Prabal Gurung Pre-Fall 2012 Collection

Prabal Gurung drew inspiration from the ruins of India for his Pre-Fall 2012 collection, with a fab presentation at the New Setai Hotel in fifth Avenue. Keeping a distance from ethnic cliches, the designer created the most fantastic, dazzling geometric prints on luxurious, yet wearable outfits based on versatile t-shirts, slim pants, flared coctail dresses, powerful bomber jackets and funky shorts. As for the colours, the all-time classic black and whites are complimented with emerald green and pale pink with sparkling embroidery. And of course, there is no great outfit without the right accessories, so Gurung decided to add some gorgeous oversized, cat-eye sunglasses and sleek stiletto heels.The collection look book is followed by the really tasteful video below, directed by Dan Martensen and featuring supermodels Alana Zimmmer, Hanne Gaby, Kate King and Ming Xie.

Japanese Photography (1860-1910)

Dedicated to Japanese culture lovers, the Veneto Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts in Venice presents for the first time in Italy a great exhibition of over 150 original photographic prints realized ​​by the great Japanese and European interpreters of this art. The exhibition curated by Francesco Paolo Campione, features a rare documentation of the japanese-related photographic history , between the 1860 and the early years of the Twentieth Century.

By the 1st of March, 2012

Nailed: History of Nail Culture

Chicago-based artist Dzine is famous for his kaleidoscopic large-scale paintings, overwhelming sculptures and strange vehicles, exploring the art, fashion and music subcultures. His recognizable style consists of jewel-encrusted creations and customizable designs, equal to high-end collections. The awarded artist's latest book is called Nailed and hosts some of the most unbelievable nail designs one can meet. Including his own wearable nail creations, along with contemporary designs from around the world shot by comissioned photographers, the 192-page hardcover book pays tribute to extreme body decoration and nail movement, with origins back to the Chinese Ming Dynasty, Egypt, Babylon and Rome, when nail decoration and ornaments were considered a social status symbol. Obviously inspired by his mother who was a nail artist, Dzine actually pays a tribute to all the people involved to this community who may not be artistically trained, however their passion for perfection and beautiful objects is really stricking. Dzine has already presented two more nail-related projects, Imperial Nail Salon at Salon 94 Freemans in New York featuring a salon chair with a part-time manicurist along with sculptures and designs and the New Museum's lobby window.

Nailed is available exclusively through ShopTheStandard.com until February 1, 2012

London Art Fair 2012

Wiping the Sahara Desert - Hanae Utamura

 The London Art Fair opens its doors today at the Business Design Centre in Islington, with the participation of 100 galleries and 1000 artists. The premier art fair is for once more showcasing the best from modern art in the 20,000 sq ft location fo BDC in two sections: the Art Projects section with galleries from across the world and the Photo50 for contemporary photography, this year curated by art critic Sue Steward.
The fair will last by the 22nd of January, 2012

Anxious - Andrio Salgado

Aurora Borealis (Resting place) - Alexander Heaton

Bunny #9 - Neil Hedger

Check point #5 - Abigail Talmar

Last Day of Camp - Michael Taylor

Relics - Bill Jackson

Self-Portrait - Gabriel Dubois

Small Homage to Marcel Duchamp - Susan Hiller

Twelve Calendar

Berlin Fashion Week is starting today, so i suppose we are all anticipating for the great avant-garde capital city to reveal its new gems for next winter. One of the week's hottest projects is the Twelve Calendar, a collaboration between Derzeit Magazine and photographer Lena Emery, showcasing 12 of the best new models and labels from Berlin.

Enjoy the exciting and colourful video:

Born Sleepy by J.W. Anderson

J.W. Anderson's menswear collection for next fall is called Born Sleepy, and has big retro vibe with amazing knits, graphic prints, flared pants made out of tech materials and a bright colour palette. I just love the brand's spooky, ironic campaign, shot by Alex Sainsbury, featuring model Oliver Greenall from Elite London.

Taste.IT

 Milan's Men Fashion Week is ending today. Have a look at its coolest boys posing for Luca Finotti's camera during the castings.

Enjoy the video:

Taste.IT / The Boys of Milan Fashion Week from models.com on Vimeo.

The Empire of Death

For three years Dr Paul Koudounaris, a specialist in Baroque culture and lector at major universities in Los Angeles, travelled the world to document various religious shrines decorated with human bones, crypts and remains from the sixteenth and seventienth centuries. He visited about seventy different glorious locations in four continents, most of them not open to public and never been photographed before. All these amazing images that offered various unusual experiences to the author, the attendance of an exorcism, the attack of a monk and his arrest by the Austrian police among them, are gathered in his latest book titled The Empire of Death, published by Thames & Hudson. In 224 pages, the richly illustrated edition uncovers a full essay on architecture masterpieces, impressive chandeliers made by human bones and jewel-encrusted mummies, during an era that death was not considered a taboo.

Bring On the Storm

Mercedes Benz and Calvin Klein collection teamed with film artist Alex Prager and Dutch supermodel Lara Stone for the Key Visual of the upcoming F/W 2012 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week season. The result is an outstanding short film with inspirations from Hitchcock films and the Wizard of Oz making a flashy combination of the car's dynamism with the timelessness of the Calvin Klein House aesthetics.

Enjoy: