Upper Playground and Fifty24SF have recently released a beautiful, small, and interesting soft bound book that gives a good look into the beautiful drawings and artwork of Albert Reyes. The book titled “Don’t Give Up” is a truly inspirational look into the work of an artist who has the kind of skills with a pencil that many artists can only dream of. The book is about 5.5"x11" with an orange and black cover/spine/back. Looks hot on a coffee table next to that copy of Ebony you’ve got there.
I want to get this clear, THE BRILLIANCE is not here to show you all sorts of extravagant items. Things posted here are products we truly enjoy and appreciate. With that said, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak watch line is simply unreal. A brilliantly designed watch, that’s all there is to it. Founded in 1847 by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet, it represents the true art of time-piece manufacturing. The ‘skeleton’ watch (as shown) is so beautiful… Skip Rolex and pickup one of these. Or buy a house.
Everyday above ground is a good day, right? I drink champagne because everyday is a celebration, and because beer makes you look so ‘standard’ at the club. I mean, say Helmut Lang and Coors Light in the same sentence. You can’t. Veuve Clicqout is an amazing champagne. Newish but still classic, better tasting than Moet & Chandon White Star, and not too expensive. $36-$50 retail and $75-$150 at the club. A perfectly understated champagne… Unless your dancing with a bottle in your hand. THE BRILLIANCE loves the Veuve bubbles, so you should to.
Who can top this? For real, who can? Yohji Yamamoto X Adidas is Y-3, I really hope that isn’t news to anyone. Y-3 has the luxury sportswear/street wear thing in a death grip. The new line shows the true versatility of Yamamoto and Adidas’ incredible willingness to let Y-3 take creative risks. I’m loving the nautical theme shirts and jackets, so new and clean. Something I don’t think Y-3 gets enough credit for is the quality of their product… The fabrics, the cuts, the finishes, zippers, the seams, and overall attention to details are all so ‘thought out’ feeling. I would advise that you own at least one piece of Y-3. But please don’t buy one lime-green track jacket and wear it all the time, so obvious. They make stuff in black for that reason.
If you want to impress your girl, you don’t bring her downtown to the Cheescake Factory and back to your parent’s house to watch a movie you borrowed from your brother. You just get her in your car, drive around, and put in John Legend. She’ll see you have great taste. It’s got hip hop, soul, R&B, and classical piano all in one great album finished off with his incredibly smooth voice and lyrics. I think Best Buy has it for like $9.99 right now. If you can’t afford that, then chances are you’ve got a lot more to worry about with your girl than impressing her with some music.
This man has an insane voice. Throw in any of Converge’s albums and you are immediately terrorized with fast, chaotic hardcore topped with a voice like a tortured cheetah, or maybe a pteradactyl. Its haunting and it’s not for everybody, but at the very least, he’s the best at what he does. Music aside, Bannon is one of the most well known artists in the hardcore/metal music scene. His epic, intense work is available for sale in the form of a beautiful giclee print from his site. So, you should buy one, but you should not be one of the kids at their shows with X’s on your hands, bandana around your face, dyed black hair and a lip ring. Come on. Everyone knows you are not as tough as you look Mr. Livejournal.
Apparently people hating on Pharrell only makes him stronger… This collaboration is bananas. Timbaland and the Neptunes doing a beautiful track together, what a combination. I honestly wondered if we would ever get a producer collaboration movement… This could be the start of it. This song is just perfect. Well, except Magoo. The Harmon/Kardon system gets turned down when his verse comes on. He has an embarrassing voice, but not near as embarrassing as getting caught listening to ‘Magoo’ all loud with your windows down. Pharrell does his thing (as usual) and I actually really liked Timbaland’s verses. Keep hating on Pharrell everyone, he just keeps getting better. This is just good music.
Bape, bape, bape, bape. It’s almost out of control, but this is what ‘hype’ brands are supposed to be about. This particular collaboration is just FANTASTIC. The newer bape-camo pattern mixed perfectly with one of the most famous Kaws characters. As Nigo said, bape-camo is the Louis Vuitton monogram of high-end street street-wear and pairing it with Kaws in such a classic and simplistic format makes you realize how powerful brand-collaborations can be. A full-zip hoody in this pattern would be perfect for your next church youth-group paint ball outing. Check eBay and Concept Shop.
OK so, I got my business cards printed by these guys (What’s up Howie). How do I put this…They are better than the printer you used for your business cards/company stationary/emo band flyer. Put their work up to the thin, perforated-edged business cards your cousin used for his new graphic design “business” bought from Walgreens, and the difference is clear. Alpine Creative is, in my opinion, the only place to go if you want to have in your hand true quality printing. Their list of clients is enough to back them up. They’ve printed for AOL, Cartier, Mercedes-Benz, Lacoste, Sean Combs, David Letterman, and more. Nice samples of their work on the site.
In a nutshell, SVSV (Serum Vs Venom) is combining streetwear/urban fashion with high-end, luxurious materials and styling. Perfect. The concept is genius, the photos and vibe to the whole thing is fresh, and the black and white campaign artwork is beautiful. The site has these little circles that you can use to make the next hottest club beat if you move your mouse around fast enough in the right places, and there are all these sayings that Dave came up with one night while he went through a box of fortune cookies. Go to the site, check it out, breathe it in, and enjoy. Truly groundbreaking.
