The Retrospective

Wexley School For Girls commands a cheeky, quirky, downright gutsy online vibe that falls somewhere between a Monty Python skit and a Yo’ momma joke competition. The Seattle-based marketing, branding, design, and interactive agency holds clients that range from car dealerships to Italian soccer boot purveyor, Diadora. The best part? Despite its varied clientele, everything [...]

For her Fall 2008 line, Bianca Benitez sought inspiration from Scandinavian folk art, mid century textile designer Alexander Girard, and the artwork of Mary Blair (best known for designing “It’s a Small World” for Walt Disney). In Spring 2009, she found inspiration in the iconic stylings of Sharon Tate and Priscilla Presley. With each line, [...]

It’s been a red letter week for The Retrospective. Pieces on Fred Flare and fashion firm Dolan Group broke through to the cool-o-sphere known as Notcot while Picocool picked up our first ever bilingual feature on Barcelona, Spain designers Alan The Gallant. We’re excited to be spreading the gospel of new, hip and happening to [...]

When you grow up with the members of Daft Punk and cavort around Hollywood with directorial royalty like Sophia Coppola, it’s almost a guarantee that every time we see you you’ll be doing something cool. Phoenix, my favorite Parisians, just happen to fit the aforementioned bill. Check out the video for their latest single, “Lisztomania,” [...]

America’s Next Top Model? Borrrring. Project Runway? Gross. How about a fashion storyline that inspires beyond the catty platitudes of reality TV. I’m talking about a story with soul. I’m talking about the story of one Hillary Justin; a tale as unique as the hemlines of the clothes she designs for Los Angeles-based label, dolan. [...]

Friday night, Fred Flare opened its doors for a party at their flagship store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The occasion at hand was a reception for the closing of “Your Message Here,” an installation that has been livening up their storefront for the past 40 days.

Artists Shauna Alterio and Stephen Loidolt, otherwise known as “Something’s Hiding [...]

Equal parts timeless elegance and rockstar rad-ittude, Barcelona design studio Alan The Gallant’s work is—to use a hopelessly bathetic phrase—just my cup of tea.

While ATG’s web work, album covers, identity pieces and neo-ornamental wallpapers are nothing short of enchanting (as discussed in Retrospective coverage from just over a month ago), I’ve got a little confession [...]

Imagine a device that can comprehend what you are holding, identify specific hand gestures, and even decode the physical make-up of any given object. At this February’s TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) convention, Pattie Maes and brainy MIT student Pranav Mistry debuted a working prototype that can do all of the above. Technology is now [...]

This past Wednesday, the Mother New York ad agency threw a major rager in honor of a couch. Okay, it wasn’t so much a rager, but it was a launch party for their latest creation, Mother Couch 2.0.

What is Mother Couch 2.0, you ask? In the words of the ad agency behind the couch: “The [...]

I think this lady is a real gem. A talented musician of Japanese-Swedish heritage, 28-year-old Maia Hirasawa hails from the seaside city of Gothenburg. Maia first got attention in her native Sweden when she performed accompanying vocals for the indie pop band, Hello Saferide. Last fall I had the pleasure of seeing the band perform [...]