Coffee Wars are Brewing
The reigning king of premium coffee establishments- Starbucks, of course- has a new contender with some interesting tricks up its sleeve…  Italian giant, Illy, is planning to enter the US market in a big way but rather than starting by spending millions on advertising and marketing, they have chosen to go after the independent coffee giants of the country. Its art-inspired cups are a favorite of Italiaphiles (a good friend whose husband is Milanese was my introduction to the designer series of tiny espresso cups and saucers). And, after three years of success in Italy, the company has expanded its Artisti del Gusto (Artist of Taste) certification to the U.S., wit

180g, Paris
180g, the Paris store known for its brillian colors and the custom dying options that they offer on products, has just released their latest line of Nikes including the Tennis Classic, Air Flytop, and Flash. The concept of creating a store with such high quality products (ranging from Nike kicks to cashmere sweaters) with the intention of dying them is a great one.  I encourage anybody in Paris to definitely check out the spot. “All three receive unique 180g treatments, a process which allows some of the brand’s classic product to be custom dyed, achieving a tailor-made type of aes

La Compilation de Baron
Paris nightspot supreme, La Baron, has just released its first compilation with the signature of approval from club owner, Andre (Saraiva).  “The famous private club in the eighth arrondissement of Paris, the hub of the artistic Parisian elite since 2004, celebrates its first 5 years of existence. Founded by Andre, who naturally signs the artwork of this splendid double CD, and Lionel, a night-prowler of the Capital’s streets, Le Baron has become the lounge where the Parisian initiates can rediscover a way of partying that is both intimate and intense. The CD contains a poster by Andre, available now through

DC Admiral Sport and THOR
DC shoes and The Hotel on Rivington has produced some amazing sneakers for staff of the hotel. “The model has been customized with a laser etch of “HOTEL ON RIVINGTON” on the outsole, a design treatment that pays homage to the iconic side-wall bold DCSHOECOUSA lettering on the classic DC LYNX skate model that originally launched just over a decade ago now. The First release of the LYNX was in 1998 along with the announcement of Josh Kalis joining the team. A special red strap, a key color from the hotel, completes the custom shoe. The Admiral Sport is part of the Spring 2010 DC LIFE Collecti

Gucci Pop-up Flops
After generating considerable buzz about their collaboration with Mark Ronson and their collection of pop-up shops around the world, Gucci´s first installment in New York opened over the wkend.  According to Racked, few noticed. While I think the idea is a great one, the execution for this project was all wrong.  First of all, pop-up concepts were created originally to sell products in a less cost-intensive way, so naturally you would sell products that reflect that idea.  A collection of 20 $500+ sneakers simply does not comply with th