Saturday, July 30, 2011

Picture of the Day


Everything about this picture is just incredible. I LOVE the shot through the hole and how it frames the model. The colors are so soft and beautiful. And the shoes...Oh, the shoes...


Shhhh Listen



Absolutely beautiful.


Thursday, July 28, 2011

Picture of the Day

BAND NEW


A friend of mine recently turned me on to AWOLNATION, and I must say I am currently obsessed.

The first song I heard of theirs was "Sail"



I instantly fell in love with it. It is such a haunting melody that seriously shook my insides when I first heard it. It intrigued me because I couldn't pin down WHAT it was. Like I couldn't figure out what the genre was! And I loved that.

I was expecting the whole rest of their album to sound like "Sail." But boy I was mistaken.

The more I listened to their album, the more I realized just how amazingly versatile this band is. EVERY track is so different, but in such an amazing way!



It was a really pleasant surprise. Honestly, I am obsessed with this ^ song right now. It is SO damn catchy! You can't deny it. So don't even try.



This is yet ANOTHER ridiculously catchy and fun song from their album. It seriously does make me want to jump on someone's shoulders...not sure how that would turn out, though...



And this one...Oh my. SUCH a sweet, sweet song. It really almost brought tears to my eyes. It is like pure love and happiness in a song.

Honestly, I could post every song from their album, but I will just stop here. I HIGHLY recommend you check them out, though. This band is going places.




Sunday, July 17, 2011

Shhhh Listen














Picture of the Day

Dreams

Well, my favorite time of the year has come: COUTURE WEEK. It just wrapped up in Paris and I have been in fashion heaven for the past week, engrossing myself in the incredible pieces from the couture collections.

But by far my favorite couture collection is Givenchy's by Riccardo Tisci.

"Purity, lightness, fragility," was how he described his inspiration for this collection. And that is exactly what was embodied in these pieces.

It is seriously impossible for me to even begin to comprehend the extensive time and painstaking effort that went into these dresses.




This dress is decorated with tiger's-eye pearls that had been inserted with crystals to catch the light, so as to appear to be glowing. They were also arranged in the exact same pattern as the marks on an ostrich skin.

Keep in mind, also, that this was ALL done by hand.

*


This piece, which is the most expensive one, was also the most painstakingly detailed. It is covered in hand cut and hand sew, perfectly symmetrical tulle petals, or scales. They are piled on top of each other so that in the end, it gives the appearance of some couture, other-worldly fish. Absolutely magnificent.

*

I like that Riccardo is featuring large, plastic zippers on these dresses. So easily, they could have crossed the line from modern to tacky, but I think it is a great modern touch for these ethereal gowns.

*

This dress, to me, seems to be the most opulent. The high collar and the peplem are very reminiscent of the Renaissance and remind me of royalty.


*


I love the back on this dress. So elegant. Riccardo takes the meaning of couture to new lengths in the way that he crafts each one of his pieces to fit each model to perfection.

*

Absolutely love the feathers on this.

*

Another incredible application of tulle petals.

*

Ah, as if I didn't adore fringe before, Riccardo has inspired an even greater love for it in me.


*

This dress is so ethereal and heavenly to me. It just looks like it's ready to float away up to the heavens. It is so fragile and delicate and pure.


*

And what a dress for the finale. The gilded fringe is just magnificent. Talk about exuberance. It feels Greek, Egyptian and modern to me.



I really recommend watching this video. In it, you get to really see the pieces up close and fully begin to comprehend just how much time and effort went into them.





Basically, Riccardo Tisci is my hero. I've been very worried that couture is becoming a dying art. But when I see a collection like this, my hope is restored.

This is ART. This is truly art. And this is why I love couture. Like Riccardo says, it's not just a piece that's coming with the season and leaving with the next coming one, it is a piece of art that should be treasured forever.


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Smoldering

"The world is full of guys. Be a man."

TRUE.

THAT.

A true "MAN" is a rarity beyond comprehension nowadays. Thankfully, however, we have a FEW good ones left.

Like Mr. Jon Hamm.

Exhibit A:

Yeah.

Did your jaw drop, too?

This editorial that he was featured in for British GQ is unreal. I have been really obsessed with men recently...just everything about them. But especially men's fashion editorials. Out of all the ones I've found recently, this is definitely one of my favorites.

It is just so raw...like the testosterone and manliness is literally oozing out of this shoot. And Jon Hamm is just a smoldering hunk of man. I love that he's a little stubbly and rugged and disheveled. Sooooo sexy.

I would really love to style a shoot like this. Men's fashion isn't really my passion, but dressing up a guy so he just looks jaw-droppingly sexy and manly sounds SO fun. There is just something about a well dressed man...mm. Nothing like it. I also feel that maybe if more pictures of MEN are out in the world, maybe guys will step it up a bit. One can dream, right?

Enjoy the photos (I hope your computer screen doesn't melt away from the hotness like mine did) :)



They call me Hamm...Jon Hamm.




The lighting in this shoot is just unbelievable. Kind of a modern take on film noir. It really just amplifies Jon Hamm's sexiness even more...if that is even possible.


Oh my....

These slacks are INCREDIBLE. Fit him to perfection, and they are just the right height.

I honestly don't know if there is any photo in existence that contains more manliness in it than this one. Seriously. Drinking scotch in a tux with your sleeves rolled up, a stubbly face and a cocked eyebrow. Manliness at its finest.



Thank you, Jon Hamm, for giving me hope that real gentlemen DO still exist.

P.S. I'm kind of in love with you....



Sunday, July 10, 2011

Dirty Laundry

This photo shoot is very dear to my heart. Besides just be absolutely fabulous, it was one of the first real photo shoots that ever really captivated me. It was photographed by Steven Meisel and styled by Edward Enninful for Vogue back in early 2000's. I still remember looking at it and just being completely spellbound. It really inspired me to get in to styling.

The glamor of the dresses and how they clashed so wonderfully with the oh so unglamorous surroundings fascinated me (I think I've mentioned how I love clashing high fashion with commonplace settings). I also loved how lighthearted and fun this shoot is. The bubbles and the sodas and popsicles make the high fashion aspect seem so fun and relatable. It made me think, "Hey, I could go to the laundromat in a $5,000 designer dress. That could happen."

I would love to do a shoot like this in the future. I think I would do even a little bit more done up hair and makeup, though, but still keep it fairly simple. Now all I need are some killer evening gowns...







This is one of my favorite shots. I just love how she is posed and how her face is framed in the door of the washing machine.





Also LOVE this shot. How fun must it have been to be there taking those pictures!


Ah, inspiration, inspiration :)


Happy Ears



Rediscovered this song today. I used to be obsessed with it! It always makes me happy listening to it. At first I thought it was a love song...but then you listen to the lyrics and there are lines in there that just should not be anywhere near a love song ever haha.







Both of these songs are great and are currently on repeat for me. They are both also in the trailer for 50/50, Joseph Gordon Levitt's upcoming movie that I am SO stoked about. Here's the trailer if you want a little peak of the awesomeness:



Looks amazing, right? Can't wait. Set to come out at the end of September.




I've had this album for a long time, but never REALLY listened to this song much. But it came on shuffle the other day and I was just mesmerized. It really resonated with me for some reason. The line, "No more dreaming like a girl, so in love with the wrong world" really hit home with me.


Picture of the Day