I'm gonna take a break from the usual. Instead of posting something I produced/designed I'm going to critique someone else's design. In this case, the 2010 Mercedes SLS AMG.

I love cars and hope to one day design some amongst the myriad of other things I will design. Anyhow, anyone who is familiar with the iconic 1955 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing

will immediately recognize the similarities within these two models.

The iconic "gullwing" doors, front grille, side vents all re-emerge on the 2010 SLS AMG. This design feels like it was born out of nostalgia and an intent to establish the SLS as the same iconic car the 300SL became back in the 50s. However, it must be said that a lot of car manufacturers are looking back in the past and recreating classic designs; namely Ford with the Mustang;Dodge with the Charger and Challeger, and Chevrolet with the Camaro. Are these designs all recreated out of nostalgia? Or are they a last ditch effort to recapture the hearts of customers more concerned with fuel-economy and practical cars? That's a discussion for another day. Back to the critique of the 2010 SLS AMG.

In plan view (above) the car looks like a bird with its wings outspread, which lends to the notion of flight and speed which I'm sure Mercedes were going for, except you won't be flying down the freeway with the "doors" up, or at least I'd hope not.

The back I'm not too sold on. The design gurus at Mercedes could've really set off this design with the back. I figure they went "safe" with the front because it's one of the most recognizable aspects of the car and understand why they kept it very similar to the 1955 Gullwing. The back looks like the lovechild of the 1997 Acura 2.2 CL and the 2003 era Infiniti M45. Not what you would expect from a car that's gonna run you a few million pesos.

The profile, the whole car actually, looks very similar to the SLR McLaren except for the cropped front grille on the SLS versus the pointy one on the SLR McLaren. I'm not sure exactly, I haven't read up on the status of the McLaren, but I'm guessing the SLS will replace the SLR? I don't see the sense in producing both cars simultaneously.

In comparison to the classic of the '50s though, I commend Mercedes for making the gullwings doors actual, well, doors. See, the 1955 model had a high sill (as seen in the pic above) which made entry and exit of the vehicle difficult. So the fact that the doors swung all the way up was rather foolish from a functional design standpoint. However on the 2010 model it looks like you can actually put your legs on the ground and exit the car without much effort.

I was hoping to really tear this car apart, but I really can't. There isn't much to really say about it either way. I'm not overly impressed because it's a familiar design just modernized. Of course this is just from seeing the car in pictures on the internet, so take my critique with a grain of salt. As far as the interior, I am not impressed. At all.

The center console looks like it was manufactured by Dodge and not Mercedes.

If I'm fortunate enough to own one in the near or distant future (depending on how many shirts I can sell) or get to see/drive one, I'll update this post with a more in-depth and accurate review. This will do until then. Cheers.

In a few of my previous shirt posts, I had snapshots of the shirt as it became what it is. In this post I essentially do the same thing, however I am documenting a different procedure of making a shirt: stenciling. No matter what the design was I have always trusted that my hands were good and steady enough to create an accurate rendition of what I had in my head, or already drawn out. However, part of being a good artist is trying new things and exploring different avenues that ought to bring you to a similar result. So this time, I decided to try stenciling out.

I'm into fashion/style and have liked shoes ever since I was a little kid. As one grows and matures, so does your style and the things you wear reflect that maturity. Lately, I've been wearing a lot of suede bucks, desert boots, loafers and boots. This post is about the "boot" and the ones I am fortunate to own.

Earlier today, I went home to NJ to pick up a package that has been waiting for me for almost two weeks now. I ordered the grey RL Rangers from davidz.com and upon putting them in my closet, I realized I have quite a few pairs of boots. I only documented the three "tallest" ones in this post.

The Calvin Klein Caribou was an impulse buy that I do not regret one bit (my birthday present to myself). It was half the retail price and it's a very stylish boot. This is the decepticon boot and what I mean by that is the way I wear it (with my pants covering the boot) can be deceptive. A quick glance and you'd think I'm wearing a pair of cap-toe oxfords. However, if I were to raise my pant leg, you would be met with 8" of beautiful brown leather

split down the middle with a very cleverly placed zipper that makes the boot a breeze to pull on or off. My only gripe with this boot is that it isn't the best thing to walk in. It's actually quite uncomfortable, but sometimes that's the price of good style.

The Tommy Hilfiger Barstow. This boot was given to me as a birthday gift about a month ago. I like this boot because it is rugged. Most people say it's "ugly" and quite frankly I think they mean to say it isn't sleek or it doesn't have a svelte profile. This boot isn't made for style. It is made for function. The Caribou won't hold up well in the rain or in the snow (you shouldn't even be wearing it in such conditions anyway). The Barstow is definitely my go-to boot for the blistering cold weather.

Another reason I fancy this boot is because it stands in stark contrast to the ubiquitous Polo Holden boots. The Holden's are rugged, no doubt about that, but the Barstow, to me at least, are better crafted and there is an attention to detail (see the buttery-tan leather on the green canvas vs. the brown upper) that I'm yet to see on a boot of that stature. Plus it folds down to half it's height, which is nice.

Polo Rangers. It's almost pointless to talk about this boot or sing its praises because, well, it is THE boot of the moment. A while back on Twitter, I posted something to the effect of "you can keep your Ranger boots, give me a pair of Tommy Barstows" and then I saw the gray rangers... Granted, it was a very impulsive buy and when I showed my mother she was like "oh wow, those are nice" and then when I told her how much they cost, she said "return them immediately!" in an African accent, of course. This boot is the middle ground between the sleek profile of the Calvin Klein Caribou and the ruggedness of the Tommy Barstow. It is fairly comfortable and very stylish, however the charcoal grey color makes it a tough shoe to dress up properly in my opinion. Not for me persay, but it's not your typical black or brown boot that you are comfortable with. The fact that there's also a lot of real estate (meaning a lot of shoe especially if you tuck your pants in 'em) makes it tricky. My suggestion? Keep the color palette neutral maybe with a touch of something bright to take some attention off your boots. Because people will be staring in envy.

Hope u enjoyed my "review" of the boots. This isn't meant to show off my boots or anything because there are people with far better selections of shoes/boots out there. Just thought I'd give you guys a glimpse into what makes me wear the things I do etc...

I'll only post pictures for now, but sometime in the future I'd like to really chronicle the entire process, from start to finish so some of the readers can really get a glimpse of what we do as architecture students. It was a lot of work, countless sleepless nights, but it's over (for now) and I'm happy with the result.