All posts tagged: Balenciaga

I’m in the Toronto Life Stylebook Fall 2013 Edition

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I have a little feature in the Fall 2013 Toronto Life Stylebook. They approached me to discuss my beauty routine and what new products I’m looking forward to this fall. I give shout outs to some of my favourite beauty brands and retailers: Lancome, Chanel, Essie, Givenchy, Marni, Balenciaga, Philosophy, Concepts Salon & Spa and the Miraj Hammam Spa at The Shangri-La Hotel. The most surprising thing about the feature was this illustration of me. I was completely stunned. If you remember, I hated the last illustration Toronto Life commissioned of me. Judit García-Talavera is an illustrator based in Barcelona, Spain. She is absolutely incredible and I’m not just saying that because she created a kick ass illustration of me. She’s worked with clients such as Marie Claire Spain, Telegraph’s Stella magazine, Bloomingdales, ELLE China, Teen Vogue, Gilt Group, ELLE Girl Japan, Harper’s Bazaar Spain, Stylesight, Rolling Stone Spain, Hennessy Cognac and Piaget. You can see all the rest of Judit’s work for the Fall 2013 Toronto Life Stylebook on her blog. The Toronto Life …

Balenciaga Pre Fall 2012 – 2013 Campaign Video

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Really late to the game with this short campaign video for the Balenciaga Pre Fall 2012 – 2013 collection. It’s pretty awesome though. A Youtube comment had something actually insightful. It made reference to how Jem and The Holograms this collection is. Video: Steven Meisel Creative Direction: House and Holme Stylist: Marie-Amélie Sauvé Hair: Guido Makeup: Pat McGrath

I want – I got Holiday Gift Guide – Part 1

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So, this year I lost my mind and I decided to create a holiday gift guide. I’m usually anti-gift guides because I’m not much of a Christmas person and gift guides are a shit ton of work. I don’t know what made me change my mind this year but here we are. People have told me this is a good idea, so I hope you find it helpful or amusing. This is the part one of four in the I want – I got Gift Guide series. I have so many favourite things I wanted to include. This gift guide is very much I want – I got. You’ll see things I want, things I got and other obsessions.  Some things are affordable and some aren’t but I’ve tried to mix it up. The list covers fashion, beauty, electronics, art, toys and booze. Basically, all the items on the gift guide are I want – I got approved. So, join me on this exploration of things I would love to see under my tree at Christmas. …

Flare Magazine x Nadege Macarons

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Macarons and fashion are always mentioned together. I should be over everything related to macaron but I’m not. They are just too damn tasty to ignore. Flare and Nadège teamed up to create macaron based on shades from the fall winter 2012 – 2013 collections. You can see all 10 of the creations at Flare.com. Toronto’s top macaron maker Nadège Nourian, of Nadège Patisserie, has created one-of-a-kind shades just for FLARE inspired by the season’s hottest hues. “This is one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever worked on,” shared Nourian while on set for our macaron photo shoot, “but it was incredibly fulfilling and so much fun to do.” See these delicious confections paired with top looks from the international runways for a sweet visual treat. Four of the ten custom marcaron created for the editorial are available for purchase at Nadège Patisserie for a limited time. The flavours are (top to bottom in above photo): Chocolate cherry, inspired by Givenchy , Grand Cru chocolate from Brazil, inspired by Balenciaga; Cotton candy, inspired by …

i want: Balenciaga Spring Summer 2012 Dresses

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Maxi dresses are catching my eye more and more these days.  I love these two dresses from the Balenciaga Spring Summer 2012 collection.  The fuchsia marble print dress is a throwback from the Cristobal Balenciaga archives. I love the print on the Multicolour flowers zebra print dress. images: Balenciaga.com

Balenciaga: Spanish Master

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This is a great video about the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute’s Balenciaga: Spanish Master exhibit which ran earlier this year in New York City. Conceived of by our Chairman, Oscar de la Renta, curated by Vogue Contributing Editor Hamish Bowles, BALENCIAGA: Spanish Master was the first exhibition to consider the impact of Spain’s culture, history and art on one of its greatest twentieth-century sons, the legendary designer Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972). Showcasing more than seventy items of Cristóbal Balenciaga clothing and accessories, BALENCIAGA: Spanish Master is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between the House of Balenciaga in Paris and an American institution.(source) My favourite tidbit of information gleamed from this video is that Oscar de la Renta worked for Cristóbal Balenciaga. Artinfo.com has some great photos of the BALENCIAGA: Spanish Master exhibit. This video was taken by Bart Boehlert who chatted curator Hamish Bowles.

Balenciaga Spring Summer 2011

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I’m usually a solid Balenciaga fan but the spring summer 2011 collection made me think. There was no immediate reaction of adoration for the clothing. I wasn’t a big fan of the first half of the collection but liked the second. It’s taken me a bit of time to absorb what I’ve seen. This rockabilly version of Balenciaga has me loving classic things like pants and that printed denim.  They look so roomy and comfortable. There are also some sweet little jackets in the collection.  I’ll take a red leather Balenciaga coat please. Balenciaga also introduced watches this season which were inspired by an antique clock in the atelier. I did have an immediate reaction to the shoes and that was love. It’s apparently the first time Ghesquière has show flats at Balenciaga. Shoes like this remind me of my first pair of Dr. Martens. They were low cut, pointy toe, black patent leather creeper like shoes. I loved them to pieces. I love the visual of the shoes and that crazy floral denim. The …

Balenciaga Paris Flagship Store

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Balenciaga recently changed up the Paris flagship store’s design. I like it. Ghesquière and Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, the contemporary artist with whom he collaborates on store design managed to marry original, classical elements such as black-and-white French chateau floors — and an ornate banister retrieved from the Balenciaga archives — with Starship Enterprise-worthy lighting and fractal fixtures reminiscent of the Fortress of Solitude in “Superman.” The 1,940-square-foot boutique, slated to open Saturday, was also slightly refigured to claim additional ground-level space for selling, allowing Guichot to increase ready-to-wear stockkeeping units by 50 percent, and to better showcase a range of product categories, from footwear and sunglasses to fragrances. There’s even trolley-style luggage, tucked between two gold chairs and next to an interplanetary mural. images: WWD.com

Pic Me Tommy Ton at Holt Renfrew

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Tommy Ton returned to the Toronto fashion scene for an exhibition of his work. Holt Renfrew is displaying Tommy Ton’s photos on the mezzanine level at the Bloor Street store from August 18 – August 30, 2010. Holt Renfrew is delighted to welcome fashion photographer Tommy Ton to Holt Renfrew Bloor Street, Wednesday, August 18, 2010 for a private event to launch an exhibit of his work. The exhibit of 12 images of some of fall 2010’s most sought-after footwear styles will be housed at Holt Renfrew Bloor Street from August 18 to August 30 on the mezzanine level. These one-of-a-kind photos were taken by Tommy Ton this spring in Toronto and have each been signed by the photographer himself. For the duration of the exhibit, Holt Renfrew will host a contest where one can enter the chance to win one of 12 framed and autographed prints valued at $1,500. Please see contest details at Holt Renfrew Bloor Street. I attended the party for Tommy opening night. I really liked what they did with the …

Balenciaga Fall Winter 2010 – 2011 Ad Campaign

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I love the portraits in the Steven Meisel shot Ad Campaign for the Balenciaga Fall 2010 – 2011 collection. I don’t care much for the standing shots and I would have preferred a different background colour. The portraits are very powerful. Each model is quite striking looking. images: thefashionspot.com

Balenciaga Resort 2011

Balenciaga Resort 2011

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Some of the Balenciaga Resort 2011 collection looked very 70s airline uniform. I wasn’t a big fan of that.  Of the pieces that didn’t look like that, I loved the prints and vibrant colours.  I drink the Balenciaga koolaid with no regrets. The repeating pattern prints reminds me of childhood blankets and clothing.  The collection still has that sporty Balenciaga feel. WWD.com had some close up images of the accessories.  They didn’t have any photo of the slouchy print boot.  I love the industrial looking jewellery. images: Style.com and wwd.com

Balenciaga Ready to Wear - Fall 2010

Balenciaga Fall Winter 2010 – 2011 Video (Full Show)

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I found the full show video for the Balenciaga Ready to Wear – Fall Winter 2010 collection. The soundtrack is killer. This video is great for providing all the angles of the models so you can see the back details. The clothing has so much more depth with video. The construction is a lot clearer. There is a lot going on in the fall winter 2010 collection. Dazed Digital got a closer look at the collection. They have some great photos of the all the details. I also like the shots from Purple Magazine. images: style.com

Balenciaga Fall Winter 2010 Shoes

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The shoes in the Balenciaga Fall 2010 collection needed a post of their own. I always anticipate crazy shoes from Balenciaga and this time we got block heel brogues and loafers. What do you think of the shoes? I’m liking the three shoes in the top photo.   I love the colour combinations too.  I hope they aren’t crazy heavy shoes.  They look it. via Balenciaga Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear Collection on Style.com: Runway Review.

Balenciaga Ready to Wear - Fall 2010

Balenciaga Ready to Wear – Fall Winter 2010 – 2011

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Nicolas Ghesquière was influenced by cosmonauts, seventies Formica, packaging and food boxes, Synthetic foam, plywood, sleeping bags and biscuits for the Balenciaga Fall 2010 collection. The weirder Nicolas goes the more I eat it up. He’s pushing new techniques and fabrics advancing the technology. Nicolas Ghesquière is one of those designers who I still has that freedom to go crazy with his vision and execute it. I love the coloured eyebrows. It looks really cool. This was a very structured armor-like collection. I see shades of Balenciaga Spring 2010 in this collection. It’s an explosion of colour. Despite the strange styling there are some wearable pieces. I’m fond of the belted sweaters, the armor-like dresses in the vein of Spring 2010. Have you seen the footware, that’s the topic of another post. There is a lot of play with texture and prints. Visit nytimes.com for large hi res images of the Balenciaga fall 2010 collection. Here is a short video which highlights all the looks.. The full fashion show video is available. It’s a must …

Spring Summer 2010 Runway Fashion Trends

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I have some trend forecasting posts for Spring 2010, but I realize that doesn’t help anyone looking for what is going on after the shows have happened. Here is a post to help those who are getting directed to the Fashion Trends Forecasting Spring Summer 2010 post. These are the trends that are hitting the streets for spring and summer 2010. Lingerie on the outside – Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier The blazer. See Junya Watanabe, Yohji Yamamoto, Isabel Marant, Balmain Legs in shorts or skirts. See Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Versace Leather. See Celine, Ann Demeulemeester, YSL, Rick Owens, Greta Constantine Sport. See Rag and Bone, Alexander Wang, Prada, Balenciaga, Gucci, Hermès On the Farm. See Chanel, D&G, Ralph Laure, Christopher Kane Knotting and draping. See Burberry, Donna Karen, Lanvin Prints. See Versace, Givenchy, Dries Van Noten, Alexander McQueen Kitten Heels.  See Marni, Louis Viutton, Missoni Sheer – Donna Karen, Alexander Wang, Calvin Klein, Jeremy Laing Cutouts. See Phi, Mark Fast, Viktor & Rolf, Michael Kors, Gucci Military – Balmain, Celine, Jean …

Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2010

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Looks a little preppy for the Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2010. I’m loving the bursts of green, red and yellow. I’m usually a fan of Balenciaga pant but there are some jodhpurs style ones in the collection that I just don’t like. I am loving the gloves though. images: style.com

i got: Fashematical by Fashematics aka Jonathan Zawada

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Fashematical by Fashematics aka Jonathan Zawada Fashematics is the brilliant website by Jonathan Zawada. It a blog that combines math and fashion. I’m so in love with it. Jonathan created an amazing zine recently and I immediately ordered it. This book was published to commemorate the 50th fashematics equation created for Zawada’s fashematics.com blog. Jonathan created this zine of his favourite looks from the Spring/Summer 2010 runway shows, reinterpreting the models as part of either a horde of zombies or an army of robots. It is a flip-flop zine that reads inwards from both covers beginning with either a Zombie Karl Lagerfeld or Android Lagerfeld sticker. Features clothes by Prada, Bernhard Willhelm, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Chanel and more… $16 (AUD) for international shipping. BUY IT HERE! I’m loving the robots more than the zombies but it’s all a lot of fun. images: fashematics.com

Balenciaga Menswear Lookbooks Fall 2007 and 2009

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I got the Fall 2007 Balenciaga Men’s lookbook at the Meatpacking district store in NYC. I was there for fashion week and was checking out the stores in the area. I prefer the Fall 2007 collection. It’s very preppy, which was keeping with the Balenciaga Fall 2007 woman minus the lego shoes. The Fall 2009 lookbook I got in the menswear sections of Holt’s bloor street. Not as exciting as the Meatpacking District, le sigh. I like the simple layout of the lookbooks. The format hasn’t changed either, I like that. The Fall 2009 collection is a lot more sleek and angular. I like the use of colours. I didn’t really see the connections with Balenciaga women’s as it was drapey, sparkly and full of prints.

Balenciaga Shoes – Spring 2010

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I’ve found some detail shots of the Balenciaga Spring 2010 Ready to Wear collection. The shoes are quite interesting. The fabric treatment reminds me of a woven rug. They don’t look comfortable at all. That band (in black, white or matching fabric) looks like it would be very painful after a few hours. Not sure I’m a fan. I would say I like the tall black and white pair and the short pair pictured above. images: eastnews.ru

Anatomy of a Balenciaga Boot Trend 2006 to 2009

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I was browsing the shopnastygal.com site and came across the Sam Edelman Zoe Boot. They look exactly like the Balenciaga Fall 2006 boot. What a to die for collection. 3 years for this Balenciaga boot to be knocked off, interesting. I posted about the Balenciaga Spring 2007 Lego shoe trickle down effect last year. I will have to gather more evidence for my 2 – 3 year public palatability theory of Balenciaga shoes. I’ll be watching. images: shopnastygal.com and style.com