Dedicated Follower of Fashion

(Fredrik Stambro via Ken Baldwin)

I want to permanently adhere these petals to my lids...
forever a Mod at heart.

The Gentleman Racer's Sub-Compact

In post World War II Europe, if you were a wealthy playboy or a young Viscount, and you wanted to go racing, you commissioned a car from Zagato Milano. It's 1957, and your fencing partner got himself a Ferrari 250GT with a Pininfarina body? Not a problem, just get yourself one of these:

1957 Ferrari 250 GT II Zagato

Sure, you could be that guy, or you could go against the grain and be a true eccentric-badass, gentleman racer, and get a car based on the tiny Fiat 500 'Topolino.' About as powerful as a modern John Deere mower, the Topolino was an economical little city car for the masses (Fiat built 520,000 of them from 1935-1955).

A tiny, underpowered, mass-production car isn't the obvious choice for our gentlemen racer, you say? Perhaps not. The following diagram won't exactly inspire confidence, either.

How small is small? Small.

Starting with a stock Fiat 500C, a bigger engine, and a completely restyled, all-aluminum body were added to create the 1949 Fiat 750MM Panoramica.

Check out how the chrome strips sit flush within recesses in the body panels!

The body-style was called a Panoramica for its distinctive cockpit, designed for excellent visibility. The windows were all made from lightweight Plexiglass which, along with the aluminum body, contributed to the car's very light weight. At 1168 lbs, with gas, the 750MM is less than half the weight of the Mini Cooper in the diagram above.

Just look at this grille. So fucking rad.

This car isn't just a looker. It went racing. The 'MM' refers to the famous (or notorious) Mille Miglia race, in which cars were driven flat-out over 1,000 miles of Italian roads, through cities and small villages. The car pictured here took 4th place in its class in the 1949 Mille Miglia. Don't be fooled by it's small size, as this car averaged over 57.5 mph over the entire distance (including stops, refueling, etc).

Zagato planned to build 10 examples of this car, but supposedly only built 8 of them. Of those eight cars, the car pictured here is one of only two that are left. The photos* above were all taken at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where the little coupe won the Mille Miglia Trophy. The car is owned by the very fortunate Scott Gauthier of Scottsdale, AZ.

This was the catalog you'd have used to order one.

What Zagato did with this little car, in my opinion, is nothing less than a masterpiece of design and craftsmanship, and it's now my all-time favorite car.

*all photos taken from flickr.

Way of the Sun

Electric Oak Fall Equinox, oil on canvas
Linda Vallejo

Welcome Fall! ..today the sun enters our tropical sign Libra

Under the Influence: NYFW SS10

Most Enjoyed Collection, Temperley London








Other Enjoyed Looks


Rodarte



Benito Fernandez from Argentina



Marc Jacobs



Carolina Herrera





United Bamboo



3.1 Phillip Lim

Bill Knows The Time

Bill Clinton was on The Daily Show earlier tonight, looking very sharp. He had some interesting things to say, as usual, but I liked his wristwatch most of all. (see the interview HERE)

I immediately spotted it as a Panerai due to the distinctive device protecting the crown.

A little digging on Google Image search provided the above image, with a decent shot of the watch (as well as Bill's sharp, pink gingham shirt and middle-school friendship bracelet).

My best guess is that the watch is a Luminor GMT 44mm (model# PAM 244), in stainless steel with a black alligator strap.

Well chosen, Mr. President.

Like Mitzi, my birthday's coming up next month, so if anyone wants to get me one of these, that'd be very generous. Or, for about the same price, one of these would be pretty rad too:

The Complexity of Simplicity

A few "simple" things I'd love for my birthday.. I MEAN that would really help usher in Fall! ..yeah.





Heath Deep Serving Bowls in Linen to add to the collection.. perfect for Pho


Pendleton Wool Motor Robe in Olive Beach Boy Plaid ..for my bed


Vintage Technics Direct-Drive Automatic Turntable


Chanel #3135 Frames in Havana


Yokoo's Pembroke Cowl in Oatmeal

I'm envisioning many nights wrapped in aforementioned blanket, eating spicy Pho out of aforementioned bowl while listening to records on aforementioned player ..with Ralex... you're welcome to come over and get in on this action!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

T-Don Guidry 1968.. when baseball and cars reigned supreme

The Kids Are Alright

I still miss working in the children's fashion/footwear industry and seeing great spreads like these from Small Magazine Autumn 09 issue only makes me miss it more! Every few months I receive my quarterly, online issue courtesy of my buddy Stevey and his wife Christine. They have been publishing Small since 2007 and manage to feature the freshest, most stylish children's lifestyle products in the industry... including craft and recipe ideas, fine art and even music!

Aside from running Small and managing professional careers as a photographer and a stylist, they have their own children's clothing line and this Summer opened their first brick and mortar.. and did I mention they have two little girls?! These guys are amazing!


Baby Bean Vintage Daywear



Little Bean children's boutique, Dallas

((((((0))))))

Stoner smiles for holiday weekends...

Trip the Light Fantastic

Roden Crater, Northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona


Interior "portal"


View from space... Roden Crater is the largest of all "Land Art"

Artist James Turrell, known for his "Skyspaces", experiments with light and space, purchased the 400,000 year old, nearly 2 mile wide, extinct volcano crater in 1979 and has been transforming it into a massive naked-eye observatory, designed specifically for the viewing of celestial phenomena. Turrell’s objective with Roden Crater is to use only natural light; moonlight, light from the planet Venus, and even starlight from outside the planetary system, blended with newer light from the sun. The interior tunnels and chambers dug into the volcanic crater are keyed into celestial events, constructed with auditory, as well as visual responses in mind. It is still under construction and will be open for public viewing in 2011. We can hardly wait!

Below are images from a few of Turrell's permanent "Skyspace" installations.


"Light Reign", Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington


"The Light Inside", Museum of Fine Arts, Houston


"Meeting", PS1, Queens


"Tending", Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas


"Three Gems", de Young Museum Sculpture Garder, San Francisco