Louis Vuitton Menswear SS 2012

You know how I've been telling you that color inspires me more and more these days. Here's another beautiful example of an impeccable use of color that brings life into an outfit: the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012 menswear collection. Notice the slightly different shades of the scarves and the shirts, the contrast between them is still very pleasant and the look ends up being very modern.

J'ai ete au Sahara: Gwen Loos for L'Officiel France

Salvatore Ferragamo, Michael Kors

Magazine: L'Officiel France June/July 2012
Editorial: J'ai ete au Sahara
Model: Gwen Loos
Photographer: Camilla Armbrust
Styling: Alexandra Elbim

When I saw this editorial in the Summer issue of L'Officiel France I thought to myself "Wow! This really is perfect timing, I was just talking about Morocco and then this comes up!" so I had to share it with you. We've already seen a lot of North African influences on the runways lately (the gorgeous Michael Kors SS 2012 collection anyone?) and this editorial is created as an ode to this source of inspiration. Shot in a beautiful setting overseeing an old traditional town, Gwen Loos showcases garments from many brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Salvatore Ferragamo, Lanvin or Michael Kors and jewelry from the Paris - Bombay Chanel collection.

Paul & Joe, Michael Kors, Chanel

Isabel Marant, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel

Special Collection: Missoni for Converse

Spring comes with new footwear collections and some of these are pretty amazing. Check out the third and latest collaboration between Italian fashion brand Missoni and the American All-Star Converse sneakers! The spring collection comes with three fresh new models inspired by the brand's trademark patterns and colors: a white and a pale green version for women both with Missoni's traditional zig-zag print and a unisex shoe with a haphazard print in navy blue. Let's have a look at these new models:

And here are a few of the Missoni models from the two previous collaborations:

What do you think about this collaboration? Do you prefer this spring's models or the previous ones? I like this year's models, but I think they tried too much to fit into the pastel trend of the spring. My favorites are the more colorful ones, they feel a lot more fun!

Photos: google images

Mulberry Spring 2012 Ad Campaign

Brand: Mulberry
Season: Spring 2012
Models: Frida Gustavsson, Lindsay Wixson
Photographer: Tim Walker
Styling: Edward Enniful
Location: Brighton, UK

Mulberry is a very British fashion brand and that shows in the setting they chose for their spring collection ad campaign: the traditional seaside resort Brighton. Continuing their long term collaboration with photographer Tim Walker and model Lindsay Wixson, this spring's campaign also features Swedish wonder (and one of my favorite models) Frida Gustavsson. The girls are pictured having fun at the beach in a surreal setting among ice-cream cones and sweets.

Arabian Days: Morocco

This morning as I contemplated the peace and tranquility of a Sunday morning with nothing to do except relax and sleep, I thought of one of the most relaxing places that I've visited: Morocco. The country is the perfect mixture of modernity and traditions - you can go to the big cities such as Rabat and see the modern up-to-date life, head south to Fez or Marrakesh to the traditional busy souks or you can look for your own  haven of tranquility in an oasis in the desert. 

When I went to Morocco I visited Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca and Fez and I have to say that Fez was my absolute favorite city. I could wonder the streets of the medina for days looking at the vivid colors in the tanneries and the mosaics or smelling the spices in the souk. This Sunday I invite you to embark on a journey through traditional Morocco with me, I'm sure you're going to love it!

Inspired by: PATTERNS AND COLORS

I've always been an admirer of colors and patterns and as spring quickly gets by, the more colors on the street the better! Either crazy patterns or more toned-down here is a selection of colorful looks to brighten your week-end. Who knows, maybe you'll end up putting on more colors next time you go out! 

Watercolor Oscar Dresses

Brazilian blogger and freelance illustrator Camilla Gray combined her love for fashion and her illustration skills to create an inspiring six-piece collection of watercolors inspired by this year's best Oscar dresses. The collection features both singles and couples, from Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to Emma Stone or Gwyneth Paltrow. Which one is going to be your favorite?

Country Strong: US Olympic Team and Karlie Kloss for Vogue US

Atelier Versace | Bryan Brothers - Tennis

Magazine: Vogue US
Editorial: Country Strong
Models: Karlie Kloss and the US Olympic team
Photographer: Annie Leibovitz
Styling: Tonne Goodman

The June issue of Vogue US pays a beautiful tribute to its country Olympic athletes by teaming them up with Karlie Kloss in a sports inspired editorial entitled Country Strong. Karlie poses alongside the athletes wearing some amazing creations by designers such as Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Versace or Oscar de la Renta to name just a few. 

Alexander McQueen | Bryan Brothers - Tennis

Lanvin | Ashton Eaton - Track and Field

Oscar de la Renta | Ashton Eaton - Track and Field

Design Hotel: Maison Moschino Milan

"Sleeping in a ballgown" room

In 1840 a neoclassical railway station opened in the heart of Milan at 12, Viale Monte Grappa. Today the flourishing days of the railway station have long gone by, but the magnificent building still stands and offers a breathtaking view to tired travelers. Nowadays it is home to the luxurious four-star Hotel Moschino Maison, ran by Rosella Jardini and Moschino's creative team. When fashion meets interior design there is bound to be a lot going on! Let's embark on a journey through this extraordinary setting!

True to the fashion brand's aesthetic, the hotel is built around a visionary and contemporary fairy tale theme. When talking about the hotel, the creative team finds no other words to describe it but by using fairy tale metaphors: "Entering the Maison Moschino is like falling down the rabbit hole: after a while, you cometo expect the unexpected. We created the spaces to inspire the mind while the body relaxes, because to sleep is the perchance to dream."

The leading line for the hotel's inspiration is "What happens when you step into a dream?" The rooms are designed to guide the guests into a dream world and to set their imagination free. Wandering from one room to the next you can stumble on oversized dresses covering entire beds, forest trees covering sleeping areas or you can even find yourself in a room designed like a shoe closet! The rooms reflect the unique and distinctive Moschino style - an ordinary world painted with a surrealist brush.

Style Profile: Nick Wooster

"An integral part of dressing well is mastering a sense of occasion." Nick Wooster

This one goes for all the stylish men out there that I am lucky enough to have as readers! Nick Wooster is  a true style icon and always an amazing inspiration for every occasion. He used to work for Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Barneys, before being appointed Men's Fashion Director of Neiman Marcus. Just recently  he was named Creative Director of J.C. Penny's Men's Clothing. 

Always a trendsetter, Nick Wooster is very creative with his clothes. His looks vary from perfect gentleman-like to interesting and unexpected mixes, everything contrasting beautifully with his tattoos. Either wearing a suit and tie clip or with a pair of shorts and a jacket and bow tie, his looks are definitely inspiring.

Sweet Tooth for Candy

Candy comes in so many forms and colors that it's always irresistible and brings you in a better mood no matter what. Today I wish you all to have a candy colored day and feel awesome!

What's your favorite candy? My favorite must be somewhere around butter toffee it's just too hard to decide!

Photos: tumblr

Colorful Dots Nail Art

Ta-daaaa! I present you my first crazy nail art! I usually go for classic red, dark purple or nude, but in the past few months I've started painting my nails so many different colors that I can't even remember them all! While I was trying to decide between pink and purple and possibly a combination of the two on Sunday, I went out for tea with a friend of mine and she ended up doing my nails like this. How cool is that? You guys already know the artist, my friend Laura who also designed my master thesis covers. Thanks a lot Laura!

The pattern may seem complicated but it's actually very easy to do. This is how we did it:

1. Put on a transparent base coat.

2. Put on the black nail polish.

3. Draw a grey line on the tips of your nails (as thick as you want the model to be in the end).

4. Start drawing dots on the grey line with different colors of nail polish until you use up all the space (to get these small dots easier than with the brush, we used the blunt side of a pin).

5. Put on a second transparent coat to fix the colors.

I felt inspired by my nails today, so I wore a black and cream striped sweater and a pair of flats that I bought in The Hague a few years ago. They reminded me of my nails!

Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 Ad Campaign

Brand: Louis Vuitton
Season: Spring 2012
Models: Daria Strokus, Kati Nescher
Photographer: Steven Meisel
Styling: Karl Templer

The Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 Ad Campaign continues the narrative of the fabulous runway show presented earlier this year. In these sorbet colored photos, you can see the story unfold before your eyes - after getting off from the white carrousel, the models step into the pastel colored paradise of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor nearby. Daria Strokus and Kati Nescher were the models chosen to showcase the collection and they did a fabulous job if you ask me. We'll be hearing a lot about them in the future, I can bet on that! 

The stars of the season seem to be the soft colors and the gentle broderie anglaise on one hand and on the other hand the see through Lockit bag and the Milk white version of the Sofia Coppola bag created especially for this spring.

Talking about the campaign, Louis Vuitton Artistic Director Marc Jacobs seems to be delighted with the result: "The spirit of our Spring/Summer 2012 collection is reflected beautifully in this new ad campaign. All the tone and texture of the collection - the lightness, the prettiness, the broderie anglaise, the millefeuille layers of organza - are recreated in these wonderful images by Steven Meisel. It is all very soft and very sweet, yet at the same time very old and very graphic. The whole ambiance is very pretty, very special and very magical and I'm sure it will look just delicious and fresh come the spring."