Richard Haines is designerman, a fashion designer and blogger whose sketches of NYC style cause as many double takes as the people who inspire them. A brightly talented illustrator with a taste for the streets, Richard strolls New York City with pencils in hand, discovering the trends of today and tomorrow in a way all his own.

After a few embarrassingly emotional fashion experiences on What I Saw Today, Richard's aforementioned, personality-packed blog, we decided that a first hand chat was in order. Read on as we talk style, substance, and the visual ways of keeping those words together.

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I popped by the KAWS‘ opening last night at Gering & Lopez Gallery and was pretty impressed. The crowd was huge (too many people to even see the art very well), and a line snaked around the room to wait and meet the man himself who was signing anything and everything you put in front of him. Everything was sold out except a few of the bronze busts (on the right) which are still for sale at $25,000 a pop. Yowza.

More Pictures at Hypebeast by Devin Christopher

KAWS Exhibition at the Gering & López Gallery
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday | 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
730 Fifth Avenue (6th Floor)
Between 56th and 57th Streets
New York, NY 10019
p: 646.336.7183

Described as the most rugged and toughest phone in the world, the Sonim XP1 sure failed my tests. With one solid drop on our offices cement floor, the screen has shattered, making it both unreadable and inoperable. I didn’t even get long enough to put in my SIM card and make a call. The test and destroy site they have setup seemed convincing, and for $499 it better be.

Did I get a dud? Sonim CEO Bob Plaschke left a letter in the box telling me I’ve officially got one less thing to think about. Bob, buddy, you left me hanging here. Good thing these things come with a 3 year guarantee, I’m out of pocket and off the grid inside 3 minutes.

Update:  We’re trying a new one. Letter from their PR agency after the jump.  
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Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States of America. To honor and celebrate his historic achievement, Robert Bosch, Faculty at Oberlin went ahead and created a portrait of President-Elect Obama out of 44 complete sets of double-nine dominoes. Want to do this yourself? Thought so, here are the plans by number, also after the jump.
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It’s a story that runs on repeat: Apple releases a new product and you buy it, then you drop it, spill orange juice on it, keys scratch it and then think why didn’t I get a case? The cases at the Apple store tend to be fairly lame, so we feel that is our responsibility to point you to Foof. Food makes sleeves for your Apple gear, laptops, iPods and iPhones (even the brand new stuff). The fabric sleeves use a range of unique materials that puts you one up the thousands of Macs at your local coffee shop. The sleeves range from $21 to $27 which is a total steal and you will only thank us for it when your laptop doesn’t get ruined. Check out their gorgeous designs and protect that hardware.

The e-commerce experts at Alendis have been very busy figuring out ways to make your personal pictures go pop. They’ve got a trio of new sites that turn your very own images into pop art, making for ideal decorations while still going a long way towards preserving your precious memories. DecoraPhotos transfers a desired digital photo onto a variety of materials such as canvas or aluminum to hang in your home. NovaPop gives your snaps the Warhol treatment, turning them into a cartoonish rendering, and at NosoloPAPEL you can put those images onto an array of items such as invitations and notepads. All three ventures utilize the best modern printing materials, so you’re never stuck with something that resembles a color photocopy. As if those weren’t enough they have another new site by the name of Nuzart that seeks to redefine the a la carte buying and selling of art and also serve as a place where tremendous talent is shared. Told you they were busy.

There’s little that’s not to love about jacket creator Jules Elin: the designs are flattering, fairly priced, and made in the City by the Bay. Not to mention that the current fall collection is made from 70% organic cotton and a portion of the proceeds benefit Dress for Success, an organization that promotes economic independence by providing professional attire for disadvantaged women.

Designer Julie Elin Burnbaum plays with a few eye-catching touches on her coats, including graphic lining and large hoods. “Erla” and “Soley” are among her pieces’ descriptions and named after loved ones. A website with these individuals’ stories and styles is set to launch next spring — good thing we’ve got her creations to stay warm in the meantime.

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A good pair of headphones should envelope your sense of hearing. Able Planet has mastered the art of noise cancellation with their Clear Harmony NC200 Audio headphones. The foldable and easily portable cups come equipped with Linx Audio technology, delivering clarity no matter the format. A little plus is that you can still use the headphones without the noise cancellation feature, which is battery powered. Pick them up here.