Beyoncé Fronts New House of Dereon Campaign

Beyoncé has only stepped in front of the cameras a couple of times since giving birth to her daughter, Blue Ivy, on January 7. But news that the newly made mum is getting geared up to get back to work is on the horizon as a new photo of the superstar is released for her latest campaign for her clothing label, House of Deréon.

Shot by famed celebrity and fashion photographer Tony Duran shortly before Beyoncé gave birth, the only image released so far features Beyonce looking stunning and sultry wearing a structured stud embellished bodice accompanied by a fierce lion mane for her spring/summer 2012 collection.

The collection comprises of edgy to elegant evening wear as well as contemporary casual tops and jackets with bold use of stunning prints and a color palette featuring soft pastels, nudes and pops of coral and blue.

Below are some of my favorite pieces as well as the promotional video for the collection. Currently the House of Dereon US site states that the shopping online feature is “coming soon.” However if you are across the pond, you can purchase pieces from Lipsy, Selfridges and House of Fraser.

Royal Couple Immortalized as Collectible Barbie Dolls

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are getting the royal treatment from Matetel and are becoming immortalized as collectible dolls. The maker of Barbie dolls announced the news that they will be releasing the special two-doll set in early April, in celebration of the royal couple’s first wedding anniversary.

The limited-edition dolls will be wearing replicas of what the couple wore on their big day last year — a miniature version of the infamous Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen gown for Middleton, and a red-and-blue military jacket for Prince William. Middleton’s doll will even include a tiny sapphire engagement ring and a version of the Cartier tiara she wore.

Of the doll treatment, a Mattel spokesperson said, “William and Catherine are like a modern day Barbie and Ken. The whole world watched as the two were married in what was a real-life fairytale wedding.” The rep added, “As a fashion icon, it is only appropriate that Barbie would pay tribute to this unforgettable fashion moment.”

The doll-set will go on sale for $155 on April 7 on Amazon.com U.K, but has been made available for pre-order online at BarbieCollector.com for $100. Unfortunately it has been reported that this collection will not be offered in the United States. Below, is BarbieCollector.com’s description of the couple’s miniature version of their wedding ensemble:

This Royal Wedding® Gift Set includes exquisite portrait dolls of the bride and groom now bestowed with the titles, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Catherine doll wears an elegant, yet chic, gown inspired by the original and features lovely ivory taffeta trimmed with lace and faux pearl buttons. Also includes wedding bouquet, silvery tiara, earrings and engagement ring. Continuing the elegance is Catherine’s handsome prince. William is dressed in the brilliant scarlet uniform of the Colonel of the Irish Guards, proudly decorated with royal blue sash, metallic cummerbund with bow trimmed in golden fringe, golden buttons and medallions.

Remembering the Legendary Whitney Houston

During the eve of one of the biggest annual award celebrations in the music industry, comes the devastating news that legendary icon, Whitney Houston has died, she was only 48. The singer’s death was confirmed by her publicist, Kristen Foster, only hours before Houston was due to perform at music mogul Clive Davis’s annual pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

“I can confirm that Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. We received a call at 3:43 p.m. from hotel security and Beverly Hills fire and police responded minutes later,” Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Mark Rosen tells PEOPLE. As to whether there was any evidence of drugs or foul play, Rosen responded: “At this time, there’s no obvious evidence of foul play or cause of death.”

The terrible news has come as a complete shock to all and reactions from fans and celebrities flood the internet:

Dolly Parton, who wrote “I Will Always Love You,” said, “mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, ‘Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'”

Another entertainment legend, Quincy Jones, said he was “absolutely heartbroken” by the news. “She was a true original and a talent beyond compare.”

I’d like to take this time to remember Whitney Houston, she is a true legend and undoubtedly one of the greatest singers and performers of our generation. The world has lost an icon today, may she always be remembered for the amazing contribution that she gave us all, her music that became a soundtrack for us all as well as her unforgettable soulful voice, she was and will always remain a superstar in our hearts.

LEGO Artist Restores Crumbling Architecture

Restoring crumbling walls and monuments that a child could relate to is Jan Vormann’s quest. The 26 year old has spent the last three years traveling the world using one of the most recognizable materials and past times in toy history lego!

The German artist has reinterpretation the art of restoration, who knew the small coloured lego blocks would ironically spark the idea to actually complete buildings and monuments the very things that children tend to build with them. Vormann, has truly brightened up the aesethic nature of these locations with brightly coloured plastic lego pieces and in turn inspire on lookers to stop and take note.

His work is titled ‘Dispatchwork’, and has left his mark on the streets of London, Amsterdam, New York, Germany and even Boston!

 

 

Now that I’ve become aware of the fact that he has adorned the city of Boston, I will definitely be in search to see this collection of work in the flesh!

 

 

Cathedral Illuminated By 55,000 LED Lights

At the Light Festival in Ghent, Belgium, the Italian family business Luminarie De Cagna created an astounding light display featuring a Cathedral that utilized 55,000 LED lights. The arched structure stands tall at an impressive 91 feet at its peak and is made of wood that is adorned with beautiful multicolored lights. This astounding light display is not only a work of art but is also impressively energy-efficient, consuming only 20Kwatt/h of electricity.

Credit to original photographers 🙂

Spot the Artist! Cecilia Paredes Master of Disguise

Like most artists, Cecilia Paredes tends to get lost in her work… in this case most literally. The Peruvian artist uses her body as a canvas by applying body paint to camouflage herself into a series of vibrant, intricate wallpaper designs.

With the aid of assistants, Paredes meticulously paints an disguises her own body to allow her to fit seamlessly into each of her portraits. Paredes explains her technique as a way of making herself part of the landscape ïn a quest of belonging.

“The theme behind all is re-location after displacement and migration and how one has to adjust in order to belong. Tough it is, but it has to be done, without forgetting our origin.

SquidLondon — Color Changing Couture

Taking the innovative color changing properties of their signature umbrellas to the next level, female “SquidLondon” duo Emma-Jayne Parkes and Viviane Jaeger have collaborated with couture pattern cutter Vlasta Collu and haute couture embroiderer Charlotte La Roche to create a stunning capsule collection of raincoats.

SquidLondon co-founder and Director Emma-Jayne Parkes explains:

“We decided to develop our coat range because our umbrellas are so loved, and so much fun, we really wanted a ‘wow’ factor garment; the intricacies of hand embroidery mixed with sharp couture detailing that beautifully change into a walking piece of art when wet – it’s unique – you can’t beat it!

The capsule tailored rainwear collection “Opera Icons” consists of two jackets and a trench coat available in three embroidery options, allowing the wearer a sense of artistic flair as well as adding a splash of playfulness in her style.

The three designs include the Carmen – a cropped, fitted jacket with a high collar; the Madame Butterfly jacket with its oversize shawl collar that when used as a hood mimics the brightly colured wings of a butterfly; and the Juliette trench coat, a classically beautiful design, just like its namesake. In addition to the coats, there are appliquéd versions of the much-loved Squidarellas, and an oversized scarf that can be worn in several ways.

When dry, the garments are chic monochrome – white flower motifs appliquéd to the black fabric. But add a splash of rain and the white flowers quickly garment blossoms into an array of bright colors.

The coats are made in London and currently available made to order for A/W 2011 delivery direct from SquidLondon’s Shoreditch studio. http://www.squidlondon.com.

Check out a behind the scenes video:

*Majority of information taken from Official Press Release.