PLANET BLUE

Planet Blue is a great website and store to find the true spirit of sunny Southern California brands. You can find some good pieces for summer, check out the website here.

CHECKING OUT

Fashionable guests recall the glory and glamour of the storied Ritz Paris, which, before closing its doors for renovation, hosts Kate Moss in haute couture one last time. Kate Moss is photographed by Tim walker & styled by the amazing Grace Coddington for American Vogue April 2012

BLOOM TIME

Can you smell summer?

IGNACIO TORRES

Stellar

pop.see.cul : Can you tell us a bit about your background?

Ignacio Torres : I am a Texas native who recently moved to New York to work as a photographer. The last few years I attended the University of North Texas where I received my BFA in Photography.

pop.see.cul : Did you always want to be a photographer?

Ignacio Torres : As a young kid I was interested in photography but it was nothing I seriously pursued until high school. I was first interested in filmmaking and went into college thinking it was what I wanted to do. After taking my first film related class I realized my interest had shifted to the glossy images I saw in magazines. That’s when I decided I wanted to be a fashion photographer.

pop.see.cul : Where do you usually get your inspiration from?

Ignacio Torres : Lately I go people watching in the city for inspiration. It sounds cliché but I can spot someone and I immediately start visualizing a photo in my head.

pop.see.cul : Can you explain your project called ‘Stellar’?

Ignacio Torres : ‘Stellar’ is a celebration of life and humanity. My interest in science and visual language merged through this specific project. I wanted to communicate our cosmic origins in a straightforward and captivating manner.

pop.see.cul : What is your typical day like?

Ignacio Torres : Most of my days begin with early breakfast and answering emails. It then proceeds to catch up with blogs, news, etc. Most of my day is spent researching, reading, watching movies and organizing my life.

pop.see.cul : What are your plans for the future?

Ignacio Torres : I want to make more work and shoot new short films. I would also like to do some work with Opening Ceremony in the future.

pop.see.cul : How would you describe yourself in general?

Ignacio Torres : Positive, outgoing and comical.

pop.see.cul : Who are you favorite photographers?

Ignacio Torres : I love the work of Hedi Slimane, Robert Longo, and David Armstrong.

pop.see.cul : Do you think it’s difficult to be a successful photographer nowadays?

Ignacio Torres : I think it is extremely difficult. It is saturated with photographers
out there and having to constantly reinvent yourself to stand out is a difficult task.

pop.see.cul : Any advice for young talents like yourself?

Ignacio Torres : Be assertive with anything you do!

pop.see.cul : Famous last words?

Ignacio Torres : Thank you for your time!

Check out his website here 

MARGUERITE’S MENAGERIE

A poetic beauty, feminine silhouettes, hand drawn floral prints that look like as if they have wrapped themselves around you.. ‘Marguerite’s Menagerie’ is a natural progression and a great example of Hermione De Paula‘s key style. She definitely is one of the young talents to look at. She launched her label in 2008 and caught everyone’s attention with her imaginative and unconventional prints. We believe this collection is her absolute best work until now. The feather embellishments, bead embroideries and colour combinations are spectacular. It’s such a shame they used this model for the photoshoot though, because she can’t pose. She has the same face expression in every single photo; open mouth, surprised eyes and a blank look.

REED AND RADER

Our next guests on pop.asks.you are the very talented couple Pamela Reed and Matthew Rader, REED+RADER

pop.see.cul : Can you tell us a bit about your background? When did you guys collaborate?

Reed+Rader : We met while attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2002. A first generation Windows iPod brought us together and made us friends.  3 months later we were living together with our first cat.  We worked together ever since the beginning but officially became the team Reed + Rader in the winter of 2005.

pop.see.cul :Do you ever disagree with each other while working on a project?Does it get hard?

Reed+Rader :We really don’t disagree much, it’s a bit cliché, but it’s like 1 person with 20 fingers.  We have very similar tastes so it doesn’t take more than a glance or nod of a head on set to point something out to the other and they know exactly what we’re saying.  The only difficult part is separating Pamela + Matthew from Reed + Rader, we’re a couple as well as a creative team, so it never shuts off.  Brainstorm meetings at 4AM aren’t uncommon.

pop.see.cul : Where do you get your inspiration from?

Reed+Rader : Much of our inspiration is technology inspired – by either the latest gadgets, games, or by hours of daily web browsing.  You often see Internet memes and gaming characters pop up in our work.

pop.see.cul : Has there been a particular project you found to be the highlight of your career so far?

Reed+Rader : Being part of the Greenbox Project with Becks was pretty cool and a dream experience for an artist.  It was a global augmented reality project where there were these giant boxes all over the world and they are the markers for the digital content that you see when you hold your smartphone up to them.  Our green box was in Milan and we created a world of clouds, smiley faces, and magic called Super AR_Avatars.  It was cool to be one of the launch artists and to be part of the project.    We were in Berlin in December to also help launch the project there and see our Green box live, it was a fun trip.

pop.see.cul : What is your typical day like?

Reed+Rader :On shoot dates we rise early, shoot, eat pizza for dinner, play with some cats and end up in bed pretty early.
On non shoot dates we rise later, email, edit work, email, play with cats, garden, bake, eat pizza for dinner, play with more cats, end up in bed playing a game or reading.

pop.see.cul : What are your plans for the future?

Reed+Rader : For us the key word is interactivity.  We want the users to no longer have a passive experience, but we want them to participate in the work.  We love the idea of having the viewer become the art director, let them make the choices.Other technologies we are playing with are augmented reality and 3d depth cameras like the Microsoft Kinect.   These are all ideas we have pursuing and pushing in our work.

pop.see.cul : How would you describe your style in general?

Reed+Rader : Future tech, characters, playful.

pop.see.cul :Can you name a few people you’d like to work with?

Reed+Rader :We love anyone who thinks out of the box and doesn’t take themselves or work too seriously.

pop.see.cul : What are your favorite films?

Reed+Rader : Blade Runner, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Serial Experiments  Lain, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Brazil, Citizen Kane,  Metropolis, Strange Days,  The Holy Mountain, THX 1138, Star Wars, Monty Python, Ghost in the Shell, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Wall-E

pop.see.cul : Pamela, can you tell us one word that describes Matthew?

Pamela Reed : Bippy.

pop.see.cul : Matthew, one word to describe Pamela?

Matthew Rader : Kodiak Bear.

To view more visit their website here

OLIVER VAUGHN

Oliver Vaughn is a freelance stylist and art director who does fascinating work for a number of magazines, such as Sheer and Huf Magazine. Our paths have crossed and we had the chance to collaborate with him in one of his photoshoots. He was kind enough to answer our questions for pop.asks.you.

pop.see.cul: Can you tell us a bit about your background? How did you get involved with styling?

Oliver: I’ve always loved fashion but I actually didn’t study it or plan a career in it. Bizarrely I studied law at university! I came away with a law degree and then horrified myself with the thought of being chained to a desk during every waking hour for the rest of my life. Luckily I knew some really talented people in the fashion and music industry who gave me some great opportunities. I worked hard, got myself out there and networked. You have to be very dedicated and put the hours in or you don’t get anywhere, when starting out as a stylist it involves doing a lot of work for free so you have to simultaneously put hours in elsewhere to earn money. It’s hard work but if you keep at it eventually it pays off!

pop.see.cul: What are your inspirations? Is there anyone in particular that has inspired your work?

Oliver: I am inspired by the vibrance of London and the people around me. I love looking through the collections of upcoming designers and seeing the creative brilliance that is yet to be discovered by mainstream fashion press, it excites me. I also love looking at the work of photographers like Steven Klein; I love the way he captures fashion in a way that is dark and twisted but still beautiful. For me it is essential  that fashion is portrayed in refreshing and innovative ways, so as much as I love looking through fashion magazines it is important not to take too much inspiration from ideas and concepts that have already been done.

pop.see.cul: How do you pick the people you’re going to work with for a photo-shoot? Or do they pick you?

Oliver: In terms of the creative teams I work with – they are often put together by the magazines that I work for. However with personal projects or those that I lead on the creative direction for, I am very lucky to have some fantastic and extremely talented friends in the industry that I work alongside. It is so important to enjoy what you are doing in fashion – otherwise it will show in your work, and that is so much easier when you have great people around you. I work a lot with an immensely talented makeup artist called Michelle Webb who constantly blows me away with her work – she is a true artist and I think I produce some of my best work when I am creating alongside her. Similarly I love working with a hairstylist called Kim Roy who is inspirational in her skill and technique. It is important to work with new people though and I really enjoy the variety and interaction from different and new teams that you are constantly exposed to in this industry.

pop.see.cul: Can you tell us more about Sheer Magazine?

Oliver: Sheer is a brand new high-end glossy fashion magazine. We launched with the first issue at the end of last summer and received great feedback. We were stocked in 400+ stores across the UK and 40 countries worldwide. We are just a small, young team so there is a big emphasis on promoting new and young talent within the magazine; which I think is incredibly important. It is lovely to be able to feature some of London’s best young creatives alongside some of the more established high-end brands like Burberry. We are currently working on issue 2 and made a conscious decision not to rush it out. It is going to be much bigger and better than issue 1 – so watch this space!

pop.see.cul: What are your top clothing essentials to buy for summer? What’s your favorite new trend for fall so far?

Oliver: For the girls it was clear from the summer collections shown in September that pinks, oranges and print patterns are going to be massive. For boys I always say that it is essential to invest in some decent fitted tailoring. In the summer it is all about a good pair of rolled up shorts in a bold colour. My red shorts are my summer staple (those and RayBans of course). In terms of next fall – obviously lots of black, I went to several shows this fashion week which were basically all black collections. For girls black lace pieces are a must have and for boys a sharp trench coat.

NEELE&INKA

Twin Sisters Neele And Inka Hoeper shot by Maria Mölko

À DERIVA (ADRIFT)

Directed by Heitor Dhalia, À Deriva is a 1980s-set drama about a teenage girl undergoing her sexual awakening when she learns about her father’s infidelities.

We are literally in love with actress Laura Neiva and of course Vincent Cassel.

KALMANOVICH’

Kalmanovich is a ready-to-wear label based out of Moscow and New York. With the aim of draping luxurious fabrics on the modern silhouette, the brand creates forward designs defined by romantic statement pieces – ruffling soft tulle around impeccably tailored gowns or draping luxurious fabric beneath a cinched waist. Whether embroidered wool or playfully layered silk, the foundation of the brand is its bold identity, coupled with a fascination for whimsy.

Thanks to Lux Cartel for bringing attention to these new designers! Julia Kalmanovich’s collection just arrived on shopbop.com.

THE LONGER THE HAIR, THE CLOSER TO JESUS

HALLUCINATE

Photos from youcancallmesoso and betweenpeaceandhappiness 

KIM’S WORLD

Kim Noorda photographed by Viktor Vauthier for Tank Magazine’s winter issue. Such a cute editorial. Quirky, young, colourful London through the eyes of an East London based photographer.

SHOPPING IN THE FAR FAR EAST

Whether you’re a shopaholic, a workaholic, a K-Pop fanatic, a foodie, a filmmaker, or just a sightseer you should definitely be going to the far east; where people don’t stop and cities don’t sleep. Seoul and Tokyo are two cities that are shopper’s heaven. From cutting edge electronics to colourful dresses; traditional crafts to trendy fashion, you could practically buy anything you could ever want. Here are some photos to give you an idea of what you can find over there. MOSHI MOSHI! (n_n)

Photos by Amy Graham and Annabel Scopes

DAILY DOSE OF WANDERLUST

We can’t get enough of Wandern Visuals. So we decided to post about it again. If you want to get inspired this should be one of the blogs to check! It’s a bit addictive though. Have a look!

Pair

Valentino

Chansons D’amour

Color of the day

Ad of Chanel & Flower Scans by Craig Cramer

Fall – Francoise Hardy + Acne

Drama drama

L’essence

Earth vs Sea

Stairs to heaven

VS

Purple Haze

Long ago

Most Beautiful Swiss Books by Scheltens-Abbenes & Unknown

Bleu Rouge

Luisa Casati & Unknown Image

Those Girls

The book I read

Saskia de brauw  by Camille Vivier for double magazine

Visit her blog here

TOP-SHOP AND TOP-DESIGNERS

Mary Katrantzou’s collection for Topshop was launched today. The nine piece collection focuses on Katrantzou’s trademark prints and structured shapes. The pieces would be a good investment because Katrantzou is definitely headed for major success. Grab whatever’s left now!

Mary Katrantzou

Topshop also has unveiled a new T-shirt collection created by its NEWGEN alumni, including Erdem, Christopher Kane and Mary Katrantzou.  The T-shirts will be sold during London Fashion Week from Topshop stores nationwide, and online at TOPSHOP.COM. All proceeds from the T-shirts will be donated to homelessness charity Centrepoint.

ErdemJW AndersonRoksanda IlincicMary KatrantzouChristopher KaneHolly FultonMeadham KirchhoffJonathan SaundersMarios SchwabPeter Jensen

WHAT KIND OF SHOE ARE YOU?

TAKE THE QUIZ NOW!





Photos from Tommy Ton, STRTFSN, Caroline’s Mode, Style.com

ORANGE WILL WARM US

LOVE FROM V2K + VAKKORAMA

You still have a day left lovers!

Vakkorama

V2K Designers

Last five pictures from 74′ studio, designed by 74’studio

IFW 2012

Tuvanam 2012-2013 Autumn-Winter collection

Atıl Kutoğlu  2012-2013 Autumn-Winter collection

Nihan Peker 2012-2013 Autumn-Winter collection

Tuba Benian  2012-2013 Autumn-Winter collection

Beste Gürel  2012-2013 Autumn-Winter collection

Streetstyle

There is always a fashion street show going on during that time of the year. It sure puts a smile on your face to see people with different styles BUT, here in Istanbul (and pretty much everywhere around the world ) it gets a bit funny. You seriously understand when a person really tried to look different, you know that the day before ( or even a week before ) they tried to find the perfect outfit to attend the fashion week and usually it doesn’t quite work for them; we’ve seen it all : Kanye West wanna-be, ‘I-read-vogue-all-the time’ wanna-be ( who by the way, seriously came to the show holding a Vogue magazine..seriously?) Lady Gaga wanna-be, ‘I’m very different because I mixed random colors/I own eyeglasses without the actual frame/and I look cool’ kinds of people. We don’t want to be mean..but please..stop trying so hard damn it! Well..but then again, maybe this ridiculousness is all part of the fashion week.

Here are the exceptions though, the styles we loved

We have no idea who he is..but we love this dude! :

All images by pop.see.cul.

Street style images (except last) by Markofoni