Karsten Födinger at Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

Arsene Wargas
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Reading Time: < 1

Which Artist could fit perfectly to the post-industrial interior landscape of Palais de Tokyo, the french/parisian museum for Contemporary Art ? Well, a few names comes up but definitely KArsten Födinger gets the prize!

The German artists sculpts, screws, glues, fixes, straps, wraps all different materials on his master pieces. Shards ofplaster, pieces of concrete left behind on the floor – the discretion of the partsreflects a subtle analysis of space while giving it an unusual character, as unfinished. The artist does not only in the interiors: the structures of entire buildings  are wellthought  through   monumental buildings, which are in tension form. By his choice of clean lines and simple, Karsten Födinger is challenging from bothforms of modernism as an aesthetic construction or public works. His mastery of thematerials on both small and large scale reflects the maturity of this young German artist never exhibited in France. Once again, Palais de Tokyo brings a great artist to a democratic level, so any one can have the experience of being in front of one of Födinger installations.

If you visit the exhibition, you will see some of Födinger master pieces like the ones here:

Where: Palais de Tokyo, Paris-France
When: from February 18th to March 27th

LA

MRPORTER.COM, finally Men have their fashion online temple!

Arsene Wargas
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9
Reading Time: 2 minutes


Hi, we all know the successful eshop NETAPORTER.COM. It is one of the fashion online temples for women. Created by Nathalie Massennet in 2,000, this website brought fashion into the e-commerce business. With more than 18,000 visitors a day and 140 million sales, we understand why the Richemont group decided to buy the website. It seems they paid around 360 million dollars, which show how confident they are on the future of online luxury business. All experts say the luxury e-business should grow by 20% this year.

In the meantime, Nathalie Massennet is launching the masculine version of her female website. In deed, not only women have the right to shop online but also men. The website is called MRPORTER.COM and from what was announced in the press, it will contain at least 60 brands, among them Lanvin, YSL, Burberry and Ralph Lauren.
They started a buzz campaign in which people are invited to become a “Founder member”. You only need to subscribe online to the website. I did it so now I am officially a founder member of MRPORTER.COM. The only uncool thing is that they oblige you to send a message to a friend in order to validate the registration. I find this a little pushy as I was not so happy to do that by obligation. But anyway, let’s hope that the masculine version will have the kind of the IT-Items that  the feminine version integrates on its success.

If you love to shop online, or at least you would like to, check the following links I provide here below:

TOPMAN.COM
So british and so edgy. Afordable yet stylish close in a british style. When Regent street and H&M meet.

SHIRTSMYWAY.COM
The coolest site to design your shirts. A must on todays men’s elegance. Nothing more horrible than a bad shirt fit. Enjoy.

THECORNER.COM
A highend fashion choices. Neil Barret, Marc Jacobs, MArtin Margiela… so a sophisticated eshop with sophisticated brands for sophisticated people 🙂

NERDBOYFRIEND.COM
A very interesting website that proposes some different looks (in situation) and the different clothes + where to buy them. The discovery process is original and the brands too.

Thats all for now. Do not hesitate to place a comment in this post with your preferred online shop.
Cheers,

LA

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Four Seasons Bora Bora – Pure Luxury

Arsene Wargas
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2
Reading Time: 2 minutes

In this cold winter times, we all dream to escape to warmer horizons. Here is my dream: The Four Season Bora Bora. This name is in all heads when we look for exotism and travel. But do you know where is Bora Bora?
borabora

Settled by Polynesians around AD 900, French Polynesia was discovered by Europeans in the 16th century. For centuries, the French and English vied for the possession of Tahiti and its archipelago. A French colony since 1884, Bora Bora became an overseas territory in 1946. Its unequalled beauty has drawn artists and writers – perhaps most famously, author James A. Michener declared it the most beautiful island in the world. Today, most of Bora Bora’s 4,650 inhabitants live on a thin, flat coastal strip, many around the small port of Vaitape.

On a private motu, Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora offers a South Seas escape in a lush world of unsurpassed tropical beauty.

The Resort offers 121 spacious hideaways nestling around Bora Bora lagoon and its outer beaches. The 100 over-water bungalows perch on stilts above the turquoise lagoon. On the shore, seven beachfront villas nestle along a stretch of private beach. All overlook the pristine waters and views of spectacular Mount Otemanu.

Guest accommodations offer a restful, airy ambience inspired by local architecture – with traditional teak wood furnishings, high ceilings and roofs thatched with pandanus leaves. To accentuate the feel of Polynesia, special touches include striking works of art, private pools and deep bathtubs beside doors that slide open to reveal panoramic fresh-air views of the lagoon.

If you want to taste paradize, just connect to www.fourseasons.com/borabora. Prices are from 650 to 1000$ per night, depending on the package and the stay chosen.
LA

Lady Gaga for Polaroid… incredible!

LuxuryActivist
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Reading Time: < 1

Lady Gaga is everywhere. The question is where is she not? Here is a video where Lady Gaga is presenting the new Polaroid products at Las Vegas CES.

It is amazing how pro she is. Have a look, we could say she has been working for Polaroid for the past 10 years. A part from that, she presents the first Sunglasses by Polaroid with a camera inside. This object was inspired by Lady Gaga Video glasses. The second object is a less cool one, it is a portable printer… the more commercial part.
Just check and see the amazing world where we live…
LA

Victorinox Slim – A “cutting-edge” elegance.

Arsene Wargas
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7
Reading Time: 2 minutes

I will not add a new article about the Las Vegas CES 2011 show. But we can say that this year all records were broken. The Las Vegas show in figures:

  • 30,000 attendees
  • 2,700 hightech companies exposed
  • 80 different delegations
  • 22 top CEO participating in keynotes.
  • 250 sessions with 900 speakers

This just sound amazing. I could choose to talk about the 80 new tablets launch (and I am not talking about the iPAd2) but I prefer to talk about a small, I should say Slim beautiful pieces of luxury technology. These little wonders are called the Victorinox Victorinox_Slim_with_BladesSlim and the Victorinox Slim Duo. The maker of the original Swiss Army knife place himself as the Prince of Multi-functionality. It is amazing to see what you can have out of a Swiss Army Knife! We are far away from camping or hunting. Here Victorinox is opening the path of a new type of product, both elegant and useful. Most of the time, either we have a great USB drive with great technology and reliability but it is ugly or we can have beautiful Swarovski USB keys but the technology behind is out-dated. Here Victorinox presents what we could call Practical luxury.

The Slim and Slim Duo is a beautiful USB Drive built in a Swiss Army Knife shelf. They are waterproof, shock resistant and available in a range of colors including red, blue, orange, pink, green and silver. The memory capacity is up to 64GB for the Victorinox Slim and 128GB for the Victorinox Slim Duo. Note some interesting additional features:

  • Automatic Back-up Function
  • Zero-Footprint capability to ensure anonymity while web surfing
  • Bookmarks and Favorites Manager
  • Synchronize your documents and folders between more than one computer
  • Synchronize Office Outlook or Outlook Express files
  • Password Manager

Victorinox-Slimvictorinox_slim

 

The slim metal-dressed usb drive reveals an exquisite elegance. Who said technology goes with lack of taste?

Totally Geek or Design freak?

This tool is essential in todays world. The Victorinox Slim and Slim Duo are simply a piece of great technology with a cutting-edge design. Available in April 2011.

I want one!
LA

http://www.victorinox.com

Guerlain – Shalimar Parfum Initial

José Amorim
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15
Reading Time: 2 minutes


After the success of Chanel n°5 and its Eau Première, Guerlain is launching Shalimar Parfum Initial.
The Fragrance was composed by Thierry Le Vasseur the In-house perfumer.
All these first “chapters” give us a feeling of purity, of back to the Origins, to the truth, to the pure creation. There is something of divinity in this Fragrances, like revealing the true inspiration of this incredible creations. We hope by these means to get some revelation, to understand part of the Artist true idea… like a mystery revealed. So each time a brand reveals “chapter one” we can only feel excited about it. When Chanel N°5 launched Eau Première, we discovered a true creation, like a ray of light in the true heart of the historical creation. Chanel N°5 was in 1921, and here Shalimar evoques 1925. It is an invitation to explore eastern fantasies, orientalism, the richness of Arts and the incredible signature of a legendary scent… Shalimar.
From the perfumer work, we can see an enlightenment of things. Fresher, brighter and yet sensual. Let’s hope it is not just a marketing tactic but more an artistic testimonial. The Print ad shows Natalia Vodianova totally naked, between the sacred and the pagan,
sensuality or virginity, power or devotion…. the Shalimar mystery still remains for the beauty of our senses…
IT will be launched in Europe this spring.
LA

Dior Resort collection 2011

Arsene Wargas
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1
Reading Time: < 1

This year the Resort Collections are under the glamourous inspiration of the 60’s.

Chanel, Dior… they all decided to get some glamour under the sun. I specially liked the Dior Cruise collection. by looking to the silhouettes, I had the feeling of sunshine. This 60’s touch was a delightful idea that would take us out of the cold winter. I could imagine Brigitte Bardot walking around in Buzios, Saint Tropez or Punta del Este…

Amy Winehouse or Duffy could just arrive and start singing…

If the Show started with a glamourous chic “Nouvelle vague” touch, we can see that Mr Galliano ended with his unforgettable signature on beautiful and majestic party and cocktail dresses. A summer fantasy.
LA

Thierry Mugler Men, The Anatomy of change

Arsene Wargas
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5
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The big question on everybody’s mind going into the Thierry Mugler menswear show on the opening night of Paris Fashion Week was whether Lady Gaga would be present, because it was the debut collection for the new creative director, Nicola Formichetti, who has helped shape some of the entertainer’s more distinctive looks.

Unless she was well disguised, she wasn’t evident in the front of the house — but she was definitely heard. Listed in the show notes as “the musical director of this menswear project,” she created the soundtrack that played during the show.

But the possibility of such an A-level celebrity sighting was enough to pack the house (well, a concrete-floored automotive garage in Paris’ 3rd Arrondissement, actually) with a standing-room only crowd, which witnessed the rebirth of the label.

Rebirth because in addition to new creative blood at the helm, there’s been a name change. From now on, the clothing collections will be known simply as “Mugler” and be accompanied by a new logo, both signifying, according to the notes, “a new chapter in the history of the brand.” (It should be noted that  one thing has not changed — the Mugler menswear design director with whom Formichetti collaborated on the collection remains Romain Kremer.) Source: LATimes

Here is my preferred look. I just loved it!!!

Though Formichetti may be best known as the man behind Lady Gaga’s show-stopping style, Nicola Formichetti will make his debut as Thierry Mugler’s new creative director on January 19 at the Paris men’s shows. And like most designers, he’s found himself a muse. Meet Rick Genest, a twenty-something model known more for his skeletal body art than his portfolio. He also goes by the name Zombie Boy.The main model is an extreme tattooed artist-performer. His name is Rick “Rico” Genest and he has a facebook fan page. Dark Angel or Gentle Devil? LA

Abstraction at MoMa NY

Arsene Wargas
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0
Reading Time: 2 minutes

More than sixty years have passed since the critic Robert Coates, writing in the New Yorker in 1946, first used the term “Abstract Expressionism” to describe the richly colored canvases of Hans Hofmann. Over the years the name has come to designate the paintings and sculptures of artists as different as Jackson Pollock and Barnett Newman, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner and David Smith. Beginning in the 1940s, under the aegis of Director Alfred H. Barr, Jr., works by these artists began to enter the Museum’s collection. Thanks to the sustained support of the curators, the trustees, and the artists themselves, these ambitious acquisitions continued throughout the second half of the last century and produced a collection of Abstract Expressionist art of unrivaled breadth and depth.

Drawn entirely from the Museum’s vast holdings, Abstract Expressionist New York underscores the achievements of a generation that catapulted New York City to the center of the international art world during the 1950s, and left as its legacy some of the twentieth century’s greatest masterpieces. Galleries on the fourth floor present Abstract Expressionist paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, films, and archival materials in a display subtitled The Big Picture, marking the first time in the history of the new Museum building that a full floor has been devoted to a single theme. The exhibition continues on the floors below, where focused shows—Rock Paper Scissors in the second-floor Prints and Illustrated Books Galleries, and Ideas Not Theories in the third-floor Drawings Galleries—reveal distinct facets of the movement as it developed in diverse mediums, adding to a historical overview of the era and giving a sense of its great depth and complexity. The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated publication.

Until April 2011.

LA

Aura, Crystallized by Swarovski. The new Fragrance.

José Amorim
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3
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Ok, here is perhaps the most wanted launch of 2011. Finally, after 2 years of supositions and speculations, now it is official: Swarovski is launching its First Fragrance. It is called AURA.

Aura by swarovski4 years ago, one of the biggest and sexiest fragrance license was bought by Clarins: Swarovski Beauty. It might be the biggest potential license brand in the world. We are talking here about several million dollars sales. The Central-Europe brand changed a lot on the past 20 years. Swarovski succeeded to make Crystal glass more “valuable, cool and sexy” than any precious stones.

The initial goal with Clarins was Fragrances, make up and beauty accessories. The project is leaded by Thierry Mugler Parfums teams that built a special A-Team for the occasion. As you might know, Thierry Mugler team works already with Swarovski on Angel limited editions for the past 10 years. So a nice interesting marriage.

Aura, that is the name. According to Thesaurus, Aura is an invisible breath, emanation, or radiation. From the Latin via greek auras, aurae: Breeze.

aura by swarovskiThe flacon tried to capture the purity of Crystal into a fragrance. The Flacon designer is Gwenaël Nicolas, a french artist living in Japan for many years now. He was the one who knew how to capture the idea. He already worked for the brand in 2010 during an artistic installation in MilanoThe perfumers are Jean-Pierre Bethouart and Olivier Cresp, from Firmenich. Olivier Cresp is used to the Thierry Mugler teams as he is the creator of Angel. The fragrance is described by their creators as an incandescence Chypre, dixit Pierre Aulas, the Olfactive director of the Brand. Aura evokes the idea of crystals in a state of fusion. Lychee melds with tuberose and a ‘prism of energy’ accord blending amber, benzoin and musk, and a lush, woodsy trail.

All flacons are refillable and the carton packaging was imagined to be eco-friendly and eco-responsible. Aura comes in a range of four body products… As well as three charmingly glamorous ‘make-up jewelry items.’ The gloss and brightening powders for the face and body are presented in crystal-studded medallions you can wear like a necklace.

Aura by SwarovskiFor the Advertising, the brand choosed the english photographer Craig McDean. He already worked for the brand on several occasions as well as for different luxury fashion houses. The tagline is: “The Grace of Light”…. beautiful.

We can see on the key visual some mountains in the background, as a reminder of Swarovski Austrian origins.

Joël Palix, President of Clarins Fragrance Group says:
“Its history, its renown, its unique know-how, and the ties it has forged with the world of fashion and design, all make Swarovski a truly extraordinary brand. To me, Swarovski is the new luxury. The fragrance calls on memory, sensibility, emotion… after jewelry, this really is a whole new dimension added to the Swarovski universe.

The relationship between our two companies has been truly collaborative: we listened to one another and shared the same sense of scrupulous rigor. The fragrance required about 2,000 tries before we found the right formula and Swarovski remained fully involved in the process, from start to finish.

Swarovski and Clarins have both followed singular paths. For both of us, success requires patience. A beautiful product finds its audience over time, and that’s exactly the vision we share with Swarovski.”
The product range will have:
Aura by Swarovski

Eau de Parfum
15 ML Refillable spray EDP
30 ML Refillable spray EDP
50 ML Refillable spray EDP
75 ML Refillable spray EDP
50 ML Refill bottle EDP

Swarovski Make-up JewelMake-up Jewels
Crystal Gloss: Transparent Shimmer and Glistening Pink
Crystal Touch: Silver Shimmer

“Crystallize Your Body” Bath Line
Perfumed Body Cream 150 ML
Perfumed Body Lotion 200 ML
Perfumed Shower Gel 200 ML
Perfumed Deodorant Spray 100 ML

After the Launch of Womanity by Thierry Mugler, now the beauty group starts a new adventure, that we all hope will be facetted and surprising as crystal.
LA

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