Stylert Blog

Lucien Pellat-Finet called the King of Cashmere, he is known for the most luxurious and unique cashmere and apparel in the world. His luxury knitwear and accessories are a twist of punk with an irresistible urban mix. The signature skull embellishes wallets, handbags, and fine jewellery as well on cashmere sweaters.

He launched his first apparel in 1994; a collection of ten cashmere knit sweaters. He presented his collections to the best luxury boutiques in New York, and resulted in an order totalling 400 pieces. This success established his reputation as the “King of Cashmere” by the American press. Fashion enthusiasts were drawn to the super high-quality materials used, as well as the unique skul symbols that have become his most visible trademark.

Ever since the image of the skull off the street from skater ramps and punk rock halls, the edgy cultural icon of death has surfaced in consumer luxury circles near and far. The skull has proven cool factor in luxury culture, from sneakers to decadent chocolate, Alexander McQueen scarves and clutches, Zombie Boy aka Lady Gaga and Thierry Mugler and artist Scott Campbell‘s skull art pieces.

Skull symbolism is the attachment of symbolic meaning to the human skull. The most common symbolic use of the skull is as a representation of death and mortality, but such a reading varies with changing cultural contexts. Our present society predominantly associates skulls with death and evil. However, to some ancient societies it is believed to have had the opposite association, where objects like crystal skulls represent “life”: the honoring of humanity in the flesh and the embodiment of consciousness.

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Rosa Maria, a Lebanese jewellery designer. The designer creates edgy and contemporary pieces made from a variety of different metals and gemstones, gold and silver often mixed together, stones such as rosecut diamonds in different colours, rubies, sapphires, tourmalines and topaz.

Rosa Maria was born in Beirut during Lebanon’s Golden Era, she was always fascinated since her youth with the old antique jewellery that her parents used to collect on their travels over the years. She used to admire the stones and observe the magic of the colours of the stones. A long time partner in Beirut is IF, which it’s a “Avant-Garde” Boutique for clothing and accessories. This is the place where she began working and where Rosa Maria has found her true passion for designing jewellery.

A few years later, she decided to develop her own style of jewellery, daring create an “avant-gard” design, by mixing materials in an unconventional techniques; Rosa Maria began her serious work at jewellery fairs around Beirut, amongst others, and has shown her original style with her unstructured layered creations.

“It is like a puzzle with someone putting the bits together to create different combinations any time” she says. Therefore she dedicates her jewellery to a person that has character, style and personality a person that can follow her bright and cunning creations, adding every year one more ring to a collection, carrying on the story that reflects Rosa Maria’s unique designs.

Producing 2 collections a year that are shown at Paris’s Haute Couture fashion shows, Rosa Maria has great success and her original jewellery collection is now presented and distributed all over the world.

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Moschino Cheap & Chic, the innovative, colourful and playful line is the rebellious younger sister of the Moschino couture. Moschino Cheap and Chic traditional tailoring methods to produce wearable, sexy clothes, beautifully made, fashion that is full of fun & chic.

Moschino Cheap & Chic was launched in 1988 with a collection that displayed the same sense of fun as the iconic main line. The line maintains the brand’s hallmark quirky such as vintage-inspired style, eye-catching polka dot Minnie Mouse patterns, embellishment brooches and tweed jackets in an uplifting palette of green, pink and yellow.

It was originally created by the late Francisco Moschino, and is well known for its “classico con twist”, classical twist. Based in Milan, Moschino originally studied fine art, with ambitions to be a painter, but came to see that tailoring and fabrics could be just as valid a means of expression as paint and canvas. Consequently, his first job in fashion was with the Cadette label, for whom in 1977 he produced a simple range of stylish clothes. The current head of design, Rosella Jardini, has been trying recently to tone down the humorous attitude established during the time of Francisco Moschino.

Cheap and Chic was launched 1988 and is the less expensive line.  He was named as the Jean-Paul Gaultier of Italian fashion for his highly innovative designs. The designs were very unusual such as quilted black denim miniskirt with plastic fried eggs decorating the hemline, quilted jacket decorated with bottle tops, plug-socket drop earrings, and bodices made out of safety pins. Moschino Cheap and Chic uses basic forms and traditional tailoring methods to produce wearable, sexy clothes, cut to flatter and beautifully made, fashion that is full of fun & chic.

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Marni is a cutting-edge fashion label, the unusual shapes, idiosyncratic prints and bold colours are very distinctive in the fashion world.

Swiss-born Consuelo Castiglioni is the designer is the founder of the successful Italian label. Consuelo Castiglioni had no formal training in fashion design. Her fashion line, which is named after her sister Marni, grew as her customers needed something to wear under or with their fur.

Launched in 1994, the Marni collection for both women and men is characterised by eclectic, almost folksy pattern and decoration paired with restrained, modern cuts. Castiglioni’s understanding of colour is superb and she is able to work contrasting hues together with beautiful results. Look out for accessories and shoes that are just as desirable as the clothing.

The designer, Consuelo Castiglioni, created an avant-garde spirit balancing exceptionally-crafted ready-to-wear with a complete line of accessories. Consuelo’s modern approach to materials and silhouette, juxtaposing color, exclusive prints and textures has resulted in a new, unique form of functionality.

In addition to the women’s collection, Marni men’s launched in Spring Summer 2002 followed by Eyewear for Fall Winter 2005–06 and Summer and Winter Editions in 2009.

Today, the company produces a full array of ready-to-wear clothing, handbags, jewellery, and eyewear. Jenna Lyons, senior vice president of women’s design for J.Crew, attributes Marni’s rise to the post-Tom Ford era, saying that women are lately being bold through color, print, and shape rather than through overt sex appeal and are dressing more for other women than for men.

Recently, French artist Claude Caillol was recruited for a ‘Plastics’ collection of PVC bags, and UK artist Gary Hume for a capsule T-shirt collection, both as part of the AW 2010-11 line.

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Roberta Di Camerino the legendary fashion designer of the 50s, enjoyed a high status among Hollywood’s style icons like Grace Kelly and Isabella Rossellini. Over the last fifty years, Roberta di Camerino handbags have played a leading role in the world of fashion.

The designer is principally known for its velvet handbags, though it has also produced womenswear and shoes. In addition to fashion accessories for both men and women, the company of Roberta di Camerino markets household furnishings, leather goods, perfumes and cosmetics, jewellery and numerous other products.

Giuliana Camerino was the designer who founded the Roberta di Camerino fashion house in Venice. She started making handbags in Switzerland during the days of World War II, when she took refuge there.

In 1945, she returned to Venice and set up her own company making striped velvet satchels and carved leather handbags, progressing to scarves, umbrellas, belts, shoes and gloves.

Her innovative designs put the spotlight on Italian fashion accessories in the post-War years.

She later designed and produced fabrics and garments. Her activities in the United States in the 1950′s earned her an International Fashion Oscar from Neiman Marcus. The legendary Bagonghi bag, photographed in 1956 on the arm of Grace Kelly, toured the world with her.

Other devote admirers include the likes of Elsa Maxwell, Princess Paola of Liegi, Liz Taylor, Gina Lollobrigida, Isabella Rossellini and Farrah Fawcett

The label has relaunched in 2010 with head designer Giorgia Scarpa ,previously of Prada and Dior, who aims to bring the label to a new generation, with a collection referencing Roberta Di Camerino’s signature trompe l’oeil prints and opulent colours.

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Malene Birger the Danish fashion designer is known as the Queen of Fashion from Copenhagen. Beside the clean Scandinavian design, Malene Birger is taking inspirations from the 50’s and 60’s and creates feminine and highly wearable fashion.

Malene Birger’s interest in design began at an early age. Her main inspiration was her grandmother, as well as her mother’s sharp eye for fashion and trends. After working as a window stylist, in 1989 Malene Birger completes her Fashion Design degree at the prestigious Danish Design School. Then she starts her career as a fashion Designer at Jackpot by Carli Gry and then as Head Designer of Women’s wear at Marc O’Polo, Stockholm till 1996.

In 1997 she established her first company, Day Birger et Mikkelsen and in 2002 won the Danish Design Award.

In 2003 Malene Birger founded “By Malene Birger” in corporation with the IC Company A/S as an investor.

Malene has received several awards. For By Malene Birger A/S she received Guldknappen 2004 from the Danish fashion magazine Alt for Damerne, and in 2005 Scanorama’s Scandinavian Design Award. In 2008, Costume Norway awarded By Malene Birger Brand of the Year in 2008.

By Malene Birger has grown in popularity from a company that began just over seven years ago with 10 employees to a staff of over 80.

Today, the company spans over seven continents around the world. Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, North America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East are part of a global list of distribution and representation.

Today, just several years since its inception, the brand is available around the world. With a staff of more than 80, sales in 42 countries and representation by 19 agents and distributors, By Malene Birger is undeniably an international brand in demand.

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Robert Carlos Clarke the Irish photographer, known for his highly stylised erotic imagery he was called the British answer to Helmut Newton.

He studied graphics at the West Sussex College of Art in the 70s. Later, he received an MA from the Royal College of Art. Robert Carlos Clarke worked in almost every sphere of photography, winning numerous awards for his high-profile advertising campaigns, recognition for his photojournalism and portraits of celebrities, and international acclaim from collectors of fine prints.

Carlos Clarke photographed celebrities such as Keith Richards, Dita Von Teese, Caprice, Marco Pierre White and Rachel Weisz; many of these were his friends and acquaintances, some of them through his agent Ghislain Pascal, who represented some of his clients.

He produced five books during his career: The Illustrated Delta of Venus (1979), Obsession (1981), The Dark Summer (1985), White Heat (with Marco Pierre White, 1990), and Shooting Sex (2003).

On 25 March 2006, the photographer Bob Carlos Clarke checked himself out of the Priory Hospital in Barnes, southwest London, walked a short distance to a railway track, and jumped in front of a train. He was 55, and it was a terrible end to a complex life. But, as endings go, it was not an entirely surprising one.

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Bird by Juicy Couture is a contemporary and casual clothing line. The brand known for its abstract print dresses in deluxe silks, slinky satin jumpsuits, as well as sharp-shouldered leather jackets and intricate lace tops which adds a dash of urban style to their collection. Bird Couture is based on Juicy Couture’s timeless vintage style and Juicy’s typical colors, black, gray and pink.

Juicy Couture is well-known for their terry, velour, cashmere, and fleece tracksuits, which have been made famous by the many celebrities who love to wear them. Bird by Juicy Couture was founded in 2009 by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor, wife of John Taylor – the base guitarist for rock band Duran Duran.

Juicy Couture has been phenomenally successful in its short history, its influence extending beyond fashion and into 21st Century pop culture – the Juicy Couture velour tracksuit residing in London’s Victoria And Albert Museum a testament to the brands wider cultural significance. After seeing a picture of the two founders, it comes as no surprise that these two created such a fairytale-like shopping environment. Their long flowing hair, outrageous makeup, and the fact that they are over 50 and still dress in matching outfits, make it clear that only these two particular women could have developed such a brand.

The Bird by Juicy Couture clothes is retailed through exclusive stores and online. Celebrity fans are: Katie Holmes, Alison Brie, Kat Dennings, Molly Sims, Rachel Bilson, Cameron Diaz, Anna Kendrick, Pixie Lott, Elisabetta Canalis, Emmy Rossum, Fergie, Anne Hathaway, Kristen Stewart, Camilla Belle, Lily Cole, Eva Longoria Parker, Leah Zalak

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Kenzo Homme SS 2012 was inspired by the atmosphere from Côte d’Azur to Hawaii in the 1960s. Showcasing stripes and floral prints to polka dots, a colourful mix of blue, green as well as fuchsia, teamed with the vintage Hawaiian prints seen on shirts, shorts and jackets.

Kenzo Takada became famous for his patchworks and energetic colours. He is staying faithful to his original idea of mixing diverse cultures; Kenzo’s concept is to join clothes with old materials and objects to create a harmonious atmosphere where prints mix with simplicity of shapes.

Kenzo’s first men’s collection was launched in 1983. The collection hits on several major trends which are emerging from the runways of Paris and Milan. In 1999, Kenzo Takada’s decision to step down. His departure provoked several years of fashion floundering before Antonio Marras was named as the artistic director  in 2003 and, then, for the entire brand, in 2008. It was a fortuitous and visionary appointment; Marras recently extended his contract until 2014.

The designer has crafted a collection which is truly embedded in the spirit of the Kenzo man. However, Antonio Marras is not afraid to push the style of the Kenzo man a bit further. As for accessories, Kenzo proposes lots of man bags and large travel bags. Among the other accessories in this collection he also designs scarves, hats, shoes and trendy eyewear.

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The London-based jeweller, Hannah Martin, creates luxurious and decadent pieces described as the jewellery, for men that their girlfriends will want to steal.  Hannah Martin’s striking creations draw on the hedonism, glamour and sex-appeal of rock icons for inspiration.

She graduated from St Martins and was consulting for fine jewellery houses Givenchy and Cartier before launching her own label. With a philosophy of creating products for men that do not compromise masculinity, but luxuriate in it and celebrate it, and in doing so appeal to men and women alike. She describes it as a collection for men that their girlfriends will want to steal. The Hannah Martin design aesthetic is characterised by strong lines, edgy opulence and a villainous elegance.

The British and International press have been hailing Hannah as one of our hottest new designers and recent coverage includes Vogue, ID, Tank, GQ, Esquire, Fashion Inc, WWD, Another, Sunday Times Style, The Observer and The Independent

Hannah has celebrity followers like:  Agyness Deyn, Angelina Jolie, Madonna, Pink, Rufus Wainwright, Rupert Everett, and Guy Berryman all purchasing pieces of the collection, as well as heavy-weights of the fashion world including Christopher Bailey and Vivienne Westwood.

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