Monday, July 18, 2011

If the shoe fits....

I spotted these boots on a trendy looking lady the other night, she was wearing them with gold silk pants and a pistachio and pink silk scarf... wow.  We got talking and she kindly told me where she bought her boots from; an online shopping haven with over 200 discounted designer brands stocking womenswear and accessories - Alexander McQueen, Chloe, Balmain, D&G, Marni & Marc Jacobs just to name a few.  

So, pasted below are a few select favourites from the site, including these gorgeous Camilla Skovgaard suede wedge mid calf boots - and yes, they look as good in real life.



Below: Marni, satin and leather sandal



Below: Marni, cutout leather sandal, mmmm...




These beautiful Marni shoes plus many more, available on line at The Outnet.
www.theoutnet.com

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Versace launches line for H&M !



FIRST LOOK: VERSACE FOR H&M


by BRITT ABOUTALEB
on JUNE 21, 2011 - 8:35 AM

Photo: Getty Images
This morning, H&M announced their latest designer collaboration:  Versace.  But last night, at the Versace men’s show in Milan, Donatella gave the world a sneak peek before they knew what they were looking at—the studded leather dress she wore to take a bow is from the Versace for H&M collection.
Mere mortals will have to wait until November 19th to get their hands on the collection which includes men’s, women’s and home.  The press release promises the collection will “recall the heritage of the brand,” while invoking Gianni’s name and listing “leather, prints, color, and exuberance” among the highlights of what’s to come.
The women’s collection, including heels and costume jewelry, will offer more studded leather as well as colorful silk dresses while men’s will focus on sharp tailoring (including “the perfect tuxedo”). Donatella says, “The collection will be quintessential Versace.”
If Versace’s your favorite, you’re in extra luck–on top of the capsule collection for fall, the designer’s also whipped up a pre-spring collection that will hit online January 19th.  That gives you about six months to set up an international mailbox (unless H&M ecommerce arrives Stateside by the end of the year)!
Source:  www.elle.com

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Photo shoot @ Elle magazine China

hair & make-up artists work their magic 





yes, models eat!

Paradise: selection of clothes and accessories for the shoot 


Left: Elle Fashion Editor Hubert, and Hair stylist with model preparing for the shoot


The shoot






Behind the scenes...


Hong Kong photographer with his assistant


Fabulous outfit



Posing with a tank full of sharks







Showcasing two different boots, LV and Gucci... x

The final cut - December issue of Elle China





Thank you Elle China - Shanghai! xxx

Friday, May 20, 2011

Does my bum look big in this?


Around the world, fitting rooms are getting a make over in order to make you look and feel good about what you wear, and assistants offering first class service fit for a queen! 

Below: The VIP changing room at Dsquared features walls
of birch trunks and pictures of the forests of Canada,
home of Dean and Dan Caten, the twin designers of
the brand.



Below: The “infinity fitting rooms” at Alter are mirrored on both sides
of the wall, creating a never-ending reflection.


Below: Dior Homme’s dressing rooms feature black-and-white photos
of Chinese men from the past six decades


"Lily Ren will never forget the moment when she was in an Yves Saint Laurent store in Los Angeles last summer. She was standing on a platform surrounded by three huge mirrors, trying on a dress from the French fashion couture house’s latest collection. Two sales girls were busy assisting her: They zipped her up, brought her a pair of matching high heels and placed a necklace around her neck for a refined, finished look. 

“I felt like I was a Hollywood star in a private salon from the old times,” recalls the Shanghai shopper in her 40s. “It was the best-ever luxury shopping experience.”  Delighted and also feeling very important, Ren ended up buying not only the dress, but also the shoes and necklace the shop assistants had recommended. Nowadays, more and more fashion retailers in Shanghai have also come to realize the importance of a special dressing space. 

“Fitting rooms are very important for retail spaces,” says Sonja Long, founder of Alter, a high-end multi-branded fashion boutique in the new Xintiandi Style mall. “They allow the clients to be alone with the items they want to try on ... so it’s a very personal, almost intimate experience.” The two fitting rooms in Alter feature mirrors on opposite walls, creating a never-ending reflection and one can see herself or himself reflected over and over again. “We call them the infinity fitting rooms,” Long explains. “Alter is a playground for adults and we have also brought this idea into the fitting room. It’s almost like a fantasy, like a digitally manipulated image but it is real. You can definitely have a lot of fun in there!” 

Space, design, lighting, comfort, privacy and mirrors are all important factors for an ideal dressing space. “Poorly designed fitting rooms can discourage the customer from purchasing the merchandize,” Long adds. Stepping into the VIP changing room at Italian fashion house Dsquared’s new store in Pudong’s IFC Mall is like entering a pristine forest. “I ‘wowed’ when I was led to the room for the first time,” recalls local fashion writer Toni Chen. “It is very spacious, featuring walls of birch bark and pictures of the natural forest. It makes one feel peaceful and at ease, especially in a luxury shopping mall where all the branded stuff seems to shout ‘Buy me, buy me, buy me’!” “A taste of home, where Canadian woods meet Italian design” is how shop manager Caroline Zhong describes the new store concept. The furniture such as the deer antler chandeliers and the walls of birch bark were carefully chosen to evoke the forests of Canada, home of Dean and Dan Caten, the twin designers for Dsquared. 

Downstairs on the first floor of the IFC Mall, Dior Homme has invited renowned Chinese artist Wen Fang to design the two fitting rooms for its second retail space in Shanghai. The walls are covered with bricks featuring black-and-white photos of Chinese men from the past six decades. Each brick is one-of-a-kind. Some of the subjects are very easily identified, such as Chairman Mao Zedong, Bruce Lee, China’s pioneer rocker Cui Jian and Hong Kong star Andy Lau, while the others are images of ordinary people Wen collected from her family and friends’ archives. 

“When a Chinese customer enters the room, he most likely feels happy and surprised,” Wen says, explaining her idea behind the project. “A foreign customer, on the other hand, would think that it is a Western fashion brand that understands and respects Chinese culture. “But it will make the changing experience much longer if he takes a close look at all the pictures,” she says laughing." 

source: China Daily 4.5.2011

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Evo product launch























Halcyon Hairdressing hosted a launch for their new product range "Evo" full of bubbles (both kind) and demonstrations on how to keep your hair fat & happy, twisted for life, or securely stapled to your head.
  
By day Evo saves ordinary humans (and those other creatures often called human) from hair dump days, with a range of quirky and fun product names - not to mention they are sulphate, paraben and propylene glycol free and not tested on animals.  And by night, Evo products are donated to mens shelters. 


  


Halcyon Hairdressing 

Evo products / blog