One of the most significant films of the year, with an all super star studded cast and already creating noteworthy Oscar buzz and rave reviews, “Nine” is set to please.

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London, our city of choice, has always been the ideal melting pot of new trends, global culture and luxury through modernity and tradition, sometimes both at the same time. In this particular case, London reached a new height in watchmaking, as we owe to the excellent English watch magazine QP, the very first SalonQP: a gathering of the top watch brands and watch enthusiasts for the first time in London.

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While this week unfolded as an exceptional birthday week for me, I could be in perfect contentment of having tasted some of the finest things in life, particularly after the prestigious Moët Hennessy & Financial Times Club dinner three nights ago at Mosimann’s, one of the most prestigious private dining clubs in the world, located in the heart of Belgravia, London.

The dinner, to which I was looking forward to since receiving the invitation about two months ago from the Financial Times, is a once in a year occasion for a lucky selection of business people in the city. Since 2002, there has only been a handful of these events, aimed at gathering some of the most influential profiles in business, particularly it seems in finance, media and luxury, along with some of the industry’s new entrepreneurs. I must admit it felt rather like a privilege and what an occasion on my birthday week. Read the rest of this entry »

Carrying on from my last post, where I stressed on the influence models are wielding in today’s society, the evolution of the model breed and the rapid development of this multi-million dollar industry over the past decades can be clearly felt from the sheer number of “model search competitions” that are being held all over – and with great success too.

If Victoria’s Secret is trying to be innovative with their “Victoria’s Secret Model Search” to find unknown unheard raw talent to be their new Angels, Ford Models is running close at its heels with their long-lasting “Ford Models Supermodel of the World” search, formerly known as “Face of the 80’s”.

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The US lingerie brand’s famed annual runway show will take place later this month and is causing quite a stir! The Angels will officially descend upon Manhattanites on the 19th of November, 2009. The show, which can be considered as the most fabled fashion runway show in the world, is returning to New York City for the first time since 2005.

The model line-up for the show will include the standard bevy of gorgeous Victoria’s Secret “veterans” like Heidi Klum, Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio, Isabeli Fontana, Izabel Goulart,  Marissa Miller, Behati Prinsloo and Doutzen Kroes. Read the rest of this entry »

Just a few weeks ago, we shared with you the VIP opening and visit of the Pavilion of Art and Design on Berkeley Square. Today it is time to share the experience, as we have filmed and walked through the galleries with some of the exhibitors to create an exciting SQUA.RE Events film. The event, a first of its kind in London, is sponsored by Ruinart, the prestigious champagne brand which has a tradition of being involved in all key events in the art calendar from Art Basel to the FIAC.

PLAY THE VIDEO ON SQUA.RE HERE

The film goes through the entire exhibition, starting with an overview of the pavilion from outside, and as soon as you come in, a sight of the magnificent portraits at the space of Barry Friedman of New York. Further down the hall, we get to meet with Jacques Lacoste, who runs the Galerie Jacques Lacoste in Paris. Here is what he said to us. Read the rest of this entry »

For those of you whom, just like us, believe in classic heritage, craftsmanship and timeless style, the world of vintage fashion must certainly be no stranger. As you might have read in my previous chronicle, Atelier Mayer brings you all of the above, along with the convenience of sending the items right to your door. In fact this week has been a fascinating tour of fashion history for me as I have had the chance to discover the online store’s latest additions, during their private preview on Saint James’ Street in London.

Just see below for a series of exciting insights.

Yong’s classic white dress at the centre above was part of a glamourous series in the main room, and it represents a symbolic part of the spirit of the store: “being a star for the night“. Moreover, it seems we are not the only ones saying it, as Vogue was photographing the dress that very morning. Yong Hei Fong is a special case on Atelier Mayer: a new London-based designer, he is championed on Vogue and is the 2002 winner of the American Express Innovation Award. Yong recreated exclusively for Atelier Mayer these three classic dresses — of which just the names are already inspiring: the Artemis, Athena and Apollo dresses. Read the rest of this entry »

Following our friends at London’s hippest independent spirits brand, Brockmans gin, we have been invited to the launch of London’s new electro-rock duo: The Big Pink. The night was sponsored by Dazed and Confused, by the band’s prestigious label 4AD (who notably signed the Pixies and Dead Can Dance), and of course by Brockmans gin, who ensured a continued supply of exceptional drinks and brambles throughout a long night of fun, music and celebration.

Strategically happening just at the beginning of Fashion Week, the night didn’t lack of fashion hipsters and models of all types; in fact they stylishly overtook the scene, making the night only more so fabulous, at a midway between the best we could expect of both the East and West end scenes, right in the midst of Charlotte Street’s busy hub at Charlotte Street Blues Bar. Read the rest of this entry »

Just about a week from now, the world will be celebrating Halloween and the London scene will celebrate it at what has become one of the most glamourous Halloweens in Europe: the BloodLust Ball.

Hosted by the Button Club, our friends Kaja Wunder’s and Henry Northcroft’s fantastic endeavor, which pleasantly ensures the London scene is having its fair share of fun and creative events, BloodLust Ball has been moving from location to location, each one as prestigious as the other. Read the rest of this entry »

As a follow up to our introduction on the topic, we thought we would show you an overview of the first of two shows which happened yesterday night. Pictures of the Relève de la Garde feature the Crazy Horse dancers as British horse guards (a classic) right into the Printemps shop window in Paris, and music on this post is courtesy of the Crazy Horse (read more to hear)!

A fantastic adventure, which continues tomorrow, of Parisian burlesque and fashion — the unique connection between two different sides of the city from which we always wish to see more.

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A great Paris event which we only missed because of our busy schedule in London has been the launch of the Maria Luisa boutique in Printemps. What is so interesting about this shop-within-the-shop is the full endorsement and integration of style legend Maria Luisa’s concept: a space to discover and acquire selected works by new talents and new designers only.

Indeed, Maria Luisa has always been at the forefront of cutting-edge fashion. She was the initiator of the multi-brand stores in her boutiques on the rue du Mont Thabor supporting an impressive list of young talents before they were big names: Alexander McQueen, Helmut Lang, John Galliano, Ann Demeulemeester, Martin Margiela, Nicolas Ghesquiére, Olivier Theyskens, Rick Owens, Riccardo Tisci, Christopher Kane, and many more. For some even, such as Manolo Blahnik, the style boutique was appointed the exclusive distribution in France. Read the rest of this entry »

International gallerists and collectors flocked to London this past week as the Frieze contemporary art fairs geared the auction calendar into full swing. The crowd moves next week to Paris for the FIAC (Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain) contemporary art fair at the Grand Palais. Following in November is the inaugural Abu Dhabi Art fair bringing together more than 50 galleries including New York’s Gagosian Gallery, London’s White Cube, Zurich’s Hauser & Wirth, and Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac of Paris and Salzburg. Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the most important art shows in the United States, will take place during the first week of December. Sister to Switzerland’s Art Basel, taking place for the past 40 years, Art Basel Miami Beach brings together an exclusive international selection of 250 leading galleries with a special program of exhibitions and parties.

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Anish Kapoor is a present day sculptor born in India, who lives and works in London since the 70s, whose work features in a high profile Royal Academy of Arts solo exhibition this Autumn –a step further in a history of solo exhibitions around the world–, who was awarded the Premio Duemila at the Venice Biennale, won the prestigious Turner Prize, is a Royal Academician and was made recently a Commander of the British Empire.

Last but not least, Kapoor’s new 4-foot-diameter gold mirror sculpture, “Turning the World Upside Down”, was the piece setting the tone at the entrance of the Frieze Art Fair as I could see everyone enjoying the sight of their upside down reflection into the piece (see below for mine).

London’s sumptuous Regent’s Park is home every October to the Frieze Art Fair, one of the largest of its kind, along with FIAC and Art Basel, and one of the few fairs to focus only on contemporary art and living artists, such as Kapoor. Read the rest of this entry »

What seems to be a common trait between us and everyone else invited is that we all very much enjoyed the recent private view of “Love and Lust” featuring London’s renowned photographer John Stoddart.

Appropriately located in the Coco de Mer lingerie store on Draycott Avenue, and organised by our friend the always talented Matthew Steeples, the event featured two very strong human emotions and yet highly contrasting ones: love and lust… Read the rest of this entry »

This past month has been a true resurgence following the quiet months of the summer. People’s attitudes towards life, creativity and work, people’s focus on their social life, people’s moods: everything has changed for the best. London Fashion Week and the London Design Festival have been great illustrations of such revival. As I’ve announced to you recently, we were planning on giving you a full video sight of some of the best events in town this year. Well it is time for you to sit back and enjoy “The Official London Design Festival Celebration“, a short film featured on our SQUA.RE Events channel.

PLAY FILM ON SQUA.RE NOW

The video of this fantastic event features the London Design Festival’s chairman, Sir John Sorrell, and event sponsor Brockmans Gin. A few pictures are displayed below to supplement the film… Read the rest of this entry »