Roberu for Streething & Leftfoot Leather Camera Strap

Streething, in collaboration with Singapore-based sneaker boutique Leftfoot, present this year’s edition of New Balance’s annual APAC project. In addition to the sneaker release, Streething has also teamed up with Roberu Leather Goods for a limited run of camera straps. The items come handmade overseas in Yokohama and are, of course, made with superb quality leathers. Details include contrast stitching with brass rivets and buckles that can hold a sizeable DSLR camera. Limited to only 40, the camera straps will be given to those who purchase all three limited edition sneakers from the ”Past, Present and Future” collection, available at Leftfoot starting October 15.

Stainless Steel Ice Cubes

Ice is pretty simple. Pour some water into a plastic tray, throw it in the freezer, and wait. If you’re impatient, you select crushed or cubed on your fancy french door fridge and stick a cup underneath the spout. Either way, you end up with a bunch of frozen chunks of water that, awesomely, makes your drink cold and, unfortunately, dilutes it to the point that it’s as much water as it is booze. You could go the whiskey stones route, but there’s also another option – Stainless Steel Ice Cubes. Four 1″ stainless steel cubes filled with a non-toxic gel that will make your drink as shiny as it is cold and delicious. $25


Read more: Cool Material - Men's gear blog featuring the latest trends in watches, gear and gadgets. http://coolmaterial.com/

The Thursday Cocktail…..The Payphone

1 oz Organic Lemon Vodka

3/4 oz Organic Gin

.5 0z Jasmine Liquor

1 oz lemon Juice

.5 Agave Nectar

2 Lavender Sprigs

Shake And Grain

Garnish with Lavender Sprig

My Favorite Jeans Opens Store in Sunny LA...

Ask most denim retailers about Nudie and they’ll mention “introduction.” Nudie has become a household name in the denim world. Many denim geeks will mention how Nudie introduced them to the every expanding world of premium and super-premium denim. In some regard, it is a gateway denim that leads to exploration well beyond the borders of the brand.

Now, Los Angeles gets their first Nudie Jeans House, a standalone building that houses a “denim lab” that caters to a custom Nudie experience. Inside you can transform and customize your own pair of Nudie’s. Find the Nudie Jean House in West Hollywood off Melrose Avenue.

Tech Tuesday……Bose Soundlink Wireless Mobile Speaker

It’s hard to believe that there was a time when you couldn’t carry a Grammy office worth of music in your pocket with you at all times. Luckily that time is all but forgotten and we all live in the age where you can have Nine Inch Nails, Phil Collins, Skrillex, Beiber and Journey with you whenever the mood strikes. The earbuds you use to rock out in public places are great, but they’re not exactly party starters in the volume department. If you’ve got $300 and enough space in your bag for a large book, Bose has you covered with the Soundlink Wireless Mobile Speaker. The compact speaker weighs less than three pounds and clocks in at 5″ x 9.5″ x 2″. It uses Bluetooth so it’s completely wireless. Most importantly, it’s totally device agnostic. No dock connector, mini-usb, micro-whatever, Droid, iNonsense here – just crisp, wireless audio. Party on, Wayne. $300

A Prototype TAG Heuer Monaco V4 In Stainless Steel, Complete With Coolest Serial Number Ever

The Monaco V4 is a Areally important piece of TAG Heuer history. It marked the beginning of the "new" TAG Heuer - TAG Heuer the manufacture.  The concept of the V4 was introduced back in 2004, three years after the brand was acquired by LVMH and Jean-Christophe Babin was given brand control.  Behind the development of the V caliber was Jean-François Ruchonnet (of the Cabestan Winch Vertical Tourbillon) with support from Philippe Dufour - yes THAT Philippe Dufour. 

The V4 was set into production in 2009 in very limited quantities - available only in platinum and rose gold. 

But, in a recent meeting at TAG HQ in La Chaux de Fonds with Guy Semon, head of R&D, we were shown the only existing Monaco V4 produced in stainless steel. The watch belongs to Semon himself and is the original prototype of the production model.  Semon has been wearing it regularly for the past four years. This prototype also has a true prototype serial number: "No. xxx/xxx".  How bad ass is that?

The sunday Ride…Just Read its coming NOV. new BMW 3

Just signed myself up for Feit Spring 2012 Hand Sewn Reconnaissance

Some of the finest footwear we’ve seen in quite sometime, Feit’s limited edition “Hand Sewn Reconnaissance” collection for Spring 2012 features a few new models in a range of colorways. The Hand Sewn Superclean Low, High and Stitchown model combine specialized techniques such as hand-made Goodyear construction, with the heel construction of a hand sewn moccasin, and finishing in the shape and feel of a classic court sport sneaker, each style is built to completion by one master craftsman using the finest Italian leathers. Look for these to not only be available for preorder through feitdirect.com but through select retailers worldwide as well.

Parabellum Fall/Winter 2011 Collection

Union Los Angeles has taken stock of a wide range of pieces from Parabellum. Their signature bison leather goods are now available in a pumpkin finish as well as chocolate brown leather. We remember seeing last year’s black bison leather being mated with military grade ceramic detailing while this season’s goods are mated with copper.

The Thursday Cocktail…..Death’s Door White Whisky

The unaged whiskey category is alive and well, with product offerings available from heavy hitters like Buffalo Trace and artisan producers like Death’s Door.

Death’s Door White Whisky ($30) is distilled in Wisconsin and made from a blend of local wheat and malted barley. As the name implies, the spirit lacks the gold, amber or brown colors typically associated with whiskey because it’s not aged in barrels. Barrel aging gives whiskey its color and much of its flavor, often softening the spirit and rounding it out with oaky touches, like vanilla and caramel. Death’s Door, however, is rested in stainless steel vats for a few weeks to allow oxidation before bottling (technically, it does see the inside of a barrel, but just for three days to meet the legal requirements for calling a spirit “whiskey”).

The result is a whiskey that’s rich and malty and slightly vegetal – more like a pisco or tequila on the nose. Flavors range from raisins and dark fruits to malted grain notes. Whiskey drinkers will notice the creamy, whiskey-like body, but otherwise, Death’s Door White Whisky is a different thing entirely. Score some for yourself, or surprise your whiskey-hating friend (we all have a few, unfortunately) with a bottle of the crystal clear spirit.

Alden Choco Suede Plaza Boots

Alden continue to show off their skills with these suede boots. Khaki with a cap toe, slim and neat, these are an all-situation type of footwear, keep on walking straight from the office to the bar with no problems. If you’re looking for a more refined take on the Indy then these might just be your thing. Available at Leather Soul.

Tech Tuesday……For my photographers

Just because you don’t work for National Geographic doesn’t mean you can’t look like you do. Get yourself a nice travel vest with umpteen pockets, grow yourself some reasonable but not mangy facial hair and throw down a bit of cash for the Carl Zeiss Custom SLR Lens Case ($6,063). Like a giant oyster with precious goodies to reveal, this impact-resistant and waterproof case houses five of Zeiss’s optical beauties: 1) Distagon T* 2.8/21; 2) Distagon T* 2/28; 3) Distagon T* 2/35; 4) Planar T* 1.4/50; and 5) Planar T* 1.4/85, all chosen specifically to lend manual focusing strengths to those filmmakers and photographers breaking into HD (and aren’t we all). It’s also a nice shot across the starboard bow for those of you seeking out the limited-edition Nikon set. The Zeiss hard case is lined with a custom foam lining that cradles each lens like a Faberge Egg. At 6-grand, it’s not your run-of-the-mill lens kit, but if you’re not a total photo hack, it will bring visual joys immeasurable.

Billykirk Autumn/Winter 2011 Bags and Accessories

We previewed the Billykirk collection for Autumn 2011 way back. Today, we bring you some fresh looks at a few pieces as presented by Indigo & Cotton. Quality and craftsmanship is what the collection has always been about. Everyting is handmade by the brothers in their Jersey studio. Photography can only show so much. Hunt down the collection and feel it for yourself. About to order another bracelet today.

The Sunday Drive…2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe

Mercedes-Benz surely knows how to celebrate in pomp and style. And to ring in their 125th year, the C-Class Coupé is out with a young and sporty look. The two-door car will be on display at the Geneva Motor Show this year and is all set to woo people aged between 35 and 45. While the outsides glimmer with LED diffusers, the insides offer a huge range of color accents, and a sporty dashboard panels which features the control panel for the command center in silver-colored keys. You can also opt for a black piano-lacquer look, nougatine burr walnut wood, dark aluminium or brown ash burl finished interiors.

The Sunday Ride…VTM Spacester

If we had to guess what the future holds, we’d predict that there will be Roombas shoveling our driveways, electric grills that give you that charcoal taste we all crave, and this bike.  Shaped by hand around the Harley-Davidson Sportster engine, the Spacester looks like it was stolen from the set of the next Tron movie.  A product of VTM (the French custom motorcycle shop), the custom bike sports a front fork from a Yamaha YZF-R1 and a ridiculous amount of machismo.  It might be awhile till you can your hands on a bike like it but in the meantime we recommend hanging the pictures above your bed to look at while you’re  drifting off to sleep.

This is a throwback moment…..

Playboy’s Cyber Girl of the Year 2008, Jo Garcia, certainly inspires you to dust off those old gaming consoles.  Featuring old favorites like Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt, and relic-like gaming experiences like Game Boy and The Power Glove, this is about as sexy a blast from the past can get. Garcia has always been known as an avid gamer, listing her favorites as the Radiata Stories and Xenosaga trilogies. Enjoy!

Rolex’s HTE series of watches adds two more pieces to close out the collection. The 39mm and 42mm celebrate the achievements of the children of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, two famed explorers known to be the first to reach the summit of Mt. Everest back in 1953. The 39mm congratulates Sir Edmund and his son Peter as the first father and son duo to reach the summit while the 42mm sheds light on Peter and Jamling Tenzing Norgay summiting Everest. Select HTE buyers will also get a once in a lifetime opportunity to join Peter Hillary and Jamling Tenzing Norgay on their expedition to Everest Basecamp in May 2012. Big shoes to fill but we’re hoping they succeed in moving their fathers’ legacies forward.

The Thursday Cocktail….THE MACALLAN ICE BALL MACHINE

rocks glass
1.5 oz of your favorite Macallan….

Simon Spurr Travel Bag

Simon's Spurr's Travel Bag ($1,790) is all about the details. From the deerskin leather to the slit pockets on the outside for your newspaper/umbrella or phone, Spurr offers an impressive option for the smart traveller.

Tech Tuesday……Ron Herman & mastermind JAPAN x Casio Exilim TR100

Apparel companies Ron Herman and mastermind JAPAN introduce an exclusive new take on Casio’s Exilim TR100 pocket camera. The updated Casio Exilim TR100 is offered in either black or white featuring a 21mm lens, an angular pop-out handle, a 3-inch touch-screen display and a 12 megapixels HD recording system. The compact carrying design makes these ideal for when on the go and the collaborative work with Ron Herman and mastermind JAPAN make it a must-have electronic device for fans of both brands. The redesigned Casio Exilim TR100 is scheduled to launch this October in limited numbers.