Harper's Bazaar Turkey - Shot by Koray Birand

Being an American fashion consumer, I constantly find myself stumbling across the powerful visual imagery being created by the counterparts to American fashion publications. In this instance I was blown away by the March 2012 Cover story for Harper's Bazaar Turkey. There is hardly the same amount of media coverage or hype as there is Harper's Bazaar in the United States. Upon a google search for HB Turkey, I only found a tumblr account. While this tumblr was quirky and interesting, the American counterpart is a complex web page complete with corporate support, fashion features, and information that bring the print version to life.

Koray Birand rose quickly in the ranks of fashion photography, he notes in an interview that in one and half years he has managed to become one of the top photographers in Turkey, shooting and retouching all of his imagery himself.

I appreciate the old hollywood glamour that has been modernized as of late. Singers such as Lana Del Rey have brought such style back to the spotlight. It is quite apparent that there is much to be said for the color blue, as this editorial is well communicated, simple, and it resonates.


The entire editorial can be seen here.

Balmain Fall 2012 RTW

Current head designer at Balmain, Olivier Rousteing promised to bring about a new era for the fashion house. He has made strides with his recent Fall 2012 collection. He used his inspiration of Elizabeth Taylor's Faberge Egg (see above) as a platform from which he could re-design the classic Balmain motorcycle jacket. He paired his designs with flowy, velvety pants in order to balance the weight between masculine and feminine. Androgyny has always been an integral part of the Balmain brand.

When I looked at the collection I was instantly reminded of Gothic Architecture. The beadwork and pearls came together in the ways the ribbed vaults of many ancient cathedrals were constructed. The color palette also suggests light vs. dark undertone which is central to the idea of gothic design.

"Dressmaking is the architecture of movement." ~ Pierre Balmain


You can see the entire collection here.