How exciting, we are proud to say we are going to be one of the first stores in the UK to stock an AMAZING new brand……Monoqool.
About Monoqool
In 2008, MONOQOOL was established north of Copenhagen by two Danes, whose vision was to bring new technology, design, and fashion to the modern eyewear industry. Their mission is to use the best from both worlds: to combine Danish design and an innovative mindset with Japanese craftsmanship and technology. Both owners have a life time experience doing business in both countries and one of them is still living in Japan with the responsibility for manufacturing. The idea behind MONOQOOL was to create something new. The result was two new concepts: the Helix series with its patented signature hinge and the Twins series with a three dimensional effect provided by its inventive double temples.
there’s a 10 year retrospective of the designer’s work on at the Groninger Museum in The Netherlands.
In the course of these ten years, Willhelm and Kraus have realized more than 30 collections. The exhibition will offer an extensive selection from these, with both men’s and women’s wear. Willhelm and Kraus’s unconventional fashion is characterized by an outspoken visual language in which they give expression to the grotesque, the childish and the fantastic, which they transform and combine in an unparalleled way with elements from pop culture and haute couture.
The outfits are presented in an associative and intuitive way, in exceptional tableaux that highlight and contextualize the background and inspiration of the designers. The fashion designers invited Zana Bosnjak, a scenographer who lives in Berlin, to take charge of the art direction of this exhibition.
Bernhard Willhelm & Jutta Kraus Groninger Museum (Netherlands)
13 December 2009 – 11 April 2010
Andy Wolf combines style with social responsibility
A piece of home – not seen through rose-coloured glasses
Andy Wolf showed with its first collection of glasses from 2006 that the Austrian label is counting on values. Values like homeland ties, quality, uniqueness, attention to detail and social responsibility – these values are not only applied on their employees but also on the environment. This is why the magazine of the collection “Opposite of Sleeping Rough” is not portraying glasses but instead people from the VinziDorf in Graz, a social institution that gives shelter to homeless people.
Besides timeless chic the design of the Andy Wolf collection also transports a statement: the elaborate glasses are entirely manufactured in the Styrian city Hartberg. “We are not interested in outsourcing our production process to low-wage countries in order to reduce costs. Each pair of glasses is a unique handcraft – a high quality product made to 100 percent in Austria. Quality that could not be reached with mass production”, comments Katharina Plattner, managing partner of Andy Wolf.
“Especially now within the economic crisis we are proud to guarantee and create jobs in Austria. For that reason Andy Wolf is more than fashion”. The Andy Wolf magazine shows people who received help by the outstanding social institution VinziDorf after having lost their perspectives.
Pioneers who give shelter
Since 1993 the Vinzi community is situated in the Styrian capital Graz and offers homeless people shelter and a live in dignity. “Due to the VinziDorf nobody has to sleep rough. This remarkable fact makes Graz differ from other cities. Andy Wolf is eager to promote this unique project worldwide and to spread the word”, tells Plattner.
The guiding principle “home for homeless” does not claim to cure drug abuse but offers addicts a community and care. In the VinziDorf people find a place to be who have not been tolerated in other social institutions. This exceptional model offers shelter without restrictions. “Our magazine does not show Andy Wolf glasses but extraordinary pictures from this social fringe group and a documentation of this pioneer project.”
Handmade in Austria
Within the production process every item has to pass a series of manufacturing steps and quality cheques, which turns every Andy Wolf product into a unique piece of handcraft: “Finishing a pair of glasses takes several weeks as every single piece is handmade. The spectacle frames not only stand for style and elegance but also make you completely forget that you are wearing glasses”. The spectacle frames are made of acetat plates and prevent tension with the glass, they are hard-wearing and long-lasting.
media contact:
Katharina Plattner
Press information
Styrian label Andy Wolf presents its first female collection
Bettie, but not the girl from next door
Bettie Page used to be the most popular pin-up-girl of her times. Her guiding principle ‘Burlesque insted of cheap striptease’ turned her into an icon of the fifties. Now the eyeglasses label Andy Wolf created a collection of five female designs inspired by probably the best pin-up of all times. The glasses are not only full of playful sensousness and timeless chic but also make you shine big time. By expanding its collection the Austrian manufacturer further strengthens its position as a trendsetter within the high-end-market segment.
Not being fully undressed used to be the principle of the legendary Bettie Page – a philosophy that Andy Wolf applied on its first female glasses collection. These glasses are more than accessories; they are handmade pieces of art. “With that collection we aimed to bring out pure femininity and timeless elegance in our female wearers – all inspired by the 1950s”, comments Katharina Plattner, owner and manager of Andy Wolf. As the Styrian Label is well established on the market since 2006 it was about time to create a collection far away from unisex and male dominated silhouettes.
Not the girl from next door
Bettie Page never described herself as the girl from next door – glasses made by Andy Wolf are in the same way unique and distinctive creations. Wearing one of the five models “Eyefull”, “Wink”, “Titter”, “Black Nylon” or “Beauty Parade” brings out fashionable female beauty paired with self confidence. The models carry the names of the men’s magazines that used to show Betty a thousand times. Every single model truly represents style and quality by Andy Wolf and is manufactured to 100 percent in the Styrian city Hartberg.
Handmade in Austria
Within the production process every item has to pass a series of manufacturing steps and quality cheques, which turns every Andy Wolf product into a unique piece of handcraft: “Finishing a pair of glasses takes several weeks as every single piece is handmade. The spectacle frames not only stand for style and elegance but also make you completely forget that you are wearing glasses”. The spectacle frames are made of acetat plates and prevent tension with the glass, they are hard-wearing and long-lasting.
Eddie Jordan attends the F1 Charity Party in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital at the Victoria and Albert Museum on June 17, 2009 in London, England.
(Photo by Tim Whitby/Getty Images Europe)
he origins of April Fool’s Day are rather obscure. There are several takes on it, most of them revolving around the tale of a changing calendar system with massive mockery made of those still following the older dates. But, whatever the origins, the idea and practice of April Fool’s Day is not obscure at all. We started with small practical jokes in school, telling unsuspecting boys that their zippers are open when they’re not.
As we get older, the jokes grow in sophistication. Corporations and news agencies join the fun. BMW, for example, is well-known for the annual April Fool adverts that is worth a separate article on itself to go through. In one of his recent posts, SBY listed a few pranks from the manufacturers themselves. In fact, our friend himself also perpetuated another joke of his own (remember the Chinese Rolls-Royce?), though I have yet to check if he manufactured it himself, or sourced it externally.
I must admit that when I first saw the the “Geely GE”, I went to double check on Google, found nothing of the sort and realized it was a prank. In my defence, since I saw it on the 31st of March, it doesn’t count. Usually, we would fall for the first one of the day, and for the rest of the day, we remain in super-alert, super-vigilant, anti-April-Foolsmode until the end of the day. Any news that’s even remotely shocking is treated with complete scepticism, and men would ignore comments of “Your fly’s open” when it really is.
For this year’s Fool’s Day, as I prefer to call it, I was spared most of the pranks, because I was effectively spending half of the day on the PLUS highway driving from KL to Penang to meet Eddie Jordan. Yes, Eddie Jordan of Formula 1 fame. Ever since selling his beloved “rock-and-roll” F1 team to the Midland Group in 2005, the man has been touring with his band “Eddie & The Robbers” and is now a commentator with the BBC for F1 races.
He’s in Malaysia for the Sepang GP, and Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa Penang hosted him in a special dine-in session with guests and members of the media at their in-house restaurant, Feringgi Grill. I was invited to represent AW, and as I was packing for the event, I could not find the spare batteries for my camera, and thus, had no choice but to leave with whatever juice I had left. As luck would have it, and aptly on April Fool’s Day, my camera ran out of batteries in the midst of covering an event. It was a moment for expletives.
This piece almost became a one paragraph fare that read like this: We had dinner in the same restaurant with Eddie Jordan. In between dishes, he took the microphone, reminisced of his time in F1, having the crowd in stitches. After dinner, Eddie & The Robbers enthralled the crowd with a performance of rock-and-roll. End of story.
In-house restaurant of Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, Feringgi Grill, hosted the event.
That would have been a massive cop-out on my part, but as I soaked in the ambience sans camera, I had plenty of time to reflect upon Eddie’s wise words as he spoke. His charm is legendary, and it was obvious, from the moment he spoke, that he is an accomplished story-teller, with his moderately thick Irish accent adding plenty of flavour to his words.
Eddie Jordan with his legendary charm…. then my batteries went flat.
Jordan founded team Jordan Grand Prix in 1991, and was responsible for giving the likes of Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine, Alessandro Zanardi, Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher their F1 debuts. Jordan himself admitted that these guys were all groomed to be sold to other teams for a tidy profit. In his own words, Jordan spoke ofFerrari, who signed Irvine from him, ”I absolutely fleeced them,” then raising his glass, “Here’s to Ferrari.”
He also went on to label Irvine a “cheeky b*st*rd”, when asked “Who was, not the fastest, but the smartest driver you’ve ever had?” He recounted how, in 1996, after reaching an agreement with Ferrari to sign Irvine, with a considerable profit for himself also on the table, the Ulsterman almost scuppered the move by telling Jordan how “he couldn’t leave and that the Jordan team was like a family to him.” Jordan eventually sent Irvine a “one million” (the currency was not mentioned) pay off to get him on his way.
In their tumultuous history, Jordan Grand Prix did reach a few highs, springing massive surprises against more powerful opposition. They finished a respectable fifth placing in their debut season in 1991, had both drivers on the podium in the 1995 Canadian GP, and had Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher securing a memorable 1-2 finish in the 1998 Belgian GP. However, putting all those heights aside, according to Eddie Jordan, the team’s biggest success was simply to survive. He remains extremely proud of his small “rock and roll” team, who were playing with the big guns of Ferrari, McLaren and BMW and sufficiently held their own.
Also according to Jordan, and he might have ’spiced up’ the tale a little, Bernie Ecclestone once labelled him and his team as a bunch of “f**king robbers,” to which Eddie replied, tongue-in-cheek, “Thanks, that’s a great name for a band,” and with that, Eddie & The Robbers were born – comprising of Eddie on drums accompanied by Johnny (keyboard & vocal), Pete (bass & vocal) and Matt (guitar & vocal). The quartet, after delivering a couple of renditions at the end of the function, were also scheduled to perform at Hard Rock Cafe in KL on the 3rd & 4th of April.
It is worth noting that Jordan’s childhood ambition was to be a dentist before he was seduced into the world of motor racing. As I reflected on the things he said during the dinner, and also on articles about him, I would imagine that a person of his colourful experiences would have very few regrets, if any. I am sure that all of us, at some point of our lives, would have been faced with choices that would ultimately shape the destiny of our lives – whether we live a life of greatness or mediocrity, of peace or chaos.
The name of the function, Life in the Fast Lane, pretty much summarizes Jordan’s life. Many of us go through our lives driven to survive. The concerns going through our minds would revolve around bills, debts and various other issues to make ends meet come the end of the month. Frustration inevitably creep in, we become exhausted zombies, and many complain of job dissatisfaction.
Somewhere along the line, Jordan must have been faced with one of those life-shaping decisions, and I would surmise, he must have made his choice driven by passion, which in recent times, I found, is a motivator far more powerful than the dollar sign.
It is now a tradition that after the chequered flag falls on the final race at the British Grand Prix, the fans are let in to the centre of the circuit where a massive stage has been set up for the British Grand Prix Party.
Hosted by Tony Jardine, the party is a mixture of music and driver / celebrity appearances. This years music was supplied by regulars Eddie and the Robbers (featuring Eddie Jordan on drums) and Rolling Stones tribute band, The Counterfeit Stones.
Whilst the music creates a good atmosphere, the undoubted draw of the event are the driver and celebrity appearances. Once again, Tony Jardine did a marvellous job of whipping up the crowds support with rallying cries for the British Grand Prix to remain at Silverstone, pantomime jeers at the mention of Michael Schumacher, and altogether more heartfelt decrying of Max and Bernie!
The drivers present all seem to treat the event as a chance to genuinely interact with the fans and speak their minds much more freely than when they have a TV camera and microphone shoved in their faces post race.
This year some of the highlights included Eddie Jordan very vocally telling Max & FOTA to stop messing with a sport that belongs to the fans, not them. Lewis Hamilton cheerfully admitting that his 2009 McLaren is a dog of a car, Nelson Piquet letting on that Flavio is a bit of a tough boss to please, and Kazuki Nakajima revealing that the Toyota owned Fuji circuit is not a patch on Suzuka.
The party bosted an impressive roll call of drivers past and present including Johnny Herbert, Nelson Piquet Jr, Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart, Derek Warwick, Kazuki Nakajima, Nico Rosberg, Damon Hill, Lewis Hamilton (and Pussycat Doll girlfriend), Ross Brawn, Rubens Barichello, Jenson Button, David Coulthard, Martin Brundle, Jake Humphrey, Eddie Jordan, and of course Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Mark Webber and Sebstian Vettel.
Well, well, well… welcome back to the BBC Formula 1. I’ve missed you!
I am writing this on a flight between Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur where we’re flying for the next Grand Prix. It is round two of what has started as a knockout season, and we’re expecting more fun and games this coming weekend – rain is predicted.
I am not sure what your perspective was of the Melbourne race but I thought you might like to hear mine.
It started with total disbelief that it could possibly be time to get out of bed.
The night before the entire team decided that after qualifying we should go out for a bonding meal, as for many of us this is the first time working together.
It was delicious. Well, the few sips of a well-needed pint were, until word filtered through that there may be an issue with Toyota’s rear wing.
Cue a dash all the way back to the circuit in the dark to track down the Toyota boss John Howett, get the full sp and then re-record the closing link for the re-run of qualifying that was transmitting minutes later.
I love this type of skin of your teeth, reactive broadcasting and the teams were very understanding of our extra-late shift, so kept us happy with coffee and rather odd apricot pastry things.
We piled in the car at about 12.45am local time, back to the hotel 1.15am, into bed 1.45am.
As I was drifting off, all my brain kept asking me was “when are you going to write the script for the race show then”. Blasted conscience!
So, as I’m sure you can appreciate 6.30am was a little uncomfortable, but there was little option so I had a cool shower and got to work writing, stopping for a coffee about 10am and for a live interview on the phone (whilst ironing my shirt for the show – the glamour) with Steven Nolan of Five Live.
I arrived at the circuit via cab with Eddie Jordan and Lee McKenzie at about 11.30am. I chatted through the show with Mark the boss – we’d totally rewritten the running order to reflect qualifying. I then got changed in the back of the edit suite whilst the guys put the finishing touches to the Jenson/Lewis VT… they kept their eyes firmly on the screens!
I then met up with the boys (David Coulthard & Eddie Jordan) who had texts from various celebrities. Whilst Eddie’s best wishes came from the likes of Mick Hucknall I was quite happy and rather impressed to get my dad’s message to say that in Upper Stoke they’d let the dogs out and were nervously eating toast.
Then it was time to get mic’d up and host my first ever live F1 race. Totally surreal.
Two minutes to on-air and into the pit lane. The first thing you aren’t expecting is the number of people. DC took us through the Red Bull garage as the team put the finishing touches to Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel’s cars and we emerged into a pit lane that resembled Wembley Way five minutes after the final whistle.
We walked down to the Brawn garage, where we opened the show from. Rather surreally DC was played a tune on a bagpipe by a random guy wearing a kilt standing on four-foot stilts… that’s my overriding memory as The Chain introduced our first race on the Beeb in 12 years.
After that most of the following couple of hours were a blur. We had a couple of hairy moments. When the jets were screaming a few hundred feet overhead and simultaneously the cars were leaving the garages, for example, I couldn’t hear EJ or DC talk, the gallery issuing me instructions, or myself think. Puts into perspective just what a talented pro my predecessor Steve Rider is.
Relieved Sir Richard Branson kept it clean. Happy with how Eddie and David slipped into their new roles, seriously impressed by Martin Brundle’s gridwalk and quite happy when I was able to hand over the reins to commentator Jonathan Legard.
It was then a case of watching the race unfold in the Red Bull area with the guys, I’ll blog another time about how incredible it is watching the race alongside proper experts… a unique insight.
Before we knew it though the race was coming to an end and it was back to the mayhem, standing just under Jenson, Rubens and Jarno enjoying their champagne moment. The pit lane was now full of cars, mechanics, celebrating Brawn GP guys and what seemed like a million TV crews.
Now, the team off-camera all wear our uniform of blue tops with the yellow BBC Sport logo and as I’ve just learned, that is almost the most important element of the whole weekend.
Here’s why. Take the press conference for example, there’s no way of us knowing how long it will last, but whilst it is being transmitted we have to get from pit lane to paddock.
Not easy when dodging crowds and equipment everywhere, especially when it’s your first time in that environment. I kept my eye on the blue shirt of my right-hand man Steve Aldous’s shirt as we jogged, sidestepped, doubled back and finally found our pre-determined paddock spot.
I recall hearing Norma the PA say down my ear, “10 seconds left on VT we believe”. I breathed out, turned to my left… NO PUNDITS!
Cue sheer panic as I tried to pick out the distinctive figure of DC and the diminutive Eddie amongst the crowds. At the last minute I saw them, did my best face of panic, they got the message and with moments to spare they were in position.
Then I just had to get us off air to the second and I managed it, just, which no doubt pleased Norma.
We then did the interactive F1 Forum live via the red button. By the way I’m keen to make it much more of an interactive experience so after the Malaysian GP do press red and also send us your questions/thoughts about the race to f1@bbc.co.uk.
I know many of you enjoyed Martin joining us, and hearing from the Force India boss Vijay Mallya. The general consensus if you didn’t manage to join us was that the day belonged to Brawn, and Jenson in particular.
It was also agreed that overtaking did seem more prevalent under the new regulations, that Lewis Hamiltonproved, like a true racer, that he doesn’t just drive great cars, and that this could shape up to be some season.
Then, finally, the words we all enjoy after a long day: “That’s a wrap”.
Well, I hope you found my little tale interesting, it’s just that I’m often asked what actually goes on during a show. So I hope I shed a little light on it for you. And as for the show, well it was basically an on-air pilot, our first crack at it. A totally new experience for many of us and a good starting point but all we’ve done is set the minimum standard in my opinion – and now we do it all again in six day’s time and for the next seven months.
By the way, the day ended with me ducking out of a nightclub at about 2am with very droopy eyelids, and still no text from Mr Hucknall!
See you all in Malaysia and thanks for the lovely comments you left on the blog. It meant a lot.
This first video is our arrival in Monaco for race day. Thanks to the cost of actually staying in the Principality we were a fair drive away and this was shot about 7.30am. I saw the smoke coming from the hillside…not sure what it was but it encouraged me to get out my camera. As you can see Ledgy is in the car and we have a rather well known driver too…
I am a bit of a sporting geek – you may have spotted. I particularly love sporting history and even last week I went to visit a friend in hospital in South London and drove to Plough Lane where Wimbledon FC played until 1991.
What you don’t see on air. Well played John for going the extra mile for the perfect shot of EJ. We were all keen to do a link in the Jacuzzi but for some reason the bosses weren’t as keen….strange!
And once the race begins the work doesn’t stop. Making notes, scripting the “outro”, watching the action… that’s me. As for David and Eddie….
So there you go. The Monaco GP through my eyes. You know, looking back at it, not diving in the Jacuzzi was a missed opportunity I think. Oh, well, maybe next year if I can find a six-pack somewherebetween now and then!
Ps. To find out what my race weekend is like you can also follow me on my new Twitter account:www.twitter.com/jakehumphreyf1
Replay – Monaco F1 forum
A full replay of the F1 forum as Jake Humphrey is joined by Eddie Jordan, David Coulthard and Martin Brundle to discuss all the action from the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix.
The AgenC was started in 1993 in the sleepy, but beautiful hollow of Cape Town in South Africa by Jonathan van Blerk. In 2001 after 8 years in the South African market we broadened our horizons to Sub Saharan Africa and then in 2003 set up our main base in the hub of London in The United Kingdom and have over the last 6 years established ourselves as the premier agents to the top stores in The United Kingdom and Ireland too.
It is a very simple idea and company in that it does not work on the pretence of anything other than being “agents” to manufacturers creating glasses and sunglasses of a very high quality where they are not ethically challenged…the core criteria being that they manufacture and control all their own product, and more than anything their image and quality standards must be of the highest in the industry. These can’t simply be products, but have to be great products, created by great people, who run great companies in the best possible way.
Passion is the key to the success of The AgenC.
The current team has now increased in that Dharmen Soneji heads all the customer services and runs the office from Esher in Surrey. Dharmen has also been integral in launching The AgenC’s latest brand, Cheap Monday, from Bergen in Norway, a new exciting addition to The AgenC.
Oliver Hariani is the person to contact in relation to Paul Frank, from The OC in The USA as well as Andy Wolf from Hartberg in Austria and IDC from Marseilles in France.
Mykita from Berlin in Germany has now become one of the world’s most sort after Optical Brands and has become established as Mykita United Kingdom, Mykita Ireland and Mykita South Africa, which Jonathan van Blerk proudly looks after and has established it with the Very Best Opticians, Optical Boutiques, Fashion Stores and Boutiques to be found in The United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa.
MYKITA & ROMAIN KREMER
Limited Edition SS2010
Romain Kremer’s SS 2010 collection is inspired by the future and attempts
to transcend the prevailing pessimism in the world today (radioactivity, global
warming etc.).
The collection places as much emphasis on skin as it does on the actual clothing
and is based around lycra. The material is used to simulate a second skin
as the ultimate UV protection. The fabric is aerodynamic and very close-fitting.
The circle is a crucial design element: the all-encompassing notion of the
infinite, layers and skin.
The collection, ranging from micro-tops and swimming trunks to towelling
jackets and also transparent jackets, is designed for the self-assured man.
The body expresses itself, reacting against isolation.
Some faces are masked or covered with fabric, evoking a sense of suffocation,
and contrast with the fluidity of draping. Terry cloth fabrics in turn evoke the
leisurely feeling of summer and the beach.
MODEL *ROMAIN* black | silver
To complete this conceptual collection Romain Kremer called upon
MYKITA, couturiers of sheet-metal eyewear, to develop matching sunglasses.
The ROMAIN frame is cut out of 0.5 mm stainless steel and features metal
shutters. The design borrows cues from traditional Inuit eyewear, which was
designed solely to provide protection from dazzling sunlight and did not have
conventional lenses. The very graphic and square-edged frame is inspired
by the collection’s leitmotiv of protection and is reminiscent of war face paint.
The ROMAIN model comes in two bi-coloured versions: a matt black exterior
with a steel high-gloss interior, and in a glossy steel exterior with a violet-finish
interior.
ROMAIN is limited to 50 frames per colour and will go on the market in
November 2009 – available at stores such as Kokon to Zai in Paris, Joyce
in Hong Kong and Seven in New York.
MODEL *ROMAIN* silver | violet
About Romain Kremer:
27-year-old Romain Kremer burst onto the fashion scene at the Hyères Festival
in 2005. Recently described by Wound magazine as one of the new guard
of designers at the forefront of men’s fashion, the Frenchman’s adventurous
cuts and colour palettes are supremely innovative, creative and unique. His line
is stocked at Seven in NY, Maria Luisa in Paris and Joyce in Hong Kong
among others.
About MYKITA:
A constant search for intelligent technical solutions, the creative use of modern
materials and a wealth of experience in eyewear design are the defining factors
behind the spirit of MYKITA’s collections. All frames are hand-assembled
at MYKITA’s own workshop in the heart of Berlin. From here, the frames are
distributed throughout the world to high-end opticians, fashion boutiques
and department stores.
MYKITA’s new engraved metal frames
Autumn/Winter 2009
MYKITA has a technique for engraving metal frames that is unique within the
eyewear sector. The intricate finishing process sets new standards in its field
and was developed in-house at MYKITA’s Berlin workshop.
The 2009 autumn/winter collection sees MYKITA launching two new
extraordinary engraved patterns: TRELLIS and BEAD. Both designs are
reminiscent of the weird and wonderful world of M.C. Escher. The artist’s
fascinatingly paradox prints became iconic works of 20th century Pop culture
and have been reproduced on everything from posters to T-shirts and even
record album covers.
MODEL *ANNA* browntrellis
TRELLIS is a mesh-like design comprising repeated shapes that evoke
the geometric pattern of an ice crystal. The interlocking lozenge forms
provide a harmonious contrast with the sweeping contours of the frame.
TRELLIS is available in the retro-style models Anna and Anton.
BEAD comprises juxtaposed circles that in their resulting arrangement
resemble a Penrose tiling. Bernhard and its little brother Barney feature an
enticing contrast between the bold, angular frames and the delicate BEAD
engraving design.
Both designs are available in PVD-metallic black and brown finishes (PVD –
Physical Vapour Deposition). BEAD and TRELLIS will go on the market
in August 2009.
MODEL *BERNHARD* blackbead
FLASH SS2010M
Exploring the realm of the nude
MYKITA’s fashion line, FLASH, is launched four times a year to coincide with
the Paris fashion week calendar. For SS 2010 MYKITA
presents two new
unisex frames: WINSTON and RODNEY. Cut out of ultra-thin stainless steel,
these lightweight frames combine comfort and wearability with a strong
and substantial look.
The fruit of experimenting with the lens-versus-frame size ratio, both models
reference protective eyewear used for mountaineering, diving or welding.
WINSTON’s oval-shaped lens is particularly reminiscent of old explorer-style
glacier glasses designed for the extreme cold. RODNEY has a more square-
shaped form. Both models feature a very broad nose bridge area, a result
of the play on the frame-lens ratio.
This FLASH collection comes in three colours: indigo, ivory and nude. The matt
finish is applied by hand in a series of coats. The inside of all frames constitutes
just raw but highly polished stainless steel.
The indigo frames exude a certain mechanical feel, while the ivory-coloured
models contrast nicely with their solid, dark brown lenses. Nude is the most
un-usual of the three, giving the impression of the frame melting into the face.
The tone-on-tone scheme renders this model almost invisible, with only the
brown gradient lenses standing out.
FLASH *RODNEY* indigo
FLASH *WINSTON* nude
MYKITA
Clippings
18.07.09 -
24.07.09
VOGUE –
Portugal / August 09
ZOOT –
Portugal / August 09
GALA –
Germany / June
09
Wolfgang Joop in „Fanny“.
Backstage at his Show in Paris
Brigitte –
Germany / July
09
LE MONDE L´OPTIQUE –
France / July
09
FALTER –
Austria
/ July
09
SLEEK –
Germany / Spring 09
INDIE –
Germany / Summer 09
GQ –
France / August 09
WWD –
USA / July
09
HENDES VERDEN –
Denmark
/ July
09
MARIAGESOCHIC.com
–
France / July
09
MISS.at
–
Austria
/ July
09
LUNETTESATTITUDE.com
–
France / July
09
LUNETTESATTITUDE.com
–
France / July
09
ALEX KAPRANOS –
June
09
Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand backstage during the
2009 Glastonbury Festival –
Day 2 Somerset, England – 27.06.09
ALEX KAPRANOS –
June
09
Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand backstage during the
2009 Glastonbury Festival –
Day 2 Somerset, England – 27.06.09
Those blokes who entertain us on either end of the race were on stage. Man am I glad its back on the BBC. They are really showing how badly ITV sucked
MYKITA was founded 2003 by Harald Gottschling, Daniel Haffmans, Philipp Haffmans and Moritz Krueger. What to some may sound like an Asian-style name was in fact inspired by the firm’s first premises – a former day-care centre for children (in East Germany abbreviated to „Kita“).
Just a year later, the world was introduced to MYKITA *Collection No.1* – an evolutionary step up in terms of both design and exclusivity. The all-new range of metal frames was unveiled at the Silmo international eyewear fair in the fall of 2004. A highly innovative functional design comprising simple plug connections made complex soldered joints and screw connections redundant, while the frames themselves were cut out of stainless sheet steel before being folded into form. As well as being incredibly light, the latter could be adjusted to the wearer thanks to a wide variety of configuration options. The corrective spectacles andunglasses in the collection ranged from the classically elegant to avantgarde designs in a wide range of frame colours. A frame for every face. Exactly two years later, a new collection was unveiled at the 2006 Silmo. In a marked departure from previous frames, MYKITA *Collection No.2* were made from full-bodied acetate – a material that enjoys a huge tradition in the eyewear industry. What set the new spectacles apart was the hinge – a connecting element that hugs the front and temples in the style of a sheath. The designs are crisp, clear and distinctive and are each related to frames from the metal collection. A carefully selected range of nine distinct colours gives *Collection No.2* a varied but nonetheless homogenous collective look. All frames are hand-made at MYKITA’s own production site in Berlin and are available at over 1,400 high-end opticians and selected department stores across the globe.
These glasses are made with top-quality stainless steel, just 0.5 mm thick, ensuring an ultra-light feel. The actual production of MYKITA eyewear sees every part of the frame cut out of sheet metal and folded into a lightweight but full-bodied format. Linking these is a remarkably elegant and intelligent screw-less hinge design that ensures total flexibility and allows complete, custom-fit adaptability of inclination and frame according to the wearers’ facial proportions. The technical wizardry is coupled with aesthetic clarity and optimum vision to provide a recognisable trademark for MYKITA. To apply most of the colours featured in the collection, MYKITA chose a PVD finish – a state-of-the-art vacuum-heat coating technique that guarantees a non-oxidizing and highly wear-resistant surface. The prescription frames in *Collection No.1* are available in a choice of ten colours, the sunglasses in eight colours. MYKITA collection No. 1 – over 50 styles available in a choice of 10 colours.
The MYKITA design team had for some time been planning to make a collection incorporating a fuller-bodied material, and eventually decided on cellulose acetate. Basically composed of cotton, wood pulp, acetate and pigments, it is a natural material that has a long tradition in the eyewear industry. *Collection No.2* indeed shares a variety of features with the original concept. It features a “snap-hinge” made of 0.8 mm flat sheet metal familiar from the construction principles applied in the first collection. A major new innovation was the use of photomechanical etching technology. The connection point between the hinge and the acetate frame likewise represented a unique challenge for the designers. The fourteen prescription styles and six sunglasses are available in a range of opaque colours, with no lamination.
Mykita glasses are made with the best-quality stainless steel ensuring an ultra-light feel. Each part of the frame is folded into a lightweight but full-bodied format. A state of the art vacuum-heat coating guarantees non-oxidizing and highly wear-resistant finishes. MYKITA frames are all about: timeless designs, lightweight, flexibility, and comfort
David Coulthard and Eddie have no similar problems – this is them tucking into some nosh during Q1 on Saturday.
Jordan doubts FOTA split
Eddie Jordan believes that the Formula One Teams’ Assocation (FOTA) would be able to sustain its own breakaway series next year. The FOTA announced early on Friday morning at Silverstone that it would be breaking away from Formula One next year, after failing to find a compromise with governing body the FIA over the ongoing budget cap issue.
With the FIA having insisted a cap and teams still unhappy with the proposal, FOTA announced that all of its members (which includes all current teams apart from Williams and Force India) would be departing F1 at the end of this season. Eddie, who ran Jordan Grand Prix between 1991 and 2005, is not convinced towards the outcome of the situation.
“It’s posturing, but it has become very serious and heads will roll before this sorts itself out,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. The former team owner went on to describe that there is ‘absolutely no chance’ that the sport would be able to progress in a healthy state when two rival series are at war.
EJ at Silverstone today
Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull racing dominated the British Grand Prix to win in style at Silverstone on Sunday afternoon. Mark Webber completed a magical day in the team’s home race as Rubens Barrichello completed the podium for Brawn. Championship leader Jenson Button had retained his grid position by the time the chequered flag fell, crossing the line in sixth place.
Fifty minutes of the interview have elapsed and Eddie Jordan has pushed back his chair and jumped to his feet. He is foaming at the mouth and swearing like Gordon Ramsay. He is pointing his finger angrily at my chest and hammering the table with rage.
“I’ve seen how desperately in need of help these kids are and we’ve got to do something about it, you f****** included,” he fumes. “We need to give these kids a focus. Don’t bang them up in nick — it f****** doesn’t work!” The kids are the subjects of a new reality TV series that begins a five-week run on C5 tomorrow evening. Eddie Jordan’s Bad Boy Racers charts the progress of eight young offenders from tough suburbs of London who embark on a seven-week course in motoring and mechanical skills and are shown an alternative to a life of crime.
“Eddie Jordan has always done things the hard way,” a narrator announces as the opening credits roll. “He made his millions in Formula One, the toughest, richest and most competitive sport in the world. He’s the man who discovered Michael Schumacher and single-handedly took on the might of Ferrari and McLaren. Now Eddie is facing his toughest ever challenge; he is trying to transform the lives of eight hardened car criminals.”
“The series is made now,” Jordan explains, “and some of them are training with Honda and some are with Audi and Volkswagen, but I don’t want this to be about the chosen few. There are thousands more of these kids out there. I know what can be achieved; I know what needs to be done. I want the government and the people of the world to start thinking about this.
“These are not bad boys, in fact they are not bad at all, but when you put them all together in a group, they become horrors. We need to start looking at new ways to address the problem. It doesn’t have to be a garage, it can be an MoT station or work experience with The Sunday Times. We don’t need masses of kids locked up in jails. Prison is not a deterrent to these kids — most reoffend — it just doesn’t work. We’re only addressing the symptoms of the problem; we need to address the causes.”
He fixes me with a curious gaze and sits down to catch his breath. He presents his case with the same passion and conviction as Bono and Sir Bob Geldof on Third World debt and the starving in Africa, but I’m not sure that I am convinced. The series is being promoted as entertainment with a social conscience, and I’m curious about the mix.
The 58-year-old Dubliner is unquestionably the most entertaining team boss in the history of F1, but nobody has ever mistaken Jordan for Mother Teresa. He lives in Wentworth, he drives an Aston Martin and he parties with the social elite. He is a shareholder at Celtic, loves the scent of a deal and is a regular at Stamford Bridge. He is a patron of the child leukaemia charity CLIC, but is entering new ground with these juvenile delinquents.
This is my dilemma: would you buy a lecture on the ills of social deprivation from a man wearing a designer suit, with an office near Park Lane?
WE MEET on a sunny Tuesday morning at the offices of Jordan Media in Park Street, close to the Grosvenor House hotel in Mayfair. He bounds into the boardroom clutching a mug of coffee and is charm personified for almost an hour. Then the interview suddenly ignites from an innocent inquiry about his new company.
“Jordan Media is just something that owns the rights to the format (for the programme),” he explains. “I got no money for this; I didn’t want any money — that was very important. People will naturally say, ‘Ah, motor racing, money, TV — it’s a money-spinning exercise; he’s doing a Simon Cowell’. But I’m not. It cost me and I’m quite happy that it cost me.”
How much did it cost? “I don’t know. I haven’t a clue; I didn’t even think about what it cost me.”
You don’t honestly expect me to believe that? “No, but you’re a complete cynic, aren’t you? You’ve always been a cynic. I was thinking about you the other day when that Floyd Landis (the American Tour de France cyclist) tested positive. It must have made your day. I knew when I was doing this interview that there’d be a spin on it.”
What about the charge that you are exploiting these kids for entertainment? “No,” he replies. “I know what I’ve done. I know what was achieved. I know what can be achieved. Banging these kids up is not a solution.”
What about the charge that you don’t really give a damn about them? That you will go back to your comfortable home and your wealthy friends and life will move on? “Well, it’s possible that could happen,” he says. “The kids may not want to continue (with their training) but I hope that they will. I speak to them on a regular basis; I spoke to one of them this morning . . .
“They’re hopeless at getting up in the morning — that’s a thing I’ve noticed with young kids: they cannot get out of bed. You’d tell them, ‘Okay, we are on the bus at six tomorrow morning’, but we wouldn’t be able to leave until a quarter to seven. They just wouldn’t turn up. It just didn’t register with them. You give them a time and it’s in one ear and out the other. But I have that with my own kids, so it’s not just them.”
I laugh and ask if he is still buying racehorses.
“I’ve got a few legs with Mouse (the Irish trainer Mouse Morris),” he says.
You had one great one — what was its name? “Rostropovich?” No, not that one. Master-something.
“Master Of Illusion?” Yeah, that’s it, I say with a smile, the Master Of Illusion.
“You liked that,” he observes. “Good name, wasn’t it?” It was a great name, I reply. It was absolutely perfect.
“What do you mean perfect?” he asks warily. “Are you implying it had something to do with me? What’s the point you’re making here? I need to know.”
Why? “Because I haven’t got a clue how you’ll write this.”
Trust me, I smile.
“I’ve always trusted you,” he says. “But you are very unpredictable. There will be an edge to this because that’s your nature — you like to have a cut. You don’t like writing pretty pieces because it’s not your style. And I know your style, the same as you know my style.”
FIFTEEN summers have passed since the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours when I first succumbed to the charms of the Master of Illusion. It was a glorious Saturday afternoon on the first weekend of July and he was sitting on some tyres, chatting to one of the mechanics after the qualifying session when I nervously approached.
It was my second year as a reporter and I had been commissioned to write a feature on the proprietor of the new Irish F1 team that was grabbing the headlines in its debut season.
“What do you know about F1?” Jordan asked.
Nothing, I replied innocently, sure it was the wrong answer. But he put his arm around me with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Perfect,” he said, smiling.
My education started with a tour of the Jordan garage, where John “John Boy” Walton, a Dubliner like Jordan, was supervising work on one of the cars. Jordan called him over and began an interrogation.
“What team were you with last year, John Boy?” “Benetton,” Walton replied.
“And why did you leave Benetton to come back to work with me?” “Coz you’re my hero.”
“Stop messin’ about, John Boy . . . why?” “I’m tellin’ you,” Walton insisted. “Coz you’re my hero. I always said I’d be back when you came into F1.”
Such was/is the enchantment of Jordan. “He has the annoying habit of making you want to believe in him,” Giselle Davies, a former team media manager, once observed. “It’s a sort of heart-and-head thing. You are listening to him and your head is saying this is all nonsense, but the other side of you is saying that this is believable, and you feel drawn by it all the time. It is the power he has over people.”
And by the end of the weekend I had joined the ranks of the bewitched.
Over the next five years, as my career in journalism progressed, I became a Jordan correspondent, penning stories on his march to the motor racing summit from the four corners of the globe. He was always a great interview, always brilliant, but access became more difficult once you had been lured to the honey trap. And when he was fretting over a deal he had the attention span of a gnat. I remember a Belgian Grand Prix at Spa once and sitting around the motorhome until 10 o’clock at night for an interview that had been scheduled for lunchtime. It was almost midnight by the time we had finished. I was facing a two-hour drive to my hotel, my car was parked five miles from the circuit and the shuttles had stopped running hours before.
“Why don’t you come back and stay with me?” he offered. “There are two beds in my hotel room.”
We jumped into a Porsche Carrera Turbo that somebody had lent him for the weekend, screeched from the paddock on to the finishing straight and he gave me a white-knuckle guide to the circuit. Then we got to his hotel and he threw me a spare toothbrush and a pair of slightly worn but recently laundered Hugo Boss boxer shorts.
How great was my love for Jordan? How deep was my obsession for this man? I put them on. I wore those boxers until the crotch was in shreds. Every time we would meet he would ask: “Are you still wearing my knickers?” And I would smile and tell him they were hanging on my trophy wall. And then, late one night at his home in Oxford, after an extremely affable dinner, we got into a long and heated debate about an Irish swimmer called Michelle de Bruin who had won three gold medals at the Atlanta Olympic Games. Jordan was adamant that De Bruin should be feted as a hero; I was adamant that she should be banished as a cheat. Fingers were pointed and voices were raised. Suddenly the spell was broken. He continued to be one of my favourite interviews. I continued to be one of his favourite hacks. But for some strange reason things were never quite the same.
THE CHOPPY waters have calmed as the interview enters its second hour and he is regaling me with fantastically witty (but extremely libellous) tales about his life in F1. Or rather his former life.
Almost two years have passed since he sold his team to Midland, and although he insists he hasn’t missed it — “I haven’t been at a race since” — he does not deny that he found it hard to let go. “It took me 35 years,” he says.
“That’s a major chunk of anybody’s life. The pressure was huge. The pressure was massive. You don’t live a life. I commiserate with any partner of a person who is at the forefront of F1, because it’s non-stop, it’s very hard; and I promise you, you pay the penalty somewhere along the line.
“I came in on a wing and a prayer; whatever I made I put in; whatever staff I had were paid; whatever sponsors we had got bang for their buck. It grew. At this moment only five teams have won multiple grands prix in the past 20 years. Jordan is one of them and I’m proud of that. But I’m not here to talk about that. I thought this interview was about the programme and the kids.”
It is, I tell him, but I’d like to place it in context. Tell me more about the withdrawal symptoms. “Well, I’ve hardly used a business suit,” he says with a laugh.
“I see them all lined up in front of me, Gucci, Gucci, Gucci, Prada, Prada, Prada and 50, no a hundred, fantastic ties and think, ‘What am I going to do with them?’ It’s like someone has died.” This is at home?
“Yeah. And Marie (his wife) says, ‘Get rid of them. When is the last time you wore that tie?’ And she’s right, but, I don’t know, I just like looking at them.”
Marie always said you would be impossible to live with if you retired. “Yeah, she said she’d shoot me, but my days are full,” he insists. “I’m a director of Clareville Capital, a venture capital business, and I’ve got some directorships and investments with a publishing company, a high-technology business and a bet-broking business. I’m committed to CLIC and Amber (a charity for homeless kids who have lost focus in life) and some of the bike rides you can do in Windsor Park are unbelievable.”
They don’t carry the same profile as F1, I say. “No, and I don’t want them to,” he replies. So how did the series come about?
“In Germany the TV station RTL asked me to do a few pieces for them talking about racing and I said, ‘Sorry, I don’t want to be a commentator. I don’t want to give people the impression that I’m still living my life through motor racing. I need to make the cut’.
“But they own Channel Five and we started talking about other things. At first it was a concept of finding the next Michael Schumacher.” The Pop Idol format applied to motor racing?
“In a way,” he concurs, “but it would have taken a lot of time and it would have been very bitchy, and I thought, ‘Jesus, I don’t want to do this’. And then I thought about some of the stuff I’d seen with Amber and I came up with this idea: why not take some kids and give them a project, instead of going racing? Would I be able to change their minds? Could I get them to do something positive in their lives?” And you did?
“You’ll have to watch and see how it unfolds.” I’ve seen the trailer. It looks pretty good. “Yes,” he agrees, “but I think I got much more out of the programme than they did.” You did? “Yeah, it made me see life from a completely different view; to be more tolerant, less arrogant. F1 breeds arrogance. You have to be brutal and horrible, almost nasty. These kids have had a lasting effect on me. I saw how desperately in need of help they are.”
He jumps to his feet and draws an imaginary line down the middle of the table. “You grew up with the same family structure as me,” he says. “Working father, mother bringing up the kids. Solid. Secure. This is the line. Now, I had a passion for cars and I ended up on this (the right) side of the line, but these kids have a passion for cars and they end up on this (the wrong) side.
“Why? Because they don’t have a family structure, it has disintegrated. It’s the classic young-girl-meets-guy-gets-pregnant scenario. He does a runner. She doesn’t want to abort and has the child. A few years down the road, when life has been incredibly hard, she meets another guy, but he doesn’t want her child. The child is sent to a home. He commits his first crime.” He slams the table with his fist.
“But what chance has he got?” he explodes. “Tell me what chance he has. And he hasn’t done anything wrong. It is not his fault. We’re just lucky enough that we had a family. This all comes back to the family. Banging up these kids is not a solution. We need to think outside the box!”
He slumps back in his chair and you nod in agreement. Old rebel. New cause.
Walter Bruce Willis(born March 19, 1955), better known asBruce Willis, is an American actor andfilm producer. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since. One of his more popular roles was that ofJohn McClanein theDie Hardserieswhich were critical and financial successes. Willis has released several albums and has appeared in several television shows. He has also appeared in over sixty films, includingPulp Fiction,Sin City,12 Monkeys,Armageddon, andThe Sixth Sense.
Motion pictures featuring Willis havegrossedUS$2.55 to US$3.05 billion at North Americanbox offices, making him the seventh highest-grossing actor in a leading role, and ninth highest including supporting roles.[1][2]Willis was married to actressDemi Mooreand they had three daughters before their divorce in 2000 after thirteen years of marriage. He is a two-timeEmmy Award-winning,Golden Globe Award-winning, and four-timeSaturn Award-nominated actor.
Willis was born inIdar-Oberstein,West Germany, the son of aKassel-bornGermanMarlene, who worked in a bank, and David Willis, anAmerican soldier.[3][4]Willis was the eldest of four children: he has a sister Florence and a brother David. His brother Robert died of pancreatic cancer in 2001, aged 42.[5]After being discharged from the military in 1957, Willis’ father took his family back toPenns Grove, New Jersey, where he worked as a welder and factory worker.[6]His parents separated in 1972 while Willis was in his teens.[4]Willis attendedPenns Grove High Schoolin his hometown, where he encountered issues with astutter.He used to be hatefully nicknamedBuck-Buckby his schoolmates.[7][6][8]Finding it easy to express himself on stage and losing his stutter in the process, Willis began performing on stage and his high school activities were marked by such things as the drama club andstudent councilpresident.[6]
After high school, Bruce made friends with the BBZ in 1978 and still is today .Willis took a job as a security guard and he also transported work crews at theDuPontChambers Works factory inDeepwater, New Jersey.[9]He quit after a colleague was killed on the job, and became a regular at several bars.[6]Willis learned to play theharmonicaand joined anR&Bband called Loose Goose.[10]After a stint as a private investigator (a role he would play in the television seriesMoonlightingas well as in the 1991 film,The Last Boy Scout), Willis returned to acting. He enrolled in the drama program atMontclair State University, where he was cast in the class production ofCat on a Hot Tin Roof. Willis left school in his junior year and moved toNew York City.[4]
Willis returned to the bar scene, only this time for a part-time job at theWest Bank Cafein New York City’sManhattan Plaza.[11][9]After multiple auditions, Willis made his theater debut in theoff-Broadwayproduction ofHeaven and Earth. He gained more experience and exposure inFool for Love, and in aLevi’scommercial.
Willis left New York City and headed toCaliforniato audition for several television shows.[4]He auditioned for the role of David Addison Jr. of the television seriesMoonlighting(1985–89), while competing against 3,000 other actors for the position.[12]The starring role, oppositeCybill Shepherd, helped to establish him as acomedicactor, with the show lasting five seasons. During the height of the show’s success, beverage makerSeagramhired Willis as the pitchman for their Golden Wine Cooler products.[13]The advertising campaign paid the rising star between $5–7 million over two years. In spite of that, Willis chose not to renew his contract with the company when he decided to stop drinking alcohol in 1988.[14]One of his first major film roles was in the 1987Blake EdwardsfilmBlind DatealongsideKim BasingerandJohn Laroquette. Edwards would cast him again to play the real-life cowboy actorTom MixinSunset. However, it was his then-unexpected turn in the filmDie Hardthat catapulted him to fame. He performed most of his ownstuntsin the film,[15]and the film grossed$138,708,852 worldwide.[16]Following his success withDie Hard, he had a supporting role in the dramaIn Countryas Vietnam veteran Emmett Smith and also provided the voice for a talking baby inLook Who’s Talking, as well as its sequelLook Who’s Talking Too.
In the late-1980s, Willis enjoyed moderate success as arecording artist, recording an album of pop-blues entitledThe Return of Bruno, which included the hit single “Respect Yourself”,[17]promoted by aSpinal Tap-likerockumentaryparodyfeaturing scenes of him performing at famous events includingWoodstock. Follow-up recordings were not as successful, though Willis has returned to the recording studio several times. In the early1990s, Willis’ career suffered a moderate slump starring inflopssuch asThe Bonfire of the Vanities,Striking Distance, and a film he co-wrote entitledHudson Hawk, among others. He starred in a leading role in the highly sexualized thrillerColor of Night(1994), which was very poorly received by critics but has become popular on video. However, in 1994 he had a supporting role inQuentin Tarantino’s acclaimedPulp Fiction, which gave a new boost to his career. In 1996, he was theexecutive producerof thecartoonBruno the Kidwhich featured aCGIrepresentation of himself.[18]He went on to play the lead roles inTwelve MonkeysandThe Fifth Element. However, by the end of the 1990s, his career had fallen into another slump with critically panned films likeThe Jackal,Mercury Rising, andBreakfast of Champions, saved only by the success of theMichael Bay-directedArmageddonwhich was the highest grossing film of 1998 worldwide.[19]The same year his voice and likeness were featured in thePlayStationvideo gameApocalypse.[20]
In 1999, Willis then went on to the starring role inM. Night Shyamalan’s film,The Sixth Sense. The film was both a commercial and critical success and helped to increase interest in his acting career. He won a 2000Emmyfor Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work onFriends(in which he played the father ofRoss Geller’s much-younger girlfriend).[21]He was also nominated for a 2001 American Comedy Award (in the Funniest Male Guest Appearance in a TV Series category) for his work onFriends. Willis was originally cast as Terry Benedict inOcean’s Eleven(2001) but dropped out to work on recording an album.[22]InOcean’s Twelve(2004), he makes acameo appearanceas himself. In 2007 he appeared in thePlanet Terrorhalf of the double featureGrindhouseas thevillain, a mutant soldier. This marks Willis’ second collaboration withdirectorRobert Rodriguez, followingSin City.
Willis at German premiere ofOver the Hedgeon June 28, 2006.
Willis has appeared onThe Late Show with David Lettermanseveral times throughout his career. He filled in for an illDavid Lettermanon his show February 26, 2003, when he was supposed to be a guest.[23]On many of his appearances on the show, Willis stages elaborate jokes, such as wearing a day-glo orange suit in honor of theCentral Park gates, having one side of his face made up with simulatedbuckshotwounds after theHarry Whittington shooting, or trying to break a record (parody ofDavid Blaine) of staying underwater for only twenty seconds. On April 12, 2007, he appeared again, this time wearing aSanjaya Malakarwig.[24]His most recent appearance was on June 25, 2007 when he appeared wearing a mini-turbine strapped to his head to accompany a joke about his own fictional documentary entitledAn Unappealing Hunch(a wordplay ofAn Inconvenient Truth).[25]Willis also appeared on JapaneseSubaru Legacytelevision commercials.[26]Tying in with this, Subaru did a limited run of Legacys, badged “Subaru Legacy Touring Bruce”, in honor of Willis.
Willis appeared on the 2008Blues TraveleralbumNorth Hollywood Shootout, giving aspoken wordperformance over an instrumentalblues-rockjam on the track “Free Willis (Ruminations from Behind Uncle Bob’s Machine Shop)”. In early 2009, he appeared in an advertising campaign to publicize the insurance companyNorwich Union’s change of name toAviva.[27]
Willis will star alongsideTracy Morganin a comedy with a working title ofA Couple of Dicks, directed byKevin Smith. The film is about two police detectives investigating the theft of a baseball card.[30]Release is set for January 2010.
At thepremierefor the filmStakeout, Willis met actress Demi Moore, who was dating actorEmilio Estevezat the time. Willis married Moore on November 21, 1987 and had three daughters:Rumer Willis(b. 16 August 1988), Scout LaRue Willis (b. 20 July 1991) and Tallulah Belle Willis (b. 3 February 1994) before the couple divorced on October 18, 2000. The couple gave no public reason for their breakup. Willis stated that his divorce made him feel that “I felt I had failed as a father and a husband by not being able to make it work” and credited actorWill Smithfor helping him cope with the situation.[4][13]After their breakup, rumors persisted that the couple planned to re-marry, until Moore married the actorAshton Kutcher, fifteen years her junior. Willis has maintained a close relationship with both Moore and Kutcher, even attending their wedding. Willis and Moore currently share custody of their daughters.[4]
Since the divorce he has dated models Maria Bravo Rosado andEmily Sandberg; he was engaged toBrooke Burnsuntil they broke up in 2004 after ten months together.[12]He marriedEmma HeminginTurks and Caicoson March 21, 2009;[31]guests included his three daughters, Moore, and Kutcher. The ceremony was not legally binding, so the couple wed again in a civil ceremony inBeverly Hillssix days later.[32]Willis has expressed interest in having more children.[4]
Organized religions in general, in my opinion, are dying forms”, he says. “They were all very important when we didn’t know why the sun moved, why weather changed, why hurricanes occurred, or volcanoes happened”, he continues. “Modern religion is the end trail of modern mythology. But there are people who interpret the Bible literally. Literally! I choose not to believe that’s the way. And that’s what makes America cool, you know?[33]
Willis, an avidNew Jersey Netsfan, made controversial comments on April 29, 2007 during a live broadcast of a Nets home playoff game onTSNby saying a catch phrase from hisDie Hardfilms, “Yipee-ki-aye-ay motherfucker”, at the end of the interview.[38][39]Reacting to the backlash, he later blamed his actions onjet lag, stating: “Sometimes I overestimate my ability to function under duress with less than enough sleep”.[13]
On May 5, 2007, someone using the screen name “Walter_B” started posting detailed responses ontoAin’t it Cool News, where people were discussing the fact thatLive Free or Die Hardreceived a PG-13 rating, instead of an R rating like the earlier threeDie Hardfilms.[40]The responses included detailed information onLive Free or Die Hard, which was yet to be released; the theme of theDie Hardfilm series, direct criticisms of other film crews and casts, and many film trivia answers. Many people were skeptical that “Walter_B” was indeed Willis, but on May 9, Willis revealed his identity on a video chat session (usingiChat).[41][41]
In 1988 he and Moore actively campaigned forMassachusettsGovernorMichael S. Dukakis’s Presidential bid. Four years later he supported PresidentGeorge H.W. Bushfor reelection and he was a vocal critic ofBill Clinton. However, in 1996, he declined to endorse Clinton’sRepublicanopponentBob Dole, because Dole had criticized Moore for her role in the filmStriptease.[42]Willis was an invited speaker at the2000 Republican National Convention,[43]and actively supportedGeorge W. Bushthat year. He did not make any contributions or public endorsements in the 2008 Presidential campaign. In several June 2007 interviews, he declared that he still maintains some Republican ideologies but is currently anindependent.[4][13]
In 2006, he proposed that the United States should invadeColombiain order to end thedrug trafficking.[44]In several interviews Willis has said that he supports large salaries for teachers and police officers, and says that he is disappointed in the United States’foster careand treatment ofNative Americans.[42][45]Willis also stated that he is a big supporter ofgun rights:
“Everyone has aright to bear arms. If you take guns away from legal gun owners, then the only people who have guns are the bad guys.” Even apacifist, he insists, would get violent if someone were trying to kill him. “You would fight for your life.”[46]
Willis has criticized thereligious rightand its influence on the Republican party. In February 2006, Willis appeared inManhattanto talk about16 Blockswith reporters. One reporter attempted to ask Willis about his opinion on current events but was interrupted by Willis in mid-sentence:
“
I’m sick of answering this fucking question. I’m a Republican only as far as I want a smaller government, I want less government intrusion. I want them to stop shitting on my money and your money and tax dollars that we give 50 percent of… every year. I want them to be fiscally responsible and I want these goddamnlobbyistsout ofWashington. Do that and I’ll say I’m a Republican… I hate the government, OK? I’mapolitical. Write that down. I’m not a Republican.[47]
Willis meeting members of theU.S. Navyon July 25, 2002
Throughout his film career, Willis has depicted several military characters in films such asThe Siege,Hart’s War,Tears of the Sun, andGrindhouse. Growing up in amilitary family, Willis has been publicly supportive of the United States armed forces. In 2002, Willis’ youngest daughter, Tallulah, suggested that he purchaseGirl Scout cookiesto send to troops. Willis purchased 12,000 boxes of cookies, and they were distributed to sailors aboardUSSJohn F. Kennedyand other troops stationed throughout theMiddle Eastat the time.[48]In 2003, Willis visitedIraqas part of theUSOtour, singing to the troops with his band, The Accelerators.[49]Willis considered joining the military to help fight the secondIraq war, but was deterred by his age.[50]It was believed he offered US$1 million to any civilian who turns interroristleadersOsama bin Laden,Ayman al-Zawahiri, orAbu Musab al-Zarqawi; in the June 2007 issue ofVanity Fair, however, he clarified that the statement was made hypothetically and not meant to be taken literally. Willis has also criticized the media for its coverage of the war, complaining that the press were more likely to focus on the negative aspects of the war:
“
I went to Iraq because what I saw when I was over there was soldiers — young kids for the most part — helping people in Iraq; helping getting the power turned back on, helping get hospitals open, helping get the water turned back on and you don’t hear any of that on the news. You hear, ‘X number of people were killed today,’ which I think does a huge disservice. It’s like spitting on these young men and women who are over there fighting to help this country.[51]
”
Willis stated in 2005 that he wanted to “make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom anddemocracy.”[52]The film would follow members ofDeuce Four, the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, who spent considerable time inMosuland were decorated heavily for it. The film is to be based on the writings ofbloggerMichael Yon, a formerUnited States Army Special ForcesGreen Beretwho wasembeddedwith Deuce Four and sent regular dispatches about their activities. Willis described theplotof the film as “these guys who do what they are asked for very little money to defend and fight for what they consider to be freedom.”[53]He has not spoken publicly about his plans for this film since 2005.
In 1996, Roger Director, a writer and producer fromMoonlightingwrote aroman à clefon Willis titledA Place to Fall.[54]Cybill Shepherdwrote in her 2000 autobiography,Cybill Disobedience, that Willis was angry at Director, because the character was written as a “neurotic, petulant actor.”
In 1998 Willis participated inApocalypse, a Sony Playstation game. The game was originally announced to feature Willis as a sidekick, not as the main character. The company reworked the game using Willis’ likeness and voice and changed the game to use him as the main character.[20]
Willis has won a variety of awards and has received various honors throughout his career in television and film.
For his work on the television showMoonlightinghe won anEmmy(”Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series”) and aGolden Globe(”Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical”) plus received additional nominations for the show.[55]
He was nominated for aGolden Globefor “Best Supporting Actor” for his role in the filmIn Country
In February 2002, Willis was awarded the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year award from Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals. According to the organization, the award is given to performers who give a lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment.[56]
Also in 2002, Willis was appointed as national spokesman for Children in Foster Care byPresidentGeorge W. Bush.[57]Willis wrote online: “I saw Foster Care as a way for me to serve my country in a system by which shining a little bit of light could benefit a great deal by helping kids who were literally wards of the government.”
In April 2006, he was honored byFrench governmentfor his contributions to the film industry. Willis was named “Officier Dans L’ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres” (Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters) in a ceremony inParis. The French Prime Minister stated “This is France’s way of paying tribute to an actor who epitomizes the strength of American cinema, the power of the emotions that he invites us to share on the world’s screens and the sturdy personalities of his legendary characters.”[58]
On October 16, 2006, Willis was honored with a star of theHollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard and it was the 2,321st star awarded in its history. Willis, reacting to his reception of the star, stated “I used to come down here and look at these stars and I could never quite figure out what you were supposed to do to get one…time has passed and now here I am doing this, and I’m still excited. I’m still excited to be an actor.”[59]
MYKITA was founded in 2003 by Harald Gottschling, Daniel Haffmans, Philipp Haffmans and Moritz Krueger. What to some may sound like an Asian-style name was in fact inspired by the firm’s first premises – a former day-care centre for children (in East Germany abbreviated to “Kita”). The four were at the creative and managerial core of the successful ic! berlin eyewear brand, which they left in September 2003 in order to embark on their own creative venture: MYKITA.
Just a year later, the world was introduced to MYKITA *Collection No.1* – an evolutionary step up in terms of both design and exclusivity. The all-new range of metal frames was unveiled at the Silmo international eyewear fair in the fall of 2004.
Exactly two years later, a new collection was unveiled at the 2006 Silmo. In a marked departure from previous frames, MYKITA *Collection No.2* were made from full-bodied acetate. In April 2007 MYKITA’s first dedicated shop opened in Berlin. The entire concept behind the store was designed by the four founders of MYKITA to reflect the look and philosophy of the MYKITA world.
All frames are hand-assembled at MYKITA’s own production site in Berlin and are available at over 1,400 high-end opticians and selected department stores across the globe. MYKITA frameshave won the red dot and the IF product design award in 2007.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
The unique form vocabulary of Philipp Haffmans and Harald Gottschling has made the designer duo a hot name in the luxury eyewear sector. Haffmans’ trademark style draws heavily on natural sources of inspiration, while Gottschling takes his contouring cues from the latest developments in industrial design, in particular from aerodynamic and automotive styling.
What distinguishes this pioneering team’s approach to design is their belief in the compatibility of technical innovation and classic elegance.
Both designers boast exceptional technical expertise fuelled by a visionary approach. Their vast experience in the world of design enables them to create the kinds of new concepts and designs that have made MYKITA a worldwide success on the luxury eyewear market.
THE PRODUCT
*Collection No.1*
These glasses are made with top-quality stainless steel, just 0.5 mm thick, ensuring an ultra-light feel. The actual production of MYKITA eyewear sees every part of the frame cut out of sheet metal and folded into a lightweight but full-bodied format. Linking these is a remarkably elegant and intelligent screw-less hinge design that ensures total flexibility and allows complete, custom-fit adaptability of inclination and frame according to the wearers’ facial proportions. The technical wizardry is coupled with aesthetic clarity and optimum vision to provide a recognisable trademark for MYKITA.
To apply most of the colours featured in the collection, MYKITA chose a PVD finish – a state-of-the-art vacuum-heat coating technique that guarantees a non-oxidizing and highly wear-resistant surface. The prescription frames in *Collection No.1* are available in a choice of ten colours, the sunglasses in eight colours. Each frame is handmade at the MYKITA workshop in Berlin.
*Collection No.2*
The MYKITA design team had for some time been planning to make a collection incorporating a fuller-bodied material, and eventually decided on cellulose acetate. Basically composed of cotton, wood pulp, acetate and pigments, it is a natural material that has a long tradition in the eyewear industry. After 10 years of experience with sheet-metal concepts that ultimately have limitations when it comes to working with fuller-bodied forms, the designers developed an acetate-based concept that opens up a new horizon: working in three dimensions, like a sculptor.
Philipp Haffmans and Harald Gottschling would again follow their own revolutionary design philosophy, and *Collection No.2* indeed shares a variety of features with the original concept. It features a “snap-hinge” made of 0.8 mm flat sheet metal familiar from the construction principals applied in the first collection. A major new innovation was the use of photomechanical etching technology. The connection point between the hinge and the acetate frame likewise represented a unique challenge for the designers. Looking at classic hinge solutions on acetate frames, they never liked the fact that a large gap was left between the temples and frame when the former are folded in. *Collection No.2* offers an answer to this aesthetic problem.
The six prescription styles and six sunglasses are available in a range of opaque colours, with no lamination. The colours are: black, brown, warm grey, cool grey, dark blue, olive, bordeaux, red and white.
Both collections boast sophisticated design, an impeccable standard of workmanship and a cutting-edge technical concept.
Mykita is hand made in Germany out of stainless steel and has won the IF Design Award, The Red Dot Design Award and The German Federal Republic Design Award, all in 2008.
Andy Wolf is our friend
Andy Wolf is vintage inspired eyewear that is handmade in Hartberg, Austria and we carry it exclusively in Surrey.
Whilst the music creates a good atmosphere, the undoubted draw of the event are the driver and celebrity appearances. Once again, Tony Jardine did a marvellous job of whipping up the crowds support with rallying cries for the British Grand Prix to remain at Silverstone, pantomime jeers at the mention of Michael Schumacher, and altogether more heartfelt decrying of Max and Bernie!
