Allow me to leave you with a surprisingly safe-for-work preview along with some quotes from model-turned-editor of 25 Magazine, Anja Rubik, as she shares her thoughts on a women’s sexuality –a subject predominant in every issue. It just never gets old doesn’t it?

“I want to start by saying that working on 25 every day has changed my life. Of course taking on the role of Editor and meeting the rotating cast of contributors to the journal were new for me, and I was ready for that challenge and will be forever. What I was not ready for was the reaction to the last issue’s use of erotica. The unexpected backlash made me realize that our generation is more conservative than that of our parents. Basically, celebrating a woman’s body as having a sexuality instead of merely being sexual is viewed as wrong. The media operates on a paradox—it’s no secret—where selling the notion of unobtainable beauty is allowed, while portraits of women just being women are simultaneously shunned. However, I still want to continue pushing the boundaries of what a female fashion magazine can be.”

“A woman is present” is the title of our second issue and it’s dedicated to women who have made a remarkable impact on our world today, breaking the glass ceiling in the fields of design, fashion, and art. Some have created their own successful brands from the ground up, and others are the head designers of major fashion houses. One such example is Marina Abramović. Throughout her career, she has walked The Great Wall, sat in museums for seven hundred and fifty hours, and scored manifestos. MoMA’s 2010 retrospective of her career has solidified her as one of the most remarkable artists of our time. Inside this issue, through letting us into her archives, she shares with us how erotica and how sexual energy lives within her work.”

“Also in this issue is the iconic Michèle Lamy, best known as the muse to Rick Owens. Lamy agreed to give us a rare glimpse into the brand, including the elusive “Owen’s family,” the people who work with her in the fashion house. The crew are so much more than cogs in a wheel—they eat together, travel together, and are so close that it seems as if they even live together. It was an experience we won’t forget.”

“For me, starting this magazine has helped me channel the kind of sexual energy I find every woman to possess, and I’m thankful, because it’s opened my eyes to more experiences and the difference we can all make. The women celebrated in these pages have started an important conversation about variations of erotica, and have proven that sexual energy is the source of creation. Without it, where would we be? It’s not an easy question to answer, because the answer continues to be written. I hope we can be a part of it. Enjoy this issue.”

Image Credits: nowness.com

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• It’s Fashion Week!

Elite Model Management, New York City gears up for fashion week with models Naomi Preizler, Park Ji Hye, Cameron Russell, Valerija Kelava, Alyssa Miller, Hilary Rhoda, and Dorothea Barth Jorgensen in this tongue-in-cheek and imaginative video shot by French artist Marie Vic. Notice the models are all wearing the same Pierre Hardy wedge sandals throughout?

On another note, it’s fashion week!

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“Model of the Year” Cara Delevingne nails a big one in the W Magazine February 2013 issue.

Shot on location at the Palazzo Biscari in Italy, Mikael Jansson makes neat work of the stunning Rococo scenery with Cara Delevingne as muse. Each shot was as distinct as the next with a different backdrop each time but the culmination of it all came in the carefully curated mix of colored and black-and-white photos that would fit right into any art gallery.

The styling by Edward Enninful was just as impeccable. With not one clear theme in mind and just the extravagant backdrop to work with, he managed to seamlessly blend together the likes of Gucci, Balenciaga, Chanel, Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Dior and Burberry Prorsum among others. It was perfection.

Check out the rest of the W Magazine February 2013 editorial featuring Cara Delevingne by Mikael Jansson below.

Image Credits: tfs

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John Galliano

“I am an alcoholic, I have been in recovery for the past two years. Several years prior to my sobriety, I descended into the madness of the disease. I said and did things which hurt others, especially members of the Jewish community. I have expressed my sorrow privately and publicly for the pain which I caused, and I continue to do so. I remain committed to making amends to those I have hurt. I am grateful to Oscar beyond words for inviting me to spend time with him in the familiar surroundings of a design studio. His support and faith in me is humbling.” –John Galliano.

It is sad that the great John Galliano has been reduced to such shreds, returning meekly in a supporting role for Oscar de la Renta. It is a return to fashion nonetheless. The first step. The first step of what could be. So today we rejoice because today there is hope.

“John and I have known each other for many years and I am a great admirer of his talent. He has worked long and hard on his recovery and I am happy to give him the opportunity to reimmerse himself in the world of fashion and reacclimate in an environment where he has been so creative.” –Oscar de la Renta.

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After the kooky sports-inspired campaign for Spring/Summer 2012 and last season’s mediocre studio shots, the Chanel Spring/Summer 2013 ad campaign was a breath of fresh air. Lensed by Karl Lagerfeld, Stella Tennant returns to the Chanel ranks with newcomers Ondria Hardin and Yumi Lambert playing second fiddle to the British model. Old muse versus new muses. All 3, unconventional in their own right. My favourite? Yumi Lambert.

Image Credits: tfs

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Gone with the highly stylized ad campaigns of recent seasons’ past and in with a straightforward studio shoot sans props. The Gucci Spring/Summer 2013 ad campaign brought back memories of ad campaigns during Tom Ford circa Gucci when he first enlisted the help of Mario Testino and Carine Roitfeld somewhere around the mid-nineties. Perhaps it was due to the 60th anniversary of the 1953 Gucci Horsebit loafer that prompted a reference into the archives.

This time Anja Rubik and Karmen Pedaru replaces the cool nineties glamour of Amber Valetta as Mert & Marcus make easy work here. Interesting that the aesthetic remained the same –as did the ever timeless Horsebit loafer– and for the clothes, a simple palette of singular colours and silhouette shone through. But it was the nostalgic mood of yesteryears that got me the most excited.

Check out the rest of the Gucci Spring/Summer 2013 ad campaign featuring Anja Rubik and Karmen Pedaru by Mert & Marcus below.

Image Credits: tfs

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CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO BE REDIRECTED TO WATCH THE LIVE STREAM

Burberry will once again be live streaming the Burberry Prorsum Autumn/Winter 2013 Menswear show on Saturday 12 January 2013 at 4:30pm (GMT +1) Milan time / 11:30pm (GMT +8) Singapore time, direct from Milan.

Coming off the success of the recently released Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2013 Ad Campaign that featured 10-year-old Romeo Beckham, it’d be interesting to see what Christopher Bailey has up his sleeves for his next outing.

Do watch out for the Burberry Prorsum Autumn/Winter 2013 Menswear show live stream this Saturday!

Image Courtesy of Burberry

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Today I attended the Coach Spring 2013 collection press presentation and was greeted by a sea of pastel Spring colours upon entering the Coach showroom. Watermelon, snow, coral, parchment, kiwi, cherry, vermillion, sun orange, and the list goes on. Is it really Spring already?

But what stood out were the familiar trapeze-shaped silhouettes that bore the hallmarks of certain it bags of 2012. No prizes for guessing where this trend is headed for 2013 as the onslaught of trapeze-shaped totes shows no signs of dying down. I particularly like the smaller versions which should be quite handy for carrying small personal whatnots. The men’s Spring 2013 collection on the other hand offered quite a few versatile surprises in varied colours such as ocean, lime, persimmon, and clover. All in all, it was a quiet vibrancy that was fresh and current.

The Coach Spring 2013 collection will be available in stores come late January 2013. For now, check out the rest of the scenes from the Coach Spring 2013 collection press presentation below.

All photos taken with my iphone. Like what you see? Follow me on Instagram!

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That aside, the Miss Wu Spring 2013 collection is just about everything a diffusion line should be. It is commercial, extremely wearable, upbeat, contemporary, and with just enough details to keep things interesting for shoppers looking for simple and quality designs. It was the timeless Jason Wu aesthetic in another light.

“The Jason Wu collection is my aesthetic, my design sensibility. Miss Wu is my personality. It’s fun to explore that facet of who I am –more downtown with a relaxed attitude.” -Jason Wu

Meghan Collison stars as the face of the first Miss Wu Spring 2013 campaign and lookbook.

Image Credits: Nordstrom

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The Dior Spring/Summer 2013 ad campaign marks Raf Simon’s first ad campaign as creative director of Dior and also Dior’s first ever print ad campaign for a main ready-to-wear collection since Spring/Summer 2011 –apart from ad campaigns for its Lady Dior and Miss Dior bags. Choosing to focus more on shooting campaigns for its beauty, eyewear, fragrance, and bag collections in recent seasons, the arrival of Raf Simons in April 2012 as artistic director is proving to be a dawn of a new age for the house of Dior.

This is clearly evident in a decidedly refreshing take that has Raf Simons’ favoured minimalism style stamped all over it with the usage of blocks of white frames that were seen at the runway show in September 2012. At once it might seem disperse with models placed at different grounds for a dimensional setting and props plastered randomly but on deeper realisation, it evokes an imaginative realm that is one part dreamlike and another demure.

Aided by Willy Vanderperre who so often shot ad campaigns for Jil Sander when Raf Simons was still there, the Dior Spring/Summer 2013 ad campaign features Dior regular Daria Strokous alongside Anna Martynova, Diane Conterato, Nicole Pollard, and Marie Piovesan.

Image Credits: Dior Facebook

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