the memory remains

Rima Hyena makes amazing jewelry that reminds us of ancient sacred artifacts, laden with skulls, bones, teeth, crystals, found objects, and mystic symbols. 

Available at Laced with Romance.

Love, 

Tess

I want your skulls

Ruben Viramontes of RXV Rings makes some of the most gorgeous, out of control jewelry I've ever seen. His signature skull rings are both large and in charge, each with an insane amount of unique detail that comes from being hand-carved and handmade. Literally no surface of these rings is left untouched by hearts, flowers, or skulls -- a perfect combination if we've ever seen one. 

Love, 

Tess

provisions for men

Stag is considered to blend the best of many unique elements and ideas of essentials for leading the life of every gentleman. They pair high end with low, mix vintage classics with new collections! The best part is everything from their one-of-a-kind vintage furniture pieces, local poster designs, taxidermy, belts and more are all available for sale. The staff is amazing and they do a great job picking the perfect goods for a meticulous collection. 

Love, 

Andrea

voyager essentials

"Cavalier Essentials is a line of vintage products designed for the rugged, yet sophisticated gentleman. Cavalier was always briefly explained as --"If Steve McQueen carried a beat-up leather duffle bag on the back of his motorcycle; what would be in it and how would the products look?" This simple idea married an appreciation for lifestyle design and vintage accessories. All of the products possess a hand-made quality while responding to the modern influences of today's culture."

We think your man deserves to be "The King of Cool" with these essentials!

Love,
Andrea

baby blue

Wranglers have come a long way these days. Their new S/S 2011 lookbook provides shorts, shirts, and jeans that come in different washes and tailoring in order to meet the expectations of the ever increasing and hungry fashion pack. Those who wish to take a closer peek at the latest collection of the moment should skim throughout this cool selection of denim trends this year. They aren't only for cowboys anymore, so let Wrangler show you how to sport the latest obsessions. 

Love,

Andrea

takin care of business

Got our new business cards just in time for SXSW! Finding a cool place to stash them, however, proved a bit more difficult. Since a card case is the first thing someone sees before you hand them your card, we think it's important that it be at least somewhat reflective of the awesomeness inside. Unfortunately for us, most of the business card cases out there just look so... businessy. After scouring the web high and low, we've finally tracked down the raddest business card cases with just enough flair that we'd be proud to leave our first impressions with them.

Clockwise from top: Colors By Liza, In God We Trust, APH Custom Leather, Ravenshold Creations, Designs by KT

Love,

Tess

pattern skies

 Illesteva has a few collaborations this year with Opening Ceremony and Band of Outsiders = perfect for our lineup of music festivals this year. Perfect for men and women!

Love,
Andrea

Moonage Daydream

We are over the moon for Moonchild -- the brand new line of gorgeous alpaca knits by Pascale Koehl, stylist and head of collections at April 77. Check out this video by Thibaut Piotrowski for the premiere FW 2011-2012 collection titled E.C.H.O.E.S., or "Epic Crusade For Our Egotic Soul." While we're not entirely sure what that means (is "egotic" even a word?) we're totally down to join Pascale on his epic crusade for all the fringe, thunderbirds, and long-haired babes Moonchild is bringing our way.

Love,
Tess

choose your addiction

 Cast of Vices celebrates the inherent design aesthetic of these substances while at the same time casting a critical eye on pop culture and our obession with self-medication and addiction. Collection No.3 continues to explore the semiotics within contemporary culture and their effects on our modern ethos. The new collection is hand crafted in the U.S.A. with solid .925 sterling silver, semi-precious stones and 14k gold by using the lost wax process. Let's admit we are all guilty of getting addicted to things...coffee? yoga? shopping? We are born from a desire to create artifacts out of our vices. 

Love, 

Andrea

the underground

As Lydia Lunch points out in her new book, t-shirts have always been an "iconic symbol of defiance." Gain insight into what makes band t-shirts so cool from musicians, fashion designers and pop culture personalities in Ripped T-Shirts from the Underground. The book documents post-punk counterculture music and art through rare t-shirts credited by and for bands like The Ramones, Sonic Youth, Talking Heads and many more. Each shirt featured comes from the personal archives of vintage fashion collector Cesar Padilla, proudly displaying the grit and sweat it's had since he first picked it up off the street!

Love, 

Andrea

weird science

London-based brand Youreyeslie makes the best graphic tees a la Christopher Kane and Leila Shams. 

Love, 

Tess

fix up, look sharp

Sweet and nostalgic at first glance, Contrary by Mary Andrews' necklaces have a suprising dark and dangerous side -- tiny, sharp little pocket knives hidden beneath. In Contrary's world, everything from peanuts to mermaids become secret weapons; our favorite is a cheeky, Buffy-worthy crucifix reading "God Protect" on the back. The brass key might be the perfect late Valentines Day present with a razor-sharp edge, the best way we can think of to give someone the key to your heart and remind them not to mess with you at the same time.

Love,
Tess

symbolism captured

 

We recently discovered BJORG Jewelry through one of our favorite bloggers, Oracle Fox. The 2011 collection is a playful quest for a paradise lost to be recollected, featuring multicolored feathers, bright blue horsehair, fluorescent opals, and the beauty and fragility of a butterfly wing forever captured and kept in a small handmade glass dome. We'd love to take one of each.

Love,
Andrea

get a grip

We went to our favorite store Dog and Pony here on Guadalupe in Austin this past week and discovered a new shoe brand named Osborn Shoes. All the materials for each shoe are individually hand-cut and assembled by hand. Osborn's vertically integrated manufacturing practice establishes a work environment that is sweat-shop free and each shoe is signed by its maker, as a testament to the sense of pride for the maker, as well as its wearer. Their price points are right in the middle, ranging from $70 - $175 - we think Nancy Sinatra would agree since these boots are made for walkin'.

P.S. - Ladies and Gentlemen, Valentines Day is exactly one week away. With that said, a nice pair of Osborn Shoes would be the perfect gift esp. to sport out this summer.

Love,
Andrea

seasons of wither

            

We can't get enough of John Varvatos' Fall line this year for men. All the fine details, from dark green pinstriped pants, silver pocket watches, and black cherry neck scarves. According to GQ it's called the RoRoHoBo style: that's Rock and Roll Hobo. We gladly give this a big stamp of approval. 

Love, 

Andrea

it's all in the game

We are loving these videos by Atelier Franck Durand. Who knew that listening to Ricky Nelson can make skateboarding moves look so easy. Let's sip on our hot tea for 3 minutes and enjoy this moment.

Dressed by:

Cerruti

Church's

Dior Homme

Dolce & Gabbana

Falke

Giorgio Armani

John Varvatos

Uniqlo

Love,
Andrea

your 20th century toy

Just because your technology is sleek and streamlined doesn't mean it can't appreciate a little Native American flair once in a while. We all know about how Opening Ceremony brought us Pendleton shorts, skirts, sweaters, jackets, bags, socks, suits, blankets, towels, and even "mug rugs." Now, because that clearly wasn't enough, finally our macbooks, ipads, nooks, and even cellphones can stay stylishly cozy and warm thanks to Timberline Treasures' Pendleton wool covers. And with prices ranging from $28 to $44, we might actually be able to afford to go as pattern crazy as we've always wanted this time around.

Love,
Tess