Thank God for Gucci! Our naked iPads just got a little warmer, thanks to Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini, who designed four styles of the $230 case–black rubberized Guccissima leather, ebony in sporty neoprene or a woven fabric, and a lighter beige fabric case. All are luxuriously lined in suede and patterned in Gucci signature interlocking G monogram.

Photo: Courtesy of Gucci

Pre-orders for these four styles started yesterday on gucci.com, and on June 15 customers can snag them at Gucci’s flagships in Rome, Milan, Paris, London, and New York.

Gucci will debut new iPad cases in different colors (mauve, military green and blue)  in October, with a silver version for the holidays and a bright red patent-leather case for Valentine’s Day.

I think I’ll take a case and use it as an envelope clutch. At $230, that’s a (relative) steal compared to a regular Gucci clutch.

[via StyleList]

I’ve tried all sorts of bronzers and self-tanners in my life–from department store brands to drugstore brands. In fact, I’m still mourning the discontinuation of Benefit‘s Flamingo Fancy. It had the perfect amount of shimmer and a great scent.(Those were the days, a little Flamingo Fancy, a lot of Vegas and even more ungodly drinks by the name of Liquid Cocaine–which, incidentally, left one of my friends in urgent care the next day after partying due to dehydration. Oops.)

So, even though I’m still technically “brown”, my skin requires some brightening up, and by brightening up, I don’t mean burnt orange or bright gold. I mean sunkissed, damn it! When I came across L’oreal’s Sublime Bronze Luminous Bronzer at CVS, I like it right away because the bottle read: Instant Action, which I took as a promise of sorts, if you know what I mean.

So, I took that baby home, showered, exfoliated and applied! It came out shimmery, which made me feel fancy. It went on shiny, which made me feel brand new! (Cue: Like a Virgin.) Anyway, it’s under $10 for a big bottle, so go out and get it, my friends!

Fashion as art is no new concept, but the avant-garde Danish design duo of  Prisca Vilsbøl and Pia de Arce  of Vilsbøl de Arce take it one step further by creating pieces inspired by other art forms (they happen to design furniture, too) and revolving the inspiration around the human form.

According to their website, “Artistic projects serve as the inspiration and framework for the Vilsbøl de Arce collections, and the resulting pieces are intricate fashion constructions with unconventional silhouettes and sculptural characteristics.”

The Spring Summer 2010 Collection, titled Tangram Organism, shows strong shoulders, calculated cutouts and controlled fluidity. The ability to mix and match the majority of the pieces is a plus.

Jean Paul Gaultier’s perfected the art of exciting the masses– first with his collection for Target and now with his collaboration with Levi’s. The classic denim line has been taken for a spin and reinvented with iconic Gaultier touches like cone bra styling. Not all of the pieces are fab, however. The harem pants leave much to be desired, but the dress and even the overalls are lust-worthy.  (Although they give me flashback of junior high, when I wore overalls with one strap down because I thought it was so chic.)

I love the denim dress with the cone bra top and seams galore.

The overalls look like something Madonna would have worn in her cowgirl phase or something that M.I.A. would wear grocery shopping (if she does that).

These high-waisted jeans can look chic on the right body type. Read: over 5’8″ and under 125lbs.

Now, you may want to shield your eyes from the below. Denim harem pants?! Not even JPG can make them cool, sorry.

Daniel Gabbay shoots Marlena Szoka in editorial Black Summer for Marie Claire Italia. The dichotomy of the intense, edgy styling with the serene, relaxing background is genius.

…if angels wore Alexander Wang lambskin stiletto open toe booties.

Lizard embossed lambskin on the front is lovingly married to grey suede on the back with a curved extended tab at the back ankle. Architectural stiletto heel. Alexander Wang is a GENIUS!

Available at La Garconne.

Sigh.

In celebration of the relaunch of their web site, Geren Ford is offering a 25% discount valid now until June 4th.  Just enter MAY25 at checkout.  Happy Shopping!

I love this très chic double wrap triple row mixed studs cuff (try saying that three times) from Linea Pelle Collection for three reasons:

1. You don’t have to pile on multiple bracelets, just one since (if you do the math) double wrap + triple row= six rows.

2. Leather accessories look FAB when contrasted with a feminine floral dress.

3. If you don’t like studs and leather, well, there’s just something wrong with you.

Photo: Francois Dischinger

Bijules ain’t your momma’s jewelry, unless your momma wears diamond fingernail rings and jeweled face veils. With pieces such as earrings made out of real human hair, necklaces with gun pendants worn as slings and lapel pins made from feathers, NYC based Jules Kim’s pieces have garnered attention from all over the world–including Dubai, Copenhagen and Moscow. We got a chance to chat with Kim, the founder of Bijules and of what some would call a subversive jewelry line with a cult-to-mainstream following (M.I.A., Katy Perry and Beyonce wear her highly-covetable wares) about bird skulls, jewelry meaning and her upcoming line for Urban Outfitters.

FMMH: Your pieces remind me of beautiful armor with some sharp edges. How do they protect and accentuate the wearer’s personality?

JK: The definition of armor was firstly to protect; therefore, if my pieces remind you of armor then you must feel safe. If there is safety then there must be no fear or risk, so hopefully the wearer is empowered to wear whatever bijules she/he sees fit. Comfort breeds tradition and I am honored that my work might be considered so for many people.

FMMH: What type of customer wears your ear tips?

JK: These wearers are those defy the comfort and the fashion standards current today. The gelfling ear tips are rebellious pieces!

FMMH: Where do you come up with the names of your various collections, such as “Scream and Spirit” and “Disarming Weaponry”?

JK: I came up with “Scream & Spirit” after a much needed Rolling Hill sojourn in Cali. I was with my good friend and fellow jewelry designer, Bliss Lau, at a spoken word performance and the collection’s name spoke to me… It is derived from the loudness and direct implication of the word “scream” and the subtle ephemeral meaning of “spirit”. The “Disarming Weaponry” collection’s name was inspired by the spirit of antiwar propaganda and the voice of intelligence and communication as a weapon.

FMMH: You use elements in your jewelry that are generally looked at as violent or dark, such as snakes, guns, and bird skulls. How do you find beauty in them and turn them into objects of beauty?

JK: The fact that they exist already is a standard practice for my work because I seek to push the accepted relevance of the icon’s repeated presence. How many times do we need to see a snake charm or bracelet or ring versus how many time will we see it as a “single finger fit, multi-finger look” ring?

FMMH: Your Shattered Dreams necklace from your “Childhood Nostalgia” collection has a story behind it. Why do you think it’s important to wear jewelry with meaning or significance?

JK: What we choose to wear is a direct reflection of who we are and what we have each lived through. I apply honesty to each piece and hopefully being this open will include others and their life experiences. We are all not so different.

Photo: Ruvan

FMMH: Tell us about your upcoming projects with Urban Outfitters. What can we expect to see?

JK: Le Bij, eco-friendly recycled plastic bar rings will launch in store worldwide with Urban Outfitters August 1st. BJ by Jules Kim will be also launched in early July online!

FMMH: Which celebrity were you most excited to see wear something from Bijules?

JK: I am proud to have Beyonce wear and support Bijules!

FMMH: What is your current favorite piece?

JK: I love my bar ring but I am also extremely partial to the original nail ring. The new Bijules “Haute” collection has six pieces that each will ultimately become fast favorites!! Watch for high concept and cheeky fashion!

FMMH: Where do you pick up inspiration on a daily basis?

JK: From everywhere and every word and every view…my eyes are unabashedly naïve to ownership of anything conceptual. I put things together with a little bit of this and a little bit of that…

Photo: Francois Dischinger

Kate Moss looks fabulous in this sunkissed spread shot by Mario Sorrenti for the Vogue Paris June/July 2010 issue. It reminds me of Palm Springs in the 60s.

[via The Fashion Spot]

Debuting last Thursday in most H&M shops nationwide, H&M’s Fashion Against AIDS 2010 Collection proves to be full of tribal elements, animal prints and more fringe than a cowboy can shake his boot at. Yee Haw!

Not only is the collection full of apparel for both men and women, but also features festival accessories (including portable tents, lawn/beach chairs and colorful headphones) for men and women. In case you couldn’t make it to Coachella (or want to re-enact it on your front lawn), these beach chairs, toiletry sets, tents and headphones will take you back to the desert in style (if the hallucinogenics don’t work).  A quarter of the proceeds from the sale of these items will benefit youth HIV/AIDS awareness programs.

A word of caution: DO NOT mix more than two elements, otherwise you’ll look a sad sartorial version of Cowboys and Indians. Your best bet is to keep everything else simple when wearing one of these bold items.

Here are some of our favorites from the 60-piece collection:

Animal Print Flutter Sleeve Dress, $24.95

Rope Necklace with Zebra Print Plate, $17.95

Sleeveless Black Blouse with Fringe Detail, $29.95

Stretch Belt with Embroidery, $17.95

Men's Distressed Black Leather Jacket, $69.95

Bangles, $14.95

Black and White Zig-Zag Print Sandals, $24.95

Gold Sequin Blazer, $49.95