Vanishing Elephant will be releasing their Spring and Fall 2010 Collections into two sections. The collection for Spring will be entitled Northern Hemisphere while the Fall collection will reflect the Southern Hemisphere. Here are some images from their upcoming range which will include knits, plaid suits, vests, leather, and footwear. The seasons call for a mixture of dandy inspired clothing with looks that are relaxed and refined.

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A new men’s boutique just opened in New York’s Lower East Side. Any Old Iron specializes in stocking rare and UK-specific menswear. Label’s that will be available for purchase consist of Tom Baker, Bolongaro Trevor, Red Mutha, Electronic Poet, Fred Perry, Raf Simons, Unconditional, London Undercover, and S***R shoes. The shop comes from designer/stylist, Andrew Clancey and arts-entrepreneur, Christopher Melton.

“The shop’s name is rooted in the olden cry of a scrap man collecting metal with his horse and cart, and also hearkens to Clancey’s family scrap metal business which was founded in 1872. “Any Old Iron” is also an Old English music hall song which references a young man’s sartorial dandyism – a quality that is distinctly English and ever-present in the shop’s design and the legion of British designers featured.”

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Any Old Iron is located on 149 Orchard Street between Stanton Street and Rivington Street in the heart of New York City’s Lower East Side. The shop is scheduled to operate Sunday to Wednesday, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. An e-commerce site will launch in March 2010 www.anyoldiron.net.

At its pinnacle, Gant was revered as the go-to shirtmaker for the leagues of college students in the US. Designer, Christopher Bastian has revived that essence that was so commonly associated with the label back then. The new interpretations featured in Gant’s Spring and Summer collection are all the recognized staples from American-prep heritage. These include knitwear with cable stitching and nautical stripes and shirting from classically tailored oxfords to fine Indian madras. All of the outerwear featured on the Gant Rugger site also captures this spirit with a great collection of waxed cotton jackets and parkas, varsity jackets and Barracuda-style offerings. Bastin has managed to revitalize these classic looks and usher them into the new decade with great construction and style.

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We were excited to see the Peugeot SR1 come quickly to fruition, as it promises to be a dynamic vehicle. However, as its debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show approaches, we are learning more details about the SR1 that make it even more endearing. It seems that renowned Swiss watchmaker Bell & Ross has contributed a significant design to the vehicle that will come in the form of a special-edition timepiece. While we find analog clocks very striking in most upscale luxury cars, it is rarely fitting that anyone would consider having a similar design strapped to their wrist for an extended period of time. Bell & Ross has set out to change that mentality, and in doing so has created an integrable watch that is multifunctional and unique.

We don’t know what the watch will be called just yet, but it appears to be a spinoff of the BR 01-97. Its stainless steel 46mm square case houses a gorgeous dial that resembles a snowflake with its intricacy; Bell & Ross achieved this through what they call some of the most advanced machining processes currently available. Four Arabic hour marks are surrounded by metal ridges that are designed to catch light, and the nickel-plated hour and minute hands are industrial and bold but fit well with the overall theme. The timepiece’s grained leather strap is made from exactly the same leather as the Peugeot’s interior. Look for the SR1 and its stunning dashboard watch to debut in Geneva next month.

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Headphone cords are entirely cumbersome. They get snagged on most anything from limbs to subway turnstiles. German headphone manufacturer Sennheiser is here to do away with the nuisance of cords while providing premium sound quality. The Sennheiser PX-210 provides a wireless bluetooth range of up to 33 feet which should give you plenty of room to move about while getting your musical fix. Inline track and volume controls allow you to keep your personal media player stowed while controlling the action. The rechargeable lithium ion battery provide a solid 12 hours of continuous operation. In, typical Sennheiser fashion, the PX-210s are collapsible making them an excellent travel companion. Available now at Sennheiser.

Travelteq was brought to our attention by a friend of the company, and we like discovering new things this way. The travel gear brand is quite new with a very small range of products. Currently they only carry two models of their leather bags which are the Trash Fox and the Trash Panther. The bags are handmade from Italian leather with different options for lining. As for compartments, there are 8 total, with 3 featuring a zipper option. The compartments are ideal for pens, sunglasses, plane tickets, cigars, and for your laptop. The laptop compartment is shock resistant, so that’s definitely a plus for those who have been looking for a leather bag that can keep your notebook safe. There is also an outside leather strip for those times when you want to attach the bag to your trolley. The bags are available now at Travelteq.

Also, stay tuned as the company will soon reveal a secret product. They will call it the Trip TM and it will be the world’s most intelligent cabin trolley case.

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As part of their Wear the Pants campaign, Dockers will be showcasing new items in their collection. There are 3 different categories: the soft khaki, the tailored khaki and the military khaki. The soft khaki is 100% cotton and available in 10 different colors. The sophisticated palette includes Confederate Blue, Lotus Green, Desert Red and Ocean Spray to name a few. The D fit series ranges from D1 slim tailored fit to the D2 straight to the D3 classic and the D4 relaxed: The D1 slim fit comes in 3 solid textured fabrications and 3 pattern fabrications. Lastly, the military inspired K-1 will always have a button fly and always resemble authentic military hardware.

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According to Ronnie Fieg, the Asics Onitsuka Carrack is a new Spring 2010 style out of their Global Collection. The sneaker is a mixture of a casual and sports and features a unique kilt design. The design might not be for everyone but the attempt on the concept of the shoe is admirable. Available at the David Z. flagship store as well as DavidZ.com.

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Source: Ronnie Fieg

From Press Release: New Balance, one of the world’s leading running brands, announces the opening of its first Experience Store on Shanghai’s Huai Hai Road. It is New Balance’s second Experience Store in China, following the opening of its first on Beijing’s Qianmen Avenue last year. Senior executives from the company, including Regional General Manager, Asia Pacific, Darren Tucker, and China Managing Director, Michael Wellman, attended the grand opening to witness this exciting event. “Our goal is to produce the best quality and most comfortable running shoes for our consumers,” explains Darren Tucker, Regional General Manager, and Asia Pacific. Proudly expressing the business philosophy of New Balance, the century-old American sporting brand, he continued, “New Balance sets a new standard of retail excellence within the global marketplace to celebrate our innovation and pay tribute to our heritage. We hope that consumers will engage with our rich brand story that is 104 years in the making.”

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Experience the Rich Heritage
Occupying more than 200 square meters, the New Balance Experience Store is located on the first floor of the Novel Building, Shanghai. With its charming brick walls, wooden display windows, nostalgic old telephones and iron chandeliers, the interior décor creates a sense of subtlety, which captures the legacy and essence of New Balance. The store feels both classic and modern, perfectly encapsulating the brand’s heritage and innovation. The Experience Store is designed such that a panoramic view of the ceiling unfurls the brand’s past, present and future, telling Shanghai the magnificent story of New Balance’s one hundred and four year history in making shoes.

Rooted in China, Promoting a Running Culture
In addition to this new store in Shanghai, New Balance will soon open ten more experience stores in major cities across China. China Managing Director Michael Wellman explains that New Balance thinks very highly of the Chinese market, “New Balance has been working to provide the highest quality running shoes to Chinese consumers since we entered the Chinese market in 2003. These new Experience Stores offer a completely original shopping experience to our customers. Meanwhile, we hope that we can bring the idea of a running culture, which is so popular elsewhere, to China. This year, we will hold our New Balance “6km Run” in six of China’s major cities. We will also be organizing a variety of activities for runners of all levels. Let’s get running!”

Bringing Together Performance and Lifestyle
The new Experience Store on Huai Hai Road, Shanghai displays New Balance’s entire product line: sports footwear, apparel and a variety of sports accessories, available for all seasons and for men, women and kids, bringing the complete New Balance experience to consumers. Prime position is given to New Balance’s series of high performance running shoes. New Balance has always been at the forefront of technology and innovation in performance footwear. As a complement, the lifestyle series caters to customers looking for fashionable colors and elegant designs. These two series perfectly integrate high technology with fashionable design, exhibiting New Balance’s traditional craftsmanship and its modern spirit.

For over one hundred and four years, New Balance has passionately and diligently held fast to the aim of producing the best quality and most comfortable products.

Editor Note:
104 Years of Expertise in Designing Running Shoes
It was 1906 in Boston – the city of marathons – when William J. Riley discovered, in his own backyard, that a chicken could use its three claws to maintain perfect balance. As a result, Riley was inspired to apply the balance principle to his design of the most advanced arch support system the world had ever seen. This new support system afforded more comfort and a better fit than ever before. This legendary story is the humble beginning of what has evolved into today’s New Balance. In 1972, New Balance’s present CEO Mr. James S. Davis bought the New Balance Company. This spirit of professionalism and passion has accompanied the brand from the day it was founded 104 years ago, to its newest presence today, in Shanghai, China.

Find Your Own New Balance
New Balance today provides top-quality shoes, offering comfort across six different widths and two different heights. While more expensive, New Balance firmly believes that choosing a suitable pair of shoes will help you to become the “leader” of your life. Better performance depends on the fit of your shoes: a pair of shoes has to match the unique structure of your feet, providing all-round support. New Balance staff will help you find the most suitable size, best way to tie shoelaces and the shoe that best fits every customer. This concept of customized offerings will definitely place New Balance at the forefront of the Chinese running shoe industry and make it the first choice for runners.

First Choice among Elites
New Balance has a high reputation among runners. New Balance is the only athletic shoe manufacturer still making shoes in the US. With its unique brand culture and excellent craftsmanship, New Balance has garnered extremely high brand loyalty in the U.S. market. American ex-Presidents, Reagan, Bush and Clinton, President Obama and Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, are all New Balance devotees. These elites have unconsciously become the best “representatives” of this brand!

PRO-Keds have always been a footwear staple in the world of casual sneakers. For Spring 2010, the brand created this video showcasing their latest styles. You’ll notice a lot of the familiar models for the season in different styles and colors. The video on the other hand is a playful take on the urban setting and the types of people the shoes are meant for. The short clip is written and directed by Monihan Monihan.

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SPRING 2010 PRO-Keds from PRO KEDS on Vimeo.

Written & Directed by Monihan Monihan bricolagista.com
Produced by Dante Ross danteross.com
Photographed by Jason Lewis jasonglewis.com
Lighting by James Garrett jamesgarrettphotography.com
Still Photo by Florian Böhm florianboehm.com
Styling by Annahita Kamali annahitakamali.com
Score written and performed by PhoFo Adams superswell.com