Friday, February 10, 2012

Be My Valentine? Part III: Gifts for Fellas

So... wondering what to get your favourite fella this Valentine's Day? We've put together a short list of our top picks from the romantic to the goofy to surely let him know you, ya know, like him and stuff.

Thinking jewellery?


Inspire him with scenes of romantic bike rides with this wallet from Poketo. The cover and inside backdrop feature work from Hanako Clulow. Cute!


We love this handcrafted hip flask from Whimsy and Ink as an off-beat (har har) way to give him your heart.

While we're on that theme, if you're thinking clothing:


or, if he has conquered your heart...


Well there you have it! See below for our tips for gifts for her and our favourite Valentine cards. Whether you are in love, or just love your family/pals/pet we hope you have a wonderful Valentines Day!



Thursday, February 09, 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Be My Valentine?

Somehow Valentine's Day always reminds me of that Simpson's episode where Ralph falls in love with Lisa after she gives him a card with the message: "I choo choo choose you." And there's a picture of a train on it! Classic.

Unfortunately we're still trying to source that card. Or a card that says "Bee Mine..." and there's a picture of a bee on it! But we DO have an array of suitably Valentinesy gift cards from the heartfelt to the deligthfully obscure.









So if there is someone in your life who has caught your eye, why not send them a Valentine? You never know, they may just buy you a Malibu Stacy convertible with two tickets to Krusty's 29th Anniversary special in the trunk!
It's totally worth a shot.

Stay tuned. Part two of our Valentine's Day blog special is coming next week!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Hannah Prepares For The Mayan Apocalypse (or, My Favourite Things Ever of 2012 So Far)

Picture this. You’re kicking back sometime in the very near future, sipping margaritas and lamenting your lack of a hoverboard (I imagine this is something you do on at least a daily basis). Suddenly, your nostrils detect something strange in the air. Is that… sulphur? And perhaps… ozone?! (How good is your sense of smell, by the way! Well done!). And before you can say DEAR GOD JOHN CUSACK WAS RIGHT you’re washed away in a river of lava, and the confused tears of Fred Phelps.

And what’s happened to me, you ask? Why, thank you for your concern. I am working, because it is a Saturday (probably), and looting has begun. In panic, the hipsters of Mt Lawley have shed their laconic air and descended on the best stores of Beaufort Street to ravage its treasures and premium coffee. In an act of devotion and loyalty that is, frankly, quite typical of my selfless nature, I decide to save the best of Ruck Rover from the hands of the unappreciative. But what to save? I can’t take everything, I am but one woman!

That’s why I have prepared this handy list. To make sure I am ready for what is, in my opinion, an extremely likely eventuality. And so, in no particular order, the things of Ruck Rover that I would (selflessly and at great personal risk) save from certain destruction would be:

1. I Heart Guts Uterus Plush Toy

Look, this would be just one of the MANY soft toys that I sleep with. I also have a small black dog, this weird blob thing called ‘Melville’ that my boyfriend made when he was seven, a red ….thing….called Alistair that laughs manically when you push its tummy, and a red bear called Lenin (GEDDIT?). This one will fit in nicely. I will probably call him Kramer. Yes, it’s a male uterus.

You laugh now, but you’ll be WISHING you had my soft toys when the world is ending.

2. Lazy Oaf I Would Give You Seven Out of Ten

This is great, purely because of the thought that’s gone into it. You’re not a six, (which should be a relief to you, I expect) but I’m afraid you’re just.not.quite. an eight. But, you’re still above average! I know, because it says so on the bottom of the card.

3. Sandy Peter Pan Dress

I have a fascination for the innocent and childlike. There is a peculiar ecstasy to embracing the fearless enthusiasm of younger thinking. This dress has the bold colours, cut, and name of some of my happiest memories.

4. Whatever Heather Love Letter Necklace

I think jewellery should mean something. Especially if it’s particularly nice or unusual, like this necklace. I’ve bought this one for myself, because I love words. However, the letter also opens up, and inside is a little note with “I love you” engraved on it. So this necklace could have all sorts of meaning, really. And you know, I like myself ok. So it works.

5. Lisa Max Booze Brothers Beer Stubby Holders

Lisa Max lives in Perth, and she does really, really cool character designs. We have some of her art on cushions and tees, too. They’re pretty much unadulterated joy in ink

6. Candy Stripe Cloud Bunch of Balloons Brooch

I love bright colours. Not enough of them in the world.

7. Emily and Fin Lizzie Dress

Dear fashion designers. Please make retro clothes in prints other than spots. Because I have far, far too many spots. And don’t get me wrong, I like spots. It’s just I have so many, it’s starting to look like an obsession.

Emily and Fin do some lovely cuts with a fifties and sixties flavor to them. I love this dress for its lush full skirt and flattering waist. It’s also very versatile - you can remove the straps if you like.

8. Shara Porter T-Rex Wallet

When I was a kid, I didn’t like dinosaurs. I thought they were ugly. Now I like them, and I’m not sure why. I think I grew up to value strength and guts and fierceness. And what’s fiercer than a dinosaur?

Probably a dragon. But dinosaurs really existed once. Also, these wallets are unbelievably soft, making them amazingly tactile.

And so, finally, the last item I would save from the Apocalypse (because my hands are getting full) is….

9. Every Single Guy’s Tee Ever!

(I mean, not just the ones belonging to the unattached, but each and every tee) … but specifically, the “The Gentle Emperor” by Tender Loving Empire. Or the “Creepy” Tee, created by Kyle Hughes-Odgers, Ruck Rover and OutrĂ© Gallery for the Outskirts festival last year. I love the idea of a Gentle Emperor; I reckon the world needs one. And the Creepy tee is vaguely Lynchian, which is a term I use for anything slightly unsettling.

So there you are. Thanks to me, these items will remain as a shining example of remarkable taste and fashion to the aliens that discover our bodies. You are VERY welcome.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Christmas Gift Guide: For Lovely Ladies

Lovely ladies deserve lovely pressies! We've got a stack of items for your honey or your bestie.


1. Only Midge Betty Purse. This fabric and leather purse is large enough to take out as a clutch, but has handy card pockets inside. There's also a removable strap should you wish to sling it over your shoulder. $55.

2. Lisa Max Cat Nap Cushion. So sleepy! Lisa is a Perth based artist who adorns various household objects with her characters. $29.

3. Impossible film for Polaroid Cameras. This Ace Hotel Edition of PX600 film comes in a lovely box with a booklet. A great present for the instant photography enthusiast! $37. Different films between $18 and $40.

4. Brendan Brown Owl Print. This A3 print would look great on any wall. Such delicate detail. $30.

5. Fluffy Co Dutch Birds Tee. $55.

6. Dotty Speck Raincloud Necklace. This sterling silver beauty has been handcrafted in Seattle. Choose from raincloud, regular old cloud, teardrop and scallop patterns. Raincloud is $95.

7. Motti Silver Lace Earrings. These studs are made from sterling silver and the patterns are inspired by lace. $60.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Christmas Gift Guide: Gifts under $20

Participating in the office Secret Santa but want to get something a bit nice? Check out these gifts that are all under $20. We have lots, lots more, so pop in and ask us if you'd like some advice! And if it's a bloke you've pulled out of the hat, head to yesterday's gift guide for a few cheap bits too. Oh and we have these $17 cufflinks too... but I digress! Here's today's treats:


1. Gemma Correll Winter Notepad. Something to remind you that the hot summer really will come to an end. $15.

2. Crowded Teeth Burger Earrings. Also available as tacos, ice creams and cupcakes! Yum. $12.

3. Notions Swallow Hair Slides. Aww so pretty! $18.

4. Mouse Owl Magnets. Choose from owls, apples, trees and polka dots! All $20.

5. Only Midge Ada Purse. $20.

6. Frankie Afternoon Tea Cookbook. $19.95. All Frankie books and magazines are $9.50 to $22.95. Perfect treats!

7. Crowded Teeth Puppy Face Earrings. Or maybe kitties, hamsters, sharks, whales, octopi, grizzly bears, yetis, bunnies or unicorns are more your style? All $12.

8. Seam Zine. Support independent publications and read about crafty people, get a sewing lesson and cook a slice!

9. Mouse Polka Dot Earrings. Adds a splash of colour to any outfit! $16.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Christmas Gift Guide: For the Fellas

Why not make your Christmas shopping easy by doing it in once place, we've got all your bases covered. Over the course of the week we will be publishing our Christmas Gift Guides starting today with those hard-to-buy-for blokes. Pop in and tick your squeeze, your papa and your bro off your list!


1. Whimsy & Ink hip flasks. Available in an array of colours and images, they are $39 a pop.

2. Shara Porter leather wallets. These come in black or brown and there are loads of designs: bikes, bees, anchors, ships, pigs, utes and more. The leather is lovely and soft. $55.

3. Smith Journal. From the team behind Frankie magazine comes this sturdy publication. Filled with art and photography with articles on famous writers and their typewriters, bikes and shoes, this one will help you get through the post-Christmas lunch slump with ease. $11.95. In store only.

4. Ruck Rover Creepy Tee. As usual, we have stocked up our tables with men's tees for the festive season. A bloke cannot have too many tee shirts in the Australian summer, and this one is our top pick. It's a collaboration we did with local artist Creepy and Outré Gallery. $59.

5. Lisa Max Booze Brothers. Here we have some more local, artistic talent. Who wouldn't want Lisa's awesome character art keeping their beer cool? $12 each.

6. Warrior Basketball Sneakers. Available in snazzy black with red, or classic white with blue, these sneakers start off comfy and just get more and more so. We dig them! $79.

Monday, November 07, 2011

Beaufort Street Festival Saturday November 12!

So we're pretty excited that there's less than a week to go before Mount Lawley's Beaufort Street bursts into a colourful hubub of art, music and fashion! It's the Beaufort Street Festival! Woo!



Oh, and there's FOOD too!

Speaking of which, we're also adding a little sugar and spice to our colourful array of fashion, polaroid gear and homewares... this year we're making Fairy Floss! For you!


Make sure you check out the fest this Saturday for FIVE stages of excellent local bands, DJ love in the Planet Laneway and James Squire Festival Bar, the fashion show, peruse some weird and wonderful things, and stop by us to say 'hullo' and feed your face a fluffy cloud of happiness!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Duck and Cover!

Hear that whistling sound falling towards you? No? Well it's not really there but if it WAS it might be the sound of the UK's coolest men's jeans plummeting into Mount Lawley at Ruck Rover General Store, Duck and Cover!

These high-fashion, designer missiles were established in 1996 as part of Duck and Cover's mission to create comfortable, modern industrial apparel.

Styles reflect manly things like metals and natural forces. Check out the regular fit Tornado


$135
sizes 30 - 36

regular fit silver

$135
sizes 30 - 36

and slim fit carbon
$135
sizes 30 - 36

These jeans have been crafted in beautifully soft, raw-resin treated denim. Say what? They'll resist fading, feel super comfy and are sure to become your new best trousery friend!

So as these babies get set to explode on to the Perth scene, there's no need to panic; as DAC say just look sharp, walk tall, and jump in feet first.

Duck and Cover Tornado, Carbon and Silver jeans are available now at Ruck Rover General Store and are coming soon to our online shop. Email us to reserve yourself a pair!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Go Go Gocco Go!


So, we've done a new tee and this one's a collaboration between ourselves, Outré Gallery and local artist Kyles Hughes-Odgers (aka Creepy). You might have seen Creepy's art around town, beautifying buildings and walls city wide. We've long been a fan so having the opportunity to produce a tee with his print on it is a real boost!

How did this come about? Well, there's this pretty rad exhibition going on over at Outré Gallery at the moment, it started today in the Perth pad, and it's happening over east too. It's a series of Gocco prints from some super artists. As well as the above design from Creepy, there's the likes of Angelique Houtkamp, Apak, Eveline Tarunadjaja, kozyndan, Leah Dent and Shag participating. We are excited to have a little mini spin-off in our Mini Art Mart! On our walls we are proudly displaying prints from Beci Orpin, Gemma Jones, Sean Morris, Miso, Cat Rabbit, Mel Stringer, and Creepy of course.

And as part of Outskirts Festival happening on and around William Street in Northbridge this Sunday 25th, our very own Isabelle is going to be doing a Gocco print demonstration between 2pm and 4pm at Outré Gallery. You should come on down, it's going to be heaps of fun!

If this Gocco talk is all gobbledygook, it's a lo-fi, Japanese printing process using flash bulbs and screens and inks. It's homemade quality is really lovely.

Anyhoodle, we thought we'd celebrate all this Gocco love with a limited edition tee. We have 100 in a women's fit and 100 in a men's fit. All are printed locally, in Perth, on tri-blend, American Apparel tees. They are soft and comfy!

They are available in store, online, and also at Outré's Perth gallery. They go for $59.




Spend 2012 with Frankie


Just a quick one to let you know the Frankie 2012 daily journal and Frankie 2012 calendar are both in stock! They are just as beautiful as promised.

On the Frankie front, we also have Issue 43, Spaces, Afternoon Tea, Sweet Treats and the new Smith Journal Issue 1 on our pretty little Frankie table.

And don't forget that we sell pre-loved copies of the wonderful mag that are sold out at Frankie online! On the flipside, if you're looking to offload your old issues that you've kept in good nick, bring them in and we will give you $5 store credit for each good-as-new copy. What a deal!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Don't miss out!

I know a lot of you will be very, very pleased to hear that the lovely team at Frankie Magazine are bringing out a new calendar and planner for 2012.

Featuring absolutely beautiful artwork from some of our favourites, like Pin Pals, Donna Wilson, Catherine Campbell, Anke Weckmann, Sarah McNeil and the Black Apple, this delicious calendar sells for $29.95. We've had previous editions and they always make really nice prints after the year is over.

You can nab the hardcover journal for just $24.95. Plan your days in the most delightful way possible, with pretty pictures on nice feeling paper. That's important, isn't it!? It's in week to a page format, with monthly planner pages in there as well. Very useful!

These items always sell out super fast, and we end up sending them all over the world! If you've missed out before, you know the feeling, so to avoid that, why not shoot us an email at info@ruckrover.com.au and ask us to set one aside for you. Just give us your name, phone number and what item you are after. Good stuff!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Frankie launches Smith Journal

Things the name "Smith" makes me think of: the evil agent in the Matrix, my best pal from school (it's her surname), and the craft of those talented in the arts of writing (wordsmith) and iron-work (blacksmith). It was the last of these ideas that inspired the creators of frankie magazine when naming their new lifestyle journal for indi boys: Smith Journal. They wanted to create a well-written, interesting mag for guys that has substance... And they have!

Smith is a stylish, new bi-annual mag that speaks to fellas who live on the fringe of mainstream culture. Smith explores stories and adventures of men, and dapper fashion in witty, inspiring, insightful pieces. Plus, just as frankie is fella-friendly, Smith is designed not to exlcude female readers with plenty of interesting stuff for all!

Issue one looks at the perils and pros of living in a house of boats, being a brother, and sailor talk. It's printed on gorgeous stock paper and is a mighty 140+ pages.

Ruck Rover will have Smith Journal available from Sep 5 for $11.95. If you want to be the first to know when it has arrived, email us!

Thursday, August 04, 2011

London Calling

Howdy!

It's Claire here, just got back from London. It was a very quick trip, but I thought you'd be keen to hear about my visit to the Emily and Fin studio!

Down a beautiful, little mews, filled with pot plants and ivy covering the walls, lies the creative hub of one of our favourite designers.

I was lucky enough to visit on a day when both Emily and Fin were in, working away on the new collection. I saw a sneak peak of a new style dress and boy is it nice! I can't say much but you will be pleased to know that it's very much in keeping with their classic, vintage inspired designs, with a similar base shape to one of their popular styles but with some delightfully pretty additions and amendments.


I viewed a couple of new ranges which are due in not too long at all. Do you remember the Delilah dress? It was an adorable, 50s style, off-the-shoulder number in a textured black fabric. Well, much to my delight it is coming back! If you missed out last time and don't want to risk that happening again, email us at info@ruckrover.com.au and we will notify you when it is in stock. As usual quantities are limited (we are committed to providing exclusive designs) so it's worth getting in touch if you are keen.


Later in the year will also see the drop of tops, dresses and jackets some other fabrics. While cotton is still very much represented, they've thrown some silk and satin into the mix for something a little fancy. The pieces still remain at the perfect price point, though!

Drops for Emily and Fin stock are frequent. Next time you pop in ask us to show you the latest pieces. One thing's for sure, they are always magnificent!

Thanks to all the girls in the studio for a fun visit (which included me playing dress up). I hope to cross the seas and come and see you again soon.

C xx