One more designer sneaker! This time by HUSSEIN CHALAYAN for PUMA – HUSSEIN has been designing sportswear for the brand since 2008. The shoes are available at OKI-NI for £150 GBP, a relatively sympathetic price for a ‘designer’ sneaker.

Our second day of designer sneakers sees a pair from BALENCIAGA, which, at the time this collection was produced, was still designed by NICOLAS GHESQUIÈRE. The overall shape is that of a classic running shoe, but it’s the bright yellow and orange stripes set against a black background that make these shoes grrrrreat! The sneakers, which are available at MATCHES for £295, are worn here with trousers by VALENTINO and socks by PAUL SMITH.

Gosh, do we remember the days when we couldn’t get into clubs and restaurants wearing sporty shoes? How times have changed. In the following days we’ll be looking at some of our favourite designer sneakers, such as this pair by the Belgian fashion designer RAF SIMONS that were once found at the British web shop OKI-NI for roughly £400, but are now sadly sold out. RAF is an ardent sneaker fan – a new line of runners in collaboration with ADIDAS will be available soon! – and this silver and blue pair recalls his earlier, sleeker models. It is worn here with pink cotton trousers by EDUN and pale-blue socks by PANTHERELLA.

This weekend will more than likely be spent weighing the merits of a treadmill disk after reading SUSAN ORLEAN’s ‘The Walking Alive’ in the May 20, 2013 issue of THE NEW YORKER.

The mesmerisingly colourful sneakers pictured above are the result of a pairing of between the American manufacturer of athletic shoes SAUCONY and the Boston shop BODEGA. The very limited edition is available for £95, for those who manage to procure a pair, and is worn here with socks and trousers by PAUL SMITH. For more sneaker tips, please return next week to THE DAILY RECOMMENDATION.

This appealing MARNI bag is in fact two bags in one – one canvas and one leather – that combine in a completely clever manner. It’s the epitome of practicality. Great!

Creative director JOP VAN BENNEKOM and editor in chief GERT JONKERS of yours truly, ‘Fantastic Man’, will be speaking coming Friday at the WHAT DESIGN CAN DO conference in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. From 11:50am sharp they’ll be on stage in conversation with JEREMY LESLIE from the website MagCulture, discussing magazines, the art of publishing and, of course, what design can do. It’ll be highly engaging! Other speakers at the conference include the mesmerising trend forecaster LIDEWIJ EDELKOORT and our friend CARLO ANTONELLI, the editor who just moved from Italian ‘Wired’ to Italian ‘GQ’. They’ll both be speaking on Thursday afternoon. Tickets for the conference are available on the event’s dedicated website.

Yes, we made a pilgrimage to ABBA THE MUSEUM, the brand-new tourist attraction of Stockholm, Sweden, that opened last week. Quite hilarious! Located in the nuclear shelter-like basement of the new MELODY HOTEL, the museum takes inspiration from Stockholm’s legendary fun fair nearby, the Gröna Lund’s Tivoli, also on Djurgården island. ABBA THE MUSEUM is full of jolly picture spots – one can pose in a helicopter, such as the one on the cover of ‘Arrival’; one can sit between images of AGNETHA, ANNI-FRID, BJÖRN and BENNY; one can even stand on stage and sing along in a somewhat effective projection of the Swedish fab four. (Please bring friends to film all these forms of participation on their iPhones.) It’s rather jolly but not really what one would hope from a ‘museum’; not until the final rooms, which are crammed with billions of gold albums commemorating the total pop magic of ABBA and lots of old merchandise. ABBA-logo-ed purple V-neck jumpers! ABBA-branded Swedish clogs! ABBA tour T-shirts! Crazy stage outfits! Amazing! The most peculiar effect of a visit to ABBA THE MUSEUM is the aftermath: one will find oneself humming ABBA songs all day again. It’s a musical after effect that evidently lasts at least a full week. It’s so good!

But tell me does she kiss
Like I used to kiss you?
Does it feel the same
When she calls your name?

A quick survey among friends tells us that when it comes to first thoughts in the morning there are two types of people: those who think of what they’re going to eat, and those who think of what they’re going to wear. Readers who would like to convert from the former to the latter camp and switch straight into fashion mode, please buy this bright alarm clock from CARHARTT.

This weekend will be spent finishing ‘Middlesex’ by JEFFREY EUGENIDES.