More than 40 years ago Peter Blake, the British Pop Art icon, designed the album cover for The Beatles “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. Today, you can wear one of his works of art thanks to a collaboration with Beatle offspring Stella McCartney. According to The Moment, Blake’s clouds were inspired by the great landscape painter John Constable. McCartney’s collection includes a cloud covered dress, blouse, T-shirt, tote bag and espadrilles.

Apparently, the McCartney’s and Blake do well together. The album art for “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” is probably one of the most iconic album covers of all time (in my very humble opinion), and I’m seriously coveting this espadrilles. Who doesn’t want to walk on clouds?

Want to learn more about the man behind the print? Check out Peter Blake: About Collage, this catalogue opens with an interview in which he discusses his use of collage, his influences, and his many collaborations with musicians, writers and performers. It goes on to showcase a collection of work that tests the boundaries of collage and collecting.

This image from Garance Doré’s amazing blog of “Italiassime Giorgia” perfectly epitomizes what I have been craving for summer- simple stripes. Whether in the form of summer dresses (this strapless version is perfection), inexpensive rib tanks from Old Navy or even lace-up stripe boots- there is something about stripes that just screams summer. Especially in chic nautical colors such as white paired with navy, red or yellow.

It’s not exactly the same dress (or maybe it is the same dress- just a different color?) but I plan on playing “American Girl in Italy” this summer while running around Los Angeles in this Ya Ya Love Yaya Eve Navy Stripe Dress.

Image Source: Garance Doré

I ran across these images of awesome costumes designed by Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf on Dazed Digital and got really excited. The lightning bolt costume has to be one of the best things I have seen for awhile. Costume design must be a ton of fun for the avant-garde designers. While creating their eponymous line, even though they are more artistic and conceptual than some, they still have to worry at least a little about the saleability of their designs. While designing costumes- like here for Der Freischutz (The Freeshooter)- their imaginations can run wild. Which is all the more fun for us voyeurs. Der Freischutz is a romantic opera by Carl Maria von Weber that will be playing at Baden-Baden’s Festspielhaus. According to Dazed Digital, the fairytale outfits have been painstakinly decorated with one million Crystallized™ Swarovski/mode=blog_chicshopper elements, which play with the light enhancing the exaggerated three-dimensional shapes. The stage design is kept to a minimum so the costumes and crystals play quite an important part in the aesthetic. Organza, silk, satin and lurex feature in rich tones with- in typical Viktor & Rolf fashion- type emblazoned on the chest and shoulders. Inspiration for the choir costumes comes from traditional Germanic dress, including Dimdl and Lederhose fashioned from black neoprene.

For a behind the scenes peek, check out this video:

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling the urge to go a little nuts crystallizing something in my closet with these Loose Genuine Swarovski Crystals. Perhaps the collar of a basic heather gray tee?

The opera staring Julian Banse and Steve Davislim debuts on May 30 at Germany’s largest opera venue, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.

Source: Dazed Digital

I’m not sure why, but perfume advertisements, real and faux, have been catching my eye as of late. I discovered a new favorite this weekend. The trippy, ethereal commercial for Flora by Gucci is seriously awesome.

The song- a borderline-creepy Donna Summer I Feel Love remix- was produced and arranged by the commercial’s director, Chris Cunningham and provides a perfect soundtrack. The sun-drenched field of flowers, gorgeous dress, and visually stunning metamorphosis at the end, paired with the great remix, prompted me to re-watch this on YouTube several times. Heck, I’ll admit it- I seriously want to buy a bottle of Gucci Flora thanks to this commercial. Somehow, I think that’s what they were going for.

As if being the man behind Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton wasn’t enough, Marc Jacobs is branching out again with another line- Jacobs by Marc Jacobs. While creating yet another diffusion collection may seem a little extraneou, Jacobs by Marc Jacobs actually has a great mission behind the product. The range of t-shirts, totes and wallets will feature the work of artists with disabilities, and all proceeds will go to the Creative Growth Art Center.

I love that the line provides not just philanthropy in the form of monetary donations (don’t get me wrong, donating money is amazing, and all proceeds is even more so), but also provides a platform for these artists to get their work to a larger audience and spread the word about the amazing work being done at the  Creative Growth Art Center. Artistic expression is truly theraputic. Marc Jacobs may be scheming to take over the world one diffusion line at a time, but with humanitarian projects like this- that give me a great excuse to buy a cute new wallet- I can’t help but be a loyal follower of King Jacobs.

Source: Teen Vogue

A clever commentary on the hype and hysteria bestowed upon luxury goods in our society, Francesco Vezzoli’s project Greed is a thought provoking and subversive dig at our world. The fake ad campaign for an imagined perfume includes a short film starring Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams and directed by Roman Polanski, posters featuring portraits and endorsements from leading ladies in history as well as a perfume bottle featuring the image of Vezzoli in drag. Vezzoli is known for creating trailers, premieres, and now advertisements for product’s that don’t actually exist: a pilot show for a reality dating show starring Catherine Deneuve and Marianne Faithful; a trailer for a remake of Caligula starring Helen Mirren and Courtney Love; and Democrazy, a campaign for two political candidates- Sharon Stone and Bernard- Henri Lev. While intrigued by Vezzoli’s fascination with media and our consumerist culture, I love this project simply because Portman and Williams- favorites of mine- are so great in it.

If you are intrigued by Vezzoli’s work you should check out The Needleworks of Francesco Vezzoli, a book featuring his obsessively embroidered portraits of celebrities that explores the construct of fame.

Source: Wallpaper.com

I love reading and I love clothes, so it is no surprise that I absolutely adore books about fashion. I bought a copy of The Little Dictionary of Fashion by Christian Dior while at the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit at the de Young, and it is too much fun. The book is a charming “accent to zest” guide to womens dressing. First published in 1954, some of Dior’s commentary is, of course, a bit antiquated. Take for example the quite long entry about hats and how whether or not to wear them is the most “pressing problem of this time.” Well, I guess we know which side of thought won out on that one… Yet some of Dior’s advice is timeless, such as his entry on zest, “anything you do, work or pleasure, you have to do it with zest. You have to live with zest… and that is the secret of beauty and fashion, too.

Whether or not you agree Dior’s words of wisdom, the book is a lot of fun to read by yourself or out-loud to fashion-minded friends (my roomie has gotten a kick out of some of the snippets I’ve shared with her). Better yet, it would make a great gift for the fashionable girl-who-has-everything.

Image Source: My Elegance

Leila Moss first entered my radar when it was announced that she was the muse for Alexander McQueen’s upcoming designer collaboration with Target. When I asked my boyfriend if he had heard of her band The Duke Spirit, he not only had but had actually seen them live a couple months ago, which I then recalled him telling me about. His description of her? That she was rocking out in leather pants… and I think that kind of sums up why she is my latest girl-crush.

Not just the pretty face of a cool band, the girl literally rocks, and has the style to match. Think tux jackets, ripped jeans, flat boots, and heavy black eyeliner to match the color theme of the rest of her look. It’s a look I have a hard time pulling off, yet always admire on other women. Apparently I am not the only one- not only has she been declared McQueen’s latest muse, Sienna and Savannah Miller’s Twenty8Twelve fall collection is also inspired by the singer. If you haven’t heard The Duke Spirit, I highly suggest you check them out, loving her music as much as her style seals the deal for me.

Get Leila’s looks in the lines inspired by her (try saying that 5 times fast):

This bow on this McQ tank manages to be more edgy than girlie.

I can imagine wearing this knit vest from Twenty8Twelve with everything in my closet, and more than a few things, like the tank above, that aren’t in my closet.

Image Source: Cherry Coloured, Mass Appeal Mag

Today Louis Vuitton launched WeLoveSprouse.com, a website dedicated to the memory of Stephen Sprouse and Louis Vuitton’s new collection in honor of the late icon. Revisiting the 2001 collaboration between creative director Marc Jacobs and the rock-inspired designer, which sold-out instantly, the collection features Sprouse-styled graffiti and rose motifs alongside Jacobs designs.

The accessories and ready-to-wear garments in this collection may not be your style or in your price range, but the website is definitely worth checking out. The interactive site has a great playlist, a wall where you can scrawl your own graffiti, images of the collections, videos, photographs and biographical information about Sprouse- what the site calls “the beginnings of a punk glamour god”- his career, famous friends and impact on fashion and art in New York and beyond.

Want to learn more about the life and art of Sprouse? Also in the works is a retrospective exhibition at the Deitch Projects’ 18 Wooster Street gallery in New York, with works- such as Sid Vicious with his pants down, and an Iggy Pop crucifixion- rarely seen before, as well as fifty of his most influential fashion looks. The exhibit runs January 9 through February 28, 2009. Also debuting in 2009 is The Stephen Sprouse Book, a monograph divided into fifteen comprehensive chapters including The Early Years, Andy, Burnout, Cyber Punk, Future Rave, SS/LV and Legend. With contributors such as Debbie Harry, Kate Moss, Steven Meisel, Patrick DeMarchelier, Merk and Markus, and of course, Marc Jacobs. A definite must for any fashion or art enthusiast. You can pre-order your copy of the book here.

Source: WeLoveSprouse.com, Hypebeast

Thanks to the NYLON I picked up at LAX on my way home, I discovered the photography of Mika Ninagawa, one of Japan’s most beloved modern artists. A huge fan of Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara, I was surprised I had never heard of her, as she is promoted by Tomio Koyama Gallery, which introduced both Murakami and Nara to the world. Over the course of her career, the photographer has published over 40 books, and been the recipient of many prestigious awards. She is known for her electric, color-saturated images of women, goldfish and (my favorite) flowers:

Now Ninagawa has paired up with Shu Uemura for their Holiday 2008 Collection, bringing the bright hues of her artwork into your makeup bag. All the products in her collection feature packaging decorated with her photography, the fake eye-lashes in bright red, lipstick in creamsicle orange, and eight-color shadow palettes hold colors such as deep golden yellow, electric blue and hot pink. Not exactly for shrinking violets.