When your reference material is a series of iconic designs from famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, you can be sure your home office is about to undergo a major, ultra-stylish upgrade.
Michigan furniture designer Steelcase teamed up with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to debut a new line of handsome, well-appointed furniture that brings new meaning to the “retro-meets-modern” aesthetic.
The collection draws on designs crafted by Wright in Racine, Wisconsin for the S.C. Johnson Administration Building, yet the line of desks and chairs looks every bit as fresh and crisp today as it did in the 1930s.
The building also held pieces of the original Racine Collection, and the current iteration features some helpful design upgrades while staying true to Wright’s original vision.
For instance: The chairs now boast four legs, rather than three, and were revamped with a larger size for today’s American man.
The Steelcase x Frank Lloyd Wright Collection also features a lounge chair, as well as the Signature Guest Chair (priced at $2,084) and the Racine Signature Desk and Executive Desk (available for $9,750 and $4,719, respectively).
The Racine Red design in particular is visually striking and a faithful homage to the first collection of Wright’s Racine designs, while the office furniture is also available in sleek Black and Walnut hues.
For true-to-form recreations of iconic original designs by a famed architect, the chair and desk options are priced accordingly–as in, an investment for your home office.
But with the rise in Work-From-Home set-ups, suffice to say that it could be the best home office upgrade you make for years to come.
IWC’s U.S. Navy-approved Pilot’s Watch Chronograph family is getting a new standard reference with a striking black dial.
Many of IWC’s Pilot’s Watches are trusted by aviators, but a special edition of the chronograph variant tied to 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick has been heralded by Captain Jim “Guido” DiMatteo, a former TOPGUN Commander who spent nearly 30 years flying fighter jets for the U.S. Navy.
“Robust and durable, it easily handles everything from being smacked against the inside of the cockpit during a dogfight to dramatic pressure changes, sustained G-forces, and even the intense accelerations and decelerations of catapult launches and arrested landings on aircraft carriers,” DiMatteo said in Rizzoli’s Air Time: Watches Inspired by Aviation, Aeronautics and Pilots, previously spotlighted in Maxim.
The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 shares almost identical DNA, including an IWC-manufactured, 231-part mechanical movement, which is visible through the sapphire glass case back and offers 46 hours of power reserve.
The 41mm dial is designed in the style of aviation instruments, with easy-to-read indicators like the stopped minutes at 12 o’clock, the minutes at 9 o’clock, the day/date aperture at 3 o’clock and small seconds display at 6 o’clock.
Available with either a black calfskin strap or a dressier five-link stainless steel bracelet, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 black dial is available to purchase from $7,600.
Even as the automobile industry is transitioning into a techier all-electric age, the throwback roofless roadster design continues to thrive in ultra-exclusive supercars like the Ferrari SP1/SP2, Aston Martin V12 Speedster, McLaren Elva.
This Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss, a 2010 example of which is up for auction at RM Sotheby’s, helped forge the template for those modern topless exotics.
Originally unveiled at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, this is by far the most extreme version of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, developed by Mercedes and its then-F1 partner McLaren.
Mercedes fans will recognize the “Sport Light Racing” abbreviation from the legendary, 1955 Mille Miglia-winning 300 SLR Gullwing, a prototype of which recently set the record at $143 million for the world’s most expensive car.
In the performance-focused spirit the classic gullwinged car, the SLR McLaren Stirling Moss—named for the Mille Miglia-winning driver—was 441 pounds lighter than the standard SLR McLaren and void of all creature comforts, including the roof and windshield.
This extreme diet obviously maximized the effect of the monstrous 650-horsepower, supercharged 5.5-liter AMG V8.
The desired results were achieved—Car magazine likened the acceleration and 3.5-second zero-to-60-mph time to “standing on the wingtip of a 747.” As for reaching the truly mad 220-mph top speed, the publication warned that only those “whose neck muscles can bear it” should make an attempt.
This example, one of 75 produced, is presented in “as new” condition with under 100 miles on the odometer. The combo of a metallic silver paint coat over a black and red interior serves as a modern twist on the 300 SLR’s racing livery.
This 2010 Merceds-Benz SLR Stirling Moss expected to fetch between $3.26 million and $4.35 million by the time bidding closes on February 8. Click here to learn more.
There are seemingly more ways than ever to shake things up at home from the comfort of your bar cart, but adding a few tools and tricks to the arsenal–like the forthcoming Maison Premiere Almanac–is always a wise move for the cocktail aficionado.
The famed Brooklyn oyster bar and restaurant debuts its first recipe book this April (in a handsome hardcover design for $40). The book promises, among other insights, 90 delicious recipes and a useful journey through bartending basics for the home mixologist.
There’s seemingly a luxe cocktail recipe book for every taste and preference, but the Almanac promises a much deeper experience beyond just those innovative recipes themselves (although, again, it’s never a bad thing to have a go-to drink on hand).
The book is touted as a “Maison Premiere artifact itself,” with an inside look at its inspiration, its refined and New Orleans-inspired, modern-meets-old-world aesthetic, and of course, the history of absinthe (a Maison Premiere staple) itself.
Even cooler and more illuminating is the Almanac’s guide to oyster pairings, plus plenty of helpful background knowledge on classic cocktails and Maison Premiere staples themselves.
Speaking of Maison Premiere cocktails: The Maison Premiere Absinthe Colada puts a new twist on a bold favorite, the distinctive taste of absinthe.
Fancy shaking one up at home in preparation for the release of Maison Premiere’s new book? Best to go right to the source with the recipe for one of the bar’s “five most famous cocktails.”
Here’s how it’s done.
The Maison Premiere Absinthe Colada
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon crème de menthe
½ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce Rhum J.M white rum
1 ounce Maison Coconut Syrup (page
176) 1 ounce pineapple juice
1 ounce Mansinthe absinthe
Mint bouquet, red-striped straw, for garnish
The Process:
Add crème de menthe, lemon juice, rum, coconut syrup, pineapple juice, and absinthe to a hurricane glass, filling the glass three-quarters of the way with ice.
Swizzle with a swizzle stick for 10 to 15 seconds. Top the glass the rest of
the way with ice.
Garnish with a mint bouquet and insert a red-striped straw.
Your next camping getaway just got quite a bit more interesting: Ardh Architects’ Floating Retreat concept offers up a good, long look at an otherworldly chance to sleep in camping pods suspended between two mountains.
The exotic endeavor takes shape in the Sharjah mountain range of the United Arab Emirates, never a locale to rest on its laurels when it comes to groundbreaking, luxurious design.
It’s quite the different spin on travel, suffice to say, compared to the fast-paced confines of Dubai, and Ardh Architects sought to design a space that “morphed with no boundaries” — consider their lofty goal achieved.
The experience also includes on-site shops selling local goods, for good measure — although the opportunity to commune with nature in its own right is likely worth the entire trip.
The Floating Retreat delivers a hearty helping of outdoor experiences alongside the chance to sleep in a transparent camping pod: The surrounding area encourages hiking, cycling and wadi treks.
The concept is an impressive one, a new take on cliff camping injected with a dash of rugged-meets-refined luxury.
Think outside the box on your next outdoor getaway, like Ardh Architects. and you very well might be rewarded handsomely with an out-of-this-world experience.
Just like jeans and sneakers or party dresses and pumps, boots and skirts are a fool-proof outfit combo. But, we get it: sometimes even the best wardrobe mates can get a bit boring.
So, in an effort to keep fashion fun—especially when we’re wearing boots on repeat—we’ve scrolled far and wide to come up with outfit inspiration that takes any skirt and boots look to the next level. Whether you go all in with a statement coat or jacket, play with pops of color or different textures, or just bring your A-game with accessories, it’s easy to create several different outfits using the boots and skirts that may already be in your closet.
Keep scrolling to see some fire ‘fits and shop key complementary pieces. We have a feeling you already know exactly which boots you want to wear with each outfit.
I consider basics to be the true foundational elements in my closet. It’s these versatile staples that act as the base pieces to my go-to looks and help to balance out the more trend-driven items. Given how important basics are to my wardrobe, I’m routinely on the hunt for fresh finds to build out my selection. And yes, Nordstrom is one of the retailers where I often find some of my go-to pieces.
If you too are into a good elevated basic and are also looking to add something new to your rotation, I decided to bring you a bit of shopping inspiration. I took a scroll through the new arrivals at Nordy to curate an edit of standout basics that I’m into and that I think could upgrade your wardrobe.
Keep scrolling to shop top-notch basics, including jeans, knits, jackets, and more.
At Who What Wear, we believe that getting dressed is more art than science. Personal style is, well, personal, and shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all rubric that only changes with the seasons.
However, every savvy dresser is almost guaranteed to keep three wardrobe staples in their closet: sling-back pumps, a perfectly worn-in leather jacket, and relaxed, straight-leg jeans. These three items can be mixed and matched together, or added to an otherwise average outfit for an instant upgrade. And trust us: these pieces don’t have to be expensive to look polished.
Ready to have effortless smart style at your fingertips? Shop a few of our favorite sling-backs, leather jackets, and jeans below, and keep them on standby for when your look calls for a hint of sophistication without becoming too haughty.