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Each week, our inbox runneth over with news of gear, apparel and tech releases from around the world. In this feature, we’ll parse through the best of it. Today: Our Place releases a new cutesy kitchen appliance, Levi’s reissues the classic 517 bootcut jeans and Bulova drops an out-of-this-world timepiece.
Cards Against Humanity is nice now? Nope — that’s just the latest edition Where Should We Begin? from the much-adored psychotherapist, podcaster and sex and relationship expert Esther Perel. The second edition of this adult card game, which promotes connecting with friends, family and lovers via card-prompted storytelling (there are color codes to ensure you don’t mix those categories up), now sports a portable six-sided die, along with a host of new question cards for maximum enjoyment. It’s a hoot.
The hottest sneaker of 2024 is…a loafer? Spotted at the Junya Watanabe show during Paris fashion week, the tasty New Balance 1906L collab is expected to drop in late 2024 in both this shiny off-ivory and sleek black. Stay drippy, my friends.
Oh, you’ve got a guilloche dial? How quaint. This Lunar Pilot features a dial made of actual meteorite. The Muonionalusta meteorite, to be exact. Although, to be completely honest, meteorite watches are not as rare as you might think — this particular interstellar specimen has contributed material to watches by Bremont, David Rutten, Selten and others — but the inclusion in this Bulova model, which is famous for an earlier design having been worn on the moon, actually makes sense. Plus, as the meteorite matches nicely with the Lunar Pilot’s grayscale aesthetic, this is a real looker.
Celebrating 200 years of this Speyside distillery, The Macallan just launch the second edition of a series of rare single malts that highlight the history of the whisky brand. This bottle pays homage to founder Alexander Reid; it’s encased in a handcrafted Lalique crystal decanter, with subtle red hues that reflect the original meaning of Reid’s surname in Scots – The Red One. Only 344 decanters are available starting this week for an SRP of $89,000. We, alas, did not get to try this one, but on the palate it apparently features notes of “black cherries, plum jam, dark chocolate orange, almond and custard pastry, ginger sponge with hints of cloves, sweet woodsmoke and a hint of loose tea leaves.”
The pastel-hued kitchen brand behind the Always Pan has been expanding into appliances, and once they introduced a 6-in-1 countertop oven, we knew it was only a matter of time before a blender joined the Our Place team. The Splendor Blender is more of a personal option than a family-sized pulverizer, with a 1,000-watt (about 1.3 horsepower) motor and a 750mL vessel (and accompanying lid so you can take it to go) coming standard. For comparison, an entry-level Vitamix 5200 Standard has a 2-hp motor and 64 oz. vessel (about 1,890mL), but it’s also almost four times the price of this. If you want more versatility with your Splendor, you can add on an accessory kit with two more vessels — one larger, one smaller — with lids for a total price of $170.
Why choose between wings and drinks when you can have both? We don’t know too much about this hard seltzer limited release (it’s apparently “zesty”) but it’ll be available beginning January 29 while supplies last.
50 years after the introduction of the Orange Tab jeans, the classic Levi’s 517 is getting a reboot. Launching in three new wide-legged styles, the reissued Levi’s looks to capture that same flair (forgive the pun) of the ’70s.
How’s the SoundCloud looking these days? If you’re itching to create even more Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Beats To Study To tracks that no one will listen to, Yamaha’s new SEQTRAK “music creation station” is a must-cop. With a lightweight frame and array of clear nobs, the 3-part user interface is simple and easy to figure out. Go nuts.
Stop doom scrolling…but also put away your ancient flip phone. For a modern phone that does away with distracting apps, this crowdfunded phone features a tactile keyboard, an E-ink display and four days of battery power per charge. It’s cool, but these are early days and you’ll need to join a waitlist to even get the chance to buy this (not yet built) minimal tech.
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