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....

www.Legzskin.com

A bientôt,

Ruby Lou x

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.....

A bientôt,

Ruby Lou x

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.......

A bientôt,

Ruby Lou x

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 ......

A bientôt,

Ruby Lou x

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!

www.aguabendita.com.co

A bientôt,

Ruby Lou x

Lingerie & Fashion in the French Riviera!

It's been an exciting few weeks on the French Riviera recently, with more than the usual amount of glamour surrounding us. First we had the 64th Cannes Film Festival which lasted for 2 weeks and brought us Brangelina, Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz amongst others. Followed closely by the Monaco Grand Prix where, amongst all the Formula One drivers etc etc (we're not that interested are we? We just want to know about the fashion) we saw bride-to-be Charlene Wittstock (aka Mrs Prince Albert II of Monaco-to-be) and Nicole Scherzinger (lady of Lewis Hamilton), both with suitably amazing wardrobes.

There were, of course, a fair amount of fashion and music events taking place during this time and a few of the designers showcasing their products that I was interested in, were Nichole de Carle, Ashley Paige and Lizzie Cundy as they were all promoting lingerie and swimwear.


Designer Spotlight 1!

Images courtesy of Nichole de Carle

Nichole de Carle is another De Montfort University contour fashion graduate (see my previous blog about Made by Niki - there are a few of us around!) and worked for  Alexander McQueen, Donna Karan and Pleasure State before starting her own lingerie brand. She presented her new collection near La Croisette, Cannes on a yacht overlooking the Bay of Cannes on Saturday 14th May with Fashion TV filming the entire event, backstage included!

Images courtesy of Nichole de Carle

She then held her second event  at the Amber Lounge in Monaco amidst the Grand  Prix on the 27th May surrounded by more yachts and glamour! Guests sipped cocktails while Taio Cruz performed live and the models graced the catwalk around him in Nichole's designs. Matthew Williamson also presented his latest collection at the same event which was hosted under the high Patronage of H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco in benefit for the Special Olympics.

Image courtesy of Ashley Paige

Designer Spotlight 2! 

Ashley Paige is a swimwear designer with the kind of principles I love. She left her hometown in Florida to move to L.A to start  her own swimwear design company, which she did and very successfully too. She created handknitted bikinis that were so popular that she won the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in her first year of business and counts Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Liv Tyler,Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton as clients. What I love is the way she uses her publicity and press spotlight to highlight the work she does for animal rescue having started a non-profit organisation called RuffHouZen Rescue which has rescued thousands of animals so far, she has also featured dogs  in her catwalk shows wearing t-shirts reading 'save a stray' and hosts weekly pet adoptions at her boutique/studio in Hollywood. I'd buy a bikini from her just for her principles and love of animals!

Images courtesy of Ashley Paige

Ashley showcased her latest collection at the Hotel Palais Stephanie in Cannes on  the 17th May on the rooftop terrace of the hotel in front of high profile guests, celebrities and VIPs.

Images courtsey of Sandstorm Boutique

Designer spotlight 3!

Images courtesy of Sandstorm Boutique

And finally Lizzy Cundy who is an ex-footballers wife and has designed a swimwear collection for Uk online swimwear boutique Sandstorm Boutique, which was launched in Cannes during the film festival.

She modelled the range herself which is available soon on the Sandstorm website and includes bikinis as well as one pieces.

I am also now writing for a local French Riviera magazine called The Riviera Woman.....check out my first article here!

A bientôt,

Ruby Lou x

Fraulein Annie Lingerie

I'm especially excited about this new lingerie brand as it has been created by an industry friend of mine called Frauke Nagel. Frauke is German but has lived in London for about 11 years.

Her new brand 'Fraulein Annie' is a beautiful collection of lingerie inspired by Berlin in the 1920's to 1940's and the name 'Fraulein Annie' comes from the Marlene Dietrich song 'Fraulein Annie wohnt schon lang nicht hier' (Fraulein Annie doesn't live here anymore). Each style features names such as Bye Bye mein Herr (from Liza Minelli's Cabaret song) and Don't Say Die (another Marlene Dietrich song) and feature Art Deco and vintage styling.

But aesthetic beauty aside, the collection is also very practical since there is such a strong focus on the fit and support. The styles are available from an A to a G cup and feature bras, knickers, basques, slips and suspender belts. Modern fabrics create the perfect hourglass shape and vintage styling provides the glamour!

A swimwear range will be launched for Spring/Summer 2012 as well, but for now, below is a selection from the Spring/Summer 2012 lingerie collection....

A bientôt,

Ruby Lou x