New Chanel No 5 ad w/ Brad Pitt

Yay or nay?

Hmmmm.....

brandmaker (SC!)

New Prada Levitate Shoes

I like...

MEN'S WEEK - Milan SS 2013 - Fabulous Ferragamo

WOW! Ferragamo has made a splash this year. 

I always love menswear - but Ferragamo's Spring Summer collection this year is just fabulous.

Bright, fresh and altogether conspicuous, the Ferragamo man is set to shine in 2013.

Known for its delicious array of exquisitely crafted shoes, the Salvatore Ferragamo brand is completely desirable and fast becoming the leader in high-end luxury and style.

This year's men's collection is awash with flamboyant colour and print, and deserves a special mention in dare and individuality. 

Adoring the look above. The crisp white v-neck pullover with the splash of sherbet yellow, complemented with the tie and shades of grey in the shirt and pant, are engagingly fresh. Smart casual has been taken to a whole new dimension with Ferragamo's collection this year - especially with the laid back trainers punctuating each piece. The look has been replicated in differing degrees throughout the collection, with varying levels of colour explosion and a play on cuts and lines. I just love it. 

Si Si! Not only are the models (Arthur Gosse below - *wink,wink*) supremely handsome, but the clothes are just as dapper (in a extraverted, look at me sort of way). The casual chic, the contrasting trim, the pop of bright punchy colours - everything works to make each piece feel summery fresh and magnetised. You can't help but smile.  

Kissed with an artist's brush, the look above is just heavenly. I want it and I want it NOW! The refreshing blue, the yellow laces on the trainers, the brush strokes accentuating the shoulders and oh so manly chest, accessorised with that fabulous bag - I WANT! (I have a sneaky feeling that shades of sky blue and sunny lemon yellow are going to feature in the coming Spring Summer seasons!)

Grey wash, yellow pop and blue highlight - perfetto! (Adrien Sahores - très très sexy!)

Summer lovin' has come around again and I have fallen head over heels. 

Salvatore Ferragamo has injected more than a little enthusiasm into menswear for this year's Spring Summer collection and leads the pack in capturing the seasons of fun, light and freedom. 

www.ferragamo.com

brandmaker (SC!)

H&M men's underwear - check it out!

I recently visited a H&M store in Hong Kong and thought the men's briefs were particularly chic!!

I bought six pairs - why not!?

Style isn't just seen by the outside world, the mirror sees it too!

www.hm.com 

brandmaker (SC!)

Milan Fashion Week SS 2013 FashWrap - Bottega Veneta

'When your own initials are enough'

Bottega Veneta - a name synonymous with high-end luxury and sophistication. 

Quality, craftsmanship, innovation and functionality are the hallmarks of this Italian brand.

This year's showing in Milan for the 2013 Spring Summer collections was Bottega Veneta at its finest.

Chic, exquisite and impeccably tailored - this collection is a sensory delight.

Sublimely good, what woman would not want to be seen walking the streets of Paris, Milan, Sydney or Melbourne in the look above? 

The delicate floral pattern, complemented with shades of red, peach and anchored in black, and the embroidered beading, highlight the distinguished craftsmanship which has become the signature of Bottega Veneta. The pencil skirt, black sheer stockings and the strappy cutaway platforms ensure the look is raised beyond mere mortality to that of an upper-eastside heiress. 

Bottega Veneta has managed to use colour and casual playfulness in such a way that the brand never strays from its flawless design aesthetic. Architectural yet fluid, the piece above is a wonder in summertime etiquette. Reminiscent of a sunset on a deliriously hot day, when the darkening sky signals relief and refreshment. Raised upon the square-toed peach coloured slip-on heels, the silhouette is clean and buoyant in the breeze of motion. Desirable and deceivingly sweet - fabulous.

Who said the warmer days and nights of the Spring Summer months could not bring with it an air of upper-class chic and first-class glamour? Well, Bottega Veneta wasn't listening. Utterly enviable, the black beading adorning the demure, floral inspired fabric leaves us all wanting... The black square-lined bag hand-woven with textural feathering just adds to this already classic look.

Intricate and polished - Bottega Veneta is an experience in pure luxury.

'For spring, we wanted to make clothes that blur the lines, that offer a more complex idea. These are clothes for women who’d rather not be summed up in a word or two.'

Tomas Maier - Creative Director at Bottega Veneta

www.bottegaveneta.com

brandmaker (SC!)

Milan Fashion Week SS 2013 FashWrap - Etro

I always love Etro.

Always.

And this year, Veronica Etro and her team have managed to surpass my rather high expectations and deliver a Spring Summer collection in Milan that is truly wonderful.

Clean, unashamedly eccentric, full of life - the Etro woman is an individual. 

Etro uses a range of refined patterns and prints with vigour and vitality. The piece above bursts with a fragrant floral motif, while cleverly balanced with the use of black trim on the three quarter length pant and a flowing, dramatic A-cut blouse, which is lined with an electric blue to give the entire look a sultry and sophisticated undertone.

Etro's prints and patterns are as dynamic as they are empowered. The Etro women above and below are flush with a confidence and underlying sexuality that is altogether enamouring to the casual spectator. The look above is brought alive with the thoughtful addition of a white belt and white straps on the shoes, which counter the the black wrist band and black trimmed clutch. By doing this, Etro have kept the look from being overly dark and harsh, and instead have created a sense of youthful jauntiness to the overall feel.

Etro's use of a black base is what helps to really bring the collection alive. The multidimensional colour palette used throughout the collection is supported and energised by the black canvas, with looks such as the one below popping with charisma and hyperactivity. The black canvas, sometimes countered with a tan or ivory canvas, is the perfect vehicle for demonstrating the femininity of the quintessential Etro floral motif. 

As much as Etro is sublimely feminine and clean cut, it is deliriously flamboyant and dramatic. A dichotomy of multiple personalities, Etro astounds with colour, fabric, pattern and print. There is nothing generic to be found here. Each Etro piece is a celebration of the extraordinary and the iconic - and this is only assisted by an equally amazing array of accessories and shoes to highlight the myriad of entrancing hues.

Equally as surprising is Etro's ability to facilitate a meeting between East and West, with Japanese-inspired chic taken to a whole new level. With structural kimonos and clean-line cuts, each piece injects an air of fresh edginess and design.

Loving Etro - and seeing the Milan SS 2013 collection - I'm sure you do to!!

For more, check out www.etro.com.

brandmaker (SC!)

www.brandmaker.com.au 

Milan Fashion Week SS 2013 FashWrap - Blumarine

Anna Molinari's dream continues to inspire.

Inspire not only her own personal design aesthetic, but a generation of free-flowing, utterly desirable Italian chic. 

Blumarine's collection was one of my favourites at Milan Spring Summer Fashion Week for 2013.

The soft pastel colours and delicate prints embody the fresh breezes of the Mediterranean coastline and warm rays of the sun on a lazy Spring afternoon. Comfortable and stylish - Blumarine has come to represent a generation of women who live in the moment and who have the confidence to mix casual ease with high fashion luxe. 

The fresh sorbet pastel shades of demure yellow, lime, pink and purple can be seen throughout the collection, matched with fresh floral prints and the sheer beauty of chiffon and pleats.

Each of Blumarine's pieces is a contradiction of youth and elegance. It is easy to be intimidated by fine fabrics and sleek design, yet Blumarine's collection is anything but intimidating - the words covetable and inviting 'spring' to mind! (pardon the pun!)

Each cut and line represents yet another layer of effervescence, as each piece breathes life into the collection as it strolls confidently down the runway. 

Blumarine, as it seen in the looks above and below, has used uninhibited lines and cuts, the transparency and elegance of sheer, and free-flowing, loose silhouettes, to ensure that each look remains light and breezy. Blumarine has also kept a soft base colour palette of pale whites and greys and dusty pinks and blues, which assist in giving the collection an overall cohesive feel and sense of definition.

In amongst the pale shades and sorbet pastels, Blumarine has still managed to surprise and delight with a number of punchy pieces designed to lift and inspire one's Spring wardrobe. The striking pink piece above being a prime example.

Playfully cut just above the ankle, matched by colour and appeal in the strappy Roman heels, and the addition of the (very current!) elegantly oversized in the top, the entire look adds an air of confident individuality and expression to the Blumarine collection. This look is destined to turn heads while holidaying on the picturesque Amalfi Coast in 2013.

The above-knee cut on this look gives it a real youthful, rock-chick vibe.

Speaking in analogies, Blumarine more than lives up to its name. The life of the sea, especially the Mediterranean, conjures many images, colours and feelings. Throughout the collection, Blumarine appears to have harnessed the life of the sea and has fully enlisted the spectrum of colour and feeling that so enchants us. Blumarine's silhouettes are creative and energetic, and are reminiscent of the giant kelp forests which rise towards the sun and flow effortlessly in the currents of the warm, tropical waters. 

The shades, the fabric and the v cut, pleated top make this piece something to remember.
Yep, sexy IS the word!

I love this.

Like an artist's canvas, brought to life through the glow of watercolours, the looks above are an evolution of colour and sentiment. Soft and cool (with the one below matched with an über chic dusty pink bag) these looks neatly sum up Blumarine's Spring Summer collection for 2013. Love.

To discover more of Blumarine, visit www.blumarine.com. 

brandmaker (SC!)