Classic Photo Shoots: Chanel, LV, Lilly and Ralph

There are some photo shoots that you remember long after the advertising campaigns they were in have come and gone. These are the shoots that mix fashion with whimsy and humour, and style with sassiness and cute street scenes. They're the shoots that Grace Coddington could have directed, with Rodney Smith standing behind the camera. They're the shoots that show a life we often wished we led.  Here are some extraordinary photo shoots that stand out from the rest.

I have featured some of these before, almost a year ago, but I hope you'll forgive me. It's 5am and I'm off to pick up my parents from the airport. My mother has had a bad accident in Hanoi and is being repatriated back to Australia. She's an extraordinary woman, and I'm quietly upset to think that she's had to end a lifetime of intrepid travel and adventure like this. If you haven't hugged your mother this morning, or this week, do think about it. Tell them how wonderful they are. Tell them you love them.

In the meantime, he is some inspiration from another brilliant mum – the immensely talented Kate Spade.

Kate Spade's photo shoot for the Fall/Winter 2009/2010 and other incredibly creative and memorable ad campaigns over the years. The balloon with the polka dots was an inspired idea. The company was certainly a leader in marketing until the Spades sold it and a little of the magic and talent was sadly lost. (Top image is also from a Kate Spade photo shoot.)

Lilly Pulitzer. The queen of bright colour, bold patterns and cheeky wit.

A photo shoot for the Chanel ad campaign for S/S 2011. Love the flirty pink dress, the setting and the delicacy of the table set for high tea. This ad was a change for Chanel. Normally Karl likes his ads darker, moodier, more Gothic in tone

A Chanel ad campaign from 1958. © Lillian Bassman: Anne-Saint Marie, NY. {Image via theculturalist.com}

A photo shoot by GANT, shot by Michael Bastion, for ad campaign for the S/S 2011 collection. GANT never fail to do fabulous ads. I always try and grab a copy of the GANT magazine whenever I'm near one of the stores. They're full of inspiring photography and great articles. It's marketing dressed up as a magazine.

One of the photo shoots for Louis Vuitton’s spectacular celebrity-focused ad campaign. This one features filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and his daughter Sofia sitting in the sun-kissed countryside of Buenos Aires. The image was shot by Annie Leibovitz. The Louis Vuitton bag is almost overshadowed by this father-and-daughter duo. I'm not sure why Annie Leibovitz and Louis Vuitton took them to Argentina? To me, the Coppolas are always associated with the Napa Valley and Paris, where they have a second home. I think LV should have shot them in Paris or Napa. But that's just my humble little opinion. And what would I know, compared to LV's chiefs?!

Ralph Lauren always shoots great ad campaigns. The 2001 ad campaign with Penelope Cruz was spectacularly glamorous. The collage was an inside front cover for Town and Country magazine. Such a beautiful collage of glamorous images. It doesn't even looked staged, thanks to the delightfully haphazard way the images have been placed in the design. It looks more like Penelope's summer photo album.

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The Colours of Summer

Here in Australia, we're eagerly awaiting for the buds of spring to bloom, after a seemingly long, cold and unseasonally wet winter. Impatient for some floral gorgeousness, I'm heading to Floriade in Canberra next week to catch the biggest flower festival in Australia, which is on at this time every year. It's my first time at Floriade, and this year's theme is 'Style and Design' so it's sure to be beautiful. The festival is free, so if you can, do make the trip to Canberra to wander among the spectacular garden designs and scented flowerbeds. It's on for four weeks, so you have time to plan. (There are day trips from Sydney for very cheap –$39, I think?)

In the meantime, here's another post on my favourite colours of the moment. I suspect they'll be big for the summer.

Floride Flower Festival, Canberra. 

An annual celebration of horticulture that attracts half a million people. Doesn't it look like one big fabulous fragrance fest?

A Painted Paen To Blue and Green

Susan Brown, whose works I love, is another fan of green and blue. Here are two of her paintings, entitled 'Blue Green Water' and 'Blue Green Water 2'.'

In The Swim

Another piece of beautiful art, called 'The Swimmer', which was featured in the film Something's Gotta Give. (Jack Nicholson had a big hand in the selection of art for this film. Who knew he had such an eye?)

Classic Paris

One of the prettiest places to stay in Paris is the Hotel Sorbonne. It's the sister (brother?) hotel to the Pantheon Hotel, and just as sophisticated.

Scarf Art

A vintage Hermes scarf, spotted on eBay.

Stepping Out In Style

Ralph Lauren's summery offerings from a recent collection.

Privacy, Please

Kate Moss, in a spectacular Vogue photo shoot at The Ritzz in Paris before the hotel closed last month for a two-year refurbishment. (Via Vogue)

Chanel With A Twist

An elegant Chanel 2.55 bag, in blue and green hues. Love this.

Chanel At Versailles

Chanel's Cruise Collection 2013 show, which was staged at Versailles against a theatrical backdrop of blue and green pavillions.

Deck Delectable

Interior design (or should that be deck design?) by my friend, the gorgeous Jane Coslick, as featured in Savannah magazine.

A Study In Green

The writer AN Wilson's study, as featured in Ben Pentreath's new book on English decoration. (Just published.)

I'll Have The Entree, And The Apron, Thanks

The uniform of the lovely Whitehall restaurant in New York's West Village. Doesn't this look smart? Almost like a cross between an old-fashioned butcher's outfit and a chic barman's get-up.

Artistic Licence

Not sure of source, but love this room. It looks like it belongs to an artist.

Cocktails At Five (Or Anytime, Really)

A coolly glamorous space by the Toronto Interior Design Group. That tufted sofa in powder blue is so beautiful.

Sitting Room Chic

A more subtle take on blue and green, as featured in House Beautiful.

Cafe Kitchen

Not quite green and blue, but still beautiful. The powder blue of the chairs and settee are so unusual. Via House Beautiful.

Sitting Pretty

A design from Firmdale Hotels featuring the fabric of Christopher Farr.  I've seen this fabric a lot now but still love it.

A Gallery To Chinoiserie

(Source unknown)

Outdoor Delights

(Source unknown)

Chaise For Two

Interior design by Eileen Kathryn Boyd. I really love this room.

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Emerald City

Many of you design-savvy readers will know that emerald has been one of the key colours in decorating this year. (Elle Decor chose it as one of the Top 11 Trends of 2011.) And hasn't it just come out of the colour gates like Black Caviar at the Spring Racing Carnival? Green has not only shot to the front of the design stakes but shown its colours in a magnificent way.

Now I have to confess that I have never really been a green girl. Until now. I have always admired Ladurée's sugary shade whenever I visit their tea salons in Paris, and love Kate Spade's signature emerald whenever I pop into her store near the Flatiron in New York. But it took the burst of fresh, bold greens that appeared in decorating and design this year to really make me a paid-up convert.

Here, in a colour tribute to Christmas (surely the most beautiful green event of the year?) are some of the images that have helped persuade me that I should be joining the green brigade. (Some are a few years old, but their originality hasn't dated.) Forget the old regal greens. The new greens are dramatic, daring, sassy and oh so seductive.

Chanel's much-talked-about Spring 2011 RTW show at the Grand Palais, which was heavily influenced by the highly stylised film Last Year at Marienbad. One of the most beautifully staged fashion shows ever, according to many leading editors and fashion writers, Karl's formal, monochrome garden, complete with fountains and black box hedges, wowed those who saw it live. However, I was more enamoured with the architectural elegance of the Grand Palais. Isn't that building just incredible?

Keira Knightly's famous gown in Atonement – which was colour posing as seduction. Atonement costume designer Jacqueline Durran chose emerald for Keira Knightley’s character because she felt the hue symbolised temptation. Oh – and the library stepladder helped things along a little, too...

The exquisite shoes of Manolo Blahnik. If they did a modern remake of The Wizard of Oz, I think Dorothy should be wearing a pair of emerald Manolos like this, rather than sequined ruby slippers. And if they clashed with the Wicked Witch's costume, well the Wicked Witch can wear tangerine.

One of the most beautiful country houses I've ever seen. The sweep of lawn, the ivy, the charming setting, the romantic roofline, even the pretty terrace... It's all enchanting. Just enchanting. {Image via theenchantedhome.blogspot.com}

Tricia Guild's London home. The head of Designer Guild certainly has a head for colour and her London residence proves it. The dining room and stairs are painted in the most vivid spring-leaf green. It's so eye-catching and bright she often uses it as a backdrop for photo shoots. It shows that green can look gorgeous with anything – hot pink, white, even turquoise. {Image via December issue of Living etc magazine}

Green damask with pink taffeta. I'm not sure where this image has come from (please let me know if you do), but isn't it sublime? The lipstick-pink drapes, the wallpaper, the fashion illustration, the modern glass desk and the pink bouquet all combine to create a fresh, feminine and thoroughly sophisticated space.

The perfect party setting for either summer or Christmas, this table immediately looks inviting, thanks to the swaying lanterns, the cute cakes and the incredible floral displays. {Image via manolobrides.com}

Hermés has always done colour well and this lovely silk scarf shows just how good this famous French  company is at design. {Via Hermés}

Ladurée's signature green. Many people have tried to replicate this delicate shade but it's difficult to do. One of the closest paint shades is Fine Paints of Europe P11130. {Image via writeonthyme.blogspot.com/Kirsten Steen}

Kate Spade's Style book. Still one of the best books I've ever purchased, full of wit, whimsy and the most divine illustrations.

 Kate Spade cruisers. Simply irresistible. Shutters on the Beach hotel in Santa Monica and Kate Spade have partnered up to offer guests these cheeky little cruisers custom-made by Adeline Adeline for Kate Spade. The perfect vehicle for meandering along the Santa Monica boardwalk, they come complete with a chic bag to store your hat, camera, book and sunscreen, and a customised neighbourhood map showing suggestions for all the best stores and sights in the area. It would be hard to give back...

An image from the Ralph Lauren Home collection. If this is a typical tack room, I'm taking up riding again! {Image via Ralph Lauren}

A lovely green library, which looks like it belongs to a writer, architect or artist. I love spaces that are a little surprising. Look how the blue door leads the way to yet more books? Bliss. It just needs a comfy chaise there and you could be happy here for hours. {Image via apartment therapy}

Another green library, this time from an old Pottery Barn ad. I've always loved this ad. I think I wanted to marry that gentleman when I was younger. I think I wanted to marry him just for that library.

Kate Spade's iconic bathroom with the now-famous Zebras wallpaper by Scalamandre. {Image via World of Interiors}

Our home on the front cover of Yarra Valley & Ranges Country Life magazine this month.

The intimate dining room at George Washington's house, Mt Vernon. ({Image via jenningsandgates.blogspot.com}

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