Trendwatch 2011: Colour Blocking

One of my 2011 resolutions which I posted on the "Life and Luxury" Facebook page was to be colourful and happy all the time. Admit it, you feel better in spring in summer because of all the light outside and of course due to the colours which fashion/luxury brands choose for their collections. So you can only imagine my joy when I opened a magazine yesterday to check out the trends for 2011. I must admit I am not the person to get dressed or hair-styled by a trend: I like to feel good in my skin and the best fashion for me is the one that fits me best. But this trend for 2011 might just make me change a bit. I loved it when I saw it repeated over and over again by Anna Wintor in "The September Issue" and I love that designers have really been inspired to use this process in their 2011 collections. It's the colour blocking I'm talking about and I hope you will like it too.

Colour blocking is a technique which can be found in many "segments" of our daily life, so I chose some which I found very interesting and easy linkable to fashion and luxury (except one).

I started with arts. One of the painter who was (in a positive way) obsessed with colour blocking was Mondrian. It actually became part of his signature. The second painting I chose is by Irena Orlov, and it's in this list due to the simple fact that I like it. I would imagine an autumn dress with that print (who knows, maybe I do a DIY piece for the next AW season). The third painting is by Mark Rothko, a painter who inspired chief designer of Jil Sander, Raf Simons, for his collection.

Picture Source: http://schools.bvsd.org/whittier/artsite/famousartimages/piet_mondrian1.jpg

Picture Source: http://thumbs.imagekind.com/member/3c536c7d-0177-4716-bb63-55c800f630bc/uploadedartwork/650X650/a2ccc2f8-e662-4f96-bd45-b69276ae0701.jpg

Picture Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIuaK2UCdlxTgEv5eu2T8Xg3x-GwAqWwFJf56o9f5G_G8HFft6ZEGns_3WJyozWsUDygkPjnxebG9oECTCETUT27XodkPP-xNHs5ORcSOE8fmEQ3mCN3olrqUMwFbVn_A9rIHodTe_L5a/?imgmax=800

I chose scrapbooking as second way to use colour blocking, because people who do scrapbooking usually use the technique without even being aware of it. And I recently did some scrapbooking myself when I created the 2011 calendar which I then gifted my parents.

Picture Source: http://www.heroarts.com/learning/images/tech_111.jpg

Tjird way of colour blocking is in your home: get over the dull white or monochrome walls and be creative. The second picture here is really inspirational: the wall is not only "different" because black really is an unusual colour to paint a wall, but it is also functional, being painted like a blackboard.

Picture Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroVl3aahqMFj5nRkCow8xecHLVV5K9Wy_TG-wjPvKJh4_EW3nkvhi_hwoBMicPNoD19QtdcCogi4tmnSUyyYLih8BAfuZkVBgt_37oA2z4bUgsvoaXkz8TmxzMoWuolEKKbMQnqPiSY_b/?imgmax=800

Picture Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIlNa5-tIZcvBjEDDOtMKu3DAmCrXZGpyPoTZgeHBo9VUahjDzvdtjXMtO70wL3ZlxCMyOaMiRSfH_w4YeXLhN8yUimwRokweBUhCZFGrcqweI1SHMv9Cyt-FTZKHHv5BVnNdVGAYymsk/?imgmax=800

Selfridges comes to show us how colour blocking is really boosting sales and is OUT THERE, in our daily life. Here are two wonderful examples of visual merchandising colour blocking.

Picture Source: http://www.design4retail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/selfridges-3.jpg

Picture Source: http://www.design4retail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/selfridges-2.jpg

Last but not least, luxury and fashion brands alike have adopted this colour-blocking look for their 2011 collections. Here are some examples: first is Gucci, with really glossy, shiny, silky materials. Alexandre Hercovitch, the Brazilian fashion designer, chose a diffrent approach of the same technique: geometrical figures and pastel colours (second picture down). Last inspiration, and one of my favourites, comes from Prabal Gurung. He also plays with geometry, but has stronger accents through the neon colours. Extremly fantastic! Extremly funky!

Picture Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgZE7TlV-LL5ZsuGu9FbhXxg7-aOogrcUB86lCV9I0zTW-kNCA30D8G50qaOsuJO9tDO7r0VybPw8olbqZWMRJMKMVlXEGVRsyiwlQuGnvdfzcMiiiY2fVdhTvwKSG0h7z-htyf_TYEk2/s640/spring_2011_fashion_color_trends.jpg

Picture Source: http://www.patternpeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Hechocovitch2.jpg

Picture Source: http://www.patternpeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/11-Spring-colorblockingPrabalGurung1.jpg

Colour blocking is hopefully here to stay, as it is a favourite of Anna Wintour,...and as you all know, she is Vogue, fashion is what Vogue dictates...hence....do the maths!

But colour blocking creates eye-catching contrasts, strong graphic statements, instant focal points and, of course, art! Enjoy your art-filled environment of 2011!

Russian Inspiration

Looking outside at the snow covered trees and at the snow falling down from the skies, but being also in a warm place, I can only think of Russia, of cold Siberia and warm blood, of cold blue eyes and warm red lips. If we look at a previous number of Vogue or Harper's Bazaar we see inspiration everywhere from this wonderful and misterious country. We see passion and boiling blood, love for wonderful things such as good fur or great food, eternity caught in drops of amber, stories from our childhood, grace, and a striking desire to BE.

Not just because Europe is filled with its rich layer, but because of what Russia is, it represents Luxury for me. And, because there is Russian blood flowing through my veins, I played a bit around with warm and cold inspiration related to Russia...just because I think it fits on a snowy day like today.

2011 Resolutions

Dear all,

welcome to 2011! Hope you had a great party and a wonderful start in the new year. I'm curious to know about your resolutions, in case you have some. For me one of them is called Christian Dior! Have a wonderful year ahead!

Bye bye 2010! Happy New Year 2011!!!

Dear all,

2010 has been for me a really full year, moving to anoity in another country, then moving back home (I must tell you I am really fed up with packing, altough I have become the packing queen). I took the liberty of getting inspired from Nookie and her blog fashion in my eyes as for to create the following picture selection of my 2010. It wasn't easy, I must tell you, but going through them was how a new NY's resolution resulted for me: in 2011 I want to be more photographed as from the moment I have gotton my new Nikon I am mainly the one taking pictures.

So here's my end of January, arriving at friends' house close to Berlin before starting my adventure at Montblanc in Hamburg. Little did I know that the snow here was a small example of what was going to follow in the next months. Hope 2011 will be warmer!


February was a bit Gaga...due to the new job and of course the season for carnival in Germany. Some friends and myself went to this huge party in Hamburg, with around 7 dancefloors...thousends of people were there...it was really crazy!


March was a month for myself, I relaxed, visited friends, fed an elephant, went back to Berlin (as you can see from the pic above) and had my first free day from work. This is also the month I started "Life and Luxury".


In April I came back home for some short vacation and this was the month I started going to vintage fairs. Once you start, it is difficult to stop!


May was crazy: visiting relatives in Germany, the harbour anniversary in Hamburg and the QM2 ship from Cunard, a new job proposition, which I finally accepted...


June 2010 was the month some crazy international people met in Monaco and started "the crew". I hope they will reunite soon. May the Buddah Bar power be with them...hahaha!

July 2010 was a month for visits and museums. This is me in a climate capsule. The idea of living in such environments in the future is a bit scary. Time to act for the planet!!!


Oh, August,...one week of discoveries with my dad! We had a really wonderful discovery tour of Romania and went to a lot of places I hadn't been before. This country is really amazing, one just needs time to discover it!


September 2010 was the month when we had our first highschool-reunion...just five years after finishing it. Another 5 years to go for the next one!


October 2010 - a great month for blogging - and for winter jackets.

November 2010 - dedicated to my passion: gastronomy.

December 2010 is now...I went to Bulgaria, met friends, wrote the 60th blog entry and counted over 7100 blog views (since adding the flagcounter). I am happy now and I can say I am leaving a good year behind and hoping for a great one ahead. But things are what you make of them, so I am happy I had so may friends I visited in 2010 and new things I learned, people I met (like Ada from classiq.ro), things I cooked, tastes I discovered, concerts I went to etc. As for 2011, there are some surprises for the blog and for my professional development.

Happy New Year, my dear ones, have a great year ahead!

Happy 60 blog entries!

Dear all,

as I have promised, here's a glimpse of the Christmas holidays which have passed, altough the mood is still up in the air over here,....maybe still meeting friends and receiving gifts every day helps the spirit to stay alive, haha.


I took some extra time this year, altough it was a bit difficult, and put some extra time in the presents and in the wrapping. I find that going to a mall and letting your gifts wrapped for free by some employee there is convenient but so without any heart put into all of the gifting process, that I just couldn't do it. And in fact, it's not the gift that counts so much, but what the gift represents that really impresses people. Make a small hand-made card and you'll see a diffrent reaction than to a ready-to-buy-one.



I must tell you, my mother was delighted by the Vivienne Westwood type of gift-wrapping which I did for her and both of my parents were most thrilled by the self-made 2011 calendar which is made from my personal pictures and which will be a gift for them to cherish the whole new coming year.




As for me, I got around 5 of the newest books from the luxury domain/luxury industry, which will help me be an even better blogger on this field for you guys and a better professional...for me! Oh, and I might change my mind about fashion as I also got the bible DVD for it, the September Issue. WOW! I simply admire strong and passionate women and seeing Anna Wintour the way I saw her in this documentary just gives me hope and power to follow my dreams and the path I have chosen for myself.

Enjoy the rest of the pictures and have a wonderful end of the year!

Santa's gifts

Hello my dear ones,
hope your previous days were filled with lots of love. I know I was really happy and hope the people around me felt the same way. Today I'm back to work, back to reality, but somehow it's all going slowly....maybe because most of our partners and clients are on holidays. That's why I'm sending you a teaser now. Have a nice day!

Merry Christmas!

Dear readers,
hope Santa was as good to you as he was to me. Here's just a short glimpse of what I got. Have wonderful holidays!

Yours truly,

Inge