Exclusive to Colette starting October 1st, a pair of Brigitte Bardot inspired flats will mark 60 years of classic design for Repetto. Rose Repetto was asked by Brigitte Bardot to design a pair of flats that she would be able to wear for her role in the 1956 film, “…And God Created Woman”. As she would be dancing the mambo in the film, she requested that the flats would be both sexy, the essence of Bardot, and graceful.

Since 1956, Bardot has had an important role in the history of the Repetto brand. The new shoe will incorporate the original design along with some very personal Brigitte Bardot touches: hearts and daisies, B.B.’s lucky charms.

To mark Repetto’s 60th anniversary, a limited edition of 60 pieces will be offered exclusively at Colette. To run with the same stream of thought as the dance-inspired shoes, Repetto is supporting the development and education of disadvantaged children through dance. Icons from all over the world were asked to customize a pair of Repettos for an exhibition that will travel around the world. To raise money for their cause, each of the specially designed shoes will be sold through a silent auction. Each pair of the B.B. Bardot Limited Edition Repettos will be identified with a number; Bardot will receive the pair “0” while the number 1 pair will be included in the silent auction.

» Colette

» Repetto

The new Milan Trade Fair is not only the most important building in the Italian city, the complex, also known as Fiera di Milano, is currently the largest structure of its kind in Europe. Under the guidance of Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas, with other famous architects like Daniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid involved in different portions, the new complex is situated on a former Agip oil refinery site outside of city center. Though designated as suburbia, transportation are easily accessible, with additional rail, highway, and subway links to come. A total of 8 pavilions, some 80 conference halls, service center, office space, plus hotel and other recreational structures. All are linked by a 1.3km (~0.9 miles) walkway, much like a central artery. The entire complex are covered by a series of pre-fabricated steel columns, mesh and glass panels, in forms like hills, volcanoes, even black holes. It was something Massimiliano Fuksas was intended on replicating. With coverage just over 530,000m² (~130 acres), this new trade center is bound to become Europe’s latest destination.

» via: MIMOA

» Massimiliano Fuksas

The famous Japanese architect, Toyo Ito, recently completed the new library for the prestigious Tama Art University in Tokyo. The new facility will have dual-purpose, with the first floor of the building use as an exhibition hall. The building was conceived with humans’ visual perception in mind. With ample sunlights, expansive windows, the arches, supports, and furnishings actually will re-direct a person’s visual focus beyond the horizon, into the surrounding gardens. As if you are walking through a secret forest or a cavern.

» Toyo Ito

» Tama Art University Library

©Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

In a recent television interview, fashion designer Vera Wang stated that she is “a woman’s woman”, that she’s sensitive to women’s needs and desires. A very important trait when you are in the bridal wear industry, where a woman is at her most emotional state. But her sensibility has guided her through the terrains gracefully. Which explains why she is synonymous now with bridal gowns. It also shows how she navigate these terrains.

» Vera Wang

» New York Fashion Week

It is scorching hot here in New York, and there is not a cloud on the horizon. So how do you go about making a thunderstorm, that will pour down on 1 city block only? That will start and stop when you wish it to? You could ask Yohji Yamamoto for advice since he did just that for the Y-3 Spring/Summer 2008 collection. The runway show for the label, a collaboration with Adidas, took place far away protective tents Bryant Park. Instead, it was at the gallery-filled Chelsea district, underneath the Highline, an abandoned elevated railway that will be transform into a city park in a few years. Workers lined the structure with wires, pipes, lights, speakers and everything you need to make a faux storm. As the opening approaches, speakers blared out distant thunders, strobes flashes indiscriminately as lightnings. The coordination of the two got louder and faster, until the nozzles were on and the rain came.

» Y-3

» New York Fashion Week

©Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Naoki Takizawa’s freshman collection after 26 years of working with Issey Miyake sought to emphasize new beginnings, new interpretations of past looks, and innovative materials (the use of “memory system technique” that allowed foil printing with copper and silver as well as the ability for fabrics to maintain their original appearances). After setting up his own studio across the Atlantic in New York City last year, coming up with a collection that had a distinctly individual voice was inevitable for Takizawa. The use of sophisticated colors (black, grey, and white) was made to appear relaxed through the use of diaphanous fabrics. It was impossible not to notice the modernized classical columnar silhouettes that continually showed up on the runway revitalized by the softened pleats and faintly metallic materials.

» Naoki Takizawa (ISSEY MIYAKE)

» New York Fashion Week

It’s raining rainbow! Lacoste girls and boys are jolly, lighthearted, and carefree in the Spring/Summer 08 show on Saturday morning. And there is a reason to celebrate. The original and grandfather to other athletic lifestyle labels is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. So to begin with, we were served with outfit after outfit of eclectic preppy-ness: crisp white cotton providing space like a blank canvas to carefully lined splashes of color, which is creative director Christophe Lemaire’s personal touch to the brand. Distinctive parings of colors are clean and crisp with neutrals, which not only segregates it from other usual street brands, but also emphasizes the practicality of Lacoste ready-to-wear that is versatile in various leisure occasions. Several catwalk-grazing numbers could have easily been taken from a day in the Hamptons to an ocean-side dinner party. Flowing wide-legged silhouettes paired alongside high-waisted shorts and platform espadrilles took us back to a time when beach bunnies basked in the sun - uninterrupted by bottles of SPF 50 in languid poses. Like a delicious finale after a meal, Christopher Lemaire treated us with a burst of color in stripes and polka dots. With matching colored socks, shorts, shirts, dresses, and headbands, the finale was truly a feast of Skittles for the eyes. As for my red, jet-lagged eyes (at least they matched my cherry nail polish), I was given a gracious dose of much needed energy from the carefully balanced yet vibrant collection.

» Lacoste

» New York Fashion Week