Vogue’s Stylish Faces and Talents of the Moment
Vogue.com

If you manage to get past the cover, the September issue of American Vogue has lots and lots of great content inside. And, as usual, Vogue.com is running a lot of brilliant content in parallel. A good example is their latest feature: "The Vogue 120: The Stylish Singers, Designers, Actors, Models, and More (Under 45) of the Moment" all shot by Norman Jean Roy.
Not only the photography and compositions are stunning but it's so interesting to see who Vogue sees as the influencers of fashion at the moment. My favourite, for several reasons, out of all of them is this one entitled 'The Socials' featuring: Vanessa Traina, Jenna Courtin-Clarins, Prisca Courtin-Clarins, Virginie Courtin-Clarins, Claire Courtin-Clarins, Lauren Santo Domingo, Shala Monroque, Alexia Niedzielski, Lily Kwong, and Elizabeth von Guttman described as "the new breed of social slasher: Editors, entrepreneurs, artists, eco-warriors, models, advocates for social change, these women do it all and do it with style, inspiring the designers with their original approach to fashion, from the immaculate to the irreverent".
Check the whole story here and watch the video of the making of here.

Best Dressed of the Weekend: Tout le monde est à Paris
Style.com, Getty, JustJared

This weekend has been quite slow in terms of celebrity spottings even though everyone is in Paris for fashion week. However, it's been a great weekend in terms of shows –  Givenchy, Kenzo, Lanvin, Loewe... – so we can't complain.

Tilda Swinton made an appearance at the Lanvin show dressed in a super chic, though not entirely new, boozy red dress from the house. I did love the python sandals and Tilda is always a refreshing touch on the front row, non?

Shala Monroque and Dasha Zhukova probably wouldn't have made it to the BDOTW separately but together they're impossible to resist. I am not usually keen on an all-white looks unless it's summer but the rule says you don't wear white after Labour Day, right? So they should enjoy it while it lasts.

Kristen Stewart has probably been my favourite FROW star from Paris so far (as the Olsens haven't been come for a while). She is so laid-back and cool sometimes it doesn't look like she'd care about designers but here she is strolling around Paris in her Balenciaga biker jacker and Stella McCartney's 'Falabella' faux-python bag.

The surprise of the weekend was Katie Perry looking this slick and chic also in Paris. If only it wasn't a one-off...

Vogue Japan takes Shala Monroque on a tropical holiday
TFS

Looking at this story from the January issue of Vogue Japan many stylists must be kicking themselves in the head for not thinking of it first. The truth is this is one of those ideas that seems so obvious to be good but it is, in fact, great!
Shala Monroque, shot by Tommy Ton and styled by Aurora Sansone (woop!), travels to a tropical island to showcase the latest from the Cruise 2012 collections. And I am in love. Shala is one of the best dressed and most elegant-looking women I have ever seen. I briefly met her during the last LFW and was taken aback by her poise –being in her presence feels a bit like being underdressed or unprepared for a meeting.
I struggled putting together the collage because there wasn't one shot of her in the entire editorial that I didn't want to include in it. I really love how Aurora played with ethnic elements from the resort collections in a way that they also made sense back in the 'real world'.
For me, what really makes the shoot work is the fact that none of the looks feel overdone or unwearable because Shala would actually wear any of these outfits to a fashion show, an intimate dinner or just out in New York City.

Happy Sunday!

Courtesy of Prada

Miu Miu describes their 'Musing' events as "friendly gatherings devoted to a reflection on the diverse meanings of fashion: fluid, informal moments of discussion". They offer "the opportunity to discuss the state of fashion by considering its meaning and implications; the aim is to define a mobile, ever-changing point of view, because fashion never stops. They are based on the same logic that informs Miuccia Prada's creative process: creating the new by reinterpreting and editing what's already existing in infinitely new ways. During the Musings fashion reveals itself in its complex simplicity of social tool and essential cultural element of the modern era. Fashion, in fact, crosses many worlds and creates, by synthesis, a new sensibility." Essentially, Miuccia Prada is even more of genius than we ever thought.
This edition of 'Musings', held last Friday at Moscow's Garage house, is the forth event, following two in New York and one in London and all hosted by Shala Monroque. André Leon Talley, Dasha Zhukova, Olya Thompson, Uliana Sergeenko joined Monroque in Moscow to discuss "Women, their clothes, their liberty". I just can't wait for a day when I am invited.

Courtesy of Tod's

Yesterday Diego della Valle and Franca Sozzani hosted a lunch at Harry's Bar in Venice to celebrate the premiere of "Diana Vreeland: The Eye has to Travel", the documentary about the life of legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland.
Shala Monroque, Carolina Crescentini, Bianca Brandolini, Bar Rafaeli and Andrea della Valle were amongst the very stylish guests who attended the event, joined also by style icon Robert Rabensteiner and Fiona Scarry.

I am very much hoping for the film to be released world wide so we all get to watch it as well. Vreeland, who was Editor-in-Chief of Harper's Bazaar for 25 years and held the same position later on at Vogue for 8 years, is also known for her work for Metropolitan Museum of Art and for discovering 60's style icon Edie Sedgwick.
Only Anna Wintour could ever be compared with Vreeland, who was born in Paris and emigrated to New York during World War I, where she died the 22nd of August 1989.

The Venice Biennale is about to kick off and so all the most stylish fashion insiders and socialites have headed to the city to enjoy yet another dose of fun and sunshine after Cannes.

Last night Roger Vivier and art magazine TAR hosted an event on the rooftop of the Palazzo Brandolini to celebrate the launch of the magazine's 5th issue.

Coco and Bianca Brandolini d'Adda were obviously there (Coco edits the magazine) as were Tatiana Santo Domingo, Eugenie Niarchos and Margherita Missoni, all wearing some of that colourful zig-zag I can never get enough of in the summer.

Also attending were Roger Vivier's creative director, Bruno Frisoni (in the picture with Livia Firth), the always spotless Shala Moroque and Industrie magazine's über-chic Editors-at-Large Alexia Niedzielski and Elizabeth von Guttman.

[Courtesy of Roger Vivier]

It always makes me a little angry when people criticise Anna Wintour's style. She might not be the edgiest of people but I love how she always looks 100% occassion-appropriate. There's been a bit of talk about her wearing jeans at the Sony Ericsson open in Florida. Apart from the fact that it's amazing how she's managed to stay that skinny for this long there was nothing peculiar about Anna wearing denim. I personally find a lot more surprising that she chose to wear one of the famous banana Prada skirts to watch another of the matches. I know how much she loves Miuccia's clothes but it seemed too funky a choice for Anna. I was wrong. I love how she wore it with a plain white tee and a bohemian crochet cardigan and her signature bejewelled necklace.

Looking back at the people who wore the same skirt during fashion month I'd say Anna is the one who's worn it best. Julia Sarr-Jamois is probably second on that list because she looked very cool and Giovanna and Shala take third and fourth places because the first was unoriginal and the second was too easy, admirable as it might be that Monroque managed to wear it days after the SS11 show.