The Beach is Calling!

The 1st of May is approaching quickly and it's a tradition here to go to the seaside for this special day! That's where I'm also going to be heading and I can't wait for all the sunshine, soft sand and relaxing sounds. I'm going to be gone for a few days, but I'll leave you with these amazing photos. I'll answer all your comments when I come back :) Have a great 1st of May no matter what you do or how you celebrate it!

Valentino Spring 2012 Ad Campaign

Brand: Valentino
Season: Spring 2012
Models: Fei Fei Sun, Bette Franke, Zuzanna Bijoch, Maud Welzen, Clement Chabernaud
Photographer: Deborah Turbeville
Styling: Karl Templer
Location: Pozos, Mexico

For the first time in a while, Freja Beha Erichsen is not featured in the Valentino ad campaign, but strangely enough I don't feel her absence in the photos. The four models look great together in this artsy photo shoot, that was shot in Mexico among the ruins of a castle. The ethereal clothes, the soft lighting and the romantic braids come together into very harmonious looks, while the contrast with the bare walls and the shadows adds drama to the whole surreal setting. It's almost like you can hear them whisper to each other!

Checking Out: Kate Moss for Vogue US

Magazine: Vogue US April 2012
Editorial: Checking Out
Model: Kate Moss
Photographer: Tim Walker
Styling: Grace Codding
Location: Ritz Hotel, Paris

The Ritz Hotel, one of Paris's most dreamed of places, will be closed for renovations for a while and on this special occasion the American edition of Vogue decided to dedicate a spread to it. Featuring Kate Moss in couture gowns as the eccentric, modern Marie Antoinette tourist shopping in the emblematic stores of Paris and living in the luxurious apartments of the Ritz, the shoot also brings into the eye of the public less known parts of the hotel, such as the kitchen or the room where they prepare the amazing flower bouquets adorning the place. The editorial also finds a way to celebrate those hard working men and women that strive to make the guests' stay at the Ritz as pleasant as possible. Oh, how I wish I could stay there one day after seeing these photos!

Fashionable Accessories: Statement Necklaces

As I've been saying for a while, jewelry has become some of the most fun ways to upgrade your look. I've already shown you my bracelets inspiration, so I thought that today I can show you some amazing statement necklaces. Silver or gold, beaded or with stones or combining all these elements, statement necklaces are definitely a show stopper, just look at how such a strong piece of jewelry livens up the plain white t shirt in the opening photo! Whether paired with simple clothes like Olivia Palermo, Chiara Ferragni or Anna Dello Russo or with incredible patterns like Miroslava Duma, a statement necklace always finds its way into your daily wardrobe. Here are some looks you can get inspired from:

Misty: Marlena Szoka for Harper's Bazaar China

Magazine: Harper's Bazaar China April 2011
Editorial: Misty
Model: Marlena Szoka
Photographer: Benjamin Kanarek
Location: Hotel Le Bristol, Paris

I just couldn't resist not showing you this editorial even if it's a bit older, but the editorial concept is amazing. Inspired by last year's most stunning Haute Couture collections, Benjamin Kanarek put them in a misty and mysterious light to enhance the lightness of the shapes and fabrics. The result is fantastic - a mix of drapings and flowy dresses all in the decorum of a mansion-like hotel in Paris, The Bristol. 

Featuring couture garments from designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel, Dior, Elie Saab, Maison Martin Margiela and Valentino among others, the editorial is absolutely stunning, just right for a Sunday afternoon of day dreaming! 

Zadig and Voltaire Spring 2012 Ad Campaign

Brand: Zadig and Voltaire
Season: Spring 2012
Model: Erin Wasson
Photographer: Fred Meylan

Model, stylist and designer Erin Wasson looks stunning in the latest Spring/Summer campaign for Zadig and Voltaire shot by Fred Meylan. The brand stands for classic garments with a casual twist, which is in perfect harmony with the luxurious and ornate setting and the relaxed and fun look of the model. Erin Wasson is one of my favorite models out there, I've always loved her personal style and of course her own designs. She brings life into this campaign!

Nina Ricci Spring 2012 Ad Campaign

Brand: Nina Ricci
Season: Spring 2012
Model: Raquel Zimmerman
Photographers: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin
Location: Old Westbury, Long Island

Top model Raquel Zimmerman looks extremely feminine and enticing in the campaign photos shot by Inez and Vinoodh. The chosen location created fabulous light and shadow contrasts to reveal the subtlety of the garments and the difference between the light ethereal materials and the durability of the stone mansion. My favorite shot of the campaign is without any doubt the balcony scene, where the shadow of the iron railing blends in with the flowy shadow of the gown.

The campaign also features a behind-the-scenes video also directed by the two photographers as a complement to the printed ads. The video is described as "a union of Peter Copping's (Nina Ricci's creative director) aerial and romantic universe with Inez and Vinoodh's deep and strange world".

Fashion Quote of the Day: Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld is one of fashion's biggest creative geniuses over the past few decades in my opinion. He revived the House of Chanel, he manages several other labels, he's a photographer - he does everything by himself! I feel very inspired by him and I love his style and strong personality. Don't you remember that I even waited outside for two hours at the back entrance of the Grand Palais after a fashion show just to see a glimpse of him in his car? That is a wonderful memory. So I dedicate this day to him as my inspiration!

Here are a few photos from an editorial in Vogue where he talks about the music he loves. I really felt that his quirkiness and his personality came through in these photos, so an inspirational quote was in order:

Festival Fashion: Coachella 2012

The famous Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival kicked off this weekend and it's celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, but the festival fashion certainly hasn't grown old a second. The festival is as much about the bands as it is about the fashion in the audience and between all the concerts and the stylish pool parties (Lacoste or Mulberry to name just a few!) who can blame them? Stars and regular people alike seem to be enjoying some of this year's trends and reinterpreting them to fit the regular uniform of the festival: a great pair of sunglasses, ankle boots and sundresses or cutoffs and vintage inspired tshirts. Other popular choices were tribal prints, felt or straw hats, lace shorts and flower garlands. Among my favorite star looks were the ones sported by Rebecca McCormack, Kate Bosworth and Emma Watson, but the models were a tough competition: just look at the lovely two piece worn by Dree Hemingway or at Cara Delevigne and Karlie Kloss! Let's quit the chit chatting and have a look at some of the great styles spotted during the first weekend of the festival:

An American in Paris: Karlie Kloss for Vogue UK

Magazine: Vogue UK May 2012
Editorial: An American in Paris
Model: Karlie Kloss
Photographer: Angelo Pennetti
Styling: Francesca Burns
Interview: Harriet Quick
Location: Paris

The May editorial of Vogue UK featuring Karlie Kloss is by far one of the most interesting concepts I've seen lately. The photographer Angelo Pennetta prepared for this shoot for weeks in advance to make it a thorough couture week guide of one of the hottest models nowadays. Although it's not a true hidden camera, model off-duty documentary, the editorial is a mix of posed and styled shots taken at different moments during Fashion Week - at fittings, Parisian landmarks, parties, backstage and even in her hotel room getting ready for a good night's sleep. Sliding easily between couture gowns and personalized silk pajamas, Karlie Kloss is very fresh and endearing.

We get to see the glamorous backstage of the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week starting with the hotspots of fashion such as Karl Lagerfeld's atelier, the Valentino Atelier in Place Vendome, the Givenchy one at the Hotel d'Evreux or the Ecole des Beaux-Arts for the Atelier Versace show. Then we get to enjoy the legendary bars and restaurants such as the Lasserre restaurant or Harry's Bar, home to many expat American writers during the last century (Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald or Gertrude Stein to name just a few!) and finally the sumptuous rooms of the Hotel de Crillon.

Inspired by TURQUOISE

Lately bright colors have been inspiring me a lot, so after yellow some time ago here is the extravagant turquoise! Reminding me of the colors of the ocean and the sky, turquoise dresses are sometimes light and ethereal and flow in the wind just like water, but sometimes they are strong and possessive just like the boldness of the color itself! I think that turquoise is a very versatile color. You can wear it on a dress and draw all eyes on yourself, you can wear it on jewelry as something exotic or you can wear it on accessories, such as shoes or a clutch to complement a darker outfit (one of my favorite combinations is black and turquoise!)

Turquoise is definitely a star these days: it's on the runways (Gucci, Versace, Monique Lhuillier), it's worn by very stylish people (Olivia Palermo, Chiara Ferragni) and it's fabulous for shes and clutches. Here are some of my favorite ways to wear it:

Happy Fashion Easter with Fifi Lapin!

Happy Easter to all my Orthodox readers! Today is finally Easter also for me, so I'm off to seeing the family for our traditional Easter lunch. I can't wait for all the good food and sweets! In the meantime, I would like to introduce you to Fifi Lapin. She's a really funny bunny with a flair for amazing clothes! Isn't she lovely? Here's an extract of her life:

Hi, I'm Fifi Lapin... I was born one of 257 brothers and sisters but sadly there was an outbreak of myxomatosis when I was just one year old... I was the only one that survived. My parents are therefore incredibly protective of me and spoil me rotten. I'm an hare-ss to my father's fortune which he made playing fast and loose with carrot and lettuce shares on the international stock market. There are a lot of rabbits out there eating carrots and lettuce so I guess he just struck gold (or orange you might say). Some people think I'm just a socialite but I think there is more to me than just an extremely stylish clotheshorse!

Coca Cola Light Limited Edition by Jean Paul Gaultier

After designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Nathalie Rykiel, Versace, Alberta Ferreti, Roberto Cavalli, Moschino, Blumarine, Etro and Diane von Furstenberg, this time it's Jean Paul Gaultier's turn to become Coca Cola Light's creative director and design a limited edition bottle collection. The French designer stayed true to his brand and created two very French looks called Night and Day - one with his signature white-and-blue Breton sailor stripes and the other one featuring a corset and unique tattoos. Not only are the bottle designs perfectly in line with the designer's body of work, but they also remind us of the bottles of his most successful fragrances "Le Mâle" and "Classique".

Here are the bottle designs and the ads promoting the campaign, as well as a few photos of Coca Cola Light's past collaborations with fashion designers:

High Plains Drifter: Carmen Kass for Vogue UK

Magazine: Vogue UK May 2012
Editorial: High Plains Drifter
Model: Carmen Kass
Photographer: Mario Testino
Stylist: Lucinda Chambers

Carmen Kass portrays a nomadic queen of the desert dressed in colorful attires for this May's issue of Vogue UK. Shot by Mario Testino, the editorial is full of bold colors and unexpected mixes of fabrics, prints and accessories. The lively garments include designers such as Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Burberry, Michael Kors, Donna Karan, Miu Miu and Hermès or Jimmy Choo and Roger Vivier for the incredible shoes. Enjoy the desert photo shoot!

The Shoe: Fashion Illustrations by Achraf Amiri

Born in Brussels in 1988, Achraf Amiri is an illustrator whose unconventional and sometimes creepy fashion illustrations are known all over the world. While talking about himself, the artist describes himself as "the hidden son of the Adams family" and we can definitely see that in his creations. Achraf illustrates anything from magazine covers, to shoes, clothes and people and all his illustrations have the same dark and edgy feel. Today I'm going to show you his collection of shoe illustrations and if you'll like them, there's more to come!

Victoria Beckham's Birkin bag collection

Everybody knows that Victoria Beckham has great style, it seems that it's enough for her just to roll out of bed and be perfect for any occasion! It also helps that she has any designer at her fingertips in her closet. However, one fashion house in particular seems to be her basic go-to brand and that's Hermès. Victoria is just in love with their bags and she owns quite an impressive collection - more than 100 (yes, one hundred!) Birkin bags, not counting other models! Victoria wears them everywhere, from a plane ride to a kid's birthday party or a night out at a restaurant and shows us how versatile the bag can be. Evaluated at around 1.5 million pounds, her Birkin collection has everything from the more regular models - if you can call a Brikin regular, that is! - to some extremely rare versions, such as in pink ostrich skin or in glossy black crocodile each evaluated at around 42 000 pounds or the "Silver Himalayan" evaluated at 80 000 pounds, which was made as a limited edition (there are only three in the world) and comes with a three-carat diamond.

We all know that the bag launched in 1984 is named after the French actress Jane Birkin, but the story of the bag is quite more than that. Apparently the idea of the Birkin was born on a plane during a Paris to London flight, when Jane Birkin herself was sitting next to Hermès's CEO Jean Luis Dumas. She was complaining how she can't find the perfect leather weekend bag and explained to him how that perfect bag would look like. Some time after that small discussion, the actress received the bag at her apartment with a note from Dumas himself. And so the Birkin was born and it has never been out of fashion ever since!

Let's have a quick look at some of Victoria' Birkin bags:

Raf Simons at Dior!

The word has spread: Raf Simons is the new creative director at Dior! Such an exciting day! While an official announcement has yet to be made by the fashion house, WWD has already reported that "Christian Dior has named Raf Simons its next couturier" and so did  the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune. Raf Simons told Cathy Horyn at the Times that "The first time I heard about the Dior position, I thought "This feels right" ". He added for Suzy Menkes from the Tribune that "It is one of the ultimate challenges, and a dream to go to a place like Dior, which stands for absolute elegance, incredible femininity and utter luxury." An official announcement from Dior is expected today or at the latest tomorrow.

After the luke warm collections presented by Bill Gaytten over the past year, the first Raf Simons collection in July for the Haute Couture shows will be a breath of fresh air! Raf Simons has been acclaimed for his collections at Jil Sanders and with a good reason - he brought back '50s and '60s silhouettes and couture shapes and he  was also the originator of the hottest trend at the moment: the Neon trend. Talking about his third collection at Jil Sander for Fall 2007, Cathy Horyn from the New York Times wrote "On Tuesday, a little-known Belgian designer named Raf Simons had the full attention of the fashion world. Mr. Simon's collection for Jil Sander , his third since becoming creative director 18 months ago, was perfect. It will make everything else, I bet, seem a little contrived, a little clunky, a little silly." Talk about a good review!

He will be the 6th couturier over at Dior after Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré and John Galliano. Lucky number six I'd say! Let's have a look at some of his amazing creations for Jil Sander over the years, starting with the iconic Fall 2007 collection that literally put him on the fashion map (the pictures were a bit low quality back then, sorry for that!) and going up to the Spring 2011 collection that was the trigger of the Neon trend:

Chanel Spring 2012 Ad Campaign

Brand: Chanel
Season: Spring 2012
Models: Saskia de Brauw, Joan Smalls
Photographer: Karl Lagerfeld
Styling: Carine Roitfeld
Location: Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France

Karl Lagerfeld was inspired by his last resort collection that was presented at the Hotel du Cap-Eden_Roc in Antibes, so he decided to go back there to shoot the Spring 2012 ad campaign for Chanel. Saskia de Brauw and Joan Smalls are the models featured in the campaign instead of the already trademark Chanel Freja Beha Erichsen, which is an interesting move for the House. The models are very fresh and versatile and the campaign turned out really great!

The story line of the campaign has a high fashion athletic vibe, as the two models pose as gymnasts at the seaside. Karl Lagerfeld describes it as "all about athletics and the sea... it's very modern sportif and in black-and-white". Aren't the two quite the calm and serene gymnasts? Have a look at the pther photos and judge for yourselves!

Happy Easter!

I would like to wish all my Catholic readers a very Happy Easter today! Spend time with your family, enjoy the short holiday, the good food and the happy moments :) 

And as Easter always comes accompanied by the Easter bunny, I couldn't help myself and not try to make your Easter holidays more fashionable with one of my favorite Louis Vuitton shows over the years: the Fall/Winter 2009 collection featuring bunny ear bows. Enjoy the show!

I only selected my favorite looks featuring bunny ears, so be sure to check the runway video for the other spectacular looks. Have a great Easter holiday!

Photos: Roberto Tecchio

Inspired by YELLOW

I woke up today thinking about the new neon trend and how easy it seems to be to incorporate some crazy bright accessories and even garments into your wardrobe, but as I browsed through tons and tons of photos I got more and more inspired by one color: yellow. So today's inspiration is going to be all about yellow. From street style to editorial and runway and from random fashionable people to some of the most inspiring women in fashion, such as Taylor Tomassi, Giovanna Battaglia, Olivia Palermo or models, here is my ode to this joyful color - yellow:

What's your favorite bright color this season? Have you already incorporated a bit of the neon trend in your wardrobes? I haven't so far and I'm really sad about it, it really feels like I'm missing out on a lot of fun! I guess I'll just have to remedy that through a little shopping ;)

Photos: tumblr