Alex Prager Photography

Alex Prager was born in Los Angeles in 1979. Her interest in art began in adolescence, but it was in her twenties that she began to focus on photography after being inspired by the work of William Eggleston. Her first solo show came in 2007 and introduced her as an emerging talent. Several solo and group shows have followed.

Her images are dramatic, taking the look of 1950’s film stills using bright colours and pretty girls dressed in vintage clothing and wigs. Her most recent show entitled ‘Week-end’ opened in Los Angeles, New York, London and Japan this year, while from September she is exhibiting for the first time at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the New Photography exhibition.

To view Week-End and other projects from Alex Prager click through to alexprager.com

Red Wing Shoe Company - Inventory Magazine Visit

When the Red Wing Shoe Company first started making boots, people still rode horses to work. While much has changed in the century or so that Red Wing has been trading, the core values that characterise the company remain the same; quality, craftsmanship, durability and comfort.

Taking its name from the company’s home, Red Wing City in Minnesota, Red Wing was built on America’s great promise; if one worked hard enough one could achieve anything. So when Charles Beckman, a Red Wing main street shoe merchant could not find footwear that met his requirements he decided to make his own, and in 1905 the Red Wing Shoe Company was born. Today, a third generation of employees are located just around the corner from the original Red Wing site, applying a modern interpretation to classic boots, still designed to withstand the rigours of hard work and the brutality of harsh weather.

Inventory Magazine recently took a trip around the Red Wing factory, providing a glimpse into the production process and their closely associated leather tannery.

You can view the full spread over on Inventory Magazine and the AW10 Red Wing collection on Coggles.com

Photo Of The Day: 1979-1997

This is the remarkable story of Jamie Livingston, who in 1979 while studying at Bard College bought a Polaroid camera. Upon realising that he was taking about one photo each day, he made a point of continuing to do so until finally succumbing to cancer in 1997 on his 41st birthday.

In order to keep the project alive, his friends Hugh Crawford and Betsy Reid digitally photographed the Polaroid’s and reproduced them for an exhibition at Bard. The photos have also been loaded onto a website so that Jamie’s 18 year journey can be experienced in its entirety.

It is a stunning and very moving account of a man’s life and death.

Offset Festival, Hainault Forest London - September 4-5

Back for its third year, Offest Festival was set up as an antidote to the proliferation of overly commercial and unimaginative festivals. With a booking policy that joins the dots between the best new bands and the artists who influenced them, Offset has already gained a reputation as The UK’s best alternative festival. Playing this year include Atari Teenage Riot, Caribou, festival favourites Mystery Jets, Mount Kimbie and many more – over 150 in total – across 7 stages.

Set in beautiful Hainault Forest just 30 minutes from London on the Central line, Offset makes for great weekend escapism with camping, organic food stalls, art, a funfair, kids areas and a rare-breeds farm adding to the excellent lineup.

For more details click through to the Offset website

Belstaff - AW10 Collections

Way back in 1924 Belstaff was first to create a waterproof and breathable fabric - a waxed cotton with which they made their all-weather motorbike jackets. With patrons such as thirties motorross legend Sammy Miller, revolutionary Che Gevara, Lawrence of Arabia and film idol Steve McQueen, it's little surprise that Belstaff has become one of the most iconic brands of all time.

Both men's and women's new season collections are arriving here at Coggles.com now so here are a couple of great options for the girls this autumn/winter:

Bradford - Belstaff's 3/4 length shooting jacket with quilted paisley lining

Triumph - The iconic leather motorbike jacket in an aged, vintage finish

Trialmaster - Handcrafted leather motorbike boots with a distressed, waxy finish

Roadmaster - The classic motorbike jacket in 8OZ waxed cotton

 

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

This is the 3rd album from Canadian ensemble Arcade Fire.

It was always going to be a difficult task to follow two of the most inventive and extravagant albums of this decade - Funeral and Neon Bible - but it has been accomplished in a way that is unlike either of its predecessors. The Suburbs highlights just how impressive this band really is. Violins, xylophones, harpsichords and brass accompany guitars and drums to add depth to a truly signature Arcade Fire sound, but assembled in a way that takes you in a different direction than before, while the sincerity and craft in every track make it easy to follow and even easier to thoroughly enjoy.

The CD is available in 8 different covers, all allocated randomly. More details on the Arcade Fire website.

Universal Works AW10 Collection

Founded in 2008 as an antidote to everything “fashion”, the Universal Works brand is stripped down to the single most important element – the product.

Inspired simply by great British workwear and outdoor clothing, Universal Works is about good honest menswear, never over designed but with an attention to detail and emphasis on quality that speak volumes.

Favouring natural yarns and dead stock fabrics where possible, Universal Works garments are brought to life by highly skilled people working in factories that have stood the test of time; crafted, not mass-produced, the sense of satisfaction derived from Universal Works comes from the silent exclusivity of the label – stylish because the wearer makes it so.

The AW10 Universal Works collection is one of our favourites form the season: fairisle knits, check workshirts and pocket t's in colour palette of navy, grey and maroon, as well as our favourites - the Norden waistcoat and the Todmorden jacket - make for an easy to wear and very handsome Autumn wardrobe.

The AW10 Universal Works collection is available now at Coggles.com

Bompas and Parr - Jelleymongers

Blending desserts with architecture and performance art, Bompas and Parr design spectacular food adventures to blow the minds, and taste buds, of all that experience them.

Formed in 2007 by old school friends Sam Bompas and Harry Parr, Bompas and Parr made their name making jelly, inspired by the 19th century culinary eccentricity from the likes of Agnes B Marshall, who from as early as the 1890’s was using liquid nitrogen in the kitchen. This creativity, mixed with cutting edge technology and Parr’s architectural background result in spectacular jellies, like miniature St Paul’s cathedrals and a jelly map of the USA.

More recent projects include a vast glowing jelly installation for San Francisco MOMA and Alcoholic Architecture - a walk in cloud of breathable G&T , while this weekend at the Big Chill festival, Bompas & Parr is building the Ziggurat of Flavour, a pyramidal installation containing a cloud of breathable fruit. Visitors will be able to contribute to their five-a-day just by breathing.  

“The Ziggurat of Flavour will be a monolithic structure on the hills overlooking the Big Chill Festival. After negotiating the dense mist of vaporized fruit, visitors emerge onto a slide at the top of the structure. As they slide back down to the festival their kinetic energy will be harnessed to make the cloud even denser.”

Head on over to Nowness for more on Bompas and Parr and a glimpse inside their studio.

Our Legacy - AW10 Collection

Swedish label Our Legacy started out in 2005 with a small t-shirt collection that quickly gained recognition from Scandinavia’s top stores. Three years later Our Legacy founders Christopher and Jockum launched their first full collection, their easy to wear, ‘thrown together’ style appealing to effortlessly cool Scandinavians and style conscious customers further away from home in The US, Europe and Japan.

Rather than be led by seasonal trends, the Our Legacy starting point is to focus on classically designed pieces constructed from the best fabrics, which are typically sourced from Italy, Portugal and The UK. There’s a strong heritage feel which arises from the choice of fabric and classic design, yet playful and irreverent deconstruction gives Our Legacy a relaxed, almost nonchalant appeal that is contemporary in every way.

For AW10 Our Legacy maintains focus on the simple wardrobe essentials: perfectly cut t-shirts, relaxed sweats and great outerwear in a suitably subtle colour palette of blues, creams and browns. One of our favourite labels of the moment...

Bike By Me

Bike By Me allows you to build the bike you really want.

The colour of practically every element of the bike, from tyres and rims to frame and even the chain can be customised to suit your style.  At the moment the bikes only come in one model, but within this are thousands of variations for your customising pleasure - all for a very reasonable €499.

Click through to Bike By Me to have a go yourself!

Foto8 Summershow 2010

Whittled down from over 2500 images, the final selection for the Foto8 Summershow comprises 156 prints now hung floor to ceiling on the walls of London’s HOST Gallery. Famous names and unknown photographers alike submitted work covering a wide variety of genres, including landscape, portraiture, fashion, street and conceptual.

“If one identifiable change has occurred since last year’s judging took place, it would be that the idea of what constitutes ‘good photography’ is changing, as is the industry itself, and the people who populate it. No longer do practitioners feel they have to emulate the great and the good of yesteryear. Contemporary image-makers are creating a new aesthetic, one that is less formal, perhaps, and harder to define”.

A slideshow of all 156 images can be found on the Foto8 website here

McQ by McQueen AW10

McQ is the diffusion line from the mainline Alexander McQueen collection. One of the world’s most important and respected fashion designers, Alexander McQueen brought to his collections an ability to combine bespoke British tailoring with the fine workmanship of the French Haute Couture atelier and the impeccable finish of Italian manufacturing – skills he developed during his incredibly impressive but tragically short career.

These influences permeate the McQ label, which for AW10 looks to the teenage angst of the late eighties / early nineties grunge scene for inspiration. “The outspoken, bold styles of college youth who sensed affinity with rock music reflect the style of this season’s collection. Clashing prints and dip dyes with raw edging and heavy washes create hotchpotch pieces - a look that fuses vintage with modern, with dark, clashing prints evoking a modern day goth princess.”

The AW10 McQ by McQueen collection is available now at Coggles.com

Lomogography 360 Degree Camera

This is the latest addition to the Lomography collection. The camera provides a full 360o view with the pull of a chord. Simply hold the camera by its hand held axis with one hand and pull the chord with the other to create a split second 360o view of every detail around you. The camera uses any 35mm film and can take up to 8 breathtaking complete panoramic shots using a variety of different shooting options.

This is certainly a camera you can have fun with, and the images you get as a result are just incredible.

Cherry Ghost - Beneath This Burning Shoreline

Beneath This Burning Shoreline is Cherry Ghost’s second album following their critically acclaimed 2007 album Thirst for Romance.

Improving on their debut is no mean feet but Beneath This Burning Shoreline represents an even bigger calling card for those yet to be introduced to their brooding take on country/folk tinged rock. With a more distinct sound, epic story-songs and help from Doves and massive Attack producer Dan Austin, Cherry Ghost may well have released one of the albums of the year so far.

40 WINKS B&B, London

Situated in London’s vibrant East End, the family home of interior designer David Carter has become B&B of choice for those looking for an intimate yet glamorous weekend bolthole in London’s creative heartland.

The 'micro-boutique hotel' looks extraordinary with an intoxicating mix of old and new, the seriously grand peppered with a sprinkling of shabby chic, from kitchen frescoes and a music room with Beatles drumkit, to a lion's head tap in the bath, his home exudes glamour, wit and charm. With two unique guest bedrooms, 40 Winks offers somewhere fun and different to stay in London for work or pleasure, and at a very affordable price too

MARK TIPPLE - THE UNDERWATER PROJECT

Mark Tipple, a documentary photographer from Sydney, Australia, came up with the idea of photographing waves underwater after becoming frustrated with "normal" surf photography, and wanted to capture the moments from a different perspective.

Mark took the stunning shots of swimmers and surfers emerging underwater engulfed in clouds of whitewater while being rocked by the waves himself. Mark captured the split second moments off the Australian coast and regularly got beaten in the head by his 5kg, specially adapted camera for his troubles, but we think it was well worth it!

Win Tickets to Field Day Festival - London, July 31 2010

Our favourite London festival Field Day is returning to Victoria Park for its fourth year with another spectacular lineup.

French pop-rock band Phoenix have the headlining duties with support from the likes of Atlas Sound, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and DJ sets from James Holden, Tensnake and Andrew Weatherall. Set across 6 stages including “Village Mentality” for some splat the rat and this year’s blindfolded tea drinking relay race, Field Day is shaping up to be a whole lot of fun…and we’re sending four of you there for free!

Click through to our Facebook page to enter

Peter Rabbit: The Tale of the Tale - V&A Museum, London

The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is hosting a major exhibition on Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit.

Peter Rabbit: The Tale of the Tale is running from 3rd July to 8th January 2011, and will trace the development of the character from a collection including illustrated letters, original illustrations and the author's personal correspondence. This is the first time the book, widely considered to be one of the most popular children’s books of all time, will be shown in such a sequence alongside text of the story and audio listening posts to allow you to re-live the charming tale.

Them Rag Magazine

LA based print magazine Them Rag is just two issues old but it's certainly worth checking out.

It was their captivating photo blog that caught our eye first but on closer inspection you can click through to view the magazine online too, which we also wholeheartedly recommend.

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB - FLAWS

A year on from their critically acclaimed album ‘I Had the Blues but I Shook them Loose’, Bombay Bicycle Club have announced their forthcoming acoustic album ‘Flaws’ to be released on 12th July.

The album will feature new tracks along with an acoustic version of a song from the band’s debut album ‘Dust On The Ground’ and a cover of Joanna Newsom’s ‘Swansea’. For all of the eleven songs on the album, the band are filming a video at sentimental locations. Click through to see the title track "Flaws"... Enjoy!

Exhibition - Architects Build Small Spaces – V&A, London

Beetle's House by Terunobu Fujimori: an elevated teahouse accessed by a ladder, it will be built in the Medieval & Renaissance galleries at the V&A.

Architecture exhibitions have a tendency to emphasise drawings, models and photographs which can leave all but the most enthusiastic of audiences feeling a little disengaged. In recognition of this, London’s V&A museum invited nineteen architects to submit proposals for structures that examine notions of “refuge and retreat”, selecting seven of these submissions for construction at full scale in the museum.

“Small spaces such as these can push the boundaries and possibilities of creative practice. A shift in scale towards smaller, bespoke structures encourages a heightened sensitivity to materials, texture and proportion.”

For more information and to view a series of short films about the seven concepts click through to the V&A website here http://cli.gs/Y5dh3Q

The exhibition runs until 30th August 2010.

Washed Out - Life of Leisure

Washed Out is the solo project of multi instrumentalist Ernest Greene.

This lo-fi, surf-pop EP is reminiscent of a hazy summers night by the beach, mixing 80s style synths with blurred, almost illegible, vocals. Taking influences from the likes of The Beach Boys and Gary Low all the way up to Daft Punk, Life of Leisure is a record looking to the future but taking from the past. Stand out tracks include Feel It All Around, which sounds like a slowed down disco and Lately, a more upbeat but still laidback track.

Out now on CD and digital download.

Design Hotels - Kick Off The World Cup

To celebrate the 2010 World Cup, Design Hotels are offering a special ‘World Cup Rate’.

If you book a hotel at any of the destinations provided during the tournament you can receive a discount which grows depending on how well your destination country does in the competition. Rates start at 10% for the first round, rising to 50% if your country gets to the final. The World Cup Rates only need to be booked during the World Cup, but can be used for travel throughout the rest of the year. 

Don’t wait too long though, because once a country is knocked out of the competition, their discount ends as well!

Antony Gormley - Test Sites

Test Sites is about how time and objects act on us. 

The ground-floor features cast iron blockwork sculptures while Breathing Room III encourages the viewer to enter and interact with the 15 interconnecting photo-luminescent ‘space frames’ which turn on interrupting the complete darkness. 

Test Sites is running until the 10th July at White Cube Mason’s Yard in London.

Get Cutie - Flamboyant Fabrics & Feminine Fits

Founded in 1998, Brighton based Get Cutie is a small clothing company building a big name for its feminine fits and flamboyant fabrics.

Sourced from around the world, fabrics are often exclusive to Get Cutie, with retro inspired styles taking in everything from prim and pretty kittens and kitsch Russian dolls to totally out there glitter skulls.

Garments are made locally in the Get Cutie studio, where retro shapes are constructed for a fit that flatters all shapes and sizes, making Get Cutie pieces wearable and eye catching for all the right reasons.

Get Cutie is available now at Coggles.com

ALILA VILLAS ULUWATU - BALI

Bali isn’t short of luxury hotels but the bar has just been raised again. 

Located on a cliff top plateau along the southern coastline of Bali, Allia Villas was designed by award winning Singapore architectural firm WOHA and is the first hotel in Bali to be awarded the highest level of certification for environmentally sustainable design. Each of the 84 villas has a private pool and cabana overlooking the Indian Ocean, while lava rock roofs and bamboo ceilings allow the gentle sea breeze to circulate throughout. 

With a personal butler to take care of your every whim, a wellness  sanctuary, and fine dining in traditional warung-style restaurants, this is a place to rediscover the joy of pure relaxation in one of the most spectacular settings on earth.

HARINEZUMI 2 DIGITAL CAMERA

The Harinezumi 2 allows you to shoot super-8 style film and also colour and black & white photos with the imperfections of old style film which previously you could only get from analogue toy cameras. The camera also only lets you see the image after it’s been taken, letting you keep the best bit about film photography - the element of surprise.  

Click through to the Harinezumi site for more info - http://www.superheadz.com/digi2/index.php?lang

Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

This is the third album from South Carolina’s Band of Horses. 

The previous offerings were released on independent labels, but Infinite Arms is the first after a shift to a major label. The ethos of the band seems to have remained, Ben Bridwell’s soaring, pining vocals accompanying classic Americana guitar riffs and descending chords. The sound has just got bigger and more spacious, possibly with a view to the commerciality of the album and subsequent stadium tours. Having said that it does nothing to hamper the sometimes sublime melodies and anthemic pop songs which captured our attention in the first place.

My Generation: The Glory Years of British Rock

On New Year's Day in 1964 the BBC launched Top of the Pops, a show that went on to become the longest-running TV show in British history. The Rolling Stones were the first band to take to the stage and Harry Goodwin was the photographer. This exhibition is a collection of Harry Goodwin's most iconic photographs, from a shocked Bob Dylan to a dramatic shot of Jimi Hendrix playing the guitar with his teeth. These images capture the essence of the 60’s and 70’s and the excitement of what was to be the beginning of British pop culture as we know it today.  

The exhibition is at the V&A museum in London and runs until 30 August.

Scotch & Soda - Spring/Summer 10

From the multi-cultural melting pot that is Amsterdam, Scotch & Soda have been making good quality, high detailed basics with a quirky twist since 1985.

Producing a varied collection of street, work and leisure wear, Scotch & Soda are unassuming and have a personable sense of humour literally woven into their collection on brand and care labels. Contrasts of casual and formal fabrics on individual pieces and stylish cuts on their ‘sportswear’ are a reflection of the brand’s unique personality.

The Spring/Summer 10 Scotch & Soda collection is available now at Coggles.com