> Creativity on budget: Monoprix!

It's not the first time I talk about it, but this concept is still successful years on: Havas have created for Monoprix a systematic packaging that is everything but boring! Watch the video for more and don't forget to read the labels next time you shop there ;-D

> Al Musiqa at the Paris Philharmonie

Music has always been at the heart of my life since the very beginning: as a toddler dancing with my dad to the sound of his vinyls, as a teenager fascinated by indie rock & new wave, and then as an inspiration for photo shoots, slogans, captions... I truly believe Music has saved the planet from going totally mad...till now ;-)
Let's celebrate it together with my review of the wonderful exhibition currently held at the Philharmonie de Paris.
Watch for more!

Painting the Roofs of Paris in JAUNE !

Thrilled to share with you our latest work for JAUNE, the Lebanese Men's Style brand!

"Les Toits de Paris" campaign was done as a guerilla-shooting in Paris and would not have been possible without the flexibility of the small (but GREAT) team: Jonathan Caillat as main model & producer, Imad El Khoury as photographer & videographer, myself as art director & film director, backed up of course by the JAUNE style & production team represented by their manager Joe Daher who was so cool he did not even mind ironing the outfits ;-)
Hats off also to Daniel Baradie as well who always does wonders with our rushes...

I leave you with my favorite images from the lookbook:

If you like the clothes, they are available in all JAUNE shops!

#FashionFriday: Caroline Issa, an Iconic Style Muse "with a Lebanese Twist"

Don't you just love the expression "Lebanese Twist", used, re-used and re-reused to sell you sweets, mezze, crafts, businessmen & politicians?.. Well today I simply want to express my fandom!
Take a look at this beauty:

Caroline Issa, founder of Because London & editor of Tank magazine, grew up in Montreal with a Chinese mother and Lebanese-Persian father. I know, far fetched, but hey... I'm proud!! And I love this cosmopolitan mix that many Lebanese have, Beirut-London-Paris-Montreal-NYC... French-English-Arabic-Italian... It's the mixture that enriches. 

There are many influencers of Lebanese descent in fashion, but what Caroline represents is this fresh self confidence to pull up any color-texture-shape combination and still look dazzling, because she is so at ease with who she is, or at least that's what she conveys.

She has been a Londoner for more than 10 years, and that doesn't surprise me: London is such a versatile city, combining both history (like Paris) and dynamism (Like New York) which makes it the perfect capital for Tank & Because London.

Caroline is a daily source of inspiration for fashionistas around the globe, simply check google, tumblr & pinterest; but also for women entrepreneurs & pioneers of the fashion industry, as you can read here , here & here...

In conclusion? *sings* Tu es l'As de Trefle qui Pique mon fashion sense, Caro-line...

photos via the sartorialist & candice lake

> Have all trendy french fashion brands become one?

That's my impression actually!
There were these bespoke "petites marques françaises" with each its own identity, but now every time I flip through a magazine or look at billboards or shop windows, I feel they've all "united" into only One look! One pause! One haircut! (or two actually...)
I mean c'mon guys have you no imagination at all? Of course we love each one of you equally, and we LOVE your difference; I feel like I'm lecturing my little girls here...

Am I right or is that just an impression?

> Scotland & other stories...

My summer was intense, so intense I did not post anything, sorry 'bout that!
SO to apologize, here's a mix-mix-schuffle of tidbits and a wee look on the Highlands!

It all started with a quick weekend in Paris where the highlights were a beautiful exhibit at La Pinacotheque, to see Tamara de Lempicka, the amazing art deco colorist...

&... other stories, which opened a few months ago; a lesson in retail, style, display and design:

Shifting on to more art deco in Glascow now, at the GSA (Glascow Scool of Arts) where we had a guided tour of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Building... Simply AMAZING.
Students are so lucky to live and learn in this space...
And we had a high tea at the Willow Tea Rooms, designed by Mackintosh as well. I simply love those Glascow fonts don't you?

And  as promised, a wee* look on the Highlands (Mull, Skye, Staffa, Tobermory, Oban, Inverary, the Lochs...) to finish and relish:

*Wee is the cutest little Scottish word, it actually means (and sounds!) "little".

Photos by myself and Ghassan Koteit. 

24 hours in Paris

I just had a quick break in the City of Lights and as usual, here are some new tips!

UN
Do not miss Buren at the Grand Palais even if you only have one hour! It is splendid! All those lights going through the colored circles with amazing shadows...

And the circular mirrors on which you can step and discover the verrière ceiling covered with blue checkers... Cool visual effects for all ages!

DEUX

Mini break at Mini Palais, the lovely café-restaurant terrace of the Grand Palais:

TROIS

Also at the Grand Palais: Helmut Newton! 

I particularly adore those huge Yves Saint Laurent portraits:

QUATRE

The perfect lunch at Passage 53 restaurant, in the historical Passage des Panoramas.

A delight. Point Final!

Voilà... Don't forget to click on those links for more!