TOD’S: A Portrait of Mobile Brand

It is no great secret that image is everything – and that luxury brands must tell authentic stories that live and breathe in more meaningful and engaging mediums. Luxury footwear brand Tod’s has recently done just that through the release of a uniquely beautiful “book” of portraits that ventures deep into the heart of the brand itself by featuring what makes up Tod’s esteemed heritage: the elegant people and the captivating places of Italy… and it’s mobile. While it is a marketing tool showcasing personal fashion, it feels like an intimate, personal book of family portraits and experiences (both in still images as well as video). The premise behind the images of style and Italianeese as stated in the Info segment of the app: “At a time when a negative mood seems to reign in Italy, this volume offers a positive portrait of personalities and beautiful places, all diverse, all winners.” The BeautifulCurious criticism is that one obvious ingredient is missing: the very elegant Italian women who also enjoy Tod’s. “Italian Portraits” is available at the App Store and can be experienced on the Tod’s website.

Mulberry Saturates With Colour

For their spring 2013 runway presentation, Mulberry doesn’t offer a mere brush with beauty. They intend to wash us away in it… and this curious mind is more than willing. The inspiration for the collection is “celebrating colour and the craft of painting”. Mulberry has primed their audience with all the right touches, starting with the bespoke invitation. It is a customized box containing the show details, a Mulberry branded sketchbook and miniature watercolor paint set from renowned British fine art materials brand Winsor & Newton. Mulberry shares the story of water colour and the innovations William Winsor and Henry Newton contributed to the world of colour on the Mulberry blog. Today they released this beautifully simple video inviting us to watch the show live on September 18th at 10am (GMT) on Mulberry.com. Meantime, immerse in the colourful world of Mulberry by following their blog and various channels of Twitter @Mulberry_Editor, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.

It’s All About The Journey

Remember last March when Marc Jacobs presented the Louis Vuitton 2012 Fall collection from that gorgeous, steaming locomotive? That same train, christened the Louis Vuitton Express, has just journeyed from Paris to Shanghai over the last 11 days to mark the 20th anniversary of Louis Vuitton in China in a campaign called “The Meaning of Travel”. Photographer and director Todd Selby (yes, The Selby) documented experiences and encounters through photographs, video, drawings and paintings along the journey from Paris, which included stops through Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia and finally China.

For the campaign, Louis Vuitton joined with Jiepang (the Chinese version of Foursquare), inviting users to check in at any Louis Vuitton store in China and share a written post about what travel means to them on Jiepang or Sina Wiebo. Participants on Jiepang earn a virtual Louis Vuitton Express badge and 10 users will be selected to receive a copy of the book “Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks”. What is the incentive for any luxury brand to engage in social media platforms (Chinese or Otherwise)? Tech savvy twenty-somethings everywhere view luxury as an inclusive experience, whereas baby boomers perceive luxury as an exclusive badge. Particular to China, the spending potential of young, middle-class is growing… for the moment. And until they can afford their Louis Vuitton handbag, they can attain their branded “virtual badge”.

The journey culminates with a live fashion show, beginning promptly at 1.30pm GMT or 8.30am EST which can be viewed at http://www.louisvuittonexpress.com where beautiful and curious things surely await. Until then, below are highlights along the way in video journal form:

Day 1

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Day 3

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Day 4

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Day 6

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Day 9

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Lost In Details

Arizona Muse rocks the retro 1950’s 1960’s look through the form of an eloquently elegant scrapbook in the March 2012 editorial of Vogue Italia. Titled “Lost In Details” it’s almost all Prada all the time and there is inspiration enough here to get lost in. Images taken through the crafty lense of Paolo Roversi are dynamically cut, cropped and collaged in ways that bring a beautiful extra dimension to what already exists in its original form. For a peek behind the genius:

The Little Black Jacket

Once again, the forces of Karl (with Carine Roitfeld) make a dynamic statement with the understated, this time with that other House of Chanel classic: The Little Black Jacket. And it takes the form of an exhibition, an online experience, and a book featuring over 100 celebrities, artists and provocateurs wearing this iconic – and ever versatile – jacket, whilst adding their own signature twists. It’s a brilliant sensation that is inspiring, timeless and oh so Coco:

www.thelittleblackjacket.chanel.com

Original Sin

Serpents don’t always elicit comfort, but lest we forget a certain Original Sin transpired thanks to a clever devise called seduction. And Guido Mocafico seems to have abundant expertise in such matters, as he has photographed no less than 53 compositions of these storied creatures. His subjects intoxicate the eye with their luminous textures, lush colors, and hypnotic patterns. The resulting work is provocative, alluring, and curiously beautiful. One might even have compassion for Eve – after having falling under such a powerfully similar spell…

www.guidomocafico.com

Dream A Beautiful Dream of Dior

“Dior Couture” is not just any fashion portrait book, it is a mythic journey that spans the decades beginning after the Second World War when Christian Dior first launched the “New Look” in 1947 through the years with Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan and John Galliano at the helm. It also happens to have a legendary guide who is every bit an equal visionaire: Patrick Demarchelier. His lavish lense features over 100 of the most beautifully exquisite gowns that will inspire, transport, and captivate all who see.

“When you’re a fashion photographer, you must inspire a dream, with Dior Haute Couture the dream is already there” – Patrick Demarchelier

http://demarchelier.com/fashion

The Luxurious Issue of Leather

Wait no more for the much anticipated arrival of Edwin Sberro, Gael Hugo and Boris Ovini’s second coming of Exhibition Magazine. This issue features an immersion of all things leather that the imaginations of Emma Summerton, Guido Mocafico, Richard Burbridge, Sølve Sundsbø, Serge Lutens, Willy Vanderperre, and Jeff Rian can possibly bring fourth. “Leather is a commercial matter yet full of symbols and symbolism. It is iconic, timeless, intimate and generates plenty of fantasies.”

Sølve Sundsbø deserves all the worthy credit for the cover, but the images above are the luxuriantly dark revalations of Boris Ovini. Valerija Kelava and Chloe Memisevic are paired alonside some very alluring equines, yet perhaps the women are far more wild than the horses. It makes one wonder what the others have in mind…

www.exhibition-magazine.com

The 11 Wonders of Le Monde Hermès

Heritage and craftsmanship are what define luxury, but it is the often a story that truly captivates the imagination. Koto Bolofo has most certainly succeeded in achieving this with his book “Hermès: La Maison”. Over the course of 8 years he was granted unprecedented access to create 11 separate volumes documenting the 11 different ateliers of Hermès: Horses, Saddles, Kelly Bag, Clothes, Perfume, Bugatti, Gardens, Specialties, Scarves/Silk, John Lob, and La Collection. Humbly equipped with a film camera (presumably Bronica), tripod, cable release, and devotion, he beautifully captured the creation of luxury.

Of course for those curious minds, there is a riveting story of how Koto Bolofo convinced the late Jean-Louis Dumas on the merits of the project…

http://www.steidlville.com/books/971-La-Maison.html

Don’t Judge A Textbook By It’s Cover

There is a certain kind of charm to behold in vintage text books, such as the smell of aged parchment or lavishly drawn diagrams of living organisms, inked in a certain color palette of a certain time. And if you’re really lucky, such text books have passed through the hands of Michael Baumgarten, as seen in Vogue Gioiello. Hidden inside volumes of the natural world happen to be intricately carved niches, hosting some of earth science’s finest specimens. Diamonds shimmer alongside a family of coral and blue sapphires meander among transparent microorganisms. Science is a treasure.