J. Crews Partners with RCRD LBL for Holiday Playlist

J.Crew is really winning as of late.

Curated playlists from retailers and brands is nothing new, but the partnership with music blog RCRD LBL is what makes this newsworthy.

The killer choice of music doesn't hurt either. The playlist features tracks from Local Natives, Dead Weather, Lissie, and Deer Tick.

Speaking of Local Natives, they would be a really good band for PacSun to support and work with. Very California. And they're killing it right now.

Have a listen to the playlist.

H&M's Virtual Dressing Room

H&M + Augmented Reality + Location-Based Marketing = AWESOME SAUCE.

It's only works at 10 stores in Manhattan. There could be opportunity for us to improve the concept and take it broader.

Read the whole story here.

Urban Outfitters FAIL

Did Urban Outfitters not learn anything from the whole GAP fiasco?

Urban Outfitters takes a considerable design misstep with their newest website redesign that resembles something created in Microsoft WordArt.

UGH.

Facebook Introduces "Deals" for Facebook Check-Ins

With 200 million mobile users, Facebook is going right for Foursquare and Gowalla's jugular with today's introduction of "Deals". Similar to Foursquare "Specials," when you check in somewhere with a deal, you can immediately redeem it by showing the cashier.

The service for retailers is completely FREE like Foursquare and Gowalla, but if the rumors are true and they're looking to start charging retailers to monetize, this could be their coup de grace.

The fashion retailers have already jumped on board:

GAP: A free pair of jeans to the first 10,000 check-ins.
American Eagle Outfitters: 20% off
H&M: 20% off
JCPenney: $10 off a $50 purchase

Interestingly, in lieu of discounts, some retailers are donating money to charities for every check in to help you feel good about your purchase:

REI: $1 to local conservation non-profit
The North Face: $1 to National Park Foundation
Starbucks: $1 to Conservation International

Read more about here.

MUJI apps for iThings

Ah MUJI how I love thee. Behold their new apps designed for iPad and iPhone (but the latter only in Japanese...damn). Each is a seamless extension of their core, cult products: calendars, notebooks and tools for mobility. It's an elegant merger of minimalism, pragmatism and digital technology - and just another way to integrate MUJI's brilliantly simple functionality into your day-to-day.

Andy Irons dies at 32

Three-time world champion surfer Andy Irons died earlier today, reportedly from dengue fever. RIP, dude.

Experimental Retail

Wowza. This is a new conceptual boutique Dwell blogged about in Hollywood. Apparently it's a mix of retail and design commune with everything handmade by local artists with the exception of Mission Bicycles, from SF. Seemed pretty cool, so I skipped on over to check out the website, which is crazy. Can't say I like it, but it's definitely worth a look.

What interests me about this is how they've rearranged the rules of retail. They're still selling product, and not on the cheap either (silkscreened shirts start at $85). But they've also made an environment with a strong guiding mantra, and unique POV. Always inspired to apply some of this broad thinking to our little corner of the mall.