These are the things that nightmares are made of. Playing with dark colors, solid materials, and exquisite shapes evocative of a world of fantasy, designer Nicolas Olivier Richard was all about conceptualism through organic materials when he boldly contrived these handmade wire masks for Swedish fashion label Nor Autonom.

The designer wanted to create an abstract collection to serve as the brand’s core DNA under Nor Autonom’s vision of fashion as a medium of storytelling, and with help from prolific photographer Mathias Sterner, does just so.

Sterner’s dark, brooding style seems to be the perfect collaboration for the brand’s out of this world look – these pics are so stunning they will continue to haunt us in our dreams.

New to the fashion scene, Nor Autonom will release their first collection, Entity - consisting of these nine magnificent masks – alongside their clothing line, Partisan in a vernissage at JUS Brunnsgatan 7 in Stockholm starting May 29th.

Leave it to Mad Men costume designer Janie Bryant to create the most glamorous Hollywood-inspired collection of shapewear for Maidenform‘s 90th Anniversary. Since its inception on the market in 1922, the all-American intimates and activewear brand has been known and loved for celebrating curves and feminity in an innovative way – we’re talking about the company that filed the patent for the first prototype of the modern seamed uplift brassiere back in the late 1920′s.

This capsule collabo is inspired by retro designs from Maidenform‘s historical archives, yet it’s most definitely contemporary. “I really love the idea of creating something that is beautiful and sexy and functional as shapewear, all at the same time,” Bryant explains. It’s all about building a strong foundation to your style using the right undergarments.

Maidenform’s 90th anniversary capsule collection consists of five key silhouettes including a half-slip ($75), full slip ($130), three quarter bra ($75), wire free bra ($50) and a waist nipper ($80).

How fabulous?!

Have you ever met a sample sale you didn’t like!? Me neither. New products, reduced price tags, and (sometimes) the promise of free snacks and/or booze… how could you possibly say no?

This weekend, a few of our favorite Venice retailers, jewelry lines, and vintage boutiques are teaming up for a sweet sample sale and we couldn’t be more excited, especially as it doubles up as the launch of a new collaborative space on Lincoln gathering up two seriously rad creative ladies; Carly Margolis (All For The Mountain) and Desanka Fasiska (Lux / Eros Gallery). Here are some highlights, just to get you pumped up…

All For the Mountain

Prism of Threads

Cory Madley

See you there!!

2118 Lincoln Blvd., Venice

Friday May 18th 5pm – 9pm

Saturday May 19th 12pm – 4pm

My Line

Mara Hoffman

Last year for Father’s Day my dad decided to fly out from Colorado to California to visit. Instead of just hanging out where I live, we decided to make it a vacation for both of us and embark on the six-hour drive up to Sequoia National Park.

I will start this off by saying my dad is the one who injected me with the travel addiction I now am blessed/cursed with today. Growing up we would go to some far off place… Costa Rica, Alaska, etc. and never spend more than one day in a single location… always driving to see as much as we could see in the time we had there. That is just what we did on our trip through Sequoia.

Waking up and leaving SoCal in the wee hours of the morning the drive up was pretty mellow and bland, but once we made up to the park the pace slowed drastically. Every single thing in the park was so incredibly extravagant.

The trees were twice the size I have ever seen, the canyons were twice as deep, the rapids were raging twice as hard, and the sunsets were twice as vibrant. My dad was patient with me, as I wanted to stop every ten feet to get out and take pictures. I think my jaw was sore afterwards from dropping to the floor in every direction I looked.

After hiking around, stopping often, and taking our time the drive took longer than expected… causing us to have to find a place to stay at one of the very few lodging situations to sleep at in the national park… which of course was filled to the brim with character. The next morning we got an early start and slowly backtracked through canyons and forests.

I could go on and on describing what I saw over the course of those two days, but I hope my photos will do the talking. Witnessing nature of this magnitude is definitely humbling… a feeling I can’t describe unless you have been there for yourself. So I suggest next time you have a few days off to spare take a trip to the Sequoia National Park… and if you have a cool/adventure loving dad, bring him along with you too.

Eclectic, sophisticated, and immersed in art and culture, London is like New York City’s trendier, more refined older sister – and one of our favorite cities in the world.. With the rapidly approaching summer Olympics set to take place in the UK, new hotels are popping up all over London. Located in Central London’s posh “old-money” Belgravia neighborhood, Belgraves is Thompson’ newest addition to the hotel line (and their first European addition).

View on Belgravia.

The boutique 85-room hotel has a lobby that would put Trump to shame, a library lounge bar full of interesting reads, a restaurant headed by award-winning chef Mark Hix, and a spacious patio to enjoy cocktails at sunset. Take a peek at this new exclusive luxurious property which, in spite of all the exhilarating bling, still has that home away from home feel every urban nomad goes to Thompson Hotel for.

Hotel entrance...

The lobby's library bar.

King Premium Room.

Luxurious bathrooms.

Hello penthouse!

Negroni aperitif at Hix

Delightful curry.

A sun-drenched cigarden.

Iconic faces have a way of leaving a mark on our brains, especially history’s most prolific characters: Andy Warhol, Frida Khalo, Albert Einstein and even Mickey Mouse. We’re digging the Surrealist interstellar pop art (as he calls it) by Barcelona-based painter Mario Soria - his color aesthetic, his playful take on American pop culture and his creative use of legos and other objects to add texture to the sides of his canvases.

He even paints the backs of some of his works – but rarely talks about it – adding a hidden layer that often goes unnoticed. But a cool surprise, yeah? We caught up with Mario about his process and his intellectual perspective when replicating such prolific figures, and he gave us some insight on his thought process:

Q & A

LF: Your paintings depict iconic historical characters. Tell us a little bit about your need to paint such famous faces…
MS: They all have peculiar features with some physic or intellectual attraction. That’s what caught me.

LF: What would you call your style?
MS: I’m not sure but it would be something like “Surrealism interstellar pop”… I don’t think it has a specific kind but certainly it is a well American pop, European surrealism and traditional art mixing. I like my paintings to speak for themselves; after I’m gone they will keep their own way.

LF: Why is Micky Mouse such a timeless symbol?
MS: Because once it had worn off its novelty it keeps growing in culture, turning into something classic and aesthetic. Mickey has become a generational and generalized relay.

LF: The “forgotten” pieces on the sides of the canvases, like legos, are genius and totally original. How did you come up with this idea?
MS: The canvases sides are the most forgotten. Canvas sides are part of the painting and have their own evolution. I work on canvas backside as well, mainly on small size paintings, I make time capsules, they are a kind of interpretation of real painting, I don’t show them very often, because I like the owners to enjoy it for themselves. At the beginning I only painted on canvas sides then suddenly I found myself putting all this stuff. I don’t know how this is going to finish but this way I also prevent my paintings from getting put in frames.

LF: Some of these icons are quite “American”. Do you have a fascination with American pop culture?
MS: I think American pop culture doesn’t have any complex; it’s fresh and fun.

LF: You’ve mentioned that the visual organization of your painting are meant to look like the “I Spy” books. Were those childhood staples?
MS: In fact they were cross-section books, I reviewed over and over again and reinterpreted them. A lack of toys in my childhood influenced me the most, the few ones I had I transformed to give them a second life. My paintings have two lectures: from regular distance you see a still life or a portrait, but if you get a little closer you can observe little characters telling their own story. I like when people take their time to look at my paintings.

LF: Who is a living artist that inspires you?
MS: I would say two: Antonio López and Marc Giai Miniet

LF: How fast do you live?
MS: I don’t live fast, I need some quiet time, painting can be very demanding, it claims me each second. My work process is very slow; I take so much care in details. I work seven days at week in my studio and after having dinner I paint for another three hours at home. I don’t know how my lovely wife can stand it.

What a pleasure it is to watch Kiki Valdes‘ steady rise to fame! The young Cuban American expressionist painter living in New York – whom we’ve covered before on the site for his curatorial work on “The Outsiders” – has recently joined the Michael Margulies Artist Agency, a Miami-based agency that specializes in the representation and marketing of contemporary artists, as well as artist estates. Have a look at some of his most recent body of work:

Bulls Head (2010)

“I’ve always been extremely cautious about who I work with when it comes to my art practice. When I moved from Miami, I knew I had to find someone down there with the tenacity and influence to do more ambitious projects with. Michael Margulies has always been very kind to me and I am attracted by the fact that he really is just starting to show what he can do. His future in representing artists is going to be very strong.

I’m very impressed with his sense of duty to the art community and to the artists he represents. We pretty much decided to work together while drinking beer during St. Patties Day.That is exactly the kind of person I want to work with. He isn’t a gallery director; he’s an agent who works with galleries and very influential collectors. What he’s doing is very innovative, very 2.0,” Valdes explains.

The Beast (2011)

Columbia (2010)

Rivals (2011)

Joke 24 (2010)

Face-Time (2012)

Young American beauty Anna Speckhart channels Jim Morrison’s one true love Pamela Courson in this melancholic fashion story and film by Jason Lee Parry for Trendi Magazine. The editorial was shot in Laurel Canyon on Rothdell Trail, the “Love Street” of the same-named Doors song, where Pam and Jim used to sit on the balcony for hours, drinking and watching hippies walk by. Although the three bedroom flat was remodeled and caught on fire countless times until today, somehow it still feels like it got lost in time somewhere in the 1960′s. And if the legend is to be believed, the place was a wreck for the longest time after Jim’s death; hippies could just walk in, hang out and get drunk in good spirit. What goes around comes around…

She lives on Love Street 
Lingers long on Love Street

She has a house and garden 
I would like to see what happens

She has robes and she has monkeys 
Lazy diamond studded flunkies

She has wisdom and knows what to do 
She has me and she has you

I see you live on Love Street 
There’s this store where the creatures meet

I wonder what they do in there 
Summer Sunday and a year

I guess I like it fine, so far

She lives on Love Street 
Lingers long on Love Street

She has a house and garden 
I would like to see what happen

La, la, la, la, la, la, la 
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

Photography & Art Direction – Jason Lee Parry

Director & DP – Gandja Monteiro

Model – Anna Speckhart w/ Marilyn Models

Styling – Henna Koskinen

Makeup & Hair – Karoliina Kangas

Assistant Director – Hannah Schick

Photo Assistant – Caleb Barton

Post Production Assistant – Eduardo Maceiros

Special Thanks – Trendi Magazine & Kelsea Davis

Boardwalk Empire reminisces the boisterous rebellion of Prohibition; Woody Allen resurrects cultural icons in Midnight in Paris and to top it all off, Leonardo DiCaprio is sure to break our hearts this winter as Jay Gatsby. It seems that with the revival of the Jazz Age in entertainment, it was only a matter of time fashion designers would be inspired by the fun and flirtatious vibe of the Roaring Twenties. Here’s a roundup of labels who have brought Daisy Buchanan back to life in their Spring / Summer collections.

RALPH LAUREN

Ralph Lauren S/S’12 collection illustrates the elegance, femininity and luxuriousness of the Twenties. The ethereal collection is rich in silk and sheer, lustrous beading, and pastel-colored feathers. If Daisy looked this angelic, Gatsby’s heart never stood a chance!

MARCHESA

Inspired by Ilya Repin’s painting, Sadko in the Underwater Kingdom, Marchesa designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig designed a feminine collection of cool palettes, flowing fabrics, and shimmering beads. In the midst of this underwater fantasy were vintage-looking, platinum flapper dresses – a combination I couldn’t help but think would be perfect for a Daisy Buchanan mermaid.

MARC JACOBS

In his S/S’12 collection, Marc Jacobs goes beyond the drop waist and fringe, creating a Twenties-disco remix. With fabrics ranging from plastic fringe, to shiny tinsel to cellophane organza, Jacobs’ designs are fun, chic, and a great fit for the modern flapper party girl.

GUCCI

It’s no surprise Gucci’s take on the Twenties is dark and edgy. The collection is a perfect balance between vintage drop waists and indefinite shapes with modern trends of metallic colors and geometric designs. The bold Art Deco embellishments and deep necklines are erotically chic for a daredevil gal like Zelda Fitzgerald.

VERONICA ETRO

Veronica Etro S/S’12 collection is feminine, light, and has such a wonderful array of bright and pastel colors. Detailed with fringed hemlines and geometric patterns, Etro’s effortless silhouettes recreates the easygoing vibe of the Jazz Age.

TORY BURCH

Though never mention in the book, I’m assuming Gatsby had a yacht; a yacht filled with lady friends who would appreciate Tory Burch’s S/S’12 collection. Striped and sequined in navy blue, white, canary yellow, and tamarind orange, Burch’s take on the flapper dress is posh and sophisticated.

Russian beauty Toma Barkova looks like a 1940′s screen goddess catapulted in the 21st century in a cheeky new editorial shot by Lev Efimov for Bambi Magazine‘s 10th issue. And since photography and music go along so well together, our very own DJ Wednesday has prepared a sexy playlist to get you inspired to turn on the heat in the bedroom this weekend… TGIF!

VIA