DOM PERIS VAN HERPEN

dompE1Dom Pérignon, in collaboration with the designer Iris Van Herpen, releases a limited edition « Vintage 2004″ of the famous wine. She interprets a « über-premium » piece, inspired by the care and finesse brought to this drink’s conception. This organic and baroque style give to this launch a very mysterious sense: the metamorphosis idea is linked to the designer’s universe. This energy tempts to try this champagne, which gives a unique atmosphere.

New limited edition centers upon metamorphosis: signifying the closure of one period and the birth of another, and Continue reading

ZANA BAYNE

ZANAZana Bayne launched her first hand-crafted leather harness collection in 2010. After graduating with a BFA in Conceptual Art from the San Francisco Art Institute she moved to Berlin before relocating to New York City in 2009 where she began developing her harness accessory business.

The namesake brand of the New York-based designer presents meticulously handcrafted leather accessories that play on the lines of the body. Subtle bondage undertones and defined silhouettes evoke a sense of refinement, accentuating the style of the individual wearer. This season it was a great opportunity for me to take people who I love and respect and wear, and have them integrate what they do into my vision.”

And that vision was one of “Moonbathers.” Looking to night imagery having to do with moonlight glimmering across a body of water — a darkness befitting a brand rooted in leather harnesses — the designer sent out looks focused on using her leather accessories as apparel. “It’s an accessories-based collection,” Bayne clarified. “Our goal is to blur the lines between accessories and clothing, so we’re always going to push the leather a little bit further.”

GENTLEMEN’S ARRANGEMENT

hermesA long and bitter battle that has gripped the luxury goods industry and pitted two of France’s richest families against each other came to an unexpected end on Wednesday when LVMH and Hermes agreed to a truce. Under the deal, LVMH – the world’s No. 1 luxury group, controlled by billionaire Bernard Arnault – agreed to relinquish most of its 23.2 percent stake in Hermes and not to acquire any shares in its smaller rival for the next five years.

It effectively buried the possibility LVMH could make a full takeover bid for the 177-year-old maker of Birkin and Kelly handbags. Such a prospect has boosted Hermes’s stock, which has been trading at a price-to-earnings ratios of about 30 times in recent years, a 70 percent premium to the industry average.

Shares in Hermes fell nearly 10 percent to 236.5 euros in early trading on Wednesday, wiping out Continue reading

VUITTON’S SOUL DIED

carcellediedYves Carcelle, the charismatic executive Director who transformed Louis Vuitton from a staid French maker of handbags and travel trunks into one of the world’s most recognizable luxury brands, died on Sunday in Paris. He was 66 year old. The French media reported that Mr. Carcelle learned last year that he had kidney cancer.

Mr. Carcelle, who was promoted to the top post at the Louis Vuitton brand in 1990 and later ran LVMH’s fashion division, was the architect of an aggressive expansion into Asia and other international markets that elevated leather goods emblazoned with Louis Vuitton’s distinctive LV logo into one of fashion’s most coveted status symbols. In 1997, he gave the brand further impetus by recruiting Marc Jacobs to design shoes and ready-to-wear clothing for Louis Vuitton, which also added watches, jewelry and other accessories. Continue reading

POWERFUL FASHION FAMILIES

LOGOThe Arnaults, LVMH
Bernard Arnault’s business savvy is clearly genetic—his two children, Delphine and Antoine (who is married to Natalia Vodianova) are carrying on the business dealings of the French conglomerate alongside their father.

Arnault is a well-known art collector and is known for his contemporary collection, which includes pieces like Picasso, Perpentilan Duniawi, Yves Klein, Henry Moore and Andy Warhol.

The Pinaults, Kering
PPR, now known as Kering, was founded in 1963 by businessman François Pinault. His son François-Henri Pinault joined the Pinault Group in 1987, where he held positions in several of the Group’s operating businesses before joining the executive board. In 2000, he became deputy CEO of Kering, which owns Gucci, Balenciaga and McQueen, among other famous labels. Pinault is married to the glamour actress Selma Hayek.

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THE V BY VUITTON

LV2The V, no less, features prominently in the fifth Haute Couture jewelry collection from Louis Vuitton on show at their Place Vendome location after the fashion week. Set designs from the Art Deco period, including an iconic Louis Vuitton case, set the scene for the collection, which found some of its inspiration in this period.

Old sketch books from the house, showing perfume bottles or a Trapeze artist in mid flight are also on show next to the high-finished jewels in diamonds and brilliant stones.

Cuff bracelets which were a favorite feature during the period is one item featured in the collection inspired by an avante-garde aesthetic from the time and the idea of women traveling and breaking free. Chunky rings are another.

For this house’s fifth high jewelry collection, an 87.92 Australian black opal is the cornerstone of the collection. Other stones include red Tanzanian spinel and Burmese sapphires.

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FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER

PHOTOGRAPHERBorn in Toronto, Canada, where he grew up, Benjamin Kanarek fell in to many things by accident. Photography, Web Concept development and Creative Direction are just a few examples.

He played drums in a few punk rock groups, one of which was the “Existers” with the single “Telex Love”, another, “the Poles” with Canadian Fine Artist Michaele Jordana. In the subsequent time frame, he entered Continue reading

WIRED EMBROIDERY

hinkeStarting with vintage photography and illustrations of sporting fashion models from the 1950s, the Amsterdam-based artist Hinke Schreuders applies a rich layer of hand-stitched embroidery, beading, lace, and flourishes of ink to entirely new images that can be both unsettling and exuberant. The pieces seen here are part of an ongoing series called “Works on Paper”, started in 2008. Schreuders says she seeks to “subtly confuse notions of feminine vulnerability and reinforce the position of embroidery as an artistic medium.” Something I think we can all agree she has done masterfully.

Schreuders recently exhibited at Robert Mann gallery “The Embroiderederd Image” which brought together almost a dozen artists currently working at the interesection of photography and embroidery or textiles. She’ll have more work on view in Amsterdam next month at both “We Like Art and Amsterdam Drawing 2014”. Continue reading

JAMES BOND STREET

FENDITo celebrate the opening of its new London store in New Bond Street, Fendi asked ten women to customize the famous iconic bag “Peekaboo.” It was an outstanding evening as Karl Lagerfeld stayed for dinner as well as Kara Delevingne and many other celebrities of the London society.

Karl Lagerfeld, always equal to itself, said about these ten designs: “for a woman a bag is a vital accessory and each bag is different as the contents of each bag is different.

Karl Lagerfeld’s vision, indoor / outdoor, reminds us that it is as beautiful inside as outside. Isn’t it?

A GYPSETTER: TO BE OR NOT TO BE

gybsyGypsetters are artists, designers, and bons vivants who live and work around the globe. Wanderlust meets the height of sophistication as New York Times journalist Julia Chaplin explores the unconventional lives of these high-low cultural nomads and the bohemian enclaves they inhabit.

Julia Chaplin tells “I was doing a lot of traveling, writing for various newspapers and mags (New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, etc.) and gravitated to bohemian enclaves that were hard to reach and relatively undiscovered. But when I got to these towns and villages, there’d always be some groovy artist, surfer or fashion person that had figured it out years earlier.

They tended to have the coolest house on the best surf break. I began to see a pattern and realized a whole movement existed. These people were reacting against the jet set mode which had come to mean expensive, trendy hotels and tacky nightclubs in places like St. Tropez. In Sayulita, Mexico. I stayed with a French matrilineal clan, the Mignot sisters, and was very inspired by their carry-on lifestyle. They had a fleet of surfboards, a pack of cute kids, and a row of bedrooms and hammocks that were assigned on a first come, first served basis. Continue reading

WOMEN’S WEAR DEAL

pcm

Today, Condé Nast announced its plans to sell the U.S.-based trade publishing assets of Fairchild Fashion Media (FFM) to Penske Media Corporation (PMC). The transaction includes business-to-business brands Women’s Wear Daily, Footwear News, Beauty Inc, M and the Fairchild Summits. Consumer brands Style.com and NowManifest will remain at Condé Nast. The deal is expected to close in September 2014 and financial terms and details were not disclosed. Gina Sanders, FFM president and CEO since January 2010, will be remaining at Advance Publications in a new role to be announced shortly. Employees of the acquired Fairchild assets will move to PMC with the sale.**

“Today’s announcement reflects our strategy of investing resources in Continue reading

NEW PRADA COFFEE SHOP

prada2Amsterdam has now its own Prada flagship. It is located at the intersection of the luxury thoroughfare, Hoofdstad, and Honthorststraat. The new location expands on two floors, with retail space covering over 6,000 square feet.

The store offers womenswear, accessories for women and for men, women’s shoes and menswear. The Italian architect respected the designed code of Prada stores around the world : black checks, white marble and pale green walls. Continue reading

LADIES LEATHER FASHION

 

BALMAIN2What is the common point between the fall-winter ready-to-wear collections for 2014-2015 from Anthony Vaccarello, Balenciaga, Balmain, Blumarine, Cedric Charlier, DKNY, Gucci, Guy Laroche, Jason Wu, Lanvin and Moschino ? All these brands rely on leather. On perfectos, dresses, skirts, belts, pants, chest protectors, Teddys, the skin is everywhere. It is used in super-soft variations, or can be rigid and sculptural. Leather means a return to natural materials and to manual labor from the past. It is combined with other materials such as fur, wool, big zips, cotton, cashmere and velvet.

On the whole, for this season, those designers have ignored print, except some Continue reading

BALENCIAGA BODY OF PROOF

Balenciaga2 Have Fun on a Rainy Day.

Rainproof: There’s a retro charm to the new waterproofs, viewed – naturally enough – through fashion’s luxurious lens. Think old-school anoraks and parkas, made over in glossy rubber, smooth Neoprene and lush silk.

Winter poses no sartorial challenge now that fashion has braced itself for the big chill. The collections saw quilting expand beyond the padded jacket, bringing down-filled detail to tops, trousers and even gowns.

Winter poses no sartorial challenge now that fashion has braced itself for the big chill. The collections saw quilting expand beyond the Continue reading

AN ICON OF FASHION DIED

laurenbacallLauren Bacall was one of the sexiest and most elegant stars of the 1940s and 1950s. On screen, she was often seen in sharp little suits and slinky evening gowns – which still look utterly fabulous today.

She was stunning at teaching Humphrey Bogart to whistle (“You just put your lips together and blow… “) in her debut movie To Have And Have Not, in 1944 when she was 19 years old.

One of her favorite fashion designer seems to be the French “couturier” Franck Sorbier. We recognize her taste for  the “bon goût”.

The one of my favourite publicity pictures of Lauren Bacall – one that looks as if it belongs to an Estee Lauder Continue reading

GIRLS AND PEARLS

WAN3It is the mirror of luxury like a vision of our soul. It is the mirror of the self-sacrifice of people who constantly look for the perfect iconic black pearl. In this world the level of quality is constantly improving to reach the excellence which is never achieved. Oh my god! I’ll lose my life…

Yesterday, I discovered the most beautiful black pearls for women in the world. It is located in Paris closed to the place Vendôme. In a small black window, I saw a very powerful light beam which surrounded me and lead me for a couple of hours in the world of the South Seas.

If you want to live this experience, visit: http://www.robertwan.com/fr. 222 rue de Rivoli Paris districk 2, and discover the Continue reading