You probably don’t know the Italian fashion retail “Piazza Italia”.The fast-fashion brand had a very interesting creative move as they’ve decided, with their agency Diaframma, to change the kinds of models they use for their campaigns. Instead of hiring good-looking, professional top models, they had the idea to pick real life role-models, like Chiara Capri, who “founded a committee to combat racketeering and promote a mafia-free economy”.

© Carlo Furgeri Gilbert for Piazza Italia

It’s interesting as fashion industry has now to face more and more a terrific dilemna: brands still need to create evocative, inspiring, fantasy-crazy universes. They need to make us dream, but they’re more and more challenged by final consumers, as we less and less believe in fairy-tales iconography. After Dove’s campaign for real beauty, it’s like if brands were now focusing on “real” characters for our souls. As local heroes possess something strong: a story to share and to tell.

Last years, Comptoir des Cotonniers developped a “Mother/daughter model call“. A good sign to reinforce the fact that style is also about transmission from generation to generation.

Some might cynically say that it’s also a way to cut budgets: real life people don’t ask for so many money as modeling-products.

Last sunday, “le Château de Versailles” welcomed the Chanel Cruise 2013 fashion show. As usual, it was a huge staging by our Kaiser who chose to highlight the 18th century. After the show, the lookbook of the collection with the catwalks’ star of last fashion week, Cara Delevingne. Is Cara the new Chanel Girl? Will she succeed to Alice Dellal, Freja Beha Erichsen and Lily Allen? For now she is just a courtesan with a double “C” patch!

Tee-Shirt Unisson

Hot contemporary brand Commune de Paris 1871 is among the roster of french designers spotted by iconic New York store Opening Ceremony in the past few months to represent the blue/white/red avant-garde. To celebrate that, Commune de Paris 1871 has asked their beloved pen-partner Astier de Villatte to design a tee called Unisson for Opening Ceremony. We’d dare to say, what’s coming next?

We’ve already told you how much we love Lacoste EDL L.12.12. Rouge x Central St Martins creative challenge. We had the chance to share some points of views with Sabba Keynejad, who won the prize, and who’s currently student in the prestigious school.

You’re a Central St Martins student: how does it feel to be following the same path than great designers

I find CSM a great environment to be in, I feel really lucky be be studying there with incredibly talented people. I don’t feel like I am following a path but just see where the road will take me. It’s been good fun.

So you’ve won the Lacoste prize: how did you connect René Lacoste famous polo and your kind of “kaleidoscope”?

 Discover Sabba’s website!

Eau de Lacoste  fragrances are just one year old. To celebrate this anniversary, Lacoste introduced a fourth scent: Rouge, and mixed it with the legendary L.12.12 Lacoste polo, designed in 1927 by René Lacoste. Christophe Pillet, design director, invited Central Saint Martins students to create campaign visuals inspired by the collection.

Sabba Keynejad won the contest and it’s a great sensation: a kaleidoscope of fragrances, very pop and sporty. We love it.

Only few days before moving to London. Cleaning the Parisian apartment, drinking Brouilly, Chimay, with old buddies. Preparing the future while pragmatically burning our hands with Surface Spray; can we really get ready for the next steps?

Vu Quan told me an interesting thought last Friday, as we were talking at home: we only keep few favorite clothes. If a piece is not taken in a week or 2, it means that this aims to die or to be thrown away. That’s the same thing with all the things we’ve packed: not so many of them survived, after all. Only the core ones. Not because they’re necessary- who cares if something’s really necessary as many apartments are furbished- but because they mean something.

An old UCLA T-shirt.

Some event accreditations.

A Moleskine or two.

An old black jacket.

Surprisingly enough, there are two items I never give away, whatever happens: hard drives; full of pictures; full of memories. And cameras.

We’re still these teenagers, who were listening to Incubus. The main difference is that ages ago, we were going fast nowhere, this time we know we may go somewhere.

Frida wrote us a kind message on our Fan Page. She wanted some help as she’d love Rihanna to wear her dresses. Well, it’s not only a great challenge, but it’s also a very interesting collection. Let’s go for a short interview with Frida aka No Face No Name

Damn! you have a very surprizing approach: you want Rihanna to wear your dresses? How come?

‘NO FACE NO NAME‘- it’s my nickname. I’m a young fashion designer. I may have an authentic talent but I haven’t had any opportunity to conquer the fashion world yet! One day I said to myself it’s over! I have to do something with my life, dreams and talent… because here no one can find me! Here in this wonderful but strange country no one sees me! So I came up with the idea of this film and dresses especially for Rihanna. It may seem silly, but I must try. I do not want to regret the whole life !!!

Rihanna why? because what she is doing is real. She is a perfectionist, owns her own style -which cannot be said every star. but mainly because she is brave enough to wear a dress from the unknown designer (yet) and seems to be a really nice woman !!!

(and if not she maybe someone else who is into fashion will see my work and will help me go on )

What do you want to generate in terms of feeling: your universe seems pretty dark (Sin City etc.), is it the way you feel?

Pretty dark ?? no!  This session was supposed to be so harsh to highlight the extraordinary dresses construction. But it is true that the white and black is a compilation of my favorite colors. I like high contrast. I like simplicity. classics – in my own interpretation.
New dresses are more bright and cheerful. This is a combination of neon colors with calming color nude and leather.
99% of my dresses are made ​​of knitted fabrics- thin and delicate. why? because I love the feminine shape! I love the shape of an hourglass, and no material does not highlight it better.

Ok, let’s say we know Rihanna: how can she get in touch with you (email, facebook, website…)

By email, through my facebook page, you can just write something in the comments under the video if she ever sees this video

What can we wish you?

What can you wish me ?? strength! so I always firmly believed in my dreams as today.  and that once people know that somewhere far far far away lived a young girl who has talent and creates bold designs, innovative, yet elegant, timeless and classy dresses. That someday – someway – someone –find me

We had the chance to meet a very special girl, few weeks ago, during a shooting with Anahi. There was this very discrete lady, who had diverse brushes and accessories in her bag. She was also wearing very unique sneakers, directly imported from Asia. Ha! We wanted to know more about Lili, and more about Nail Art.

Who’s Lili? I mean, there are tons of Lilis, but you’re a special one…

Am I ?! Well let’s start to say that I am a 21 years old young woman that has just found out about her passion and goal in life, that is creative and drawing “whatever” you want on tiny areas as nails. Does this make me a Special Lili ?

during The Girls Next Dreams shooting

Can we say that you’re a Nail-Artist?

We can say that I can draw many things on nails which make a special and unique “art piece” for every lady that “get pimped” but I still have a lot to learn so we can say that I’m a Nail-Almost-Artist !

What do you want to generate when you paint people?

As i often say, people express their style and originality through the way they dress, through their hairstyle maybe. Doing, well better say PIMPIN’, your nails is a way to express and/or complete your style. I have customers from very different backgrounds, and I love to see that very stylish girls as the classy ones want to complete their looks by pimping their nails. I love my (almost) job !

Let’s say we want to book you: how does it work?

You send me an e-mail at Venicebylilinguyen@gmail.com telling me when you are able to get an appointment and what design you want to do, we found the right place/day/hour, we meet, we go to a coffee or whatever, we have a drink, we chat as if we were friends for 10 years and I do your nails ! As cool as that !

Where can we follow you online?

You can follow me on Tumblr and on Twitter. and also on Facebook, Pimp my nails ! By Lili Nguyen (yes, facebook doesn’t allow us to change the name of our pages when you reach a hundred people…)

Voilà !

Long hair is so 2011… So old fashion! To be 2012 you have to cut your hair like our favourite models. And you can add an ombré hair to your square haircut to be very fashionable. Ask Arizona, she will tell you!

Acne x Lord Snowdon. SNOWDON BLUE.

Showing now in London, at Acne Studios, 13 Dover Street. Meta-brand Acne has striked again, editing with british photographer Lord Snowdon a portfolio dedicated to the most elegant men ever sporting classic blue shirts. Stating one fact: blue shirts never go wrong. We tend to agree, especially when we stumble upon a shot of french icon Serge Gainsbourg.

Spotted on Selectism.