The Met Ball

 

Cindy Crawfor, in custom Versace. Photo: Sherly Rabbani and Josephine Solimene

source: style.com

http://www.style.com/peopleparties/parties/thumb/redcarpet-050409_Costume_Institute_Gala/?page=1

More Than Just A Trend

Going back to find what I started seeing while skipping classes in 2006 and 2007.

Hotels, Design, Beach, Perfume, Fashion

from W Magazine, June 2008

 

Nicolas Malleville at the perfumery

 

 

Yucatán Man

MODEL NICOLAS MALLEVILLE IS MEXICO’S HOTTEST HOTELIER.

By Derek Blasberg , Portrait by Flora Hanitijo

Nicolas Malleville, a six-foot-two, sandy-haired model, has shown the world nearly every part of his chiseled physique. For Burberry he posed with Kate Moss, his unbuttoned shirt exposing a sculpted chest. In a Tod’s campaign he flaunted his buff arms and well-manicured nails while tracing model Anja Rubik’s navel. And through his editorial work here and in Europe, the public has been treated to pictures of him in bathing suits and tight trousers. But there’s a part of Malleville’s body that even the most voracious magazine readers haven’t seen—one that casts him in a surprising new light.

No, naughty readers, it’s not what you’re thinking. The area in question is his left ankle, which bears a simple tattoo of a palm tree. “When I was a child, I used to sit in the square of my little town and stare up at the palm trees and dream about the beach,” says Malleville, who grew up in the landlocked Pampas region of Argentina. “Palm trees are the most beautiful trees in the world. They represent paradise to me.” And now, at 32, the model is living out his childhood fantasies, spending most of his time amid the sand and palms of Mexico, where he’s building a mini hotel empire. Just five years in the making, his brainchild, called Coqui Coqui, already includes two chic hotels and spas (with a third on the way), as well as a perfumery, a café and a store. One might call him the André Balazs of the Yucatán Peninsula. Just don’t tell him that.

Malleville’s famous friends don’t seem to mind. Sienna Miller, model Daria Werbowy and nightlife queen Amy Sacco have vacationed here, and Kate Bosworth and her boyfriend, singer-songwriter James Rousseau (who knows Malleville from his modeling days), have been repeat guests. “You hardly need electrical lighting at night because Nicolas and his staff fill the hotel with candles,” says Bosworth, who’s planning to return this summer. “It feels like you’re on a magic island.”
“I was superimpressed that a model so young was taking such bold chances,” says Sacco. “And he’s not tough to look at either.”

Last December Malleville invited a gang of friends to Coqui Coqui Coba, which was then still under construction. Eva Mendes and Alexis Bledel were among those who camped out in tents and took part in his candlelit New Year’s Eve fiesta.
The son of a bank officer and a schoolteacher, Malleville, who is of Basque, French, Italian and Austrian descent, grew up on a 25,000-acre ranch outside Córdoba, Argentina. While on a family vacation in Uruguay in his last year of high school, he was approached by a model scout from Paris. The scout, recalls Malleville, “kept talking about Kate Moss—I didn’t know who she was!” At the time, he wasn’t interested.
At the University of Córdoba, Malleville majored in landscape architecture and wrote his thesis on—what else?—palm trees. A couple of years after graduation, he moved to Paris to take landscaping classes at the famous Bagatelle Gardens. Two months after landing in the city, he decided to give modeling a try. At his very first casting—for a Paul Smith campaign shot by Mario Testino—he booked the job. “I was very lucky and kept getting very lucky,” he says. He quickly became one of the industry’s most in-demand male models and a Testino regular. The photographer went on to book Malleville for four Burberry campaigns and a Gucci campaign.

All the while Malleville pursued his interest in landscape architecture. Between modeling gigs he took more classes and eventually designed the gardens of more than a dozen houses in London. He also traveled whenever he could. His close friend Mariacarla Boscono, another model, frequently joined him. As she recalls, he could never resist tweaking his hotel room: “He would move the bed, put scarves over the lights, set up candles—and it would be a cheap version of the Four Seasons.”
Malleville made his first trip to the Yucatán Peninsula in 2001. Upon arriving in Tulum, he says, he immediately fell in love with the region: “It was like paradise.” That December he purchased the beachfront where Coqui Coqui Tulum now stands for $170,000. Soon afterward he bought a house in the slow-paced city of Valladolid. On its ground floor the plant lover opened his first Yucatán business, Coqui Coqui Perfumer, in 2003. At the still-thriving shop, Malleville sells pure extracted oils of local botanicals as well as scent blends and soaps. (Renée Zellweger is a fan of his Floplum blend and bought it in bulk when she visited the shop last year.)

Coqui sounds like the Spanish word for coconut. “When I came down here, everyone thought I was nuts,” Malleville explains. “They said I was coqui coqui.” Before long, however, Malleville developed another reputation: the foreigner obsessed with Mayan handicrafts and traditional building techniques. In Valladolid, where his third Coqui Coqui hotel and spa will be completed this fall, he recently opened a small café and a shop where he sells scarves, baskets, ropes, hats and housewares. At first, area artisans “kept making what they thought an American would like,” says Malleville. “But I didn’t want that. I wanted what they had in their own houses.” In all of his Yucatán ventures, Malleville strives for some measure of authenticity. He used 500-year-old tiles for the floor of his café, for instance, and his design for the Coba hotel was inspired by the nearby Mayan ruins.
Although availability at his hotels is extremely limited, the Coqui Coqui empire is definitely growing. Last fall Malleville and another model pal invested in a property on the French-Italian border, where they plan to build a spa. And Malleville says he hopes to open a hotel back in Argentina one day.
Meanwhile, he’s still very much in demand in the fashion firmament (that was him sandwiched between Jessica Stam and Erin Wasson in last fall’s Roberto Cavalli for H&M ads), with no immediate plans to retire. “Modeling has served me well,” he says. “It’s taken me all over the world, introduced me to amazing people and made me good money.” However, what he says is most fulfilling to him these days is what he’s doing in the Yucatán. “It’s the most important thing to me,” he says. “Quality of life, nature, authenticity, something real.” And that’s not just posing.

http://www.wmagazine.com/travel/2008/06/yucatan

=========================================================================

from theselby.com

http://www.theselby.com/10_5_08_Nico_francesca/index.html

The City Slicker and The Globetrotter

Whether you are searching for the perfect gift for the special someone or just adding onto your collection…

Some holiday gift ideas for the chic and stylish:

from GiftLab: CoutureLab World

 

 

credit: CoutureLab.com

http://www.couturelab.com/gallery/giftlab.html?utm_campaign=GiftLab1Dec2008&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email&utm_content=newsletter

Fabergé Egg & Matryoshka Doll

The Russian nested dolls and Fabergé eggs have always fascinated me with their art and design ever since the first time I saw them. 

www.luxuo.com

Peter Carl Faberge and his workshop made incredibly intricate Easter eggs for the Russian Imperial Court between 1885 and 1917.

These rare and unique creations had the cover of enameled gold and gem stones, which would open to reveal hidden wonders – sometimes golden yolk, sometimes a delicately sculpted figure, all nestled in many levels like a traditional Russian matryoshka doll. As only fitting for Easter Eggs, each one contained a surprise!

Wikipedia / darkroastedblend

 

 

===============================================================

===============================================================

source: thefashionspot.com

http://www.thefashionspot.com/style-spot/10-years-of-russian-vogue-1100

10 YEARS OF RUSSIAN VOGUE 

Top designers design for dolls to celebrate…

 Share this article

By Sharon Feiereisen 

To celebrate Russian Vogue’s 10th anniversary, 31 of the fashion industry’s most well-respected designers were asked to design a dress for a traditional Russian matrioshka doll. The designer labels who lend their creativity included Yves Saint Laurent, Martin Margiela, Dolce & Gabbana, Matthew Williamson, Stella McCartney, Christopher Bailey Giles Deacon, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Ralph Lauren, and Miuccia Prada. 

The designers’ doll sketches were brought to life by Russian craftsmen who hand-painted the 50 centimeter dolls. The one-of-a-kind dolls, each reflecting a different designers aesthetic, will be auctioned for charity at a gala event in Moscow on November 20^th.  

 
For more information go to www.vogue.ru/10yearsand you can register for absentee bidding athttp://www.sovcom.ru/. The complete list of the auction lots is below:

1. Matrioshka Nina Neretina & Donis Pupis
2. Matrioshka Celine
3. Matrioshka Jitrois
4. Matrioshka Burberry
5. Matrioshka Yves Saint Laurent
6. Matrioshka Giorgio Armani
7. Matrioshka Alena Akhmadullina
8. Matrioshka Dolce&Gabbana
9. Matrioshka Maison Martin Margiela
10. Matrioshka Roberto Cavalli
11. Matrioshka Stella McCartney
12. Matrioshka Blumarine
13. Matrioshka Vercace
14. Matrioshka Marc Jacobs
15. Matrioshka Giles
16. Matrioshka Sonia Rykiel
17. Matrioshka Valentin Yudashkin
18. Matrioshka Oscar de la Renta
19. Matrioshka J. Mendel
20. Matrioshka Denis Simachev
21. Matrioshka Dries Van Noten
22. Matrioshka Andrey Bartenev
23. Matrioshka Emilio Pucci
24. Matrioshka Paul Smith
25. Matrioshka Konstantin Gayday
26. Matrioshka Antonio Marras
27. Matrioshka Ralph Lauren
28. Matrioshka Prada
29. Matrioshka Moschino
30. Matrioshka Gucci
31. Matrioshka Marni

New York Style

From thefashionspot:

http://www.thefashionspot.com/news/soho-holiday-stroll-1081

SOHO HOLIDAY STROLL

A SoHo-wide shopping event to raise money for homeless men and women

By Sharon Feiereisen

With the economy the way it is there’s no better time for the SoHo Holiday Stroll, a SoHo-wide shopping event to raise money for homeless men and women hosted by the Association for Community Employment Programs for the Homeless (A.C.E.) and the SoHo Partnership. The SoHo Holiday Stroll will be held on Thursday, December 11^thfrom 6 to 11 pm and on the night of the Stroll, participating businesses will stay open late and shoppers will have exclusive access to discounts and promotions in each store.

Participating shops include AK Anne Klein, the Apple store, Cardboard Design, Design Within Reach, Esprit, Fragments, Guess, Housing Works Bookstore & Café, Hugo Store, ILORI, Kiteya, Lacoste, Marciano, Mimi Fertz Gallery, Molton Brown, Nine West, Spring Lounge, Sephora, and Theory. For a list of some of the discounts offered see below –

• Molton Brown — Goody Bag (while supplies last). Complimentary hand and arm massages and mini-facials. Plus: DJ, champagne, and light snacks.
• ILORI — $50 Gift Card with purchase of $300. Plus: complimentary stylist consultation, appetizers, champagne, and hot chocolate.
• Fragments — 20% discount on all fashion and fine jewelry.
• Lacoste — Gift with any purchase over $80.
• Design Within Reach — $50 off any purchase of $500 or more.
• DWR: Tools For Living — 15% off.
• Nine West — 20% any one regularly priced item
• Guess? — Enjoy DJ tunes, plus receive an exclusive Guess make-up bag with any purchase. Guess List members receive double reward points.
• Marciano — Enjoy champagne and a free Marciano Jet Set Travel Kit with any purchase. MI Members receive double reward points.
• Kiteya — Gift with any purchase.
• Theory — 25% discount off entire purchase.
• Esprit — 25% off all full priced merchandise. Plus: Free gift (while supplies last!)
• AK Anne Klein — 20% off entire purchase.
• Hugo Store — Receive an additional 10% off your purchase.

For more information on the SoHo Holiday Stroll you can visit www.sohoholidaystroll.com.

For more information on A.C.E., you can visitwww.ace4homeless.org.

Zirh Ikon Fragrance F/W 08

CK Eternity

Calvin Klein – Wish