> Pages from RJmag 9, the Celtic issue

As announced previously, we shot RJmag 9 in Brittany and I promised I'd show you some pages so here you are... Concept, art direction and styling by myself (Maya Metni!), photography by Imad Elkhoury, along with a great team to help us! Thank you all for making this possible.

Click here to check the whole mag.

>Breiz, Ma Bro... An ode to Brittany

"Breiz Ma Bro", or rather "Bretagne ma Patrie"/ "Brittany my Home Country"...
Funny thing no? How's a girl from Beirut calling Brittany her Country??...
Don't get me wrong, despite all the mixed feelings, I am still proud to be a Beiruti! But you see, when I call Brittany Home, it is related to deep feeling of serenity and calm and how all fits into place when you actually get home...

It all happened years back when I actually first stepped on the "Granit Rose" rocks of Perros-Guirec. WOW. Breathless, Speechless...
How the wild ocean have sculpted these is simple perfection.
The Lighthouse is there as well to guide you to serendipity.
I was directing a photoshoot last week for RJmag near Guingamp, and i felt like someone introducing his spouse to his family for the time, anxious and eager to see their reaction...
The whole team loved it! There were french models among us who had not set foot there and yet have travelled all around the world: "Funny thing that a girl like you is showing us our country!" they said...
What's there not to love? The nature, the people, the food, the beer, the music..
Long live the Celts!
Some historians say they originally came from the Middle-east, so there you go ;-)
Enjoy...

(All photos by Imad ElKhoury)

> Event branding: From The Heart

It's been quite long since I posted some picks from my portfolio, and it's only 'cause I've been too busy!

I had the chance to work on very challenging projects lately with SANOFI Liban, which included video animations, playlist design and many more. These events were company confidential but I sneaked in 2 or 3 things to show you. 

Below are some artworks for their From The Heart event: Backdrops from the Assembly and Photo-Call wall, CD, & Frame... The logo was hand-drawn and then colored and re-worked on illustrator.

> Fashion goes Downton Abbey, thus proving my point...

As a sequel to my previous Downton Abbey post, here are the new winter 2012-2013 international campaigns and yes milords & miladies Downton hits again!

First Prada with real actors! William Dafoe, Jamie Bell, Gary Oldman...

 

Then Ralph Lauren:

Tommy Hilfiger:

And Vuitton:

Simply take a look at these Downton Abbey shots and tell me the inspiration is not direct !?

 

 

UPDATE: more than 10 days after I wrote this post, it was announced in the press that Ralph Lauren will be sponsoring Downton! Read all about it here.

Downton Abbey: Perfect Art Direction

I do talk about series inspiring fashion on a regular basis, like when madmen hit the catwalk 2-3 years ago, but this time, even if tweed is everywhere the coming winter, I want to talk about more than just fashion.
Indeed Julian Fellowes did a great job. he wrote an impeccable plot, with fascinating characters, historical expertise... And the acting is simply marvelous, the art direction is what I dream to achieve, the lighting, the filming... I tell you this will be _is already!_ a Classic!
I am totally hooked and desperately waiting for season 3 to start.

What could one ask for more? Maybe Hugh Laurie can regain his British accent and join in...

I leave you with a few photos as always:

Read more about the influence of Downton Abbey in fashion here !

>Bellissima Toscana... {beautiful tuscany}

Just a few picts from my few days in Tuscany... enjoy the breathtaking views!
All photos ©ghassan koteit

> vintage ski photos, Lebanon

I wanted to share with you a series of photos I stumbled upon in my parents house in the mountains:
Taken in the late sixties before the war in Faraya, the Lebanese ski resort, they describe perfectly the fun and carefree lifestyle that my parents and their friends adored then... 

I love the exaggerated contrast in the photos, their dark clothes against the white snow, it’s like they are floating...

>GeekChic talk at GeekFest Beirut

On July 5, GeekFest Beirut asked me to do small presentation about the history of the GeekChic fashion trend, as well as a step by step guide!

Here are the slides:

Basically at the end of the eighties and the start of the nineties, supermodels became the new rockstars and inspired generations... They also made it possible for designers to shine. So Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford and John Galliano decided they are so popular they could be in their own ad campaigns instead of their models!

Karl Lagerfeld however, waited for the GeekChic trend to come because he knew it was going to be huge! He is now a big time geek and his brand Karl for example only sells online!
He was 100% right because geeks are now kicking ass! Pete Cashmore from mashable is now modelling for GQ's fashion editorials and Steve Jobs black turtlenecks went out of stock the week he passed away... Geek streetstyle and fashion bloggers are front row on the catwalks near big fashion gurus!
Watch the video for some inspirational geeks and the #HowTo guide... And don't forget to rent Annie Hall!

The whole event was huge fun and even if the whole world was jealous and trying to fight it (There was no internet in Beirut that night!!), IT STILL WAS A TOTAL BLAST!!!

Hind Hobeika  presented a great talk about her super goggles, Tony Yammine of Meen talked about crowdsourcing music vids, Loryne Atoui presented "Bras For Cause" which were modelled by intrepid ladies (bravo!) in the Geeky fashion show, in which RECTANGLE JAUNE also participated...

 

The music was smashing, the ambiance was geeky hot, and we end it up with a delicious meal at Le Couqley and live bands at Angry Monkey...

To sum it up, GeekFest 5.0 was perfectly Unorganized by Online Collaborative;
so when is the next GeekFest Darine & Mo???