Lima, city of villains?

My colleagues went to Peru couple of weeks ago. At the airport one of
them took a closer peek at the box of confiscated items..
Normally you'd have your average pile of lighters, perfume, nail
files, scissors, and in some rare cases a forgotten pocket knife, but
this was insane.
Did Rambo just pass by with Tony Montana, Ted Bundy and The Tool
Murderer?
- Sorry Sir, but I'm afraid you have to leave your Desert Eagle,
hammer (!!??) and HUGE knife here.
- Ah, si, perdon.
- Not at all "hombre", here's your boarding pass, have a nice flight
with Coca Airlines.
- Gracias amigo!
- De Nada!

On the other hand, at Newark International, you even look security in
the eyes and they'll book you.
Every time I come to Newark bordercontrol, I have these compulsive
thoughts: "OK, this time, I'm gonna tell the "homeland security" dude
to go fuck himself if he's rude, for real"
And every time it ends up the same way..

- 'You eyeballin me?
- No Sir, I'm not.
- What are you doing here?
- Ehrm, visiting maybe? Like the rest of the 400 people waiting in
line? In scorching heat I might add.
- Why are you visiting the US?
- But for christ sake!! It's like this every single time I come here!
I just spent a gazillion dollars on a ticket to your country.
The only thing I want to do is spend money and then go back home and
tell everybody how fantastic NYC is.
I fuckin had it with this Homeland Security bullshit, either close the
fucking border or start treating people civilized.
- That's it, you're going to Guantanamo fucker!
- No No No!! Wait, I was just thinking out loud!!

Until the US border control policy changes, (and the utterly rude
staff is sent to kindergarten) I will concider Obama no more than a
puppet on a string in the hands of the Right Wing Christians.

Um lavanderia muito bom!

One of the laundry facilities we work with is situated just outside
Porto. For those of you who haven't been to one, a laundry facility is
a magical place.
Stuff goes in, stiff, full of residues and starch, rather un-charming
and kind of lifeless most times. An hour or so later, after
sandwashing, stonewashing, different versions of golf-ball looking
thrown into large industrial size tumblers, enzymes and secret
concoctions the same product comes out, full of life, vivid and with
that perfect handfeel.
I never get tired of it, it's almost unreal how much a fabric can
change by finding the right combination of techniques.
This particular "Lavanderia" has the added charm of still being rather
old-school in the sence that "The Lab" isn't fully computorized.
There's still the sense of "Frankenstein stuff" going on. Potstills
are bubbling and theres people in white coats leaning over huge (and
very beatiful) filing cabinets checking what recipe they used last
time to get that perfect broken in feeling to a certain oxford
construction. And that's where the true magic is.
How much of softener? How long stonewash? Should we go for 60 minutes,
or will that break the edges on the collar? Should it be dried with
golfballs, dry or wet tumbling?
And that two ply italian poplin, should we just give it a rinse or do
we dare to give a couple of minutes in the tumbler with that new
square-shaped rubber thingy the technician asked us to try out, hmmmm..

Vroom fuckin' VROOM!

I seriously need to buy a motorcykel. Without a bike like this, my
life will never be complete.
Wife & Kids, you just became Numero Due on daddys "most loved" list,
sorry.
www.wrenchmonkees.com , the biker in me is alive, ALIVE!

The colors of the south

Jumped on a 50 minute flight to Ängelholm, in south of sweden, for a 3 day wedding.
Fantastic place, got kind of a Hampton feel to it.
(without the 400-million-dollar-for-a-tiny-house-stiff-upper-lips)
We're staying at a B&B at an artists house right on the beach. The dunes right outside the window and best of all, generations of gathering all sorts of small findings and knickknacks, most of them local and maritime. Old sea charts, flasks, various optic instruments, smashing.
If you're ever in this part of the country, I recommend you stay here for a couple of days.
www.gallerihyttstigen.se
(The website doesn't do the place justice, at all..)

Jackson Pollock

The Catalogue from 1963.
Printed on really heavy paper, very cool.
(10 out of 10 as a show off in the bookshelf)

Fashion Tale Magazine does it again!

I wrote about this fantastic magazine when they released their first
issue.
I then said it's very rare a new magazine blows you away. At the sneak
preview held today at Hotel Lydmar for their 3:rd issue, they did it
again.
There's one particular story (again shot by Kalle Gustafsson, styled
by Mona Norremo) that is, pardon my french, fucking beautiful.
It's a take on iconic pictures of Brando, Dean, McQueen &Co. Sound
like a rehash? Well, when done with such love (and understanding) for
the originals it don't matter, it's still right up my alley and I
swollow it, hook, sink and line. No Corona chaser needed.
I take a bow. (Continue like this and I will get a hernia)

Jackson Pollock

I haven't been very good at posting lately. (Sorry Claes..)
I just found the Jackson Pollock catalogue from his 1963 exhibition at
The Museeum of Modern Art in Stockholm
among the many books that my grandmother left me..that's kind of nice,
innit?
Pictures to come, stay tuned.

Japanese brand "The Superior Labor". Very nice indeed.
It's like the bastard child of an L.L Bean Tote and a vintage US Navy
equip bag, on steroids.
Japanese do it better.

The Adler Buckshot Brogues are finally mine.
Give me 2 months and they'll be just as nicely worn in as in the
second pic.
Now, all I need is a made to measure navy light weight wool suit.
Oh, wait, that's on it's way as well.
Life is good.

What I'd like to buy.

The new Margiela wallet in white calfskin.
Yes Please.

Best buy last week.
A vintage, ca 1910, Swedish hole punch, made by "Tengwall AB".
It's heavy as hell and makes a really nice, expensive sound. (best
described as "katchunk")
We're still using the same (crappy) 4-hole standard as back then so it
will actually come in handy at the office, and give a certain je ne
sais quoi to the hole-punching.
Maybe I could go all rabid and start shouting out loud random orders,
while making some holes to emphasize what I just said.
- NEED THOSE PICTURES OF OLD FISHERMEN, LIKE TEN MINUTES AGO!
KATCHUNK!!
Will be very appreciated.

I have Tourettes.

My wife tells me I have Tourettes.
She's confusing ADHD with Tourettes.
(She does that a lot, confuse things and words, one of the many
reasons why I love her)

She says I'm overly ambitious, addicted to Acetone and always put way
too much effort into things.
(She's right, I need to cool it a bit, I've been like the fucking
energizer bunny lately)
Whenever I get the chance I do Acetone printing.
It's a neat little trick I learned from Richard Hutchinson like 10
years ago when we worked at Acne together.
We threw a surprise dinner for a friend at Teatergrillen in Stockholm
the other day.
Made a note and a label for the birthday boy. Printed on the backside
of an antique french label and a sheet of paper (from 1905) pulled it
out from one of the old textile books I have laying around everywhere
these days.

Troy This

Click your way to:
http://www.myspace.com/troythis
Turn the volume to 11. (If you got Spinal Tap speakers, otherwise 10
will work) and listen to "Happy" ft. Robyn.
Don't say I didn't warn you, this shit is addictive!
As Claes Juhlin would say. Ja Jävlar!

Lacrosse

From the LIFE archives.
When browsing through these pictures I found myself returning to the
ones showing the scenes surrounding the game rather than the actual
game itself. Especially love the one with the cheerleader walking with
the guys after the game, and the one where one of the players is
chatting up one of the chicks on the side of the field.
It's memory lane.