Is it me or is it happening?

I seem to see more yellow in the streets, at parties and in retail, because of my belief that yellow is the new pink, and I forecast we therefore will have another fifteen years of yellow before coming to saturation point. Obviously, my eye is scrutinizing yellow wherever I go, so therefore I might see more yellow than others. However at this point, I also start seeing yellow in other domains, inspiring design, food and health.

I see mustard everywhere; I eat mustard in all kind of recipes and believe it is the newest ingredient in food trends. Mustard will become a fashionable darling, to be used in salads, omelettes, sauces and even with fish and vegetables. Mustard gives a slightly acidic, sometimes bitter bite that is designed to enhance all the other fragrant elements in a dish. In tomato salads it somehow appeases the fruitiness, on eggs it seems to bring out the roundness, and on vegetables it accentuates the greenness in beans or broccoli. Mustard will become a much-discussed wonder ingredient able to intensify and transform. And mustard will come in many guises, from very rustic to whipped and smooth and in many colours from brown to yellow to green.

The colourcard of mustards will also influence fashions in the years to come. Starting with this coming autumn we will see these subdued and warm yellow tones come to life in knitwear and leathers, in blanket coats and day dresses; ideal as accessories, we will witness a growing array of mustards to embellish our silhouette as sensible wedges, high-reaching boots and stockings and socks, as well as scarves and mittens.

Lidewij Edelkoort

Yigal Azrouël born and raised in Israel of French–Moroccan descent launched his eponymous women’s wear label in 1998. Yigal Azrouël draws inspiration from everything and everywhere: art, culture, architecture, nature and his hometown, New York City. Azrouël defined his aesthetic using high-quality fabrics to drape ultra-feminine, modern silhouettes, the company still continues to produce 70% of the collection locally.

The Fall 2012 Collection conjures effortless elegance and casual refinement, the Yigal Azrouël woman plays with the duality of masculine and feminine, public versus private, strength and sensitivity. She is fearless in her outlook and quiet in her confidence. Her ethos: I live; therefore, I am.

The collection reflects an irreverent style, vis-à-vis linear forms punctured with an edge of leather trim and python accent. Silhouettes are straight and elongated, constructed without restraint. A soft color palette - Henna, Bordeaux, Red Oak and Autumn – contrasts with bold hues of Evergreen, Midnight and Ashphalt.

This season’s confluence of juxtaposing textures and multidimensional layering capture the essence of an elusive persona.

Charlotte Bjorklund

After the rehabilitation of ballet as a physical discipline for boys and girls, as shown by the success of French specialty ballet store Repetto, we now see a renewal in interest amongst the youth for classical music.

The pop generation missed the soul train of classical music education and demands now to be seduced into romantic moods. Some youth born in the 1990s are overwhelmingly turning to emotional harp and piano tunes on YouTube, and find the sound of string instruments more caressing to the ear than techno pop dance tracks. Modern DJs on Mixcloud Headphone Commute blend classic, ambient and electronica for the most contemporary compositions.

Even the recently released Hollywood mainstream movie Warrior casts a gym trainer who banks on Beethoven’s Ode to Joy to stimulate his boxers (!).

We are rediscovering the power of the romantic composers to make us dive deeper and deeper into our heritage and remember that our civilization once grew culturally from being versed into dramatic musical expressions. Classical musicians are becoming stars, such as 24 year old pianist virtuoso from Tbilisi, Georgia, Khatia Buniatishvili, who is seducing the masses by her talent and her modern sexy beauty.

A vast piece of European culture for the entire world to enjoy. It is only the beginning!

Try classical/electronica mixes in the search engine of Mixcloud.

Emmanuelle Linard

While there are many invitations to the Salone del Mobile that glide in by post and hundreds more by email (most of which go into Junk without being seen), every now and then something arrives that makes you want to put it on the top of your Milan List. This hand-written envelope was one such invite.

James from Found By James sent me a personalised letter on hotel stationary, explaining his latest project: a collaboration with Dutch designer Lex Pott, which will be shown this year at Tuttobene (via Tortona, 31) and at the Front Room (Via Laghetto, 11). The project investigates patina in materials, the after effects of which the designer has used in his True Colours series. A small sample gift was included in the online curating retailer’s letter and the possibility to pre-register for the purchase of a limited run set so that I won’t miss out. Anticipated kindness or intuitive marketing? A human connection, nonetheless, in an increasingly-inhuman society.

True Colours began in response to the essence of colour, establishing it in the designer’s mind as a medium to transport information. By allowing chemical treatments to transform brass, aluminium, steel and copper, Pott draws attention to what is created by nature and what is produced by industrialisation.

Philip Fimmano

www.foundbyjames.com

The underwear and swimwear markets are prosperous lately. Those two worlds can be definite by a great dynamism and promotion of savoir-faire. Technicality of those sectors are always innovating and producing creative collections looking for new and comfortable materials.

This up-market brand is retailed world wide, more than swimwear, their creations look like Haute Couture.The biggest attention is paid on finish and details, with adding exclusive creation of jewelry to bring a glamourous touch. Shan wants to propose a largest offer and started to develop range of traveling ready-to-wear, with timeless colors, clothing cuts and wrinkle free materials for active women.

In addition to their swimwear collection, they have a wide range of products to match with your boyfriend's outfit: beach bag and glasses for a perfect outfit.

Vanessa Batut

www.shan.ca

Animals have always inspired the Artist. This exhibition presents in Paris, 120 works dating from the Renaissance to the modern day, in a radical and biased form: only showing the animal alone, absent of any human presence. In this extraordinary bestiary you’ll discover works including the bats of Caesar, the spider by Louise Bourgeois, and the dog by Jeff Koons … 

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