Designer Profile - Photographs by Pederson - Assisted by Corrie Side, Paulo Novales Caringal - Makeup by Nickol Walkemeyer and Amber Miller - Hair by Chantel Girard, Sandy Tang, Julian Scott, Simon De Nault, Melodie Savard for Davines - Models Janessa, Ashley T. Autumn, Beatrice, Emily, Mackenzie, Alex, Danielle, Linda at Mode Models - Shoes by Gravity Pope

- Photographs by Harry Fellows - Hair by Kozmo Hair NYC - Makeup by Andrew Colvin - Styled by Sandra Sing Fernandes - Alexandra M. Fusion Model Management NYC - Location Craig Van Den Brulle Gallery NYC - Photo Retouching by Elena Rott

- Photographs by Amanda Bruns  at Jump - Styled by Brendan Cannon at Judy Casey - Makeup by Deborah Altizio at Agent Oliver - Hair by Andrea Wilson at Ford - Kit at Mc2

Copenhagen-based architecture studio BIG have unveiled designs for a structurally innovative residential tower which will become an elegant gateway to the city of Vancouver, Canada. Named after the site streets where it will be built, at 150 metres high, ‘Beach + Howe Tower’ will be the city’s fourth tallest building. The tower addresses the requirements of a challenging site that is divided by the Granville overpass, and the need to integrate high and low-rise structures into the odd-shaped lots that have been produced by the roads and the imposed city building codes. To address these criteria, and to keep a minimum 30-meter clearance of to the infrastructure, BIG have devised a 49-storey building with a slender base that widens to the top. A nine-storey podium accommodating offices, shops and restaurants is accessible by a public plaza under the large concrete supports of the overpass. Above this structure, and by resorting to a twisting structure, the tower’s 600 residential units manage to avoid noise and pollution while securing views of the ocean and surrounding mountains.

Shout Out Out Out Out Spanish Moss and Total Loss Normals Welcome Records After much anticipation on my part, and likely on the part of many Shout Out Out Out Out fans, the electro band’s third album, ‘Spanish Moss and Total Loss’ was released in July of this year, and as expected, it did not disappoint. When considering a band like Shout Out Out Out Out, expectations can be placed quite high. Time after time, they present a body of work that evidences just how passionate they are about their craft, and shows a level of expertise and artistry that’s pretty flooring. The highly skilled and complex instrumentation found in Spanish Moss and Total Loss is so fluid and cohesive that it produces melodic and accessible pieces which is undoubtedly a science in itself. A myriad of instruments including two drummers, four bassists, analog synths, Rhodes piano, baritone guitar and saxophone work in unison to construct an album that is pensive, relatable, thought provoking, and just really cool. The mood is one of profound reflection. Lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Nik Kozub stated “As on our previous two albums, I sing through an old analog vocoder, and lyrically I try to tackle my own demons, dreaming of a life where I can just stay on vacation forever, not having to deal with being broke all the time or be reminded of personal failures.” Despite the heavy lyrical content, listening to the album from start to finish does not feel like a depressing or taxing experience at all, more of a journey through truly inspired sound. Having seen Shout Out Out Out Out’s live performance on numerous occasions in different cities, I can say with conviction that they bring a certain explosive energy that ignites and already amped audience regardless of where they play. I think we can expect to see more great things from this band. Poolside Pacific Standard Time Day & Night Recordings Filip Nikolic and Jeffrey Paradise, also known as Poolside, introduced their brand of contemporary groove soul pop with the release of their debut album, ‘Pacific Standard Time’. The LA-based duo’s relaxed, feel-good sound was an instant party favourite over the summer. Pacific Standard Time sets the scene for a chilled out beach party over looking a California sunset and makes it virtually impossible to sit still while listening. Poolside’s rendition of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon is a whole new take on the folksy classic, placing it under a downtempo beat. Both Nikolic and Paradise had already earned the respect of music aficionados prior to teaming up together to create Poolside. They have worked with some notable artists in both the electro and indie rock genres. With Nikolic, playing with Ima Robot and touring with Junior Senior, and Paradise fronting The Calculators (members later went on to form The Rapture), they brought a strong fan base along with them when they decided to form Poolside. Being DJs of discriminating taste, Nikolic and Paradise put out a solid, 16-track album with the kind of music they would like to hear at a beach party or LA nightclub. As the last of the few dog days of summer come to a close, Pacific Standard Time is definitely one to pick up at the record store, drop the needle and kick back. Thesecond track, ‘Next To You’ is a personal favourite. If Poolside makes a video for this one, they must cast Pam Grier!)

The practice is now celebrating having been granted ‘Permis de Construire’ for the Hermitage Plaza in Paris. The project will comprise two 320-metre-high buildings (the tallest mixed-use towers in Western Europe) and is expected to create a new community in Courbevoie, to the east of La Défense, that extends down to the river Seine with cafés, shops and a public plaza at its heart. The result of a close collaboration with the planning authorities (EPAD, the City of Courbevoie, Atelier de Paysage Urbain and Département de Hauts-de-Seine), the project is intended to inject life into the area east of La Défense by creating a sustainable, high-density community. The two towers accommodate a hotel, spa, panoramic apartments, offices and serviced apartments, as well as shops at the base. The buildings face one another at ground level. Open and permeable to encourage people to walk through the site, the towers enclose a public piazza (created by burying the existing busy road beneath a landscaped deck) lined with new cafés and restaurants. As they rise from an interlocking diamond-shaped plan, the towers turn outward to address views across Paris. The angle of the façade panels promotes self-shading while vents can be opened to draw fresh air inside, contributing to an environmental strategy that targets a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating. At the same time, the diagrid structure uses less steel and emphasises the proportions of the towers.

Commissioned by South Korean developer DreamHub, the Yongsan International Business District is an ambitious new hub of commercial and residential buildings in Seoul masterplanned by architect Daniel Libeskind. The project, with expected completion in 2024, will include skyscrapers for business, leisure and living purposes by a number of renowned international architects including Renzo Piano, BIG, MVRDV, Murphy Jahn, REX, Dominique Perrault, Tange Associates, SOM and Libeskind himself. Herewith, a few images of the designs that have been proposed so far.

- Makeup + styling by James Kershaw - Photographs by Supa-F Photography - Model Kelsey Neutral Territory Earthy neutrals, whether matte or gleaming with flecks of gold are the perfect choice to compliment the array of ivory, buff and camel hued garments so prevalent this season. Shown here are some of the best cosmetic examples of this warm, wearable palette. Some Like it Haute The hautest cosmetic colours of the season are actually tres cool. Blue tinged greys, plums and aubergines make eyes smolder, mauvy pinks light up the cheeks. Lips are luxurious, laquered in deep cherry, bordeaux and crimson.

- Photographs by Ernest, studio-e.ca - Assisted by Chris Chan - Makeup by James Kershaw - Hair by Kelly Bula - Styled by Sandra Sing Fernandes - Models Michelle, Paula at PHABRIK artist+model management - Location PHABRIK art+design

Lou Salomé is a music artist from France, and as you would expect from the birthplace of haute-couture, she exudes class, sophistication, and charm along with her musical talent. Sitting in her Parisian apartment near Bastille, she is a figure of chicness in her skinny jeans, silk blouse and trendy shoe boots, enhanced by simple silver jewellery and the hint of a dirty laugh; the effortlessly stylish image all Parisians seem to possess. A Diane Kruger lookalike (but with a trendy, curly, bob) and a sultry voice like Shakira, Lou is a sexy siren full of soul, French style. And with performing in clubs all around Paris and the south of France, she is busy too. Having just released her second album in France - My Art Belongs to Dad - Lou is now ready to conquer the world; well, the English-speaking world at least. Inspired and influenced by the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, The Mitsouko, Bashung, Sting, and the great singers of jazz, her bilingual album is an eclectic mix of soul, jazz, pop and funk. The album has all the contours of hope and celebrations of life, along with a mixture of the fragility and forces of nature. It is also a heartfelt dedication to her father who died of cancer. “Singing has always been a spirit inside me; an intense passion. I connect intimately with the music and sing to express myself and my emotions”, says Lou. “Inspiration for this album came to me like an earthquake after my father died, it flowed quickly and naturally.” Lou began singing as a child, letting her voice echo down the stairs of her parents home in the south of France. A hidden ambition for many years, it was only a few years ago she decided to take it more seriously, writing and co-composing her first album in 2008 ‘Tic Tac Mania’. At this time the identity of Lou Salomé was not born yet, but the first steps of her musical journey had begun. “The singing was deep-rooted since my early childhood, so deep that I did nothing to indulge it for all those years. Then one day it became clear, and I understood that I had to engage with my passion and dare to share these things that have always resonated within me.” A relative newcomer in the music industry, Lou started her career at age 34, a bit late perhaps in the age of youth claiming fame younger and younger. What she does bring to the musical table is grace and soul, as well as experience in many different genres of music, allowing her to realise that she does not want to be locked in to just one classifiable genre. With the confidence to pursue her dream and the talent to back it up, her music is beginning to cross oceans and transcend borders with the help of her music collaborator and childhood friend - Carine Bonnefoy - a renowned pianist and jazz composer in France. With their eyes set on Canadian Folk Festivals, concert halls, and clubs, Lou is excited by touring a bilingual country such as Canada. “I want to hear English-speaking people singing my songs in French, and French people singing my songs in English, crossing borders to embrace each other in universality.” Onstage Lou does not disappoint, to the ears, or to the eyes. Extremely watchable, her style is uniquely hers; feminine, bohemian, and sexy combined with nostalgic flair. “I’m influenced by the 20’s”, says Lou. “I love the materials that make you so elegant and feminine, the pearls, the feathers, the (false) fur and the women’s liberalization that occurs during this period. Coco Chanel was a precursor of this trend and I love her work for that.” One of the first women to wear trousers, cut her hair and reject the corset was Coco Chanel. Probably the most influential woman in fashion of the 20th century, Chanel did much to further the emancipation and freedom of women’s fashion. And if you think the name ‘Lou Salome’ sounds familiar, you are right. The singer chose her stage name based on the Russian-born Lou Andreas-Salome, one of the first women psychoanalysts who dared to write about female sexuality. Lou has based her image on the free-spirited nature of this woman, and her vintage Chanel flair echoes this theme onstage, through her image and her music. What does she like to wear when performing? “I love to wear heels, false fur, peacock feathers, and a pearl garland on my head. I love to wear also cuffs on my wrists and lace...I love to mix the styles of the 20’s with a contemporary style. I love sophisticated materials as well as fur or feather that illustrates the animal part we have all in us.” Signature items? “I always wear a pearl headband and peacock feathers, I used them for the album cover. When I was a child, I was fascinated by the beauty of this bird. I found it bizarre, mysterious and marvellous in the same time, different. I love the feather, it looks like an eye, maybe the third eye, who knows?!! It is for me the eye of the child I was, all what made me from my childhood until today, all the life experiences and the memories.” As she prepares for a string of concerts in the south of France, Lou is nervous, as always. When I ask her how she deals with her nerves, she gives me a quote from Oscar Wilde: “Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”. As Lou has proved, it’s never to late to shoot for the moon, and there is no doubt that wherever she goes, she has star quality. Look out for Lou Salome performing across Canada next year. In the meantime check out her album on her website http://www.lousalome.fr/en, Spotify or Amazon.