Speak to Catalina Guirado-Cheadle for any length of time and you’ll soon come to realize that there is not much ground she hasn’t covered in her 20-plus year career. The only daughter of celebrated Spanish artist Juan Antonio Guirado, Catalina has lived in the glamorous world of the gypset (gypsy + jetset) since childhood and embraced it to the full with age.

A quick recount of her recent life is almost staggering. She has been a successful runway and print model, gracing major magazine covers and designer catwalks alike. She’s hosted and appeared on a string of successful television programs in the UK. She’s written songs with and for huge 80’s Brit acts ranging from Echo and the Bunnymen, Henry Priestman and The Yachts to the Christians, Guy Batson, St. Etienne and Blondie (and scored a chart-topping hit or two in the process, thank you very much). She’s even been signed to recording deal of her own with none other than Universal Music. Along the way, she has dazzled on countless red carpets, bewitched paparazzi and dated some of the most notable film and music stars of the last two decades before settling down into wedded bliss with her rocker husband, Matthew Cheadle former guitarist of chart topping US rock group i-94.

Today, perhaps more than ever before, Guirado-Cheadle is a doggedly determined woman focused on a career that is clearly on the ascent. Following the death of her father in 2010, Catalina was made the sole director of the acclaimed artist’s estate, which she has rebranded as The Guirado Estate and on behalf of which she works feverishly in order to promote and preserve her father’s legacy. Simultaneously, to complement her work with the Estate, the ever industrious Guirado-Cheadle launched Guirado Design with collection of luxury silk scarves, fabrics and bespoke wallpapers inspired by select enlightening works of art by her father. Needless to say, Catalina Guirado-Cheadle is a very busy lady. So I was thrilled to find an excuse to sit down with my great gal pal so that I might catalogue her thoughts for you on everything from the essence of glamour to body image and the fashion industry. Here’s what she had to say:

TheDuaneWells:    When did you first recognize the importance of style?

Catalina Guirado-Cheadle:      When I was about 11. My mum was a seamstress and we used to [visit] some fabulous homes of my mum’s clients.

TDW:  Who was your first style icon?

CGC: Without realizing it at the time, I guess it was my godmother, Marilyn. She was – and still is – super glamorous and subscribed to VOGUE, copies of which were given to me every 2 months. She would buy me Gucci and Prada accessories such as a belt or handbag every Christmas.

She also had the most fabulous homes for which my mum did the furnishings and she loved decorating them herself so we used to go and help. When I was 14, she actually introduced me to the beauty editor of British VOGUE, who was her friend, and that’s how I became a model.

TDW:  Speaking of your start, since you first burst onto the scene, you’ve been a model, television personality, celebutante and now serve as executive director of your foundation. Having lived so many lives, which do you feel best suits you?

CGC: I think the reason I transitioned into [my current role] so easily is because I have done so many different things over the years that are a natural progression within their field. Model turned TV host/actress, turned singer songwriter, turned music A&R, turned music TV executive, turned art and music PR and now President of The Guirado Estate and Creative director and designer for my Guirado Legacy design collection. I am still all of the above but I’m just choosing the hats I wear at the moment for the job title and switching them when necessary. I’m just much more mature and business-like nowadays –and, dare I say it, responsible!

TDW:  What has been your most memorable photo shoot?

CGC: The one that really sticks out was my Maxim magazine cover and spread back in 2002 shot by top photographer Willy Camden. It was when magazines like Maxim and FHM were creditable and really well produced. It was a full-on production shoot at Pinewood studios (where they shoot Star Wars and 007) and I spent the day under a rain machine crawling around a water tank in lingerie. They then photo shopped me into rainy shots of the streets of London’s SoHo. It looked amazing even though I felt like a drowned rat most of the day.

TDW: What conversations have you had to have with yourself about your body over the course of your career?

CGC: Well sadly when I was a fashion model in Europe I was usually telling myself not to eat as I had to be really thin. I would make agreements with myself that If I ate a bar of chocolate I wouldn’t eat the next day. It was so unhealthy and I really blame the model agencies for creating girls that have so many eating disorders and complexes. Being told at 15 with a 23 ½ inch waist that you need to lose more weight isn’t exactly healthy and that was back in the 90s when size 4-6 was the normal model size! I had exactly the same measurements as Cindy Crawford!

Now that I’ve hit 40, I tell myself it’s okay and necessary to be a size larger as your body changes. It’s natural and a 40-year-old shouldn’t compete with a 20-year-old. Plus, I think there is nothing more unattractive than a bony older woman. Eating healthily and working out to be fit, NOT skinny is the goal, which is why I do Pilates as it’s so great for the core and body strength without creating too much muscle. I want to emulate Sophia Loren and Raquel Welch as I grow older!

TDW:  What are the essential elements of great style?

CGC: Well style isn’t something that can be bought for a start! Great accessories help of course but style comes down to interesting influences as well as a fun sense of humor, attitude and life.

I think that staying true to your own taste and personal style is so important [because] people who follow fashion seasons rigidly have no sense of their own identity in life. Mixing vintage, high street with designer labels is the most stylish look in my mind.

TDW:  What is the best piece of style advice you’ve ever received?

CGC: Accessory-wise, take off the last thing you put on! And always check your body from the back. I have a low rib cage and square hips so I have to be careful not to look bigger than I am. Also [I was told] not to wear black on the red carpet as the picture desks don’t usually pick the photos for their spreads.

TDW:  Conversely, what is the best piece of style advice you’ve ever given?

CGC: Take the last thing on, off! And, people over 40 really should not wear daisy dukes or mini mini-skirts! I don’t care how good your legs are — it’s a no!

TDW:  What are your thoughts about color? Prints?

CGC: I love wearing red dresses! It brings Instant attention at a party and on the red carpet. I’m really into color in the summer but in the winter all I seem to wear is black with a colorful scarf accessory (usually one of my own designs).

TDW:  Describe the most common style mistake women make?

CGC: Wearing all designer labels at once and not following their body type but just wearing something they think is cool [though it] should [only be worn by] a 16-year-old stick insect in reality!

TDW:  Is there a universal style weapon (secret) that works for every woman?

CGC: I was brought up in Europe and we are taught that it’s all about having great classic accessories and what’s more classic than a great haircut and blow dry? [With] clean hair, clean nails, good skin, natural make up, quality shoes and [a good] handbag, you can go out in jeans and a tank and still look good.

TDW:  What is your favorite fashion accessory?

CGC: My collection of sunglasses…mainly vintage.

TDW:  What has been your worst style moment?

CGC: The 80s. I hate everything about the horrible make up and horrendous hair. I copied looks straight out of magazines and looked like a glow worm most of the time. Luckily that’s when I discovered Camden Lock in London and my love of vintage 60s clothes started. I was slightly goth too for a while. I shot a Vidal Sassoon commercial and they dyed my hair black and cut short bangs. It was very fashion forward but not great when you are 16 and still at school. I pretended I was in the band Shakespeare Sister and dressed in Katherine Hamnet and dated a rock star all before I left school! No wonder the girls at school were so mean to me. I was so ahead of my [years]!

TDW:  What part or your body or physical attribute have you had to learn to love?

CGC: My face isn’t even and I have slightly different shaped eyes, but so does Christy Turlington so I’m okay with it. [Laughs]

I try not to look at any part of my body for too long as it doesn’t end well. Fixation is most of the problem with today’s obsession with plastic surgery.  I know I’m guilty of thinking I look fat or am sagging when in fact I look the same as before but didn’t obsess. I truly blame Los Angeles, social networking and the selfie. It’s getting scary and its not real. I leave LA and I feel fantastic about myself!

TDW:   If you could bring one fashion item or look roaring back to favor what would it be?

CGC: I’m really happy with exactly now and the revival of 60s/70s boho and disco chic. I’m in retro heaven.

To find out more about the Guirado Estate, click here. Follow the latest with Guirado design at:  www.guiradodesign.com.

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Remember how New York’s The Plaza had Eloise – the hotel’s most notorious, if elusive, resident? Well, allow me to introduce you to Brian Wonders, who could well be a descendent of one of The Plaza’s most eccentric guests. In fact, you might even think of Brian as Eloise’s globetrotting, hipster-in-training great nephew who, like his great aunt, creates his own fantasy world within the confines of the some of the most fabulous destinations around the globe.

The brainchild of Los Angeles- based artist Victor Robert, Brian Wonders is a modern-day “Alex in Wonderland” whose fantastically colorful world of shipwrecks, cabanas, pirates, diving towers and all manner of mischief is beautifully captured in a glossy, bold, eye-popping limited edition story book entitled The Brian Wonders Wordless Storybook.

Each copy  of this exceptional tome arrives signed, stamped, numbered and accompanied by a Magic Magnifying glass that allows the reader to follow Brian’s adventures through the double-gate maze that folds out in the center of the storybook revealing a whimsical journey filled with fantastical seascapes, shiny submarines, glittering swimming pools, birthday party princesses and sheer magic of all varieties.

Oddly however, despite the crisp images that fill its pages, the Brian Wonders story book was not purely born of wild imagination, but also of sheer happenstance. “I loved swimming as a kid but I had really poor eyesight, and since I couldn’t wear glasses in the pool everything was just a big blur,” explains Robert, whose 3D animations skills have also been on display in some of Dreamworks Pictures biggest hits. “Some of the swimming pools were super deep and swimming to the bottom was like entering a dark ocean, ” he continues in explanation of how the snazzy character of Brian came to be.  :And there was one pool that had large circular windows — underwater — half way up the side walls and I always felt I was peering into the belly of a submarine… that’s where Brian Wonders was born.”

On December 7, 2016 LivingWells will present a launch party with Victor Robert in honor of his the new line of  Brian Wonders products. With that date looming near, I sat down with Mr. Robert to dive into the story behind his passion project, his inspiration and his plans for Brian Wonders.

LW:     Who is Brian Wonders and what inspired him?

VR:     Brian Wonders is a little boy of about 7 years old. He is a swimmer. He has an incredible head of hair. He wants a big bright spotlight to be shined on him, but he is also very shy, so he spends a lot time living out glittering fantasies inside his head. You might find him off playacting by himself.  You might catch him spying on you.  He has a powerful imagination but in his case it is a double-edged sword — he will lose control of his imaginary characters and become captive inside his own fantasy.

I was a swimmer as a kid and swam most of my life from elementary school into high school. Swim practice after school every weekday for years upon years…  I think all that time I spent daydreaming underwater, and Brian Wonders came from there.  I was especially small and skinny for my age and felt smaller by comparison when we’d share the pool with the team of seniors. A lot of this shows up in my drawings.

LW:     In the universe of animated characters, what makes Brian Wonders unique?

VR:     [It’s] Hard to put into words what makes Brian Wonders so unique… much of what makes his character unique will reveal itself in later stories… what I can say is there’s a lot me in him, and I don’t see many characters like him represented in the world of mainstream storybooks.

I think that’s another thing that makes Brian Wonders unique is it was created outside of the mainstream world of storybooks. I’m printing these on my own in very limited quantities, and I had fun including additional flourishes — for example, the magic magnifying glass that comes included with each storybook, the large format of the storybook 12” square and the custom made slipcover, adding a double-gate fold out at the center of the book, the fact that there are no words in the storybook. I look at Brian Wonders as the storybook that I wish existed when I was a kid — or my fantasy of what a storybook should be.

LW:     Let’s talk about the book …tell me about the thought process that went into it and the construction of the book itself?

VR:     The drawings were sketched in pencil and then scanned.  In the computer I added basic colors to figure out the lighting and composition and to experiment with size relationships. This image gets printed out, mounted on wood and I begin the painting process. I used mainly acrylics and guache. This raw painting gets scanned back into the computer and adjusted for print.

There’s a wide variety of techniques in the book — some of the illustrations were put together by overlaying layers of 3D CGI elements and then working those layers into the painting. Some spreads are technically very traditional — graphite lines with washes of color.

The over-sized dimensions of our book required we bring our project to a shop equipped with a large scale digital printer. We found one in Minnesota and they were incredible to work with.

LW:     Who do you see as the ideal audience for the Brian Wonders story book?

VR:     Because of the limited nature of this First Edition, I think anyone looking to give a unique creative gift is the ideal audience. In addition, creative parents, artists and storytellers of every age. Teachers. Collectors of illustrated books. And if you were or if you know of a little Brian Wonders, this book is for them.

LR:      How was your love of animation and drawing born?

VR:     Definitely Disney’s Alice in Wonderland made some strange new connections in my brain the first time I saw it. I must’ve been in kindergarten or 1st grade…all us kids we would sit on the carpet in the music room…the teachers would roll out a rectangular tower entertainment system…this was the early 80s… with a giant television on top and a giant VCR hooked up to it… large dumb knobs and dials and buttons and little orange lights… and they popped in Alice in Wonderland and I was dazzled with the colorful palette and the darkness of it. It was a little scary for me [but] I related to Alice in a way that other boys didn’t [and] in a way I think I fell in love with her.

My love for drawing I think came from there. I remember drawing all over the inside covers of books and creating little flipbooks out of the corners of volumes of required reading.

LR:      What’s next for Brian Wonders?

VR:     Well there’s a lot that’s next. I’ve been working on Brian Wonders a while but I think it’s really just at the very start. His next storybook will be told through the perspective of Stella, the girl with blond swirls of hair in the story  and I’m excited to show her personality. As a 3D animator, I can’t resist the temptation to want to pull the characters into the computer and see them animated. I’m already working on 3D models of Brian and Luna. I need to see the characters animated, I think it’s really important for the world to see him ‘alive’, breathing and speaking and reacting so they ‘get’ who he is.

From a brand standpoint, the Brian Wonders world will begin releasing limited edition gifts including designer toys and a collection of designer home accessories featuring art from the storybooks.

LW:     Final question, do you have a favorite character outside of Brian?

VR:     Aside from Brian I love the character of Luna. Luna is Brian’s inflatable pool animal. She’s got red ears a big blue smile and is covered in colorful polka dots and Brian rides her like you’d ride mounted on a horse. Luna is magical but in the way the Cheshire Cat is magical — back to Alice in Wonderland.  There’s a bit of darkness behind her color… something mischievous… she craves risky adventure… she’s his alter ego.  She will whisper things in Brian’s ear, the same things he’s thinking. And once she’s convinced him, he will climb aboard and they will take off together like a speedboat.

And so the adventure begins.

To purchase The Brian Wonders Storybook or to find out more information about other Brian Wonders products, visit brianwonders.com.

Also join LivingWells next week at Please Do Not Enter in Downtown Los Angeles to celebrate the launch of the Brian Wonders collection of designer home accessories. For more details, click here or seee below.

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Weddings are, by nature, stressful affairs. And destination weddings, for all the beauty and majesty that accompanies them, only add another level of anxiety to what should generally count among the most memorable days in the lives of the event’s central players. That said, a modicum of forethought can go a long way toward reducing the aforementioned tensions on the big day. Or at least so says photographer Joshua Kogan, an award-winning photographer whose work includes editorial spreads in magazines such as Glamour, Town & Country, Marie Claire, GQ, Conde Nast Sport & Style and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as collaborations with Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Billabong Surfwear, Dolce & Gabbana, and countless couples on the brink of wedded bliss across the globe.

A native of Maryland, Kogan grew up surrounded by art. His mother, an amateur photographer herself, and father shared a passion for photography that inspired them to collect the work of photographers like Man Ray, Diane Arbus, Jean Henri Lartigue and Brett Weston. And it was these black and white photographs by some of the 20th century’s most influential portraiture photographers that lined the walls of Joshua’s childhood home.

With photography in his blood, Kogan sought to capture the color of life beyond his experience. After University he traveled the globe working as a top male model, backpacked around India with a disco dancing 7th generation Hindu Priest, spent a decade living and working as a fashion and beauty photographer in Paris, and devoted five years to photographing the behind-the-scenes world of iconic designer Valentino’s Paris fashion shows and private parties. Perhaps, most important of all, Joshua has traveled to the exotic, far-flung reaches of the planet with his camera in tow, documenting the textures and humanity of the world.

With that in mind, to say that Joshua Kogan knows a thing or two about taking a great photo would be something of an understatement. So who better to ask for tips on planning a destination wedding than someone who has mastered the world and photographed destination weddings in many of its more glorious corners? Here Joshua shares his ten top tips for planning the ultimate destination wedding:

1. Choose the right team

If you’re working with a solid team of professionals (planner, photographer, caterer, etc…) and assuming you’ve done your homework and organization in advance, once you get to the destination just let go and have a great time! If the bride and groom are having a blast so is everyone else and that will show in the pictures.

Your photographer needs to have the energy, personality and communication style that’s going to vibe well with you, your family and your guests. In addition to stunning wedding day images you want your photographer to capture landscapes, architecture, interiors, wildlife, fauna, cuisine, portraits of locals, candids of you and your guests having fun around the pool, on the beach, at meals and on excursions. Look for a storyteller who sees and captures the connection between people, places, objects and emotions. An experienced photographer with a strong body of travel, lifestyle, portraiture and documentary imagery, in addition to solid wedding work, is best suited to tell the nuanced story of your destination wedding weekend.

2. Take advantage of the best lighting for your ceremony:

If you’re getting married outside under the open sky, plan your ceremony to begin a couple of hours before sunset when the light is soft, warm, and flattering. An experienced wedding photographer knows how to get the very best out of almost any lighting condition, so if your blue sky wedding ends up cloudy and gray, just keep smiling and go with it, the pictures should still be great. On a recent summer destination wedding in Newport, Rhode Island, we had clouds and rain all day. Luckily for us, the venue was able to quickly transform what would have been a very wet lawn wedding into what became an ethereal wedding under the canopy of the venue’s reception tent. Whatever venue you choose, make sure they have a Plan B in case of bad weather.

3. Plan enough time for the family photos

The best family portraits can take 45-90 minutes depending on the size of the family, the number of variations requested by the couple, and weather conditions like wind. Consider taking the family photos after the first look and before the wedding. This way, once the ceremony is over, your family can join the rest of your guests at the reception while you take 30 minutes or so for a cocktail and some fun newlywed portraits. Some couples, for religious or cultural reasons, cannot see one another before the ceremony. These couples should plan time for the family photos just after the ceremony, which means the ceremony should be early enough to allow enough daylight for those images. No matter how well you plan it, there is always an Uncle Mike or Cousin Susie who didn’t get the memo and is nowhere to be found at the appointed time. For this reason, it’s always wise to designate one family member from each family to make sure everyone is where they need to be when they need to be there.

4. Plan an engagement photography session

If logistics allow, plan an engagement session with your photographer months before your wedding. Engagement shoots allow a couple and their photographer a chance to get to know one another before the pressures of the big day. It’s also a great way for you and your fiancé to get comfortable in front of the camera.

5. Book your photographer for the entire weekend

You’re planning a rehearsal dinner, the wedding day, a day after brunch and a host of fun activities and outings for you and your guests over 3-4 days. Make sure your photographer is there to capture these events as well as unique environmental images which define the setting and story of your special weekend. On a recent destination wedding in Tulum, the bride and groom planned a surprise event for their guests; zip-lining in the jungle at night. It was a challenge following them and their guests through the zip-line course with camera, flash, and extra lenses but these images really added something special to their destination wedding album.

6. Up do’s for I do’s

I always advise my brides to wear their hair up for their wedding day. Up-do’s will not only accentuate your neck and shoulder lines, most importantly, with your hair away from your face you become photographable from almost every angle. This is especially true for outdoor weddings where wind can be an issue. This also comes into play on the dance floor at the reception where down-do’s will inevitably be in your face for the majority of your Fred Astaire and Ginger Roberts moments.

I realize a lot of brides want to wear their hair down because they find it more modern and sexy. I get it. But having edited hundreds of thousands of wedding images over the years I promise you that an up-do will insure many (many) more usable images for your wedding edit and album. If you really want to let your hair down, try to do it after the first dance, toasts and cake cutting. This way you’ll insure that most of the day’s key moments are captured without hair in your face.

7. Check the almanac

When planning your destination wedding always make sure to check the almanac for seasonal weather trends. This is especially true if you’ve decided on a tropical destination. They call it the rainy season for good reason. Some years ago, in late July, I was on a 4-day destination wedding in Mexico. It rained in biblical proportions all 4 days. It rained so much that the power went out and part of the hillside above the hotel collapsed causing several guests’ rooms to get flooded. Luckily the hotel had a restaurant large enough to hold the ceremony in. No sun. No beach. No activities. No internet. Unhappy guests. Plan ahead and NEVER assume you’ll get lucky working against the odds.

8. Hidden Treasures

You can have your ceremony at the resort or you can venture further for a truly unique experience. Working with a local coordinator or producer can introduce many interesting and little known location options for a destination wedding couple. Whether it’s a cliff-side that looks out over the vastness of the ocean or a candle and torch-lit forgotten fortress, be creative and make your wedding unique s time, budget, and logistics allow. Make sure you see the best options an hour or two before sunset so you have an idea how the light and backgrounds will look on the big day. Take photos and video for your photographer to get his or her input.

9. Look up

I can’t tell you how many weddings I’ve shot where half the people walking down the aisle, including the bride, were looking down at their feet the entire time. Now, just before the ceremony, I always tell the families and the wedding party to walk slowly and look straight ahead, allowing their excitement to bubble over into some beautiful smiles. Most photographers will not mention this, so take it upon yourself to make this a point with everyone walking down the aisle just before the ceremony.

When I worked with Valentino, capturing the designer’s Paris fashion shows, I remember seeing a sign written in big marker. It was posted for all the models to see just before they hit the catwalk. It said, “You’re an Oscar winner and the world belongs to you!” Why not post a sign your participants will see just before the ceremony? It could read, “We love all of you so much!! Shoulders back…walk slowly…confidence…eyes up and let’s see that beautiful smile! Let’s do this!!!”

10. Beware guests who sabotage your wedding pictures

I strongly urge my clients to request their guests REFRAIN FROM ALL PHONE USE at the ceremony and during key moments at the reception. The worst offenders will be clearly visible (in your wedding pictures!) texting in the background as you exchange your vows or reaching into the aisle with their smartphones (blocking your photographer) as you share your first kiss or make your exit.

Looking through your wedding pictures you will see them hidden behind their glowing screens as they attempt to capture your cake-cutting and first dance on video. Then they spend the next several minutes staring down at their device hash tagging and posting to their social media when they should be immersed in the experience you’ve worked so hard to share with them. The horror!

When did this become acceptable behavior? Phone-free ceremonies and receptions are strongly advised. A simple card left on the wedding ceremony chairs indicating your ceremony and reception are phone-free zones should get the point across in a tactful way.

[Bonus Tip] Plan fun and challenging activities

Of course the main event for any destination wedding is the wedding day, but the activities a couple plans before and after the wedding are integral to the overall success of the weekend and they provide countless memorable photo opportunities. Keep in mind, your friends and family have traveled a long way (and at great expense) to be there with you on this special occasion, so make sure to plan a variety of interesting, exciting and unique experiences for everyone. Some of the destination wedding activities I’ve captured for my clients include private sailboat charters in Tahiti, spearfishing excursions in Corsica, Berber musicians playing on the roof of a riad in Marrakech, horseback riding in Acapulco and swimming in Tulum’s mysterious cenotes.

See more of Joshua Lawrence Kogan’s travel photography at www.joshuakogan.com and his wedding photography at www.studiojlk.com.

To read this article on the Huffington Post, click here.

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Sex. Drugs. Scissors.

Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. Their names are often casually spoken with a familiarity generally reserved for a loved one. You might even be wearing an article of clothing that bears the imprint of one or the other as you read this.  But what do you know of the men behind the labels?

McQueen and Galliano were both tormented gay adolescents from working class families in London, who grew up teased and taunted by their peers. Neither of them was supposed to ascend to the highest thrones in the fashion demimonde, but ascend they did. And like Icarus, what a toll they paid for flying too close to the sun.

Much ballyhoo has been made about the price of beauty, but until recently little has been said about the price affixed to the creation of beauty. Without launching into a diatribe to rival Miranda Priestly’s fulmination on the far-reaching import of the color cerulean, suffice it to say that for every look sent down a runway which later enters our lives in some distillated way, shape or fashion, there is an investment of inspiration, talent, savvy, skill and, occasionally, pain that is often not fully recognized. Such is, at least in part, the premise of Dana Thomas’ recent book Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano.

In an exhaustively probing examination, Thomas, a fashion journalist, pulls back the curtain on the rise and demise of two of the creative geniuses who defined a generation of fashion. The way they cut, their inspirations, their muses, their lovers, their fears…Thomas covers them all. Along the way, she also illuminates parallels between the careers of McQueen and Galliano –  superstar designers who simultaneously ruled fashion, in spite of the fact that their styles could not have been more divergent.

Irrespective of how familiar you are with the lives of Galliano and McQueen, Gods and Kings is a fascinating read. For hardcore fashionistas the book will be akin to taking a walking down memory lane and recalling both the creative magic that made the two designers gods and the demons that plagued them behind the scenes. Meanwhile, for those who have not been particularly fixated by fashion heretofore, Gods and Kings, will act as the ultimate primer on understanding the innerworkings of haute couture during the moment in time when McQueen and Galliano scaled the heights of fashion; the players that helped them get there; the players that nearly brought them down; and the celebrities and socialites that orbited their respective universes.

At times Thomas can wax a bit rhapsodic about the designers’ various collections, but the tantrums, personalities and occasionally sordid background drama that fill in the gaps help to make this biographical tome cum cautionary tale an engaging read.

To get the book click here.

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Chic is in the details and if there’s one thing that Williams Handmade Luggage, some of the most luxurious luggage on the planet, gets absolutely right, it’s the details.  Moreover, unique handcrafted pieces from Williams Handmade Luggage revisit a time when travel and style were not exclusive but were instead wholly intertwined.

Translated to meet the needs of the modern traveler, a piece of luggage produced by Sarah Williams, the award-winning designer behind the Williams Handmade brand, doesn’t merely make a fashion statement, it celebrates practicality with an artful flourish. By combining traditional skills and techniques, timeless designs, the finest English Bridle leather along with materials and fittings sourced from Britain, each piece from the Williams proudly bears the stamp ‘British Handmade’.

Bottom line: Just because travel has become nearly devoid of glamour, you don’t have to give in to the trend. We say bring back the glam by gifting yourself or someone you love with these truly one of a kind pieces and turning your destined terminal into a runway of a different order.

www.williamshandmade.com

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I was first introduced to work of Marc Marmel by Gay L. Harwin, who is in addition to being one of the most influential attorneys in Los Angeles, also one of the chicest women I know. Over lunch one day, I took a particular liking to her luxuriously worn Herman bag and asked about its provenance which led to the revelation that the bag had been designed by Marc Marmel, a name that up until that point I had no familiarity with whatsoever. Subsequent to that conversation, Mme Harwin introduced me to the designer himself and a new love affair was born.

Sitting in Marmel’s unassuming showroom in Los Angeles on my first visit after that fortuitous introduction, I had the opportunity to view the designer’s collection in full, an experience which in conjunction with Marmel’s detailed description of the loving care that goes into the production of each bag, only cemented my passion for all things Marc Marmel.

Fittingly, the inspiration for the former CAA agent turned designer’s first collection was born on a trip to the French Riviera where Marmel realized that there was a niche for a line of luggage that hearkened back to the golden era of travel, where style extended beyond the mere head to toe but also to the bags with which one traveled. From that flash of inspiration, Marmel created a line of six signature bags, each featuring the cracked Italian calfskin leather and vibrant patterned, hand-designed silk brocade linings that would become his hallmark. Bergdorf Goodman, Harrod’s and Maxfield’s, among others, signed on to carry the line, celebrities including Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Charlize Theron, Cameron Diazand David Beckham snapped up the collection and Marmel was named Accessories Designer of the Year by Fashion Group International, proving that his initial instincts about there being a certain longing for the style of a bygone era could not have been more on point.

I caught up with Marmel post his showing in Paris earlier this year to find out what new treats he had in store for his collection which has grown substantially since its inception and discovered that there is more than a little for stylish travelers to get excited about. First up, there’s the new black ‘Moneybag’, a substantial day-bag carryall that was inspired by an actual Wells Fargo Bank money bag and designed with the modern man in mind. It’s the ideal thing for an overnight trip.

“I like the idea of turning at utilitarian bag into something more elegant.”Marmel explained of his creation at my request. “[The Moneybag is very functional… [and]… it goes with my style of vintage inspired pieces.” Ditto for the newish Dopp Kit bag, a classic take on a men’s valet bag, which boasts a thoroughly modern zip out plastic bottom and a classic design borrowed from a favorite piece that belonged to Marmel’s grandfather, which was subsequently lost and reborn in the current collection almost out of sheer necessity.

For the ladies, there’s a new Cigar Duffle and a mini-version of the popular Jaxx bag, both of which are perfectly elegant travel accoutrements. Meanwhile for the home, Marmel has designed picture frames and photo albums reminiscent of old Englsh manors and libraries, rightly pointing out that “the look [of his collection] lends itself to anything home-related.”

In addition to new pieces, some old favorites like the Rolling Bag have been reimagined and improved, while more exciting designs are on the horizon. Next up is backpack inspired by the rucksacks carried by French children en route to boarding school and a new piece Marmel casually describes as “a really cool simple soft shoulder bag with a flap for women.” That said, though the shape is basic, Marmel says “the dimensions [of the new bag] are perfect. It kind of resembles a pocket. No hardware.”

A wine caddy with enough capacity for several bottles of wine and a“Deux Pad” which will accommodate both an iPad and a traditional note pad that Marmel promises will bring the “old and new worlds together” are also in the works.

No, you may not have heard the name Marc Marmel before now but from this point forward, I feel relatively confident that you will be glad that you have.

Marc Marmel is available at A’MAREE’S  through  www.farfetch.com.  Find out more about Marc Marmel at www.MarcMarmel.com.

To read this post on the Huffington Post click here.

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If you, like me, have an unabashed fervor for all things fashion, then it is highly unlikely that you’ve not on some level become enamored of Carine Roitfeld. If not for the singularity of the vision she brought to French Vogue for a decade, then perhaps for the fact that she was the muse for both fashion icon Tom Ford and the house of Yves Saint Laurent.

Or maybe even you know her because she has consistently been named one of the world’s best-dressed women for eons or perchance you recall the rampant rumors that Roitfeld had for a time been tipped to replace American Vogue Editor, Anna Wintour, as the storyline of the box office smash The Devil Wears Prada so wickedly suggested.  Whatever the reason you know Carine Roitfeld, it is undeniable that it has something to do with the fact that her name is synonymous with fashion.  That said, how much do we really know about her?

Unlike her former counterpart, Anna Wintour, Mlle Roitfeld has remained a more elusive character to those outside fashion circles, where she is a lioness of nearly unparalleled import.  That is until now.

With the release of the documentary Mademoiselle C late last year, the curtains were drawn back, at least partially, on the woman who at 58 years-old has been described as “the sexiest girl in fashion.” On the one hand, the film sheds a light on Roitfeld’s inner circle of friends which includes the likes of Donatella Versace, Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Testino, Riccardo Tisci, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Alexander Wang, demonstrating what a fashion heavyweight she really is. On the other, the documentary manages to show the human side of the fashion icon, who is also a partner to Christian Restoin, her mate of the last 30 years, a mother, a grandmother and a confidante.

Friends of Mademoiselle C:

Director Fabien Constant, may not have created the definitive portrait of Roitfeld with Mademoiselle C, but he has painted a portrait that is nonetheless captivating. By following Roitfeld’s life in the year post her departure from French Vogue and prior to the launch of her CRBook (itself a new fashion bible), Mademoiselle C paints a picture of a loyal friend and loving mother who speaks to her kids every day on the phone, while simultaneously jetting around the world doing fabulously fashionable things with fabulously fashionable people.  More importantly, however, Mademoiselle C paints a picture of a new kind of fashion icon…one who can acknowledge her doubts and flaws whilst dancing through life with an infectious charm that entrances all who come into contact with her. And for this reason alone, Mademoiselle C is a must see.

Mademoiselle C is currently available on DVD and on Netflix.  For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/MademoiselleCfilm

View the trailer for Mademoiselle C below:

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Even before entering a single rose bud vase arrangement into competition at a State Fair in Castle Rock, Washington at the tender young age of eight years-old, Jason Vorse, the Los Angeles-based, internationally recognized Lead Floral Designer of AOO Floral, had already developed a passion for flowers that would dictate the course of his future. In truth, Jason was merely continuing and building upon the interest in horticulture that his great grandmother Rose, a florist herself whose name in and of itself presaged her great grandson’s future career, had nurtured in him early on in his childhood. You might even say that Jason was born with a proverbial green thumb.

“I was that dork…I was about my only friend I guess,” Vorse says with a laugh reflecting on his early forays into floral design. “Grandma was helping me at the time [but] my interest began in my own house. I helped create 35 acres of gardens surrounding our house. I’ve always helped in the garden. I’ve always done little arrangements for different parties or whatever… from an early age. Probably from like the age of four or five that’s what me and grandma and my aunts did. A few years later, after I kept competing in the Castle Rock Fair, I went onto my first job at 15 which was working in the greenhouses where I was cultivating the varieties with different scientists.”

A quick study, Vorse had earned the designation Master Gardener by the age of 16 further confirming the course that had seemingly been ordained for him from birth. After high school, he continued onto the Seattle Floral Design Institute where he studied Floral Mechanics and Design Elements and it was in this period that he began to develop the “modern with a romantic edge” approach to floral design, combining sculptural and cerebral elements, that would become his calling card.

“[When] I studied horticulture and plant physiology… I got into the plant physiology …and that was when I started to see how I could pull things apart and use them in different ways and actually design with them in a different fashion than I actually saw before,” Vorse offers in explanation of his groundbreaking work. “I use the product in a different way typically. With my knowledge of plant physiology I often don’t use things in water at all. I often separate the orchids into five or six different pieces and then reconstruct them in a different fashion. So the way that I put things back together whether it’s in their natural form or after I have basically dissected them is basically what creates the difference [between what  I do and what other floral designers do].”

Vorse’s unique talent earned him not only the immediate attention of the Four Seasons in Los Angeles, whose design department he would head for five years, but also that of none other than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who commissioned the designer’s talents to brighten up a celebration for one of her royal descendants.

“Queen Elizabeth hired me to come down to Sandringham Castle the first time for Princess Beatrice’s 18^th birthday,” recounts Vorse. “We transformed one of the ballrooms into a discotheque which was ridiculous. We utilized what was in the ballroom…these like $50,000 crystal containers… which was scary as all get out but it was a pretty cool opportunity to be able to really go in there and change that whole space.”

Not too long after that royal appointment, the Thai royal family came calling offering the master florist the most ‘exciting’ opportunity of his career – creating a calendar promoting tourism to Thailand that gave him the rare chance to scour the jungles of Thailand along with all the local shops and products to  design a calendar utilizing the country’s natural resources. “Really jumping into the culture was probably the most exciting part for me,” he says.

A born Gemini, Vorse acknowledges that diversity is what keeps him interested in his work, saying flatly, “I get very bored if my brain is not being stroked.”  It is a fact well borne out by the variety of freelance projects the floral Jedi took on in his freelance years prior to joining AOO Floral, a division of AOO Events.

“[After the Four Seasons] I started freelancing and looking for different ways to express myself,” Vorse says of his journey to his current destination.  “I started to do more editorial and that really pushed me into different directions. That allowed me to do floral in a different way. It allowed me to build wedding dresses for photo shoots and to do jewelry lines. I actually worked with several different jewelry designers making prototypes out of real flesh floral before they were cast in silver, gold and diamonds. I did that for about seven years and worked freelance and now I’m kind of doing all of the above with AOO.”

With such a full and varied plate, one might be inclined to think that Vorse had already discovered enough boundaries to test, but that notion couldn’t be further from the truth according to the designer who also aspires to create “wearable art”.  “Most everything I do is pretty sculptural,” he expounds. “But I think [I’d like to create] some sort of livable, wearable piece for someone like Lady Gaga because it lends itself to my style. Back in the day when Gaga was first coming out Gaga Gone Green was my goal to get after. But even a Raja get up lends itself ultimately to what I want to do. I could see that happening very flawlessly.”

And quite fragrantly no doubt.

Find out more about Jason Vorse and AOO Floral at www.facebook.com/AOOEvents.

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You probably know Stephen Collins as the irrepressibly dashing and undeniably urbane host of Bravo’s Property Envy, the panel talk show he presided over alongside property expert Jeff Lewis, interior designer Mary McDonald, and Chicago-based real estate guru Brandie Malay.  However, I first met the Renaissance man in his pre-television days back in London when he was the proprietor of the jaw-dropping emporium that he had opened as a sort of showcase for all the magnificent wares he had accumulated over the course of his nearly two decade long grand tour of some of the most fabulous corners of the globe. The showroom was a sublimely eclectic wonderland filled with richly storied objets d’art that reflected a life defined and refined by a heady cocktail of art, beauty, color and, of course, high style. I vividly recall how Collins, with almost professorial glee, took me on a tour of the space imbuing each and every nook and cranny with novel-worthy tales about how his passion for, and pursuit of, beauty had given birth to the showroom.

Flash forward nearly seven years later and Collins has transformed his world dramatically. In addition to appending the title TV host to a CV that already included the job titles hotelier, writer, curator and designer, he has exchanged the bustle of London for the simplicity of desert life in Palm Springs. Moreover, though the London showroom is a distant memory, it is soon to be replaced by a new showroom in his adopted home to which Collins had shipped five containers chock full of the fabulous, wondrous pieces that populated his former UK-based love letter to interior design. Needless to say then, it came as little surprise to me when I recently reconnected with Collins that, despite the change in environment, the unbridled flair that has always seemingly defined the multi-hyphenate’s world remains perfectly intact.

Now fully ensconced in desert life, Collins has brought his love of Modernism to the latest stop on the whistle stop tour that is his life and has fittingly been named the official ‘Man About Modernism’ for Modernism Week which takes place from February 13 – 23 in Palm Springs.

“Modernism is at an all-time high, celebrating an incredible revival across the world,” Collins offers enthusiastically embracing his role as the spokesperson in chief for the desert’s ode to the movement. “Where else in America, possibly in the world [other than Palm Springs], is it possible to see such a concentration of seminal architecture and design? I think it’s largely down to a realization of just how well designed and thought-out the building and furniture of the Mid-Century really was. As the world becomes increasingly ‘tight’, as bottom-line thinking pollutes almost all decisions in both private and public design, Modernism reminds us of a time when all things mattered and how they affected our daily lives. The train and bus terminals, office buildings, schools and hotels, airports of the Mid-Century more often than not embodied schemes that were well executed and well thought-out.”

Man About Modernism Preview:

“Well thought-out” is perhaps the most dead on description for Collins’ new digs which will play host to a sold-out event on February 16 that is expected to be one of the biggest highlights of the weeklong roster of more than 170 events scheduled for Modernism Week 2014. Taking primary inspiration in interiors from David Hicks and Nancy Lancaster, who he says, “embody the ethos I admire most,” Collins has turned his Palm Springs home into a showplace that for the first time brings together his life’s collections along with the treasure trove of new finds he has unearthed locally since his arrival in America  a little over eighteen months ago.

“I knew what I had in mind for the remodel of my home here in Palm Springs,” he says. “The house I live in is not of any major architectural merit. I knew that I wanted a glamorous late 1960s/early 1970s feel as the backcloth to my extensively eclectic collection and personal style. I happen to like texture and layering in my decoration. This house needed it badly as there was little to play with in terms of detailing and architecture.”

But play with it he has. Dominating the living room, there is the brightly hued Guillerme and Chambron sofa he “fell for at first sight.”

“I like the architectural elements in this piece,” he says of the sofa which was originally made in Lille in northeastern France. “I also like its sense of strong Mid-Century design whilst almost clashing with a traditional vernacular style; yet the ‘clash’ is harmonious. It amuses me. It is ever so slightly kitsch.”

Similarly, curtains by the late Maria Kipp, whose clients included King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Rita Hayworth, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Claudette Colbert, Walt Disney and Loretta Young, which he acquired from an estate sale in Old Las Palmas after dogged pursuit are also an important part of Collins’ home which is, in short, every bit as remarkable as that London showroom I remember so faithfully.

For those not lucky enough to get tickets to see Collin’s home in person and also for those not planning to attend Modernism Week in Palm Springs this year, there will still be an opportunity to take part in all the fun. The designer-cum-man about town is excited to be hosting a special web-series, also entitled “Man About Modernism,” that promises to give viewers an exclusive inside peek at the best of Modernism Week as well as an unprecedented level of access to some of the most remarkable homes, parties, shops, and best kept secrets in Palm Springs. The series is being produced in collaboration with World of Wonder, the international entertainment company with whom he began a consequential relationship in London four year ago that played a significant role in his decision to move to the US and ultimately culminated in this series and what he describes as an “amazing” collaborator..

“Man About Modernism” began its tour of the best of Palm Springs on February 5th on Modernism Week’s YouTube channel, which is part of World of Wonder’s WOW Presents network of channels.  Episodes will air on a bi-weekly basis every Wednesday and Saturday through mid-March.  Follow Modernism Week and/or World of Wonder to see the latest webisode.

For more information on Modernism Week visit: http://www.modernismweek.com/

To read this on the Huffington Post click here.

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Drive past the bustling intersection at the corner of Fountain Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Silverlake and you might easily miss the recent arrival of Spruce, the Los Angeles edition of one of New York City’s most celebrated and awarded flower boutiques. It is not because it is particularly demure or due to any particular design flaw that Spruce might so easily escape immediate recognition, but instead because the space is so unlike any other floral emporium in the City of Angels. In fact, it is in this very quality of singularity that Gaige Clark, the owner, mastermind and floral artist behind Spruce’s visionary approach to floral design, revels.

For the last 15 years, the originality of Clark’s floral arrangements has been setting the global design community ablaze while simultaneously setting the scene for television shows like Ugly Betty, Ellen, Law & Order and Damages, as well as a who’s who of clients that includes a mix of celebrities, socialites and royals. With two stores in New York and now one in Los Angeles, Clark has, with her unique approach and in her own inimitable way, evolved the art of floral design and the essence of floral boutiques one elegant stem at a time.

“I hate when people say, ‘I’m an artist’, but I feel like I am a creative director and what I do is I create spaces, and then when I create the spaces I put flowers into them,” Clark explained over a glass of Spruce juice, the refreshing signature concoction that welcomes customers into her minimalist chic vision of the world. “This is the most modern store I’ve built and the aesthetic of this store is based on the Getty and homes that I visited in Palm Springs. What I wanted to create was a flower laboratory. I wanted to deconstruct flowers to their essence…like no one’s ever done before.” Check.

There is something absolutely post-modern about Spruce. The white walls of the store are lined with shelves showcasing individual blooms in architectural vases, flowers and leaves submerged in jars and wooden crates packed with perfectly upright, neatly lined rows of roses unfettered by a shred of embellishment. In its sleekness, Spruce represents, in short, the antithesis of the traditional flower franchise and the penultimate in modern. No wonder then that Clark counts among her greatest compliments the words of the writer who after visiting her Silverlake outpost wrote, “…If there was a flower shop in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange it would be Spruce,” a description that is admittedly so fitting it would be difficult to best.

As if revolutionizing the very idea of floral design vis-à-vis her three stores weren’t enough, Clark now has her sights set on so much more. On the horizon is the imminent launch of a Spruce product line that will include bath salts, body lotion, hand soap and an antibacterial countertop spray, in store classes in floral arranging, and a book that will, among other things, explore Clark’s experience of growing up gender queer. There’s also the leather store in Provincetown she hopes to buy and bubbling under plans for Spruce stores in Paris and Japan. Needless to say, Clark is as long on ambition as she is on creativity.

Asked about the source of here seemingly boundless drive, Clark credits her upbringing.  “I have two very charismatic parents,” she explains.  “My mother really, really drove me and my father does standup comedy. He’s so funny. So I think I got humor from him and the ability to be able to look beyond the tragedy in our lives. The key to it I think is laughing at things. That’s why I’ve always been able to say, ‘What’s next?’ You know …you lift yourself up you dust yourself off and accept.”

And then bloom…clearly.

Find out more about Spruce at www.sprucela.com.

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