RED ENTRY

I've been seeing a lot of red lately. From the lovely posts published by Fash n Chips and Glamourai, to the FW 2011 collections, ruby is everywhere in every possible shade. Personally I love red and while I was thinking about how I could make my contribution to the red cause, I bumped into Jen Brill. I mean, into some pictures of her. What caught my attention were her bright red lips.

After reading an article in Vogue US about her lipsticks, I was really curious to try Ruby Woo by MAC. Keeping my make-up to a simple combination of Helena Rubinstein black mascaras, YSL Touche Éclat and Estée Lauder bronzer, I often indulge in lipsticks. However, my current selection of shades actually leans towards darker tones of plummish red and didn't include a real, rich ruby colour...yet.

I went to the MAC store in Brussels to try Ruby Woo and I loved it. The colour is perfect, 'pure' red. I  see myself wearing it every day, a beautiful touch of colour: bright without being vulgar. The texture is rich and it has a great velvety effect. And I think I found my way to channel the red trend.

Phoebe Philo at LV?

I agree with Coco's Tea Party when she says that the rumors about the future of Christian Dior are getting boring, but the reason why I'm now interested is because Phoebe Philo might move to LV (I think I made my admiration for this designer very clear...)!

In the last months there has been a lot of speculation around the Dior maison and today the online edition of Vogue UK reports: "Following initial rumours almost a fortnight ago that Louis Vuitton's Marc Jacobs was in the frame for the Dior job, the whispers have been further substantiated by sources close to the brand - and a possible Vuitton successor has emerged in the shape of Phoebe Philo. Philo's move to Louis Vuitton would not stop her designing for Celine, WWD reports, but would likely see a down-scaling of the Louis Vuitton ready-to-wear collection. Until Jacobs' arrival the brand focused on large leather goods and accessories. LVMH had no comment to make when we contacted a spokesperson this morning."

My first reaction was 'it's a weird match' because I tend to associate her work with the Chloé romantic style or the Céline minimal chic, which are both close to my personal fashion heart and very far from what we recently saw at LV. However, she is such a talented woman that I would be really curious to see her vision at Vuitton. And this could also mean that LV bags would become an interesting object of desire...What do you think?

On The Other Side

I thought you might be curious to see the other side of the Sans-Arcidet straw bag featured in the previous post...Surprise! (to be exclaimed with strong French accent in honor of this label)

It has been the perfect summer clutch to wear with casual jeans or to add a different and romantic touch to more 'dressy' ensembles. The picture above is a detail of the outfit I wore at the Torre del Lago Puccini Festival for a marvelous ballet performance by Roberto Bolle. That was when I saw the cutest sketch that I've ever found on a seating place...

A Friend's Bright Colours Day

My sister in law is a never-ending source of inspiration and a great fan of Miuccia Prada. What I really admire about Ms. Prada's collections is the use of original textures and prints. Never afraid to dare, this summer she managed to make monkeys and bananas look fashionable, and she proposed some amazing patterns: from Portuguese blue tiles to bright coloured sketches of landscapes, like the ones on my friend's stunning dress.

ART-A-PORTER

Spazio Manassei Gioielli is the label of Monica Coscioni's wonderful creations. You might have seen some of her beautiful jewels in my previous posts and, looking at the pictures below, you will understand why every time I visit her boutique/studio in Orvieto (Italy), I feel the urgent need to buy everything.

Monica is very passionate about her work. It's a real pleasure to listen to her while she explains the source of her inspiration and the concepts behind every single creation. Elements of the nature and pure shapes are recurrent themes in her collections, and each piece tells a different story. Her new futuristic boutique in the centre of Rome (31 Via Bocca di Leone) is quickly becoming a reference point for the jewerly and costume jewelry lovers, and her talent has been praised by Vogue Gioiello and fashion mavens like Diane Pernet.

Come September

Yes, I'm a big fan of Sandra Dee, Rock Hudson and that kind of American comedy movies, but this is not what I want to talk about. Vogue US is generating a lot of rumours today, not only around the 'unofficial' Twitter account Conde Elevator, but also because of the release of the September issue cover. Just beautiful (not to mention that its purple shade perfectly matches the layout of my blog). 

Source: Coco's Tea Party

Usually people either love or hate Kate Moss. I fall into the first category. I simply adore her style and I think she is a fashion genius (I've briefly talked about this here). In the September issue, there are two articles about the new Mrs. Hince by the always funny Hamish Bowles: "Going to Glastonbury with Kate Moss" and a feature on her recent wedding. They are already available online, but I'll try to resist and wait for the printed edition to arrive. I'm trying to convince myself that the Mario Testino's photos will look so much better in print...

Story Of A Perfect Day

It started with a cappuccino and a 'parigina' (a brioche with a little bit of cream) at Patalani, one of my favourite spots for breakfast in Viareggio...

It continued with a bicycle ride to the beach (where I spent the following seven hours)...

And ended at the Silvia Bini boutique to pick up my Bottega Veneta's ebano intrecciato nappa maxi Veneta...She arrived at last!

A special thank you to my lovely sister in law (a fervent collector of beautiful bags who helped me securing this baby) and to a dear friend of mine who took these pictures and held my hand while the nice shop assistant was swiping my credit card.

Addendum (11 August) - Reading Paola's comment I felt extremely guilty...How could I forget to mention that the Veneta was a Christmas present from my parents plus my brother?! Knowing how much I wanted it,  they were the ones who made this perfect day happen. Grazie grazie!

NATURAL SELECTION

Digressing from the tale of my summer holiday, I would like to share another random thought with you. Last week I found myself writing a couple of comments in the lovely blogs of The Northen Light and Notting Hill Girl, in which I (negatively) talked about the use of synthetic materials in fashion. Am I a fabric snob? Yes, I am. When I see something that catches my attention, the first thing I do is to check its composition label. To me the sight of the word 'acrylics' has the same devastating and anticlimactic effect of  a beautiful man wearing short, white socks.

I understand the low-maintenance/low-price appeal of acrylics (even if it's banned from my wardrobe) and I also get why polyester is so often used in fashion to give that structured effect to clothes (I own beautiful 100% polyesters skirts and dresses by Marni, a label that masters the art of cuts). However, in fashion the quality of materials must be as important as the design. Hence, the use of synthetic fibers should be the exception and not the rule. Some high street brands like COS and Uniqlo tend to use more 'natural' fabrics and have great collections at reasonable price. In my opinion, more labels should follow this approach.

In a world where we have seen every possible styles, trends or fashion (new and recurrent), I think the material  - as well as the quality of cuts and finishings - is what makes the real difference. Am I a solitary member of this school of thought?

By the way, yesterday I was cotton-hunting at Zara and I got this cute t-shirt, a new 100% cotton addition to the rock summer festival wardrobe.

Coup De Tête...Not Yet

I knew that there was no better way to start my holiday than visiting the new Marco Gentile salon in Rome (162 Viale dei Parioli), a real beauty concept space. There I could find all I needed to recover from months of hectic work and the depressing Belgian weather: a great hairdresser, a lovely colourist (who also did one of the best blow dries I had in a very long time), and a perfect manicure with the OPI Vodka & Caviar shade. If you are in Rome and you feel the urgent need of being pampered, this is the place to go.

That was also the time to deal with the 'Uncle George' dilemma: to cut or not to cut my hair short?

Another Wedding Day

Remember the yellow dress from my pre-sales mission? A perfect match with the colours of the Umbrian countryside.

Relations De Voyages

This is my first day back at work (meaning my real job and of course the blog) after a short holiday in Italy. So I wanted to restart my posts in a sea-nostalgia mood. This picture was taken on our first day in Viareggio, wearing a stripy dress and my Relations de voyage's Carré bag.

Bensimon navy and ecru cotton dress
Relations de voyages Carré bag
Pierre Hardy for Gap brown leather sandals