B Balenciaga, Alexander Wang’s First Fragrance For The House

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A sucker for packaging, the bottle for Alexander Wang’s first Balenciaga fragrance B Balenciaga, has me drooling.  It’s crazy how it looks modern yet vintage at the same time, which is exactly what Wang set out to do.  He told WWD, ‘It took a lot of soul-searching, but I really wanted to do something quite pure, as I see it as a step forward for the house. It was exciting working on the scent + going to the essence of the brand, to its DNA, + to also combine that with my vision. Designing fragrances + designing clothes + accessories are both emotional. But fragrance is much more scientific, while in bags, shoes + clothes, there are a lot of tech parameters. With fragrance, it’s a whole different ball game. I’m always up for a creative challenge, though — I love to explore and dig up why something has to work the way it does.’

Even the ad below, has both of those qualities, from the sheer veil over the

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model’s face, reminiscent of many ads from the late Seventies along with a bottle design that follows in the same direction but still remains true to contemporary esthetics.  The ad should be running in fashion magazines come October.

The marble flooring of Balenciaga’s original Paris store is present by the crackled glass of the fragrance bottle, which is also reminiscent of the marble theme present in Wang’s first collection for the house.  Then you have the exposed arch of the cap intentionally referencing the arches found in Balenciaga’s modern fashion + accessories. I just love the geometric + architectural aspect of the bottle as a whole, not to mention the graphic panel bearing the fragrance’s name.

(via WWD)

For #ThrowbackThursday with a twist, here’s ‘Say My Name’ featuring Kelela for Bad Day Magazine.  In it, that old Destiny’s Child hit of the same name, serves as the soundtrack sung by Kelela herself, as some famous people try pronouncing her name.  The famous people starring are Kelela, Glenn O’Brien, Emilie Hawtin, Elizabeth Trieu, Joshua Winstead (Metric), Marianna Reis, Harry McNally (Model), Virginia Wallace, Jason Nocito, (World famous photographer), LA Hall Annie Hart (Au Revoir Simone), Pizza the dog, Jaleel Marcus (TV On the Radio), Agnes Thor (photographer), Thor Shannon, Iris Taborsky, Brendan Fernandes (Artist), and Tibi Tibi Neuspiel (Artist)

Filmmaker Eva Michon explains to purple magazine how the idea behind the video came about, saying, ‘The concept of this video was seeing Kelela live in LA, + watching her politely yet assertively tell the audience how her name is really pronounced.  We discussed ways of translating this idea visually into a video, and went from there.’  

Dedicated to everyone with an unusual name, this video really hits home with my last name being de las Nueces.  Sounds beautiful right?  Well, the translation kind of kills the romance dead quick, as it stands for ‘of the Walnuts’ in Spanish, then again, I’m a little nuts.  But never was it so apparently hard to pronounce than the time I went to a Westpoint (Don’t Ask!) commencement ceremony.  Apparently, after the ceremony, before entering the hall, where the rest of the rest of the evening went down, as an introduction, each cadet had to give his name + his date’s to a higher ranking officer that would then pass it along to the next higher up.  Now, there were about five higher ups, I think,  + my last name went from ‘de las Nooses’, to ‘de las Noches’ (Spanish for ‘of the nights’) to ‘de las Nueves’ (Spanish for ‘of the nines’), to finally, + my all-time favorite, ‘de las Horses’.  

Enjoy!

(via purple.fr)

Finally, A Wicked Camera Strap With Reflective Material

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There’s nothing I love more than lights, smoke + reflective anything, especially when it’s in a different color.  So I figured, wouldn’t it be so cool to shoot with a camera hanging from something that glimmers in the light.  Not being able to find something myself, I attempted at adhering a 3M reflective strip on my black camera strap + it looked awful.  Maybe if I sew it on it’ll look better but adhesive materials are tricky to work with.

And then, I found this wicked looking camera strap by Smiling Pup Designs on Etsy.  Called the Bunker Gear Camera Strap, Firefighter Turnouts Camera Strap, Reflective Firefighter Camera Strap (phew!), I just love the whole utilitarian look + feel of it.  Made by a fire photographer, this custom, handmade strap is made with safety + comfort in mind.  And seriously, for $42, how can you go wrong?!

Using repurposed firefighter bunker gear, this camera strap is a sturdy + wicked alternative to other fashionable straps out there not to mention, a hell of a lot cheaper.  It has a heavyweight nylon webbing as liner, a piece of a genuine firefighter’s bunker gear sewn around that webbing, then accented with reflective striping.  A non-skid shoulder piece, made from the actual leather trim from turnouts, is attached inside to keep the strap from sliding off of your shoulder or irritating the back of your neck, as seen below.

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Antique brass bolt snap hooks with fingertip sleeves plus 1/2” split rings, allow this strap to easily fit most cameras from point & shoot to DSLRs.  The strap measures 1-1/2” wide by 44” long but can be made at different lengths as needed.  If that’s the case, simply leave a message in the Comments section of your order if you require a different length, as this style is not adjustable.

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Available in Black (above) or Brown Turn Outs (below),

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with four different Reflective Ribbons to choose from – Lime with Silver (pic 1), Orange with Silver (below), Black with Silver (above) + Grey with Silver – choosing the right one for you might not be so easy after all with this many options.  You could always buy them all + match them accordingly to your look or mood (I’m just saying.).

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All of the turnout gear has been thoroughly cleaned + checked for damage before being used, but there may be small areas showing its ‘history’ such as spots where leather shows previous wear, etc., which is what gives each piece its own personality.  Besides that, these pieces from firefighter bunkers have protected emergency workers across America + now you can salute their dedication + heroism by using these same pieces in your camera work.

Personalization is available + a portion of every sale is donated to pet rescue organizations, so it’s a win-win situation.

For your very own Bunker Gear Reflective Camera Strap, go to Smiling Pup Designs.

Who knows, maybe more people will find this as an inspiration to shoot more street photos at night?!

WANTED: Metal Heart Shoes | Shoe Crush Collection

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Handcrafted Metal Heart Shoes are definitely MUSTS for any Summer wardrobe, especially from their latest Shoe Crush Collection above.  Inspired by art + collage composition, with a color palette range from neutral to pastel + mixed materials including leather + plastic, envisioning a look in each pair is not hard.

Fom flat to cork platforms to block heels, your outfit options are endless.  The Kat Flat, would look great with an all black look of palazzo pants + an athletic mesh tank, iced with lots of gold jewels.  Then you have the Anya Plastic Black Sandal, with it’s transparent plastic top exploiting the sheer trend with a half sheer black or white pencil skirt + an open weave plastic top in fluoro orange over a sheer top.  See how easy that was?

Shoe Crush Collection is available at WE ARE SELECTERS.