Designing Women at the FTM in London

Post-war recovery of Britain through creativity and beautiful design - this is what Designing Women exhibition at the FTM stands for. Three remarkable women , with an even more remarkable talent have revolutionized the world of prints as we know it.

Lucienne Day, Jacqueline Goag and Marian Mahler are some of the most influential female designers to make an impact in the creation of printed patterns for furnishing fabrics, hand-towels and dishware. They have designed some of the most avangarde and abstract prints of their time. 

The exhibition is on until the 16th of June so if you love prints and want to see how three women managed to revive Britain's textile industry, this is the place to be.

20 ans de semelles rouges / 20 years of red soles

20 years of incredibly exquisite french design signed by the one and only Christian Louboutin, the secret lover of all women on earth with an obsession for sexy, beautiful shoes. An extraordinary collection of pumps, boots, sandals and ballerina flats dating from the early 90's all the way to 2011, were exhibited on the 1st floor of the Design Museum in London. The world of Louboutin was uncovered in what I found was a very a engaging and interactive exhibition.

The Louboutin world was so inviting that it took me around 2 and a half hours to walk through the whole exhibition. The most surprising moment of all was Dita von Teese's 4D hologram, dancing for 3 minutes and turning into a big sparkly, red soled pump at the end. This appears every 15 minutes and simply makes time stand still for all the visitors, welcoming them into the wonderful, french, sexy, cabaret-inspired world of C.L.

The atmosphere of the main room is completed by this beautiful shoe carrousel and a topiary room, linking the designer's love for gardening and landscaping. Then visitors can move on to the 'movie room' or read about Louboutin's life as a teenager and how he worked his way onto becoming one of the most renowned french shoe designers alive.

The ultimate surprise came my way , when I discovered the FETISH ROOM, with exhibited shoe samples that are simply unwearable but define the unlimited imagination of the artist. 

Photocredit : https://thekensingtondoll.files.wordpress.com

So shoe lovers and red soled obsessed felines go an gaze at the world's most provocative, elegant accessories there are, only at the Design Museum, London.

L'Eau D'Iseey POUR HOMME SPORT Launch Party

Unpolished Sapphire was invited to the exclusive launch party of the new ISSEY MIYAKE SPORT Pour Homme fragrance on the 26th of April.  The event took place at the ISSEY MIYAKE flagship store in London , on Conduit Street, a beautiful little walk , that deviates from the busy Regent Street and hosts the best names in Japanese fashion. Being extremely honoured to partake in this amazing soiree, I was so happy to be given a chance to explore the store and collections and most importantly take pictures of all those beauties.

The evening started off perfectly, with champagne being poured and sushi being served , what else could a girl wish for? 

Half hour into the start of the event, we were all gathered around and talked through the whole concept that lies behind what is the fresh, citrussy new perfume. From finding the perfect notes and spices to contribute to what was to become the new SPORT Pour Homme, all the way to how the marketing department found its inspiration for the design and coloures of the new fragrance box and bottle. The famous Jacques Cavallier was the 'nose' that decided that  the combination of bergamot, grapefruit, nutmeg and cedar will be the one to compliment the new Issey Miyake sports man.

So as I told you , I couldn't help myself but to go and explore the whole store and take as many pictures as I could. So there you have it : a new fresh and extremely sexy perfume for men, an incredible SS12 collection on the rails ,the BAO BAO handbag collection in every shape and colour and some very nice blue suede shoes!

Before leaving however , I took one more tour of the ground floor and was extremely excited to find ISSEY MIYAKE's winning collection - the great Fashion Award offered by the Design Museum. This origami inspired eco-collection is made out of recycled material, using mathematical algorithms and transforming these geometrical folded shapes into actual wearable garments. It is beyond imagination, so if you have time or you're just walking by and find yourself on Conduit Street make sure you take a peak inside and discover the amazing world of Japanese innovative design and fashion.