27 March 2012

Classic Style Faves...

    Today I thought of introducing you the movie heroes/heroines, where I love to look back every now and then for style inspiration. All of them represent different styles I am fond of, but in the same time they all are elegant and chic. As for the men, they also constitute icons and represent the men's style I mostly admire. I must to admit though that if the same outfits were worn by other movie stars, it wouldn't be the same. It is no coincidence that I admire most of them as actors too and these movies (well, not all of them) are some of my favourites. So, here they are and I hope that some of you agree with me, at least with some of them...

Diane Keaton in Annie Hall
(I prefer though Manhattan)  

Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca 

Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby

Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby
(I could post all the outfits she wore in this movie...)

Tom Waits in Down by Law

Monica Bellucci in Malena

Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's

Johnny Depp in Dead Man

Tippi Hedren in The Birds

And this is my favourite Barbie as Tippi Hedren in The Birds
(In case you don't know what to get me for my birthday;) )

25 March 2012

Cherry blossoms

   One of the most beautiful celebrations begun today in Washington D.C., a 100 years since the Japanese gave the cherry trees to the Americans. Unfortunately there are not so many left, but it doesn't stop the city to look the most amazing in this time of the year... A ticket to Washington (or Japan most preferably) wanted immediately!!!










Paper parasol from lunabazaar.com, floral case from Topshop, kimono from chopa.com and
Vivienne Westwood Melissa cherry high heels

24 March 2012

Deal with God

  Looking for the Bohemian Rhapsody video for the last post, I run into this comment and couldn't help not posting it immediately, cause it's too great not to do so. Ok, it may have been a bit mean to Katy Perry (she's not so bad), but as a huge fan of Freddie, no harm, no foul...


So, why don't we make a deal, God.
We'll give a free Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez for a Freddie Mercury.
We'll also give a bonus pack of THREE Jonas Brothers, AND a completely free Katy Perry and any other of these horrible demons Satan sent to make our ears bleed.

GOD: and why would I want a Justin Bieber



Vintage memories...

     When I was 15, I used to dream of being a teenager in the 1970s or studying at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy (well, this last one may have been a little earlier, like 13, but whatever). Of course this renunciation of my life was due to the great mass of Queen and Pink Floyd vinyls I was listening to all day long, getting on my sister's nerves. This and the Harry Potter-mania were making my ordinary life seem such boring... Then, years later, I discovered the 1950s and a more feminine side of me woke up, thirsty for midi-length full skirts matched with tight tops. The '50s are also responsible for my love for vintage things, lace and chiffon.
    Thank God, I no more dream of living back then, as I have found Mika and Prada! Ok, this last one may have been heard a little excessive: Prada is not the only '50s one that I found this season, it's also Louis Vuitton, Dolce Gabbana and many others, but it was a way to introduce you the 1950s' aesthetic video campaign of Prada (another 1950s-based campaign was the one of Louis Vuitton posted yesterday).
We've seen together the campaign in pictures, so now let's enjoy it in motion, too.







     A great hit, the first Harry Potter memory, a sound that seems to me vintage, a vintage (1952) Vogue cover and the vintage Prada campaign... 

23 March 2012

A candy world

    Louis Vuitton's candy-coloured ad campaign for S/S 2012 is just perfect!
The collection itself is a big hit, but the ad campaign is another level. So girly and feminine, so much PINK! It reminds me of innocent girl stuff-talks in the 1950s, like the first kiss or who's the most handsome boy at school. 
I loved the big lace collars and the large white buttons on the tweed skirtsuits. And the hair, it was amazing! Marc Jacobs did a great job again! But I started dreaming of pale colours now, like mint, yellow and pink...and the worst I started dreaming of colourful fatty treats, like cupcakes, macarons and candies. The bad thing is only that it's 12 o' clock at night here aka a bit hard to find any of these, which means I 'm going to eat my vanilla ice cream leftovers... (thank God there are some strawberries too in the fridge). 
I'm going for the fridge raid now...







                                   



   

22 March 2012

The ideal socks

  Loading up tones of images at Topshop, trying to find pale coloured pieces for the next post, I discovered the perfect pair of socks for Prada's car shoes.



 Those flames add the perfect finishing touch to the whole racing car outfit. Isn't it the greatest match for these shoes?
And imagine it with a dress of the same collection with the "flames" finishing...
like this:
Isn't it lovely?
On the other hand, it's a great suggestion too for all of us that cannot afford neither a Prada dress nor these shoes. In this case, these socks are the ideal piece to make us feel as "fast and furious" as the Prada girls...

17 March 2012

Monsters University

   Another animated movie to be late is the prequel of one of Pixar's best and most intelligent movies, the "Monsters Inc.". The movie entitled "Monsters University"tells us the tale of how Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan resolved the differences they had when they first met (and couldn't stand each other) and became best friends.
  Sadly, the film's release date was pushed back to June 21 2013, instead of November 2, 2012, but we could forgive Pixar and Disney for this if the movie 'll be such great as the first one...


Aren't you thrilled?

16 March 2012

Lanvin Petite 2012

  Amongst the black outs, I try to post this quickly before my PC turns off again...
So, last days I suppose you've noticed that I'm kind of fond of videos. It's just a way to relax from Fashion Month and deal with other things going on in fashion world (and not), except for the runway shows.
 So, here is this great video for Lanvin Petite Hiver 2012 starring adorable little models and Albert Elbaz...





Jean Paul Gaultier x Diet Coke = The Serial Designer

   His last collection for A/W 2012 may haven't been his best so far, but he managed to fascinate us with his Barbie videos. Jean Paul Gaultier is the new creative director of Diet Coke and he is starring with Barbie in the campaign videos. 
   The videos are really great and the clothes he makes for the Barbies (Irene, Bernadette and Eleanor) are amazing, especially the dress in the last video with the cone-bra. So Gaultier!

 


And I suppose more videos are about to come...

15 March 2012

First Spring

   This is "First Spring", a  short film directed by the Chinese photographer and video artist Yang Fudong. It was the Prada campaign video for S/S 2010. My boyfriend run into it the other day while looking for Fudong's photography and since the moment he showed it to me I fall in love with his work.
Such great artists are rare...


14 March 2012

Despicable Me 2

  The best news of the week was this: In July 2013 Despicable Me 2 is going to be released!!!!!!!!!!


Counting days... 473, 472, 471...

Yayoi Kusama x Louis Vuitton = Infinity Dots



    After Takashi Murakami the next artist to collaborate with the french label Louis Vuitton is the also japanese Yayoi Kusama. Louis Vuitton has always supported contemporary art either by sponsoring exhibitions or launching special collections in association with artists.
   This last collaboration -including leather goods, clothing, footwear and accessories- with Yayoi Kusama, whose retrospective (sponsored by the French label) is currently in Tate Modern (9 February-5 June 2012) is going to be launched in July. Alongside the retrospective another collaboration between the two of them, this time on artworks, is showcased in Bond Street, in Louis Vuitton Maison's exhibition space.
   Yayoi Kusama is often acclaimed to be a Pop artist, but she is for sure a lot more than that. Born in 1929, she moved in New York in 1957 and by 1959 she had presented five of her "Infinity Nets", large white canvases covered with light net motives, which garnered comparisons to the Abstract Expressionism movement. In 1961 she went on to develop the "Accumulations", household items covered with white small sacks.
Accumulation No 2, 1968
   It was Donald Judd that first noticed her work was all about an obsession with repetition in 1964. This repetition though was that linked her work with the pattern of the phallic symbol. The "Aggregation: One Thousand Boats" installation was crucial, as it incorporated the element of camouflage leading her to her most recognizable pattern: the Dots. The result of this was her most known work, the "Infinity Mirror Room-Phalli's Field".
Infinity Mirror Room- Phalli's Field, 1965
   The use of the dots motif derives from a psychedelic culture, which also led her to check herself into a mental hospital back in Japan in the 1970s, where she stays until today. Hence it's sad that the only thing that comes in mind when hearing her name is "Dots"and not all this avant-garde background that has highlighted her as one of the most prominent female artists of the postmodernism.
   Not to mention that one of her "Infinity Nets", sold by Christie's New York for $5.1 million, hit a record for a female artist back in 2008. Imagine now the success the colourful dotted garments will have in combination with the french luxury brand.
Unfortunately, there are no images of the collection yet, but until that moment, you can visit the special website created for the collaboration and watch interviews of both sides, as well as find further information on Kusama and the Tate exhibition.
Dots Obsession- New Century, 2000

13 March 2012

Le Grand Finale

Louis Vuitton
 

The final day of an exhausting Fashion Month started with a remarkable show that a lot of us are going to bring back in mind for years and years to come...
   The train arrived at ten and models started disembark, followed by their porters carrying their precious leather Louis Vuitton luggages. Marc Jacobs has done a terrific job for Louis Vuitton all these past fifteen years he's been working for the label and so was this collection, too. The Stephen Jones hats, just like in the Marc Jacobs colection, just blew your mind and the oversized silhouettes reminded you of another times. The only thing that disappointed me was that, in spite of adoring the silhouettes, they were looking a lot to those at the Marc Jacobs show, still the textiles were more luxurious. Thus, the following queries have been surrounding my mind since then: Why would anyone use the same patterns for two different shows? Is it Marc Jacobs style that has invaded Louis Vuitton, or the opposite? Is it a lack of inspiration? And if so, why doesn't he quit?
   But that's just my own perspective. Some may consider it a good aspect, the creation of two slightly different versions of a single collection. However, Miuccia Prada played also with this aspect with her Miu Miu collection that took place some hours later. Though it was not the same, as what Miuccia used for both her collections was not the silhouettes, it was the 1970s' spirit  prints, those reminding of wallpapers. And of course both collections were based on pantsuits, after many years of skirts, but this is something totally different and, at the very least, we are talking about her own two labels, not her work for another label.
   As for the rest, they played more safely presenting cute, still non-innovative slim silhouettes, while the most interesting works were Masha Ma's constructive trompe-l'-oeil dresses, as well as Allude's burgundy, pashmina-belted pantsuits and Elie Saab's peplum skirtsuits.

Louis Vuitton 
Talbot Runhof

Arzu Kaprol

Allude

Miu Miu

Masha Ma

Elie Saab

Maison Rabih Kayrouz

Collette Dinnigan
Lie Sang Bong
TRIAS

Photos: various places

12 March 2012

Futuristic Chic - Folklore Chic

Chanel  

 I'm terribly sorry for last days' ups and downs, but my life is a mess right now and I'm trying my best to keep posting as often as I can... So, today you are going to read the two last posts on Paris Fashion Week.
   On Tuesday 6th March shows started with the Queen of French Fashion, Chanel.
Karl Lagerfeld, after last fall's Interwar collection, turned to novelty this time with the highlight being the Czech Cubism-like polyhedron sleeves, inspired from the exhibition in Prague. However, they could also be inspired by the polyhedron shape of the crystals he used for the show and which have been another inspiration for him as "Nature's the greatest designer", as he stated. In addition, the tweed three-piece suits (trousers-skirt-jacket) he redesigned for this fall were as innovative and fresh as the Lesage magnificent sparkling eyebrows. As for the colours, they remained dark, despite the few unsuccessful coloured outfits.
   And while Lagerfeld was bringing Chanel to Today, Sarah Burton was working on a futuristic collection for Alexander McQueen, just to prove that Future can be beautiful. Thus, she combined totally feminine/ sweet decorated jacquard, lace, fur or large pompom dresses with sci-fi visors, continuing with grace the innovative tradition of the House. Kanye West has also been gazing the future with his first attempt to enter the fashion world and he has done well with his slim silhouettes in mostly black leather outfits, like 21st century catwomans with motorbike boots. However, he has done also well with the more feminine side of the collection, as shown by the initial salmon cape-dress.
   Alongside the futuristic inspired collections, there were others invoking the past, like Hakaans collection with the '80s references' lamés, Paco Rabanne's reinvented metal dress of Brigitte Bardot and Paul & Joe's english countryside inspired collection. Nonetheless, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's "Fire on Ice" collection with references on Iceland stood out from the crowd with the eye-catching yellow-black eagle prints and eagle heads on the shoulders.
   The real treat of the day though was Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli's collection for Valentino. Folklore costumes cooperated with haute couture aesthetic and the result was a très très chic and austere collection of crafted feminine above-the-ankle-hemmed dresses and coats, fresh leather high-waist coats and jumpsuits and multicoloured folklore textiles.

Chanel

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Hakaan

Valentino

Valentino

Paco Rabanne

Paul & Joe

Alexander McQueen

Kanye West

Moncler Gamme Rouge

 
Photos: Style.com