We made our way around L.A. over the weekend, spreading the Handsome word and in the process we’ve come across some super sweet street art, restaurants, clothing stores and ran into Lupe Fiasco.

We were pretty excited to stumble across some street art pieces by Space Invader, Shepard Fairey, Mr. Brainwash, Andre and Skullphone. Sidenote: Watch Exit Through the Gift Shop for some further education on those names. More pictures of all the artists’ work ahead.

Also next time you’re in L.A. here’s some of our favourite stores to check out:

South Willard

A sweet small store with a well curated collection of brands that’s free of all filler. Check it out for some Band of Outsiders, Dries Van Noten and South Willard’s in house brand.

Opening Ceremony

One of the coolest parts of the store is the fact that it’s in Charlie Chaplin’s former dance studio. The space is filled with the same brands that established Opening Ceremony in their New York flagship. You can go through some well chosen pieces from some of our favourites including Band of Outsiders, Acne, Pegleg, Dana Lee, and Alexander Wang.

Confederacy

Sharing the block with a massive Goodwill outlet, it was apparent that Danny Masterson’s store was taking a novel approach to high end retail. Their well chosen selection is housed in one of the nicest retail spaces we saw in the city. We walked through the high ceiling womens’ section, through the courtyard, passed Jon Hamm, and entered the super impressive menswear room. Racks and shelves of Patrik Ervell, Common Projects and Phillip Lim fill the space complemented by some telephone booth change rooms and a selection of photography books.

Also check out: Douglas Fir, Fred Segal, American Rag and Secret Service.

All photos compliments of Handsome Clothing Co.

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Grey is a bi-annual, hardcover photography magazine published in Milan. Introduced in its first issue as ‘a necessary return to the simplicity of beauty, the melancholy on each page recalls a humble antiquity that values the precious work of many’, the magazine is exactly that. Filled with imaginative editorials from cover to cover, the modelling and styling go beyond any expectations and leave readers in awe.

Via: Heart Side Up

More pictures ahead.

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Walking in Toronto along Queen St West near Ossington you may have been startled by the massive, billboard size photograph adorning the the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art. The photograph is actually a piece by David LaChapelle entitled The Rape of Africa and is going to be on display for the month of May for Toronto’s Contact Photography Festival. Here’s a little explanation of the piece via LaChapelle’s website:

His extravagant take on Sandro Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c: 1484) is enlarged to massive proportions in MOCCA’s courtyard. The Rape of Africa (2009) simultaneously references the grand architectural paintings of the Renaissance and the supersized advertising billboards of the present day. LaChapelle casts a regal yet passive-looking Naomi Campbell in the role of Venus, goddess of love and beauty, who is powerless to prevent the ravaging of both her body and land. A satiated Mars, the god of war, sits opposite, surrounded by gold and the spoils of his conquest while young boys playfully wield guns as if they are fashion accessories. Loaded with detail and symbolic reference to art history, current events and popular culture, LaChapelle’s contemporary allegory evocatively comments on the effects of war, mining and mass marketing on Africa. Adhered directly to the surface of the courtyard’s stuccoed wall, The Rape of Africa looks as much like a painting as a photograph, heightening the tension between the two mediums.

More detailed photos ahead compliments of John Elmslie as well as Sandro Botticelli’s piece that inspired LaChapelle’s.

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Banksy has brought some of his talent to Toronto in perfect timing for the release of his movie in our beloved city. We’re pretty excited about the murals that popped up in the city in the last day and we’re hoping more information will surface regarding the exact locations so all can check them out first hand.

More pictures of Toronto pieces ahead. Comment if you know where the pieces are.

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We came across an article from Inquiringmind Magazine from two years ago that features a lengthy interview with Zeb Munir and some insight into his retail space, Nomad. Nomad has been one of the top retailers for men in Toronto for quite a few years. It’s an interesting to see Zeb’s thoughts on the brand in 2008 and what has changed in the years that followed.

Inquiringmind also has a handful of interesting online articles including ones on ALIFE, Ibn Jasper, DJ Clark Kent, 88 Keys and North Face. Check them out.

For the graphic designers out there that haven’t had the chance to check out font house You Work For Them, I highly suggest you do. YWFT is a contemporary blend of fonts, stock vectors, brushes, and images created by a community of designers. If you frequent the pages of Need Supply, there’s a good chance you’ve been exposed to their elongated sans serif fonts. Their latest font Burocrata, is a personal favorite. YWFT: “Burocrata is a geometric sans-serif typeface suitable for display / headline purposes. It was influenced by the early mid-century geometric style imposed by Herb Lubalin.”

Additionally, YWFT has been working on an “image blog / community” since 2008 called Buamai that is simply amazing. I suggest taking a moment to check it out (correction: you will need a few hours), and a “word of warning, some images might not be safe for work.” (YWFT) Enjoy.

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Director, Jake Davis, debuted his latest project entitled Jack Davis Test Shots at (capsule) New York. For the project Davis combines fashionable personalities with some clean, filmed moments.

We were particularly excited about Test Shots’ latest feature of Zeb Munir, owner of one of the the top menswear spaces in Toronto – Nomad. The store is definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of some of Toronto’s exceptional retailers including Uncle Otis and TNT.

Two of our favourite designers have gotten together on a line and the result is phenomenal. Robert Geller and Common Projects have created a great collection that does justice to the strengths of both brands. More pictures of the lookbook created by Peter Poopat ahead.

“The idea was a cross-collaboration, where the Robert Geller crew designed leather goods; boots, a bag and belt, and Common Projects designed the clothes. Each brand would then produce the pieces the other brand designed. The result is the perfect outfit to take on a trip: A hat, trenchcoach, button up shirt, slim pant, razor thin belt, leather boots with removable spat and a suede weekend bag.”

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Dazed Digital recently caught up with street photographer Matt Stuart who’s exhibiting a decade worth of work he’s shot in London. What separates Matt Stuart from the abundance of photographers out there? He has the patience and eye for some exceptional fully candid shots.

Check out more pictures ahead of perfectly captured moments. You can read the full Dazed Digital interview here.

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In an ongoing mission to be the most mind-blowing organization in the world, NASA gives us a glimpse into their development of Robonaut. Robonaut’s a humanoid space robot that’s being created to assist astronauts while their doing work in the elements and pressure of outer space.

Robonaut is being refined for better use with tools to assist astronauts through remote control. Beyond that, one day they just may be Earth’s ambassadors traveling beyond where humans can get to.

More pictures and a video ahead.

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