"You have to know the past to understand the present."

Something to look forward to next fall (I realize this is a while away!) when getting ready for the fall fashion season is an upcoming photography exhibit put on at the AGO entitled “Edward Steichen: In High Fashion, the Condé Nast Years, 1923–1937.”

Image: www.ago.com

Edward Steichen is considered one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century. He was an American photographer who was born in Bivange, Luxembourg then immigrated to the United States in 1881. He was a photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator.

Image: www.flickr.com

Steichen became the chief photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair who shaped the look of celebrity and fashion photography in the 20’s and 30’s which later revolutionized Fashion photography when he photographed the creations of iconic designers of the time, including Chanel, Lanvin, Poiret, and Patou.

The exhibition will showcase more than 200 photographs taken by Edward Steichen. Mark those calendars, the exhibition will run from October 3, 2009 – January 3, 2010 and am sure it will not disappoint.

Kicks by Kanye or "Martin Louis The King, Jr?!?"

Images: http://icedotcom.blogspot.com

Kanye West can now add shoe designer to his ever growing resume. He introduced his recent collaboration in Paris this week. Kanye West has 5 different styles of sneakers, one of which is pictured below. His inspiration for this shoe came from a movie called “Dune” where he was inspired by a jacket collar in the movie. The focus is placed on the back of this shoe making it easier to tuck pants into. Interesting.

Image: http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com

Marc Jacobs seems to be impressed. The full collection will be available at Louis Vuitton stores in June 2009.

photo du jour

Source: Doug Mills/New York Times

Just wanted to post this amazing photo of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama from the inauguration last week. They look great and can do no wrong. Does anybody else want to be Michelle Obama right now??

♥ them.

Fashion meets Technology once again!

I always love when fashion collaborates with another discipline as it excites me to see what designs they have come up with. Fashion powerhouse Christian Dior has decided to mix fashion and technology with the creation of the Dior Phone following fellow design peers - Prada and Giorgio Armani. The phone comes in two styles Diamants and Cristal Saphir. Diamants ultra sleek exterior is made from stainless steel and features Diors signature black sapphire crystal marquetry pattern, 640 diamonds (3.251 carats), and engraved "Dior" and CD" logos. Cristal saphir has the same exterior sans diamonds however, it comes in a choice of 5 different colours, perfect for those who need some colour in their lives.

Images: www.diorcouture.com/us/colldiorphone_us.html

Technical specs of this phone include an ultra thin electroluminescent keyboard, camera, and touchscreen display. What differentiates the Dior phone from other couture phones is the mini-phone accessory called "My Dior" which is an attachment linked via Bluetooth that can be clipped to the outside of your handbag or held in your hand so that the frantic rummaging can be avoided when locating your phone amongst your life that you carry around on your shoulder aka your purse.

Verdict: Really sleek design but kind of reasembling the Motorola krzr and I like how CD stays true to their signature style looking very much like a Christian Dior compact. However, with an approximate price tag of $5000, (USD? and that might be for the Cristal Saphir) I would hope it came with a mirror and lipstick palette somewhere!

Since I know there are a lot of smartphone users and fashionistas/fashionistos out there I ask you, would you trade your current smartphone/blackberry for a couture phone like the Dior phone? It's the classic: Function over fashion? Fashion over function? debacle.