Photography

By Any Other Name

| Design & Culture by Ed

The word ‘basics’ rarely sparks much interest, especially today, when the fashion industry is flooded with ‘everyday essentials’ and ‘must-have classics’ we’re all meant to have. But when Rosie Assoulin surprises your Instagram feed with a launch of her daywear line, you just can’t expect it to be anything close to typical, ‘casual’ apparel. Which doesn’t mean that the first capsule collection from By Any Other Name isn’t a kind of wardrobe (a set of 15 pieces, to be specific) that has this sense of comforting, ‘on-the-go’ feel we all seek everyday while running errands. As the designer clarifies, it’s not a diffusion line of her namesake brand that does some of the most fantastic eveningwear in New York (simultaneously keeping it joyous and unpretentious). As Assoulin told T Magazine, “our collection and our customer is very attracted to the celebratory elements, they call it ‘occasion wear,’ and the reality is that there is also this other part of life that needs and deserves to be celebrated in its own way.” A striped shirred waist dress in cotton; the ‘lazy blazer dress’ (this name is so good it needs a trademark!); blazer with an arty, knotted lapel; a loose-fit blouse in white poly poplin which really is the ultimate essential; office-ready plaid, pleated skirt. Yes, those pieces celebrate morning, afternoon, and even evening moments that need less outside attention and more comfort, a sort of tactile support. Looking at the lookbook, I can actually hear Soul II Soul’s eternally calming Back to life, back to reality… 

To better capture By Any Other Name’s easy coolness (I know this sounds like one of those clichés, but the brand defines this sense really well!) check out the site filled with gorgeously spontaneous images starring the clothes, the girl and the city. Oh, and every single piece is already available to buy!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki; photography by Natalie O’Moore; styling by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson.

Florence

| Design & Culture by Ed

The moment London fashion week was reaching its final moments, I was on the way to Italy for a quite impromptu trip to Florence and Rome – two cities I’ve visited when I was a child and clearly needed a sort of revision. Not in scorching, Italian summer, with crowds of tourists that make you remember just a flood of people going through the corridors of Uffizi, and not Caravaggio’s masterpieces. At the end of February, when Italian spring is already in full bloom, but it’s still the perfect temperature outside to wear a trench coat. And, thanks God, nearly no tourists at all. Ideal way of discovering any place, especially in Italy. Of course, I will post my favourite addresses in both of those cities in the upcoming days. Here, I leave you with some of my favourite moments I’ve captured in Florence – Tuscany’s capital, as romantic and delicious as they say.

Baptistery on Piazza San Giovanni; the street that lead to our villa, hidden in the Tuscan hills just two kilometres from Florence’s city centre; patio of the villa; marble painting at Il Papiro; my mum, wearing a Dries Van Noten fur jacket.

On our way to the centre; pink tights at Uffizi Gallery; typical street situation in Florence; inside of Santa Maria Novella; Prada’s headband.

Bottega Veneta clutches that made us all lose our minds; Santa Maria Novella – completely in love with this place; a very ‘postcard from Tuscany’ clichés (which was actually our view from the villa); Medici’s Palace; mum’s vintage Prada tote from the 90s; Campari!

 

Caravaggio’s Medusa at Uffizi Gallery; Ponte Vecchio (tourist-free as well); a sculpture detail from I can’t really remember where…; another vintage from my mum, 90s Chanel; a street photo booth near the river; Botticelli’s Birth of Venus at Galleria Uffizi – it might cause a heart attack.

Photos by Edward Kanarecki.

#InstaLOVE – December 2018

| Design & Culture by Ed

@suzannekoller 

I’m an Instagram maniac and I openly confess that I spend too much time on filtering my feed. But it’s irresistible, when you have so many great accounts to follow! If you are ready for a dose of beautifully curated walls, inspiring photos and delightful shots – see my December recommendations!

@thomaslohrstudio / Thomas Lohr’s photography seems to be simple at a first glance, but then, you’re struck with its sophistication. Whether we’re speaking of Małgosia Bela’s mugshot for Daniel Lee’s Bottega Veneta or robotic Kiko Mizuhara in a new 032c editorial, Lohr captures both, real reality and subserved reality, in his work. Follow him to be up to date with all of his amazing projects.

@flower_lore / This account makes me feel super Christmas-y, especially with its colourful, folklore mood! There are Bulgarian kukeri, vintage festive postcards – and fairies, as well. Plus, the the founder of this page, Bethany Van Rijswijk, seems to love edgy, medieval miniatures as much as I do.

@suzannekoller / I’m quite sure I picked Suzanne Koller in my #InstaLOVE edit before. But, I caught myself on bookmarking nearly each post of her to my ‘saved’ file on the ‘gram. So that’s very right to place her here again, even for the 13838292th time. The Paris-based stylist does incredible direction for M Le Magazine Du Monde and Self Service, and her Parisian life reported in her tongue-in-cheek stories is equally absorbing. A must follow!

@hollygolightlydk / After visiting Holly Golightly’s eclectic store in Copenhagen this October, I felt in absolute love with the place. The brand selection here is as good as the interior, while the occasional vintage drops will surely make you drool. It’s worth checking out their Insta, since it’s filled with outfit posts that truly, truly inspire.

@shona.heath / Shona Heath is a London-based set designer, who’s behind some of the most incredible fashion show venues (like the bed settling at Marni last season). But also, she collaborates with Tim Walker on every editorial, creating some of the most fantastically abstract visual scenarios that you’ve ever seen. Once you click that blue button, you will enter her world and never really come back.

AND, if you want to follow one more account on Instagram… why don’t you follow, ta-da, @designandculturebyed?

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