Turn up the heat (literally) with Columbia’s Bugaboot Thermo Hiking Boots

Winter sports offer all manner of exhilarating and exhausting possibilities - from negotiating seriously difficult trails, to mountain trekking or adrenaline-producing snowmobiling. But what if your boots aren’t up to the job, and you have to confess to your fellow hikers that you can’t go on because your feet are too cold? Enter Columbia’s Bugaboot Thermo Hiking Boots - the first hiking boots to integrate a three-temperature heating system to provide protection from the cold…and scornful looks from your hiking buddies.


The boots feature Omni-Tech waterproof-breathable uppers to ensure your feet remain comfortable and dry, while the Techlight cushioning in mid-soles and foot beds increases the comfort level. But it’s the inbuilt heating that really sets this footwear apart from the pack. The heating pads are located below the balls of the feet. When it’s particularly arctic, a high setting will keep your feet warm for about three hours. In less frigid conditions, a low heat will warm you for eight hours.


The power for the heat is provided by built-in rechargeable batteries and controlled by a three-setting LED temperature control on the ankle. There is a DC input port above the heel to enable easy charging and also included is a two-prong AC charger to allow for simultaneous recharging.

The Bugaboot’s exterior is encased in a waterproof, lightweight thermal shell and features rustproof metal alloy gaiter hooks. With 200 g of Thinsulate insulation (rated -25F/-32C) and Omni-Grip traction, these boots should not only keep you warm, dry and comfortable, they'll perform anywhere you choose to venture. They are available from Columbia for USD$250.

Continue Reading »

Upholding Golf's Sartorial Style: the FootJoy Icon

Golf, as everyone knows, is a game of tradition. So when the Acushnet Co. announced last winter that it was closing its FootJoy Classics factory in Brockton, Mass.--which for decades had produced leather-soled, welted golf shoes that set a standard for refinement--purists were despondent.


The Classics line had gone the way of persimmon woods and balata balls. Now, amid the endless store racks of unstylish, if functional, shoes, golf's traditionalists again have a place to turn: the company has introduced a new line of finely detailed brogues called the FootJoy Icon.


The Icon comes in five patterns--including wing-tips and plain-toe saddle, both adapted from the old Classics--and a total of 19 styles. In addition, all but one of the patterns are part of FootJoy's MyJoys program, in which customers can choose from thousands of color and other personalized options, such as collegiate, NFL and MLB logos.


Sartorialists will appreciate the Icon's traditional touches: full-grain leather uppers, calf-skin detailing, a leather-covered "fit-bed" designed to mimic the natural shape of the foot. These are combined with 21st-century technological innovations including a tri-density outsole for a stable hitting platform and two-part forefoot channels for comfort and flexibility.


FootJoy Icons can be found on the feet of such PGA Tour pros as Hunter Mahan, a fan of the two-tone wing tip (see photo gallery,) and Ian Poulter, whose wildly colorful trousers often require a solid white shoe. For those of us golfers who have to pay for our footwear, the Icon's suggested retail price is $250 for stock styles, $270 for original MyJoys and $290 for MyJoys bearing licensed logos.

Continue Reading »

Fabergé Launches New Jewelry Line

After two years of planning, Fabergé, the brand famous for its ornately jeweled eggs, has presented its first jewelry collection in 90 years. In 2007, Pallinghurst Rresources teamed up with the South African financial services firm Investec and other investors to buy the name with the plan to revive its Russian heritage. They invited Tatiana and Sarah Fabergé, Peter Carl Fabergé's two surviving great granddaughters, to form a Faberge heritage council to advise the management on preserving the family's legacy. The NY Times reports that the firm also put together a management and design team including Mark Dunhill, former president of Alfred Dunhill and Frédéric Zaavy, a Parisian jeweler.


In a move that is completely modern, Fabergé has said they will not sell the jewelry through retail outlets. Instead they are using a different model, selling through an ornate website, a Geneva flagship store and 15 sales representatives willing to meet big spenders anywhere in the world. Fabergé may be a new line but it has the benefit of a name that is known everywhere and is synonymous with the upper echelons of luxury. The brand began in St.


Petersburg back in 1842 and became one of Russia's largest producers of jewelry and art works. The first Fabergé egg was commissioned by Czar Alexander III as an Easter present for his wife and the eggs came to define the line which was famous for the intricate craftsmanship of its skilled jewelers who created tiny marvels fashioned in precious metals and jewels.


The new line is aimed at the ultra-wealthy and does not include eggs but uses a variety of colorful gemstones sourced from around the world to create elaborate effects. On the Fabergé website there are three main collections: Les Fleurs, Les Fables and Les Fauves and each features fantastical designs in the shapes of flowers, animals and flowing shapes.


Prices for the first luxury jewelry collection range from $40,000 to $7 million, but future items may sell for $15,000. The new designs have a mythical quality that mimics the sense of wonder felt when looking at Faberge eggs.


The line launches at a time in which jewelers, particularly those that do not specialize in bridal jewelry, are losing customers and facing diminished sales. But the fact that it is a known name may help it in growing economic markets in the Middle East and Asia. The company has said that it expected to turn a profit within five years.

Although there are no Fabergé eggs in the collection, the company may eventually embrace the opportunity to return to the classic form.

Continue Reading »

Sally Hershberger Intros Luxe Layers Hair Stying Gel

Sally Hershberger Intros Luxe Layers Hair Stying GelCelebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger invited a few lucky bloggers to her downtown NYC salon on September 3 for the unveiling of her newest hairstyling product, Luxe Layers Protective Blow Out Gel, available exclusively on HSN. I was there to see Hershberger in action, which was a real treat, because cuts with her run $800, so I likely won't be a client anytime soon. Note that this doesn't mean I wasn't secretly hoping she'd pull me from the audience for an impromptu fix of my style. Alas, that didn't happen, but Hershberger did demonstrate the product on a few models. The video of the event is on Hershberger's homepage now.


Luxe Layers is easy just to use -- just a few pumps, rubbed in your hands, then spread throughout your hair, provides thermal protection/prevents against heat damage, seals against color wash-out, protects against the sun and environmental aggressors, and blocks humidity and static to minimize frizz and flyaways. It's made from a proprietary complex of cationic polymers, natural cellulose, and amino acids, is blended with silk and cashmere extracts for internal strength with superior smoothing and long-lasting styling effect. It's alcohol-free, not tested on animals, does not contain animal products or drying solvents, and is non-silicone based, so it won't weigh down even fine hair. Hershberger says it also helps blow-outs last longer.


Luxe layers ($18.00/5 oz.) is just one of Hershberger's full line of products, all reasonably priced. You can get her Luxe Layers Trio on HSN, or just try my new favorite, Genius Spray Wax.

Seeing the product demonstrated live was much better than Hershberger just telling us about it. You can catch Hershberger on HSN doing just this on September 8 at 1 a.m., 8 a.m., and 7 p.m., and on September 9 at 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Continue Reading »

Music Toucher for Hearing Disordered Dancing Girls

The Music-Toucher is a concept dancing shoe that can help the dancer to realize the rhythm by transferring the rhythm of the music into elegiac vibration. This concept will help the deaf people make their dream come true as a dancer in their soundless world. The sole of the shoe features a vibrating transfer module placed in a way that will never bother the wearer or make them uncomfortable.


This module registers the rhythm of a particular music and transfers it as a rhythmical vibration direct to the sole. This underfoot vibration can help the dancer to respond with particular moves to make the dance a great event.
Designer : Heng Fengchi, Wang Xiaofei, Wang Lijue, Zhou Hongjie, and Gao Shan Shan

Continue Reading »

Beautiful London Jewellery

Continue Reading »

No Shoelace But Better : No More Disturbing Shoelace

Shoelace is always a disturbing thing in many different ways and No Shoelace but better is designed to overcome these common problems associated with shoelace. This new type of running shoe will allow the user not to have an excessively tight fit on the top of the foot. Moreover,


the user will not experience frequently untying the lace and coming loose, instead, this design concept completely wraps around the foot with a piece of material, which can be adjusted by wearer with the Velcro strap. The designer has opted to keep the design simple from the visor aspect, yet contains all the necessary functionalities as a running shoe.

Continue Reading »

Beyonce’s New Dereon Ad

Here is the newest House of Dereon ad, promoting the Sasha Fierce line. I like this ad, it is creative and eye-catching. Check out the video below for the House of Dereon Fall 09 collection.

Continue Reading »

Pretty in Pink: This Summer Has it all

Pink looks great any time of year but there's just something about the heat and lushness of summer that really makes it pop and somehow more fun to wear. This summer the designers haven't let us down and have come up with all kinds fashion fun done up in every shade from pale champagne to neon to deep fuschia.


Of course we don't recommend wearing them all at once (lest you look like a wayward Barbie) but we've compiled a pretty mix of pink dresses, shoes, handbags, and jewelry in the gallery below to keep your girly side rolling this summer in whatever way you see fit.

Continue Reading »

Swimwear Collection By Fashion fever

Continue Reading »

Urwerk UR-CC1 King Cobra Limited Edition Watch

Linear time sounds a lot like what time actually is (even though a few rogue physicists and/or time machine building hopefuls might disagree with you). Though that is exactly how this Urwerk UC-CC1 King Cobra watch displays the hours, minutes, and to a lesser degree, the seconds. This might be the perfect watch for regular computer users as telling the time looks a lot like the progress bar on a slow processing application.


Set as a limited edition in two materials, the UR-CC1 watch is an horological technical achievement reserved as a spectacle for most people, and as a new piece to their collection for just a few. With 25 pieces in 18k gray gold and another 25 pieces in 18k black gold (yea - makes no practical sense, I know), the limited edition King Cobra adds a new flavor the already creative and high technical looking luxury watch line by the famous boutique Swiss brand.


The case is over 47mm tall and just over 43mm wide. Two sapphire crystal covered crystals make up the face of the watch showing the seconds in the upper window and the minutes and hours below. The seconds display is actually one large disc with a spiral and with Arabic numerals around the edge. The user can read the seconds via a small window as the numbers (every other seconds) sweep by, or via the spiral that appears to progress in
a linear manner along the gauge. All indicators on the watch are retrograde, meaning that they instantly jump back to the "0" position after they extend all the way


While luxuriously crafted in high grade materials (gold, titanium and others in each watch), the watch style is instrumental and "effective looking." Urwerk points to design influences as a late 1950s Patek Philippe concept watch displaying linear time, as well as the dashboards of older cars with similarly designed instrument gauges. These are not exactly the sexy subjects of most other $100,000 plus timepieces but for the right 50 people the story and look of the watch will easily match Urwerk's technical prowess and level of refinement.

Continue Reading »