All the Raj

Can I tell you...about the people of Rajasthan. I know you have India coming out of your ears at this point but I warned you. This is my last blog entry about India...at least for this year. Be grateful that this is an edited version of my trip. Whenever and wherever I travel, what ultimately interests me are the people. Looking, observing, taking snapshots of them, and absorbing the details. I imagine what their lives are like, who they are, their hopes and dreams. I create these stories in my head. This is also why I like reading autobiographies. During my trip I bought "A Princess Remembers" written by the Maharani Devi Gayatri of Jaipur and I was completely absorbed in the details of her rich and colorful life. I highly recommend this book if you're headed to Jaipur. I took hundreds of photos but I chose my favorites. Here you can see the endless variety of dress, color, beauty and individuality of the people of Rajasthan. Enjoy!

Party People

Can I tell you...about the Prada party. During New York fashion week, my schedule is packed with attending shows of friends and going to parties. I saw Peter Som, Tracy Reese, Tibi, Shipley Halmos and Monique Lhuillier which was more than enough to keep me out of the office.
The party I was lookng forward to most was the Prada party at their Soho flagship store. They were going to unveil a short animation film Trembled Blossoms by LA illustrator James Jean. The film is a collaborative effort by NYC design firm 2x4 and James. Prada covered the store with James' illustrations that feature lush landscapes and nymph-like figures. You can see his illustrations on some of the bags and in the ad campaigns as well. Fantasy mixed with fashion via Miucca Prada. Perfetto!
Everybody was there. Actors Chace Crawford, Dylan McDermott, Rose McGowan, Ginnifer Goodwin and Amy Smart were all dressed in Prada of course.

Fashion editors and stylists from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Paris and Milan added to the mix.
Not to be outdone New York editors came out en mass: Meredith Melling Burke, Sarah Cristobal, Anne Christensen and Anne Slowey.

Went with friends from Hong Kong who also knew people at Prada. The drinks flowed, the nibbles kept coming served by a beautifully casted wait staff (all actors/models) and the music was great with a DJ and a live performance by CocoRosie.

We stayed there until the crowd thinned and moved the party to Soho house for a nightcap. You know how when you're on a roll and having such a good time that you don't want it to end, ever. All of sudden the lights in the Club room went bright and the party was over in a New York minute. C'est la vie.

Dream Team

Can I tell you...about our Spring 08 ad campaign. Every season I conjure up images of how my ads should look like and the feeling they should convey. This is one of my favorite things to do. My visual bank has a million references to pull from and quite a library of coffee table books that inspire the visualization process. I brainstorm with my dream team: Inigo Elizalde( my in-house super talented graphic designer/art director)and Micaela Rossato(our visionaire par excellence). It takes team effort to have a successful photo shoot.
This season, Inigo and I were dreaming of striped cabanas in St. Tropez, Vargas pin up girls, Guy Bourdin, Ava Gardner. Sensuous, sultry, seductive, alluring, and chic!
Mica cast a fabulous Russian girl named Aleks Martynyuk who studied ballet and gymnastics at a young age(don't they all?). She was made it look so easy with her innate grace, she was a pro all the way. We love her.
We borrowed clothing from my designer friends: Paul and Joe, Tracy Reese, Tibi and Shoshanna swim wear. Inigo ordered awning fabric and constructed the 'set' in the photo studio in Brooklyn the day of the shoot.
Mica is like a painter of a photographer. She has definite ideas of how the shot should look like, the lighting, the mood, the poses down to how the photo is cropped. It's fascinating to watch her work. She constantly checks back and forth between her screen where she downloads the photos simultaneously to see if the pose needs to change or if the lighting needs adjusting.
As you can see from these striking images, I got exactly what I wanted. I just love it when that happens. Go shop now!