reportedly delicious. I'm not a food writer and I'm not going to try to be, but I will say that if this is the kind of breakfast you're looking for, Gibson's has the best of this kind (that I've tried) in Dublin. It's also pretty reasonable, €6 or so for each giant portion. Neither of us tried the coffee, something I now regret after reading this relatively appreciative article. I'll just have to go back.

If I had foresight I'd have taken this photo before we ate...

Tommy Hilfiger : Indie Prep

At New York Fashion Week Tommy Hilfiger unvieled a new Autumn menswear collection "Indie Prep". It seems that he has tried to infuse his classic preppy style with the attitude of indie music.  The collection's foundation is a selection of smart separates. The overall silhouette has been narrowed and the tailoring is leaner. The focal point is outerwear motorcycle jackets, toggle coats, bomber jackets and macs. Trousers include  cargo, slim-fit, slouched or tracksuit pants. No skinny? Detailing is military with regimental stripes, armbands and lapel pins playing against, colored sweaters, pinstripes, flannel suits, and oversized waffle stitch cardigans. The colour pallete has a lot of air-force blue and burgundy which is offset with pops of colour and greys. The looks are topped off with hats, sun glasses, loafers, boat shoes and fabric ties.

The result however is not authentic. As far as the "Indie" in "Indie Prep" is concerned the collection doesn't deliver. When we think of Indie we think of boys in bands, we think leather jackets, skinny jeans, scruffy hair, a somewhat disheveled look. We think of the skinny silhouette of designers like Hedi Slimane. Looking at the images from this collection we see the preppy look of Tommy Hilfiger made "indie" by some sunglasses, models with long hair and some hats. There is a lack of commitment to what sounds a great idea on paper. The "Prep" part is right, how could it not be it's Tommy Hilfiger. However the "Indie" appears only as an after thought. Which is a pity as there are two bands in particular who are making this look work. The Drums, New York's latest band to be hyped to sky scraper levels mix varsity jackets, college sweaters, Wayfairer Raybans and Converse to great effect, perfectly mixing the edgy and scruffy elements of Indie with Preppy neatness and colour. Vampire Weekend also pull off the same trick, maybe in a more understated way. If Hilfiger wants this to be the new "Indie Uniform" he needs to look to bands like these and kids on the street for the authenticity this collection is lacking.

Indie Prep by Tommy Hilfiger

Indie Prep by Tommy Hilfige

The Drums

Vampire Weekend

Utterly repellent menswear?

Marks and Spencer seem to have gone insane. They've just launched the first ad campaign for their menswear range, where they are highlighting the 'utterly repellent' qualities of their suits. Ahem. How, HOW can the ranks of PR, marketing, and advertising people, as well as (presumably) some of the upper echelons of the management have okayed this incredible gaffe? So the clothes are waterproof, but surely there's a way of saying this without also saying they're completely repulsive. Or perhaps it's a giant joke, along the lines of Joaquin's faked meltdown. Perhaps.

Here are some posters I saw today in their Grafton Street store.

Okay, so he's a footballer, but he's not that bad...

 

Just to reiterate.

Lovely Penguin covers

Does Coralie Bickford-Smith have one of the nicest jobs around? She's a 'senior cover designer' at Penguin, a publishing house with a knack for producing covers so good they've become modern icons. Her cover designs for their recently released series of F. Scott Fitzgerald books seem to perfectly interpret the early twentieth century aesthetic and lifestyle that Fitzgerald's writing is famous for. I have copies of most of these books but I now want to own them in these editions. There is something lovely about reading your favourite books beautifully bound. I suppose that makes a great cover design - something that captures the imagination of the reader and will encourage them to buy the book again, just to have it in that form.

More great cover design here and here.

David Pearson's cover design for Penguin's Great Minds series. (via cosstores.com)

Rocco's Weird Stuff: Taxidermied bird diorama

This curio hangs on the wall of Rocco's studio. Initially he was painting the portrait of one of the birds, but now I believe he regards them as companions, curiously characterful as they are. For those interested in other unusual applications of taxidermied creatures see this at once hideous and hilarious guinea pig hair comb by Reid Peppard - see more of Reid's fascinating work here.

A tune for a beautiful Friday

For some reason Dire Straits are still in the vaguely naff/questionable bracket when it comes to the eighties music revival that's been influencing new bands and upping the sales of vintage vinyl. Maybe it's because of the mullets, maybe it's that they were the first band to have a song shown on the now deeply uncool MTV Europe, maybe it's the prevalence of those dads who still want to be cool who love them. But whatever; I care not: I am declaring my undying love for Dire Straits. The following is a complete tune from beginning to end, the end especially - oh! the piano - and, a gem of ridiculous eighties music video making.

Five Album Covers I Like

I was recently talking to a friend about album covers that we liked and why we liked them. It made me think of cover art and how peoples taste in it differs, even if they have similar tastes in music. Here are just five album covers I particularly like.

The R.A.G.E Record Store.

We recently discovered this excellent little record store on Fade St. (it's funny how I can't take the name of that street seriously anymore thanks to that awful RTE show). It is everything you expect a second hand record store to be; well stocked with quality old vinyl all in good condition. For those with a taste for vintage video games they have old consoles and games for sale (SNES, N64, Segas etc). Everything is also reasonable, the kind of price one pays in Berlin or London. I picked up Let's Dance by David Bowie and Born To Run by Bruce Springteen for under a tenner each. Not something I'm used to doing in Dublin, where on the rare occasion I have found old records I have been expected to pay through the nose for them. This place is just what the city needs. So if you're a fan of vinyl or old computer games or thinking starting a colection of either, get to the street forever tainted by the fools at RTE and check out this shop. Here are some pictures Alex took.

St. Patrick's Day Pis!!

St. Patrick's Day Pis.

As promised here is an image of the Manneken Pis as he was dressed yesterday. For St. Patrick's day the people of Brussels deigned to dress him in the uniform of the Brotherhood of the 5th Infantry Brigade of Merkem 'Chasseurs d'Irlande'. How dashing he looks!!

A homage to Manneken Pis

It being St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, I went a-looking for photos of the diminutive Manneken Pis dressed in his tweed finery (see Sam's post here). Sadly, none has been posted yet, so I decided I would share some of the costumes the little Pis has worn throughout the years...

Here he is apparently peeing beer, dressed as St. Cristopher.

Via http://whereintheworldis-jess.blogspot.com

I can only assume this is Elvis Pis.

Via http://rinogold.wordpress.com/

Some form of historic Belgian dignitary Pis

Via http://squidoo.com/quiz-beauties-of-brussels-my-home-town

Emmmmm...

Via http://whooknoo.com

Nautical Pis

Via http://cafepress.com

 Ninja Pis?

Via http://.hockeygoddesses.com

Scuba Pis

Via http://amazingdata.com

Too funny. Apparently he has his own song, a female counterpart named Jeannenken Pis and a canine friend called Zinneken who can be found peeing against a bollard somewhere in the city. Zinneken even has a parade held in his honour every couple of years. For a truly comprehensive guide to the outfits the good city of Brussels has chosen to decorate Manneken Pis with see here.

Anyone got a photo of the Pis in his tweeds?

Pepperpots and tea pots

 

There's a lovely cafe on the landing of the first floor of the Powerscourt Townhouse called the Pepperpot that we've been frequenting lately. Everything is home-made to the most delicious degree and tea is served in mis-matched floral cups and saucers and brightly coloured pots. Tables are decorated with jolly oil-skin tablecloths. Staff are charming and service is swift. Things we love are the maple roasted organic parsnip, goats cheese and pecan tart, panfried goat's cheese with gubeen chorizo and vine tomatoes, and all day porridge with roasted pear. Go try!

Open Monday to Friday	10	to	6 and Saturday 9 to 6

http://thepepperpot.ie/

http://facebook.com/pages/The-PepperPot/116296345071765

Five Lyrics That Caught My Ear This Week.

I listen to a lot of music, especially while I commute. I am a particular fan of lyrics and a stickler for them. If they're bad it can really ruin a song, likewise if they're good, they're often what raises it to a level of greatness. So here are five lyrics that caught my ear this week, whether it was from radio, TV, vinyl, CD (yup I still use them) or MP3. I have no criteria except that they stand out: maybe they made me think, or reflect, conjured images or even made me laugh. Lyrics with wry humour are sometimes the very best. So here you go, if you like the lyrics hear them at their best - set to the melody.

"His bird says it's amazing, so all that's left,

Is the proof that love's not only blind but deaf."  

Fake Tales Of San Francisco by Arctic Monkeys

"In newsprint boats I raced the sewer-mane."

 Oh My Sweet Carolina by Ryan Adams

  

"When you can fall for chains of silver, you can fall for chains of gold.

You can fall for pretty strangers, and the promises they hold.

You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin.

Now you just say 'Oh Romeo yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him.'"

Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits

"If I was a woman, as I am a man, my bedfellow you would have been."

Willie O' Winsbury Traditional, performed by Sweeney's Men

 

"And I say 'Oh come on now, you know about my debutant!',

And she says 'Your debutant just knows what you need, but I know what you want.'"

Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again by Bob Dylan

Rocco's Weird Stuff: The One Of The First Ever Bootleg Records.

So I was looking through Rocco's record collection for something to listen to. As I flicked I came across a white sleeve with a stamped title on it, that read GWW Talkin' Bear Mountain Massacre Picnic Blues. Rocco had mentioned this record to me before and as a Bob Dylan fanatic I knew what this was, a legendary early bootleg. In fact one of a run of the first bootleg records ever made. "Dub" Taylor and Ken Douglas were quality-conscious perfectionists who pressed all their albums on coloured, virgin vinyl. They infamously released a series of Bob Dylan bootlegs in the 1960's called Great White Wonder, these bootlegs were made up of songs which Dylan had recorded at his label but had never released. The songs on these records are only surfacing now on Columbia's Bootleg Series. The fifth of this GWW series was the one I found. This one is printed on green virgin vinyl with the simple stamp in ink on the cover. It's got some great songs on it and as a piece of musical history it's a pretty special thing. I don't know how much it's worth, I went trawling and the nearest I found was a later release worth 200 US dollars. Here are some pictures.

24 hours in Vienna

  

 

A sense of scale

Containers thrown around by the tsunami in Japan. Photo from the Guardian's blow by blow coverage.

Person beside your average container:

Man and container. Image Bank

Terrifying.