These campaigns are enough to put me back in time and remember the essence of 2007. My all time ever favourite Prada collection and all that knitwear...
I stumbled upon a French Marie Claire from September 2007 and apart from the Marseille city guide (that will be very useful for my upcoming trip there) I found an interesting Q&A with Monsieur Valentino.
This Sonia Rykiel knitted dress lives so vividly in my fashion memory:
What makes Ed Westwick and half of the Formula 1 driver line-up alike?
Apart from the boring obvious (young, successfull, handsome guys...) it's modelling Swiss designer Philipp Plein's collection. While the Gossip Girl star did so in the brands current campaign and the Milan catwalk during men's fashion week, 12 of the elite group of Formula 1 drivers walked His Serene Highness' catwalk for charity at Amber Lounge Monaco.
Think heavy leather jackets and cool tailoring sprinkled with ice...lot's of ice! It's all in the finest materials and the exquisite details: studs, diamanté details, velvet slippers and sharp suits. It's real men's fashion definitely not for the faint-hearted - so they couldn't have found a better group to channel the Philipp Plein vibe then the men racing in the fastest cars as a day job.
After the initial shyness and several sessions of alteration (carried out by moi - people on the screen may appear bigger than in real life...) they were Pulling. Them. Off.... and not in a Red-Cowboy-Boot way.
And as for Ed Westwick - well show me something he wouldn't pull off. But you can judge it for yourself who did a better job:
Ed Westwick v. Jean Eric Vergne in a navy blue velvet suit
Ed v. Valtteri Bottas in grey one-button suit
Ed v. Vitaly Petrov in croc sleeve baseball jacket
And here is what the other guys were wearing for the catwalk:
Daniel Ricciardo in a grey Chelsea suit - he gets the thumbs from me for his Gucci high tops he showed up in
Dani Clos in 'Gentleman' leather sleeved blazer
Bruno Senna in a 'Terrorist Bunny T-shirt'
Esteban Goutierrez in 'Burton' blazer
Sam Bird in a skull detail shirt and velvet slippers
And here is Ed Westwick strutting his stuff on the catwalk
So what's the verdict?
Picture right of philipp-plein.com, sutton images and moi
I have an unconditional love for the French Riviera and my heart skips a beat any time I see a picture of the Nice port, the Cap-Ferret coastline, the Monaco harbour or a gigantic cruise ship in the Villefranche bay.
It makes me feel like an insider, spotting the places I know so well and brings back all those happy memories.
Riviera - place spotting always cheers me up and what easier way to do it then to watch a movie that's set there (for the 1000st time.....)
Here are my all time favourites:
Priceless (Hors de Prix)
Audrey Tautou speaks French that I actually understand (I still have no clue what the Coco Avant Chanel is all about having seen it 3 times), and there are beautiful clothes and shoes too! There's a bit of Nice Chateau, a bit of the Gare, some Croisette and Hotel de Paris...
To Catch a Thief
I think everyone can find something to love about this movie... first of all it's a Hitchcock one (which doesn't really matter to me, but I know many who would take me more seriously now), second of all Cary Grant.... I wish every men would be a little bit like him such a perfect Gentleman - and my all time fashion icon.
And then there is Princesse to be Grace with her amazing wardrobe...beautiful cars and beautiful scenery..and all that Moneguasqe Royal gossip on how she met the Prince when she was shooting this movie..
You can see how the Cours Saleya Flower market looked back in the fifties (not too much different then today!) and get a glimpse of the sandy beach of Cannes back in the day.
And you get a thrilling story if all this is not enough to keep you entertained!
An Affair to Remember
It's something you need to experience in order to understand, but on the Riviera somehow you feel like time slows down in a comforting and calming way. I bet everyone who has been to Villefranche took a photo of a ginormous cruiseship that was waiting around in the bay. Not much changed in the last 60 years, that's what you will see in this movie too. And some of the lovely hidden villages up in the mountains. Another movie with the amazing Cary Grant and some more fashion footage from the fifties.
Heartbraker
To sum up this movie all you need to think of if the title title pronounced with a very strong French accent. It's nothing serious but most of it is set in Monaco which makes me watch it over and over again. And the French speaking English always lift my mood and makes me start speaking like them:)
Killers
Another chick-flick with only a tiny part of the movie set in Nice, but this one is special for me because they were shooting it when I was living in Nice and for a few days all the talk was about my friend who met Ashton Kutcher in Vieux Nice:)
This list is dedicated to all my dear friend from Nice because you are who I always think of when watching these movies! The list is nowhere near complete though, so you are all welcome to add to it:)
I love everything photo-print and I love-love-love swimwear and I tend to have a soft spot for them Aussies too... No surprise I developed an obsession for Sydney based swimwear label We Are Handsome.
I came across them about 2 years ago, back then Net-a-porter stocked about 3 of their pieces. Now Rihanna is wearing them and they are all over in the magazines from Vogue Paris to Look. And you can easily tell they are becoming popular when Topshop is coming up with the perfect high-street copies.
The idea is simple and with all the instagramming around even more so. Snap a scenic photo, pimp-it up and print it on a basic swimsuit - the more it covers, the bigger your canvas gets. It might be useful though to have an amazing artistic eye that the designers of WAH have. The result is so visually exciting, just makes you want to go to the beach instantly. I can't imagine not having the time of my life, wearing a Coral reef print bikini...
With some research you can get your hands on past collections' pieces for fraction of the original price and just like a good photo - they will never go out of fashion.
To be backstage at Amber Fashion in Monaco is a treat itself, but the excitement rises as you start guessing who the designers going to be... And when it turned out to be Issa - well that was just meant to be. After working with the same collection at London Fashion Week it was a real fashion deja-vu. I loved the 'I love Rio' themed carnival inspired collection for the first time, but seeing the girls with the backdrop of the Mediterranean during the most glamorous weekend of the Monaco calendar gave it even more substance, than the tent in the drenched London September.
'Walk fast, smile and be sexy' - These were the instructions to the models, and it sums up the essence of the collection perfectly. Bold colours, sequins, feathers it was all a big carnival on the catwalk.
It was yesterday when I became excited about next winter. At the exact moment when I saw my beloved Russian churches printed on the gorgeous garments at Issa. And it just got better seeing the whole collection coming together from backstage to the catwalk.
The collection was elegant, rich and glamourous and managed to turn the bold and literal prints and bright colours into exciting feminin clothes. Brocade dresses were matched with fur and wrap dresses were worn over leggings and polo necks - all of the same print - creating an excellent example of what the French call "total look". The most extraordinary beadwork appeared on the thinnest nude sheers while Stephen Jones' entourage couldn't be more particular about the way the headwraps and furhats should be worn.
from backstage to the catwalk
Not to worry, Kate's engagement dress wasn't forgotten - reworked in a longer and greener version. Although the kimonos and flapper drasses squeezed into the same 34 look collection as the little very red riding hood outfit might seem a bit too much, the atmosphere was jolly and I can't wait to wear the Russian print next season!
