Systems-level swag
Behind closed doors with cool people doing cool things in London
Welcome to Blackbird Spyplane.
We just published an intel-rich guide to How to Dress Well When It’s Too Hot
Why are we addicted to standing in line for treats? A profound Spyplane investigation.
Sip upon The Drink of the Summer.
Mach 3+ city tips for traveling the entire planet are here.
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This means the only people we owe anything are our readers.
— Jonah & Erin
Longtime Spyfriends know that when Erin and I (Jonah) travel, we adhere to an A.C.A.B. (Against Checking Any Bags) policy. We achieve this feat using wise luggage-packing methods we outlined here.
Increasingly, though, we also try to adhere to a T.O.P. (Trains Over Planes) Policy. If we take a plane to and from somewhere, in other words, and wish to visit other destinations while we’re abroad, we overwhelmingly prefer do this additional travel by train, not plane, because the one is so much more pleasant than the other.
After our recent week in Paris, gathering intel for you on Cool Clothes & More, split a second week between London (72 hours) and Antwerp (36) — an itinerary made not just doable but fleet & breezy thanks to the Eurostar, zero flights required.
London was honking, full of discoveries & epiphanies. In today’s Plane, we’re serving up gems from that trip, including intel on:
a gifted dude who makes sick, sporty bags in tiny runs that sell out instantaneously — so we visited his studio to learn more
a brilliant dude with a vast collection of Dieter Rams Braun devices and a unique POV on design
a restaurant we’d heard only takes reservations by postcard (!) and even though that is not true, it was idiosyncratic & excellent
a breakfast spot that Spyfriend Matty Matheson put us on to, which felt like a TV show, and which we will never forget
Our previous London City Guides are here and here.
Let’s get to it —
On our first full day in town, we tapped in with a fascinating guy. He’s one of the world’s foremost authorities on the work of Dieter Rams, with a wild collection to match.
We emerged from our time with him thinking about design in entirely new ways…
