a bigger splash

tilda swinton in a dior black silk shirt and white cotton skirt, so incognito chic.....



a beautiful one piece bathing suit moment by the pool.....



a dior white and blue striped cotton shirt dress....loved the open back!

even though I saw this film in june....for some reason, I am still thinking about a bigger splash starring tilda swinton and ralph fiennes. sometimes, it takes me awhile to appreciate the beauty, plot, and overall style of a film, but when I feel visually inspired by something you know I have to discuss all the details. in case you are unfamiliar, the film is directed by luca guadagnino, who directed another brilliant film back in 2009 called I am love, starring tilda swinton, as well. what I love about this director is that he not only tells interesting stories, but he also incorporates such amazing art direction and has the best costumes. if you have never seen I am love, definitely go back and see that one, but lets get back to a bigger splash. just to give a brief synopsis the story tells of marianne lane played by tilda swinton, a famous rock star, and her photographer boyfriend, paul, played by matthias schoenaerts, who are vacationing on the remote italian island of pantelleria. while staying there, they are disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend, harry (ralph fiennes) and his daughter, penelope, played by dakota johnston. I will only say that much about the plot, but the film is loosely inspired by the 1969 film la piscine starring romy schneider. surprisingly, I have not seen that film, but now I think I must. at any rate, perhaps the best part about this film is the costumes. just like luca guadagnino's last film, the clothes were all designed by raf simon's and taken from his last previous collections for dior. in case you have forgotten, raf simon's has since left the house, but I love the dior ensembles tilda swinton wears throughout the film. from doing a little bit of reading, I found out that costume designer giulia piersanti was influenced by old school resort wear and referenced ingrid bergman in journey to italy for style inspiration. whatever she had in mind for tilda swinton it all looked like perfection on screen and when I think about how I would like to dress in the summer, especially on an island, this film comes to mind. tilda swinton wears every outfit with such ease and she proves that style is not about wearing a look from head to toe, but just about being chic and comfortable. if you haven't seen this film I highly recommend.....I know I came out if it feeling visually inspired. I can't wait for what luca guadagnino does next.....truly one of those directors that understands style on so many different levels.


a dior floral silk kimono....the epitome of comfy-chic!


tilda swinton in her diorfuturist sunglasses....designed especially for the film


save the best for last, tilda swinton in that dior white silk jumpsuit....like walking on a dream

state of grace

katrina amato

in the summertime I get lazy, overheated, and to be completely honest I just want to wear loose clothes.....or at least a dress that is dramatic, not too tight and has some kind of structured silhouette. I have no idea if that makes sense, but it reminded me of this photo I took a couple of months ago of my friend katrina. I shared some of our previous collaborations, but this dress has something that is so summertime noir chic. the dress is designed by valerj pobega and I have raved about her designs in previous posts, but I like how in this photo we see all the details of this slip dress. its not a perfect slip dress in that it has jagged edges and layered asymmetrical straps, which makes it so eye catching. personally, I am not into cliche boring dresses that you see everyone wearing on the street, I like a little cutting edge or at least something that stands out from the crowd, without looking too over the top and I think this dress does that and so much more. I wanted katrina to pose in a dance-like position so that we could really see the structure of this dress. she gave me such a stand out moment with her face and body language that I really wasn't expecting and for some reason it got me thinking about how I want a slip dress, like this.....especially now, when it is so warm outside. either way, if you haven't checked out designer valerj pobega, do have a look. I am still thinking about this dress.....total noir chic perfection!

body language

photo by peter lindbergh

by now, its quite obvious that I take so much style inspiration from peter lindbergh. katrina and I are both very much inspired by his photography and how he incorporates dance and fashion into his images. interestingly, before we got together for this valerj pobega project I was looking through the march issue of vogue italia and stumbled upon a haute couture layout of mostly black dresses photographed by peter lindbergh. the whole layout personifies noir chic, but it was this photo, in particular, that caught my attention. I don't know why I love the way mariacarla boscono looks in editorials, but she wears clothes with such ease and I admire her nonchalance. it was this pose and dior dress that really inspired me and I knew katrina could embody a feeling like this. I didn't want her to copy it exactly, but I like an interesting moment in body language and this photo totally does that. I love that stance and that dress....its a total sexy, yet serious moment and I so appreciate the simplicity of this image. peter lindbergh never takes photos that are too complicated, but just captures a feeling. personally, those are always my favorite types of photographs. if you haven't seen this layout from the march 2016 issue of vogue italia, do have a look. I am still looking through this editorial......inspiring from a photo and fashion standpoint. its such a great feeling when those two come together!

poolside

photo by my sister

I conclude my summer parasol series with this moment. what is so great about this parasol is that it accessorizes not only kaftans and simple black dresses, but also sleek bathing suits. I have worn this asymmetrical norma kamali bathing suit before on my blog, but I kind of like how it looks here with that pristine blue pool water. it definitely pops and you can really see the painterly quality and detail of this parasol. I don't really think there are other parasols out there, like this one, making it so unique and quite the summer accessory. this photo was actually taken by the pool when my sister and I were in ojai, last month. I told my sister to take a photo of me from behind so that you could see the back view of the parasol and how it looks with my asymmetrical bathing suit. there is something about this moment that feels like a vintage summer postcard and I must thank my sister for capturing it. I have probably went parasol overboard with these three images, but I really wanted to show you just how versatile and fun a parasol can be with three different outfits. there really are so many ways to style a parasol and if you have never carried one as an accessory I highly suggest investing in one. its not for every woman but on the right one, it can be such a classic fashion statement.

orange crush

photo by my sister

in keeping with my love for my new parasol, I share with you this moment, which happened recently. last month, my sister and I went to ojai and found ourselves wandering in a spacious golf course. I am not sure how this exactly happened, but for some reason, I decided to wear my orange missoni kaftan. I always think on a hot day something loose like a kaftan is the way to dress. in my head, I knew the parasol would correspond well with my kaftan, but when I looked at this image from a distance, you can really see that orange pop out. what I also like is the way that green golf course contrasts with the orange of my kaftan and parasol. this was all very much unplanned, but sometimes in spontaneity you can find the style inspiration you are subconsciously looking for. on a side note, I must say, I have been wearing this kaftan for over 10 years now and I love how years later I still feel just as inspired by it, since the day I bought it. sometimes, you just need that perfect accessory too add a little something extra to it. thank goodness for this amazing parasol....just the right amount of color splash or as I like to call it my orange crush!