"Be the change you want to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

31 December 2013

VS Angel Candice Swanepoel for Blumarine FW 2013


Victoria's Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel from South Africa looks almost unrecognizable in the 2013 Fall/Winter advertising campaign for Blumarine. In the 2011 FW Blumarine runway show, Blumarine chose Candice to both open the show as well as close it. Candice stood out on the Blumarine runway in a way that obviously was hard to forget. Now, for the 2013 fall/winter season, she is the spotlight model for their advertising campaign with a cool video highlighting the photo-shoot session. Her seductive movements in the video makes one just stare in awe. I find it a very clever choice to use a soft, sexy remix version of Aaliyah's "Rock the Boat" as the feature song for this promotional video. I find it even more clever to tilt the fashion theme towards an Asian-inspired look. Quite different for the Blumarine brand.

Candice's hair has been blonde for many years as we have come to know her from all of the work that she does with the famous lingerie brand Victoria's Secret. However, to keep things interesting, for the 2013 FW Blumarine campaign, the stylist decided to temporarily take Candice back to her natural brunette color. Her blue eyes sure are exceptionally stunning with her hair styled in this sleek, wet, very natural brunette look.

Just stylish and modern. Love love ... love it!




~Fashion set designed by Diva Shyne~







In the above lingerie photo, Blumarine used another model (name unknown) who sort of resembles Candice with wet hair. There must be some sort of contractual obligation with Victoria's Secret in regards to Candice not being able to do lingerie modeling for another brand. Very clever for Blumarine to use a model that at a quick glance looks like Candice. Very similar physique just missing Candice's bright blue eyes and very full breasts!

01 August 2013

FENDI SS 2013: Joan Smalls



Puerto Rican Victoria's Secret model Joan Smalls has a fierce diva-like runway walk. She closes the Spring Summer 2013 Fendi fashion show during Milan Fashion Week looking absolutely spectacular in a silverish gold sequin strapless peplum dress with matching sequin Fendi baguette. What a great evening look!

Head fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld obviously thinks highly of this beautiful model. He featured her in a very well done Fendi fashion campaign for the 2012 Fall Winter season as the sole model for both Fendi's line of womenswear and Fendi's line of eyewear. She also walked in that season's runway show wearing 2 great looks. Such a rarity to glorify a model season after season especially once the model lands a lucrative advertising campaign.

Karl's love for Joan doesn't just stop with Fendi. He placed her in a Chanel advertising campaign for the 2012 Spring Summer season along with Saskia De Brauw. No wonder this year Joan Smalls has been named the #1 model in the world by models.com. She does have quite an impressive resume filled with all of the top luxury brand designers and photographers. I love how she has blossomed over the years and has become more confident in her runway walk and stronger in her advertising features.


~ she got me caught up in the moment ~









27 June 2013

Fendi FW 2012/2013: Joan Smalls (The Baguette & Ankle Boots)



Fendi FW 2012/2013: Joan Smalls



The Baguette

The Fendi baguette handbag was first designed in 1997 by Silvia Venturini Fendi. She is the current head of accessories for the fashion house and daughter of founder Adele Casagrande Fendi. Since it's creation, over 700 variations of the bag have been designed in a variety of fabrics, colors, sizes, beadwork and unique embellishments. Only a few months after the release of the first Fendi baguette bag in 1997, it became an international success! This chic and trendy bag was honored in the Spring of 2000 by The Fashion Group International and received an award for "Excellence in Accessory Design."

The Fendi baguette is regarded as a fashion iconic piece and was popularized even further by Sarah Jessica Parker in the hit HBO television series "Sex in the City." When the Fendi baguette was loaned to Sarah for her to carry as a fashion statement for Carrie Bradshaw (the main character of the show who splurged often on luxury clothes, shoes and accessories), it not only placed "Sex in the City" on the fashion map but catapulted the Carrie Bradshaw character into the highly acclaimed role of fashion icon.

For the 2012 Fendi Fall/Winter advertising campaign, model Joan Smalls showcases a couple of beautiful dark red baguettes: one made of short-haired fur-like wool with a snake-skin art deco-inspired center closure and the other just in a smooth classic leather with a traditional double F logo closure. In a behind-the-scenes photo where we catch a glimpse of Fendi's creative director and self-appointed photographer Karl Lagerfeld, Joan Smalls appears to be holding a classic purple baguette.






Ankle Boots

Whether you are able to get your hands on a pair of Fendi's tall ankle boots are the short ones from the Fall Winter 2012/2013 collection, you are sure to turn heads in these fashion-forward stunners!

Karl Lagerfeld working in collaboration with Silvia Venturini Fendi created a beautiful assortment of ankle boots for the season using the styling of color-blocking with touches of geometric detailing. Joan Smalls models both versions of these stylish Fendi ankle boots in the 2012 Fall Winter advertising campaign displaying how polished the Fendi outfit looks with the addition of not just a great Fendi handbag but also a great pair of Fendi ankle boots. I have always been a fan of Fendi shoes and for this 2012/2013 Fall Winter season I must say that the ankle boots offer the most pizazz.

Fendi FW 2012/2013: Joan Smalls (Designer Eyewear)



Fendi FW 2012/2013: Joan Smalls



Designer Eyewear

Fendi brand designer eyewear and sunglasses add nice touches to the wardrobe of both men and women. Even though the Fendi brand was originally associated with leather and fur, the design house has grown to encompass not just fur coats and leather handbags and shoes but also fragrances, timepieces, menswear, denim, gifts and designer eyewear.







Fendi FW 2012/2013: Joan Smalls (Goat Hair, Peekaboo Tote & Box Clutch)



Fendi FW 2012/2013: Joan Smalls



Goat Hair


Fendi is Italy's premier fur house. For the 2012 fall season, Fendi definitely stayed true to it's original love of fur by showcasing various animal skins in a wide arrange of colors, textures and designs. The fur piece that stood out to me from this collection is the yellow goat hair coat worn by Joan Smalls on the runway.

Karl Lagerfeld, creative director of Fendi since 1965, was quite smitten by the beauty and elegance of Joan Smalls wearing the fabulous yellow goat hair coat for the fashion show in Milan. He eagerly decided to use her for his 2012 fall advertising campaign as the sole model of focus. It is rare that you get to see a model wear a designer look on both that season's runway as well as for that season's advertising campaign.

And yes ... Karl also photographed her for the advertising campaign and the end result came out remarkably well. Karl is not only a brilliant fashion designer but he is quite remarkable as a fashion photographer as well.






Peekaboo Tote & Box Clutch


For the advertising campaign, Joan Smalls carries the Fendi peekaboo handbag with the yellow goat hair coat. However, for the runway show, a Fendi box clutch is paired with the coat. Both bags are darling. The peekaboo bag just appears more luxurious and more easily identifiable as a luxury Fendi piece and I clearly understand why this bag was chosen for the ad campaign. For marketing purposes, the peekaboo handbag is more of an interesting Fendi handbag and has been seen on the arms of Gossip Girls televison stars Blake Lively and Leighton Meester. The peekaboo handbag is definitely more suitable for Ready-to-Wear fashion. The box clutch would only be used for perhaps more formal occasions, galas and special events.