If you cannot find a pair of headphones that visually meets your needs from Kotori’s more than 100 variations, you may have more serious problems than just the lack of cool audiowear.

However, if you just don’t like any of the suggested colour combinations, you can easily design your own by selecting the colour of each of the 10 components, or just hit shuffle and see what happens randomly.

With the technology of the Japanese Fostex, supplier of recording and speaker gear for professionals, Kotori headphones should meet your needs also in audio quality.

These headphones will likely add a few problems to your life, though: They are so cool that you will forever be telling everyone where you got them AND you will have to keep a close eye on your Kotoris as your design-hungry friends will want to borrow them.

Apparently, kotori means little bird, or lucky bird in Japanese, and screech owl spirit in native American Hopi language. Either way, you will want to flaunt these, even if you only played mute.

In the appealing Japanese style that it both cute and sleek in its rounded friendliness and minimalist functionality, Kotori headphones have a yummy sensibility that makes you want to choose several pairs at once. Each of the seven pre-set themes – pop, sweet, cool, vivid, natural, animal, and delicious – has 15 variations. Our current favorites are the Mikan in Vivid and the retro Woody in Natural. - Tuija Seipell

In days gone by, headphones were the size of half-a-head and blocked out the entire outside world. The audio was amazing but you sweated profusely because of the generous foam padding. And you looked idiotic. Through several mutations, we then ended up at the other extreme, with minuscule earbuds that nearly vanished in your ear — and you still looked dorky.
 
Now, we have moved on to “audio fashion wear” that combines the best of all worlds. Copenhagen’s AIAIAI with its design partners at Kilo has come up with stylish, light-weight Tracks Headphone Series that combines toned-down nostalgic looks with superior sound quality. A leather version of Tracks, in natural and black, is apparently in the works as well.

More retro on-ear fashion is available at WeSC (WearetheSuperlativeConspiracy), established in 1999 in Stockholm. Some of their latest models seem eerily and comfortingly familiar, especially our current favourite, the MARACA 0004068 created for WeSC by Stockholm-based Norra Norr. - Tuija Seipell

The characters and voices from Star Wars will now guide you via your GPS - Awesome initiave from Tom Tom. We can't wait to hear Darth Vader force us to turn right. Geek genius.

It is a bonus that the games in Pinel & Pinel Arcade 80s Trunk actually work, as the luxurious trunk alone is a marvel. More than 60 classic retro titles — including Pacman, Space Invaders and 1942 — are encased in meticulously detailed trunk dressed with calfskin (51 colors available) or, if you are really particular, also crocodile and shagreen are available. Superior sound and screen quality round out the enjoyment.

Pinel & Pinel is the Paris-based atelier of salesman-turned-designer-and-craftsman Fred Pinel, known for his luxurious luggage and accessories, and such bespoke items as a wood, leather and brass trunk for a folding bicycle, and a full-scale champagne pic nic trunk. Apparently, his Numero O trunk takes more than 400 hours of work, so the price of 40,000 Euros should not come as a surprise.

Pinel has cooperated with Lacroix, Rabanne, Bang & Olufsen and other stars of design and fashion, and is expected to introduce shoes, scarves and perfume in the near future. - Bill Tikos