All posts filed under: Things for Wearing

Pico Jewelry Collections

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Montclair, New Jersey-based industrial designer Andrea Panico has designed tabletop pieces for furniture retailer west elm, served as director of product design for the world-renowed (and single-monikered) designer Clodagh, and worked at the international design firm STUDIOS Architecture. Her work with jewerly began during her graduate studies in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and her Pico collection of jewelry is now produced in Indonesia by a team of skilled artisans the designer met while working with a furniture manufacturer in Bali (all wood used in the collection is scrap wood from nearby factories). Panico’s Little Architecture line, with almost 70 skus, translates the work of architects Santiago Calatrava, Luis Barragan, Tadao Ando, and others, into small scale jewelry structures including earrings, pendants, bracelets, and necklaces. Her accompanying Frank Lloyd Wright collection successfully brings a modern edge to Wright’s Prairie School style. Constructed primarily from silver, Indonesian teak, and ebony, the line is sophisticated and modern without crossing over into avant-garde and uncomfortable (I strongly prefer it to most of Frank Gehry’s pieces available from …

Mr Jones Watches

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With clocks displayed on our cell phones, computers, and even on screens in the subway, no one really needs a wristwatch anymore. This doesn’t bother London-based artist/designer Crispin Jones however. His line, Mr Jones Watches, is about the concept of time. More than just another pretty line of jewelry, these pieces remind you that time is fleeting, help you to make split decisions, and give new meaning to the hours that make up our lives. In the ancient tradition of the memento mori (items intended to remind us of our mortality), Jones collaborated with comedian William Andrews to create The Last Laugh, a smiling skull where the time is displayed on the teeth (the gold teeth give it a bit of a Live and Let Die vibe).  The Accurate watch literally reminds you to “remember” (on the hour hand) that “you will die” (on the minute hand). Morbid? For some perhaps. But for those that always catch themselves getting too worked up over the small stuff, this is a fantastic way to remember to keep your priorities straight. …

The Tote Bag Book

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  Although some of us already have more tote bags in our possession than we will ever require, we still can’t resist collecting them. The fact is, they don’t take up much space, they don’t cost much (or are giveaways), and they are more sustainable shopping partners than plastic or paper options. Tote bags also serve as a surrogate T-shirt, and let you express your mood through whatever design you pick that day. The Tote Bag, a new book by the London-based illustrator and designer Jitesh Patel, was inspired by Patel’s blog dedicated to cutting-edge tote bag design. Featuring the work of more than 120 designers and illustrators, the book seduces its prey through its packaging — it is actually wrapped in its very own tote bag. Published by Laurence King Publishing, The Tote Bag is a 160 page paperback available for $24.95. In the U.S., you can order a copy through Chronicle Books.

Hövding Bike Helmet

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Ah, the Swedish. During a trip to Stockholm 10 years ago, I was blown away by how incredibly important and respected design is there — the Prime Minister himself came to the opening day of the Stockholm Furniture Fair. Designed by Swedes Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, Hövding  is an inflatable bicycle helmet that is disguised as a stylish neck wrap. Geared towards cyclists who might avoid a typical hard helmet because it’s not stylish enough (silly, but true), warm enough (understandable in places like Sweden), or who fancy themselves immortal (vampires?), the Hövding collar is covered by a removable shell containing a folded up airbag that deploys when you have an accident. The ultra-strong nylon airbag, shaped like a sexy cyber-hood, has a trigger mechanism that is controlled by sensors – accelerometers and gyros —  that pick up abnormal movements of a bicyclist in an accident. The rechargeable airbag provides soft and effective shock absorption and maintains constant pressure for several seconds, making it able to withstand several impacts to the head in the …

Adlens Universal Eyeglasses

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When people can’t see clearly, it is more challenging for them to work, study, or drive; their entire quality of life suffers. I know how disconnected I feel when I have misplaced my eyeglasses even for a few hours; I can’t imagine what it would be like to not be able to afford those glasses in the first place. Adlens adjustable glasses respond to the need in developing countries for affordable eyeglasses by allowing users to adjust their lenses for near and far distance vision correcting. A finalist for the 2011 INDEX: Award to be announced in September, Adlens Universal glasses contain fluid-filled lenses (protected by durable, easy to clean polycarbonate cover) that change focus depending on the amount of fluid inside the lens. Designed by Rob Stevens and the U.K.-based Adlens Design Team, these low-cost eyeglasses can be fitted by health workers in a matter of minutes and correct up to 85% of refractive errors, the number one cause of poor vision globally. Affordable, practical, and stylish to boot in a choice of five colors, these glasses are truly …