Sunday 28 August 2011

Legzskin A/W 2011 collection



I mentioned in my very first blog post that I work as a freelance designer for Legzskin, a young denim brand based in Cannes.

The Autumn/Winter collection has now been launched, and I thought I'd share some of the new collection here....







bientôt,
Ruby Lou x

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Kate Moss in Paris with Mango

....and not forgetting Terry Richardson the photographer!
Mango's new A/W ad campaign due to be aired in September.....



bientôt,
Ruby Lou x

Sunday 21 August 2011

La Perla - New Roaring Collection





La Perla are back with an amazing new Autumn/Winter 2011/12 collection called 'The Roaring Collection' which takes its influence from my favourite era; the 1920's and, specifically, Art Nouveau.

The collection has its own dedicated website at http://www.theroaringcollection.laperla.com 

With embroidered tulle, fringeing and animal prints it's a stunning collection photographed by Mary Rozzi who also directed the video. Feast your eyes below.......













bientôt,
Ruby Lou x

Wednesday 10 August 2011

Victorian Woman...Le plaisir d'etre femme...

If you have read a few of my past blog posts, you will know by now that I do enjoy blogging about local brands and designers here on the French Riviera.

It's always great to discover the talent we have here on the Cote D'Azur and  I have recently come to know a very cool, quirky designer called Manuela Biocca, based in Cannes, who has created a brand called 'Victorian Woman' and as the name suggests, it's all about the style of the Victorian era. Think Steampunk, think the recent Alice in Wonderland film (Johnny Depp in that hat), think the Sherlock Holmes film (hey, Sherlock Holmes 2 is out in December!) think all of these and this will give you a feel for Manuela's brand.

Manuela herself is quite gothic and romantic in her personal style and she translates this beautifully into her creations. Every item in her collection is handmade with passion and attention to detail and is a reflection of her own love for this era. She has made her own clothes and created her own style for as long as she can remember and when passers by stopped her on the street to ask where she bought her clothes, she knew it was time to give this sense of style more life by creating her own brand.


Her first collection has just launched this summer and new additions to the collection will be made regularly although not necessarily by new season, more by new inspiration. Each item is original and unique and made by Manuela in France and every piece is dispatched with a certificate of unique authentication and has a limited edition number and is completed with a handwritten note.

Her collection is made with unique details; semi-precious stones, vintage laces, embroideries and handmade flowers.
Her customer is someone looking for a level of exclusivity in their wardrobe and someone who embraces their own vintage style with an edge of romanticism.

She creates a total look with each collection featuring corsets, hats, cloaks, spats as well as jewellery and hair accessories. So you can choose how much or how little Victorian influence you want for each of your outfits.

She also creates custom pieces for special events or weddings to help create that exclusive, one-off look a customer might be looking for.

All the photography is done by her husband, Sylvain Renault a freelance photographer who helps and creatively supports Manuela.

September/October sees the release of a special limited edition 'steampunk' collection and I for one, can't wait to see it! Take a look at the collection below and to find out more, visit http://www.victorianwoman.fr ......









bientôt,
Ruby Lou x

Thursday 4 August 2011

Agua Bendita - super cute swims!!

Candice Swanepoel in Agua Bendita
I've finally got around to making a new entry!
The past month or so has been ridiculously busy and as a result the ol' blog has suffered and been neglected a bit.
I have been inundated with new design projects (good news, no?) which kept me away for a while, but I am back and with a few new discoveries.....

I was at a lingerie trade show at the beginning of July and discovered a new (new for me anyway!) swimwear brand called Agua Bendita ("Holy Water" in Spanish) which is a Colombian brand created by 2 Colombian friends; Catalina Alvarez and Mariana Hinestroza who were friends at Fashion school in Colombia.

They started their brand in 2003 just making a few bikinis for friends from pieces of leftover fabric to create patchwork bikinis with small added details on. But such was the demand for their innovative style that before long they were being stocked by the biggest stores in Colombia and are now stocked in 45 countries around the world.


The style they have has a very handicraft/artisanal feel to it, with very Colombian references to it, it really encapsulates the South American feel and there are added details that you don't find on any other bikinis. Many of the bikinis are finished by hand by Colombian artisans which give the bikinis their special touch.

The biggest breakthrough for the brand came when they exhibited at the Miami Swimshow, the largest swimwear tradeshow, and it was here that the garments were selected for Sports Illustrated magazine Swimsuit Edition which opened the door to North America and the world.

Now the brand has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Maxim, Vogue and Glamour magazines and has growing international success. Model Marissa Miller wore the bikinis for Sports Illustrated, and the current collection is modelled by Bar Rafaeli and Victoria's Secret model Candice Swanepoel.

Below are a few examples are the current collection, to view the full collection, click here.
My next new discovery will be revealed in my next post....I'll try not to leave it as long as last time!






bientôt,
Ruby Lou x