a triple treat

It took some time before I got all three, what with authenticating procedures on two items, bidding time, payment handling and shipping. In the last five days, I’ve received three parcels from three different parts of the world. Three LVs from three different seasons. 

1

First up was shipped from London and is part of this year’s Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse Tribute collection. This piece has proven to be quite an elusive one as luck failed me in the three stores in Berlin, and my store couldn’t get a transfer from the British capital. With the help of the very chic and cool 00o00 who lives in London, he was able to get the last Graffiti tie from the Sloane Street boutique for me. 

Crafted in 100% silk with a delicious luster, the Graffiti tie is my first from LV. I’ve used it at Knut’s birthday party last weekend, where I wore it with a white collared shirt and a black waistcoat lending focus on the Graffiti signature. 

2

Up next was a rare never-been-used find at a Danish reseller site and shipped from its owner who lives in Paris. I believe it comes from S/S ’06 and features a tortoiseshell material that I find exquisite. Here is the Huntington sunglasses!

I instantly fell in love with the shape of the frames and even though I had no idea how it’d sit on my face I took my chance. Luckily enough, it’s perfect! The detailing on these sunglasses is superb and the engraved Louis Vuitton signature is something you don’t see much nowadays. Hello summer sun!

UPDATE: The obligatory modeling shot. LOL.

3

The last piece is something I’ve always wanted to get after seeing its photos from fellow owners deluxeduck (who I have to thank for his approving nod) and yed. Featured in the men’s S/S ’05 collection, the Initiales Tanger Sac Plat in Ebene is something that’s quite hard to come by but am now a happy owner of. Purchased from the same Danish reseller site, this bag in excellent condition was shipped from Copenhagen but was purchased in the Champs Elysees store by the previous owner.

This good looking tote features a geometric V imprint that’s taken from Gaston Vuitton’s personal monogram (source: deluxeduck), something that’s very striking against the brown Mini Lin canvas, calf leather trimmings and brass hardware. I have been using this in the least four days and loving it!

Here’s a composite shot of all three.

LVoe LVoe LVoe!

three

Three parcels. Three points of origin. Three seasons.

Tomorrow all will be revealed.

two

one

winner announced: the new deichman library at bjørvika

HAV Eiendom announced today the winners of the competition for the new Munch + Stenersen Museum and the new Deichman Library, both to occupy spaces beside the Oslo Opera House at the harbour district of Bjørvika in Oslo.

The design for the new Deichman Library was won by the Norwegian Lund Hagem Arkitekter and Atelier Oslo with their entry Diagonale.

The motto Diagonale seems to refer to both the sight line requirement, which has a distinct influence of the shape of the library, and the diagonal street that divides the A9 plot to give visual as well as functional access from the Akerselva Common to the Opera. The urban and commercial concept is very good.

Diagonale has a very good solution for the library. It neither has too many nor too few floors, and organizes the library around a beautifully shaped inner space that spans the building from roof to ground level. Diagonale consistently received the best rating from the librarians in the jury, and the general acclaim of the rest of the jury. Architecturally this is a proposal with great potential, while at the same time respectful of the position of the Opera.

Diagonale scored best on environmental issues of all entries. It can meet energy objectives well below official requirements and is well ahead of all others. The outer skin only has 20% windows. 80% is clad with a translucent nano-gel wall with very strong insulation qualities. This allows the library to be not only innovative in terms of library solutions, but also in technical matters. Future reductions of emissions and energy use will depend strongly on innovation. The jury wants to emphasize this.

 

With the newly opened Norwegian Opera House, the projected future Oslo Central Station (Oslo S) and these two new projects, Bjørvika is slowly changing the face of the Norwegian capital.

winner announced: the new munch area at bjørvika

HAV Eiendom announced today the winners of the competition for the new Munch + Stenersen Museum and the new Deichman Library, both to occupy spaces beside the Oslo Opera House at the harbour district of Bjørvika in Oslo.

The design for the new Munch area was won by the Spanish Herreros Arquitectos with their entry Lambda. The winner is chosen by a unanimous jury for being a complete and fully recommendable museum project that creates great potential for recreational and urban development.

Here’s the jury’s take on the winning entry.

Lambda creates a generous invitation both to the Museum and to the public access of the area in general. The location of the Museum on Paulsenkaia leaves the area south of the Opera open to a public park and recreational landmark in the middle of the bay overlooking the fjord, in close contact both with the Opera and the Museum. The project strengthens the river mouth, opens the landscape and gives public access to both sides of the river all the way out to the fjord. The position between Akerselva and Stasjonsallmenningen connects the Museum to the commons as well as to the harbour promenade and fixes the urban vision of the area as a whole. The main entrance facing north connects the building to the urban fabric and city centre.

The choice of location and the urban form of the building makes Lambda stand out as a beautiful contemporary museum worthy of displaying the important combined collections in the centre of Bjørvika at the edge of the fjord. The building adds to the silhouette of the Opera with a slight verticality, choosing a posture which shows a double attention towards the fjord and the city. The new building communicates with the Opera on the same level of importance and opens the new reading of the landscape and introduce a new type of public space and openness in the area.

The concept of the Museum is flexible and invites to create new relationships between the two institutions. Separate exhibition areas connected with a generous vertical communication makes it easy to compose and change different exhibitions. Both Munch and Stenersen can be expressed and redefined inside as well as outside the building.

It is light and translucent in contrast to the opera. It is displaying the movement of people in the facade in contrast to the people walking on the roof of the Opera. The Museum talks with both sides of the bay by placing the exhibition and working space east and communication and public flows facing west.

Lambda makes a public vertical statement that is more powerful than the commercial high-rise zone to the north. It is a statement of art and public accessibility to the fjord. The building is elegant and iconic in its simplicity and will be a light tower in the fjord introducing an amazing place for people enjoying the unique landscape of Oslo.

we heart kevin

Knut and I have been watching recordings of “Paradise Hotel” on TV3, a Norwegian franchise of the original American reality TV program. Apart from the bitchy girls who gang up on each other, it’s the boys that keep us glued to the show.

Well, just one boy actually. And his name is Kevin.

Kevin Guzon, 27, is the most gorgeous guy of the bunch in our opinion, with a killer smile and charming mannerisms. He’s also the most easy going person in the group, and the cutest clothing-wise what with a wardrobe that includes checkered shirts, pastel colored shorts and white wayfarers among others.

We’re unsure whether he’s Latino or Filipino (but Knut is rather sure he’s Pinoy) A friend confirmed he’s Filipino-Norwegian. In that case, he’s the guy we’d like to share our Paradise Hotel with. LOL.

We heart Kevin! Woot woot!

Update: We’re now FB friends! Lotsa’ pictures! Drools… Hahaha!

sunday coffee at wayne’s

Every Sunday afternoon, Knut and I would indulge ourselves with cups of caffe latte and bites of baked goodies while poring over the day’s newspapers at our neighborhood coffeeshop (read: Evita).

This time around, after swinging by the exhibition of 40 international entries for the new Munch  + Stenersen Museum (where Tadao Ando was one of the invited architects) and the new Deichman Library, both to occupy the spaces next to the National Opera by the time of completion, we walked westward and tried Wayne’s Coffee.

A Swedish import, the coffee shop by the National Theater at Vika is one of four Wayne’s Coffee in Oslo. It has stylish interiors with color palettes playing on greens and browns. The coffee choices are varied and the food selection decent. Literature includes coffee table books like this one on hip hotels in New York. I settled with a medium double shot caffe latte which turned to be a potent brew and a chocolate cookie. Knut had the same cup paired with a rich berry pie. I’d definitely come back here and would recommend it to my friends. 

The lamp.

The street view.

The window view.

The Louis.

crates…

…and the city