origins

A little over a year ago I shared with you, VIPs, one of my uni projects from last year for which I had to come up with the concept, style and direct the photoshoot. Well, that was the second of two I did then. The first one (my first one ever) took place in December 2008 at the Kew Gardens in London. Even though the pictures were supposed to focus more on the styling I chose to concentrate on the photography and the composition because I had been very interested in it for a while and never had the chance to work with someone like my dear friend Fernanda Rappa who handles a camera with such skill. The result was a shoot with colours of a certain plasticity that (I like to think) were inspired by the work of my idol Steven Klein. Needless to say, the model (my beautiful Barcelonian friend Laia Bonastre) added her coolness to the shoot like professionals couldn't have. It was from the 'behind the scenes' pictures of that day that I took the picture that became the face of soVIPzone. I hope you enjoy it because it is a project very dear to me.

All photos property of Know Wear

Model: Laia Bonastre

Photography: Fernanda Rappa
Styling & production: Iñaki C.

I'm off.

Designer Dreams (and hotels)

We are pretty much in holiday season and that means a lot of planning to do: who's coming, which company to fly, what to wear and, most importantly, where to stay. Now, I know this is not e very realistic post but I had a look at some of the hotels and resorts around the world entirely designed by famous fashion houses and their creative directors. This current brand-driven world we live in has given cause for many of the well known fashion houses to translate their vision into luxurious urban hotels and exclusive resorts in exotic destinations. We have chosen our favourite five, all completely (Italian, duh) different from each other but each perfect for a different type of fashionista in need of a stylish holiday.

The Bulgari Resort in Bali is exactly my kind of place. I love that sense of feeling stranded and being far away from any remotely westernised city. This complex of Italian/Balinese style hangs 150m over the see on a cliff, which gives its main pool and 59 villas absolutely breath-taking views. Every villa has its own private courtyard garden and a dining lounge but food is also served in the two pool-side restaurants. A lift connects the complex on the cliff with the private beach club downstairs and guests can enjoy the beauty salon and fitness centre at the spa. One single 1300sq-meter 3-bedroom villa with its own built-in bar, dining and living area, swimming pool and full service quarters. And I don't know why but it looks like the kind of place where one should wear loads of Bottega Veneta, no?

If I'm not mistaken, Palazzo Versace is the oldest all five hotels in this post. It's located just outside Brisbane, in the Golden Coast of Australia. Even without the bright medusa and green motif mosaic at the front door it is undeniable that everything about this place is 100% Versace. Now, all the gold and turquoise and blinding-white may seem a little overwhelming were it not for the immense windows that surround the main building and its beautiful view over the pools and the sea. The furniture is obviously all by the fashion house, which has added its own boutique to the hotel so guests can literally blend into the deco. The three restaurants, spa and fitness studio give the final touch to what looks like the most old-school glamourous experience one could get these days.

Moschino's hotel in Milan has a much more relaxed atmosphere than the ones before. Different bold designs can be found in every corner; from the massive tea cup as a coffee table to the hanging-dress headboards or a wolf put to bed ready to eat you every single thing adds up to the modern but elegant dreamy feel of the hotel, which they describe as "where the ordinary world is described with a stroke of surrealism". The building is also pretty much around the corner from Corso Como and Corso Garibaldi and it includes, of course, a spa and a restaurant, 'Clandestino.Milano'.

I would've never expected to find a Missoni hotel in Edinburgh, but it was a pleasant surprise. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe coming up in August is the best occasion to treat yourself to an amazing dose of the ever-famous colourful stripes and triangles (towels and bathrobes, hello?) in a very urban interpretation of Italian style. The hotel, situated on the popular Royal Mile, provides all its guests with in-room Nespresso machines and contains two restaurants and a trendy cocktail bar. With my best friend directing a play at the festival I have the perfect excuse to see first-hand what Rosita Missoni has been up to in Scotland.

And, of course, there had to be one in Dubai. Armani has chosen the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, to hold his first hotel. It includes 166 guest-rooms and 144 Armani residences as well as 5 restaurants, an ARMANI/Privé nightclub, a private member's club (ARMANI/Club) and an Armani/Spa. All stylishly furnished by ARMANI/Casa's minimalistic ways. The complex also offers, of course, Armani/Dolci, Armani/Fiori and Armani/Galleria so guests can decorate their rooms or take a little bit of Dubaian Armani with them.

Which one would you die to go to?
I'm off.

[Pictures: hotel websites and Style.com]

soVIP 3rd birthday

Such day as today, three years ago, I made my first post on soVIPzone. It feels like an age ago when I first wrote about Anna Wintour and the Oscars and accompanied the text with rather poorly edited images. A lot has changed since then —a new layout, more diversity in content and, most importantly, my new contributor and friend Giulia. And so, to celebrate my three years as a blogger I am giving you, the people who keep visiting and supporting soVIPzone, a look inside our rooms and wardrobes. Our very own fashion shrines where inspiration comes and goes and where all that you read here is written.

My room in Bermondsey —you can see Tower Bridge and the Gherkin from my bedroom window— is still a long way from being finished (please don't judge my shoe disorganisation) but everything from my inspiration wall to the order of my blazers and my trousers follow very strict arrangements. Also, I took a picture of my favourite daily shoes (clockwise from the grey suede ones: Cos, Lanvin, Acne, Cos, All Saints and Zara) and of my massive collection of blazers that takes up half of my wardrobe (each hanger has at least two and has anything from H&M and Zara to Hugo Boss and vintage pieces).

Giulia's room in Marylebone is the perfect space to dress up —high ceilings and plenty of white space. It gives her select assortment of statement jewellery an understated touch while it makes her jumbo Chanel, her Miu Miu array and her vintage Alaïa totally pop out even just on their hangers. Contrary to me, her shoes are perfectly organised in boxes —where you'll find anything from Zara and Stella McCartney to Louboutins and Dolce & Gabbana. It's her home-made portion of Heaven!

Thanks once more for keep checking back, leaving your comments and, generally, showing some love.

All the best,

Iñaki & Giulia x

[Picture credits: soVIPzone, excuse the bad technique!]

now and then

Just like I did with the celebrity style moments of the decade, I have looked back at the last ten years to remember what some fashion houses were like then and how they're now. Since I couldn't possibly pick every single designer and brand I selected soVIPzone's favourites and the industry's loved children —added Thakoon to the cocktail just in case Anna stops by. I also included my all-time favourite Balenciaga collections and Luella's greatest hit as well as their last collection that never went into production. I believe I have covered the essentials (Valentino during and post Garavani himself), the birth of Rodarte and YSL's change of hands from Tom to Stefano.
[Credit: Style.com]

I'm off.

soVIP decade

A certain Welsh source whose name I can't reveal recently brought to my attention that this December wasn't only the end of 2009 but the end of the first decade of this new century. With this in mind, I started looking back both at soVIPzone's archive at at my immense iPhoto collection. I selected my celebrity fashion highlights of "noughties".

She has been flawlessly elegant for ten whole years thanks to an endless number of Armani gowns and her recent, more fashion-forward choices.

She got high. Then she got clean. Then she dumped Pete. Then she had a sandwich. Now she's just stunning.

Ash and MK became an iconic fashion duo and launched their diverse brands. But they also became individuals. Ashley recruited the slick dressers of the world while Mary-Kate took a more bohemian, yet chic, tangent.

Rachel Zoe went from creating style-clones of herself (see below) to being the first stylist celebrity and creating a clothing line, publishing a book and getting her own reality TV show.

In The O.C. you couldn't help but love Marissa and all the Chanel she wore to high school. And Mischa never disappointed red carpet-wise either, until Ms. Zoe was fired, that is. We enjoyed it while it lasted.

Fortunately, Nicole managed to collect or her Zoe wisdom and reinterpret it into a new style. One that successfully worked. She also parted ways with Paris and had a couple of offsprings that made her put on the few pounds she needed to make the most of her beauty.

Skinny, chubby, orange, white, knickers, drugs, biker jacket, leggings. They all work in many combinations when talking about Lindsay. She too, had her moment of fashion stardom courtesy of Rachel Zoe. But that moment was even shorter than Mischa's.

Both Summer and Rachel took longer than Marissa and Mischa to get interesting fashionably speaking but it was worth the wait. Rachel Bilson slowly turned into a ridiculously cute chic woman that didn't go off the rails.

Tom left the Gucci group. And the past ten years are history.

Anna and Carine went from signatures on the first page of Vogue to iconic fashion celebrities, filling the party section of Style.com and Scott Schuman's shots.

Victoria kept everyone talking about her diverse range of highly calculated everyday outfits. Whether we liked them or not, it was good entertainment.

She also kept us amused with her extravagant travelling ensembles. Let's make special mention of the hats and the black leather in its multiple shapes that are Beckham staples by now.

Katie had a cut and a beautiful mini-me. Contrary to popular annoyance soVIPzone was awestruck.

Kanye was cool for about 10 minutes. Then he opened his mouth.

Brad and Angelina made it official and turned the Jolie-Pitt family household into a United Nations orphanage. Plus, Brad wore a lot of Tom Ford.

Yves passed away and we lost one of the fashion geniuses of the century. Oh, and Stefano looked sharp at his funeral.

We got hooked to the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite. An addiction that is destined to outlive the decade.

Chuck Bass. Girls want him, guys want to be him.

Lauren Conrad took the hoodie off and ditched Laguna for LA. It was all amusing cute blonde locks and manis but the bad scripts and annoyance of the Heidi/Spencer combo made it too much.

We saw a new era of supermodels being born. Claudia and Linda were substituted by Daria and Anja. (And I didn't complain).

It all started with that dress on the left. It was all dashing smiles and spot-on fashion choices from then on.

Rihanna changed her umbrella for some YSL and ended up as a musical cross between a dominatrix and housewive with a quiff.

[Picture credtis: JustJared, Celebrity Gossip, Style.com]

I'm off.