Streetstyle Icon: Hanneli Mustaparta

When you type Hanneli Mustaparta in Google Search there’s no doubt you immediately get the sense this woman isn’t just someone who happens to be ‘just’ fashionable. Definitely not when you see her in line with other names like Leandra medine, Anna Dello Russo, Elin Kling, Chiara Ferragni and Miroslava Duma. And when you dive in even deeper, you will see she isn’t just a pretty face. Enter Hanneli Mustaparta — the Norwegian born model-turned-photographer, blogger and stylist who took the fashion world by storm.

Her razor-sharp cheekbones and long legs may already reveal her modelling potential. A career she began at the age of seventeen, but after realising that she was “never going to be a supermodel,” she turned the lens on herself. It all started out in New York in 2009 by taking some random pictures of herself and the outfits she was wearing on a daily basis and posting them on her blog Hanneli, where she posts a mix of street style photographs and self portrait shoots. But her taste for fashion and styling wasn’t so random after all as her personal style quickly gained worldwide attention from the fashion media -named by Vogue as one of the most influential bloggers- and before she knew it she became a highly acclaimed street style icon.

Her perfectly styled outfits turned her into a popular staple for street style spreads, but it’s hard to put her in a box as her style is constantly transforming from day to day. She’s a true fashion chameleon who can pull off anything, no matter what colour, fabric or silhouette or which city she’s staying. She switches easily between Scandinavian minimalism, boyish ensembles and romantic flowerpower, combining her favourite fashion labels such as Acne, Prada, Burberry, Miu Miu, Jil Sander, Lover, Mulberry, and Calvin Klein.

In a funny matter, her huge popularity took her into the modelling business again, as she starred in the Diesel Black Gold summer campaign (2013) and appeared on several magazine covers from ELLE to Cosmopolitan. Hanneli, she may not be a Supermodel, but you’re most definitely looking at a Superblogger.

Model Focus: Imaan Hammam

“If it ain’t Dutch, it ain’t much.” Excuse our prejudice behaviour, but if you have it why not flaunt it.
And we’re more than proud of this Dutch topmodel coming from Amsterdam. Only eighteen years old and already ruling the biggest fashion shows, campaigns and major magazine shoots that most models could only dream of. She already made it to the cover of American Vogue’s September Issue (Anna Wintour even mentioned the model in her editor’s letter the first time she appeared in the magazine), walked the Victoria’s Secret Runway, was the face of Givenchy and had the privilege to open for Reed Krakoff’ show in New York.These are some of the highlights from her fast growing modelling career that started at the humble age of 14 at Amsterdam Central Station, discovered by an agent from her current agency CODE Management, thanks to her endless legs, eastern looks (a Moroccan mother and Egyptian father) and outstanding features. Along with the fashion world’s expanding of racial diversity there was no doubt about if catapulting her straight to the top, but only a matter of timing. Let’s face it; what could possibly go wrong when having a name reminiscent of powerhouses Iman Abdulmajid and Chanel Iman?

Trend Report SS15: clean blue

To say that denim is one of the biggest and most comfortable trends this season feels like one of the dullest and most obvious statements we could tell you right now. Has denim ever been out of style? Has it ever been off the radar? Has it ever been disliked or neglected? Na-ah. And for some good reasons. Thanks to icons like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe we’re still excited -which is an understatement, as we wear it almost every day- to pull of this iconic piece of fabric in every possible way. But for coming season designers were determined to recast denim and put a slightly more clean and luxurious stamp on it; cropped indigo mini-jackets at Burberry, clean tailoring at Margiela and retro vibes at Stella McCartney. The options are countless, but if you’re a committed denim worshipper, it’s time to tighten your relationship with the real deal: No fading. No bleaching. No glam. Keep it as easy as can be. That’s already a huge statement by itself.

 

Trend Report SS15 menswear: Summer suits

Dear men. If you’re only breaking out your suit for office adventures or special occasions, you’re doing it wrong. This season we’re begging you to get out of those comfy jeans and lift your bum and well trained torso in some fine tailored suit. Because it’s no question whether it looks good on you, but which one suits you best. No one told you it has to be old-fashioned and dull. Forget about black and grey suits, spring is serving you new minimalism elevated with unexpected materials, colors and details. Make the blue suit your best compagnon, a dominant theme on the Dior Home runway and seen at Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Or take Miuccia Prada as an example who showed stiff denim trousers paired with denim jackets. And how refreshing was the playful layering, wearing a blazer over a denim jacket as seen at J.Crew and Fendi. This season, we’ve seen it all from khaki, to electric pink, to stripes, to cool turquoise, to geometric patterns and dots to shiny fabrics. Dress to impress seems to be the main message. How far are you willing to go?

Are you ready for Balmania?

 

What better moment to announce the new designerxH&M collection than at the Billboard Music Awards. Posting a short video with the caption “THE WORD IS OUT #secretrevealed join MY new ARMY #HMBALMAINNATION #areyouready?”, creative director Olivier Rousteing made the internet and fashion world burst with excitement. He follows in the footsteps of a long line of designer collaborators, from Karl Lagerfeld (2004) to Wang (2014). A great moment to take a closer look on Balmain’s DNA.

 The History

1945: Balmain is a French haute couture fashion house that was founded by Pierre Balmain.

1982: Pierre Balmain passed away and designer Erik Mortensen took over his role.

1990: designer Hervé Pierre took over working as director of ready-to-wear and haute couture.

1993: Oscar de la Renta took the helm. He had a huge impact on the luxury fashion house. He once created couture for the label, but the line was shuttered over a decade ago.

2006: Christophe Decarnin was the next name to take over the label and he sought to completely overhaul the Balmain aesthetic. By focusing on eveningwear, his sparkling, power shouldered and strong designs he provoked the ‘Balmania’ madness as we know nowadays.

2011: Olivier Rousteing was named the new creative director and designer. His task: modernising the brand and cultivate an even stronger base, with lots of French influences, to build on.

 Oliver Rousteing
Olivier Rousteing (1986) is das wunderkind in the world of fashion. Famous for his razor sharp cheekbones (how?!), his utterly interesting Instagram account with tons of supermodel selfies, and of course, his major talent as a fashion designer. He initially pursued a law degree, dropping out to study fashion at Paris’s École Supérieure Des Arts Et Techniques De La Mode. Soon after he moved to Italy to work at Cavalli, becoming the head of ready-to-wear. In 2011, when he was only 25 years old, he was asked to become creative director of Balmain, which made him the youngest designer to head a Parisian fashion house since Yves Saint Laurent at Christian Dior in the 1950s.

 The Balmain Army
Whilst mister Balmain himself invented The Jolie Madame or Jet set-woman, Rousteing won’t be doing much different today, but in a slightly more modern way. He likes to describe his ladies as the so-called “Balmain Army” and his soldiers are definitely worth for a little name-dropping, as he is the fashion prodigy behinds world’s biggest celebs including actress Kate Bosworth, Kim Kardashian, Kendal Jenner, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, Rosie Huntington-Whitley and Daria Werbowy. Rousteing has also been hailed as a champion for casting diverse models in his catwalk shows and advertising campaigns, which, he said, is a result of his own mixed roots and background.

 The Balmain Style
It’s not a first that people go crazy over anything that wears the famous Balmain name tag. It even has a name: Balmania. Remember Decarnin’s bold-shouldered blazers? It launched a thousand knock-offs. And what about the biker pants worn by many A-listers? No wonder H&M was aiming for some Parisian rock’n roll as well. Rousteing’s richly embroidered, luxurious designs have earned him legions of fans. The designer has been credited with infusing the influential Paris house with a fresh, pop culture aesthetic, without lacking the brand’s spirit and tradition of craftsmanship.

The Balmain x H&M collection – which includes menswear as well as womenswear – will land in stores on November 5 2015. Who’s ready for some Balmainia?

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