rag & bone

photo by my sister

I've been waiting for the right day to showcase my favorite black dress of 2015 and with today being black friday, I couldn't think of a more appropriate time, to do so. this past june, I happened to wander in the rag & bone store and saw a beautiful black dress hanging on a wall. I glanced at it and loved the ethereal quality, but I wasn't quite sure how it would look on me. I am very particular with dramatic dresses and I get lazy when I have to do a lot of tailoring. sometimes, I just want a simple black dress with no complication. I must admit I thought this dress would be difficult to wear and perhaps something that might look good only on a supermodel and not a real person, but when I tried it on, I was stunned by how uncomplicated it was. its loose, flowy, but above all dramatic, yet completely wearable. its the kind of dress you can wear on a sunday afternoon, but also to a fancy occasion. personally, I love a dress that is versatile and I knew when I bought that it could go, both ways. since the summer, I have been wearing this dress non-stop. usually in the day, I like to pair it with my j.crew sandals and my black lace parasol and for evenings I like to jazz it up with my silver head chain. I am actually wearing it in the photo, but since I made the image black and white I am not sure if the chain is that visible. either way, this has been my favorite splurge of the year, and I feel no guilt about it, even though it was a bit expensive, but I know in the long run, that I will be wearing this dress, for years to come. I must thank rag & bone for this amazing dress and for introducing me to their label. to be honest, I was a bit unfamiliar with this line, till that day I went into their store. its interesting how you find things when you least expect it....especially inspiring black frocks, like this!

such drama

photo by annie leibovitz

the inspiration for my rag & bone dress photo moment came from this annie leibovitz image that I discovered over the summer. I am not sure who the woman is behind that dress, but I love the mystery of it all. it leaves so much for the imagination and I can't help but admire the way that black dress drapes her body. I have no idea why I respond to photos like this, but I think there is something very appealing about an elusive woman wearing black, not seeing her face, and looking noir chic. I mean no surprise really, I started sister's in black frocks, all based upon that concept. at any rate, getting back to the photo, I think the way annie leibovitz played with light and shadow is quite mesmerizing and I couldn't help but take some photo and style inspiration while conceiving an image with my rag & bone dress. I don't think my image looks that similar, but I just wanted to do something that shows the enigma, beauty, and elegance, of a black dress. I think annie leibovitz does it so well with this photo and what I admire most about her photography is the way she captures so much texture through fabric....its a common theme she does with many of her photos especially for vogue and vanity fair. layouts that come to mind, are kirsten dunst in her marie antoinette layout for us vogue back in september 2006 and cate blanchett for vanity fair back in february 2009. those two editorials, in particular, play with fabric and textures so well, and I also appreciate all that high-fashion drama. for some reason, I am very much inspired by that kind of style, these days. hope you can see what I am saying through this photo and some of her other elegant works. in the end, I just think its all about finding inspiring images from other stylemakers and making it all your own.

old world

coleman dobson

I have been feeling quite inspired by the look and style of the southwest. I must admit visiting sante fe, new mexico last year, was probably one of the most magical places that I have ever been to. I was just so taken by the scenery and the way some of the native women dressed and adorned themselves. the funny part is that I never thought it would have such an effect on me, but it has. it also helps when I look through editorials and see films, that take place in the southwest. my whole thing is just to take a little from everything and make it all my own. case in point, I have a very stylish friend named coleman dobson. we met earlier in the year at the john currin exhibit at the gagosian gallery. I noticed her immediately and thought she actually looked like one of his paintings. I asked her to pose for me in front of one of his artworks and she did. interestingly, eight months later, I noticed her in my dance class and told her that I photographed her at that exhibit. she very much remembered that night and for some reason, after that dance class and some talking, we have become friends and have collaborated on various photo projects, together. I would say she is the opposite of noir chic in that she likes to wear pale colors with a victorian 1920's twist, but for some reason our styles, match well together. a couple of weeks ago, I had in mind in doing something with a southwestern feel and with her old fashioned style, I thought this might work. I found some sand texture outside the los angeles county of museum art and took some photos. she wore a balenciaga ruffled skirt and paired it with a vintage silk button down top. I also like the simplicity of her hair bun and how she is looking away from the camera. too me, this feels 1920s southwestern, with a little cinematic, prada influence. we took many photos that day, but this one is my favorite. I guess you could say this is my interpretation of how I see the southwest. I will be heading back to new mexico in 2016, but till then I must thank my friend coleman, for modeling and doing something retro-southwest, with me.

white desert

mango summer 2013

when I say inspiration is everywhere.....I very much mean it. interestingly, before I photographed my friend coleman I found myself looking through the mango summer 2013 catalogue. I don't really shop at this store, but I must say they make stylish catalogues from time to time, and this one in particular, caught my eye, immediately. the catalogue was shot entirely in the desert and features model edita vilkeviciute posing in exotic sand dunes dressed in bohemian style looks, mostly white and denim. this was my favorite just because I love the contrast of that desert sand and the way her white dress flows against it. this is such an ethereal moment and I love the mystery of it all. it doesn't even feel like a mango look. personally, I could see this being something from the row, but in the end, what it shows is that you can be chic with anything you wear, it doesn't have to be super expensive, all it has to be unique, individual, with an element of style. I don't know if you can see exact correlations between this mango image and my photo with coleman, but I was very much inspired by the texture of this dress and that beautiful scenery. sometimes, I think the best photos, are not so much about the outfit, but more about finding the right scenery to make the clothes stand out. I think this one does that and so much more!

guitar moment

photo by my sister

since january, I have been taking guitar lessons. it is something that I have been wanting to get back into, after playing for a short time in my early teens. I think because of school and studying I just felt overwhelmed and decided to put it aside. at any rate, I feel that now that I am older, the timing is quite right in my life. yes, I am preoccupied with work and other activities, but I love the feeling of learning an instrument. I must admit guitar is not easy all the time and it is a bit of commitment to sit down and learn everything, but in the end it feels so rewarding, especially when you didn't think it was possible. in the last 10 months, that I have been playing, I have managed to learn led zeppelin's stairway to heaven and now I am onto my favorite amy winehouse song entitled what it is on guitar, which is beyond difficult. how I managed to do all this in less than a year is bonkers, but I think its always important to challenge yourself to new things, even if it can be a little scary. I like stepping out of my comfort zone from time to time, whether it be with fashion and trying a new look, or taking up a new hobby. I would by no means call myself a guitar professional, but I can at least style myself into one. of course, I had to take my oliver peoples sunnies and bathrobe to create a rock n' roll noir chic image. I don't know if it came out that way....but in my eyes the idea of playing guitar in my bathrobe and sunnies seems pretty cool me!

bono in bathrobe

photo by anton corbjin

as you know I take inspiration from just about everything and for some time now, I have been admiring this photo of U2's bono, playing guitar in his bathrobe. I just love the casual chic feeling that this image conveys. you can tell that bono most likely just woke up in the morning and decided to play his guitar. the brilliant part is that somehow, anton corbjin managed to capture this quiet moment. personally, I love this era of anton corbjin, especially what he snapped of U2. he really did some amazing photo works with the band, and I love how it was all done in black and white. there is something about anton corbjin's style that I just find so appealing and when I think of rock n' roll noir chic, I certainly think of this image. so naturally, I wanted to do my own version. of course, I am by no means bono, but I can definitely take some style inspiration and pretend like I am just as cool as him. the best part is that all that is needed to re create this photo, is a guitar and a bathrobe and just like that you can be bono. on a side note, I must admit that whenever I wake-up and play my guitar in the morning this is the pic and persona that pops in my head as I warm up. so naturally, I had to do something like this, as I think this is the ultimate casual-chic guitar moment, that I find so relatable to my everyday life.

ashi studio

zina charkoplia

the hunt for that perfect black ensemble is always a continuous one and I try to keep my eyes open to whatever noir chic style inspiration crosses my path. case in point, about a year ago I stumbled across a style blogger named zina charkoplia. she is from barcelona, spain and she runs a style blog called the fashionvibe. from time to time, I look at her style blog, but I am more intrigued by her outfits that she wears to fashion shows. last year, I showcased one of her black dresses during paris week and this year I find myself yet again inspired by another one of her outfits that she wore during paris fashion week. I guess this is the city where she likes to show off, her best looks. yes, I know paris fashion week was about a month and some weeks ago, but I am just now catching up and when I saw her in this black tailored coat dress I immediately did a double take. I just love that silhouette and how it fits so perfectly to her figure. it looks so classic, yet completely modern, and I love how she accessorized her dress with those sleek black oversized sunnies. I for sure, would do the same. when I think of street noir chic this is exactly what comes to mind and in case you were wondering zina charkoplia's dress is designed by ashi studio. I was very unfamiliar with this label, but after doing a little bit of research, I found out that he is a designer based in beirut and is mostly known for designing sharp cut silhouettes, that feel very couture. also, what is quite interesting about this designer is that practically all his looks are in white, so I am surprised that zina charkoplia is wearing something of his, in black. at any rate, the tailoring of her coat dress is superb and it very much reminds of something raf simons would design for dior and even when he was at jil sander. maybe I could also see a little bit of valentino with his design aesthetic. whatever it may be, this is the kind of street style that I love seeing outside fashion shows and if you are new to zina charkoplia's style as well as, ashi studio both are two, too get familiar with. this is truly what tailored noir chic is all about....so happy too discover this!