None!

With World renowned property developers Manhattan Loft spending a total of eight years on the project, the bar was set high. Now, as a reminder of their incredible success in 2011, we’re presented with a look at the interiors of the famous St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, located in Central London. Originally designed by George Gilbert Scott in 1873, this incredible Grade I listed building, formerly the Midland Grand Hotel, would eventually close its doors in 1935, becoming railway offices and soon falling into disrepair. The new 244 room Marriott-owned hotel aimed to incorporate today’s advanced technology in the 200 million pound spruce-up, something that wouldn’t have been possible with the building’s old workings. In this stunning set of shots, you can see some examples of the grand interior design practiced, as well as the relaxing patio space featuring some incredible garden sculptures. Aside from its unashamed grandeur, for us, the history of the site makes this story particularly fascinating.

The post Inside London’s Grand & Historic St. Pancras Hotel appeared first on Selectism.

Air Traffic

Photograph by Takashi, National Geographic Your Shot

Paragliders stipple the sky above Japans Mount Fuji in this picture by Your Shot member Takashi, who writes: I was shooting from behind the takeoff field so as not to get in the way. I [waited for] the moment when many paragliders gathered in the direction of the mountainand got this shot.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot. Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.

See our Long Lens feature on Takashi's love affair with Mount Fuji.

betweenartandcomfort:

Patrick Grant

Source: zimbio.com

Horses in the Highlands

Photograph by Charlotte Goss, National Geographic Your Shot

A great cloud of dust formed in the distance as we drove through the deserted Icelandic highlands, writes Your Shot member Charlotte Goss. We stopped the car and seized our cameras as the herd of Icelandic horses sped toward us. They watched us as we watched them, each of us surprised by the others presence. It was over in seconds, yet forever frozen with a single click.

Goss's picture appeared in Your Shot's Daily Dozen.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot. Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.

See Your Shot photos of Icelandic horses.

Twin Peaks

Photograph by Artur Stanisz, National Geographic Your Shot

Emerging from behind a snowstorm, morning sunlight strikes the distinctive double peaks of Mount Asgard on Baffin Island in Canadas Nunavut Territory. Your Shot member Artur Stanisz spent two weeks on a solo expedition to the island, hiking 124 miles across the Arctic landscape. He captured this photo in Auyuittuq National Park. I had hiked across the Turner Glacier, where I set up my camp and spent the next few days exploring the area and looking for the best photo compositions, he writes. On this particular morning, the weather changing from snowstorm to clear sky created a spectacular light show.

Stanisz's picture recently appeared in Your Shot's Daily Dozen.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot. Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.

Arguably one of the best looking coffee brewers on the market, the 73-year-old CHEMEX takes a little mastering but is well worth the experimentation. The truth is though, not everyone can dedicate a portion of their day to perfecting a hot drink. Recognising our inherent laziness, CHEMEX release the Ottomatic, a slim line machine with the original glass carafe and its beautiful wooden collar still at the centre. Brewing you the perfect cup at the push of a button, place a bonded filter inside the neck and the Ottomatic controls pre-infusion, water temperature as well as wetting the entire coffee bed and evenly extracting thanks to “Greedy Cup” Sprayhead Technology. The hot plate then retains the finished product at the optimum temperature (176F-185F) while you get on with the rest of your morning routine.

The post CHEMEX Release the Ottomatic Coffee Brewer appeared first on Selectism.

I didn’t attend, but there was a meeting last week at 901 Madison at which about 40 residents attended, along with several City Council people, Mayor Zimmer, project owner/developer – Rob Grenoble, (he currently owns the Water Music studio at the site) and the architect, John Nastasi. From what I’ve been told, the session was […]

Fiery Flyby

Photograph by Baldur Sveinsson, National Geographic Your Shot

Every Icelander has watched this from the day that the earthquakes under the Brarbunga volcano on the Vatnajkull glacier started, writes Your Shot member Baldur Sveinsson, a retired teacher whos been photographing aircraft for the past 40 years, the most exciting part of which, he says, is photographing from another aircraft. A pilot friend of mine wanted to have a look at the eruption, which is about an hour from Reykjavk. We werent able to find any other aircraft to accompany us but decided to go anyway, as there are almost always some in the vicinity for sightseeing. We found one doing its passes from north to south. Its at least 300 meters [984 feet] in front of the lava spout.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot. Check out the new and improved website, where you can share photos, take part in assignments, lend your voice to stories, and connect with fellow photographers from around the globe.

Watch: Iceland's volcanoes from above and below &raquo

In case you haven’t noticed, we love House Industries. The creative vets responsible for some of our favorite typeface design, (re)brandings and cycling gear are now the makers of Christmas paraphernalia. Although Christmas ornaments don’t undergo much wear and tear, House Ind went full-fledged crafting these typographic tree-danglers out of shiny, anodized aluminum. The crew produced a total of 11 ornaments, available for $38 each. We approve.

The post Anodized Aluminum Ornaments by House Industries appeared first on Selectism.

Photographer Jonathan Leder may be considered a master of his craft. For years, Leder has photographed the female form in a manner that reminds us of nudes from an earlier time. His work does not always fully expose the subject and certainly allows for the imagination to roam free and fill in the blanks. The particular kind of exposure on his models is intended. Check out his feature film Promiscuities for more references.

Leder’s latest collection of work, A Study in Fetishisms Vol. 2, is the second release in an ongoing manifesto exploring the referenced title. Whereas Volume 1 of A Study in Fetishisms explored questions of fetishism, love and the liberated female, Volume 2 hones in on the fetishes around blondes of all forms.

Leder’s photography has certainly been an early lens into future stars in the world of modeling: Noteworthy features include some early nudes of model Emily Ratajkowski before she became famous. Volume 2 is no exception with models like Kayslee Collins, Molly Constable, Lindsay Jones, Jeanette Laven and others gracing the 64-page photo book. Both volumes of A Study in Fetishism are available now at the Imperial Picture webshop.

Tonight, stop by Le Bain in New York to celebrate the release of Volume 2 from from 8pm to midnight. You can RSVP online.

The post A NSFW Preview of “A Study in Fetishisms” Vol. 2 appeared first on Selectism.

On Sale at J. Crew: 45% Off Fall/Winter Ludlow Sportcoats

$215.60, from $388 retail. Use promo code MERRYMERRY for 25% off $150+, free shipping. Code expires Tuesday, December 9th.

It seems like retailers are in a quest to give every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas a special name, what with Grey Thursday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday. Well, today is apparently “Green Monday”, and the moniker is a bit more forward than the others — it’s apparently the third biggest sales day of the holiday season, with stores releasing a slew of promo codes, no doubt hoping to entice those people trying to get orders in before the two-week standard shipping window for Christmas closes.

J. Crew’s getting in on the action with a tiered promo code, offering 25% off orders over $100 and 30% off orders over $150. That’s a bit lackluster compared to recent codes, since J. Crew rarely requires minimum values, but it’s worth another look since the code coincides with some attractive new additions to their sale section.

That seems to be the game with J. Crew lately — you can almost guarantee a 25%+ discount on sale merchandise every weekend, but it becomes much more interesting because they constantly rotate merchandise in and out of sale throughout the season. The upshot is a nice stacked discount on a current season item with plenty of sizes available, instead of something with only one or two sizes left in stock because its been picked over for weeks.

For this go round, J. Crew included their Kenton line of suede Goodyear-welted boots and the attractive fall/winter Ludlow sport coats above, both about 45% off and with most sizes still in stock. The Ludlow fit likely doesn’t need any introduction here, but its worth noting that all the jacket fabrics are sourced from English and Scottish mills (Abraham Moon and Robert Noble). The jackets are partially unconstructed for a more casual appearance—I’m honestly not sure if this is any different from past seasons’ sport coats, but J. Crew’s really touting that this year.

You’ll also notice that two of the jackets feature even more casual flapped patch pockets, and the Robert Noble Ludlow jacket (my favorite of the bunch) appears to have wider lapels, a welcome change.

To see all the fall/winter Ludlow jackets on sale, click here.