Style Files

Kulte

This ad campaign for French brand Kulte may be one of the best fashion campaigns I’ve seen in a while.

The series has a photo-diaristic style at first glance, but there’s an added layer of voyeurism conveyed by the sense that the subject is unaware he’s being followed, and it is highly intriguing. My brain: “Why is this handsome man being followed around? Who is having him followed and why? A jealous wife? Is he a double agent?” So I might’ve taken that a step beyond what they intended. Or maybe not! Maybe they meant to send your imagination running wild trying to fill in the gaps!

Anyway… beyond that, the photos themselves are well-styled, classic, and really just gorgeous.

 

The photo above didn’t even make it into the campaign, I found it on the Kulte flickr account… too cinematic and staged-looking, not voyeuristic enough? I think that’s probably why, don’t you? But I thought it was wonderful enough that I had to share.

Check out the gallery for the whole “story,”…whatever it may be. (Fingers crossed for double agent.)

Shot by Jose Lamali.

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Right now I’m loving…

I’ve mentioned before that I’m pretty sure everything looks better when it’s in a collage, but I’ve looked at these pretty closely and I don’t think it’s simply the collage format that is causing me fall in love with these ensembles by Fleurette, a Norwegian style blogger.

Fleurette’s five outfits she created around a Balenciaga jacket (one above, more in the gallery), and really her whole style in general, are so fitting my fashion leanings right now.

Outfits where the basics are basic — simple, staple tops (tees, button-ups, sweaters) in either a solid or stripe, with a nice fit or drape (oxford cotton, silk, sheer jersey, etc) with jeans, trousers, or a skirt– and the emphasis is on a great jacket, shoes that set the tone, and accessories.

 

 

Very Emmanuelle Alt, no?? In fact, I happened to just come across this quote from her!

“Forget trendy designer labels. Jeans, a sweater or a t-shirt worn under a jacket that seems welded to you. When it’s just right, when you don’t see the effort, it’s irresistible.”

Emmanuelle has certainly embodied her own adivce, as that is exactly how I would describe her style!

Check out Dead Fleurette for more, she is very articulate and particular about what she does and doesn’t like if you want to hear more about her style!

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What I’m feeling right now…

Fur + leather.

If you’re anything like me, and the appeal of fashion is about the ability to try on a persona or express a mood, I think you’ll agree that the combination of leather and fur offers a fantastic spectrum of possibilities ranging from coiffed uptown chic to downtown rocker sex appeal depending on how you style it.

For example, in looks 2 and 4 above (from left), where the leather is only in the form of a handbag (2) and a demure brown skirt (4), the look is really about the fur, which is usually associated with old money, old Hollywood, and old Europe (and ok, sometimes old ladies), giving it a much more ladylike uptown vibe.

3 and 5, on the other hand, skew much more rock and roll due to those black leather pants. But the fur adds in an expected dash of eccentric class to the rocker look. And of course #1, with that jacket (and the chambray shirt underneath, love that layering), is also definitely downtown.

Here are a few more I loved that also show off the wide variety of looks that can be achieved with the combination of leather and fur…

 

PS- Did you notice that Olivia Palermo appeared three times in this post? Girl is crushing it.

PPS- Wow as soon as I typed out this post I realized how much PETA would hate me right now. So I’ll just note, this could be executed with faux leather and fur as well, it’s the look I’m after, not the animals.

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NYFW Essentials

Even though they are a inherently a little bit sickeningly bit self-indulgent and send me into a crisis over my own star-struck and/or voyeuristic tendencies, I cannot resist the “What are your essentials” features with celebs in magazines.

It’s a total love/hate situation. Every month when I flip to the page in Vanity Fair that chronicles a famous person’s list of must-haves, I inevitably go through a chain of thought similar to this: “Who cares what stuff you can’t live without??” … “Is that an Aston Martin? You seriously can’t live without an Aston Martin?” … “Oh wait, what skincare line does she love?” … “While I’m here I might as well see what her favorite brand of sheets is…” and I end up reading the whole darn thing. With interest.

I can’t explain it, but getting a peek at other people’s essential goods is oddly enticing. It’s like getting personal recommendations from someone and getting a little snapshot of their style/vanities all at the same time.

For NYFW, Vogue teamed up with The Coveteur to check out various fashiony people’s essentials for “getting through fashion week.” (While we’re sharing usually unshared chains of thought, I know it’s a busy week for those in the industry, but I have fairly little sympathy for industry folk when they talk about what they “need” to “get through” fashion week… despite the hectic pace, it still sounds pretty darn fun!)

But back on topic, I loved, without shame, these little vignettes of the subjects’ essentials, as much for their content as for the styling. As I’ve said before, anything in a collage looks more appealing, but these compositions are particularly well-done.

Is there a set of “essentials” that would capture your style?

[From top left, essentials of: Gucci Westman, Prabal Garung, Jessica Sailer, Kate Young, Stephanie Wolkoff, Laura Bellafronto]

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White on White

I’m totally intrigued by these all-white (mostly wide-leg trouser) looks, and the way their accessories (or lack thereof) and styling differentiate them.

My favorite is the look with the blazer, and I also really love what the chunky gold chain bracelet does for the outfit on the far left. And how about the white-on-white with blond hair and red lipstick!

I’m also digging this one:

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Neutral Layers + Leopard

I love these compositions of neutrals with leopard. That is all.

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Atelier Franck Durand

I love when the internet becomes a rabbit hole and one delightful discovery leads to another and another. That’s what happened last week when I saw the Man About Town skateboarding video of Kilian Martin that I posted on Editor’s Chair (it’s still floating around in my daydreams, by the way). I loved the video and paused at the credits to see who was behind it, which led me to Franck Durand, who art directed the video.

First thing I noticed is that I love his logo and font! Then from snooping around in his portfolio, I found out he also art directed the Kate Moss for Isabel Marant print ads I love (and posted on Editor’s Chair a while ago)! He has also art directed tons of ads for brands like Celine, Balmain, and Et Vous, and I’m crazy about their style. The photos have a wonderful combination of intensity and personality with a heavy dose of cool, and the layouts are so wonderfully clean.

Isn’t it interesting to see these brands’ ads all together, where you see the commonalities, and hence the perspective of the independent art director, rather than just the brand?

PS- Franck Durand is also the husband of Emmanuelle Alt! (Thanks to Kellina for commenting to let me know.) Very interesting. Totally makes sense. I feel like the same kind of cool that Emmanuelle simply oozes can be found in these photos. The man’s got a type (of cool).

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J. Crew does LA

I loooove the fact that J. Crew went outside their usual box for their newest catalog.  When you think J. Crew catalog settings, you immediately think… coast of Maine canoe and picnic-spot type stuff. Not so for their latest, which is set in LA and wonderfully reminiscent of the Mad Men episode when they go to LA and Don goes MIA (not so much in the clothes, but in the photography)… cool blue pools, graphic black and white stripes, classic cars, and palm trees and sunshine.

[via Dress, Design, Decor]

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Diana Moss’s Image Comparisons

Graphic designer Diana Moss, of the Miss Moss blog, puts together these awesome color and style comparisons using outfits from street fashion photos (there’s a whole series using Sartorialist photos, like the ones above), stills from old movies, and magazine editorials and matching them up with the palettes and styles of everything from vintage packaging, to wallpaper patterns, to old master paintings.

The result is a visual feast for the design/fashion/color/art lover.  Seriously, I feel like I could pore over these for hours, I love the nuances she finds and presents, and I love the comparisons between past and present.

Isn’t interesting to see that those with a great eye can make even a really quirky palette work, and that creative types have been coming up with those off-beat combinations for ages?  See image with the dusky orange and lavender going on.  A painter loved it then, a fashionista loves it now.  Never would have occurred to me, but cool to see that these two great minds both thought of it!

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Erin Wasson, Elle Spain, January ’11