Although Saint Laurent’s visionary creative director Hedi Slimane left his position six months ago, the design of  the just opened second Miami store, immaculately clad in white marble, located within the Miami Design District, seems to indicate that his artistic ghost still lives throughout the brand as it did for many years (until this day?) after he left Dior Homme. And why not, as it brought a distinct new elan to the (Yves) Saint Laurent label, which translated into record sales, a widely recognized brand and some highly inspirational elegant design explorations, particularly in the stores that were opened under the creative directing of Slimane. With Belgian creative director Anthony Vaccarello now responsible, new accents have been formulated in the visual language, steering away from the Slimane signature grunge influences which he mixed with modern rock and roll decadence, but in the design of this new Miami store, the Slimane touch, as seen for instance in the last year's opened new Parisian Saint Laurent store, feels as strong as six months ago. [ Continue reading ]

Designed by Saint Laurent’s visionary creative director Hedi Slimane, the newly renovated Paris space of the fashion label at 8 rue de Faubourg in Paris is another step in the signature-like rebranding and renovation plans started by Slimane in 2012 for the iconic brand. With a tremendous surface of 390 m² the space is dedicated to showcasing the women’s ready-to-wear collections and accessories, and expresses a contemporary version of French-style art deco with white veined matt finish marble, geometrical lines in mirrors, glass and metal and black Noire Soie polished finish marble. Giving the space an air of long-lost splendor and the raw edged aesthetic of the gritty side of pop culture, making it the perfect environment for Slimane's rock and roll-inspired fashion. The space is decorated with vintage furniture designed by names like Jacques Adnet, Jean Besnard, André Sornay and Théo Ruth next to African ethnic art from Saint Laurent's private collection. All handpicked by Hedi Slimane and placed within the space with suspended hang-bars, mirror shelves, clear glass display counters and nickel-plated brass benches with quilted leather seats. Make sure to visit this gem whenever in Paris! [ Continue reading ]

The newly re-opened Paris-based La Ferme Saint Simon is a restaurant with a great heritage. In 1933 the restaurant opened its doors for the first time on Saint-Simon street, named after the famous French writer Louis de Rouvroy, Duke of Saint-Simon. At that time the restaurant, located close to the Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre, was named Au Bougnat. Subsequently the restaurant was acquired by the famous duo Denise Fabre and Francis Vandenhende who renamed it and made it a legendary Parisian address. Years later, in 2007, Ferme Saint Simon was acquired by Dario Dondelli, and finally in 2013 it was acquired by Marcelo Joulia and Laurent Limouzin, friends and associates through their Group Food & Fun. Joulia and Limouzin have updated the concept, while maintaining its founding elements: a classic and easy cuisine by chef Ali Iguedlane in an entirely new elegant decor, designed by French architecture and design agency Naço Architectures. [ Continue reading ]

As much as we love elegant well-balanced design, it are those makers who create with a similar precision, but always inhabiting a certain element of friction, who continue to stand out rather than loose real relevance over time. Among the artist who have proven to be just that; exquisitely precise but always finding ways to be represent friction into in their case timeless sculptural creations based on animals and nature - full of humor - are the French artist duo Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, who have inspired us with their timeless work since we discovered it through the Yves Saint Laurent art sale in 2009. Following a retrospective exhibition in 2009, inspired by the death of François-Xavier, last month on the 12th of December, the Paris-based Galerie Mitterrand opened another grande exhibition devoted to extraordinary work of Les Lalanne, celebrating 40 years of collaboration between the artists and Jean-Gabriel Mitterrand, and 25 years with the gallery. This exhibition is the opportunity to discover (or rediscover­) the art works of this internationally renowned, extremely talented couple of sculptors. [ Continue reading ]

Yet another beautiful series by the always inspiring Todd Selby, who shared his photographs after traveling through beautiful Morocco at the end of last year. With his signature color-orientated eye, the Selby reveals some tremendous shades of blue in different Moroccan cities. The color is famous for being the dominant choice when it comes to the facades of structures - both building as roads and passages - within the city of  Chefchaouen (often referred to as the most colorful city of the world), but also in Yves Saint Laurent's favorite Moroccan city, Marrakesh the photographer finds deep blues, which we love. His last destinations lays some 50 kilometers South of Marrakesh and is known as some of the more beautiful mountain retreats of Morocco, named Tamadot. There he visited the award-winning Kasbah Tamadot hotel, which was bought by Sir Richard Branson during one of his famous ballooning expeditions some years ago and has become a destination of choice for those who value peaceful quiet elegance, rather than loud luxury. Each of the 27 rooms and suites has been individually decorated to reflect the beautiful architecture of the building and features antiques from all over the world. We love these beautiful glimpses of colorful Morocco through the eyes of The Selby. [ Continue reading ]

Berlin-based Lunettes Kollektion translates iconic frames from fashion history to create modern classics. Designer and founder, Uta Geyer’s, philosophy stems from the concept of honoring the past while living in the now. As child of an artistic family Geyer regularly tagged along with her sculptor father on trips through thousands of museums and historical buildings, training her eye for shape and form. In 2006, Geyer opened the Lunettes Selection store in Berlin, which quickly gained a large following. Lunettes also developed as a go-to source for theater, television, and film productions, as well as fashion shoots, and its global following grew among those in-the-know thanks to Geyer’s online shop. In 2009 Geyer opened a second Lunettes Selection shop and launched the premier collection for Lunettes Kollektion, blending a fashion-forward thinking with the annals of style. Recent collaborations with rising names in fashion like Louise Gray, James Long, ODEEH, Christopher Shannon and Michael van der Ham show the brand's deep connection with the best European design, promising a lot for the future. Make sure to keep an eye on the brand. [ Continue reading ]

Last Thursday, on the 18th of September, the exhibition named 'Sonic' opened in the Paris-based Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent. It takes a look at 15 years of Hedi Slimane's photographic musical archives, ranging from London to New York, with particular focus on the beautiful Californian cycle begun in 2007, from which came 'California Song', the exhibition at the MOCA / Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in November 2011. In 'Sonic' studio portraits of highly influential and heroic rock figures like Lou Reed, Keith Richards, Pete Doherty, Amy Winehouse and Brian Wilson, stand alongside images of alternative scenes from London or California. The exhibition is completed with a video installation, juxtaposing the musical cycles of London (2003-2007) and California (2007-2014) in a documentary style, painting an alternative portrait of two generations of performers and their fans. This combination of two worlds; that of the icons of rock and roll and on the other side the rock and roll to be found in everyday life, exemplifies Slimane's unique creative vision and masterful observations from which all his work, whether as Artistic Director in fashion or as a photographer, stems. Make sure to visit whenever in Paris! [ Continue reading ]

Over the past year we've been working on an exhibition on denim which opened last week in the Centraal Museum, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Putting together 350 years of denim history into a more than 100 meter long indigo timeline. A rich history including classic paintings from 'The Master of the Blue Jeans' and old sample books dating back to the 18th century, to the designs of Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Maison Martin Margiela, Marithé + François Girbaud and Yves Saint Laurent - and one of the oldest Levi's and Lee jeans to Momotaro, Atelier Tossijn, Naked & Famous and Rapha - it's all there.
We've created a more than 100 meters long cabinet, starting like a loom in an almost black indigo colour, morphing to slate blue and finally ending in a bright white workshop. A three-dimensional timeline showing the rich history of 350 years of Blue Jeans. The exhibition is accompanied with a book we've designed together with Studio wilfredtimo, which will be available at Tenue de Nîmes (a.o.) anytime soon.

Blue Jeans — 23 November 2012 until 10 March 2013,
Centraal Museum, Nicolaaskerkhof 10, Utrecht, the Netherlands, open Tue - Sun 11.00h – 17.00h

For more images click here >
And more on Blue Jeans at the Centraal Museum after the click > [ Continue reading ]