Hot on the heels of Paris Fashion Week, comes a sexy installation by Italian artist, Vanessa Beecroft, for the world leader in luxury, Louis Vuitton’s new Paris store. Designed by architects Eric Carlson and Peter Marino, the glitzy new house represents a groundbreaking architectural achievement, conceived as a promenade of terraces in homage to the historical and cultural importance of the Champs-Elysees as the world’s most stylish promenade.

Equally unprecedented is the integration of art and architecture, with works by three leading contemporary artists displayed as landmarks of the house promenade. Exclusively for the Champs-Elysees, the American artist James Turrell created an impressive “Wide Glass” modular light sculpture, while fellow American Tim White-Sobieski contributed a cutting-edge video installation alongside the house’s spectacular 20-meter long “traveling staircase.” Meanwhile, the Danish conceptual artist Olafur Eliasson transformed an elevator linking up directly with the top floor of the Champs-Elysees building, which will open in January 2006 as a permanent space of artistic and cultural expression, into a “chamber of sensual entropy” isolated from its surroundings.

via thecoolhunter.net
via New York Times

This smooth pebble fits snugly into the palm of your hand and slips easily into your pocket – the perfect travel companion. Thus we dubbed it “Ryoko”, which means travel in Japanese.

Stopover in Venice, Bali, Jakarta or Rio… No matter where you venture, the Ryoko keeps you company with your favorite fragrance and flaunts its color like a good-luck charm. The sunny, woody, aquatic or powdery floral notes of Kenzo fragrances find a new home in this collection of bottles that are sure to become a beloved object.

The design, distinctive to the senses, beckons us to make each one our own. As a final touch, each bottle is carefully protected in a fitted neoprene pouch with a colorful interior.

You can find it exclusively in airports worldwide, and at LABULLEKENZO.

Contemporary illustrator Ami Davis teams up with LeSportsac for this season’s Artist Edition Collection debuting in Backstage, an exciting print offered exclusively by LeSportsac in a variety of cool handbags and accessories for a limited time only. Ami’s unique edition shows what really happens behind the scenes of the hot and eagerly awaited autumn fashion shows.

A regular on the fashion and art scenes, Ami Davis draws her inspiration from the hectic, yet chic vibe of the backstage at a major fashion runway shows. She summarizes this scene with high energy vignettes of various fashion shows staples, including models, makeup artists, and designers, and everything that comes with them.
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I’m quite sure that many of our hip female readers are in the know about Tamara Henriques.

But - as you never know - here is a quick reminder for the first rainy days…

Tamara Henriques began her career at American Vogue. A childhood spent wearing bog standard (and bog colored) wellies, had given Henriques a fetish for footwear – Vogue led her to explore a world of shoes beyond her Wellingtons. She soon began designing her own label.

During a trip to a Hong Kong shoe factory, Tamara discovered a printing process thought too laborious to use widely. Elaborate designs were being printed onto childrens rubber Wellingtons and Tamara spotted unlimited potential in adapting this technique to adult boots. She packed in the dainty shoes and went back to her rubber roots to create the urbanized welly.

This latest version of her popular argyle boot is a mauve, pink and grey combination. Very Pringle and a little retro. Adored by celebrities, this pattern has become a perennial favourite.

www.tamarahenriques.com

As you do not have plenty of time for your halloween preparations we have two hot tips for you:

From New York to Monaco – the highclass partyscene around the globe shares an exclusive secret: CASTLE OF DRACULA - the myth is still alive. This new and very hip fashiondrink is the latest in style and taste.

Insiders enjoy the red sin on ice out of cool longdrink glasses rather than old fashioned champagne cups.

Its mystical name and the long lived tradition of the rare Marzemino grape, which had already appeared in Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni”, make up for its excellent quality and unique taste. To date the secretive red and the elegant white alternative are only found in the most exclusive clubs/shops and bars worldwide.

You can buy “the red sin” online here!

And there is another tip:

Late one night, exploring her father’s library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to “My dear and unfortunate successor,” and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of - a labyrinth where the secrets of her father’s past and her mother’s mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history. You know what it is?
Read “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova

www.castle-of-dracula.com
www.derhistoriker.com (german site)

Sai So - meaning “reconstructed” - takes fines silk of Japanese kimonos to create contemporary fashion pieces, accessories and furniture.

Japanese culture prizes the flair of the moment, with which each kimono is made and painted and because of which each is inevitably unique. Sai So reanimates those unique silks with a comparable flair, creating new pieces, themselves unique, each a delicate and perfect bridge between an ancient art and contemporary living.

Here are some impressions from Sai-So’s spring/summer collection 2006…

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Wolfgang A. Elfers designs very individual pieces of jewelry. I met him yesterday in his workshop in Hamburg. In his early days he was driven by the question: “Should men wear jewelry and fashionable accessories like women do?”

He answered this general question in his very individual and extraordinary way by designing several pieces of men’s jewelry. First single designs extended into a fascinating collection of jewelry including bracelets, necklaces, cufflinks, belts, biker chains, rings and a lot of individual pieces - even manufactured according to customer’s wishes.

You will not find his latest gems on his website - as for example, there are some new and really beautiful leather bracelets with decorated sterling clasps… I had to buy some of this.

GQ USA is about to feature his collection in one of their next issues… let’s wait to see some new!
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ALESSI’s new bottle opener “marli” is designed to be more than just a bottle opener.

Young Australien designer Steven Blaess shaped marli inspired by a boomerang… as Alessi says. Mid 2004 - when the first images of that piece have showed off - its name was “papilio” probably inspired by a butterfly!?

Blaess worked with some of Australia’s leading architecture, interior and graphic design companies on high-end residential and commercial projects.

Whatsoever you name it or you’ll use it for… as a belt-buckle, a keychain or simply as your new bottle opener: Never throw it away …as it is very unlikely returning back to you!

www.alessi.com

Get ready for three days of thrills at the action-packed MINI United event.

Misano in Italy will be the place to be at the end of october, if you are a Mini aficionado like I am!

Check out their website for your sign up, take part in their sweepstake or look for your lift share to arrive at Misano…

They will entertain us around the clock with historic models, racing Minis, heli-rides, top-notch live music, leading DJ’s, a chill-out pool, Play-Statiom-games and many many more…

I’ll be there and hope to meet you!!!

www.miniunited.com

…that’s how Miriam Moeller describes her second beach and swim wear collection 2005.

Miriam Möller, 33, had a classic apprenticeship in tailoring in her native city of Hamburg before studying digital graphic design and fashion design at Parsons School of Design in New York City. She then worked creatively for Anna Sui as her personal design assistant.

Her colors are pink, lavender, turquoise and navy. Handcrafted embroidery is her individual fashion statement for the bikinis, pareos, peasant dresses, shorts and bags featured in her poetic and feminine collection.

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