Terry Richardson posted up some candids of blonde bombshell Candice Swanepoel a little ways back, we wondered if the two had linked up for another fantastic editorial – here is what they came up. The South African born Victoria Secret model is featured in the American February issue of Haper’s Bazaar. Styled by Brana Wolf, Candice wears a wardrobe of flirty silhouettes with sport accessories from labels such as Stella McCartney, Lanvin, Calvin Klein and Michael Kors.

Source: Fashion Gone Rogue

In true Woody Allen style, Midnight in Paris comes to life in a marvelous new series. Parisan photographer Christophe Jacrot showcases a gorgeous set of ‘Paris in the Rain’ shots. The photographer captures the true beauty of the rain drenched streets and sidewalks – something that we can appreciate here in Vancouver.

In my opinion, there are two ways of capturing the world for a photographer; on the one hand grasping its horror, and on the other sublimating it. I have chosen the second. More specifically, I like the way rain, snow and “bad weather” awaken a feeling of romantic fiction within me (climatic excesses are another topic). I see these elements as a fabulous ground for photography, an under-used visual universe with a strong evocative power, and with a richness of subtle lights. This universe escapes most of us, since we are too occupied getting undercover. Man becomes a ghostly silhouette wandering and obeying the hazards of rain or of snow. My approach is deliberately pictorial and emotional.

Rise and Shine indeed. The beautiful and always chic Victoria Beckham covers the upcoming Pre-Spring 2012 issue of i-D magazine. Shot by the amazing lens of photographer Josh Olins, the former Spice Girl gracefully sips her morning joe for ‘The Whatever The Weather’ issue. Look for more to come from the editorial in the coming days and weeks.

Source: Design Scene

We debuted the record on the site the other day, here are the visuals. Maya takes us to the repressive regimes of the middle east for her latest which is sure to cause some controversy especially with a title like ‘Bad Girls’. Middle eastern men are sure not known for their tolerance – a recurring theme for an artist who loves to stir the pot and keep these issues of inequality in the forefront of contemporary consciousness.

Bonus: Madonna – Give Me All Your Luvin’ featuring M.I.A. & Nicki Minaj

When technology ingenuity and artistic creativity collide, the outcome equals – opportunity. David Choe made the mark of his life when he decided to invest in the company we know today as Facebook rather than take a simple cash payment for his artistic services. Facebook officially announced the long-anticipated $5 billion IPO today and the rest is history. We salute the instances within all of our paths when vision and opportunity collide. The key is to be ready.

The New York Times wrote a fantastic piece on how this unconventional relationship blossomed into a $200 million dollar opportunity.

The graffiti artist who took Facebook stock instead of cash for painting the walls of the social network’s first headquarters made a smart bet. The shares owned by the artist, David Choe, are expected to be worth upward of $200 million when Facebook stock trades publicly later this year.

The social network company announced its $5 billion public offering Wednesday afternoon, which is expected to value the whole company at $75 billion to $100 billion. Ultimately, that offering will mint a lot of billionaires and millionaires.

Some of them are well known, like Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s co-founder, but many others are not household names. Mr. Zuckerberg, 27, has 533.8 million shares, worth $28.4 billion based on a company valuation of $100 billion, or $53 a share. He also has undisputed control of the company, a remarkable achievement since the company has received financing from some of the world’s top business minds. He owns 28.4 percent of the company outright and he controls 57 percent of the voting rights.

Facebook’s first outside investor, Peter Thiel, the billionaire contrarian, led a $500,000 investment in Facebook in late 2004. He has 44.7 million shares that could be worth more than $2 billion. Elevation Partners, the venture capital firm of Bono, the U2 frontman, paid $120 million for a chunk of Facebook’s shares in 2010 and could receive a payout that would help mask less sage investments in Palm and Forbes.

Accel Partners, whose principal partner, Jim Breyer, invested in the start-up seven years ago, holds 201.4 million shares. Accel could have a thousandfold return on some of its investment.

Sheryl Sandberg, the company’s chief operating officer, holds 1.9 million shares, about 0.1 percent of the company. But she may ultimately collect 38.1 mil-lion additional shares, according to the filing, making her one of the richest in a tiny club of Silicon Valley women who are billionaires.

The wealth created by a technology company’s entrance into the public markets has long been startling. Netscape’s 1995 offering made millionaires of scores of people, including its founder Marc Andreessen, now a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who invested early in Facebook and holds 3.6 million shares worth nearly $200 million. When Google went to market with its $1.67 billion I.P.O. in 2004, hundreds of people joined the millionaire ranks, including secretaries, a company masseuse and a company chef.

Bill Gates controlled only 49.2 percent of Microsoft as it went public in 1986. Google’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, each owned about 15 percent of their company when it went public in 2004.

Two factors distinguish Facebook’s turn. For one, the projected value of Facebook is enormous —the largest on record for an Internet company, even several times greater than Google’s offering in 2004. The social network, founded in Mr. Zuckerberg’s dorm room at Harvard eight years ago, is expected to be valued north of $75 billion. Shares of Facebook have already traded on the secondary market, where private shares are bought and sold, above $80 billion.

And unlike Google’s public offering, a large chunk of the wealth tied to Facebook has already been realized, thanks to the thriving secondary market and an eager pool of global investors. Even if Facebook hits only the low end of expectations for its offering, it will still yield some of the greatest returns in the history of venture capital.

“Facebook will return insane amounts of money to the early stakeholders,” said Alex Gould, a technology investor and instructor at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, who has been studying venture returns for several years. “Facebook is not just a fund-maker, it’s a firm-maker.”

It’s a big winners circle. DST Global, the investment firm led by the Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, owns roughly a 7 percent stake in the company. It bought the bulk of its shares from 2009 to 2011 at valuations of $10 billion to $50 billion.

Continue Reading at NYT.

One of our favorite beauties, Marloes Horst joins up with photographer Will Davidson for a epic editorial in the heartland of the African safari. The Dutch bombshell is draped with spring/summer pieces by Haider Ackermann, Calvin Klein, Max Mara and Gucci carefully styled by Fashion Editor Jillian Davison. Hair by Alan White with make-up by Kellie Stratton. Truly one of our favorite editorials of this very young 2012 calendar year.

Source: Fashion Gone Rogue

California-based artist Mark Paul Deren, who’s known to the world as MADSTEEZ aka The Ween teams up with MAR for another amazing mural. This time the duo orchestrate a beautiful tribute to Bob Marley at the Marley Safe House in Aspen, Colorado. The Marley Safe House is a project the Marley’s organized with the Winter X-Games for a recreational area for athletes and give the world a better understanding of the Marley family. This is one of our favorite projects of the early 2012 year – we look forward to seeing more like-minded creativity.

Source: MADSTEEZ

The Sartorialist: Lunch for 25 from The Sartorialist on Vimeo.

Scott Schuman aka The Sartorialist present ‘Lunch for 25′. In a fantastic piece Schuman invites some of the most influential men’s style icons for a well-catered meal. Each of the invitees have had a major influence on his vision for the site and on a greater scale contemporary culture.

About a year ago, Scott and I were sitting at a small Trattoria in Florence. The place looked amazing– not only the simple and traditional decor, but also the irreproducible Italian atmosphere and overall elegance of the gentlemen.

“Doesn’t this place look like the best fashion story ever?” I asked Scott.

“Yes!” He said, “Real, cool, diverse– It’s like if all the best dressed guys I know got together for lunch….. We should just do that! Get my favorite guys together in one room, it would be so much fun. These guys have so much in common and yet, for most of them, their paths never cross. Just imagine, someone like Gianluca, with his dreadlocks and modern-minimalist aesthetic sitting next to Lino, with his old-school Italian charm…. Mr. Kurino and Simone Righi discussing their first suit, Kanye and Terron talking about whatever it is those two super funny characters could dream up… I’m just guessing, but I bet these guys would really hit it off. What a great way to forge new friendships.”

“Scott… You should do it!!!” the idea sounded fantastic to me.

And that’s what Scott did. I can tell you, I was so jealous not to be in Florence for The Inaugural Sartorialist Lunch. But, here are a few photographs and a video to let you share the first of what we hope will become a biannual event that grows every year through a continually increasing diversity of style and deepening camaraderie between friends.

Hope you enjoy,

Garance & Scott

Source: The Sartorialist

Kenny Scharf sits down with Joseph Ian Henrickson in an interview with Living Proof Magazine. Coming to prominence in the 80s with fellow artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Scharf forever altered the artistic landscape of the world. In this interview, he speaks about the influence growing up in California had on him and his work, coming to New York, meeting Haring, his thoughts on street art, and the ups and downs of the art world.

The upcoming issue of Vogue Australia features the leggy Karlie Kloss. Showing off glamourous spring/summer looks from Alexander McQueen, Louie Vuitton, Prada, Miu Miu, Chanel, Rodarte and Mary Katrantzou with fashion direction from Naomi Smith. Shot by photographer Kai Z Feng, with hair Roberto Di Cuia and make-up by Christopher Ardoff. Kloss had a gigantic year in 2011; look for another big year from the American model.

Source: Design Scene