There was also a floral scent…

— Lily Donaldson and Anja Rubik, for Allure, September 2010 —

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It is a fact that every month are published worldwide hundreds (if not thousands) of fashion editorials and photo-essays. Each magazine or portfolio, whether physical or digital, represents a transverse moment in time, which potentially reflects (albeit sometimes subtly) the styles and trends of what was once in vogue and suggests and points to what possibly will ensue.

I remember that my first really meaningful and effective contact with remarkable foreign fashion publications (with special mention to Elle France), when I was still very young in the early ’80s, was made possible through a few relatives who usually traveled abroad and eventually brought them from their journeys. At that time trade between countries was not even close to that which exists nowadays and was not easy to find non-domestic publications on any newsstand at any commercial establishment (and the internet, as we know it, was just a sketchy science fiction idea or, at most, a cold classified data transmission system for government and military purposes used by very few nations and institutions).

Who studies style, fashion and trends for women should always have a “three times point of view” – regarding past, present and future – and the notion that there are virtual endless possibilities to manage multiple elements of composition, construction and structuration of fashion itself – whether exclusive haute couture or prêt-à-porter – which are based on concepts ranging from purely and wisely Bauhaus-minded to hyperdatailed maximized ones. Add and mix to them the fascinating infinity industry of accessories, cosmetics, jewelry and eyewear.

An important and gratifying act is to recognize and comprehend that each woman has her own unique and particular way to deal with all these fashionist elements (a kind of personal signature), often in manners which were initially unimaginable by the designers and other professionals who are themselves behind almost every developed product. In fact, the whole process of fashion design and its related fields of expertise only makes veritable sense to exist if there is an inquestionable, genuine and deep respect, fascination and admiration for women and their private and collective universes. To have this awareness is a major and a wonderful sweet key. Thereby, it is possible to provide up high quality fashion – which can possibly be consolidated in timeless style – allowing at the same time the freedom to experiment and dream with new and revisited concepts and aesthetics, although often ephemeral, always with solid elegance and true beauty. If every photograph, every ray of light, every shadow, every human expression and movement and each photographic angle, exposition and other optical parameter is unique in a specific single photo shoot, much more unique, incomparable and special is each woman to whom the fashion industry focuses on. The real, inherent and innate beauty of a woman is inexorably unlimited as are the innumerable graceful ways of how she can be admired (and beloved) in her various features, aspects, nuances and gestures and it is an unparalleled joy to notice how they enhance with time.

This humble blog always tried to be a small showcase of what is inside all of these mentioned huge and amazing feminine universes with the omnipresent commitment to translate aspects of my personal taste and points of view and to learn, improve and incorporate new aesthetic senses and feelings. Moreover, Réflexions dans le Petit Trianon will complete its first year of life on 20 February and since right now I sincere thank the so kind people who had visited, supported and, whenever possible, leaved and registered their so positive pleasing beautiful impressions. More rewarding than having a blog and publishing posts was the opportunity to know, see, admire and to keep in touch with truthful special people and their lovely works and singular skills and profiles. Thank you so much – you know who you are!

- F.

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— Kim Akkerman, by Nikola Borissov —

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— Maud Welzen (unknown source) —

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— Nimue Smit, for Dior, by Koto Bolofo, 2012 —

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— Lily Donaldson (unknown source) —

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— Dior Spring/Summer 2013 —

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— Frida Gustavsson, for Elle Sweden, 25 years anniversary edition, February 2013 (Flowers of the North, with origami no hana 「折り紙の花」pattern background special cover) —

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— Photography by Guram Muradov —

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— Emma Stone, for Vogue UK, August 2012 —

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— Jaime King, by Abbey Drucker —

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— Jessica Stam, for Vogue UK, October 2007 —

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— for Michael Sontag, Fall/Winter 2010 —

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— Lindsay Wixson, for Dazed & Confused Magazine, April 2012 —

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— Natalia Vodianova, for Vogue Russia, March 2008 —

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— Alicia Christian Foster, aka Jodie Foster, in the role of Tallulah, Bugsy Malone motion picture, 1976 —

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— Kirsten Caroline Dunst, Marie-Antoinette, 2006 —

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— Diane Kruger, by Diego Uchitel —

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— Amy Adams, for Vanity Fair, March 2013 —

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— Olivia Palermo, for Marie Claire España, February 2013 —

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— A vintage touch (unknown source) —

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— Scarlett Johansson, by Jason Bell —

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— Scarlett Johansson, by Sheryl Nields —

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— Snejana Onopka, for Tatler Russia, October 2011 —

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— Snejana Onopka, for Harper’s Bazaar Korea, March 2007 —

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— Svetlana Zakharova, for Quality Magazine, January 2012 —

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— Hélène Desmettre, for Flair Magazine, Spring 2011 —

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— Photography by Abbey Drucker —

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— Daria Strokous, for Vogue China, March 2013 —

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— Kirsi Pyrhönen, by Elina Simonen —

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— Kiira Korpi —

Photography by Marko Rantanen

Teaser of Kiira Korpi photoshoot making of… directed by Mikael Kivelä / Royal Majestics Helsinki

(source: Kiira Korpi official site)

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— Frida Gustavsson, for Nina L’Eau, by Nina Ricci, 2013 —

(source: Nina Ricci, Mon Secret)

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Vi ses!

Scent of a beauty

A couple of weeks ago, thanks to a dear friend who knows some aspects of my personal taste, I had the pleasure to be presented to the wonderful new images from the Italian fine jewellery house of Bvlgari latest scent Mon Jasmin Noir L’Elixir (2012) campaign featuring an actress to whom I’m passionate about — Kirsten Dunst. Anyone who knows me a little more closely understands how much I’m a fan of her…

Alongside the beautiful and lovely Kirsten, Bvlgari’s new campaign integrates elements of haute joaillerie (diamonds), delicate and very feminine black lace, flowers and, of course, a new exclusive designed fragrance — The final composition work result is inexorably gracious, sensitive and sophisticated as we can see on its film and photo shoot. Moreover, the campaign’s film has the signatures of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin (they also directed the masterpiece Dior Secret Garden – Versailles, already posted in this blog about four months ago).

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· About Inez and Vinoodh (info source: their YouTube channel):

“For over 25 years, the meticulous and audacious imagery of Inez van Lamsweerde (1963– ) and Vinoodh Matadin (1961– ) has challenged and reinvigorated the field of fashion photography. Working together since 1986, the award-winning Dutch partnership has built a peerless archive of work that is consistently setting new standards. In their landmark advertising campaigns, visionary editorial assignments, iconic Hollywood portraiture and groundbreaking films the pair have anticipated, articulated and defined every creative shift in fashion over the past three decades. Inez and Vinoodh are extremely rare in managing a successful art career in parallel to these phenomenal commercial activities. They have staged many solo exhibitions and collaborative projects at the world’s foremost galleries, participated in scores of international group shows and their artworks are held in numerous private and museum collections.”

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Bvlgari, Mon Jasmin Noir, 2012

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Bvlgari, Mon Jasmin Noir, 2012 — Behind the scenes

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Photo shoot

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The fragrance itself

Oh, I must state that until the date of publication of this post I haven’t had the opportunity to feel myself Mon Jasmin Noir L’Elixir scent to be able to give a personal opinion about it. But below there are some technical data found at Bvlgari’s website…

• Olfactive notes / olfactive family: Floral woody musk;
• Top notes: Golden cedrat and lily of the valley;
• Heart: Sambac jasmine and “Angel Wing” jasmine;
• Dry down: Musky nougatine and vibrant wood.

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 I must warn you that I have no relationship whatsoever or commercial interests with the products and mercantile names displayed in this post. My sole purpose was to blog about a work of an actress that I admire and to contemplate the beautiful aesthetical aspects of a published fine brand fragrance campaign. Thank you!

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Viele Grüße!

The strength of sweet feminine delicacy

(Diane Kruger, for Madame Figaro, February 2011)

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(Julianne Moore, for Talbots, Spring 2011)

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Olga Maliouk (Ольга Малюк)

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Natalia Vodianova (Наталья Михайловна Водянова)

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Jessica Stam

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Caroline Trentini

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Siri Tollerød

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Vlada Roslyakova (Влада Рослякова)

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Daria Strokous (Дарья Строкоус)

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Kristina Semenovskaya (Кристина Семеновская)

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Renata Litvinova (Рената Муратовна Литвинова)

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Happened last year (and deserves to be revived) — J’adore Dior…

— Charlize Theron meets old stars in new J’adore Dior ad —

“To celebrate the latest incarnation of J’adore fragrance, Dior Beauty last night officially released a new commercial starring Charlize Theron mingling with three long-gone movie icons. Music: Heavy Cross by The Gossip.

Shot at Château of Versailles over four days, the 90-second commercial, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Name of the Rose) brings Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe back to life. Charlize runs up the stairs to greet them, all against the backdrop of a couture show in the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors). These famous “adorers” of Dior are all dressed by Dior.

In addition to Charlize’s team, there were 12 makeup artists, 12 hair stylists, 220 extras, 40 actors and a technical team of 100 people on set. Theron has been the face of J’adore since 2004. Her first campaign featured the actress wrapped in golden sheets.”

(Info source: USA Today - September 18, 2011 update)

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Auf Wiedersehen!

To blog, to dream, to idealize, to live

(Rachel Weisz, Snow White)

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The last few days were very rich in relation to my personal experience inside blogosphere.

I’ve found new wonderful blogs and their much more wonderful people behind them. And, last but not least, I’ve got new dear followers. Thank you!

This little experience also was worthy because it gave me the opportunity to improve my personal concepts and ideas (a new réflexion dans le Petit Trianon) about the blogging act and its motivations.

I think that any free will particular expression or manifestation is an enough motivation. This blog, as thousands others ones, is a very little piece of a parallel and personal world, dedicated to expose positive things and subjects that I do really appreciate and understand, at least a little. My daily “real world” is so very different of this parallel one but very similar to the “worlds” of the majority of us. Paradoxically, dreams and idealistic issues are non-material entities possible to be well definable, so, in a general and simplistic way (but not less true), these entities always coexist with us and our quotidian material world, being improvers of our minds, souls, volitions and aspirations and serving as special counterpoints to the mentioned “real world” and to its unsettling matters…

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Amy Adams 

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 Caroline Trentini

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Heather Marks

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Teresa Weißbach

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Natalia Vodianova

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Mélanie Laurent

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Kirsten Dunst

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Clémence Poésy

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Milla Jovovich

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By Tim Walker

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Alice in Wonderland cosplay

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Carey Mulligan, filming The Great Gatsby in Australia, February 9th, 2012

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Kiira Korpi

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Ballerina Project

(Images main source: my We Heart It account)

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Auf Wiedersehen!

Dior Secret Garden – Versailles

— Oh, I have no words… Just pure contemplation and aesthetic fruition.

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A film by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, starring Daria Strokous, Melissa Stasiuk and Xiao Wen Ju in La Galeries des Glaces – Château de Versailles. Music by Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence.

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Auf Wiedersehen!

F.

“Pois” (Polka dots)

Polka dot (French: pois) is a pattern consisting of an array of filled circles, generally equally sized and spaced relatively closely in relation to their diameters and first became common on clothing in the late nineteenth century in the United Kingdom.

An early recorded use of the term polka dot is in 1854 in The Yale Literary Magazine, volume 122, page 7. The pattern is named for the dance of the same name, making one suspect there is a connection linking the pattern to the dance. Instead, the name was settled upon merely because of the dance’s popularity at the time the pattern became fashionable. Many other products and fashions of the era also adopted the polka name.

Traditionally polka dots are used in the clothing of flamenco dancers and performers. Musician Randy Rhoads used a Flying V guitar with polka dots. Professional wrestler Dusty Rhodes was given a black outfit covered in yellow polka dots during his time in the WWF. This seemed strange at the time but went on to become a successful and memorable gimmick. Artist Yayoi Kusama uses polka dots throughout much of her work. Blues guitarist Buddy Guy regularly plays a signature Fender Stratocaster painted in black with cream polka dots. Some people associate polka dots with Venezuelan fashion designer Carolina Herrera, who used polka dots on most of her dresses during the late 80′s and early 90′s, as well as on the boxes of perfumes Carolina Herrera, Herrera for Men, Aquaflore and Flore. In the Tour de France, the leader in the mountains competition wears a distinctive polka dot jersey (maillot à pois rouge). Although the King of the Mountains was first recognised in the 1933 Tour de France, the distinctive jersey was not introduced until 1975.

There were many other polka items, some of which include polka-hats and polka-jackets. Most disappeared with the fad of the actual polka dance. Only the polka dot fabric pattern remained popular, and the name has been left intact over the years.

In 2006, polka dot skirts, dresses, scarves and tops became a fad in the United Kingdom. The polka dot skirts were usually pencil skirts. This started another fashion period, after which silk replaced the polka dot. The Pipettes were instrumental in bringing about this fashion trend.

The polka dot also appears in popular music. Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini is a novelty song telling the story of a shy girl in a very revealing bathing suit who stays immersed in the ocean water to hide from view. It was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss and first released in June 1960 by Brian Hyland. Before that however, Polka Dots and Moonbeams was a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke, published in 1940. It was Frank Sinatra’s first hit recorded with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. The song is one of the top 100 most-frequently recorded jazz standards with arrangements by Gil Evans and others and notable recordings by Lester Young, Sarah Vaughn and many others.

This text source: Wikipedia

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Amy Adams…

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Kirsten Dunst…

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Diane Kruger…

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Natalia Vodianova…

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Elena Vladimirovna Roslyakova (Vlada Roslyakova)…

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Caroline Trentini…

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Jessica Stam…

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Ariadna Majewska…

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Video link: Como Usar o Poá em Diferentes Situações (How to Use Polka Dots in Different Situations), from the Brazilian cable TV channel GNT, Vamos Combinar fashion and trends show hosted by the Brazilian model and presenter Mariana Weickert, aired on May 14, 2012 (language: Brazilian Portuguese;  subtitles: not available)…

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Hejdå,

F.