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post 13: january 31th, 2007 I guess you got it: I'm in Bangkok right now. I had a beautiful afternoon yesterday, taking pictures of people on the street (see below), actually on the square just in front of 'Siam Paragon ('The Pride of Bangkok'), the mall 'to see and be seen'. I never did such a job, and I really felt embarrassed in the beginning. But to my surprise everybody was really nice, and had no problem posing for me. Bangkok is amazing. For shopping (!), for relaxing, for hanging out. One of the places I like is V9, at the Sofitel Hotel. It is trendy, stylish, but not too stiff. The view is great, as the ambience and the music.
A new club in town (it just opened) is 'Bar Su' at the Sheraton. I think it is 'the summum' of the moment. I hardly ever saw a trendy club like this. I love the design, the coloured lights, the candles (a lot!) and the little snacks (you get a form with all the little snacks - seafood, fingerfood, desserts - and just fill in the ones you want). Two nights ago I tried the 'crème brulée' which comes in four flavours: plain, basil, ginger and chilli pepper (if I remember well), and it was delicious. The selected wine collection is good and prices are affordable. A place to be (at least for the moment). A promise... Next time I will try to make a nice pic. Just to give you an idea. post 12: january 31th, 2007 Dress or painting? Did you see the new prints for dresses and skirts for the coming season? I think they are great! I especially love the ones that seem to be inspired by paintings. Some remind me of masterpieces of the impressionists, some of medieval Gobelin tapestries.
Ok, I confess. Yesterday I actually tried a few dresses (seven, eight, nine… the shop assistent must hate me!) with very apparent and original prints. And they really did look great. At the end I chose an olive green dress with red and white sparkles. I am wearing it right now! post 11: january 30th, 2007 Asian streetwear... one afternoon in Bangkok
post 10: january 25th, 2007 Natasha, Vlada and Inguna
Three top models at the men's fashion shows in Milan (from left to right): Natasha Poly, Vlada and Iguna. Aren't they gorgeous? post 9: january 19th, 2007 The men's fashionshows in Milan finished an hour ago and I am still in the mood. At the last show, Romeo Gigli's, I photographed this lovely girl. She wears her little, grey dress with bare legs and very original sneakers. Cool!
post 8: january 18th, 2007 No doubt grey is this season's colour. During the men's fashion shows in Milan I saw 'tons' of grey on the catwalk, but it also turned out to be the public's favourite colour. Not to mention the (female) models. They all seem to dress in little grey dresses in soft fabrics, with grey leggings underneath.
I particularly loved Andrea's outfit. I think she looks beautiful in this short dress in T-shirt fabric which opens on the back. Actually, I must say she looks more gorgeous than ever. I have known this excellent catwalk model for many years now and every season I see her she is - if possible at all - even more beautiful.
I shot this picture backstage at the Carlo Pignatelli and even the shows' make-up matches with her outfit. Note the silver- grey eye shadow on, and under, the eyes.
Also Gaia Bermani Amaral, who got known in Italy starring in a television spot for a mobile telephone, looked great in a little grey dress. I like the unusual combination of sweetness and sexiness. post 7: january 15th, 2007 Just love well shaped eyebrows! And love the current trend to really focus on them. It is a real revelation for me. Only this winter season I discovered the enormous quantity and variety of eyebrow products. I really like MAC's Brow, a streamlined tool, precise as a pen, which makes it very easy to create sharp arches. When I'm in a hurry, though, I prefer to use some brown eye shadow and an angled brush. But I will never (again) consider my make-up complete without nicely shaped and defined eyebrows.
A Mac make-up artist recently explained to me a new look (winter 2006-7) which consists of very heavy, nearly masculine eye brows which contrast with very natural eyes, cheeks and lips. At the beginning I thought this was really a little too much, but as I noticed the look more and more in magazines and on the catwalks I sort of got used to it, and I now sometimes even go for it myself. post 6: january 14th, 2007
First day of the men's fashionshows for winter 2007-8 in Milan. This morning I was invited to two shows - Costume National and Rocco Barocco - and I couldn't not notice the overload of grey shades. Very stylish, very chic, especially if combined together. It gives me a lot of inspiration (or better: new ideas for combinations to wear!) post 5: january 10th, 2007 If I remember well, I first noticed Bianca Balti when she starred
in the Guess? ads (which must have been at the beginning of her
career, as she started modelling only 2 years ago at the age of
20). From that very moment I liked the look and style of this blue-eyed
Italian model.
Since then I've seen her often on the international catwalks. A good friend of mine (a very good and experienced catwalk photographer) thinks she sometimes seems a little 'unstable' on high heels, but - even if it is true - I think that it makes her even more charming and gives her 'personality' (something that is often missing in models). Last month I happened to spot Bianca with her little dog in a café in Milan, sipping a cappuccino and eating (yes, even supermodels do eat) a brioche, the classical Italian breakfast. She wore no make-up and was dressed in white jogging pants and a sporty jacket, and still managed to look gorgeous. Even more interesting was to learn that she once was a 'anti- global', living a life that was 'More Trainspotting than Chanel', as I read in today's 'Corriere della Sera'. It must have been the combination of her unusual beauty and her alternative background that made movie director Abel Ferrara offer her a role as a go go dancer in his new movie 'Go go tales'. Can't wait to see it! post 4: january 7th, 2007 A few weeks ago I happened to work with a very good make-up artist. Actually, she is one of the best I know. Why? Because she always comes up with very unusual and original, sometimes even 'daring' ideas. She is not afraid to play with forms and colour.
For this shoot she chose emerald green shades for the eyes. First of all she used a soft-on pencil liner (Mac pencil liner in Minted). After that she applied teal coloured pigment in loose powder (Mac Pigment in Teal) on the moving part of the eyelid. For the zones right under the eyebrows and under the eyes she used a more neutral pigment (Mac Pigment in Vanilla). She told me that working with pigment requires a very 'careful hand' as the loose powder tends to fall down on the face and ruin the foundation base. Therefore, it is better to do the eyes first… unless you make the model lay down on her back to do the eye make-up! In that case you can apply the foundation first. post 3: january 5th, 2007
But… sometimes false eyelashes can drive you go crazy! Last night I was invited to a dinner party. Getting ready I got the unlucky idea to apply some single fakes to make my lashes look fuller and thicker. But try as I might, they just wouldn't stay where I put them and in the end they simply wound up in the waste bin. The problem? Not the eyelashes themselves, but the glue which was probably old or poor. Over the years, doing the make-up for model shoots, I have applied hundreds of fake eyelashes but only yesterday night I realised how important it is to use the right glue. So next time I will make sure I will check my glue first. No reliable glue, no fake eyelashes! post 2: january 2th, 2007 Usually I'm quite proud of my long hair, but… when I saw the short hairstyles for spring 2007 on the catwalks (yes, there were more short hairstyles than in the seasons before), I was ready to cut it off!
I really love Alison Nix's new hairstyle (I took this picture of
her at the Anteprima show in Milan). It makes her look special.
She has been modelling for quite a while and she has been in many
(big) designer shows but I never really noticed her before. I think
her new hair makes her look modern and stylish. I still have my
long hair. Till now I resisted, but who knows… post 1: january 2th, 2007 Love her look! Do you know that feeling? Well, I do. That mixture of admiration and jealousy that one (woman, of course) experiences when an other girl of woman shows up with a f*cking gorgeous look. So great that you want to be (just like) her… There's only one way to coop with it. Take a lesson from it. Copy the best things from her look and make it work for you. At least, that's what I do. And believe me, I jump in a lot of good-looking women as my job brings me to the international fashion shows (with the most beautiful models) and makes me visit many trendy 'places-to-be' all over the world. No lack of inspiration! Rather too much! Because every time I interview an international make-up artist or a hair stylist, I'm ready to try every product or style that has been mentioned (those interviews really cost my a lot!). Not to mention my visits backstage at the fashion shows. I found out I'm even more interested in the models' personal outfits (much more wearable and also very up-to-date) than the designers' collections. I've always been an fashion and beauty addict (yes, I'm wearing leggings, wedges and sometimes even fake eyelashes!), and my job made it even worse. But I'm sure I am not the only one! So why not share my enthusiasm with you… !? |
