Putting Your Back Into It

Spring 2010 is so far my favorite season in fashion. Aside from military and utilitarian-inspired dressing the trend this season also have models lying down on their backs as seen on various ad campaigns. Let me show you some of them before I rummage through my closet for some torn shirts..

Louis Vuitton has Lara Stone communing with some doves and Mother Nature. I'm so happy they got Lara to do this one since I'm so tired of seeing Madonna for two seasons now. By the way, Steven Meisel shot this photo.

Jac Jagaciak is also communing with nature in this ad for Calvin Klein. Photographed by David Sims, this Polish girl looks like an ethereal nymph or a girl who just lost her innocence.

Georgia May Jagger can be seen lying on a bed for Versace. The bed must be really soft and comfortable since she looks very calm while being shot by Mario Testino. Love the bag..

If I were Raquel Zimmerman, I don't think I can do this shoot. I really hate snakes and she's seen here being covered by bright-colored reptiles for Alexander McQueen. I'm not sure though if the pained look on her face is because of the snakes or because of those shoes. Either way, Nick Knight did an amazing job taking this photo.

Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott had Dree Hemingway reclining on a couch for Valentino. This is one of my favorite ad campaign photos and the hair works really well with the outfit and the set.

Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott also did the photography for Miu Miu's campaign. This time they had Lindsey Wixson on the floor but still in a supine position.

Juergen Teller shot the ad for Marc Jacobs which features Jamie Bochert in a cute white outfir with her legs spread open. Liked the outfit, not sure about the clutch.

Straight Men Can Now Grab A Paddington

September 2004 is when the world first saw Chloé’s Paddington on the Spring/Summer ’05 runway and women like Christina Aguilera and Halle Berry immediately fell in love. Men who buy this bag are either buying it for their lady-loves and if they’re keeping it for themselves then they’re gay. Well, straight men (and discreet gay men) can now grab a Paddington for themselves as the French fashion house launches their first collection of men’s bags and leather goods. Entitled Mr. Paddington, the line is inspired by their namesake women’s collection. Black leather bags and wallets feature small silver locks and red contrast stitching around the zip details.

Personally I’d love to get my hands on the bag on the right (see photo). Maybe I’d be able to give the bag I’m using a break once I have one. After all, not many IT bags are geared towards men.

What's Next For Time Style & Design?

I don't have a Time Magazine subscription. In fact, I don't think I need one since I already have CNN, but I always make it a point to buy a copy only if it comes with the Time Style & Design supplement. I'm not someone who buys every fashion magazine in the newsstands. In fact I swore off some magazines after reading their poorly-written articles and seeing their unimaginative editorials. Time Style & Design, however, made me a loyal follower with their journalistic approach to delivering fashion news. Unfortunately, I won't be getting my hands on any future issues due to the bad economy.

Time Style & Design will be suspending publication indefinitely due to the downturn in the luxury market. Kate Betts, the magazine's editor, will stay on at Time while four staffers were laid off. “We'd hope to bring it back when the economy improves”, a spokeswoman said.

I hope they do bring it back. Every time I browse through its pages I always head down to The A-List first to see which bags or shoes are selling like pancakes in different cities around the world. After that I read through Notebook to see what's going on in the fashion industry. In fact I learned in this section the approximate cost for producing a Badgley Mischka runway show.

I remember writing a piece back in college about the presence of ethnic models and their impact in the fashion industry. If it wasn't for Ling Woo Liu's article (“Color Lines on the Catwalk”, Fall 2008), I wouldn't have gotten a stellar grade. I even referred to the magazine's write-up on Anna Wintour and Donna Karan when I was writing on women heading the fashion industry.

Time Style & Design is filled with information you wouldn't normally find on any fashion magazine. If I sticked to just browsing through these magazines then I wouldn't have found out about Shamina Talyarkhan and Victoria Brynner and how important they are to the fashion industry. I wouldn't have known who Joshua Spanier is and how he sold Britney Spears' Curious back in 2004 if it wasn't for Time Style & Design.

Without Time Style & Design, I wouldn't have known some of the biggest names in the industry that I love. They will be deeply missed until they resume publication.

A Huge Cover For Ash Stymest

OMFG! Ash Stymest is on the cover of Huge Magazine for October 2009. Well, I'm absolutely in love with this Englishman and I'm dying to get my hands on a copy of this magazine.

Is anybody in Japan willing to send me a copy? Oh please do..

Something Good To Come Out Of This Recession

This recession sure is giving me a headache. Instead of shopping for this season's must-haves, I end up saving most of my hard-earned cash for a rainy day. Not that saving money is a bad thing, but I would have loved to own this season's Armani poncho that looks a bit like a trench. Times like these I would rather use the money to buy three weeks worth of groceries. As much as it pains me, I would prefer wearing last season's clothes than end up looking like Ash Stymest on the September cover of Italian Vogue. If there's something good to come out of this recession its that designers are now launching affordable lines to generate profit. This is good news for me since I won't have to shop at thrift stores or save up in order to buy this season's must-haves by the year 2012.

If I were a girl I'd go gaga over Temperley London's dresses, but their prices will surely drive me crazy (and not in a good way). Who in their right mind would spend $1,795 on a cream silk minidress or $1,495 for a pleated raspberry dress? I would probably buy them if I happen to inherit a chain of hotels someday, but with my monthly income I'd rather spend my cash over at Debenham's. Good thing they're launching a lower-priced line for Spring 2010. Prices start at around $57, so I'm glad to hear I can finally get my hands on one of their tunic tops. Oh right, I'm not a girl..

Erin Wasson's LowLuv jewelry line are not made of exotic jewels yet they retail for $1,000. Shocking isn't it? Well, prices are set to come down and the metal-based pieces will range from $40 to $200. The collection will debut on Wasson's RVCA runway during New York Fashion Week (which also happens this week).

Versace also relaunches Versus, a lower-priced women's ready-to-wear line this September in Milan. Hopefully this will help generate income for the fashion powerhouse since their 13.4% losses during the first quarter of this year. If you can remember Versus unveiled a line of accessories last February designed by Christopher Kane.

Like I said, if there's one thing that came out of this frickin' recession its that designers are launching lines that are more "attainable". Hopefully these lines will continue once the economy improves, but I wish Bottega Veneta would join the bandwagon and launch a more affordable line together with their expensive collections.

September In Vogue

I'm dying to see The September Issue, a documentary that follows American Vogue's Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and the making of the September 2007 issue. We all know that it was Sienna Miller who was on the cover of that issue, but who's on the cover this time around? Here are a few September 2009 Vogue covers from around the world..

1. Charlize Theron appears on the cover of American Vogue shot by world-renowned photographer Mario Testino.

2. Iris Strubegger is on the cover of Nippon Vogue dressed in a classic high-sheen backless dress. The cover was shot by Inez and Vinoodh.

3. Kate Moss is on the cover of Vogue UK wearing a Burberry trench coat and a crystal necklace designed by Bea Valdes.

4. Kate Moss is also on Russian Vogue and she's sparkly and vamped out on the cover.

5. Anja Rubik is a sultry seductress on the cover of German Vogue shot by Alexi Lubomirski.

6. Sasha Pivovarova and Ash Stymest (the male model I'm crushing on right now) are on the cover of Italian Vogue shot by Steven Meisel as homeless-chic youths.

7. Gisele Bündchen is on the cover of Indian Vogue wearing a Balmain crystal-embellished tweed jacket and Tarun Tahiliani bikini. Just so you know this girl is pregnant.

8. Lara Stone is on the cover of French Vogue shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. This is her second cover this year for the magazine.

Of these eight, what's your favorite Vogue cover? I heart Ash Stymest, so I'm going for the Italian version.

Fashion You Can Eat

I love to eat and my full-figured body can attest to that. I'm particularly drawn to sweets, but I've decided to hold off on them after I lose ten or more pounds. That was before I found out Christian Louboutin's collaboration with French patisserie Ladurée to create three beautifully adorned boxes for macaroons. Seems like a match made in heaven since both parties produce the most scrumptious creations on this planet.

Louboutin is well-known for his fabulous shoes with shiny, red-lacquered soles that is his trademark and also for bringing stilettos back into fashion in the 1990s and 2000s. Catherine Deneuve and Angelina Jolie are fans of his and so are Princess Caroline of Monaco and Princess Marie Chantal of Greece. First Lady of France Carla Bruni also swears by his shoes as she chose to wear a pair of kitten heels when she met with Princess Letizia of Spain last April.

On the other hand, Ladurée is famous for those small, round cakes that are crisp on the outside and smooth and soft in the middle. Many have sworn that these macaroons are to die for and a new flavor is created every season. In fact, the Parisian patisserie is credited for having created all those tasty treats in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette.

Louboutin's sketches of red-soled high heels will appear on the boxes and they come in three sizes to fit six, eight and 18 macaroons. The drawings sure do look as tasty as the treats inside since they're drawn in pastel shades. To tie-in with the collaboration, Ladurée has taken inspiration from Louboutin's designs and created a selection of limited-edition macaroon flavors that includes fig and date. Truly this is fashion you can eat.

Now I can't wait for September 11 when the limited edition gift boxes will be made available, but then again these will only be available at the Ladurée Harrods and Burlington Arcade Gallery branches in London. On the plus side, I can sleep well knowing I can stick to my macaroon-free diet since I don't have the cash to fly for a box of sweet treats.