Weirdness.
This site is selling actual MiG helmets.

For $149.98 you get:

A favorite site of mine when looking for new fashion ideas is Grechen's Closet, and recently she's posted about "eco-chic" with a lot of examples of green boutiques and sustainable lines from indie and mainstream designers. Organic living may have been made most visible recently by Anya Hidmarch and the infamous "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" bag, but true sustainable style requires more than a tote you should be using for groceries but more likely than not are flashing around as your day bag.

Sustainable clothes from Edun, one of the best known eco-chic brands due to Ali Hewson's association with Bono.

A recent survey from American Express showed that a full third of us have become "conscience consumers", and the social and environmental hazards in the fashion trade are numerous. From sweatshop labor to environmental pollution via washes and dyes, not to mention the fast-fashion disposable-apparel trend, it can be difficult to find clothes that look good but that you can ethically feel good about as well. So for now, leave the disposable clothes at Forever 21, and check out Grechen's list of indie green boutiques and designers.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Big Upset. Big Super Bowl ring. The New York Giants unveiled the design of their Super Bowl championship ring on Tuesday, a white gold sparkler that will feature about 1.5 carats in diamonds. The new ring will even make seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan happy. Shortly after New York won the championship with a 17-14 win over the previously undefeated New England Patriots, Strahan said he wanted a '10-table ring.' Loosely defined: He wanted a ring that could be seen 10 tables away in a restaurant.

But how big is too big when you have a big win? 1.5 carats turned out to be a nice compromise. The ring features three diamond-studded trophies for the Giants' Super Bowl XXI, XXV and XLII victories, a NY logo in diamonds, and channel-set diamonds on each side. No photos yet; the rings will be presented to the Giants later in the spring.

If your idea of roughing it is flying commercial carrier or staying in a hotel with less than four stars -- or if you're a devout fan of access to indoor plumbing -- the "Not Camping" luggage tag from ModCloth is for you.

A few of us at YupJay are ad-men (err, ad-women, to be more precise) at heart, and thought you might appreciate this:

A photo of the LV Flagship store in Korea that was referenced in "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster".

Keith Richards rocks the LV guitar case in the newest Louis Vuitton ads:

Louis Vuitton: A New Coat of Arms
Pharrell & Camille Miceli unveil Blason jewelry collection
Friday, January 04, 2008

(NEW YORK) Louis Vuitton's ongoing creative collaborations with impresarios from the worlds of art and music show no sign of stopping. Fashion Week Daily has learned that the French fashion house will unveil Blason, its new collection of fine jewelry designed in collaboration with Pharrell Williams and Camille Miceli (the Vuitton creative consultant who now designs jewelry for the brand and handles Marc Jacobs's personal public relations) during the upcoming Paris couture shows.

Blason originates from French Heraldry and is the symbol of a dynasty, synonymous with a coat of arms, and for centuries has conveyed aristocratic heritage from one generation to another. Williams, a longtime collector of Louis Vuitton luggage who, along with friend and A Bathing Ape founder Nigo designed and launched the house's first sunglass collection in April 2005, has emblazoned the history of Louis Vuitton with this special collection of edgy, avant-garde pieces inspired by the music universe and featuring combinations that include, but are not limited to, white gold with diamonds and yellow gold with diamonds.

Specific details on the collection have yet to be released, but Louis Vuitton is expected to unveil four separate and distinctly themed lines under Blason that will launch this spring at its flagship stores worldwide. The pieces range in price from 1,400 to 420,000 Euros, or approximately $2,070 to $621,000.

Louis Vuitton will officially unveil the Blason collection to press on January 21. A party hosted by Williams and Miceli celebrating the pieces will take place that evening at a private mansion on Avenue Foch.

This youtube video is making the rounds in Venezuela:

Reuters Story:

A video of a Gucci- and Louis Vuitton-clad politician attacking capitalism then struggling to explain how his luxurious clothes square with his socialist beliefs has become an instant YouTube hit in Venezuela.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Pedro Carreno was momentarily at a loss for words when a journalist interrupted his speech and asked if it was not contradictory to criticize capitalism while wearing Gucci shoes and a tie made by Parisian luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton.

"I don't, uh ... I ... of course," stammered Carreno on Tuesday before regaining his composure. "It's not contradictory because I would like Venezuela to produce all this so I could buy stuff produced here instead of 95 percent of what we consume being imported."

Riding a boom in oil prices, middle-class and wealthy Venezuelans are on a spending spree, guzzling fine whiskies and snapping up luxury cars. Poorer Venezuelans also have benefited, with subsidies driving a spike in demand for basic products.

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Marc by Marc Jacobs' soft hobo is all over this Spring, and reasonably priced at $398:

Available in chalk or chicory but rapidly selling out everywhere - and with hardware reminiscent of the bags of MJ proper, that's no surprise, really.