Karl Lagerfeld’s Silent Film about Coco Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld opened his pre-fall Paris-Moscow Metiers D’Art Collection at the Le Ranelagh theater in Paris, with a 10 minute black and white silent film about Coco Chanel. Lagerfeld who “always loved silent movies,” directed the film himself, which starred his favorite male model Brad Kroenig and model model Edita Vilkeviciute who plays Coco from 1913. The first part of the film revolves around 1913 when Chanel first opened her shop and the second part takes place in 1923 when she was already well established. The film also featured Chanel’s Russian lover, the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, from whom she borrowed the pea jacket and pelisse and which tied perfectly to the new Collection which incorporated elements from imperial Russia and Russian folklore.

“It’s a funny movie, unpretentious,” says Lagerfeld. “Chanel was a charming woman, at liberty to seduce men. Everybody this year has decided to make a movie about Chanel, and you know their historical worth is not always too exact.”

The film took two days to shoot in a studio on the outskirts in Paris. Here is a small preview and the full movie is already available on Chanel’s website or from this link by clicking here.

Roberto Cavalli House by Italo Rota

Designers create stunning pieces on the runway, but have you ever wondered what their houses must look like? Here is a small preview of Roberto Cavalli’s new house by Italo Rota. The house was especially designed for Cavalli and it is located on the beautiful hills of Florence in Italy. The house’s color can be changed to match the personality of the owner and knowing Cavalli’s love for wild prints and bright palettes, it is only natural that the exterior looks exactly like this. This wildly printed glass house has a modern interior and a breath taking view of the romantic Florence city.

The New Chanel Homme Collection starring Scott Schuman

Scott Schuman more commonly known as the creator of the popular fashion blog “The Sartorialist” photographed Chanel’s new Homme Collection for Fantastic Man magazine Issue #8. Schuman is known for taking beautiful “real people” photography and this absolutely reflects his outstanding style. It has got to be one of the best fashion editorials for some time now and many people are already in love with the photo shots. Probably not many know that one of the world’s most prestigious fashion house, Chanel is making menswear. It sure isn’t as popular as the womenswear and the jewellery line, but Chanel menswear is gaining speed and attention! This new collection is rich in fitted black pants tucked in suede ankle boots, dark heavy coats, fitted blazers with scarves and my favorite - the black and white tweed loosely fitted coat with the pearl necklace.

Shu Uemura Mika Holiday 2008 Nails

For every lady who wants something extraordinary and special, it is a must to try out some of Shu Uemura products. For the New Holiday Collection 2008, Shu Uemura had photographer Mika Ninagawa exclusively design a unique collection with explosive color palette. Nail Polish is really big this season with darker colors taking over the runways. The Mika Shu Uemura features this beautiful Tanzanite Aquarium nail polish priced at $16 and available at their website. The nail polish is dark deep sparkly purple with glitter. It is quick-drying and produces a long lasting glossy shine. It is also formulated with seaweed extracts to protect against dryness and to promote healthy nails. And did you know that Shu Uemura’s nail polish bottles have a unique shape designed especially to fit between your fingers while you polish for your desired convenience? You will no longer need to look desperately for a place to put your bottle while you polish and you will be glamorously ready to go in minutes! 

Rigby & Peller With Pink Lingerie For Breast Cancer Awareness

As we all know, October is the international Breast Cancer Awareness international month. Lingerie giants Rigby & Peller have launched a limited edition collection Alondra with special pink designs for this month in support of this important cause. 10% of the October sales from the Alondra range will be donated in aid of the Breast Cancer Haven charity. The desirable collection is suitable for all occasions and features a full range of sizes as well as the bras are available in full cup, plunge or balcony styles. Alondra is delicately crafted from soft mesh tulle with Art Deco inspired organic embroidery and it is luxuriously adorned with ribbon and crystal trim. The pale pink color is especially designed for Breast Cancer month. Prices range from £64.95 for the bras and £38.95 for the bikini brief. You can visit their website to take a look at the beautiful pieces. Rigby & Peller hope to raise and donate £3,000 for the Breast Cancer Haven charity, which you can visit here and learn more about it.

Power Catamarans: New, Hot and Fast

Power catamarans may be a recent addition to the popular yacht market but they have been in existance for a very long time. The catamaran was first discovered to be used in a small fishing community in the southern coast of Tamil Nadu, India in the 5th century AD. The development of the power catamaran incorporates the best features of the motor yacht combined with the multihull characteristic. Nathanael Herreshoff designed a racing catamaran in 1876, which was banned by the New York Yacht Club because it was actually too fast.

In fact, power catamarans or power cats, are known for their increased speed, more space, and less expensive engines. Another attractive feature of these power cats is their stability. Because of their double hulls and greater beam, the catamarans offer a steadiness that single-hull yachts cannot offer. However, the larger beam is one of its disadvantages since many marinas simply cannot fit you.

The catamaran design remains relatively young and so, there is a great future for experimentation compared to the monohull yachts. There are already  power cats with hydrofoils, power cats that rely on solar energy and even power cats that look like single hulls above the water because of its faux bows feature. The market for power cats is still in its early stages but we see a growing trend and popular interest is on the definite increase.

The faster speed and increased space combined with the attractive lower costs attract many yacht lovers, but as for any other new market, make sure you do your research and examine your options carefully, talk to power cat owners, and most importantly take you time and find what best suits you!

As for my opinion, I can definitely state that I love these power cats! Ever since sailing in the Caribbean in one of these beauties, I fell in love. It offers great space and the speed is unbelievable! Yes, it can be harder for single-hull yacht owners to adjust since it is much larger and it sure feels different when you sail it; both because of its better steadiness and quicker loping motion compared to single-hulls. One thing is for certain, power cats are truly attractive and their design offers that little extra adventurous visage that is so appealing.

Some of the Current Power Cats: Aeroyacht are French builders that offer many sailing cats, but the Blubay TC 45 is a high performance hydrofoil power cat. Fountaine Pajot are a well known French company that offer power cats from 35 feet to 55 feet, including the Summerland 40 motoryacht. The Brazilian builders Sunboats offer mega hot luxurious catamarans from 83 feet to 155 feet, with features such as helipads and the ability to beach the yacht, the two pictures you see here show the Sunboats with these two hot features. With a slogan of “These are the yachts Da Vinci would have designed,” the Italian builders BRB yachts offer great layouts such as the three cabin layout with the master suite filling one entire hull and the four stateroom version of the 62 feet power cat.

Coco Chanel by Douglas Kirkland: 40 Unseen Photos

Photographer Douglas Kirkland released a book Coco Chanel: Three Weeks/1962, featuring 40 unseen photos of the fashion icon capturing some of her most intimate moments. The book is available at Amazon and I cannot wait to buy it! To promote his book, Kirkland is showing his Chanel photography collection at the Westwood Gallery in New York City.

In 1962, Douglas spent three weeks with Mademoiselle Chanel following her everywhere and taking photos of her. Douglas remembers that when he approached her, she was very hesitant and asked him to show her some of his work. Coco was so deeply impressed with his photography that she allowed him full access to her. The photos are truly special and intimate as they show our favorite designer in her private rooms, in the Versailles gardens, with her friends, and when she worked with her sketches and fittings.

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