fun-filled bijoux

October 18, 2013, 12:54 am

Inspired by daily life objects, designer Yaz Bukey
came to gimmick up Maison Darré, the Parisian
art and furniture gallery that brought into being a
whole new way of imagining artist editions, like
a colorful supermarket with a vibrant razzle-dazzle.

Founded and run by experienced designer Vincent
Darré who's widely known in Italy for his past
collaborations with brands such as Prada and
Moschino, the appealing narrow boutique of rue
du Mont Thabor was filled with brightly

colored household goods.

Bizarre and elegant at the same time, Yazbukey's
accessories are playfully creative and full of pop
references: necklaces, bags, Plexiglas bracelets
and earrings have been interpreted through her
own skittish frame of mind.

After studying at Studio Berçot and working with
first-rate fashion brands such as Margiela, Givenchy
and Jeremy Scott, Yaz established the Yazbukey
label in 2000 developing her frisky universe of
accessories for women as well as for the home
regularly collaborating with other brands.

Yazbukey's adornments produce powerful feelings
and strong, clear images that bring us back to the
1960s iconography of pop culture. The amusing
images of the s/s 2014 collection, taken by photo-
grapher Quentin Saunier, highlight its cheerful
mood with smiling pinups in mini outfits surrounded
by everyday objects like giant toothbrushes, soap
and cleaning stuff, canned food. Yaz is never
backward in displaying her joyful talent.

> all images © by Quentin Saunier <

↧

everything & nothing

October 20, 2013, 11:26 am

≫ Next: a (tasty) slice of Africa

≪ Previous: fun-filled bijoux

Acclaimed Irish-born, South London-based luxury
accessories designer Úna Burke whose ”Italian
vegetable tanned leather” bodypieces are visually
enthralling and technically challenging, comes with
a new collection through gorgeous images.

Her 'Everything and Nothing' s/s 2014 collection
that was launched at Paris fashion week's

Premiere Classe, a true must for accessories designers,
appears to be more feminine and refined whilst
keeping in the sculptural impact she's known for.

Since graduating, Úna's sculptural works came to
magnetize the eyes of fashionistas earning thousands
of devotess worldwide and have been styled and
photographed by prominent figures and

worn by show biz celebrities.

The delicacy of construction (every single piece is wholly
handmade in her own leather atelier) as well as the soft
color palette of the collection have been captured this time
in a campaign signed by a widely encountered talent that's
definitely rising through the ranks of today's fashion
photography: highly esteemed Madame Peripetie

who cut translucent shapes to reveal the details

of Úna's newest creations.

Her sculptured bodypieces, leather belts, jewelry and
stunning clutches with a star-shaped pattern bearing tiny
metallic details look gorgeous, easily wearable and less
stagy: ”each piece fits the body beautifully and it has been
carefully and slowly allowed to evolve on the mannequin,
almost as a sculptor approaches a sculpture” she wrote
in her Paris invitation telling... everything and nothing.

creative direction and photography © by Madame Peripetie, 2013

↧

a (tasty) slice of Africa

October 22, 2013, 10:09 am

≫ Next: Neptune's daughter

≪ Previous: everything & nothing

As you may know, large swathes of African farmland

are being allocated to foreign investors on long-term
leases to secure their food and fuel future needs.
China's engagement in Africa has briskly grown
in the last decade becoming quite a hot topic: it's small
wonder that the Western media tend to define this
large-scale land deals as 'land grabbing' depicting
China as the neo-colonialist power.

Hazel Eki Aggrey-Orleans, the mastermind behind
London-based womenswear 'Eki Orleans' label, is
factually optimistic about the Sino-African cooperation
on agriculture that actually dates back to the early
1960s. The confident designer who was born in
Germany, raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and educated in
London, draws inspirations from her mixed cultural
experiences and mostly from her own West African heritage.

The label's s/s 2014 collection, called 'A Slice of Africa',
is all played as a symbolic fusion of African and Chinese
design elements by juxtaposing two different colorful
prints on the same flattering silhouette through
diaphanous day and evening dresses.

The first print ”was inspired by the hustle and bustle of
African markets. I created a design using some of my
previous prints and certain African symbols in a pattern
to create the illusion of rows and rows of market stalls
and the resulting electricity and energy found in

traditional African markets” she explains.

The second print ”was inspired by traditional Chinese
florals. I chose these Chinese and African (Ghanaian)
symbols, as they both mean 'friendship'. With the
growing Chinese interest in Africa, it is important
that both continents work together in partnership”
she declares manifesting her positive point of view.

”Where other fashion designers find fabrics to suit their
visions of a dress, Hazel decides on the dress to suit
her vision of a fabric design” she states, ”I'm passionate
about mixing and matching colours and I love nothing
more than to make a stunning entrance. My collection
accentuates the feminine, the brave and the sexy within
all of us and it's my mission to bring out the colourful
goddess in every woman” introducing her label's identity.

Another slice anyone?

> all images © by Jean-Christophe Hermier<

↧

Neptune's daughter

October 23, 2013, 2:24 pm

≫ Next: Sorronda's 'just like honey'

≪ Previous: a (tasty) slice of Africa

Cassandra Verity Green is a young gifted graduate
who gets into the swing of things with the confidence
of an accomplished designer: born in the open spaces
of London's Hampstead Heath, Cassandra shows her
still vivid girlhood memories through brightly textured
outfits. A recent Central Saint Martins graduate comple-
ting a four-year degree in fashion design and knitwear,
Cassandra showcased her final project collection that
strongly echoes 1950s swimwear and Esther

Williams aquatic movies.

Aptly called 'Neptune's Daughter', the colorful artsy
collection shows gripping textures evoking a sunny
underwater universe through labor-intensive rubber
beading techniques, swimming caps with Plexiglas
spikes and fuzzy knits mimicking water movements
and algae: Poseidon's daughter has never been

so free-spirited and natty.

I'm not worried about the goldfishes trapped in her
handbags and knapsacks, it's just a showy runway
trick made with a little help from her friends - small
fishes quitely living in her kitchen - that proves the
young designer's ability: she has what it takes to
confirm her fresh knack for fashion with forthcoming
collections by her own label CVG.

> all images © by Jarek Kotomski, styled by Madeleine Østlie<

↧

Sorronda's 'just like honey'

October 24, 2013, 1:33 pm

≫ Next: I went into a dream

≪ Previous: Neptune's daughter

Aussie leading designer Gail Sorronda whose career
I've been following since her involvment in 'Milano
Loves Fashion' event three years ago when I

surrendered myself to her conceptual dark-romantic

dualism, unveiled her latest collection featuring

an unprecedented collaboration.

The Brisbane-born and educated talent who came to add
splashes of color to her signature black and white palette,
brings in prints teaming up with fellow countryman, visual
artist Michael Zavros in her ”Just Like Honey” s/s 2014
collection. Michael's original drawing of a swarm of killer
bees (Australia is home to some of the world's deadliest
animals, after all) became the print featured throughout
the collection in a gripping clash between the designer's
dark romanticism and Zavros' hyperrealistic technique.

Gail fell in love with Zavros' artworks she became familiar
with at a mutual friend's home: ”there was something about
his work - there was the hyperrealism but also a dark
undercurrent and humor, some melancholy and his
referencing to popular culture - there was this duality
that I could relate to” she declared to the press right
before the collection's catwalk debut at

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane.

Bees envelope the body swarming over ten pieces while
Gail surprisingly didn't show her passion for sculptural
headpieces here; barely a hair net or the hat and veil
of the beekeeper suit comes to cover the head of Olivia,
model at Vivien's Model Management, in the sun-drenched
photo shoot taken in a broken-down industrial setting
with dust and debris all around by Perth-born,
Melbourne-based photographer Megan Cullen to
emphasize the contrast between the clothes'

romantic sheerness and the harsh environment.

> all images © by Megan Cullen Photo, style by Gail Sorronda <

↧

I went into a dream

October 26, 2013, 12:48 pm

≫ Next: magic & loss

≪ Previous: Sorronda's 'just like honey'

I went into a dream

”I went into a dream” when I came across the vibrant
artworks by Spanish artist Mercedes Lagunas, that's
why I stole one of her titles to begin with. Mercedes
studied art history at Madrid's much esteemed

Complutense University and has been working as
a graphic designer but she has been painting her
whole life (although between flights: she traveled
the world as a flight attendant) recently focusing
her vocation into illustration.

Tree of life

Demasiado corazón

In the city

Bright acrylic paintings showing her skillfulness
as well as her knowledge and love for art history;
she made waves with her 'Boho Garden', a
color-infused portrait series with lush natural
elements in the background that instantly calls
to mind the art of legendary Mexican painter
Frida Kahlo yet the influence of old masters
such as German-American draughtsman and
painter George Grosz and even Picasso

is easily discernible.

Flowers, animals and love

Happy New Year

At ease with different techniques, Mercedes
creates gorgeous floral patterns skillfully mixing

techniques and materials: vivid acrylic colors
exalting graphic shapes of flowers, birds and
sprouting leaves with a strong symbolic allure
are often collage-made while fabrics and beads
are occasionaly glued to the canvas. Her art
is able to exude an otherworldly beauty seen
through the informal and unconventional

vision of a true artist-at-heart.

Torero

all artworks © by Mercedes Lagunas

↧

magic & loss

October 27, 2013, 12:15 pm

≫ Next: a matter of Size

≪ Previous: I went into a dream

'Transformer' album cover, image credit: Mick Rock

In my teenage years I fell in love with the songs of
Brooklyn-born songwriter, singer and guitarist Lou Reed
who passed away today (at first it looked like the nth
celebrity death hoax spread on the web but later on
it sadly came to be true) and this is my chance to say

goodbye. He helped define New York City as well as
to shape rock music and its own poetry since the mid
1960s with Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground reaching
stardom with 'Transformer' - the 1972 solo album
produced by his 'disciples' David Bowie and Mick
Ronson - but he was quite an unpredictable genius
who came to challenge his fans record after record.
Now the forefather of punk and alternative rock is gone:
he will be missed but not forgotten because the magic
of his music will live forever. So long Lou,

may you walk on the soothing side of life.

↧

a matter of Size

October 28, 2013, 2:11 pm

≫ Next: never odd or even

≪ Previous: magic & loss

'Anrealage' as someone said before me, ”is a small brand
with massive ideas” that since its debut aims at stirring the
fashion world: more a think tank lab than a design label,
Anrealage is a coined word that sounds like 'un-real-age'
meaning 'everyday extraordinary'.

Established in Tokyo in 2003 by Japanese designer
Kunihiko Morinaga - a graduate of Waseda University
and the Vantan Design Academy whose imagination
proved to be larger than life and in all likelihood triggered
by the work of masters such as Rei Kawakubo - Anrealage
made a name for itself through a conceptual approach
and a highly experimental use of materials.

Each season Morinaga and his fellows love to explore
a peculiar concept of dressmaking: they came to create
innovative garments shifting from pale to vivid pastel
tones when placed under UV lights, plastic molds pushing
the silhouette out or pixel-patterned outfits composed of
colorful square blocks of different fabrics to name a few.

This time they looked into size through a histrionic show
in which models wearing masks made of black and white
square pieces walked the runway introducing the RTW
s/s 2014 'Size' collection at the Laforet Museum in Tokyo's
Roppongi district instantly setting a melodramatic mood
to put on display the contrast between big and small,
broad and narrow through ”the Empire stripes back”
beginning theme with black & white stripes of different
widths fighting over who's better fitting.

The show proceeded emphasizing the polarity between
small and huge bags, mini and oversized white shirts,
wide-legged trousers and tapered capri pants but the
coup de théâtre was about to come: three models
wearing the same black dress were lifted up on a
platform above the runway where their garments
gradually shrinked into minidresses with asymmetric
gathers. Actually Anrealage developed a size adjuste-
ment system that thanks to an inside crank changes
it around the body and it's fully self re-sizable.
Style is also a matter of size.

> all images © by Giovanni Giannoni via WWD <

↧

never odd or even

October 29, 2013, 2:58 pm

≫ Next: Jezebel's sins

≪ Previous: a matter of Size

You can read this post's title backwards being it a
palindrome like 'nurses run' or 'step on no pets'
because this phrase was chosen by Athens-based
designer Eleftheria Arapoglou as the name of her
label's latest womenswear collection.

Eleftheria studied fashion design at London's

Surrey Institute of Art and Design before moving

back to Greece where she worked as fashion editor

for the renowned 'Ozon' mag before launching LACQNE,
an avant-garde women's label that had some

success taking part in alternative fashion fairs

in Berlin and Stockholm.

In 2008 she established the innovative fashion label
she always dreamed of, 'Digitaria', offering high-end
bespoke tailoring to men and women looking for a
distinctive style; a label that's proudly open to
”exchange ideas and interact with different

creative partners.”

Digitaria's 'Never Odd or Even' s/s 2014 collection
shows the label's signature strong, a bit androgynous
silhouettes through wearable garments with a minimalist
attitude, interesting layerings, accurate cuts and openings
and unisex accessories in a basic palette made of black,
white, blue and Veronese green with a sudden baby
pink hue paired with black. When it comes to personal
style, nothing's more suited than a never odd statement
piece to even things out. Do not bob to nod!

> all images © by Christos Tzimas, style by Manos Jojos
both @ This is not another agency<

↧

Jezebel's sins

October 30, 2013, 1:38 pm

≫ Next: spooktacular All Hallows' Eve

≪ Previous: never odd or even

The spooky mood of Halloween gets going (I'm
about to sew skull, jack-o'-lantern and bat-shaped
patches on my niece's black cape) so what about
a new take on the infamous 'Sins of Jezebel' to
warm us up? The idolatrous Phoenician princess'
deeds became a symbol of wickedness and sexual
promiscuity inspiring songs, novels and movies such
as the famed American drama film starring Paulette
Goddard and Isaac Asimov's 'The Caves of Steel' novel

that both celebrate their 60th anniversary this year.

Visionary image-maker TOMAAS took a dramatic
photo shoot obviously called 'Sins of Jezebel' with
his edgy signature style summoning up Jez's last act:

dressed in full regalia with make-up and jewelry
to symbolically show the dignity of her status,

she left life as a queen.

The New York-based, German-born photographer
teamed up with illustrator and fine artist Januz Miralles
from Laguna, Philippines, to create bold thespian
two-toned portraits where fashion, digital photography
and illustration merge with a peculiar uncanny flavor.
Model Lilya Polokhova of Muse Models - her hair
raised, plastered in floral fabric or adorned with a
wreath of silk layers - artfully evokes the fallen
human nature looking gorgeous and spine-tingling
at the same time.

> all images © by TOMAAS<

↧

spooktacular All Hallows' Eve

October 31, 2013, 12:07 pm

≫ Next: Mexican folk art dynasty

≪ Previous: Jezebel's sins

'Dream of the soft look', 2013 © by Jason Bard Yarmosky

It's Halloween night folks so you'd better keep an eye
on the spooky dangers lurking around like this couple
of dressed up elders roaming the streets hand in hand
trick or treating or, you may never know, egging some
random cars and houses. Joking aside, I chose this
frightfully fun image, named 'Dream of the Soft Look',
which is not a photograph yet a breathtaking hyperrealistic
painting by New York artist Jason Bard Yarmosky who
focused on portraying his grandparents to explore the
concept of aging. 'Dream of the Soft Look' is actually
Yarmosky's new solo exhibition investigating both physical
and psychological features of human life cycle capturing
on canvas unique moments of humor, sorrow, wonderment
or discontent. Have a spooktacular nite tonite!

↧

Mexican folk art dynasty

November 4, 2013, 12:05 pm

≫ Next: the road to Oksana

≪ Previous: spooktacular All Hallows' Eve

the Aguilar sisters, left to right, Guillermina, Irene,
Concepción and Josefina, uncredited photographer

El Dia de los Muertos has been celebrated throughout
Mexico and I'm thrilled to imagine the maze of ofrendas,
marigolds, sugar skulls and colorful clay figures filling
the streets of the village of Ocotlán de Morelos, near
Oaxaca, which is known as the home of fine artists such
as painter Rodolfo Morales and the Aguilar sisters who
are internationally known for the whimsical ceramic
figures they create. It all started almost fifty years ago
when Dona Isaura Alcántara Diaz lifted her work from
producing utilitarian day-to-day pots to devise a delightful
variety of red clay figures with the help of her husband,
Jesús Aguilar Revilla who sketched

and painted the new designs.

Guillermina at work

Day of the Dead figure by Guillermina

Training with clay since their childhood, Dona Isaura's
four daughters - Guillermina, Josefina, Irene and
Concepción - learned their parents' art developing
through the years a unique style. They carry on the
labor-intensive craft (they have to dig clay then come
the drying, sifting and kneading before carving,
kiln-baking and painting) that involves the whole
family but most remarkably, they came to inspire in
turn their own children and grandchildren

establishing a dynasty of gifted artists.

Earthenware water pitcher by Guillermina

Josefina's typical woman figure

Although Dona Isaura never received the recognition
she deserved, the Aguilar sisters are probably Mexico's
most beloved folk artists whose art is deeply influenced
by the cultural richness of pueblo life: traditions, myths
and legends, cultural and religious rituals like the just
gone Day of the Dead. These fully accomplished
artisans gained worldwide acclaim thanks to colorful,
often humorous handcrafted figures with

a quitessential Mexican spirit.

Mercaderas (part) by Josefina

one of Josefina's Fridas

Guillermina began as a child making basins (apaxtels)
and incense burners (braseros) for Dia de los Muertos
altars and candle holders for local churches soon
developing a distinctive taste for sculptural pieces
and exotic creatures like mermaids, depicting Oaxacan
folklore and daily life scenes. She also creates

impressive one-meter-high trees of life, bells

with animal heads and stunning water jugs.

Irene with one of her mermaids

complex allegorical artwork by Irene

Josefina's skill was noticed when she was still young;
nowadays she's considered a master whose works
can be seen in several museums and are widely
collected. Her muñecas (human figures) of both
male and female gender, all bearing little pointed
noses as a trademark, consist of a series of tableaux
vivants representing scenes and rituals of everyday's
village life as well as religious rites but she's mostly
known for her women carrying on the head

baskets of fruit, flowers and birds.

Irene's take on Frida

Virgen de Guadalupe by Concepción

Irene Aguilar Alcántara is known for her individual
often complex pieces of musicians, demons, monks,
”ladies of the night”, enamorados, catrinas (the famous
grinning skeletal lady) and fruteros (fruit bowls) but she
also creates sculptural artworks like complex market
scenes. However, she's proud of her

brightly colored mermaids.

Two skeleton 'Women of the Nopal Cactus' by Concepción

Concepción's radiant Fridas

The youngest sister, Concepción, was just nine when
Dona Isaura died without passing on her knowledge
so she learnt by imitating her three sisters. Working
with her husband Jorge Sánchez Ruiz and finding
inspiration in nature, she's known for her graceful,
elegantly detailed figures of virgins, flower women
and animals, Noah's arks or the skeleton women of
the Nopal Cactus series. Concepción, exatcly like
her older sisters, creates meaningful 'Fridas' paying
a deferential homage to the greatest

Mexican female artist, Frida Kahlo.

complex artwork by Lorenzo Demetrio García Aguilar

The Aguilar family time-honored ceramic workshops
in Ocotlán are living archives of the indigenous culture
iconography, including the works of Lorenzo Demetrio
García Aguilar, Josefina's son, who made a name for
himself by pushing the limits of the traditional art creating

detailed allegorical works with a more sculptural character
featuring extremely detailed textures of rocks, waves
and greenery but the unbroken history of the Aguilars
proudly lingers on through the works of José Francisco
García Vásquez, Josefina's grandson, who keeps alive
the family tradition in each of his pieces.

artwork by José Francisco García Vásquez

images compiled thanks to sundry websites, namely:
Casita Azul, Cinco Puntos, Fofa, Insider Oaxaca,
Las Manos Magicas, Manos de Mexicanos,
Oaxaca Culture, Michele Peterson

↧

the road to Oksana

November 6, 2013, 12:32 pm

≫ Next: Sophia Morero's mixed talent

≪ Previous: Mexican folk art dynasty

Could the color palette of an outfit change following the
wearer's emotions? The intriguing concept came to inspire
Lithuanian-born young designer Oksana Anilionyte who
worked on her s/s collection while finishing her studies.

Oksana studied at the Vilniaus Universitetas, the Vilnius
University, before moving to London where she graduated
this summer with a BA (Hons) in fashion design technology
specialising in womenswear from London College of Fashion
with significant experiences interning in London and Paris
at Giles Deacon, Alexander McQueen and Martin Margiela.

She was inspired by three different films by Italian movie
director Michelangelo Antonioni, 'L'Avventura', 'La Notte'
and 'Eclipse', movies focused on how people are influenced
by the modern world and their feelings yet her imagination
went wild noticing that Antonioni pictured a woman's color
palette changing according to her own feelings.

Oksana's take on femininity shows minimalistic clothes in
which a bunch of simple features such as cuts and drapes
are used to generate the maximum effect: clothes with a
modern simplicity subtly combining her knack for color
with organic prints (vivid foliage motifs) and tufting

embroideries with fluid seam lines and flattering silhouettes.
A collection that can easily go on for the whole year and
not only for summer: ”Due to the famously unpredictable
British weather the summer collection even includes a
coat, while the remainder of the collection

is mainly dresses” she came to declare.

I really dig the images taken by famed fashion editorials
photographer Nhu Xuan Hua for DEW magazine's #10
Art Issue called 'The Imprinted Figure' featuring Anilionyte's
outfits. The photographer teamed up with fellow make up
and hair artist Pace Chen aka Pace by Pace(a 2011 LCF's
graduate with whom Nhu Xuan signed collaborations by
the dozen) to visually enhance the modernity of the young
designer's looks. DEW is the online fashion magazine
”dedicated to support talents who have personality and
style” and here we plainly find both. Let me bawl my
smeared-lipstick kudos to the three of them!

> all images © by Nhu Xuan Hua, for DEW magazine <

↧

Sophia Morero's mixed talent

November 10, 2013, 12:34 pm

≫ Next: attitude becomes form

≪ Previous: the road to Oksana

I confess I like very much the fashion illustrations by

London-based and educated fashion illustrator, stylist and

photographer Sophia Morero whose work is greatly influenced

by her considerable knowledge of past and current trends.

Sophia, a BA (Hons) in fashion illustration from London College
of Fashion, has a wide background both in mens and womenswear
having worked for years in fashion retail; she eventually changed
side on the fence becoming a gifted mixed media fashion

illustrator with a fresh, highly personal style that subtly juxtaposes

real pictures with pen and ink drawings, watercolors and

handmade stitchings in a stunning contrast between bold

graphic lines and delicate detailing.

At ease with all fashion branches and a wide range of techniques,
Sophia's touch heightens street wear as well as designer clothes
by mixing photography and drawings with sewed (often reversed)
writings and embroideries with acrylic paints and watercolors
in a distinct multi-dimensional perspective which is particularly
suited to showcase looks and trends. Occasionally her sketches
provide the starting point for her photo shoots.

”While I am youthful I will do what I want, wear what I want,
and be who I want!” a Rolling Stones-esque mouth shouts out
from one of her drawings and that's exactly what I like
about her works: the ironic sense of vitality and
ingenuity they convey. Thumbs up!

↧

attitude becomes form

November 11, 2013, 1:16 pm

≫ Next: Kou: buttoned up necklaces

≪ Previous: Sophia Morero's mixed talent

The latest collection by young Russian designer
Vika Gazinskaya left me speechless: her knack
for creating timeless pieces through a distinct
sartorial attitude made of purity of forms and
flawless workmanship reaches new heights.

The Moscow-born talent made a name for herself
since her debut collection and she briskly became
a designer to watch thanks to expansive shapes
and naive prints. Gazinskaya's RTW spring-summer
2014 collection is a true celebration of modern
femininity, plenty of suggestions and gorgeous
details where silhouettes (subtly hinting at those
of the 1960s) and textures walk hand in hand.

Her signature dainty, unsophisticated prints, this
time trees and pink flamingoes, are juxtaposed
with a great work on shapes, volumes and textures
in form-fitting dresses with amazing cuts and tucks.
The collection's lookbook shows breathtaking details
of one-piece dresses (the one in silver brocade is
quite dazzling), pencil skirts and striped cotton pants
worn under sublime halter tops and suspended blouses.

I simply adore Vika's superb sense of style which is
hidden behind an apparent simplicity and I guess
she's not bragging about when she declares that
her ”collections represent the quintessence of
everything beautiful the world has to offer”

on the Official Vika Gazinskaya fb page.

She innovates by broadening the existing.

↧

Kou: buttoned up necklaces

November 12, 2013, 11:48 am

≫ Next: amphibians from the black lagoon

≪ Previous: attitude becomes form

The Shanghai-born, London-based jewelry designer
Octavia Xiaozi Yang who took me aback last year
with her ”Joinery in Jewels” collection (as mentioned
here) that later on won the Swarovski Award of ITS,
International Talent Support, in Trieste, is back
to reinvent Chinese tradition through her

sublime joinery technique.

The collection is called 'Kou' being highly inspired by
Chinese handmade Pan Kou buttons, sort of fancy
frog buttons traditionally used to fasten the front of

cheongsams. For centuries the first button has been
deemed to introduce the beauty of Chinese ladies
as well as the threshold of their heart - someone
wisely wrote their ”last line of defense” - turned
through time into a must-have element.

She started working on 'Kou' while interning at
Swarovski headquarters (a unique benefit included
in her ITS award) in Wattens, Austria with the
technical support of the Swarovski Elements team.

Gorgeous braidings made of gold-plated brass,
sandalwood, Swarovski stones and crystals, all
bearing handmade silk tassels in coordinating
colors: a collection that's right on the button in
terms of trends and that will certainly boost her
challenging role in jewels and accessories design.

↧

amphibians from the black lagoon

November 14, 2013, 12:22 am

≫ Next: babies are us

≪ Previous: Kou: buttoned up necklaces

”I love monster movies, I simply adore monster movies,
and the cheaper they are, the better they are...” twentieth
century music genius Frank Zappa declared his love for
b-movies in 'Cheepnis' while avant-garde Spanish designer,
much esteemed Leyre Valiente, has always had a liking for
filmmaking - she studied audiovisual communication at the
University Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid where she also
worked as a costume designer - and a soft spot

for funny monster movies, too.

Her first fashion film for her 'Chimaera' collection (here)
was nominated to an award in Berlin fashion film festival,
she then teamed up with director Alberto Diaz from
Mordisco Films to make 'Malleus Maleficarum' and she
strives to work again with him in 'Amphibia', a short movie
”more fun and a bit less fashion” as she declared asking
for help for this achievement here.

Her love for zoomorphic forms and her distinctive
couturesque approach epitomizing the ongoing metamorphosis
of women, shaped her latest collection, obviously called
Amphibia, which looks less sculptural: her signature
armored structures with evident stitchings give way to
gripping textures mimicking fish or reptiles scales through
frills, ruffles and pleats; cut-outs, inserts and appliqués
giving birth to creatures from the black lagoon, sort of
opulent mutant women with gills and fins

came out of the water... to eat!

Valiente's s/s 2014 'Amphibia' collection campaign has
been signed by Madrid-based photographer Sergio Lardiez,
who's also known for his portraits, who joined up with
Leyre and make up artist Naomí Gayoso and hair stylist
Javier Madueño. Gorgeous images for a more sartorial
and refined collection fully showing how Leyre's talent is
far from being green around the gills; she's on her way
to become a big name in cutting-edge fashion,

so beware, she's definitely dressed to kill!

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babies are us

November 15, 2013, 1:15 pm

≫ Next: tights 'n' boots Caturday

≪ Previous: amphibians from the black lagoon

The playful collection you're about to cast an eye
over has been inspired to Ukrainian designer
Yasya Khomenko by her three-year old niece who
drived her at seeing next season from a child's
point of view: - ”You're a little baby now” aunt Yasya
said and she suddenly replied ”No, it's you who's
still a baby!” - providing an unexpected guidance.

Khomenko started to play with the idea as well as
with herself as a designer so serious about her work
conceiving RCR Khomenko's 'Playful Me' s/s 2014
collection. Full of vibrancy and self-ironic cheerfulness
(but I bet it wasn't a child play) the collection is plenty
of tailored outfits in a variety of styles ranging from
feminine shapes to a sportswear aesthetic with
printed and patterned recycled fabrics evoking kids
bedroom wallpapers and tableclothes, a tropical
jungle with cartoonish animals, vintage

cars and football team emblems.

The catwalk show at Mercedes Benz Kiev Fashion
Days bore Khomenko's typical powerful visual impact
all across dressing up, role-playing and costume party.
Models walked the runway wearing paper masks
disguised as joyously irreverent characters; playful
tomboys who love to dress up like sailor girls,

soldiers, football players or car saleswomen

showcasing the limited collection.

Khomenko's penchant for primary colors (as in her
Mondrian-esque AW collection) finds its way into the
navy gals' striped dresses while the servicewoman
wears a double-breasted jacket over checked shorts;

the footballer a bomber jacket and the car
saleswoman an over-sized blazer adorned

with see-through vintage cars.

A true burst of childish fun filtered through expertise
and hopefulness for jolly young women who dare

to have more fun in everyday's life.

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tights 'n' boots Caturday

November 16, 2013, 6:00 am

≫ Next: make it BIG (Barbara I Gongini)

≪ Previous: babies are us


Gucci in leopard print tights by H&M and Tretorn boots image © by Meowtfit

This is Gucci, a natural born model Siamese cat wearing

boots and tights in one of her 'Meowtfit of the Day': she
briskly became a web sensation nonchalantly posing for
pictures in amazing legwear and shoes. Masterminded
by Swedish freethinker, balloon artist, cookbook author
and fellow blogger Katja Wulff with her partner, digital
art director Dan Sörensen in the Göteborg house they
share with Gucci, Iggy and Zappa (all model kitties),
Meowtfit shows almost daily amusing pictures of these
cover cats often providing useful tips in its own
peculiar way. Have a comfy Caturday!

↧

make it BIG (Barbara I Gongini)

November 18, 2013, 9:30 am

≫ Next: idyllic childhood memories

≪ Previous: tights 'n' boots Caturday

In Barbara I Gongini's garments you can almost feel the
North Atlantic winds gusting through the rocky and rugged
coastline of the Faroe Islands or gaze at the mist shrouding
the shore in stark contrast with the dark shades of

cliffs and volcanic rocks towering over.

The otherworldly features of Barbara's homeland, a place
roughly shaped as an arrowhead where you can never be
more than 5 km. away from the Ocean and whose harsh
weather conditions call for a continuous change of clothes
between outdoor and indoor spaces, came to inspire her
multi-functional garments proudly made out of

organic and recycled fibers.

Faroese landscape and climate are skillfully translated in
Barbara I Gongini's avant-garde collections for both men
and women through textures, forms and color shades subtly
epitomizing her own dark universe as well. The forces of
Nature are depicted through shifting shapes; ruffles suggest
sea waves and passing clouds, fog and moist are portraied
as nettings and subtle intricacies while mist is

represented by diaphanous layerings.

Based in Copenhagen, Barbara I Gongini made waves thanks
to an offbeat Nordic approach (as mentioned before) stemming
from her earlier experience in the art scene: she uses fashion
design to define a distinct sense of identity involving sustaina-
bility as a key issue. Her s/s 2014 womenswear collection is
conceptual and dramatic as usual and with all her signature
hallmarks: almost monochromatic crafted outfits with nettings
and even hyperbolic ruffles; sleek tops and tailored jackets
with asymmetric cuts; long deconstructed frocks

and shroud-like layerings.

I Gongini's androgynous reading of utility garments made it
big at Copenhagen fashion week where both her mens and
womenswear collections went on display. I chose to begin
with a couple of b&w images taken backstage by photographer
Michael Maximillian Hermansen that poetically pinpoint two
powerful moments in the usual scene of pleasant pandemonium
a runway show is. The audience has been actually shown to
appreciate her garments' versatility: the collection offers different
possibilities in terms of functionality and self-expression encoura-
ging the wearer to interact with shapes, textures and volumes.
So Nordic and conceptually dark yet composed and

sustainable: so BIG, Barbara I Gongini.

↧

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