In what looks a cross between the old Nike ACG water socks from the mid-1990′s and a hole puncher accident, the Nike Zvezdochka LAF – which actually are inspired by design of the Russian cosmonaut socks so they can get around whilst in space and is named after the dog that got blasted in space in the Sputnik 10 mission – is an interesting sneaker design by Australian designer, Marc Newson.

Two new colorways are available, Mahogany (burgundy) and Aegean Blue paired off with Neutral Grey. The Zvezdochka LAF will be made available at the 21 Mercer Nike Store, which is located in New York City’s historic SoHo neighborhood, between Grand and Howard.

[ Links: SneakerFreaker via Nike Sportswear ]

It’s been 10 years since the Detroit, Michigan born John Varvatos first debut from under his successful launches while at Calvin Klein and at Ralph Lauren to do his own thing under his own name. To commemorate those 10 years of being successful, John Varvatos is coming out with a special edition men’s fragrance.

To celebrate the incredible success of the John Varvatos luxury brand, which includes several exclusive fragrances, John Varvatos Enterprises debuts the John Varvatos 10th Anniversary Special Edition fragrance in partnership with Elizabeth Arden. Scheduled for debut in October, 2010, the John Varvatos 10th Anniversary Special Edition scent will be available at John Varvatos boutiques and prestige department stores nationwide.

“We have an iconic, contemporary brand in the American fashion landscape,” said John Varvatos. “John Varvatos 10th Anniversary Special Edition exemplifies both the vintage and modern edge we bring to our clothes and offers another way for consumers to experience the brand and celebrate our ten year heritage.”

This also marks the first fragrance in cooperation with Elizabeth Arden, formerly the task fell to Shiseido, and is described as an amber oriental with Bergamot, Ceylonese Cinnamon, Chinotto Orange top notes with Patchouli and Leather basenotes.

Set to debut in October 2010 for $88 in only a 125ml/4.2oz size.

[ Links: Fashion and Runway via NSTPerfume ]

Exclusive this month at Bloomingdales with wider distribution next month, Marc Jacobs set out to make a spicy cologne that would allude to sexuality while maintaining an intimate scent that would entice your partner to stay close. With notes that include: cedar, white, black and pink pepper notes, vetiver, white moss, and patchouli; Bang is an utterly masculine scent that doesn’t give off killer sillage.

In simpler terms, it’s to be enjoyed by you and the person close to you, not the entire room. After one wearing of this scent, I’m a fan – reminds me of Hermes Terre D’Hermes but lighter, yet slightly spicier. Sold at 3.4 and 1.7 ounce sizes for the eau de toilette at $75 and $55 respectively, this is definitely a scent to add to your list.

[ Links: Marc Jacobs Bang at Bloomingdales ]

Not every toy and gadget needs to have the latest CPU and polymer materials to be considered highly desirable and worthwhile. The Auditorium Toy Co. has produced a handmade, wooden push car toy that looks like some of the toys from your youth… but better constructed.

It’s not just a looker though – the Boattail Racer is handmade from materials that time cannot easily erode.

The wooden bodywork is sculpted from rugged 13 ply Baltic birch. The muscular stance comes courtesy of the 77.5 millimeter carnelian-core industrial grade wheels, which float effortlessly on precision bearings. Solid stainless steel axles and fasteners ensure faithful service for generations to come.

Just like the old Tonka toys, this solid birch and stainless steel toy will probably outlast you. Priced at $350 per toy, it does come in its own archive box that doubles as a presentation box.

[ Links: Auditorium Toy Co. ]

Named after the Nike co-founder and track and field coach, Bill Bowerman, these Nike Mayfly’s aren’t your typical run of the mill sneakers. Built primarily for short bursts of speed (sprinting) providing optimum performance, the Nike Mayfly lives up to the insect of the same name with a short lifespan by only lasting only about 100km.

Innovation at its peak, the Nike Mayfly Men’s Running Shoe is an ultra-lightweight racing design. Created with a lifespan as short as its namesake, the Mayfly is designed to go 100km. Durable, breathable ripstop fabric makes up the upper, while a Phylite foam fuses the midsole and outsole together for the lightweight, minimal cushioning you need to swiftly go the distance.

Cushion, reinforcement but not build quality is sacrificed to provide athletes the absolute most lightweight and responsive shoe for the buck. Available at Nike.com for $45.00. I personally like the colors the best Go CU Buffs!… might get a pair just to kick around in.

[ Links: Nike, Nike Mayfly ]

Frederik Wepener and Ross Zietz, along with Threadless.com have collaborated to bring a t-shirt where all of the proceeds will go to the ongoing Gulf Coast oil spill:

As of this writing, there is still no end to be seen to the Gulf oil spill. And as we all watch the gallons of oil spilling into the water and onto land, we can’t help but wonder what we can do to help. So a couple weeks ago, we decided to reach out to Threadless member Frederik Wepener of South Africa to work with our own Ross Zietz on a collaboration tee. The result is this design, peliCAN t-shirt.

Cool way to give to a good organization and get something cool out of it. Perhaps the best $10 you can donate.

[ Links: peliCAN T-shirt, Gulf Restoration Network ]

Old-world workmanship typically lasts a lot longer than automated, cheaply produced, mass-marketed items for the most part. And they tend to fit better. So while looking for a replacement pair of sneakers to replace my recently destroyed (now defunct) Medium Design Group, Medium Footwear Inc. Minimalist sneakers, I stumbled upon Feit. A manufacturer of trendy, old-world quality shoes and have been doing so for a while in small batches originally in Sydney Australia.

Just recently they opened up their website where you can pre-purchase or shop for what’s in stock – again, in small batches.

Like all Feit shoes the SUPERCLEAN is handmade using traditional shoe making techniques rarely found in the footwear industry today. These traditional methods are being lost as we move from local cobblers and small boot factories to assembly lines and mass production.

Making shoes by hand allows us to produce small volumes of very high quality. It ensures the shoe making process remains adaptable and flexible.

With prices that range from $240 and higher, these aren’t your normally priced sneakers. But I’m willing to bet you’ll have them longer than your last pair of Reebok’s. Pictured above are the Feit Superclean in white llama leather and retail for $248.46. And more than likely, my very next pair of sneakers. Cannot wait.

[ Links: Feit Direct, Feit Blog ]

Face it. You probably stink and that Axe spray is only good for masking the funk from a workout or missed day of showering. Instead of driving off the women with your funk, why not smell like a man? Well, a Bulgari Man to be exact.

Bulgari Man is sporting a good mix of notes as: bergamot, violet Leaves, lotus blossom, vetiver, cypriol, white woods, sandalwood, cashmere wood, vegetal amber, benzoin, white honey and musk to combine in a modern, fresh and decidedly masculine manner. Due for a September release with Clive Owen used in the adverts and Bulgari Man is brought to you by the same perfumer that brought forth the excellent and original Bulgari Pour Homme in 1994, Alberto Morillas.

No word on pricing yet.

Gamers sometimes entertain other gamers away from their consoles and LAN parties; so why not entertain them with a pack of Super Mario playing cards?

Nintendo is releasing in late July three renditions of their playing cards featuring the imagery of the old, pixelated NES version of Super Mario Bros., then their updated, more cartoon-y versions of Mario and company and finally their more recent 3D iterations of Mario, Bowser – he’s the joker card. Just for nostalgia sake, I’m willing to bet that the retro-NES version of the playing cards will be the best seller.

Available for pre-order for late July delivery at NCSX.com for $12.90.

[ Links: NCSX, Super Mario Playing Cards ]

As much as I love the term “man cave”, it’s not fully a true man cave unless you got a booming, yet clear system that makes you feel each and every explosion in Red Dawn at the base of your root canal. Don’t have a good system? Harman got you covered.

For the home theater enthusiast that is looking for an all-in-one, easy-to-use setup, Harman provides a complete home theater system from Mark Levinson and Revel. At the heart of this system is the Mark Levinson No 502 Media Console. Designed to provide precise sound and breathtaking on-screen imagery with easy-to-use, user-friendly menus, the No 502 console automatically sharpens images for crisp, clean video that, along with Revel’s Ultima speakers allow the viewer to achieve an unparalleled level of suspended reality.

For the more advanced audiophile, JBL Synthesis provides a number of products that bring over 60-years of professional audio innovation into the home. Their custom-installed systems are specifically designed to duplicate the same sound characteristics of famed concert venues like the Sydney Opera House, and when they are applied to any sporting event, create an audio experience that rivals any live venue.

From simple, two speaker stereo configurations to more complex true Dolby/THX 7.1 configurations, Harman is the company that houses Mark Levinson, JBL and Infinity audio brands. Prices range all the way from “I can do that” to “whoa, I’ve seen cars that cost less”. But the quality is undeniable across all of the Harman brands.

And besides… your man cave deserves the best.

[ Links: Harman ]

It’s getting warmer again and in my search for standout t-shirts to wear this Summer, I somehow ran across ToyNinja and their pop culture t-shirts.

Comprising mostly of their iconic mascot, a cute bear that’s also a ninja, the ToyNinja offerings have been around since 2009 and are deceptively simple while easily standing out from the rest of shirts out there. Think equal parts: Medicom Kubricks, Afro Samurai, Star Wars and Pedobear.

I want some of that action! Cool part, you can look different from the crowd and support an eco-friendly company. Each of their shirts are printed with eco-friendly water based ink as opposed to plastisol ink that is toxic to the environment.

Prices start at $28.

[ Links: ToyNinja ]

Looking like equal parts Nike Huarache and Nike ACG boot, seems like Nike has created a comfortable middle with their Nike SFB Mid Military Boot that comes in British Khaki on British Khaki and combines lightweight and quick-drying glues, materials and assembly techniques pulled from Nike’s Considered line to create a durable, low-weight mid-top boot that can handle any terrain.

Priced at $100, available now at Nike.com.

[ Links: Nike.com, Nike SFB Mid Military Boot ]