360 DEGREES Weblog

More than any other designer of her time, Gabrielle Chanel had the ability not only to predict the evolution of contemporary fashion, but also to see its future. Chanel was a true adventurer, always on the go, but sure of her feelings, which have made their mark on 20th-century fashion. This slipcase presents the history of Chanel, from its beginning through the creative trilogy which made this brand famous: Fashion, Jewelery and Perfume. $ 49,95 from Assouline

 

It’s the end of an era as American classic brand Bill Blass is set to fold. Blass died in 2002 but his brand has gone on with several designers, most recently, Peter Som, who left the company in October. The company will close its showroom at 550 Seventh Avenue and eliminate about 30 remaining jobs there. The NY Times reports that the company has been selling samples from Mr. Blass’s collections and Manolo Blahnik shoes that were used in runway shows, at discounts of 90 percent. His archives will be headed to Indiana University in Bloomington.

Fashion Week Daily adds that while the line has disappeared from the e-commerce sites of Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue, the collection is still available on the floors in their department stores for those who want a last blast of Blass.

Danish boutique automaker Zenvo Automotive had exactly one goal in mind when it designed the ST1 hyper-exotic: build “a real supercar with excessive power.”
By any measure, it succeeded. The startup’s first car purportedly produces a mind-boggling 1,104 horsepower, easily besting the Bugatti Veyron but falling just shy of the Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero. But anything the ST1 lacks in horsepower against the Aero, it more than makes up for in sheer audacity.
Simply put, the Zenvo ST1 redefines excessive.
Everything about the car is blatantly, wonderfully over the top, from its turbocharged and supercharged 7.0-liter V-8 to the acres of carbon fiber that cover its race-spec chassis. Options include ceramic brakes (a wise investment), carbon-fiber wheels and a four-point roll cage.
Top speed is limited to 233 mph, which isn’t enough to earn the ST1 a spot in the top five fastest cars but will let you cover the length of Denmark in just under an hour. Besides, it isn’t top speed that makes super exotics so much fun, it’s acceleration, something the ST1 has in abundance. The car reportedly will hit 62 mph in three seconds flat and get you to 124 mph in under nine.

Porsche, what the heck are you designing now? A sled? But look at its clean lines, its sparse design, its minimalism. It’s a swanky sled, that’s for sure, and it better be, for $490. This must be one of those gifts for the man who has everything.

If you go biking at night, it’s a smart idea to have reflectors on your bike so cars don’t accidentally run you over. But what if, rather than slapping reflectors on your bike, you made your entire bike a reflector? Oh, and you did so invisibly?

This is entirely possible thanks to retroreflective vinyl. It’s a material that looks black in normal light, but turns completely white and reflective when a bright light, such as headlights, is shone on it. It’s totally awesome, giving your bike a cool black exterior that also keeps you totally safe by acting as beacon when light hits it. You can get the material and do it to your own bike if you want.

 

If Google’s recent demonstration of their ability to predict flu outbreaks wasn’t enough, they’ve now teamed up with Life Magazine to digitize 95% of their image bank that never saw the light of day. Now millions of photos stretching from the 1750s to the present day are available on Google Images at the click of a button.

A true James Bond fan surely needs the comforts of a home away from home. We have earlier introduced you to a list of strange, high-tech, and interesting suitcase designs that might interest James Bond fans. Here is yet another suitcase with a difference. The Zuca Pro is the suitcase that really looks like to have been made for the road warriors. It functions simultaneously as a briefcase, carry-on suitcase and a chic travel accessory. Developed for the seasoned road warrior, the Zuca Pro boasts a built-in seat and removable packing pouches that stack like drawers. This built-in seat has a 300-pound weight capacity, so you will really find it handy while waiting at airports. The Zuca Pro full set includes lightweight external anodized aluminum frame, water resistant insert bag, ballistic nylon travel cover and 5 color-coded packing pouches. The Zuca Pro for business travelers comes for a negligible $285.

Earlier this year the term “stealth wealth” kept popping up in reference to the trend in luxury markets away from big bold brand names and toward items with more subtle logos or even totally invisible labels — it was cool to be so elite that nobody but a select few would recognize who you were wearing.

But now, just a few months later, stealth wealth has been replaced by stealth shopping. The economy has made times so hard for so many people that the wealthy are embarrassed when they are seen spending large amounts of money. Does that mean they stop shopping though? Heck no. They just do it in secret.

Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton have launched a new line of Stephen Sprouse handbags showcasing the designers’ pop art/grafitti style.

Jacobs took two iconic Sprouse motifs - the graffiti and the rose - and interpreted them in Day-Glo shades of pink, green and orange over the Monogram print

“I tried to take what Stephen had done at Vuitton and then kind of flip it in my head, and make it Vuitton’s work for Stephen, not Stephen’s work for Vuitton,” Jacobs said. “I just felt it was a funny way to play with it, to pretend to be Sprouse for a bit, and use the work that he did, and then bring it back to the work that he did before I collaborated with him.”

THE HANDBOOK OF STYLE is a genius book that tackles style for men, the must-have doesn’t tell guys what to wear, but how to dress well while maintaining their personal style. The book provides vital information on every aspect of getting dressed and grooming. I am thoroughly enjoying the edition, not only is it luxurious , its packed with useful information. Would make a great gift for the holidays.