Magical Folk Music

I am on a Folkloric high at the moment...can't get enough of the folk style!!! I have now for a while been interested by folk style music! Not only does it have a magical and enchanting sound, it also uses instruments in such a beautiful way that the music itself is incredible to listen to! I love when piano and violins are used in music as I believe it adds that extra special delight!! And there is far too much of the electro pop music going on at the moment!! Don't get me wrong because I do enjoy listening to that too, but sometimes it is nice to get away from the commercial world and find something more natural and unique...

I heard a song called 'Riverside' from one of my new favourite TV shows 'Revenge', sung by a lady called Agnes Obel. She is a Danish singer and song writer who has recently stepped on the music scene since her first album was released in 2010 and has since won many awards for her album and music! As soon as I heard her song I fell in love and had to listen more!!! Her soft sounding voice has a husky strain to it which makes it so interesting to listen to her as every sound is different. Have a listen below...Trust me you will not be disappointed!

Zuhair Murad!

  

Zuhair Murad is a Lebanese fashion designer based in Beirut. He opened his first atelier in 1995 and soon became well known and established a high reputation amongst the top fashion designers.


























His style is ultra feminine with references to Egyptian Princesses and Grecian Goddesses with a modern twist, exploring lavish fabrics, glitter and lace. 

His latest Autumn/Winter 2012 collection reminds me of the Folkloric Ukraine trend I developed in one of my projects at university last year...with the involvement of lace, floral prints and the prime colours of red blue yellow and green. He has incorporated velvet amongst his collection which works well in the cooler season. These pieces are perfect for Christmas and New Year with all their sparkling embellishment!

  

  

Sweet Revenge

  

I absolutely love the new American hit TV show Revenge...Honestly, it was a bit slow at first and I couldn't really relate well to the main character Emily Thorne (Emily Vancamp) but as the story unfolds you get more caught up and grow more fonder of her and her mission.

I came across these photos from a magazine editorial photo shoot in Flare magazine from March and I thought they looked dazzling and truly showed this actress' beauty...especially in the diamanté lace Dolce and Gabbana dress. What a great image by Chris Nicholls!

Lana Del Rey for H&M

It has now been confirmed the stunning and elegantly beautiful Lana Del Rey will be the new face of H and M's new Autumn campaign suggested to be 'modern and feminine with a soft attitude' and where curves and waists are accentuated. This is going to be so exciting to see! Lana Del Rey is certainly an inspiring icon and highly suitable for H and M the brand!

The Reborn Must Haves!

     

I came across these beauties when looking at a Swedish fashion label 'Minimarket'. These fabulous cut-out shoes completely sold out last spring at the label and have been brought back for a second round. These shoes are perfect for the warmer seasons for those wanting to look stylish but still get some air!

Check out their website for their other innovative pieces http://www.minimarket.se/

Beautiful Stockholm

It is safe to say there is definitely an essence of Italia in Stockholm (capital of Sweden). I recently went over for my cousin's wedding and thought I would take a few snippets of the gorgeously constructed city. Surrounded by water, the capital portrays such beauty and elegance with with fine consideration to cleanliness and detail. It is a cosmopolitan city with sophistication written all over it! Yet still shows the magnificence of Sweden's colourful nature. 

Menacing Femininity

Here is a project I did during my first year of university where I had to trend forecast and style a photo shoot in accordance to the chosen trend...mine was called 'Menacing Femininity' which combined punk/rock with urban gardening references such as gingham and flowers. I aimed to combine two opposites in order to create something inspiring and unique. This trend showed great potential during the summer of its forecast in 2012, and was largely seen throughout shops.

I chose the outdoor setting in order to portray that earthy and natural feel juxtaposing the rebellion of the punk/rock.

An Intergalactic Dream...

  

This editorial for Black Magazine photographed by Darren McDonald evokes a magical and surreal yet natural image. With the smoky coloured images contrasting the breezy black and white pictures, creating a sense of warning and confusion as well as innocence, an illusion. The Australian model Emily Jean Bester portrays a helpless and worried individual, swept up in a dazed dream.

This is beautiful work, with a hidden sense of meaning. I love the colours, the garments and the positioning of the model. It all works so well together - even though there is things surrounding the model, she is still showing the superior presence in comparison to the rest, with her bewildering expression.

Meet Charlotte Free...

Meet the new face of Forever21's Spring 2012 campaign. 

Known for her edgy image and pink locks, the 18 year old model has brought her punk-rock attitude to the label's latest collection. It is fun, flamboyant and has plenty of fierceness. 

This model has set a new level of hair dying...move over lilac, pink is in town...will the latest hair trend follow in her footsteps? 

Shop from Forever21 here

A is for Architecture (in Oxford)

I recently visited Oxford for a graduation and found myself taking several photographs of fantastic architecture. Everywhere you look in the quaint town there is some historical aspect that has a lot of character in aid of attention and fame. I tried to capture some of these key pieces. 

Express through art illustration...Stina Persson

 

Stina Persson is an illustrator based in Stockholm, Sweden who creates beautifully colourful art with evidence of the liquid movement. Its the colours within the work that are central and brings it to life. I love her work because of the energy I get from it. It brings out my passion for art and  makes me want to get creative and draw. I am a huge fan of the combination of ink, pen and watercolour and certainly believe she does an excellent job. Her illustration style is relaxed, flowing, edgy, messy and youthful. This is my favourite type of illustration due to its unplanned and spontaneous. Stina has a huge range of clients ranging from Coca Cola to Bjorn Borg to DKNY to Bloomingdale's to NYLON magazine to Absolut Vodka.

If you are interested in finding more out about this great artist, take a look on her website:

http://www.stinapersson.com/

Project D by Dannii and Tabitha

Today I have become a proud owner of a Project D dress (thanks to my wonderful Paps and his generosity as an early birthday present) and I don't know why I haven't been sooner! I have to admit I was not keen about the style and image of Project D's dresses at the beginning, it mainly wasn't the design for me...BUT, today I took a trip to a beautifully decorative boutique in Cardiff called 'Body Basics' which stock admirable clothing for every woman, and I was outnumbered by the many options and especially by Project D's charming pieces. 

The one that caught mine and everyone else's attention, was a cream rose ribbon detailed Chloe dress from their latest s/s 2012 collection. It really compliments the body well with its perfect fitting as well as the colour, and feels absolutely amazing on! The texture of the rose ribbon tulles works really well with the 50s full skirt silhouette. This find spurred me on to investigate further into Project D's collections, and I am very impressed! The dresses are suitable to every woman as they offer many different styles. Not that I am an expert but I do fully praise Dannii and Tabitha for their wonderful skill in designing! And I really will continue to be on the lookout for their collections in the future.

Here are a few examples, out of very many, that I like:

Enyo

Artemis

Phoebe

Sydney

Athen

Claudia

H&M New Brand Name '& Other Stories'

The Swedish retailer is expanding their business and have been said to have registered a new brand name and logo which will be running along side their current worldwide popular brand H&M. This new brand is set to be released in 2013 and will be at a higher price range compared to their usual stock "but still stay within the framework of our business concept-fashion and quality at the best price." (press officer Camilla Emilsson at Swedish Newspaper Dagen's Nyheter).

It is clear that this creation has come from their many collaborations with higher-end fashion brands such as Jimmy Choo, Versace, Lanvin and most recently Marni, and their success and popularity from it. 

This will certainly be an new and exciting step for the brand! 

Ri-Ri Love!

River Island Mens

River Island

Topshop

There is a growing obsession with celebrity printed tees within fashion, where several famous faces have appeared on people's tops (and I'm not talking about their tour/fan merchandising). 

The main star on everyone's clothes appearing in shops now is the admirable beauty that is Rihanna.

A twist on the Folkloric Style

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012 

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012

I have fallen in love with this recent collection by Dolce & Gabbana! There are influences from several cultures from their native Sicily to the Slavic such as Ukraine. The elegant embroidered floral patterns neatly placed over delicate lace fabrics juxtapose the other darker and lavish chandelier pieces of the collection. We shall see if these folkloric influences will be visible at the end of the year.