Things

If “they” are right and variety really is the spice of life, then slap my thigh and fetch the medic because this week’s Things is one spicy meatball! Lovely publication, big French book, snappy fashion catalogue, cake, t-shirt – all present and correct. Now that’s what we call a mailbag.

Spirit of the Animal t-shirt Jon Boam and Matthew The Horse

You know that feeling when you really need something to wear for your day out (at the park or pharmacy) but you cannot find anything with animals on? Well that’s not going to happen again thanks to this magnificent tie-dye t-shirt. Spirit of the Animal is a project by Jon Boam and Matthew The Horse who have commissioned some top illustration talent (think Andy Rementer, Jack Teagle) to bring the natural world to life on these snazzy numbers. Nice one lads!
www.spiritoftheanimal.tumblr.com

Blanket Magazine The Artist’s Vade Mecum

We like to think we know a little bit about taking an online platform into the printed world, but by any standards the first ever printed edition of Blanket Magazine is pretty breathtaking. With quality content throughout its 64 pages, including a profile of poster designer Jason Munn and some beautiful commissioned illustrations, let’s hope this is just the start of something really special.
www.blanketmagazine.com

Cake Open Play

Cake is amazing in any shape or form, but you know when a baked good is really upping its game when it is multi-coloured. This delicious offering came from Open Play, a university project set up to encourage greater collaboration between the graphic design students at the Edinburgh College of Art. They describe themselves as “a creative playground shaped by our belief in exploration and adventure,” and their new website has some interesting stuff on it – we can’t wait to see more of their work/eat some more of their cake.
www.open-play.co.uk

Club Monaco The Fall 2011 Collection. Photography by Andrea Potorno

Club Monaco’s fall collection (in collaboration with Dazed & Confused) is given appropriately stylish treatment in this excellent catalogue. Gorgeous clothes, gorgeous photographs and a gorgeous publication make for a winning combination in our eyes – add in a fine rhythm and short quotes from the talented young creatives who have been picked as the models and you might very well describe us as smitten.
www.clubmonaco.com
www.andreaspotorno.com

Tout le Gentil Garçon Edited by Julien Amouroux

There’s something about anything French that just seems so effortlessly cool, so we were in awe of Tout le Gentil Garçon/All of The Nice Guy before we even opened its sturdy cover. What’s inside is an exhaustive, encyclopedic study of The Nice Guy’s world, as dreamed up by Julien Amouroux. It’s a baffling, beautiful, bilingual romp through a realm where art works, concepts and happenings sit side by side. Truth be told, we couldn’t completely get our heads round it but when it looks this darn good looking what’s a little creative confusion among cross-Channel cousins?
www.lesrequinsmarteaux.com/tout-le-gentil-garcon