–

I swear the spirit of Carine Roitfeld must be haunting me…. or, at least, her legacy as a stylist before becoming renowned fashion editor at French Vogue.  Awhile ago, I was browsing photographer’s Mario Testino’s über-cool site, going through his archives. I came across his shoot he did for the Calvin Klein Spring 1999 campaign featuring the one and only Kate Moss. (Ms. Moss’ brooding  male counterpart, by the way, is Mr. Colin Branca, who still works in the industry.)  Shortly therefafter, I learned, via the Fashion Spot, that the stylist was none other than Ms. Roitfeld herself. So not only did Ms. Roitfeld shaped my style consciousness via the triumvirate she formed with Testino and Tom Ford in the Gucci era–you can catch the earlier meditation on their work here–but she also influenced me stateside through the architectonic designs of the one and only Mr. Klein.

(more…)

Tags: 1999, Calvin Klein, Carine Roitfeld, Colin Branca, fin-de-siècle, Kate Moss, Mario Testino, nineties, Proust

Model: Angela Lindvall | Source: Models.com

We hold a special place in our hearts for the clean modernity and grace of Scandinavian design. Right now, we’re especially enamored of the Fusion Collection from Danish house Georg Jensen.

In this photo from the house’s gorgeous spring campaign from last year, American model Angela Lindvall (recently seen in Jimmy Choo’s hot campaign) is wearing the Bangle Fusion 1151 in Yellow, White, and Red 18 carat gold, White Gold Fusion Bangle with Diamonds, and a Fusion ring.

All pieces are available online at Georg Jensen. Or stop by in person at the Georg Jensen store at the Halekūlani Hotel. You may want to stop by at House without a Key for a signature mai tai to ease the wallet burn. Sometimes, good design does cost. But don’t the finer things always do?

Tags: Angela Lindvall, Fusion Collection, Georg Jensen, Halekulani, jewellery, Jimmy Choo, Scandinavian design

[Image source: model.com]

This season, the campaign for Calvin Klein Collection for me took a different direction from last season. While Francisco Costa’s collection for women delved into the organic, award-winning Italo Zucchelli went right into the future. Some of the jackets out of the spring 2010 and this past fall 2009 collections would have beenquite  perfect for last year’s Star Trek.

But I digress… I’m loving the shimmer and shine of the new campaign by famed photograher Steven Klein. Model David Agbodji is a real standout and a refreshing change in look for the brand if you catch my drift. After all, diversity is something tobe appreciated. Futhermore, he is one of the models that was able to master the slick, futuristic walk for the Calvin Klein Collection spring show while some of his fellow models looked more like stilted androids.

(more…)

Tags: Calvin Klein Collection, David Agbodji, Grace Jones, Italo Zucchelli, Spring 2010 Campaigns, Steven Klein

Photographed by David Sims, the new Spring 2010 Calvin Klein Collection for women campaign features Monica Jagaciak, also known as Jac. This is her second, and back-to-back, appearance for Calvin Klein Collection. Jac has already been hailed as the new face of Calvin Klein going into the new decade. [via Fashion Gone Rogue]

(more…)

Tags: advertising, Calvin Klein Collection, Chris Isaak, Christy Turlington, David Sims, Eternity, Geroge Nakashima, Helen Christensen, Herb Ritts, Jac, models, Monica Jagaciak, nineties, Spring 2010 Campaigns, Wicked Game

Just in case spending more wisely was one of your resolutions for 2010, there is a Clearance Sale happening on the Calvin Klein website through Sunday, January 10. Everything , except for new arrivals, is 25% off at check out. Stock up on some wardrobe essentials at great prices. Here are some of our favorite picks:

WOMEN

Ink Printed Dress, $66.75 until January 10

Tie Front Print, $30 until January 10

MEN

Tuxedo French Cuff Sport Shirt, $35.70 until January 10

.

Bonded Zip Funnel Jacket, $61.95 until January 10

Tags: Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein white label, ck.com, Sale Watch

I’m sure I had heard the name Carine Roitfeld before. I’ve read French Vogue, which Ms. Roitfeld has edited since 2001. But honestly, two years in graduate school (much of which was spent thinking about past centuries forgotten by most) is enough to interrupt anyone’s connection to the outside world. So here’s the photo that brought Carine Roitfeld back to my awareness, glamorous but defintitely enjoying the the Purple magazine party at the Boom Boom Room in New York City (Source).

Now that I am back in the real world and have had a chance to reconnect with the reality I’ve missed for two years, I must say that I’ve become quickly enamored of Ms. Roitfeld. As the name of the site IWantToBeARoitfeld.com suggests, perhaps I am not alone in my admiration. I was particularly amused by the site’s recent posting that the New York  Post has labeled Carine In and American Vogue’s Anna Wintour Out, but I’m sure that many would rather spend an evening out with Carine than with her American counterpart.

But what makes me so fond of Carine Roitfeld ? Her past explains enough for me. Before taking on French Vogue, Carine was a leading stylist best known for her work with photographer Mario Testino and designer Tom Ford. Jess Cartner-Morley summed it up best in the Guardian :

She made her name as one part of a glorious trio, alongside Tom Ford and Mario Testino, who together created a decadent aura of sexual allure around the Gucci brand in the 1990s. Ford designed the clothes, Roitfeld styled how the models wore them, Testino took the photos – the Gucci they created together tapped into a look everyone wanted a piece of. (Source )

Without me knowing at the time, Carine was creating those iconic images that would influence my aesthetic taste. I can’t help but look back at the images from the nineties and think that they are the epitome of cool, or at least of a certain kind. And Carine was at the nexus of the cool. She told the Guardian :

Gucci was totally in my image,” she says simply. “Tom used me as – how do you say? – his female half. He would design clothes, and then ask me how I would wear them. [...] That’s what is important in a picture sometimes: the way you roll up the sleeves of a shirt, the way you handle a bag, the way you cross your legs, these can make the biggest difference.” (Source )

That sense of personal style and confidence is what it’s all about, transcending merely turning oneself into a billboard of consumer consumption by showing off labels. (See what Carine thinks of that obsession here.) Of course, a fashion editor would never outright say that one doesn’t need to be wearing the brands that buy advertising, pages, but isn’t classic French style based upon not what you’re wearing  but how you’re wearing it? Just as one of my professors once commented about literature, tout est dans le style – everything is in the style.

For more of the Roitfeld exprience, check out the recent CNN documentary from 2009 :

Here are some additional articles:

• “Anti-Anna” from New York magazine replete with veiled criticisms in the mag’s typical style.
• An éloge from Hedi Slimane, former Yves Saint Laurent and Dior designer

Tags: Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, French Vogue, Gucci, Hedi Slimane, IWantToBeARoitfeld.com, Mario Testino, Tom Ford

This great clip off of Vogue.fr was a great reminder of why I love French Vogue, a publication that’s more dedicated to creativity and style than simply selling a lot of issues. In this episode of “La minute d’Agnès”, the one and only Mademoiselle Agnès, French television fashion commentator, demonstrates, in leather bustier and heels, how to make a table Vogue.

While you can get the idea of how to put together a Vogue table even if you don’t speak French from just watching the clip, here’s the jist of it.

For those of you with a passion for three things in life—l’amour, la mode et le Vogue (love, fashion, and Vogue)—you’ll simply make four even columns with Vogue magazines, then place a sheet of glass on top. Mademoiselle suggests about 30 Vogues per column, about 40 cm high. (Of course, you could make a table like this with any magazine, but I doubt the finished product would be as glamorous.) If you are not building-inclined, you may want some help. Once your columns stand straight, be sure you chose the best covers to go on top, as this is what you will see through the class. (Mademoiselle Agnès chooses several with Kate Moss.) Finally, place the glass on top, and you’re done.

While Mlle. Agnès doesn’t say this, a table Vogue wouldn’t probably not be good idea for a home with kids or pets running around. (Just imagine the disaster.) Moreover, no heavy objects would probably be advisable . Perhaps, a copy of French Vogue and a demi-tasse with some Illy espresso, non?

Now, onto the Mlle. Agnès’ construction of the table Vogue.

Tags: French Vogue, interior design, Mademoiselle Agnes, tables

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES…

I admit that I usually skip over the local Honolulu papers and send my browser right over to the New York Times. This is one area in life where the former New Yorker in me refuses to give up control. But the articles are just too good. This past week, I enjoyed in particular…

• Suzi Menkes’ “American Beauty”, a meditation  on the passage of classic, simple American sportswear : in an interesting exchange of roles, European designers are taking up the simple and practical, while formerly pragmatic brands like Donna Karan and Calvin Klein are delving into the details. Fascinating.

• I was moved and disturbed by Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert’s opinion piece, “Times to Remember, Places to Forget” about the progressive disappearance of any local flavor in the American landscape. This particular passage got me:

When they [Americans] remember the Starbucks where they met the one they married or the Gap where they lost the one they didn’t, they will be marinating in memories that happened everywhere but not somewhere, reliving experiences that are located in time but dislocated in space.

From a Hawaiian perspective, I find it even more disturbing to see it happening right here in Hawai‘i at an accelerating rate. Burial grounds literally covered by a Walmart, the continual progression of generic SoCal-style suburbs across the ‘Ewa plain, where we can over our beds in Hawaiian-syle quilts that were actually made in Southeast Asia.

PACK UP THAT ED HARDY,  THE NEW TATTOO TEES ARE HERE

So it seems just about everyone has an Ed Hardy t-shirt. But honestly, when Jon Gosselin  (of the now defunct reality series Jan and Kate Plus Eight) is donning them (see here), perhaps it is a sign to move on. I first heard about Horiyoshi the Third via style.com. The line is based upon the work of Japanese master tattooist Horiyoshi III. Born Yoshihito Nakano, the master was bestowed the title from his teacher. Collections are available for both men and women, covering basics like t-shirts, sweaters (yes, cardigans too) and scarves—all emblazoned with designs inspired by Horiyoshi distnctive aesthetic. While some of the oni designs were a bit too menacing for us, this groovy sweater in light blue from the new Spring 2010 collection seems less intimidating but seemsnevertheless stylish and bad-ass at the same time. Pieces are meticiously done in limited runs in Japan, making a Horiyoshi tee more of a luxury buy. But don’t the finer things in life usually cost a bit more? Distribution is currently limited, but the Horiyoshi brand is in the process of adding an online store to their site. http://www.horiyoshi-thethird.com

VIKINGS WITH TATS: NORDIC DRAGONS BY COLIN DALE

While we’re on the subject of tattoos, I’ve been considering getting one for a few years now. But as I always have to go for the complicated and arcane, I have . Though I have a few different ideas in my head—I’m going to have to get my Hawaiian genealogy down before I get a traditional kākau—the one design I’ve been contemplating is a dragon. Well, actually two. A Chinese flying dragon, fei long zai tian, in a sleeve, completed by a Nordic dragon either on the other arm or on my back, as a nod to the other half of my ancestry. Ideally, I’d get one from Colin Dale, Canadian-born tattoist of Nordic origin. He draws his inspiration of Viking tradition as well as the indigenous Inuit of northern Canada where he was born. The only problem is that Colin lives in Copenhagen. So for now it seems, I will have to wait for one of his tattoos when I finally visit Scandinavia. In the meantime, I will continue to check out Colin’s portfolio on MySpace.

Tags: Calvin Klein, Colin Dale, Daniel Gilbert, Donna Karan, Ed Hardy, Horiyoshi the Third, Jon Gossein, New York Times, suburbs, Suzi Menkes, tattoos, Viking

Sometimes, it’s the small things that count, especially during the holidays. Take the Nuance Wine Finer, for instance. By far, it’s one of the best small presents we’ve ever received.

You simply slip the Wine Finer into the bottle of your choice to improve the flavor and bouquet of every glass. When you pour from the bottle, the wine is aerated. (This is similar to the more complicated decanting process but without the fancy carafe and candlelight.) By oxidizing the wine, you open up the inherent qualities in a wine, especially in a younger wine that has hadn’t the chance to mature. Moreover, even a commonly available wine can gain in taste with the Wine Finer. Anxious to try it out on Christmas night, we tried the Wine Finer on Coppola Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon and experienced a burst of red fruit flavor that we hadn’t tasted before with this particular cab.  And if you’d like to save the bottle for the next day, just slip the cap in, and the Wine Finer will keep your wine for the next day.

While aerating wine is generally recommended for red wines, we’ll follow the advice of New York Times critic Eric Asimov, who suggests that white wines can also gain in taste by some aeration. (We’re looking forward to the taste test.)

Even better, the Wine Finer is Danish in design, meaning you can appreciate its aesthetic qualities just as much as its function. (We personally think the matte silicone is ultra cool.)

The Nuance Wine Finer is currently available online  from Wine Enthusiast for $24.95.

Tags: Coppola Black Label, Danish design, Eric Asimov, New York Times, Nuance Wine Finer, wine

Christmas is approaching, bringing with it an onslaught of overproduced holiday songs I’d rather not here. Couldn’t Western society just have stuck to madrigals, Gregorian chant, and plainsong to celebrate the season?

So, for some relief from the spirit of season, here’s one of our favorite tracks, “Hailing from the Edge” by German group electronic Apparat.  The especially sexy vocals are courtesy of Raz Ohara.

We had originally come across it when we caught a slick promo clip for Showtime, one of the few networks whose programs we watch.

Here’s the full song, though we’re not into the static, stock photo image.

(more…)

Tags: Apparat, electronica, Raz Ohara, Showtime, YouTube