When art meets fashion

I've been meaning to post this editorial for a while, as I really love the concept. In this shoot for Spanish Elle (April 2010), Masha Novoselova picks up a paintbrush and gets creative (and a bit messy!) on set.

Styled by Inmaculada Jimenez, Masha poses in simple, classic combinations (when the clothes are important that is..!) - casual denim shorts, tank tops, high-waisted trousers and floaty kaftans add to the relaxed, unfussy style of the artist character that Masha embodies.

What 'makes' the shoot for me, is Mario Sierra's brilliant use of natural light, which reflects the luminous and spacious atmosphere of what could be a real artist's studio. The abundance of light in Mario Sierra's shots enhance Masha's natural beauty and the model's poses give the composition a sense of energy and dynamism - distinctly fashion, without being over-exaggerated.

It seems that the fashion-art link is ever alive, but Sierra's photography adds a modern twist. Being covered in paint never looked so fashionable!










je-suis-style
xox

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Je-suis-style on tumblr!

Yes, you heard right! Je-suis-style @ blogspot now has a sister site on tumblr!


I created a tumblr mainly to share bits of fashion and artsy inspiration with you all. My blogspot will continue to be my main site and that's where you'll find the more lengthy posts about all things fashion and style, but head over to my tumblr for some visual fashion delights!

www.je-suis-style.tumblr.com

Please check it out and follow! :)

je-suis-style
xox

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All eyes on...Zanita!

Recently, I have been looking a lot more at Chictopia.com and Lookbook.nu as I love all the interesting outfits and style inspiration on there.

Instead of posting a "look of the day", I wanted to tell you about my favourite chictopian of the moment.. ZANITA WHITTINGTON, a Sydney based model.

(Model polaroids:)
(Agency pictures:)

Apart from the fact that being an extremely striking 5ft11 model makes clothes naturally look good on her, the way she pieces outfits together shows her flair for making fashion work on and off the job..a total style chameleon!




Definitely one to watch - not only as a model, but also as a fashionista!

je-suis-style
xox

Want to find out more about Zanita? Check out her blog:
www.zanita.com.au
and Chictopia profile:
www.chictopia.com/Zanita
(Pictures all copyright to Zanita and her agency: www.priscillas.com.au)

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Christopher Kane LFW Fall 2010 – My pick of the bunch!

I have been meaning to update my blog with a review of Christopher Kane's Autumn/Winter 2010 collection for a while, so my apologies for my blogging absence!

***

For London fashion week, the Christopher Kane 'woman' has once again shifted identity. Kane says farewell to his Lolita phase - the sickly sweet pastels, gingham and checked prints were tossed aside for what appeared to be a foray into a darker world of leather-clad "juvenile delinquents" and religious cultism.

Never one to pander to expectations, Kane's designs were visually impactful due to the jarring fusion of matte or patent black leather and PVC, contrasted with bead/gem embellishment and embroidered flowers that resembled parochial Women's Institute craftwork.


Kane cites the robes of the Vatican and Priscilla Presley “before Elvis got his hands on her" as two sources of strong inspiration for the collection. His desire to convey a perversion and irony in this collection has been deftly pulled off, through his unusual and somewhat scandalous splicing of the prim and proper with 'bad girl' rebellion.


However, although I am a huge Christopher Kane fan, I feel like I have developed a 'love-hate' relationship with the actual garments from the show. There are elements of the collection that I love and those that I really dislike:

The good:
(The simple feminine cuts, subtler gem detailing and lace panelling work for me.)

The bad:
(Check out that fur and leather abomination and the scary leather collar shirts!)

Emma Watson and Carey Mulligan have been snapped sporting pieces from Kane's Fall collection, but do you think they did the designs justice?


I think Emma rocks her Kane dress - I have always liked the way that he plays on the idea of underwear as outerwear, so the weird leather/flower combo is less accosting. I'm not feeling Carey Mulligan's outfit though, as it is a tad catholic school-girl gone wild!

So, what do you think of the collection as a whole? In my humble opinion, the collection is very interesting - it is unpredictably avant-garde and authoritative in its execution, but its commercial wearability remains strongly in question. I love the lace panelling that remains a signature for Kane and the lace-up leather heels are great! I especially like these lace-up gladiator shoes with gem detailing (I would buy those if I had the cash!):

Clip from the show:



All I'm wondering is...what will Kane do next?!

je-suis-style
xox

(With thanks to Nytimes.com, fabsugar.co.uk, ssense.com and mylifetime.com for the pictures.)

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Megan Fox in Harper's Bazaar

I just had to post these pictures of Megan Fox from the upcoming April 2010 issue of Harper's Bazaar!

The cover shot is typically 'Megan' (seductive, smouldering and alluring - no surprises as to why she's 'type cast' in films!), but in the shots to follow, Paola Kudacki transforms her into something much less commercial...

For me, the final three images are absolutely captivating and scream "VOGUE editorial". She looks like a high fashion model (bit of Jessica Miller, anyone?) and the depth of her expression demonstrates her connection to the camera.

If Megan keeps producing magazine spreads like this, she should fix herself as a permanent favourite with the fashion pack!

Long live the fox!

je-suis-style
xox

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The feeling's neutral.

When I say Summer's about going nude, I don't mean that indecency is the new black, but that neutral tones are making a come-back as the weather hots up!

Ever since I saw the "Pasarela Nude" ("Catwalk in nude") article of February's VOGUE España, I've become intrigued as to the way in which one of the most difficult colours can be worn to maximum effect!

Take a look at some of the VOGUE magazine pictures..


The outfit combinations are absolutely gorgeous. I love the ethereal quality that the sheer fabrics and jewelled embellishments give the outfits..a perfect mix of romanticism and understated 'sexy'! Sheer materials and mesh are going to be a big trend this season!


..Trust me to spot the Christopher Kane number (above center)! Kane's work with mesh has always been fantastic. I like the way that the summer florals trend has been updated to give a more sophisticated and less girlie look.


I love the contrasting pastel tones (e.g. the pale blue dress with a pale pink belt) I also think that the pairing here of a light blue dress and tan coloured belt looks very chic!


Towards the end of the spread, the outfits get more structured and move more towards graphic prints and edgier cuts. The flourishes of neon add a more modern, avant-garde element to the outfits.

The versatility of nude and neutral tones is definitely underestimated. Nude tones are not solely associated with 'girlie' dress-cuts and fabric romanticism, something which is clearly reflected by its different treatment on the catwalk. If you take a look at the picture below, the wide scope for interpretation becomes clear:

TOPSHOP Unique uses nude to create a 'sport luxe' look, Versace draws inspiration from the 'underwear as outerwear' trend, Donna Karan creates a grecian vibe, Lanvin develops the asymmetrical look, Burberry toughens up the trench and Valentino works with a feminine cut.

Each of the different interpretations demonstrate that nude can be worn in a variety of styles and can work on a range of different skin tones. Naturally, it is imperative that a degree of care must be taken when choosing the neutral shade you want to work with. If you have a very pale complexion, very creamy or pinky nudes will 'wash you out', so maybe look for nudes with slightly more brown in them. If you have darker skin, nudes should be slightly easier to work with, as light and darker nudes will compliment your complexion. To give your outfit the 'wow' factor, pairing nude with a bright colour - like coral or an intense blue - can kick the impact of a neutral tone up a notch!

Take a look at the 'nude' mood board I've created for some 'food for thought':


Will you be wearing your nudes this summer? If so, how will you be tackling the trend?

je-suis-style
xox

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Model 'du jour'

This dutch beauty, famous for the gap in her front teeth and her unconventionally curvy body type, has caused a lot of controversy in the fashion world and is now one of the most prolific models of the moment. Signed to IMG models, Stone has worked with a whole host of top designers and has been featured in magazines such as VOGUE, Elle, i-D and V.


One thing's for sure..this girl's got that certain 'je ne sais quoi' about her..and what a figure!


je-suis-style
xox

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What's in the bag?!

Any guesses?

I think it's the first time I've hit a store on the day a designer collaboration collection's come out (N.B. omitting the time I stayed up most of the night waiting to see Christopher Kane's 2009 Topshop capsule collection go online!;)), but I was keen to see what the atmosphere would be like in my local Spanish H&M for the new Sonia Rykiel collection. I had quite a busy day, so arrived around late afternoon to encounter a much busier H&M than usual. The atmosphere was civilised (no pushing and shoving at all), much to my relief! (I think my preconceptions about exclusive collection launches have been coloured somewhat by the media..)


Anyway, I walked through the men's section, straight towards what appeared to be a treasure-trove of bright colours and glinting rhinestones. As I'd expected, there was quite a range of age groups - from girls around my age (mainly looking at the dresses, jumpers and accessories), to mothers with young daughters (a double breasted blazer in one hand, whilst trying to force a pink beret over a cranky 7 year old's head!) and a few older, very well dressed women (who were looking at the Rykiel knits.)

I was immediately drawn to the Rykiel iconic stripe dress, but looking at the price tag, I was surprised to find it more expensive than I'd expected (See previous blog for the Sonia Rykiel look-book and english prices) At 60 euros, I wondered why a random price inflation had taken place..I'm not sure what the prices are like in England, but everything was more expensive in euros! I tried on a couple of things which were nice, but nothing that particularly said 'wow' to me. The one thing I was tempted to buy, was the "Mon pull Rykiel" jumper, which I talked about in my last blog post. Priced in Spain at 40 euros, I decided that if I did buy it, I'd be paying solely for the brand and not garment quality, as it was very thin material!


I am glad, however, that I took a look at the 'accessories section' of the Rykiel collection, as I picked up a "mon pull" rhinestone brooch and a limited edition Sonia Rykiel UNICEF shopper bag. At a mere €2.95, i figured I couldn't go wrong, and I love that the bag's for charity. The proceeds go to a project called “All for Children”, which is a five year initiative from UNICEF and H&M, which aims to protect and improve children's lives in areas of cotton cultivation in India.


I love French-inspired clothing and accessories, so the "mon sac Rykiel" UNICEF bag and "mon pull" brooch are perfect for me. (The pink carrier bag my purchases were put in is also super cute and good quality!) I'm looking forward to pinning my "mon pull" brooch on all sorts of cute knitwear and jumpers (See picture below right - me with my brooch and shopper bag!)


All in all, it's been a successful day in many respects, so I'm full of 'joie de vivre'..and not just because of my Sonia Rykiel goodies :)

je-suis-style
xox

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Alexander McQueen - Death of an icon.

It saddens me to learn that today (LEE) ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, one of Britain's most well-known and prolific fashion designers has passed away. It is undoubtedly a shock to anyone familiar with the work of the "enfant terrible" of fashion.



Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue puts it pretty succintly: "His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs. His death is the hugest loss to anyone who knew him and for very many who didn't."

What's for sure is that McQueen will be greatly missed, but his fashion legacy will live on..

RIP.

je-suis-style
xox

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VOGUE España arrives!

So I got home the other day, only to find out that the first issue of my subscription to VOGUE España had arrived! (It states that it's the February issue, so I'm not exactly sure what happened to January's issue, but nevermind!) I was met by the image of Kylie Minogue on the front cover, with the title of "un baño desnudo, SEXY KYLIE: confesiones de una super estrella" emblazoned next to the image (which was surprisingly tasteful, given the dubious insinuations of "un baño desnudo" - bathing nude?!) Kylie looks particularly demure on the cover, so my worries that my subscription had been substituted for FHM were quickly dissipated!


I was reading on the Fashion Spot that a lot of people were not 100% sure about the Kylie cover image, declaring it was a bit 'boring' compared to the cover image that was on the accompanying VOGUE BELLEZA beauty magazine. (Interestingly enough, both cover stars sport similar poses!) What do you think? Kylie or Isabeli Fontana?


Personally, I think the Isabeli Fontana shot leaps out at you more than the image of Kylie does (perhaps due to the paleness of Isabeli's complexion contrasted with the piercing blue eyes and femme fatale scarlet lips), which makes for a more eye-catching front cover. The whole point is that on a magazine stand, you should be immediately drawn to a front cover and consequently buy it! However, the more I look at the other cover, the more I appreciate and am drawn to the sensual beauty that Kylie exudes. It captivates me rather than accosts me with colour.

On further inspection, the 15 page Kylie spread is most certainly a visual delight - The photographer, Vincent Peters, portrays Kylie as a mixture of 1920s movie starlet in the black and white images, dreamy and romantic painter's muse and seductive vintage pin-up! And goodness gracious, does she look amazing for 41!

Take a peek at some of the images...







And here's the 'behind the scenes' video:



I think Ibiza was a great shoot setting and I adore the sun-set field shots! The soft-glow back lighting is truly stunning! The cover may not have first grabbed you, but the shots in the magazine are really something else!

Moving on to the fashion spreads, there was a spread entitled "show de jeans", which pictures an array of different types of denim and displays their day to night wearability and versatility.


However, I was less interested in the denim, and more interested in the amazing photographs..and above all, the model! I skipped to the end of the article, hoping to find out who she was, but it wasn't included in the credits..Luckily, after a bit of online research, I've found out that her name is Elena Melnik! I think I have a new model crush! (Seriously, look at that bone structure and jawline!)


Another of the fashion spreads which deserves a mention, is the "Happy face" shoot with american model, Chanel Iman (photographed by Michelle Ferrara). For this shoot, the emphasis is on textural volume, evoked by mini-dresses with puffed sleeves and lots of ruffles, pleats and petticoats. I particularly like the orange jewel-tone Jorge Vázquez dress (pictured below) and the shape of the ethnic print Juanjo Oliva dress (bottom right). I was at first a little bit skeptical about the 'happy face' expressions Chanel sports, but coupled with her effortless and fluid high fashion poses, it works and stops the shoot from feeling too contrived!



All in all, a good introductory issue to my VOGUE España subscription. I wonder what's in store for next month...

je-suis-style
xox

(With thanks to thefashionspot.com for the additional pictures of Elena & Chanel. All other pictures used are my own scans.)

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