History plays its games, its Chinese Whispers; as time passes it fills the factual gaps with fiction and nostalgia and dreams. Between the 1920s and now it’s hard to know exactly which vision was the real one. Was it as F. Scott Fitzgerald described, a vibrant facade screening a corrupted, shallow interior; or a genuine Golden Age of beauty and liberated ideals? Most likely, somewhere in between.
The one undeniable thing is that Fitzgerald’s most well known work, The Great Gatsby, is something you’re liable to run into around every corner at the moment. Of course there’s Baz Luhrmann’s parade of saturated, hyper-real imagery, but away from that are other artist’s dalliances with the Jazz Age, many of them far more subdued.
Clinging beautifully to the dreamy, luxurious and ultimately desirable side of the era is this shoot by Daniela Rettore. Every element from the 1920s inspired fashion to the waved flapper hairstyles is steeped in an aura of elegance. And yet, the true marvel of Gioia Carozzi’s styling, is that none of it feels like costume: it’s all perfectly wearable right now.
Whether it’s a draping silk green dress that could be straight out of a de Lempicka painting, or a set of flapper-girl tennis outfits that meld sporty fashion with vintage charm, every image offers some inspiration to indulge in.
Shot on location at the beautiful Il Salviatino in Florence, it’s a shoot that’ll make you wish you could time travel and experience the softer side of the Jazz Age for yourself. You can view the full shoot by Daniela Rettore (danielarettore.com) for LADIES Magazine by clicking on the gallery.
Louis Vuitton Cruise 2012 Catalog
February 1, 2012
Shot in Paris by Mark Segal, Arizona Muse hangs out with her lover in the romantic city. Styled by Julie de Libran which also designed the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2012 Collection in collaboration with Sofia Coppola.
Photographer: Mark Segal
Art Director: William Snieg
Model: Arizona Muse
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Watch the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2012 Paris Presentation
Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2012 Collection
February 1, 2012
Eternally chic, forever feminine, the Louis Vuitton woman takes the transition from summer to winter in her stride with a Prefall 2012 collection that builds on the House’s signature looks and sassy, sophisticated style. Inspired by the effortless elegance of Charlotte Perriand, the collection fuses military details and mannish checks with rounded volumes, opulent fabrics and luxe embellishments in an array of desirable, wearable pieces with instant appeal.
Leading the line-up, soft cocoon shapes and swathes of fur in a rich autumnal color palette are a warm, reassuring presence as temperatures fall. Some silhouettes give a discreet nod to previous Marc Jacobs collections for Louis Vuitton, among them a check balmacaan coat with leather details and its matching A-line skirt, a fake fur bubble skirt with military pockets, and a yellow crepe cady baby doll dress that is sweetly reminiscent of summer. Silky fur adorns many of the season’s standout pieces, be it on the fox collar of a camel bonded cotton jacket with sporty buckle closures or the pockets of a sleeveless black wool baby doll dress for evening, or else in the luxurious form of a short green and black mink jacket shrugged over a pleated, color-blocked dress in silk and satin.
In the spirit of Marc Jacobs’ signature cool chic, overtly feminine pieces are toughened by masculine influences, as when a powder-camel wool skirt with fox fur pockets is teamed with a beige leather biker jacket, or a silk duchesse bonded jacket in bold check is belted over a yellow T-shirt dress delicately embroidered with flowers. Even when she wears trousers, the Louis Vuitton woman remains flirtatious and feminine – witness lustrous gold cropped jeans and a matching jacket, the iconic Stephen Sprouse leopard motif reinterpreted on a sharp mohair jacquard suit, and a midnight blue grain de poudre tuxedo paired with the shortest of shorts.
Prefall 2012 shoes and accessories take up the key themes of the ready-to-wear. Shoes revisit Spring/Summer’s Fifties-inspired pumps, whose simple shape, with a pointed toe and slender heel, is dressed up with opulent materials – pony-styled calf leather, glazed calf leather, satin and, most spectacularly, fox fur – and extravagant embellishments, notably Louis Vuitton studs and padlocks on metal toe caps.
Accessories spotlight mink collars and cuffs, studded leather or leopard-print berets and slim belts in the collection’s bright accent colors or embellished with studs and eyelets. Fashion jewelry features crystal resin or studded chokers and – in another reminiscence of previous seasons – bejeweled metal collars. To shield her eyes from the glare of the autumn sun, the Louis Vuitton woman dons a pair of folding mirror sunglasses, which – thanks to an ingenious rotating hinge – she can also wear as a necklace.
After the Speedy and the Lockit, it is the turn of the iconic Papillon bag to be reinterpreted for Prefall 2012, its slender cylindrical shape rendered in rich shades of calf leather debossed with the Monogram pattern. Meanwhile, two of Spring/Summer’s standout designs – day-to-evening pochettes on dainty silver chains, one Monogram-embroidered, the other in two-tone bonded leather – are revisited in autumn’s darker color palette. In the extravagant spirit of the season, the latter also comes in luxuriant emerald green fox fur.
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Louis Vuitton George Street Maison Opening Celebration
February 1, 2012
Watch the opening ceremonies for the newest Louis Vuitton Maison, recently opened to the public on George Street in Sydney, Australia. The newest Australian SLG Animals by Billie Achilleos join the rest of the gang Down Under for fun in the sun at the Louis Vuitton George Street Maison.
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