Ancient Cameo

These dreamy Ray Caesar-esque images belong to Lithuanian-based digital artist Natalie Shau. They are part of a new series of illustrations for French jewelry designer Lydia Courteille. On Courteille’s site, Shau’s intricate, edgy and quite daring illustrations combine with vintage style jewelry and corsets, each appealing to those with dark sensibilities and serve to introduce a sumptuous range: My Secret Garden, Vanities, Bestiary, Esoterism, Cameos & Glyptics, Cassandra’s and Cabinet of Curiosities.

To keep afloat of recent developments in Natalie Shau’s works, visit her online portfolio: carbonmade. For your viewing pleasure, a few more of Shau’s dark and decadent artwork for Lydia Courteille’s jewelry presentation follow the jump…

Secret Order

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Minako Saitoh Botsford is a (figurative) illustrator from Tokyo, Japan who creates digital paintings of fashion, pin-up girls, beauty and fantasy using Photoshop. Her work is available for commercial advertising agency work for fashion, urban culture, women’s themes, magazine and book publishing, cosmetic and beauty companies, retail and corporate in house freelance work. An highlight of her portfolio is the icon section made for the ‘Ohimesama Exhibition’ held in Gallery Dazzle (Aoyama, Tokyo, 2006), it’s full of these 50s style fashion fantasy portraits of women of all ages. She provides much more than just visual imagery: she offers energy which communicates with viewers at many different level, supported (in part) by a wicked sense of humor.

Minako has worked for major ad agencies and publishers across Japan and abroad. Her clients include SONY, Elle Magazine, Christian Dior, Yojhi Yamamoto, La Foret Harajuku, among others. Minako is represented by Art Limited. Her work is available for commercial advertising agency work for fashion, urban culture, women’s themes, magazine and book publishing, cosmetic and beauty companies, retail and corporate in house freelance work.

For more info on Minako’s gorgeous imagery, visit her site.

EDITORIAL: Make Love, not War
MAGAZINE: Vogue Italia September 2007
MODELS: Agyness Deyn, Missy Rayder, Caroline Trentini, Raquel Zimmermann,
Julia Stegner, Daniel Pimentel, Blaine Cook, CHad Dunn, Chad White, Isaac Haldeman,
Nathan Nesbitt, Oraine Barrett, Rodrigo Calazans, Travone Hill
PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Meisel
CREDIT: www.style.it

In the September issue of Italian vogue, fashion photographer Steven Meisel (the man behind Madonna’s controversial Sex book) stirs up controversy with his glamorized imagery of the war in Iraq. His ‘Make Love Not War’ series (mostly) depicts sweaty, dirty soldiers in the middle of a war-zone interacting with models in a very “heated fashion” Apparently, claims are being made by ‘Women In Media and News’ suggesting this series of photographs are pornographic and evoke sexualizations of horrific situations, also saying that violence is erotic. Am quiet certain everyone would agree by this “surface” reading, but is that the point of the message? What do they mean to you? Check out the rest. more…

If your a fan of quality coffee and photography, you’d be interested to know about the 2008 Lavazza calendar, photographed by renowned Scottish photographer Finlay MacKay. His series of six images depict ‘The Most Majestic Espresso Experience’ and follow in the illustrious footsteps of previous calender photographers such as David Lachapelle, Thierry Le Goues and Ellen von Unwerth. Finlay’s contribution to the 16th edition of the calendar, nevertheless, is the most lavish and glamorous I’ve seen to date. His art nouveau inspired imagery give us plenty of insights into the dreamlike worlds of the French and Chinese imperial courts, chivalry of the Middle Ages and bejeweled queens enjoying a most majestic “Lavazza espresso” experience. In many ways, It is work that reminds me of lynn Goldsmith’s in the looking glass series - particularly, the imperial subjects and the surrealistic quality conveyed through hints of identity, irony, sensuality and elegance.

For more info visit Lavazza. Enjoy the rest of this beautiful series after the jump. more…

Diesel’s Creative Team (under the direction of Wilbert Das) recently held a fashion show based on an aquatic theme entitled “Liquid Space” and brought together Barcelona animation studio Dvein – who worked on the CGI visual effects and 3D animations – and Danish multi-media production agency, Vizoo , who provided the innovative technology for the show, which they had created themselves. The show featured 3D holographic sea creatures accompanying the fashion designs. The art is stunning, luminous and very fluid, like creatures from the deep sea or another world. While regular human models paced up and down the runway, a host of polyp-like CGI characters appeared in mid-air to interact with them within an underwater landscape and viewable from both sides of the stage. Check out a video from this event:

ALIX MALKA Is one of the new talents in fashion photography, born in Paris, Alix Malka is today one of the most asked for photographers by the international magazines. His inspiration comes from the likes of Pedro Almodovar and John Waters, as well as designers like John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. Obsessed by color, Malka’s images are suggestive of taste for rich, exuberant and sophisticated stylism. His first incursion to the world of the fashion was in 1985 when he began work with director Tierry Mugler. Certain image will probably speak to you. One of my preferred photographers in the hyperglamourous world of fashion…

Source: Alix Malka’s portfolio