Happy Friday Everyone!

Today we have decided we will brace the cold British summer with grace and simply ignore it all. We shall do so  with a few gorgeous cocktails and songs like “Kokomo” or “Escape”. We’re also quite jealous seeing those brand new Church shoes on Aidan’s foot… they’re quite major we think…

Another fabulous individual we can’t help but be just a tiny bit jealous is Portia Freeman, we’ve been following her every step in this month’s TODAY I’m WEARING on VOGUE.COM. Slightly obessed now…
Now let us show you some new imagery and wish you all a fabulous weekend!!

xxx

Elsa Sylvan in a film called WHITE by Axel Lindahl for Stockholm S/S/A/W 2012!! Super natural and beautiful, as always with Elsa…

Vita looking hot for Fashion Gone Rogue by Neil Francis Dawson.

And this is what Polly‘s been up to… gotta love her!

Snejana covering Vogue Portugal by Matt Irwin
Katrin Thormann by SyDelorme, also for Vogue Portugal // and for El Pais by Sergi Pons
Leomie Anderson by Saty + Pratha for Fashion Gone Rogue.

We’re couting down the hours until it’s LAKEFEST time!! This weekend we’ll be heading up there – we’ll report back on Monday!! We’ll also be heading to the Bearded Theory Festival... can’t wait for this weekend to start… and to get into the swing of things, we’ve started our little ice cream wonder up the street again, to Scoop Ice Cream, without the shadow of a doubt the best ice cream shop in London!

Stunning image courtesy of James Crowe.

John Pearson, what can we say… men want to be him, women want to be with him… and Harold Magazine caught up with the man himself for a quick interview of what exactly drives Mr Pearson. Take note, Girls & Boys

HAROLD meets with Vogue’s top male model of all time, John Pearson.

Dear John,
HAROLD wants to know….

H: The strangest or most unique thing you’ve spent money on?
JP: I once bought a poem from a girl on a Cuban beach…

H: Signature Scent?
JP: Pure extract of Lotus oil from India that I’m going to market – JP25 – everyone wants to hug me when I wear the slightest dab… proper hug!

H: Best pair of jeans?
JP: Has to be Levis – Capital E slim. I went to buy a second pair last Saturday only to be told they were discontinued 2 years ago. I knew I ought to have bought in bulk..

H: Best grooming tip you can share with mankind
JP: Less is more… use a moisturizer, not fussed on what kind… there, I’ve said it!

H: The one luxury item you couldn’t live without
JP: A fine fitting Savile Row suit – mine’s a Kilgour.

H: In your eyes, who is the ultimate beauty?
JP: After my daughter and wife…wow, Meryl Streep was the first to come to mind, then Audrey Hepburn. I think Marion Cotillard is rather gorgeous and of course Turly, Christy Turlington , she’s a timeless beauty – it’s always a balance of the outside and inside… soul, grace, confidence and intelligence – and a penchant for laughter!

H: Camping or luxury hotel in Hong Kong?
JP: Camping in the right location with the right crew with a self made fire and endless night sky is always going to win.

H: What’s the coolest place you’ve jet-setted to?

JP: I’m very fortunate to have experienced many such trips but scuba diving under a full moon in the Seychelles was not too shabby…Cuba 20 years ago was amazing…too many to list…

H: What do you wear to check the time?
JP: Timex Marine issue with black face and strap. Always wanted one when I was a kid and then JCrew reissued them a few years ago – Brilliant!

H: What is your favourite place to dine in Europe?
JP: Amongst the olive trees at the Santa Catarina Hotel in Amalfi – it’s where I took my wife on our honeymoon many years ago…..and many memorable evenings at the Ivy in London.

H: What’s hanging on your walls?
JP: We collect photographs so, Kurt Markus, Lartigue, Giacomelli, Lee Miller, Bailey…..

H: Favorite set of wheels?
My Silver 67 VW Karman Ghia…I’ve had her for 26 years…and I’m loving the all electric Model S Tesla.

H: Man-bag?
JP: I’ve just commandeered a man bag that was a gift from Louis Vuitton to my wife…black leather, simple, elegant, masculine – she didn’t want me to pinch it but why not? It needs to work and it’ll get better with age, develop a patina/character….

H: Favourite album of all time?
JP: This is way too difficult a question…David Bowie’s Hunky Dory comes close..

H: Who’s your favourite designer?
JP: Talking clothes? I love Saint Laurent and have just today received a very nice 3 piece suit by Oliver Spencer – cotton twill – a tad eccentric with great touches inside and out – makes me feel like a contemporary Graham Greene.

H: Where do you stay in your favourite city?
JP: I’ve friends in many of my favourite cities and so it’s nice to spend time with them but I do love Claridges in London.

Lots has been published again… here are Premier’s Monday updates for you all…

Kelly Mittendorf – cover of Lula. Just another day in the life of La Mittendorf!!
Darla Baker – shot by Viktor Vauthier – we’re obsessed as per usual…
Sara Brajovic – check out this super cute/gorgeous/lovely video and images on Vogue Italia! Che Bella!
Lara Mullen – super sportive and super chic in British Vogue shot by Tim Gutt – love love love the work of Shona Heath, the set stylist!

And last but not least check out what we found… for all you little Fashionistas… the perfect course to take in the summer!!

On this grey Thursday let us share the following with you…

Harper’s Bazaar Cover! Miss Naomi Preizler! Whoop!
Annabella Barber looking like a 50s screen siren, quite Mad Men really – Hello Betty! – loving the prints and shapes a lot!! Shot by Jaclyn Adams for Plaza Kvinna.
Bambi rocking The Row (by the Olsen twins).
A snapshot of Karmen and Elsa backstage during Paris Fashion week.
And a good old summer inspiration image, found on OhPioneer!

Bobby Rake

Loving every single piece of clothing, hair, look (yes we love you, Bobby Rake!)and feel of this gorgeous shoot from the latest Hercules Magazine, shot by Ben Weller, styled by Darcy Backlar!!!

Estella Warren

We are quite honestly used to beautiful images, but every now and again you just can’t help but stare and stare and stare… Shot by Steve Shaw for the current issue of Treats Magazine we can only say: ESTELLA‘s BACK!!

Ask Adriana: About being beautiful

What is beauty and what is beautiful?
Human beings possess an objective inner standard of beauty, acquired by education or social custom, to which even geniuses such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo referred. It includes elegance, grace, harmony in composition, consistency, poise, Vitruvian proportion and symmetry.
We also possess a subjective standard of beauty; such beauty is in the eye of the beholder: any child is beautiful to his or her mother, regardless of the way he or she looks.
Beauty is also an undying state of the self, as spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar explains impeccably: “The most good-looking, after sometime don’t look so nice. It is not in the outer appearance, it is the spirit, the inner soul. Look at the spirit inside, there is inner beauty. That beauty of the spirit is undying. It increases day by day. It increases with age also. Wisdom and maturity bring so much beauty. Beauty is not just some appearance. Similarly, ugliness is not out of appearance. Somebody may look very good with good makeup, but if their heart is very ugly and the mind is all twisted and full of negativity, however nice they may appear, their vibrations will tell you that they are not beautiful. So, it is the mind that makes one beautiful”.

What does it take to become a super model? Is it just beauty? And what is that beauty?
In western society the stereotype of a model often equates to ultimate beauty. Does this mean the remainder of women cannot be beautiful? No, it only means they can’t model, as to be a model one usually needs to be tall, slim, young and with specific facial traits.
Young models will soon find out there are different levels of modelling career. But are top models more beautiful than girls who don’t achieve the same level of success? Not necessarily. Let us see why:
Girls begin modelling at a very young age, often as young as 14/15 years old, when they typically have the “bambi” look and puppy fat faces. The eyes are usually large and wide open on a face which has an expression of innocence, purity, fragility and vulnerability yet held in a body of a young woman: the mix can be very attractive for a man.
Despite features and personality which are still in the process of development, the expert eye of a model agent or a photographer can see the potential immediately and therefore predict with relative precision the career path for that girl. Why? What is it they can see? They scan girls to see if they match the criteria expected to become a model. The height, slimness, colours, bone length and thinness, eye shape, distance between the eyes, nose, lips, the quality of the skin are all crucial. However if, for example, the nose or lips aren’t perfect, it is not necessarily limiting, indeed this can actually be an alluring and unique trait if embodied by a charismatic girl who is able to take pride in herself and the way she is, as opposed to seeing a so called “imperfection” as a limitation.
As the girls grow up they build defensive layers in order to protect themselves or adapt to the way others would like them to be, which does not necessarily make them more attractive. In a world of 7 billion people every single person has their own opinion on how others should look. In fact this opinion keeps changing so it is totally useless to try and please others expectations on the way we should look. Besides it would actually make us look worse.
The personality is critical too as a model needs the drive and motivation to want to achieve success. Girls who have been successfully involved in other activities such as sport can have an advantage as they are already used to the competitive environment in which they need a single minded attitude.
Super models do have this single minded attitude for success with attributes such as perseverance, tenacity, ambition and humbleness. These criteria are characteristics of beauty as well since they make beauty even more powerful: they drive the girl to carry herself with a different attitude which makes her alluring and charismatic.
Of course beauty is something extremely subtle too: did you ever notice those days or moments where you feel very attractive and others where you feel like the ugly ducking? The way we feel and what we are thinking has a strong impact on the way we look, on our beauty: Relaxed traits make us beautiful as they send out inviting vibrations of attraction. The same face can look incredibly attractive if at ease and relaxed yet incredibly unattractive if stressed.
This demonstrates beauty does not lie in the perfection of physical characteristics but it is rather a consequence of a holistic balance of different elements being brought together. It also proves that plastic surgery can’t really help. That is generally an illusion. Loving and accepting ourselves just the way we are will make us glow.
Supermodels know this very well. Look at how many of them do not have perfect traits at all and yet are supermodels. The ability of being completely open, spontaneous, free, transparent and proud of ourselves letting go of all the protective and defensive layers will make us glowing beauties. It is our ability to let our uniqueness come forth, whatever that is, allowing the camera to grasp our true nature and self without a mask, showing no attempt to look like someone else, which will eventually lead us to ultimate beauty.

To achieve all of this, there are a few tips and techniques to help you:

-      Take care of your body: give yourself a 5/10 minutes self massage every morning after the shower using sesame oil in winter, or olive oil in summer;
-      Perform 15/30 min yoga every day -padma sadhana is perfect. To learn more: www.ArtOfLiving.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU891FsIlZs
-      Do some breathing exercises – Art Of Living Part One Course  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r27qQ7x8AkQ;
-      Master your mind and learn to observe your thoughts with meditation each day – Sahaj Samadhi Meditation course http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VODqP0AeYDs, learning to transform negative thoughts and to allow only constructive intentions to drive your actions. Remember beauty is strictly connected to the way we feel and to our thoughts and emotions. How you feel impacts how you look: when you feel negative emotions, allow yourself to feel them, bring your awareness to them and simply observe them without judgment and they will transform within seconds – watch this video: The Secret http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b1GKGWJbE8;
-      Eat good food which is high in prana: fruits, vegetables, especially raw, pulse. Try to avoid meat, do try to eat vegetarian food, it will improve your skin and even your thoughts;
-      Drink 2 or 3 litres of water a day, outside meal times;
-      Take plenty of sleep, as much as 8 hours per night;
-      Be spontaneous;
-      Accept and love yourself just the way you are, avoid judjement;
-      Develop a single minded attitude in what you do,
-      Have a project and a strategy;
-      Be ambitious yet humble;
-      Develop perseverance;
-      Be proud of your uniqueness and value it;
-      Your beauty is an expression of the divinity, of the creator. Praise yourself knowing it is a gift you have been given with its responsibility;
-      Take photo shoot tests as often as you can to exercise and get used to the camera as a way of accepting the way you look without posing. Just be the way you are. Understand the camera grasps your thoughts and feelings

Enjoy the gift you have been given and take responsibility for it!

Adriana

It’s been a long time coming but at last our new blog theme has been set up and ready to share with you all!

Expect to see more features, photos, videos and news!

New Video: Amy Bailey for Stella Artois