The White Stripes - Walking with a Ghost

Maison Lesage / Maison Desrues - CHANEL Paris-Bombay Métiers d'Art 2011/12

CHANEL Paris-Bombay Métiers d'Art 2011/12 Show trailer

The Making of a Chanel Haute Couture Outfit

LANVIN Vitrines Windows Night Club 2011

Amy Winehouse ~R.I.P.!

BEAUTIFUL!

So Much Love for These Girls!

Robert Plant - Ship of Fools

The Raconteurs - Salute Your Solution

Beat The Devil's Tattoo

The Smashing Pumpkins - Siva

Adele - Someone Like You

The Black Keys - Lonely Boy (First Listen)

In my opinion, Tomas Maier is a genius. Born the son of an architect, in a small German town on the edge of the Black Forest, Tomas desired to move to Paris to study fashion at the same school where Yves Saint Laurent studied. In his illustrious career, he has worked for Guy Laroche, Sonia Rykiel, and was Creative Director of womenswear for Hermes. In 1997, he launched his namesake label and designed amazing swimwear which, I was fortunate enough to sell. In 1999, he quit his contracts and moved to Miami. He was hand-picked by Tom Ford to become head of Creative Design at Bettega Veneta in June of 2001 when the Gucci Group took over the label. Since taking over, he has quietly and diligently reestablished the label-less luxury brand with brilliant design, increasing sales by a whopping eight hundred percent! He has been known to try an entire collection on a model to find the perfect fit. Instead of taking all of the credit, he relies on his design team to make sure that every detail is attended to right down to show time! It's hard to not sit up and take notice, as I flip through my glossy magazines, when photographers such as Alex Prager and Robert Polidori are commissioned to shoot brilliant ad campaigns to accompany beautiful collections!

"WORKIN' LIKE THE RENT IS DUE"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FREJA! MY FAVE MODEL BREATHING NEW LIFE...

The Real Beauty Behind the Birkin

With all of the hype surrounding the elusive Hermes Birkin bag, especially lately, I decided to delve into the bio of Jane Birkin, for whom the famed bag was named. Born December 14, 1946, the English born actress and singer emerged during the swinging '60's. Although at the time she did not speak French, Jane won a role in "Slogan" opposite Serge Gainsbourg with whom she would collaborate professionally and personally for many years. Their relationship lasted thirteen years and in 1971, produced a daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg. In 1982, she gave birth to a third daughter, Lou Doillon, with director Jacques Doillon. They separated after Gainsbourg died in 1991. Jane is also well known for her humanitarian work with Amnesty International, AIDS relief, and has visited war-torn Bosnia. As if that weren't enough, she has also collaborated with many well established recording artists. The Birkin bag itself came about in 1984, when Hermes CEO Jean Louis Dumas created a supple black bag for Jane fashioned after an 1892 design. It was a bag she could literally live out of since she traveled so frequently. The bag has since become iconic and sought after by women (and men) the world over. The bag was featured in a famed episode of "Sex and the City" and more recently in an episode of "Fashion Hunters" on Bravo.

This particular blog post is long overdue. Miuccia Prada has long been my favorite designer, my Goddess if you will. Maybe I never wrote about her previously because everyone who knows me, knows this to be true. In doing research about her, and having worked for Prada U.S.A. Corp., I was surprised to learn that she earned a Ph.D. in Political Science and after that, went on to mime school for five years. She was a strong voice in the women's rights movement in the '70's. Her Grandfather started Prada, a luggage company, in 1913. In 1978, Miuccia and her husband Patrizio Bertelli, took over the house. Her first womenswear collection, which earned critical acclaim came in 1989, menswear followed in 1995. Miu Miu was introduced in 1992 and was inspired by her style and nickname. In 1993, she received the prestigious CFDA International award. For me, it's all in the details and concepts behind her collections. Her shows are always highly anticipated. Additionally, she collects contemporary art, is involved in World Cup Sailing, has collaborated with the architect Rem Koolhaas, among other artists... what's next for this fashion giant? T.B.C.

Unbelievably Gorgeous and Dark

Oh the Hotness...

Dreamy Dries

Radiohead at Roseland Ballroom

Prada Spring/Summer 2012 Womenswear Full Fashion Show

SuperHeavy - Miracle Worker

Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2011-2012 - Creation of a gown

Phantogram "When I'm Small"

Marc Jacobs Spring Summer 2012

Oscar De La Renta SS 2012

Prabal Gurung Spring/Summer 2012

Jason Wu | Spring Summer 2012

Lady Gaga - Yoü And I

Cee Lo Green - Cry Baby (Official Video)

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of re-watching one of my favorite movies of all-time, Stanley Donen's "Two for the Road" starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney. Made in 1967 in the South of France, the movie chronicles the ten year relationship and marriage of a couple traveling on the road, literally and metaphorically speaking. Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe was styled by none other than Mary Quant and Paco Rabanne... both amazing in their own right! Everything Audrey wears looks wildly current and cool... from the sunglasses right down to the shoes! It's no wonder to me that she continues to inspire style today!

Full of Grace

After watching the documentary, "The September Issue", I have a new hero and her name is Grace Coddington. Born in Wales on April 14, 1941, Grace's fascination with fashion began in her teens. She won a Vogue modeling contest and thus began her long illustrious career. She modeled alongside the likes of Angelica Huston and Manolo Blahnik in swinging sixties London. At the age of 26, she was in a car accident that not only disfigured her eye but, changed the course of her life. At 28, she became a junior editor for British Vogue. After 19 years there, she moved to NYC to work for Calvin Klein. In 1988, on the same fateful day as Anna Wintour, she joined American Vogue where she remains as Creative Director today. Her keen sense of color and styling is iconic!

THE BEST OF BROOKLYN

Tisci's Talented Beyond...

Riccardo Tisci is brilliant... there is no denying it! He has successfully reignited the desire for all things Givenchy! Born in Taranto, on the Southern coast of Italy, mythical creatures coupled with his deeply Catholic roots have influenced his work. He studied at... where else... Central Saint Martins School in London. After a stint designing for Puma, in 2005, was appointed Creative Director at Givenchy. The French fashion house was founded in 1952 by Hubert de Givenchy and made famous by the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Reviews for Tisci's collections have been mixed but in my opinion, this particular collection, is a shot in the arm! It ushers in new relevance for couture in a modern world! It's all in the details! He has collaborated with the likes of Jay Z and Kanye West, Madonna and his muse, Mariacarla Boscono is never very far away!

Sealed the Deal

Giambattista Valli, a French designer born and raised in Rome, showed why he is a tour-de force in the fashion world yesterday with an absolutely gorgeous haute-couture collection in Paris. He earned his way up the ranks by working for Cecelia Fanfani, Roberto Capucci, Krizia, and Fendi. In 1997, he moved on to Emanuel Ungaro and when he was dropped by that house, launched a solo collection in 2005. He credits his business sense and charm to his success. His obvious understanding of the female silhouette, sense of casual mixed with chic, will secure his well-deserved audience! BRAVA!

AC/DC - Its A Long Way To The Top If Ya Wanna Rock And Roll

Juergen Teller

In doing research on the style evolution of one of my all-time favorite designers, Marc Jacobs, I came to realize that I have also grown very fond of Juergen Teller, the German photographer who has shot his ad campaigns for many seasons. Many of these images grace my inspiration boards. When I began to delve into his body of work, there were so many images that appealed to me. I had a hard time deciding which to blog about! His work is very unique within the glossy confines of the fashion world. I love that the photos have an aged quality to them. His subjects have so much character! He has done amazing work not only for Marc but for YSL, Missoni, and Celine just to name a few. Kate Moss has long been a favorite subject as well, and what I love about his photos of her is that they are stripped down and you see something other than just external beauty.

Marc Jacobs Documentary Part 1

Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen "Irere"

Alexander McQueen "Widows of Culloden"

Alexander McQueen for Givenchy

Andre Courreges was born in France in 1923. After studying civil engineering, he moved to Paris to work in fashion... eventually landing at Balenciaga. In 1961, Courreges opened his own "Maison de Couture". He was influenced by modern architechture, technology and new fabrics. He launched his "Space Age" collection in 1964. The look included boots and goggles. He built dresses rather than designed them. Enter Prada's Fall/Winter 2011 collection... the influence of Courreges is very clear even in today's modern world! He is attributed to introducing the mini skirt to France and second-skin tights... tres importante contribution en effet!