MUSIC BABBLE: Grimes - Oblivion

Our jam:

TRAVEL BABBLE: Bella Sky Comwell - Copenhagen

With its 23 floors, 816 designer rooms and 30 conference rooms, the hotel is not only the largest hotel in Scandinavia but also includes a pair of towers that lean at 15-degree angles. Kim Herforth, founder, didn't set out to make a leaning building. He was inspired by origami which naturally led to the curvature. The angular hotel conjures up that of the paper-folded creations with upturned corners and downward slopes resembling a bird neck and wings. Or even geometric flowers rising toward the sun. Either way, we love origami. We love Denmark. Why not?

Check out the site here.

ART BABBLE: Yinka Shonibare - England

British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare has erected the largest ship in a bottle to date for the Fourth Plinth commission in Trafalgar Square, London. The five-meter-long glass bottle is based on the most iconic vehicle of the British empire, the naval ship. A trademark of Shonibare's work has been his exploration of the colonial relationship between Europe and Africa, especially through the use of African fabrics. The ships 37 sails are made from batik fabric, introduced to Europe by Dutch sailors. So pretttttty.

ART BABBLE: Here Comes The Neighborhood - Miami

HERE COMES THE NEIGHBORHOOD, a short series documenting the street art evolution of the Wynwood Walls in Miami, explores what was once a rundown neighborhood transitioning into a progressive urban revitalization. An array of over thirty acclaimed street artists, including many whom have never shown their works in the US, have curated a district that has grown into one of the largest concentrations of commissioned murals in the world.

Checkk it.


HCTN TRAILER from Here Comes the Neighborhood on Vimeo.

FILM BABBLE: Flight of The Frenchies

Amazingly beautiful short documentary by athlete/filmmaker/thrill-seeker Seb Montaz that follows his group of friends as they travel the world highlining and baselining like crazy people.

Inspirational and truly horrifying:


I Believe I can Fly ( flight of the frenchies). Trailer from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

DESIGN BABBLE: Astier de Villatte - France

Check out this beautiful interactive site by Paris-based ceramics company Astier de Villatte. The art direction is so Lars von Trier-esque:

http://www.astierdevillatte.com/

Their unique take on ceramics, paper goods, perfumes, candles, furniture, silverware, glassware and more are created in a Bastille workshop that used to house Napolean's silversmith.

DESIGN BABBLE: Geo-grafia - Japan

A sectional globe with which you can experience the earth's configuration. Structured such that when placed on a desk, it leans at exactly the angle of the earth's tilt (23.4 degrees).

These are so amazing! Easy (fun!) to build and so cute on a desk or mantle.
Get 'em at BF!

DESIGN BABBLE: SweetEars

A sweet remake of our awesome Plattan UrbanEars from Sweden. 

Reminds us of our icing phone covers!

Standard Plattan available in multiple colors. In-store now!

BABEL BABBLE: Your Guide to ShopNOLITA

Click here for deal updates. Happy Shopping!

DESIGN BABBLE: MOOOI - Netherlands

The horse lamp recently seen in designer Yasumichi Morita-san's apartment in Tokyo has shed light on the playful and bizarre designs of Dutch company MOOOI. The venture founded in 2001 by Marcel Wanders and Casper Vissers is named after their native Dutch word for beautiful - the third 'o' in the brand name stands for an extra value in terms of beauty and uniqueness.

The collections style is exclusive, daring, quirky, and based on the belief that design is a question of love. MOOOI takes pride in producing iconic objects that Alice would most definitely stumble upon in Wonderland.

Check out more here.

DESIGN BABBLE: Surprize Balls. Extraordinary.

Surprize Balls are created from 100 ft of colorfully changing paper ribbon encasing quirky treasures and mementos. As the crepe ball unravels, surprises and gifts spill out of each layer-- vintage style toys, keepsakes, charms, gems, candy, bubbles, funky jewelry, confetti poppers, fortunes, quotes and more.

The earliest evidence of surprise balls were found in the Native American culture. Traditionally, it was a common practice to tell the history of one’s life with this unique ball. The first layer represented birth and for each event in life, another layer and memento was added. In the 1950’s, surprise balls became vogue in Mid America and then mysteriously disappeared... until now! Available at BF :o)

Watch this cute vid:

BABEL BABBLE: ShopNOLITA

Stop by BF Saturday & Sunday, Nov 12-13th for 15% off the entire store plus free gift with purchase! Also, with each purchase is a chance to win one of five SERIOUSLY AMAZING exclusive gift bags compiled by participating Nolita establishments. Tell all your friends!

FASHION BABBLE: Shop Babel Fair Online!

WE'RE BAAACK... In the e-commerce world! And one of only 20 boutiques selected to join the launch of Shoptiques.com to bring you the best boutique inventory online. The site is by invitation-only, but you can skip the waitlist with this code: PR3SWBWC. Happy Shopping!

Visit Shoptiques here!

FASHION BABBLE: Della - Ghana

Della was born in the village of Hohoe, Ghana by LA based designer Tina Tangalakis and native Hohoe seamstress Beatrice Agabe. Their intention is to provide jobs and education to the community, while bringing awareness of Hohoe's struggle to the US. Each Della product is constructed from Ghana's vibrant local textiles, handmade in Beatrice's workshop by economically vulnerable women. Della empowers these women of Hohoe to gain financial independence by providing jobs, education and skill training.

Della is committed to the long term success of the Ghana community, working to build a foundation for economic independence. Della laptop and iPad cases coming soon to BF!

FASHION BABBLE: One Teaspoon - Australia

One Teaspoon Fall '12 In-store now.

TRAVEL BABBLE: A Small World After All

Travel + Leisure celebrated it's 40th anniversary last month with a huge global bazaar held at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC. About 5,000 people traveled from 26 states to experience music, food, and culture of 35 countries. Ticket holders had a chance to taste famed street foods from Singapore, watch Bula dancers from Fiji, listen to Maracatu musicians from Brazil, and more all the while shopping for hand-woven Venezuelan hammocks, Lebanese caftans, and handcrafted Tibetan jewelry. Check out the time-lapse video of many people considered "a gift to NYC." Don't miss out next year!

FASHION BABBLE: International Androgyny