Fall With Love. Jac Jagaciak For Vogue China August 2012

Kill. ing. me.

Jac Jagaciak Vogue China August 2012

The Chinese fashion magazines are amazing anyway,

but this month they are absolutely killing me with their brilliance.

Check out this gorgeous editorial from Vogue China August 2012.

Shot in Shanghai by JMN, model Jac Jagaciak 

works vibrant clashing hues that meld together perfectly.

Stylist Yi Guo creates a fantastic blend 

of vivacious jewel toned color blocking

with some intensely interesting shapes.

Hair is slicked back and simple,

and the makeup is the perfect compliment to the entire story.

Love. Love. Love.

Fall With Love

Jac Jagaciak Vogue China August 2012

Oh-So-Sexy, Statement Making Vintage Maillot

I bought the most fabulous bikinis you ever did see

in Positano a couple of months ago.

To die for.

And yet, and yet, and yet

I've come back to America only to obsess

about the vintage one piece.

Marie Helene Arnaud, French Riviera, 1957

Primarily the one piece from the latter half of the 1950's.

Some a little earlier, some a little later.

But even now, there is something so crushingly alluring

about a sculptured maillot,

designed to emphasize curves,

cover up a little more flesh

and leave something juicy to the imagination.

Vogue Nov 1950 by Clifford Coffin

  

On the beach in Forte Dei Marmi I watched a sea of bikini clad

damsels frolicking around or lying sanguine,

of every body type under the sun, and somewhere along the way, they all rolled into one.

The woman who stood out as she meandered along the shore, deep in thought, (maybe calculatedly so)

was wearing one of the most sensational maillots I have ever seen.

Vintage, pink and cream, gorgeous. Everything covered, yet sexy as all hell.

So now I want one too...

 Marie Helene Arnaud, Cap d'Antibes 1957

Harpers Bazaar 1957 by John Engstead

 Vogue Australia 1964, Helmut Newton

Life Magazine July 1952

 Elizabeth Taylor in a white one-piece

 

Marisa Berenson 1960s white one-piece swimsuit

Silvia Lareo-Vasquez 1989

One-piece swimsuits Seventeen Magazine May 1954

Marilyn Monroe in white one-piece swimsuit

Many of these images were garnished from one of my favorite facebook pages,

an Italian gem called Lo Charme E Un Nodo Da Stringere Con Stile

If you like these images, make sure you go like their facebook page here

I check in on them daily for a quick dose of fabulous.

Lulu Powers Ice Cream Cake Flower Pots

I adore all things Lulu.

In fact celebrity caterer Lulu Powers book,   

Lulu Powers From Food To Flowers has become my

entertaining bible. Endless great recipes and cool ideas to wow your guests with.

Anyhoo,  Lulu Powers blog had this fabulous idea 

for ice-cream.

I'm re-posting it today as I  plan on using it this weekend 

for a party I'm throwing....

 July Is National Ice Cream Month

Thanks to President Ronald Reagan, we now have an excuse to consume even more ice cream in this month than any other months in the year. In 1984, President Reagan deemed July the National Ice Cream Month and hey, I’m not complaining! In celebration of this steamy month, I’m whipping up my Ice Cream Cake Flower Pots.
They’re easy with a touch of whimsy. And most of all they’ll keep you cool on these hot summer days.

• 4-6 3” or 4” terracotta flower pots
• 1 Devils Food cake mix, baked and crumbled into pieces
• Your favorite ice cream
• 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup water
• Mix-ins: mini oreos, crushed oreos, heath bars, M&M’s, Reese’s pieces, any chocolate or caramel candies.

Put chips, cream and water in heavy small saucepan. Cook on low stirring until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Place cake at bottom of pot, layer some ice cream then chocolate sauce. Continue layering with cake, ice cream and chocolate. The number of layers will depend on how big your pots are. Mix-ins can go in anytime or on top. Have fun with it and share your own creations with me via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LuluPowersFoodtoFlowers  TIP: Run a short straw through the middle of the pot and feed a flower threw it. Voile! Your edible flower pot is complete. Just be sure to eat it before it melts!

Rianne Ten Haken For Vogue Netherlands

It seems to me 

that this season we have had an inordinate number

of sea siren stories.

Some cool, some fabulous, 

but somehow with so many

in one editorial season,

they all seemed to get caught up

in the flotsam and jetsam.

And it became quite a boring subject.

Until now.

For the August 2012 issue of Vogue Netherlands

photographers Petrovsky and Ramone

have managed to completely juice the genre up

with a sexy and provocative swimwear story

that just squeals with originality.

Rianne Ten Haken Vogue Netherlands, Jouer a la Plage

Stylist Marije Goekoop creates a fascinating blend

of lingerie and swimwear

that requires you to stop and look, 

just to figure out what is going on.

Model Rianne Ten Haken takes sex-bomb 

to a whole new Vogue level,

not only bringing a full blown sensuality to the story,

but sprinkling it with naughtiness and allure,

confirming once and for all that ginger girls are where its at.

This one demands your full attention.

Jouer a la Plage

Rianne Ten Haken for Vogue Netherlands August 2012

Iekeliene Stange For Vogue Portugal

Model Iekeliene Stange looks both elegant and ethereal

in this gorgeous editorial in the latest issue

of Vogue Portugal.

Iekeliene Stange For Vogue Portugal, Elegance Refined, by Enric Galceran

Photographer Enric Galceran captures her 

with his exquisite other-wordly studio lighting

in designs by Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Blumarine and Givenchy.

Stylist Lidia Aguilera dresses her in shade of ivory and jet

while Daniel Rull completes the look with his flawless makeup and slicked back hair.

Elegance Refined

Edita Vilkeviciute By Camilla Akrans

I just love photographer Camilla Akrans.

Her work is always spectacular

and so deliciously color rich.

Akrans shot this fabulous story for H&M Magazine

featuring model Edita Vilkeviciute

in fun summer wear styled by Clare Richardson.

Sixties style sex-kitten hair by Ali Perzadeh

and the perfect bold moue by makeup artist Ignacio Alonso.

Holiday