GRITTY MEMORIES

Laura Lobdell Jewelry

A silver-cast hospital bracelet, bitten candy heart and cigarette butt for an unsentimental Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day jewelery designer Laura Lobdell, known for casting found objects like champagne corks and matchsticks in silver, created four new pieces, which each come accompanied by hand-painted cards.

A more gritty version of Margiela's hospital bracelet, the Four Letter Love Cuff says "I found you and you have made a big impression on me!" An immortalized cigarette butt reads "You are the one, no ifs ands or butts about it." Another favorite, the candy heart with a bite taken out of it, becomes a sweetly abstract charm.

INSPIRATION... KINDA

Kora-Krit Clothing

A Brooklyn artist's futuristically-patterned line of limited edition tees, hoodies, leotards and more

Bangkok-born artist Korakrit Arunanondchai originally created his wildly-colorful, limited-edition clothing label Kora-Krit as an extension of his digitally-influenced art. Working chiefly with silkscreen printing, Arunanondchai intended for visitors to his gallery shows to wear the pieces for a fully immersive and visually seamless experience.

The RISD grad (now based in Brooklyn, NY) takes up various themes in his work, but considers them all to have a shared feeling. He sees his layered compositions as a fortunate glimpse of a fleeting moment, like "a bunch of kids playing basketball" who appear to fight and dance as they bump into each other on the court. But in Arunanondchai's amped-up world, the scene plays out at an even faster tempo and is possibly "happening in the sky."

The current collection borrows strong graphic shapes found in video games, particularly the letters X and O, as well as triangle and square shapes. Printed on neon fabrics, the choice links the apparel back to his black light art installation on the same subject.

LEGO'S @ BARNEY'S HUHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Dee & Ricky continue their LEGO creations with a new interchangeable ring, produced in collaboration with Max & Maggie. The ring is made from Sterling Silver and includes several interchangeable LEGO pieces, including a sunflower, cactus, and scorpion with a faux diamond. They are now available at the Barneys New York online store.

Deep Sea Diving Burried Treasure

Nektar de Stagni Accessories

More oceanic themes are popping up or rather are becoming more eye-catching as the trend continues to heat up. Nektar de Stagni’s collection of necklaces and rings is called “Snakes and Pearls,” and the designer uses bits of coral, as well sea sand, pearl and bone to create pieces that exude mystery (what is it about the ocean that creates that affect??)

Wear Your Weight Around Your Neck

Today we came across some fantastic new accessories by a new Italian accessories brand. Cor Sine Labe Doli presents their new series of ceramic bow ties. The bow ties are built by traditional ceramicists in the medieval town of Marostica. They present a nice line-up ranging from navy blue to metallic gold, as well as some nice colorways with structure, underlining once again the material used.

Art is Life: Nathan Sawaya

Nathan Sawaya “Brick by Brick” at Agora Gallery NYCA

Artist Nathan Sawaya makes his solo debut in NYC with “Brick by Brick”, a show comprised entirely of LEGO bricks. The artist explores the limitless possibilities of the childhood toy, going as far as to create a life-sized “self-portrait” (seen after the jump.) The exhibition opens today, March 23, and runs through April 13, 2010 at Agora Gallery.

Where'd You Get Those?

Nike Dunk High SB "Skunk"

An interesting new Nike Dunk Hi SB has surfaced. The “Skunk” Dunk comes with different green tones on the upper and a purple Swoosh. Furthermore the upper material has an interesting effect, and looks to be imitating grass, and a stash pocket has been placed on the inner side of the tongue. A skunk is on the inner sole of the sneaker, revealing the inspiration of the sneaker. So far no word on the release of the sneaker, but we will keep you posted.

UPDATE: Apparently the Dunk Hi was designed by artist Todd Bratrud and is part of the April 2010 releases, as a Quickstrike.