Month: March 2019

Back in 1912, L.L. Bean’s Bean Boot was designed by founder Leon Leonwood Bean, and for the first time since, the boot just got its first redesign in collaboration with Maine-based outdoor brand Flowfold.

The new Bean Boot replaces the shoe’s classic leather upper with a durable sailcloth with X-Pac composite fabric. 

Fully waterproof, the duck boots have rubber chain-tread soles for traction on even the slickest, iciest, or wettest terrain, plus steel shanks for extra support.

The style comes in two colorways: a cool Heather Gray with Black and Graphite, and a warmer olive green with “Bean Boot Brown.”

They’re being made in small batches with about 156 boots per day for 30 days, so you better act fast to get your hands on a pair.

You can get the six-inch Small Batch L.L.Bean Boot right here for $139.

Idris Elba has confirmed in the past that he will not play James Bond after Daniel Craig leaves the franchise. Now we know why. 

In a new interview with the Daily Mail, the Maxim cover man explained that taking on the role of the storied British superspy would “solely define” him as an actor. 

“Bond is one of the biggest franchises in the world, and for that reason, whoever ends up playing it, lives it,” he said. “You’re THAT character, and known as that character for many, many years.”

“I’m creating characters now that can still live alongside Idris,” he added, “not ones that take over me and solely define me.”

There’s no denying that the Turn Up Charlie actor would make for an outstanding 007, hence years of stories linking him to the character. Elba has even leaned into the rumors, tweeting, “My name’s Elba, Idris Elba,” in August of last year. 

He fueled the Bond fire further when he shared a photo of himself and Craig at this year’s Golden Globe Awards. 

“We just did it on the spur of the moment, thought it would be a laugh,” Elba told the Daily Mail. “It was a selfie, didn’t realize it would be picture of the year.”

It sounds like we’ll never get to see a tuxedo-clad Elba armed with a suppressed Walther PPK and a spy-spec Aston Martin on the silver screen. But the British movie star is perfectly content to play the villain in The Fast and the Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw. 

“The Hobbs & Shaw character Brixton Lore is brilliant. Awesome. I’d love to see that franchise up and running, but it wouldn’t define me,” he said. 

See Elba in Hobbs & Shaw when it hits theaters on August 2, 2019. 

Collecting luxury timepieces can be puzzling. It’s hard to know where to begin when it comes to determining real value—and if the collection is geared toward later profit, it’s just as difficult sometimes to figure out what will one day prove it was worth the investment.  

Many legendary brands are no-brainers for those who can afford them—Patek Philippe, Rolex, Omega—but there are plenty of new luxury timepieces out there as well. And Watch Gang, a subscription service geared as much toward the needs of beginning collectors as  veterans, may be a great way to begin filling that first personal display case. 

Per Watch Gang, here’s a description of their service tiers:

• Original Tier ($29 a month with watches valued up to $150): One Eleven, Morphic, William L, So & Co, Oniss, J Brackett, Elevon, Wohler, Breda, Canton and Hall
• Black Tier ($99 a month with watches valued up to $500): Heritor, Out of Order, Citizen, Blacklist, Blackwell, Charles Hutton, Hornet, Jerome LeMars, Strumento Marino, Chronologia, Boldr, Deep Blue, Casio G-Shock, Fortuna
• Platinum Tier: ($299 a month with watches valued up to $1,500): Laco, Dreyfuss & Co., West End Watch Co., Aquanero, Dufa, Melbourne Watch Co., Terra Cielo Mare, Fortuna, Out of Order, Harbinger, Vanguard, Nautis

A sample two-month subscription to the Black Tier yielded interesting results—long story short, it looks like Watch Gang is the real deal. 

Example 1: The Heritor Morrison (see above). It arrived in a no-frills package, in the manufacturer’s box. While some googling was necessary for precise instructions on setting—which isn’t brain surgery, but you don’t want to break anything, either—the same search revealed the Morrison list price of $900.00. 

That was impressively outside the Black Tier’s promised $500 zone for a new timepiece—one that feels substantial and looks good with casual or business wear. 

Example 2: Out Of Order’s Nero Solo Acciaio, seen above. Out Of Order (OOO) is, by itself, an interesting brand with a funky approach to design. After all, it gives anyone a little pause to see their new watch labeled as “Damaged in Italy.” Apparently that’s just Out Of Order’s style.

The Solo Acciaio retails on the watchmaker’s site for just over $400 USD. In this case, the Watch Gang Black Tier subscription returned exactly what it promised. 

With its distressed steel band and casing and rugged rotating bezel, the Solo Acciaio is decidedly for casual wear. It screams, “I go with denim, leave that blazer in the closet.” It’s an excellent timekeeper with “Miyota 2115 japan quality” movement, according to OOO. If you’re nerdy enough to care, for example, its minute hand maintained sync with the atomic clock after more than a week.

Watch Gang’s Black Tier hit the sweet spot, especially if you’re open to less familiar mid-range luxury brands. 

It’s worth a shot for the new collector, that much is certain. To learn more about the service, you can read an interview with founder Matthew Gallagher here, read another review, or check out the site’s FAQ here, and see what you think. 

Aston Martin has over-delivered on their promise to endow the mighty Valkyrie with 1,130 horsepower. 

The venerable British automaker announced that that the forthcoming hypercar will actually boast 30 more horses for a staggering grand total of 1,160 hp at 10,500 rpm. 

Aston also claims that the hybrid drivetrain, which consists of a bellowing, 6.5-liter V12 and a Rimrac-designed battery-powered system, can sustain its maximum output at up to 11,100 rpm—a world’s first for a naturally-aspirated, road-legal ride. 

While Aston’s engine provides the bulk of the power, 160 hp come from the “E-Motor.” The battery pack integrates all relevant sub-systems and serves as the carrier for the vehicle’s power electronics. 

As Jalopnik notes, the Valkyrie also boasts F1-inspired tech, including the Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems that recovers energy lost while braking to power the car. 

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer previously told Maxim that the Valkyrie is designed to compete with the fastest models from supercar heavyweights like Ferrari and Lamborghini.

“We have to demonstrate to the customer that we have legitimacy in that mid-engine territory,” he said, “with cars that are seeking that last gram of weight reduction, seeking that last .01 of acceleration, seeking that last one mile an hour of top speed, really pushing the edges of technology.”

“And our showcase for that is Valkyrie.”

We can’t wait to see how it stacks up to other high-octane members of the 1,000-hp club.

The options can seem endless when it comes to engagement ring designs, making it near impossible to choose a style you love. But if you’re the type of bride who’s looking for something a little bit outside the traditional realm of engagement rings, you’ve come to the right place.

We spoke with independent jewelry brand Catbird, whose marketing manager, Sriya Karumanchi, shared, “For the past few years now, we’ve seen people really embrace rings with unexpected stones and cuts, a pretty significant departure from rings focused on the white diamond center stone. Opals, emeralds, deep sapphires, and gray diamonds in unconventional settings are some of our most popular this year.”

We’re noticing a major trend in ring designs that favor the unexpected and offbeat over the perfectly symmetrical. While design elements like clear diamonds and symmetrical settings have long been the standard for engagement rings, many brides are shifting how they place value in an engagement ring. “I think the perspective has shifted. The value of a ring doesn’t have to solely come from a set of rules determined by the jewelry industry—cut, clarity, carat, and color being the common ones,” Karumanchi explains. “The value is rooted in what you hold in the piece. It can be from the sentiment of a family heirloom, or maybe a special stone and motif that really spoke to you when you tried the ring on.”

Instead of simplistic placements, below you’ll find ornate settings on vintage-inspired rings. Instead of regular diamonds, you’ll see rich colors, and instead of round or square-cut stones, it’s the unexpected shapes you’ll find on the following unique engagement rings.

This post has been updated by Anna LaPlaca.

Choosing what to wear for a job interview can be a daunting task—especially if you happen to be interviewing with Anna Wintour herself. But the Vogue editor in chief revealed some wisdom that might actually put your mind at ease. In a new episode of the magazine’s Go Ask Anna video series, Wintour answers a reader’s question about what someone should wear for an interview at Vogue, and you can bet we’re taking notes. 

“It’s so interesting to me how people dress when they come in for interviews,” Wintour says in the video. “Sometimes you feel they’re wearing clothes that they just bought that morning or maybe the night before, and not something that in any way suits their personality and who they are. I think what everyone should remember, whether they’re interviewing at Vogue or indeed anywhere, that we’re not hiring your wardrobe. Your wardrobe is not going to be doing the job for you—it’s who you are.” In other words, never wear anything to an interview that doesn’t truly represent your style. 

She went on to give an example of an interview outfit she considered to be particularly memorable. “I’ll always remember a young man who came in in a dress and a handbag, and I gave him the job on the spot. You have to dress for yourself. I think it doesn’t do yourself a service to fake it.” Amen to that. Scroll down to watch Wintour’s full video, including her thoughts on the Kardashians’ style and her take on leggings. 

Next, the pretty dress trend that’s basically internet stalking me.