This Week’s Coolest Drops, From 70s Rocker Jeans to Lunar New Year Swag
January 25, 2024It’s late January, which can only mean one thing in Shopping World™: the V-Day drops are dropping, and the Lunar New Year (Year of the Dragon!) launches are blazing. Much like the chocolates in a box of Soft Centers from See’s, this week’s drops and releases are varied and compelling, but we’ve curated a selection just for you, dear reader, with only the best fillings.
We’ve got sick vintage Levi’s, a Hello Kitty Baby-G, and even actual chocolate (and bourbon, hell yeah) thanks to a rad gift set from Compartés and Woodford Reserve. Plus, we’ve got to mention SKIMS’ Valentine’s Shop, which has been so iconically fronted by our patron saint Lana Del Rey. So buckle up, and let’s dive headfirst into a week of drops that might just be as surprising as that passionfruit truffle that caught you off guard.
GANNI’s Lunar New Year capsule
Copenhagen-based brand GANNI has been wooing cool kids with its playful designs since 2000, and it seems to just keep getting better. The Year of the Dragon-themed Lunar New Year capsule includes steezy pieces like this relaxed rap-tee-style shirt and these shiny red corduroys (red symbolizes good fortune and joy during Chinese New Year—two things we could always use more of).
Tombolo drops two wild new collabs
When it comes to cabana shirts and terry cloth, no one does it quite like Tombolo, one of our favorite vacationwear brands. Earlier this month, Tombolo teamed up with The Sopranos for this hat (for the show’s 25th birthday) that will be the envy of your whole mob (pun intended), but this week, it also dropped a collection with the estate of artist Tom Wesselmann for some signature pieces with a lot of… feet. The shirts, shorts, and accessories are sexy, they’re cool, and they do… have quite a lot of feet imagery. We’ll just leave these here.
Our Place enters the blender game
Our Place—maker of the storied Always Pan, Perfect Pot, and Wonder Oven, among other cute kitchen things—has expanded its lineup with the addition of the Splendor Blender, a minimalist but powerful countertop blender with a 1,000-watt motor and super-sharp blades for making smoothies, soups, sauces, and more in seconds. It’s self-cleaning and claims to blend your product to smooth perfection in “45 seconds or less,” which definitely makes us want to take it for a test run. Also from Our Place earlier this month: another collab with spicy sauce lords Fly By Jing, with a Lunar New Year bundle called the Saucy Hot Wok Set featuring Our Place’s heirloom-quality carbon steel wok, Fly By Jing’s trio of popular Chinese condiments (yep, their legendary chile crisp is included), and accessories for making all of the mouthwatering cooking of your dreams. Use the steamer and cooking chopsticks to make xiao long bao, and please save some for us.
The SKIMS Valentine’s Shop breaks the internet
Lana Del Ray’s campaign for SKIMS’ Valentine’s Shop was shot by It Girl Nadia Lee Cohen, and yes, the photos came out (unsurprisingly) amazing.
Still, don’t let it overshadow the fact that the V-Day Shop is huge and packed with all sorts of fun little things, from the wholesome (pajama sets) to the spicy (candy panties). Whether you’re in the market for a comfy pink tank, a heart-adorned version of our favorite cotton undies from the brand or want to make a statement with the Crystal Skimpy Bralette and Thong Set, there’s truly something for everyone.
Woodford Reserve’s bourbon gift box with Compartés chocolate
Wondering what to get your gourmand boo for Valentine’s Day? Want to get your gift shopping out of the way right this second? Look no further than Woodford Reserve’s collab with Compartés chocolate, maker of some of the most delicious premium confections that have ever graced our lips. This bundle pairs Woodford Reserve’s incredible Double-Oaked bourbon—which has sweet and smoky notes of caramel, vanilla, and, of course, oak—with a quartet of chocolate specifically curated to complement its flavor profile, including butterscotch, pear nutmeg, salted caramel, and maple pecan. Our editorial director had the pleasure of attending a tasting of the chocolates with the bourbon, and let’s just say it’s a marriage made in heaven (and we hope your boo feels the same way).
Great Jones x Laura Chautin’s embellished Dutch oven
Great Jones loves to jazz up its already aesthetically pleasing cookware with limited-edition designs, and its latest take is the brand’s signature Dutch Oven, the Dutchess, embellished with illustrations from New York-based artist Laura Chautin. It’s romantic, it’s springy, and it’s ready to braise.
Hello Kitty gets her own Baby-G
It’s such a relief that the Baby-G has endured, because the iconic Casio watch line has been rocking its chunky-femme-technical appeal for 30 years now, and to celebrate its three decades of coolness, Casio teamed up with Hello Kitty in celebration of the Sanrio cat’s 50th birthday. The cute-as-hell $140 watch is adorned with Hello Kitty’s signature bow, plus has the shock- and water-resistance that make Baby-Gs so (literally) enduring, plus a three-year battery life and special edition packaging.
Levi’s brings back its greatest rocker jeans from the 70s
Back in the heyday of rock ‘n’ roll, Levi’s 517 bootcuts were “the preferred style of early ‘70s working class rockers,” and you can tell from their fit that these people were getting laid and partying in ways our screen-addicted asses can’t even possibly wrap our heads around. Now, Levi’s is bringing back the style with a stitch-for-stitch repro of the “post-hippie, yet pre-punk” jean, crafted from pre-shrunk white-oak denim for its Levi’s Vintage line. Only 800 pairs of these ridiculously good-looking throwback jeans were made, so yes, they’re very limited edition—but if you get your hands on some, the compliments will undoubtedly come flying. Unfortunately, they don’t come with a sick record collection and a cigarette.
Sorry, can’t talk anymore—our mouths are full of Chinese noodles, bourbon, and chocolate.
The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.