MIXEDMATERIAL

Coming Up: Puma/Yves Saint Laurent

Proving that it pays to be part of PPR, Puma continues to snag the best designers for their collaborations, now adding the Yves Saint Laurent label to a roster that has included Jil Sander, Neil Barrett, Mihara Yasuhiro and Alexander McQueen. The shoes are going to be sold exclusively online and in YSL boutiques, but there's no word yet on when they're going to be available. I'm already imagining myself in the virtual queue for these.

Go: Picasso

London and New York are in sync this spring, with two concurrent shows featuring the grand-daddy of twentieth century art who is, of course, Picasso. Both shows shed new light on his seemingly limitless output and imagination and offer the chance to reconsider just how great art can be.

Buy It Now: Closely Separated Vase

A vase is often a frilly and feminine thing, but not so in the case of this fractured vessel by Michael Geertsen. Created for Muuto, the vase is called 'Closely Separated' and it creates just the right balance between hard modernity and human crafting, as it is created by hand by throwing traditional shapes likes cups and bowls on a potter's wheel which are then reassembled to create a chimeric container. Available with a tin glaze in white or yellow, the vase costs £79 from the Conran Shop.

Go: French Cancan by Jean Marc Gady

Running until May 19th, 'French Cancan' by Jean Marc Gady at Gallery R'Pure is a design exhibition showcasing household accessories. Featuring lighting, vases and great plates (after the jump) the small show highlights the witty yet practical work of this innovative designer.

Gallery R'Pure, 3 East 19th St, New York

Buy It Now: Comme Des Garcons Windcheater

April means showers, of course, and what better way to cover yourself but still look spring savvy than with this colour block windcheater from Comme Des Garcons?

Comme Des Garcons Windcheater, £139 from Farfetch

Coming Up: Pepsi Natural

 

A premium cola made with natural extracts and sold in supposedly classy packaging. Convinced? Or are garish colours and artificial flavours all part of the fun of fizzy drinks?

Six of the Best: Sandals

A brief glimpse of sunshine at the weekend has turned attention to finding fresh footwear. From gladiator to thong, keep it airy if your feet aren't too hairy with this selection of six of the best sandals.

Blue Centurion Hi Top Sandals by Jil Sander, £255 from Oki-Ni

Go: Triumph of the Sign by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Triumph of the Sign is the first solo art show of fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. The fruit hasn't fallen very far from the tree for this exhibition, as Castelbajac concerns himself with the tensions and relations that exist between consumer culture, fashion and high art. Questioning provenance and branding, the paintings on show are all made in China copied Western masterpieces that have been painted and then overlaid by another group of painters with logos including, rather cheekily, his own (see below).

Triumph of the Sign by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac is on until May 2nd at Paradise Row, 17 Hereford Street, London, E2.

Buy It Now: Dolfin Chocolate

This Easter, let the kids have the sticky synthetic sweets and treat yourself to some real grown up chocolate from Dolfin. Using fine chocolate and innovative blends of herbs and spices, Dolfin has been working the whole 'sounds weird but works, chili pepper and chocolate' thing for twenty years from its base in Belgium, creating chocolate that tends towards a less sweet, more real, taste and texture. Their core range of 17 flavours includes blends with aniseed, pink peppercorns, hot masala, earl grey tea, ginger and lavender. Also available for the summer is 'Summer Memories', a limited edition collection that includes Apple Crumble, Apricot and Rosemary and the perfectly named Fancy Lemon Feeling. 

Buy online from chocolatesource.com (US) or chocolatetradingco (UK)

Six of the Best: Modern Magnets

If you want things to stick up but not stay stuck, then you know that a magnet on metal is the way to go. You could settle for the classic coloured letters but these days you can do better; here are six of the best. Leading the pack are some cute and lifelike 3D birdies from Kikkerland. Click through for the rest, which includes cockroaches, jewels and what looks like a geometry lesson.

Box of 8 handpainted feather and foam bird magnets, $21 from Kikkerland.