Kingdom Of Style

implausible, impractical and impossible to resist...

Kingdom Of Style — 2013-05-24T13:30:00+01:00

Swarovski has launched a new advertising campaign for Spring 2013 captured by top British photographer Nick Knight featuring model Candice Swanepoel. The ad campaign features her as an ultra-sleek action woman accessorized with crystal-encrusted sports accessories specially made for the photo shoot.

Stunning though it is, that skid lid wouldn't last five minutes in Scottish weather!

I adore Nick Knight.

Known for his iconic fashion images that he has been producing since 1980s, no one else captures movement and freedom quite like him. He is also well known as the founder and director of SHOWstudio.com in 2000 working with leading designers such as John Galliano, Yohji Yamamoto, and Alexander McQueen. He pushes boundaries creatively and technically at every opportunity that he gets, continuously challengening himself and his ideas of beauty, in human and even plant form!

It goes without saying how much I adore his Flora series...

The images he has created for Swarovski are enchanting...

The whole SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED™ Spring/Summer 2013 collection is beyond stunning. Just take a look at these pieces by Melissa Kandiyoti, the talent behind Jayde.

These indigo and sapphire blue pieces speak to me of deep blue seas and escaping the drizzle and gloom.

A Queen can only dream.

So can you, just head over to Swarovski Elements and find your own escape...

Queen Marie

Calm The Fuck Down

Kingdom Of Style — 2013-05-24T09:00:00+01:00

Grade 4 exam time is looming and I have a level of panic bubbling under the surface. When it does surface, which is will eventually, I'm not sure to what level that panic actually is yet, but I suspect it'll be fairly high.

Our class is now split into two grades, with Grade 2's being taught as well. Our graded class is only an hour long, which means each grade only gets half and hour with the teacher. We used to have just our grade in the class so the full hour was teaching time, which was perfect as we could go through all the exercises in full and get corrections.

In that half an hour we can do barre and a bit of the centre, or we can do all the centre but no barre - but we can't do both. How the hell we are going to fit a dance into that half and hour too is beyond me.

On Wednesday night be ditched barre practice and just did the centre work, which we still didn't get all the way through. It's just too hectic to not feel panic. I'm really looking forward to seeing what our teacher is going to choreograph for us - hopefully something very balletic - but I'm not looking forward to actually trying to learn it!

This grade has been shockingly hard work, both physically and mentally, and I know I don't want to go into an exam without the having the right amount of class practice because I want to at least maintain my Highly Commended pass level. There was talk about July/August for the exam, but I know I won't be ready any time before the end of August. This is when I realise sitting ballet exams as an adult is really hard. When you're a kid you don't care all that much.

I swore a lot on Wednesday night as things are just not going into my head - our pas de bourree and glissade exercises elude me to frustrating levels. They seem quite easy when you watch them, but they send my head into a spin.

At the end of the day, I know our teacher won't let us go into the exam without being properly ready, even if that means pushing the date back until we are, so that's keeping my panic contained for now. I also know I don't want to go in being ready only enough to scrape a pass.

On the plus side, in our intermediate/advanced class, our pirouettes are actually coming along quite nicely. For the first time I actually feel confident I wmight be able to do them. We are also doing the pirouette prep in pointe class too now, so fingers crossed that cheeky pirouette in finally within my grasp.

I might fail my exam, but at least I'll be able to pirouette!

Queen Michelle

where foxes and tigers swim free...

Kingdom Of Style — 2013-05-23T13:30:00+01:00

It seems slightly surreal to be showing you swimwear when there are hailstones bouncing outside my window...

We might not be familiar with sunshine in The Kingdom but we are familiar with the wonderful we are handsome, having shared their work many times.

This season sees them introduces new flirty shapes and styles with the Gather One Piece, Halter One Piece, Gather Bikini and the very aptly named New String Bikini!

The prints are an expedition to the Fairground, the Antarctic, African planes and the woodlands - where foxes are friendly and free. The signature animal print is a mystical white tiger and this season’s floral print brings to life the fragrance of flowers.

This is swimwear to make you feel like a supermodel...

Where do you source your iconic prints and remain unique to the graphic aesthetic? -Through creating our own imagery. All prints are created and designed by our team. You will never see them anywhere else. This allows us to put our emotion and spirit in each one.

Who has been your favorite celebrity to collaborate with? - It was amazing to work with Rihanna. She had a specific vision in mind and with that, the Bob Marley custom suit was born. It was very inspiring to see her sporting it on the beaches of Barbados.

What are some of your favorite summer trends? -Being able to wear swimwear as clothing. It makes packing for a Summer holiday that much easier.

When you're not designing swimwear, what do you like to do in your spare time? -We both enjoy spending time with our other halves and are keen animal lovers (both of us have dogs) so we’re generally outside making the most of this time. A great glass of wine doesn’t go astray either and there are plenty of local restaurants which we love to frequent.

What can we expect from the next collection? -We can't disclose too many details, as we like to surprise! But with our next range for summer expect to see a few new silhouettes and lots of pop color

Queen Marie