We like unusual wallets – you know that by now. Here’s one we really like: The Dosh wallet is designed and manufactured in Sydney (yes, Australia) and is quite a unique little puppy. It’s a blend of flexible and semi-flexible polymers (read thermoplastic polyurethane – not that we knew what that is…) that creates an amazingly durable, yet flexible and water resistant wallet. It’s packed with a bunch of really clever features (why does every other wallet have these really deep credit card compartments?) and has a pretty damn smart ‘Smart Pocket’ that you can use to store all these little things that you carry around (SD cards, condoms, etc).
It comes in 4 pretty cool colors (white is our fave at the moment) and at 120 mm x 98 mm x 13.5 mm it’s pretty much the size of a standard wallet…
There’s a bunch of cool in use pictures here.
Colors: Chocolate, Gray, Orange, White
Price: $60 / 45€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, design, Soupe du Jour, Tragically Hip, wallet

This is one of those items that really don’t need much of a description at all. It’s a doormat, check. Made of all natural fibers, check. Good size (25.5″ x 15″ or 65 x 40 cm), check.
So what’s the deal here?
Typography! A clever person has slaved until the mat would read ‘Come In’ from one side and ‘Go Away’ from the other! Don’t believe it? Look for yourself and be impressed.
Price: $40 / 26€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, doormat, hip home, Modern Living, Soupe du Jour

We launched our favorite iPhone accessory about a month ago, and now we have the platinum version as well. As you might recall, brand new tech outfit Argard has stepped up to create the smallest and easiest to use bluetooth headset we have seen so far.
It’s tiny: 22×23x32,5 mm (that’s 0.78×0.90×1.22″) – that’s less than a quarter in case you wanted to check – and weighs an amazing 5 grams. But it has 3 hours of talk time and goes up to 100 hours on standby, so whilst size does matter – it doesn’t mean that this suffers because it’s so small.
Another detail to point out, is that it doesn’t require a behind the ear clip because its unique shape ’stick’ in the ear… You put it on with one turning movement (yes, somewhat like a screw) and it just stays in your ear. It comes with three different sized silicone covers to adjust to your ear-size…
What do we like about the M10? Well for starters it’s the big button with the cool blue glow that is used to turn the unit on, to take a call, to end a call and to turn it off – it’s easy and not as flimsy as other buttons on other devices and it looks beautifully integrated into the overall design. Secondly the fact that the volume can be controlled with your hand held device, and with the volume buttons that are on top of the ear piece. And lastly the cool little stand it sits on whilst it charges, it makes the whole unit look so–grand? Grand or not, it looks pretty spectacular and we love it as our favorite accessory to our new iPhone..
Price: $129 / 109€

Technorati Tags: accessories, bluetooth, Charles & Marie, gadget hip, headset, Soupe du Jour, Tragically Hip

A perfect addition for summer are these Wiesenglück Messenger-bags. Why head for the packed parks when you can have the same feeling on your own private spot of green? Fun idea? We thought so too when we met the two guys who developed the bag almost a year ago in Frankfurt and we are excited to see that they are now ready to hit the urban realm.
Basically this is a heavy duty messenger bag about 14″ x 14″ and 4.52 deep (34×35x11 cm) with 2 separate compartments and a small exterior pocket with a zipper for keys, wallet, iPod - anything small you want to have in quick access distance. It comes in a bunch of bright colors: Orange, blue, yellow, red and the not so bright black and beige. Attached to the bag is a nice piece of grass – fake of course you silly – that’s 27.5″ x 51″ (70×130 cm) and attaches with buttons so it stays securely in place. Now here’s the fun part: if you have a couple bags – say you and your friends all had them – and you would get together, you could zip all these patches of green together and create a nice ‘big’ plot where you could all hang out. If you are thinking of creating your own football field, you either need a lot of friends or a big garage for all the spare bags…
Colors: Black, Blue, Beige, Orange, Red
Price: $170 / 120€

Technorati Tags: bags, Charles & Marie, gadget hip, garden, Soupe du Jour, Tragically Hip

Every once in a while we find a product that really amazes us by its beauty and simplicity, and today it’s as simple and straightforward as the good old baseball cap. No, don’t be confused by the name, it has nothing to do with the Yankees and we didn’t misspell it either. Others thought that Ny Cap is dutch and means new cap – wrong again… it’s an abbreviation of Nynke Van Vliets name to make sure it stands out. And it definitely does.
Made out of wool felt, this caps pieces are all cut in such a way that the shape of the cap is determined by each single piece, which in turn means that there is no additional forming or heating required to create the desired shape. The pieces are then sewn together with contrasting thread making it a wonderfully fitting and easy to wear cap unlike any of the mass produced caps that you can find in the market today.
In our opinion: really, really beautiful…
Color: Black, Brown, Light Blue, Grey
Size:
S 53-55.5 cm/20.8-21.8
M 56-58.5 cm/22-23
L 59-61.5 cm/23.2-24.2
Price: $80 / 59€

Technorati Tags: cap, Charles & Marie, design, fashion, hats, Soupe du Jour, Tragically Hip

Here’s another wonderful product we have been waiting for for a long time now! Artecnica’s brand new KnoWhere Clock!
If you’ve ever travelled to distant shores with a substantial time difference, then you know that touching base with your pals at home can be a little difficult. Given the fact that it is so incredibly easy to travel these days and we pretty much live in a post-geographic world, KnoWhere makes it possible for far flung people to think of another as friends and maybe even neighbors.
It comes pre-assembled with five popular time-zones, but you can change them faster than any flight attendant can say ‘fasten seat belts’ and–even worldlier-you can affix blank hands to write on as well… What more do you need? Oh, maybe some dimensions: 12 in, 30.5 cm/ D 2.08 in, 5.3 cm and maybe a little description what makes each model special:
COSMOS
8 landmarks plus one generic hand from around the world over a night and day dial. Include: Paris, New York, San Francisco, Sidney, Shanghai, Tokyo, London, Rio and the generic one
YOU&ME
You&Me hands plus six blank spare hands to add your faves with the provided marker over a bright fuchsia dial.
ONE WORLD
8 blank hands to add your cities of choice from around the world over an unusual world map filled with blue hearts.
Colors: Cosmos, One World, You&Me
Price: $80 / 80€

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, clock, gadget hip, hip home, Modern Living, Soupe du Jour

Say hello to Gigi!
No, you haven’t seen Gigi in a movie (yet) or on TV (doubtful), but Gigi is the new favorite toy amongst the ladies here at the HQ. It is a dedicated pleasure object for the discerning G-spot connoisseur as we have found out - but we wont give you anymore details that that, sorry… It is carefully sculpted to unlock the secrets of this mysterious and special place, and as you can see, her dramatic shape breathes an air of investigative purpose… Five pre-programmed pleasure modes and a virtually silent vibrator engine deliver deep and vibrant sensations with (hehe) spot-on precision. As an expert in her particular field, Gigi will happily assist in revealing the thrills of that elusive spot, anytime, anywhere.
It is obviously rechargeable and a 1-hour charge will provide up to 1,5 hours of sheer bliss. Oh and did we mention that it comes in an elegant gift box, accessorized with charger, manual, satin pouch and a 1-year warranty? We did now…
Color: Deep Rose or Petal Pink
Price: $109 / 84€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, Marie’s closet, sexy, toys, vibrator

Yeah yeah yeah, you’re thinking ‘a nine hole button? What’s that all about, I have enough problems dealing with the four it has already when one comes off…’ But wait! This is different, nine wholes are there so you can actually write using yarn and a needle… You can personalize your buttons, isn’t that a wild idea!
Now, whether you intend to spell your name or just try a single letter that’s up to you but alongside the two buttons comes a needle, a threader (in case you find it as challenging as we do to get that thread through the needle) and 3 colors red/orange/green yarn to get you started. But this ain’t it, buying this set gives you exclusive access to the font our dear friends at e27 designed that goes beautifully with your new hobby and installs in a snap on your Mac.
Here’s the technical info: Each of the 2 buttons per pack is made out of dark brown horn has a diameter of 0.8″ (2 cm) comes with the patented 9 holes and a needle and three color thread.
Price: $12 / 9€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, kids, Soupe du Jour

Over the past couple days we’ve brought you a bunch of different salt and pepper shakers and if nothing has convinced you yet and you’ve thought: ‘nah, I have a salt and pepper shaker already…’, then let us ask a quick question: Does any one of them do the job at blessing your meal as well? See, we didn’t think so! But that’s exactly what the guys at La Tête Au Cube thought when they came up with their new Sanctus Salt and Pepper shaker.
Made out of the same fine Limoges Porcelain as the Tank U vases, the Sanctus combines both the salt and pepper in one unit so that when you are using it, it gives the impression that you are in fact blessing your meal… Now whether blessing your meal is something you do or not, is up to you, but we like the idea. And we like to see the reactions on other people faces when they use it for the first time, it’s quite interesting to observe…
What else is there to say? Oh yes, some technical specs: Made in Limoges, France, the century old center of high quality porcelain in Europe, the Sanctus stands a good 8″ (20 cm) tall, three models are available: This here is the white version, the Platinum version is available here and the gold version if you click here.
Price: $60 / 45€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, contraptions, Epicurean delight, Soupe du Jour

Halfway through our special week we present one of our all time favorite Salt n Pepper shakers, an insanely cool product from the Netherlands, designed by Henk Stallinga. They resemble traditional ear and mouth pieces from the telephones of yore. Actually, they don’t merely resemble them: they really are (don’t worry silly, they are unused) pieces taken from real phones. And they’re mounted on the turn signal covers of the original Morris Mini. Quite the unique combination of elements that will definitely stand out in your kitchen. The top is beautiful ivory and the base is transparent white.
What can we say? We love functional objets d’art.
Price: $22 / 22€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, contraptions, design, Epicurean delight, Soupe du Jour