Monocle has teamed up with Japanese soap makers Matsuyama to produce an exclusive set of Sugi Body Soap for the international affairs magazine. Using the scent of the national tree of Japan, Sugi, or the Japanese cedar, the soap emits a delicate but energizing cedar fragrance. With the bottle designed by Monocle, the Sugi Body Soap is now available through Monocle in 300ml sizes.

The Christian Louboutin brand is well known for their women’s shoes, however many forget that they have some interesting mens shoe designs up their sleeves. For the Spring/Summer 2010, Christian Louboutin previewed some shoes from their men’s shoe collection.

One of my favorite collections of the the new season is OntFront whose 2nd collection entitled ‘Midnight Sessions’, is inspired by 1920′s the underground jazz scene. My favorite items is the trench coat, blazer and dress shirt combination and  the baseball jacket and hooded sweater. The fabric choices of cottons, classic pique and shiny satins give the collection a high end look and feel without losing the street edge that that appeals to the urban consumer.

With impeccable class and style, Sammy Davis Jr. and Nate King Cole charmed their way into the homes of Middle America. With slim silhouettes of American classics they catapulted themselves into fashion icon status.

After working with Raf Simons and Dirk Schönberger, Croatian born Damir Doma formed his eponymous label in 2006, focusing initially on menswear. Doma was influenced by artist such as Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter, which is apparent with the use of soft tailoring and moody silhouettes. This is probably one of the most directional new menswear labels of the season and I am anticipating his 2009 Autumn/Winter collection for 2009 Raf Simons.

YOOX San Fransisco US$334

The Noah’s Isle Tee By LRG US$27

521 Wellengan Mid by Rudolf Dassler for Puma US$150

If you’re a man who prefers to color coordinate, mix patterns and have a nice clean feel, this is your look.

Vultures are slowly picking over the remains at Marithe + Francois Girbaud‘s Wooster Street Boutique, which is scheduled to close on the 15th. Everything is 70-90% off, except for outerwear, which management has decided to ship back to France. At 70% off, expect to pay about $550 for knits like the one below:

Marithe + Francois Girbaud‎ – 47 Wooster St between Broome & Grand – 212-625-0066‎ – Map

Ad Campaign Joop
Season Spring Summer 2009
Models Sean O’pry |VNY| and Natasha Poly
Photography by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin
Styling Joe McKenna
Website www.joop.com
First images from the new Joop spring summer campaign by Inez and Vinoodh, featuring Sean Opry.

Roberto “Excess is Success” Cavalli has produced an iridescent snakeskin-finish credit card set for release for March 2009. The iridescent card comes with its privileges: special sales at Cavalli, invites to fashion shows and perhaps cardmembers will gain access to Cavalli’s new club in Florence, or clubs soon to open in Dubai and Milan.

Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool, the first career retrospective of the renowned American artist. Hendricks (b. 1945) is best known for his life-size portraits of people of color from the urban northeast in the 1960s and 70s. His bold portrayals of attitude and style capture a moment of fashion following the civil rights movement.

The Studio Museum in Harlem November 12, 2008 – March 15, 2009.