Cozy Cuteness for Little Noggins. Neff's Yo Gabba Gabba Winter Beanies for Kids.

Neff's officially licensed Yo Gabba Gabba winter hats are an adorable way to keep those little keppies (keppie is yiddish for 'head' in case you were wondering) warm this winter.

The 100% acrylic stretch-to-fit beanies come in 7 youth styles, the five fun characters from the wacky children's show (Muno, Plex, Toodee, Brobee and Foofa) and two general versions (boombox and all the characters).

Muno:

Brobee:

Foofa:

Plex:

Toodee:

Boombox:

Characters:


Buy them here.

Beautifully Crafted Wood Eyeglass Frames from a Carpenter and a Designer in Italy.

Italian carpenter Doriano Mattellone and designer Matteo Ragni have a love of wood and its properties, so together they began W-eye with Antonio Stella, which sells wooden eyeglass frames suitable for optical or sunglass lens.



Each lovingly crafted pair is constructed of seven sheets of wood interlaid with two sheets of aluminium to make them both structurally sound and flexible.




A digitally controlled cutting machine is used to create the contours and then each pair is sanded by hand. The frames are then branded and varnished and upon request, can be custom etched and numbered by a sophisticated laser system.





All W-eye models are available in nine types of wood. European wood species include Maple, Ash, Cherry and Walnut. African wood species include Wengè, Mahogany, Ebony, Zebra wood and Sapelli wood. Their most recent collection includes colorful wood stains.




Photo Credits: Still life by Luca Corvatta, portraits by Enrico Suà Ummarino.

Every pair of glasses can be full, or made from one type of wood, bifacial (two types of wood, inner and outer) or multicolour (mix of types of wood, inner/outer). The wood used comes from certified forests managed according to environmental sustainability criteria.

New for 2011:
Their newest collection, just released last month and not yet on their website, includes colored stained woods for a more vibrant and playful look:







Go here for the location of their shops or contact them via e-mail.

A special thanks to Elmanco for bringing these to my attention

Shades of the Eighties. Emporio Armani's 30th Anniversary Eyewear Collection.

Emporio Armani Eyewear celebrates 30 Colorful Years

1981 – The year Emporio Armani was founded. The fashion was always one step ahead of the times….dynamic, proactive and generously individual.

2011 – Emporio Armani celebrates its 30th anniversary with a capsule eyewear collection that harkens back to the eighties but has a definitively futuristic feel. Iconic silhouettes are revisited with a touch of irony, producing transparent, lightweight and fun, fashionable results.

For him, an ultra-flat teardrop shielded model (EA 9838/S):


and for her, an oversized rounded model (EA 9837/S):


The ‘30th EMPORIO ARMANI’ logo is presented on the front of the frame and the metal signature eagle on the temples:



The color options include brights like pink, red, purple or green or softer shades of brown, shiny grey and smoke grey.

The glasses will be available in monochrome versions from mid-October in Emporio Armani stores, department stores and select opticians and priced at $170.

Also from mid-October, a mini website (which doesn't seem to be up yet) will be launched offering a web experience where personal Emporio Armani 30th Anniversary versions can be created by choosing individual mixes of temples, lenses and logos from an infinity of possible combinations. 1,030 of these customized models will become available.

Emporio Armani

Fowl Footwear by Shoe Designer Kobi Levi.

Freelance footwear designer Kobi Levi turns shoes into art for the feet. My favorites of his many impressive designs are his interpretations of birds into fine leather footwear for women. The high-heeled shoes are imaginative and yet, attractive. Each piece is hand-made in his studio.

Bird Series, 2011

Toucan:



Mallard (Duck):




Swan:




Also worth noting are his 2010 domestic pet animal inspired heels, such as these Miao (Cat) and Dog shoes.

Miao, 2010:


Dog, 2010:



About the designer:


Kobi Levi (above) graduated from the Bezalel academy of art & design in Jerusalem. He is currently working on his women's shoe line in Tel-Aviv, Israel and has designed commercial footwear in Italy, China and Brazil.

"In my artistic footwear design the shoe is my canvas. The trigger to create a new piece comes when an idea, a concept and/or an image comes to mind. The combination of the image and footwear creates a new hybrid and the design/concept comes to life. The piece is a wearable sculpture." says Levi.

Kobi Levi

Don't Steal The Jacket. The Film & Posters by Bruce Weber for Fashion Brand Moncler.

"Don't Steal the Jacket," a film by photographer Bruce Weber, is the first episode in a series of promotional films for the fashion house Moncler.



Remo Ruffini of Moncler asked iconic photographer Bruce Weber to make a Moncler movie to be shown during the spring/summer 2012 Milan Fashion shows taking place this week.




“Don’t Steal the Jacket,” which has one minute and 20 seconds of illustrated opening titles like the ones shown above, features several children as well as a dog, reminiscent of Mr. Weber's dogs donning Moncler's jackets for a previously created ad campaign.


above: dogs in Moncler's puffy winter jackets were shot by Bruce Weber for 2010

The New York Times' On The Runway blog is quoted as describing the movie as follows:
Called “Don’t Steal the Jacket,” the black-and-white movie starred an extensive cast of cherubic children, dogs and puffer coats, with typically beautiful visuals and a story line that was a little difficult to follow. At one point, there was a montage of marauding kids, elephants and dogs that was set to “Bless the Beasts and the Children” by the Carpenters.

The film:


As you might expect from a photographer, tons of posters have been created for the film:






Moncler
Bruce Weber

If you're a Moncler puffy jacket fan, be sure to check out Pharrell Williams collection for them:

Pharrell Williams artistic and bionic collection for Moncler