The Blonds; ‘Dye Blond’ Autumn / Winter 2012

‘The Blonds’ was founded in 2005 by Phillipe and David Blond. Since those humbling beginnings, the designer-duo have been thrust into the spotlight for the intricately embellished creations.

Their designs are not for the faint-hearted, The Blonds imbue confidence, femininity and raw emotion in each piece.

Having previously been treated to collections inspired by ‘Playboy‘ and an examination of the boundaries of gender attire in ‘Ladies & Gentlemen’, this season’s promise of ‘Dye Blond’ had me on the edge of my seat.

In this collection, The Blonds woman embodied biker chic, with inspiration derived from the animated film ‘Heavy Metal’.

A bold palette of metallics, blood-red and gothic black were balanced by embellished neutrals and glittering gold on the catwalk. Although it is difficult to peel one’s eyes away from the radical designs on the runway, this season’s choice of hair is definitely worth mentioning. Philippe and David opted to style their models with platinum blonde ponytails of exaggerated length, each emerging from the models’ motorbike helmets.

It is without doubt that the brand’s most famous clientele, including Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga, will be begging their stylists to lay claim to several pieces in this collection.

Rihanna for Armani Jeans

Giorgio Armani created his line of denim-related clothing, Armani Jeans, in 1981.

The house of Armani is synonymous with a monochromatic colour palette with attention paid to the quality and fit of each product. In contrast, Armani Jeans is much more explorative in texture and colour. Internationally, there are fifteen specific Armani Jeans retailers with a unique Armani Jeans café in Milan.

Previously, Armani has honoured cultural icons such as David and Victoria Beckham, Rafael Nadal and Megan Fox with the title of brand ambassadors. Today, Armani unveiled their most recent celebrity collaboration. At 17:00 (GMT) Armani took to their Facebook Page to exclusively reveal the first image of Rihanna for Armani Jeans.

At only twenty-three years of age, Robyn ‘Rihanna’ Fenty is one of the brand’s youngest ambassadors. With a platinum pixie cut and minimal make-up, Rihanna exhibits an androgynous, masculine silhouette that further accentuates the songstress’ ’toughened glamour’ image.

The campaign was birthed through a concept inspired by classic film noir with a contemporary twist – sexy, yet sophisticated. The images were shot in New York by famed photographed Steven Klein. The first billboard and editorial publications of the campaign, will occur during the month of September.

Rihanna Returns To Her Roots

In the early hours of this morning (GMT) the video for Rihanna’s latest single ‘Man Down’ officially hit YouTube and Vevo. Man Down was written by another Barbados native, Shontelle, of  ’T-Shirt’ and ‘Impossible’ fame. This is the fifth track to be released from the highly acclaimed album ‘Loud’.

Rihanna described the theme of the track to Spin Magazine. ”The vibe is Jamaican and West Indian. That’s something that’s close to me.” The syncopated rhythm and background Caribbean instruments further accentuate the singer’s love and pride for her homeland. Reggae-style music has long been absent from the mainstream charts, Rihanna’s newest hit is a welcome guest to the Top 10. The younger generations can only benefit from listening to a variety of music genres.

Whilst the murderous lyrics are a metaphor for breaking a man’s heart, the music video ensnares the audience’s interest by placing Rihanna in role as the assassin protagonist. This video is unique to those previously released by Miss Fenty, Man Down is cinematic with a theme so strong that the message could be conveyed without the aid of the song’s lyrics.

“I can listen to reggae music all day long, and it was exciting for me to take this on as my own and do a song like this, especially with the lyrics being like that.” 

                                                                                            – Rihanna