The Brilliance!

Bape, bape, bape, bape. It’s almost out of control, but this is what ‘hype’ brands are supposed to be about. This particular collaboration is just FANTASTIC. The newer bape-camo pattern mixed perfectly with one of the most famous Kaws characters. As Nigo said, bape-camo is the Louis Vuitton monogram of high-end street street-wear and pairing it with Kaws in such a classic and simplistic format makes you realize how powerful brand-collaborations can be. A full-zip hoody in this pattern would be perfect for your next church youth-group paint ball outing. Check eBay and Concept Shop.

Apparently people hating on Pharrell only makes him stronger… This collaboration is bananas. Timbaland and the Neptunes doing a beautiful track together, what a combination. I honestly wondered if we would ever get a producer collaboration movement… This could be the start of it. This song is just perfect. Well, except Magoo. The Harmon/Kardon system gets turned down when his verse comes on. He has an embarrassing voice, but not near as embarrassing as getting caught listening to ‘Magoo’ all loud with your windows down. Pharrell does his thing (as usual) and I actually really liked Timbaland’s verses. Keep hating on Pharrell everyone, he just keeps getting better. This is just good music.

This man has an insane voice. Throw in any of Converge’s albums and you are immediately terrorized with fast, chaotic hardcore topped with a voice like a tortured cheetah, or maybe a pteradactyl. Its haunting and it’s not for everybody, but at the very least, he’s the best at what he does. Music aside, Bannon is one of the most well known artists in the hardcore/metal music scene. His epic, intense work is available for sale in the form of a beautiful giclee print from his site. So, you should buy one, but you should not be one of the kids at their shows with X’s on your hands, bandana around your face, dyed black hair and a lip ring. Come on. Everyone knows you are not as tough as you look Mr. Livejournal.

If you want to impress your girl, you don’t bring her downtown to the Cheescake Factory and back to your parent’s house to watch a movie you borrowed from your brother. You just get her in your car, drive around, and put in John Legend. She’ll see you have great taste. It’s got hip hop, soul, R&B, and classical piano all in one great album finished off with his incredibly smooth voice and lyrics. I think Best Buy has it for like $9.99 right now. If you can’t afford that, then chances are you’ve got a lot more to worry about with your girl than impressing her with some music.

Who can top this? For real, who can? Yohji Yamamoto X Adidas is Y-3, I really hope that isn’t news to anyone. Y-3 has the luxury sportswear/street wear thing in a death grip. The new line shows the true versatility of Yamamoto and Adidas’ incredible willingness to let Y-3 take creative risks. I’m loving the nautical theme shirts and jackets, so new and clean. Something I don’t think Y-3 gets enough credit for is the quality of their product… The fabrics, the cuts, the finishes, zippers, the seams, and overall attention to details are all so ‘thought out’ feeling. I would advise that you own at least one piece of Y-3. But please don’t buy one lime-green track jacket and wear it all the time, so obvious. They make stuff in black for that reason.

Everyday above ground is a good day, right? I drink champagne because everyday is a celebration, and because beer makes you look so ‘standard’ at the club. I mean, say Helmut Lang and Coors Light in the same sentence. You can’t. Veuve Clicqout is an amazing champagne. Newish but still classic, better tasting than Moet & Chandon White Star, and not too expensive. $36-$50 retail and $75-$150 at the club. A perfectly understated champagne… Unless your dancing with a bottle in your hand. THE BRILLIANCE loves the Veuve bubbles, so you should to.

I want to get this clear, THE BRILLIANCE is not here to show you all sorts of extravagant items. Things posted here are products we truly enjoy and appreciate. With that said, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak watch line is simply unreal. A brilliantly designed watch, that’s all there is to it. Founded in 1847 by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet, it represents the true art of time-piece manufacturing. The ‘skeleton’ watch (as shown) is so beautiful… Skip Rolex and pickup one of these. Or buy a house.

Upper Playground and Fifty24SF have recently released a beautiful, small, and interesting soft bound book that gives a good look into the beautiful drawings and artwork of Albert Reyes. The book titled “Don’t Give Up” is a truly inspirational look into the work of an artist who has the kind of skills with a pencil that many artists can only dream of. The book is about 5.5"x11" with an orange and black cover/spine/back. Looks hot on a coffee table next to that copy of Ebony you’ve got there.

I was at Borders last night because, well, I always go to Borders…but also because they finally reopened their new cafe as a Seattle’s Best Coffee, which I might add is very nicely designed and the cafe has very nice chairs and tables. Anyways, I’m looking through my usual stack of magazines, KING, Ebony, Hackers Quarterly, High Times, Pen World, and Kiplingers. Kiplinger’s had a great article on “How to Make a Million.” But it wasn’t about investing in stocks or winning it big in Vegas…actually, the headline for the article says ” You could marry rich, win the lottery, or, like these 12 people, have a goal and a plan for getting there.” I like that. The ‘Get Rich Quick’ thing is not a realistic perspective for 99.9% of people. The realistic perspective would be, like they said, having a plan and carrying out a dream or a vision for something. One of the most fascinating parts of the article is about the guys who started College Humor. 4 college kids with a good idea and now they’re expected to make, get this, $9 MILLION in profit in 2006. That’s unbelievable…very inspiring. Not trying to tell you to start a site that has fart jokes and girls gone wild videos all over it, but really, these guys just had a good idea and made it happen. Someone on del.icio.us linked THE BRILLIANCE one time and said we were a cool blog, but we were “wealth obsessed.” I thought that was kind of funny, kind of cool…but not true - it’s not about being wealth obsessed, it’s about being passionate about success and reaching dreams. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s the truth. I love seeing other people be successful if it’s been done in a way that they wanted, not what others wanted for them. Or someone who brings themselves from nothing to something. That’s what this is about. Anyways, check the article linked below or go buy the magazine. GIVE ME THE GOLD, I WANT THE GOLD.

Saab… It’s almost a confusing brand. I have always been a fan of their brand (read ‘The Branding Gap’) and the whole ‘feel’ of what Saab is. And I have taken one on a test drive when I was in buyer mode a while back. I am particularly interested in the Saab 9-5 Aero. I almost have a hard time writing my thoughts on it. I love the design, I love all Swedish design. I love the ‘quietness’ of the brand. They don’t say much, I like that. I like the owner group which is quite important to me as a buyer. Maybe I am just so turned off by the other competitors such as BMW and Audi. Either way, check the Saab 9-5 Aero, give it a second glance if you haven’t already.