Spring Awakening

I know, I know — It’s still January. But I really can’t wait for spring.  You see, I’ve taken a new job but it doesn’t start until May.  And I’ve decided to take all of April off to travel before my new gig starts. I’ve never really left North America so the possibilities are endless, and we have enough miles for business class tix around the world.  So, quite literally, the world is my oyster!  Upon initial thought I was going to tour Europe: London, Amsterdam, Brouge, Paris, Barcelona. etc.  I mean we are talking Paris in springtime! No brainer, right?!  Well, not so fast.  Perhaps beach hopping in Thailand and spending a few weeks basking in the sun on some crystal clear tropical beach is what I need (and deserve dammit!). With a stop in Tokyo on the way home to shop. That was it, my decision made.  Warm tropical beaches and shopping it was.

But then I came across this shot of The Sartorialist in Paris.  And my heart did a little leap.  Paris in springtime….  I’m conflicted.  Is it possible to do both? Hmm…

Photo: Garance Dore

Bag Lust

This is so perfect and on trend right now. Even better, it’s classic and will be great this winter, next, and for many, many to come.  Ya’ll know I love a good bag. This buffalo check attache by Woolrich is a great find at Barneys New York for $495

The Cranky Elf II

The Cranky Elf is back and wants you to have “A Witty Holiday” at Barneys New York.  And who wouldn’t?  I Love Barneys, and I love Simon.  ‘Nuff said.

The Cranky Elf

Staying on our theme as of late, more love for Simon Doonan, Creative Director, Barneys New York. This cracked us up!

Holiday Gift Guide 2009 Part II

Drew shared part one of the Modern Destiny Holiday Gift Guide last week.  Now it’s my turn.  Here’s my take on some great gift for the guys in your life (or, of course, us!).  Here’s the list:

1. Japanese knives: Torijo knives, Togiharu Hammered Damascus Santoku, or Glestain Indented-Blade Gyutou. $50 – $171 from Korin. For cooks out there, Japanese knives are the real deal.  Yeah, the German knives are nice, but these are where the action is.  They generally have thinner blades, better balance, harder steel and hold a sharper edge.  The best ones go for thousands of dollars.  I’ve picked a few here: the Torijo knives are great and don’t break the bank (I love the one I have); the santoku I’ve selected has an amazing nostalgic look; the Glestain looks like it’s from Star Trek, with and indented blade that makes it glide through food (note that, unlike the others, it has a asymmetric blade like many Japanese knives, so you’ll need to specify whether your guy is left or right handed).

2. Ship shadowboxes: Morning Sky or Night Sky. $219 each from Wisteria. For the sailors out there (or just the guy who like nautical art).  Each shadowbox has a hand painted ship “sailing” over a sea of real shells.  It’s gentleman’s library meets tramp art. And they’d look great on his library wall.

3. Cashmere zip hoodie. $248 and up from J.Crew. Survey says: 90% of men like chilling in a hoodie.  He can do it in style with this cashmere zip hoodie, available in heather grey, navy, espresso and dark fatigue (aka army green).

4. 27″ iMac. $1,999 and up from Apple. Okay, I’m a geek — and I bet more than one guy in your life is one, too.  If he’s a geek who loves beautiful things (like me), and you want to splurge big time, get him this amazing new Mac.  27″ LED-backlight screen; quad-core processor (I say if you’re going to splurge, upgrade to the i7 version of the processor); 4gb or more of RAM (go for at least 8gb, which is way cheaper if you get it from a 3rd party), and much more.

5. Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York.  $40.95 from Amazon.com. Here at Modern Destiny, we’re nostalgic for classic retail experiences. There was a time when you could find amazing (and unique) retail behind most New York City store fronts.  And what store fronts they were. Revisit them in this amazing photo book.

6. Rugby sweater. $475 from Barneys. A cashmere rugby sweater by Band of Outsiders for Barney’s No Bunk! No Junk! line.

7. ‘3 Arrows’ graphic long-sleeve tee. $34.50 from Banana Republic.  A cool graphic tee from Banana Republic? You bet! I totally dig the retro-classic simplicity of this shirt, and what guy doesn’t like a great graphic tee?

8. Gold dove ornament. $28 from Jonathan Adler. Jonathan Adler’s wares make me happy.  Get your guy a “Cheeky Chic holiday treat.”  It comes in a festive high gloss gold glaze in a nifty blue box, and after the holidays display it on a shelf for some cheeky chic everyday.

9. Korres for Men. I am in love with Korres skin care products.  Completely natural formulations, un-pretentious and great for his skin.  Start off with the Men’s Travel Kit, $25 from Korres, and containing absinthe shaving cream, marigold and ginseng aftershave, magnesium and wheat protein shampoo, juniper and rum showergel and ruscus and chestnut eye cream.

10. Wool dog coat. $88 from Cole Haan.  Does your guy love his dog? We certainly love our little guy, and he’s getting this for Christmas.  If it’s cold, wet or foggy where he lives, consider this wool dog coat.  Beautiful silver and black wool plaid fabric and featuring velco straps for so it’s easy to get on and off.

11. Ebony corkscrew. By Roost, $10 at Velocity Art and Design. Also available in brown. What guy (at least who’s visiting Modern Destiny) doesn’t love a good bottle of wine.  And it’s best to open them in style.  These corkscrews are super-functional, small and have great design.  And if you love the design but think he’d prefer a pocket knife, check these out, in horn or bone (and some with smaller corkscrews), from $18.

12. Recycled Rover. By Roost, $128 at Velocity Art and Design or VivaTerra.  Drew and I have a great dog named Sam.  We love him, but he’s a handful.  If he’s not quite ready for that commitment, consider Rover, who’s “fashioned from twisted and woven newspaper and sports a wooden nose and eyes.”

The White House & Beautiful People

It appears that Simon Doonan, the Creative Director at Barneys New York, has been selected by the Obama’s to decorate the White House for the Holidays.  According to the this New York Times article:

“Simon Doonan, famous for creating naughty yuletide window displays of Margaret Thatcher (as a dowdy dominatrix) and Madonna (not the holy one), has a new stage on which to present his brand of mistletoe mischief: he is decorating the White House for Christmas.”

If in fact true, we think this is BRILLIANT!  Simon, who as you may know is married to the incredibly talented Jonathan Adler, is simply one of the best visual artists, stylists, and authors out there.  We adore him.

Mod Holiday Decor

We celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas in our house. David is Jewish, and I just like gifts and decorations! So we love that we can stock up at Jonathan Adler for both holidays with the most exquisite holiday decor. Jonathan has the best tree decorations I’ve seen all season, and absolutely my favorite menorah ever. We were at Barney’s New York the other day and I picked up the unglazed porcelain elephant ornament. I’ll have to pick up a few more before we put the tree up.

J.Crew Friday

Photo from GQ.com


I hopped on GQ.com (ne’ men.style.com) this morning and was happy to see that GQ Creative Director, Jim Moore, had a review of J.Crew’s Spring 2010 collection complete with slideshow.  By now you all know what a huge fan I am of J.Crew, Frank Muytjens (head of menswear) and Jenna Lyons (creative director), and they certainly do not disappoint for Spring, which will be in stores beginning in January. Chambray continues to be a core piece in the collection, and I love the twist on the classic in red (shown here). It seems that Jim and I have very similar thoughts on J.Crew and the collection, so I’ll defer to his commentary in the GQ review.

Coincidentally, this morning I was just out of the shower and looking for something to wear downtown for Black Friday shopping when I happened to put on the Martha Stewart Show, and surprise, Martha had Jenna on to discuss the Holiday collection.  Jenna showed several looks from Holiday, discussed the creative process, and how the brand puts together those gorgeous catalogs that I look forward to every month.

After the J.Crew filled morning, I of course had to hit them up on my Black Friday shopping, and the store was, of course, mobbed.

Cool Rocks

I came across the Brook Farm General Store yesterday and they have some great goods.  But these “Whiskey Rocks” stuck out in my mind. Pop them in your freezer and then into your favorite drink. They keep your beverage cold without diluting. Awesome.

Holiday Gift Guide 2009 Part I

The holidays are upon us and we decided it was worthy of our first joint posts, the MD  holiday gift guide 2009 parts I & II.  A selection of what we think would make fantastic gifts for that special guy in your life (or you know, us!). First up, Drew’s list:

1. Original rag socks $35 from Sundance. Classic, simple and totally holiday. I love my rag socks, they’re perfect in boots or just for lounging around the house.

2. The Amsterdam Moof Bicycle $795 from Sundance.  You might remember that I’ve posted about this bike before.  It is simply design at its best, and sure to be a classic.

3. The Stanley Flask $24 from Restoration Hardware. Just what you need to help carry that beverage of choice to keep you warm on those cold Christmas and New Years nights.

4. The Cabin Hat $39.50 from Martin & Osa.  This rag marl topper makes me think of Norman Rockwell New England winters.  It’s workwear without all the flannel and plaid.

5. PF Flyers Bob Cousy All American sneakers $60 from Piperlime.  PF Flyer need no explanation.  Get them.

6. Wool Hooded Plaid Zip-up Jacket $108 from Gap.  A great alternative to dropping some serious bills on a Woolrich Woolen Mills coat.  Enjoy American heritage workwear this winter.

7. Jack Spade Felt & Leather D.R. Tote $295 from Jack Spade.  By now you know that I have a Jack Spade obsession, and an ever growing collection of Jack bags. This is the perfect gift for those bag obsessed boys (or me!).

8. Sun-washed Flannel Shirt, $69.50 at J.Crew.  Ah, the “Crew”…we love J.Crew.  This will certainly keep that guy cozy and stylish.

9. Want Organic for J.Crew Da Vinci 72-hour Travel Bag $695.00 at J.Crew.  Speaking of bag obsessions, have you ever seen anything more perfect?  I thought not. Have I also  mentioned my J.Crew bag collection? I know, I have a problem…

10. Baracuta Jacket $275 at J.Crew. Continuing with J.Crew, a favorite from last winter this standby is a must have for those of us on the left coast enjoying warm winters.

11. Selvege Authentic Fit Jeans (dark rinse) $88 at Gap. Absolutely the best jeans I own.  A must.

12. Harris Tweed Laptop Case $98.50 from ACL & Co.  Michael Williams, the man behind the fantastic blog, A Continous Lean, is now offering some amazing items in partnership with designers like Billykirk, Cole, Rood & Haan, Co. and Mark McNairy.