Color: Jewel Toned Geometrics

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It’s always thrilling when brands fuse artful thinking with strategic marketing. Pointer footwear appears to be quietly racing to the top as they’ve built a cult following of sneaker enthusiasts over the past two years. Merging relevant trends, such as black and blue color schemes with cubic formations, Pointer’s art direction appears to overlap product categories of every variety. When paired beside this African Shore Eye Palette by Yves Saint Laurent, it’s easy to understand how one color can make the difference between gender specific marketing.

By: Shayna Kulik

October 27, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Fashion: The New Face of Lace

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There’s true intrigue when it comes to lace. Delicate and dainty, it both conceals and reveals. While we’re all accustomed to seeing its multitude of personalities in fashion, home goods and accessories, reoccurring ties to privacy and obscured visibility have been a constant theme over the past few seasons, making us wonder if everyone’s watching Eyes Wide Shut all over again.

The editors at Dazed and Confused are continuing to manipulate eyes in sadistically interesting layouts just as designers are racing to reinterpret them into tactile accessories. This Karl Lagerfeld tote is brilliantly inaccessible and proves our point with it’s € 1500.00 price tag.

Uma Thurman’s styling on the May ‘09 NY Times Magazine cover adds a layer of intrigue just as the geometric lace pattern on these Urban Outfitter curtains convey feelings of graphic obscurity. Pulling from past influences, Aperture’s Weegee Spoofs the New Spring Hats spread by Michael Caccaro provides a playful window into the world of advertising and photography in 1957. Fast forward 52 years and Jean Paul Gaultier has created his own interpretation of hooded mystery.

Bringing beauty back to the forefront, this delicate Shu Uemura portrait paired alongside this seductive Dazed spread, reveals the ease with which we can jump mediums and industries, proving sexy or sweet, lace is truly a gatekeeper.

Coverage by: Emily Gup, Kelsey-Lee LeGassick and Shayna Kulik

October 20, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Follow-up: The Spherical Formula

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Few motifs are as powerful as the starburst. We recently highlighted this symbol’s universal appeal and versatility in relation to logo design and beauty editorial. Today’s theme follows a similar track with other inspirational layouts. This R & Y Augousti mother of pearl serving tray is comprised of natural materials, giving it ethnic appeal. Following a similar path, Kate Miss, a New York based designer, advertises her Etsy shop organizing vibrant necklaces in a playful circular formation. The French footwear company, Repetto incorporates photo effects to emulate a snowflake with their Fall/Winter 08 advertisement. All successful executions inspired by the spherical formula!

By: Shayna Kulik

October 13, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: White Collectives

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Most fashion aficionados and style connoisseurs will agree that white is a signifying color of summer- one that should be neatly tucked away after Labor Day. Interestingly, we’ve been noticing blatant references that defy this social rule in everything from music and beauty to fashion and (most obviously) home design this Fall season. Be it a jumble of sound equipment for Jay-Z’s newest album, Blueprint 3, this decorative West Village door, Jessica Simpson’s latest fragrance, Fancy Love, or Bergdorf Goodman‘s recent retail display, fanciful elements ranging from classic to contemporary can truly pop with a wash of white.

September 30, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Follow-up: Diamonds are Forever Changing

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Diamonds in their purest form have remained desirable for centuries. From King Louis XIV of France to today’s modern bride, this gem signifies wealth, status and emotional commitment– three things that drive fashion and marketing teams crazy. Back in June, we covered global diamond patterns, as they were surfacing, and are now adding a few more to the bunch. Phillip Lim uses photo-realism in his bejeweled tank top while Rachel Roy simulates sparkle with cross-hatched slots on a quilted purse. Mimicking this concept with glass, Michael Kors references Hollywood glam with his new fragrance, Very Hollywood.

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Additionally, many designers seem to be moving away from the traditional pyramid silhouette that we’re all accustomed to seeing. From Clé De Peau‘s eye shadow to Marc Jacob’s earrings on the cover of the New York Times’ Style Magazine, to Diane Von Furstenburg and H.Stern’s latest watch collaboration, we’re curious to see where else these minimalist shapes will surface.

September 11, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik

Print: The Spherical Formula

Circular bursts serve as inspiration for countless campaigns and logo layouts. Be it corporate, luxury, indie or budget, there’s something subconsciously wholesome about a round shape that nearly everyone is drawn to. One of the reasons we’ve chosen to focus on Claudio Riaz’s make up brushes from Barney’s summer catalog and the Viceroy Hotel logo, which was appropriately placed in Ocean Drive, is that these two layouts, while wholly unrelated, make perfect visual sense when placed beside each other. Unintentionally, both images speak to the luxury traveler who considers themselves a minimalist. Add Levi’s Go Forth art to the mix and your younger sister and her camp friends have suddenly joined the graphic vacation. What’s the take away? Essentially, you’re halfway there if you choose the appropriate line quality, color and photography for your spherical identity.

September 1, 2009 | By: Shayna Kulik