grandmas on spring break

Noticed at the Resort shows: an unlikely bit of styling, borrowed from old ladies on spring break—sunglasses dangling from chains. At Balenciaga (left) and Louis Vuitton (right), shades hung on cords the likes of which our great aunt used to favour. Will it work on the street? That’s debatable, though you’ve got to hand it to the able stylists at the two houses; they made it look fresh and chic. Still, it does remind one a little of Michael Kors’ quip about one of the Resort season’s aliases, Cruise: It’s “some woman in a warm-up suit at a buffet table.”

big shoes to fill

Sure, she may be best known as an ever-jumping Vogue model, but allow me to present what I feel is a pretty strong case for Caroline Trentini as a beauty girl. The lashes, the freckles, the hair! Of course, if you want to get a glimpse of those never-ending legs (which, FAMB Post presumes, is responsible for the aforementioned reputation), these photos are testament ; this Fabio Bartelt-shot spread for the May 2010 issue of Caderno Ela offers plenty of both.

all the travel essentials of an era

Does your luggage look like this? I have a feeling if you tried to tote this through the airport during your next weekend getaway, you’d be held up at security. Hermès unearthed some fabulous relics from its archives, and I especially adore the bespoke luggage made for Danish Out of Africa author Karen Blixen in the 1930s. The toffee-hued crocodile skin case features a bevy of boxes for spirits, cigars, notepaper, playing cards, jewelry, perfume, sewing kits, etc. All the travel essentials! C'est Chic!

lee-ding star at rosemount

Somewhere halfway around the globe, where the water goes down the drain backwards, where summer is winter and it’s already tomorrow, a fashion star is being born. Dion Lee, who recently won the 2010 L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival Designer Award and who just showed his fifth collection at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week on May 6, is blazing a path with an aesthetic that is at once wittily streamlined and quirkily minimalist. Quick, name some other Australian fashion stars! OK, sure, there is Collette Dinnigan (airy-fairy confections) and her polar opposite, Sass & Bide (hard-edge, take-no-prisoners denim), but beyond that? Exactly. So there is plenty of room at the top for Lee, whose sure hand and quiet confidence belies his 24 years.

Lee’s new collection may take his audience slightly by surprise. “I’m pushing in a softer direction, still tailored, but what’s new is a draped element. It’s almost like soft sculpture—pleated and built up, classical and modern at the same time. And I’m using some prints too,” he confesses, a departure from his usual black-and-white palette, relieved only by the occasional slashings of bright blue. Though his clothes are currently available in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Dubai, Lee is being careful not to fall into the young designer trap of trying to do too much too soon—he’s building his business slowly and cautiously.

spring has sprung and prints will prance

That heaving décolleté, those nipped waists, the skirts that swished and swirled and swayed: Miuccia Prada’s fall 2010 collection evoked the captivating look of the Mad Men era without, thankfully, returning us to its accompanying rampant sexism and the reek of cigarettes in the office, the subway car, and just about everywhere else. As a taste of her look for later this year, Prada has just launched a print collection called . . . The Print Collection. Thankfully, more imagination went into the look of the clothes and the accessories, which utilizes some Prada prints we’ve seen and loved before (the lips and lipsticks of spring 2000, for instance). Bellisima!

flowers in a window

The windows of Dover Street Market have had a green-fingered touch, with a beautiful floral and glassware installation from the Petersham Nurseries (a hidden haven - I urge you to seek it out). Owner of the Nurseries Francesco Boglione and her eldest daughter Lara took trips to Murano, an area in Italy renowned for its glass artistry expertise since 1291, to rediscover the craft. The collection, which starts at £81 and includes heritage and contemporary vases, bowls and glasses, demonstrates this thousand-year-old trade perfectly.

and all the pretty houses

With the imprint of the past subtly conserved, the harmony of the colours and quality of light has seduced many artists and celebrities who have chosen to stay in Mougins, including Picasso (who spent the last 15 years of his life here), Cocteau, Fernand Léger, Paul Eluard, Man Ray, Winston Churchill, Christian Dior, Catherine Deneuve, Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel.. amongst others.

Mougins is without doubt one of the most wonderful places to visit on the Côte d'Azur. This superb medieval village is set amongst pines, olives and cyprus trees. Surrounded by forests (the Valmasque forest) Mougins has kept the quality of its environment intact, and offers visitors, from the height of 260 metres, a panoramic view of the "baie de Cannes", the Lérins islands, Grasse and the "Préalpes".

BANG!!

>Monday morning if you’re feeling a little bleary-eyed – a selection of advertising shots of Marc Jacobs new fragrance for men, aptly entitled Marc Jacobs Bang.Like all of Jacobs’ ad campaigns, it was photographed by Juergen Teller and features a naked 47 year-old Marc Jacobs lying on a bed with only an oversized perfume bottle keeping him modest. It may not be the most original concept (Tom Ford for Gucci anyone?) it does have shock value and appeals to a certain audience – which according to the release is for a “contemporary guy, who, even if he isn’t young, has a younger spirit."

'20' The Exhibition

The Embankment Galleries at Somerset House plays host to the critically acclaimed show from Maison Martin Margiela. Previously shown at MoMu, Antwerp and Haus der Kunst, Munich, this is definitely one not to be missed. The show runs from the 3rd of June until the 5th of September 2010 and extensively showcases the designs from Maison Martin Margiela over the years.

coasting along the cote d'azur

The NomadSailsAntibes food market
Night view of street alleys, AntibesGazing out towards Nikki Beach La Voile Rouge Beach in Pampelone Saint Tropez

postcards from paris part 2

Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay Au revoir Paris!