In Which I Prove Materialistic

Is this not the most awesome watch you have ever seen? Well, that's how I feel about it at least, and when I first spotted it a couple years ago on some website or another, it was wrist lust at first site.

I printed out its picture and specs, and taped it within easy view in my office at the time. At $500, I wasn't about to run out, buy it and slap it on my wrist; no, it was a dream of ultimate multi-timezone design perfection. More an inspirational image than anything else.

And then I got this boyfriend. And this guy (I'm thinking) understands or at least flatters my infatuation with international travel, and for Christmas this landed on my wrist. Granted it's been a few years, so the price has come down as the deadstock hit online auctions and such, but I doubt I still would have made the jump to buying it on my own; that's how elevated this product had become in my psyche.

The good news is that it's everything I ever dreamed it would be; it blends so well with my style and is shockingly more understated than my other watches, a Turin Olympics-edition Swatch and a concrete grey Alessi piece with a dead battery. And the even better news is that now I have a little connection to New York City, London, Dubai, Hong Kong and Los Angeles--the cities I chose to occupy the five faces--on my wrist, instead of declaring allegiance to just one. It's the best aspirational product ever.

Want v. Need: July Edition

Starting now, I am going to do a monthly round-up of five random items that I come across online, which deserve a small spotlight as life-improving things or events. Nonetheless, can't have everything, so I've got to make decisions...

• Want: To see the "Kodachrome Culture: The American Tourist In Europe" exhibit at the National Geographic Museum in DC.
• Want: Nice furniture inspired by graffiti, like this dripdrop sideboard that takes Krink's work and adapts it to somehow be both minimalist and contemporary--not to its expensive appearance.
• Need: The patience and attention to detail that made it possible to turn an Italian beach into a sand castle ode to Dante's Inferno.
• Need: A compact camera that is waterproof, drop-proof, temperature change-proof, and sand-proof, and yet takes HD video and 12.1 megapixel pics with face detection and shake reduction. Lord knows I take a load of pics everyday for the blogs, in all conditions (almost ruined my old cam with Saharan sand, even, but then it succumbed to the surf in St. Maarten) and I am the perfect person to put this Pentax to work.
• Want: If I had a backyard (or any yard), a eco-pod would be an ideal home blogging office, not to mention a hammock oasis during inclement weather. But at £17,630 plus VAT, people might as well just buy a small second house in a bad neighborhood.

I want an easyWATCH!

Yet again, the British have all the good stuff.

easyGroup, who have brought you such family favorites as easyJet, easyMoney, easyCruise, easyHotel, and my personal fave easyInternetcafe...now announce easyWATCH!!!

I was skeptical at first. I mean these watches are cheap, ranging from $20 - $50...but then I saw the designs, and now I want me an easyWatch! Peep my picks below.

Via Switched On Set.

The French Have All the Good Stuff

Above is the yacht on which, one day, you will be calling me. When I think of my perfect yacht, this is it. PERIOD. She is "Reverie," and I spotted her twice out and about around St. Maarten. We had a moment. I snapped this photo while on a dive boat with a whole gaggle of French people, all who currently LIVE on St. Maarten. As we passed the yacht row (see below), one of the guys on my dive boat pointed out another yacht and said "that is my boat." I turned to him with a wry smile, like yea right. BUT then he continued to go on about how great that yacht of his was for diving. The French have all the good stuff...

Goodbye, Isaac. Hello, Jonathan.

So yes, it may on every other blog today just like the Macbook Air, but Target announced that Isaac Mizrahi will be leaving for Liz Claiborne. He will be replaced (c'mon, like anyone can really replace Isaac!) by Brit Jonathan Saunders (see his stuff above), who will be the next Go! International designer after Jovovich-Hawk. From Racked: "His latest collection for British high street retailer Topshop features jersey dresses printed with bold, primary color shapes." Did somebody say my name?!

When it comes to designer collections for mass production, I leech onto them like the retail vampire I am. Despite my undying love and gratitude for Isaac (hello, he once did a woodgrain skirt and dress for Target!), I'll be VERY thrilled to see the mod prints and bright colors of Saunders after Jovovich-Hawk smears their boho-chic all over Target.

RIDILUX: 24K Loss Prevention Brooch

This is both Ridiculous Luxury and a Covet . All those months back when I lived in Chicago, I actually encountered a real, live specimen of this on the street. A woman was wearing it hanging off the left lapel of a plain black skirt suit, and I was immediately taken in by this simple and cheeky accessory. It. is. perfection. It is the 2003 "Respect Me" by AndrewAndrew; a loss prevention tag cast in 24K gold. Entranced by the piece, I spent a good several hours of intensive googling before finding the right keywords to locate it, only to discover that it is no longer available. Nowhere can I find a price, how much do you think it would go for? I made feeble attempts at locating one of these old tags in a department store, but to no avail. Make me one? I'm a little short on liquid 24K gold this time of year.

SWINGIN PAD: Ceramica Flaminia Bath

Wow. Can I get this in reverse? My only desire out of life is to have it in orange, with a black & white stripe rug. This is the bathroom envisioned by Ceramica Flaminia. Let us not say that it "redefines the bathing experience" or utter some crap about "visual orchestration." Rather I find the idea of soaking in a sake cup and washing my hands in a pipe from Mario Bros to be SLICK as all get out. Via Trendir

Eames stamps from the USPS

Just out from the US Postal Service is this sheet of Charles & Ray Eames stamps. At about $7 for a sheet, it's the closest I'll ever come to affording anything with the Eames name. I'm buying one sheet to mail (and therefore subtly flaunt my design snobbery to recipients) and another sheet so I can create little stories such as this...

Oh it's been a long day riding my vintage ! I think I'll have a quiet evening all curled up in my reading with the napping on the and low on the radio.