masked and fabulous

photo by steven meisel

I think halloween this year is all about a mysteriously chic mask..I don't think you necessarily have to be dressed as someone or something. sometimes, a stylish headpiece is all you need. this past weekend, I was looking at images from vogue italia's september 2001 issue and came across this photograph. I love the way supermodel amber valletta looks in that christian lacroix fall 2001 red couture dress. plus, I like the added chicness with that mask....this is exactly the look I would like to wear to a halloween costume party. I might even want to re-enact this moment. so dramatic, yet rich in style!

alek wek

photo by jean-baptiste mondino

there is something quite intriguing and uniquely beautiful about model alek wek. she was one of my favorite models in the 90's. I always like too see models who have a distinct look and alek wek certainly fits in that category. I think this is one of those photos that really showcases her natural beauty. I love the contrast of her dark skin with that red background. plus, I love the added element of her red lips and the way her red top camouflages with that scenery. a really gorgeous jean-baptiste mondino image! I don't know about you, but I miss seeing alek wek in the pages of vogue magazine! she really brought something unique and special to the modeling world!

rouge

trois couleurs : rouge (1994)

I love films that feature bold colors....there are many directors that never shy away from color....just think of pedro almodóvar, wong kar- wai, and of course krzysztof kieślowski. I love his 1994 three colors trilogy. bleu was quite incredible and so was rouge. this happens to be my favorite moment from rouge...I just love this poster featured in the film of actress of irene jacob....red has never looked so good on screen. what I really respond to is the way the red light and that red car complement the background. it all blends together so perfectly. irene jacob's face is quite amazing, too!...her expression is very mysteriously chic. on a side note, I have always felt that pedro almodóvar was a bit inspired by this moment when he filmed all about my mother. there is a scene in his film that is quite similar to this...almodóvar has never said anything about it, but I can definitely see this scene being an influence on all about my mother.

red jane fonda

artwork by andy warhol (1982)

I have my moments where I like andy warhol and then I don't...I think we all experience that. perhaps, that is what pop art is all about? this is one of those warhol paintings that I actually do not get sick of looking at. I just love the way jane fonda looks with that red background. there is something a bit 80's about the whole look of it, but I actually think it works in a decadent sort of way! I like the combination of her bright blue eyeshadow and her big hair all contrasted with that beautiful red scenery....jane fonda looks quite stellar! this is really the kind of pop art that I find most appealing!

kate in V

photo by mario testino

I am currently in awe of the latest, fall 2011 issue of V magazine....The cover features kate winslet looking ever so glamorous as she channels elizabeth taylor. I so love the way she poses for the camera especially in her turban and diamonds. I normally don't really love a lot of bling, but it really works in this editorial. the layout was photographed by mario testino and was styled by carine roitfeld, so it is no wonder why I approve. I remember reading in june, that carine roitfeld would be guest editor for this fall issue and I must say it lives up to all its potential. carine roitfeld does an excellent job in capturing elizabeth taylor's iconic style. The magazine also features carine roitfeld's daughter julia as the legendary star as well... If there is one thing I learned from this issue is the importance of a chic turban. I must say that I did sport this look last month in barbados and I so think I should be wearing this look now, for the fall season. I so love it when I find interesting fashion ideas from editorials. it's really great to take fantasy and turn it into reality. if you have not seen this iconic issue...you must take a look it is total visual stimuli!

lily

sunday evening drawing session

in mourning

jackie at JFK's funeral

I know it is taboo to say, but I have always really liked the way jackie kennedy looked at her husband's funeral. the way she wore that black veil...is perfection. this is one of the first photos I remember seeing of jackie and I must say it has made such a huge style impression on my life. as a child, I remember my mother read a 400 page biography on jackie which featured many images inside..I specifically remember this one in the book. oddly enough, I believe this pic was one of the main reasons of why I started wearing black. studying this photo, I believe that there is something very tragically chic about how she wears that veil, plus I like the way she complements her veil with that hat...one of her white house signature looks. I must say that I prefer jackie's style after she left the white house. I think it was from this tragic day on that her style really flourished....sad, but true!

the fun in funeral

photos by steven meisel

looking at jackie kennedy at her husband's funeral, I couldn't help but think of vogue italia's august 2008 issue, which pays homage to the late fashion designer yves saint laurent. the magazine features a tribute cover story entitled, silent. the layout displays so much emotion and drama and it clearly shows the mourning of a close one that has died....in this case YSL.

The black and white photos were shot by steven meisel and I must say this is quite an intense fashion shoot. The funeral-themed shoot features supermodels linda evangelista, karen elson, guinevere van seenus, and iris strubegger, all dressed in chic black dresses and shoes....my all time favorite look. the layout is both sad, yet elegant...the way a proper funeral layout should be. personally, I am drawn towards the first image of guinevere and karen holding linda evangelista up as she is in a moment of hysteria....it feels very much like a moment from a film rather than a photograph. sometimes, I wonder why steven meisel hasn't made a film yet....I think he would be excellent as a director. there are many more images in this editorial, but I must say meisel really put the fun in funeral for this classic vogue italia issue.

back to black

amy winehouse-back to black (2007)

looking at steven meisel's silent editorial from vogue italia I couldn't help but be reminded of amy winehouse's video for back to black. I loved this video when it first came out. for some reason, I think her look works better in black and white. perhaps, its her retro sound and style...or maybe its her beehive hairstyle? whatever it may be, I like the dark, mysterious, funeral quality to this video....its interesting now watching this since she has passed away....there is a strange bit of irony here...don't you think? I do feel a bit sad now, but at any rate....I love the hauntingly chic cinematic style of this video and of course those eloquent lyrics....such a profound song to go with a beautifully dark video!

capturing calvin

photos by mario testino

I am cutting my hair this weekend...so naturally, I felt like looking for some hair inspirations. I was feeling very nostalgic for the calvin klein spring/summer 1999 campaign...its minimal, clean, yet still very chic....my ideal way of dressing! looking back I am realizing that this was such a brilliant ad campaign. it was shot by mario testino and styled by the one and only carine roitfeld....I will always love the way these two collaborate together. their styles just blend so perfectly as photographer and stylist...whether for the pages of vogue paris, tom ford for gucci, or even this sleek calvin klein ad....they just know how to create fantastic images. on a side note, not only is kate moss' choppy hair the style I am completely going for, but I would also easily wear any of these outfits to go with my new haircut....total 90's minimalism...my personal favorite!

neon sasha

photo by mert alas & marcus piggott

last week, I purchased the october issue of vogue paris and I must say I am quite pleased too see supermodel sasha pivovarova on the cover. Love when models are on the cover! I was really impressed with the mert and marcus editorial of sasha pivovarova...this image in particular... I so love the way mert and marcus incorporate color...its so interesting how that neon blue background contrasts with her black ensemble. there is something very guy bourdin about this image. looking at mert and marcus' photography I can easily see bourdin being one of their main influences. at any rate, I also like sasha pivovarova's hair in this pic....not so much the color, but the style....perfect volume! I may use this image as my hair inspiration, as well!

canary yellow gown

madonna at the vh1 vogue/fashion awards (1998)

is it wrong that I love this dress? I remember in 1998, madonna wore this dress to the vh1 vogue/fashion awards and I was completely in awe of the shape and color. plus, I even like the way she styled her necklaces with that dress. I know a lot of people hated this look, but I thought there was something kind of dramatic and ethereal about it...when I think about it only madonna could get away with wearing this. I believe this was the first time I discovered fashion designer olivier theyskens and from that moment on I was completely fascinated and amazed by the structure and silhouette of his designs....this is definetly a signature theyskens look...I think if you look at his nina ricci spring/summer 2009 collection you can definetly see some similiarities between this madonna dress and a lot of the dresses from that season.

mellow yellow

kate moss

yellow is really such a difficult color to wear, but leave it to kate moss to show us how its done. I remember back in 2003, I saw this pic of her in a harper's bazaar magazine and quickly fell in love with this gown. I love a grecian style one-shoulder dress when it is done properly. I don't know what it is about kate moss, but she can always manage to wear just about anything and make it so super chic...this is truly grecian style dressing at its finest!

sketch

an illustration from my sketchbook

normally, I do not sketch in yellow, but I couldn't help but be inspired by the way kate moss looked in her grecian style topshop dress....the silhouette, color, and shape all work so perfectly together. there is something really appealing about the movement of kate moss's dress that I tried to capture. I also took some inspiration from calvin klein's spring/summer 2003 collection...such memorable slip dresses that season...at any rate, I tried to blend those two fashion concepts together to create my sketch.

beach inspiration

photo by patrick demarchelier

recently, while looking through my magazine archives I came across the harper's bazaar september 1993 issue. one editorial kept playing in my mind and I thought this photo in particular would be great inspiration for our fall at the beach pictorial. I don't know if it looks exactly like what we portrayed but I like the idea of how it looks. the flow, the shape and that silhouette of those skirts....we really wanted to capture that essence!

humoresque

humoresque (1946)

there were many inspirations for our fall look at the beach....I must admit that sometimes I look to film images to come up with ideas. the one film that I had in mind was humoresque starring joan crawford. to be completely honest I have not scene the film, but I came across this still and fell in love with this look....very dark, dramatic, but above all elusively stylish. this dress was actually designed by the legendary hollywood costume designer adrian....I love the silhouette of this dress...such a beautiful cut. I don't know why, but it reminds me so much of a look that olivier theyskens would design, especially when he was at the house of rochas. at any rate, this is definetly a film of style that I must see.....

fall at the beach

fall in california doesn't really exist. sometimes it has its advantages when you can walk on the beach in a comfortable black dress and matching parasol.

dressing room distractions

a few weeks ago i tried on a dress that i didn't particularly love, but something about that dim dressing room lighting inspired me to take a photo.

waxing poetic

it may be just wax and a wick, but i have to admit my supersized diptyque baies candle brings me much joy. even when there is no more candle and scent left, it will be the perfect holder for my makeup brushes.

bienvenue madonna

photo by steven klein

I must admit that I am obsessed with fashion magazines....it all started at age 9 when my mom bought me my first harper's bazaar magazine. I still have the issue, which was the september 1992 issue with linda evangelista on the cover holding up the letter A. that was such an iconic cover and I must say that ever since then I have been continually adding to my collection. In the past couple of years, I have been collecting issues of vogue paris magazine. with carine roitfeld no longer as editor-in-chief I have been trying to collect her most iconic covers. The issue I recently purchased was this madonna august 2004 issue. I can't stop staring at it....the issue totally has such a distinct character and style. I think that is what carine roitfeld brought to every cover and spread she did for the magazine. I also can't help but love the expression on madonna's face...it is quite deceiving. we don't know what exactly she is thinking, making it so much more intriguing. one final note, I just love the way her hair takes over so much of the cover. very mysterious and sexy...which are the two qualities carine roitfeld always brought to the magazine....what a visionary she is! now I wonder, which issue will be next?

back view

photo by jeanloup sieff

I love a magazine cover that is both chic and mysterious....its so hard to find that nowadays. this has to be of my favorite new york magazine covers from the 90's. I love the compositon of this shot and that cut-out dress. I think it is quite sexy from the back. I believe this dress is by martine sitbon and I love that it is still completely current....I would easily wear this look but most importantly, I admire that this cover is both elusive and elegant...I wish more publications would follow this type of style.

cut it out

photo by nathaniel goldberg

I discovered the cut-out look in the 1990's and I must say that I am still currently loving this look....I feel like this way of dressing never really goes out of style. just look at designers like donna karan and haider ackermann they always feature a cut-out shape in their collections. I find this type of dressing very flattering and what I love most about this look is that it is both revealing and covered at the same time....two mysterious qualities that I love to combine when I put a look together.

look at leelee

photo by morgan o'donovan

I recently came across this image of actress leelee sobieski at new york fashion week. I think the styling with her tank top and that shrug works so well together. I actually own a similar shrug and I too like to wear mine like the way she is wearing it in this photo....I found my shrug in israel on a whim and I must say that it is one of the best pieces I have in my wardrobe. a black shrug works so well with a black tank top...I actually wear this look in dance class, but I also think it is a look that can easily work in evening as well. I guess you could say the shrug with tank top look is very casual-chic!

ready to bare

anthony vaccarello spring/summer 2012

I recently discovered fashion designer anthony vaccarello and was quite pleased with his spring/summer 2012 collection. this dress in particular keeps staying in my mind. I was in awe of the way supermodel karlie kloss looked in this long stretch asymmetrical black jersey gown....it is actually more complicated than it looks with cut-outs in every section. I like how one leg is covered while the other side is cut as high as the hip....I don't know how you wear underwear with this dress, but at any rate, I like how this look is both sexy and covered, at the same time. a beautiful contradiction...I have my eye on anthony vacarello...definetly a designer to watch!