For as long as we can remember, Calvin Klein has been at the forefront of American sportswear; combining elements of style and sex appeal, they've always been masters of the provocative ad. This time, the stalwarts of style have gone one step further with their latest advertisement, by taking chic and marrying it with street. Over the past 2 days the rather large Calvin Klein sign on the bustling New York City street corner of Lafayette and Houston has been gradually “splashed” with pink paint as part of a three stage reveal that is the result of a collaboration between the Clothing Kingpins, the soon to open New Museum, and Droga 5. The project's chief aim is to create a truly mesmerizing mash up of graffiti, fashion, and art. We think they've succeeded. But don't take our word for it; get yourself down to the corner of Broadway and Lafayette for the stage 3 reveal, tomorrow. Maybe we'll see you on the F train.

Oooh, Christmas shoes! (And they come in blue as well, so… Hanukkah shoes!) Metallic gold, suede, and tartan; all rolled up into a New Balance 576 and ready for tree decorating, menorah lighting, or even just braving a bit of snow on your way to the mailbox. Well, sort of ready, because you’ll have had to be very good this year to get your hands on these. And by good I don’t just mean keeping your family’s name out of the dirt — I mean you’ll have had to learn Japanese (or Mandarin, or Chinese; I’m not really sure which one you’ll need. All three is probably best). Yep, it’s a sad example of the state of the world, but this is the only place we know to buy them (and they’re just so good). A slightly more understandable shopping experience (sans tartan but stocking plenty more NB goodness) can be found here.

Love is a strong word and we only dare use it in the most appropriate of circumstances. Fortunately, it seems more than reasonable to stand on the mountaintop and shout, “We love I Love Blocks jewelry collection, and we don't care who knows it!”

Graphic designer Irina Blok's handmade jewelry challenges the concepts of conventional jewelry by employing the use of Shrinky Dinks (a childhood favorite), her trusty Mac and the finest materials available, such as acrylic paints and leather and silk cords, to create an affordable yet trendy brand of wearable art that juxtaposes both natural and man made environments. While diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, these Blocks prove much more versatile.

Publishing is a little less entry-friendly in Brazil, I’ve observed. You can already have a decent amount of money from other sources so costs become no object, get picked up by only a handful of publishers or rather approach things in DIY style, the latter of which has inspired a small treasure trove of fashion and art magazines. But DIY publishing, if you want to take it to the art form that it can be, can benefit from a helping hand, especially if you don’t have the resources to produce. Publishers taking on secondary roles of advisers and arbiters, Sao Paulo’s Editora Organiza just opened their doors for business to help zine and mini-book authors bring their projects to fruition. The duo running the company boast graphic design experience for major magazines in Brazil and print using silkscreen and photocopying machines — two devices common but not always accessible to the public at large. As part of the company’s inauguration, they’re holding walk-in appointments for anyone interested in discussing their projects and already have created a beautiful sample pack to show what can be capable with their involvement. Those who live in Sao Paulo should hit up their website for more info on times and their location; who knows, the next Punk Planet could be ready to be born.

The Big Art Mob is an effort to create a comprehensive survey of public art in the form of a mobile blog. A project only just begun in the UK, the Big Art Mob hopes to build this database via photos from cameras or mobile phones, taken by anyone who cares to snap a shot. Using a combination of Google Maps, a geo-coding facility, and tags (labels or keywords, created by the senders and viewers), the photos and moblog posts will eventually (and hopefully) create an interactive map that serves to preserve the country’s wealth of public art. Big Art Mob will also serve as a debate forum; thanks to the user-generated nature of the public art that is uploaded, the classic argument over “What is Art?” will likely pop up on a daily basis. My fingers are crossed that street artists are allowed use this tool to preserve their pieces – because how great would it be to have a dated photo documentary of one wall’s changes over a years or two? Big Art Mob is the precursor to a new television series called Big Art Project, which I don’t know to much about but am hoping is at least half as amazing as “Planet Earth.” More details here.

I haven’t dove into the housing market yet, but having friends who have done it, they tell me the quest for the perfect place frustrating and the “perfect place” fairly elusive. Some have ended up buying lofts for the endless possibilities an open space can give them, but a year later and half a million bucks in the hole, they’re still living in an echo chamber that resembles every much a Costco warehouse than “home, sweet home.” Familiar story, I bet.

Max Haus in Sao Paulo intends to give Brazilians every final bit of their dream digs. When they buy a 753-square-foot apartment in one of Max Haus’ buildings, the basic sewer lines and such are already set up, but they’ll get to play architect and design the layout, as well as how they want the rest of the space utilized. Then — easy! — Max Haus builds it the way they’ve been instructed. Potential homebuyers start by going to the company’s website, which lets them fool around with different plans that can be saved to a profile. It’s a little bit like Sim City meeting real life. I can’t wait to start building a place to house my enormous shoe collection. What would you do with yours?

Matt Bernson’s Dad’s Slouchy Boot: Read JS Review | Buy It (POA; shown as 1)

A commenter put it best when he said, “With this boot and the right alley stride you should be able to pull off just about anything.” We’re trying to keep our pair scratch free, so we’ve stuck to small scale bank robberies, but the man is right — you could probably hop a train or two with these shoes.

Wood Wood Repetition Scarf: Read JS Review | Buy It ($105; shown as 3)

We’ll take anything from Wood Wood, but if you gift the Repetition Scarf you’ll be wrapping up a little slice of history. Video game monsters, tapes, pitchforks; assuming the recipient has little hipsters of their own one day, said recipient will also win the title of “Vintage Daddy of the Block” come 2028. It just keeps on giving, you know?

Nau Sweaters: Read JS Review | Buy It ($87-$103; shown as 2)

Girls and Boys can get extra cozy with sweaters from Nau thanks to their killer blend of eco and body consciousness. We like the cuddly feeling we get from Nau’s Partner’s for Change association, too (it allows for 5% of your gifting dollars to go towards a humanitarian, environmental, or social group of your choosing).

retrosuperfuture: Read JS Review | Buy It ($129; shown as 5)

Retrosuperfuture sunnies seem to run a little bigger than the other eighties throwbacks we’ve been seeing these days… so of course we like them a little better. The Zeiss lenses don’t hurt one bit, either.

Gargyle: Read JS Review | Buy It ($88; shown as 4)

I like the holiday gifting rule that states, “Buy them things they’d never buy for themselves,” which is exactly why I like the accessories collection at Gargyle. Would he buy a railroad cuff bracelet for himself? (Probably not.) Would he think it was f&%#@!* badass? (Only if he can recognize the handiwork of God.)

Look out Etsy, Supermarket is here! A self-described curated collection of awesomeness, Supermarket features products available from designers around the world. Almost anything “designed” is available, from graphically printed hoodies to sustainably created furniture.

Looking closely, Supermarket reminds me of Etsy — for the heavy-hitters. You won’t find quite so many of the one-off or tine production run pieces created in someone’s basement in their spare time, but the pieces you do find will be well-designed, unique, and often sustainably made; it’s supermarket for all the hip little design studios around the world to get together, all in one place.