The Ever Changing Face of Beauty by Solve Sundsbo

Beauty is fleeting. It is a social construct that is recognizable and yet difficult to define. It encompasses notions of the internal and external; that which we can see and admire, and that which we can feel. 

Fashion photographer Solve Sundsbo has brilliantly captured the dynamic nature of beauty in a short film titled "The Ever Changing Face of Beauty." 

Sundsbo juxtaposes images of men, women, and nature to convey the fluidity inherent in standard definitions of beauty. Stills from the video were featured in the March 2012 edition of W Magazine (seen below).

Images via W Magazine

The beauty of the human form

I love everything about this video. 

Performed at the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in New York City.

Gurung's ideal muse

"I've always loved intelligent girls, no matter how they look. To be able to hold a conversation with someone is so important. The moment someone acts dumb, I lose interest. I think about the subtext and layers of a person when I design. I design for someone who has interest in the space around her, who is aware of her relationship with the world, someone a little evolved, a little concerned. I think putting more women in power will help solve a lot of problems in the world. It troubles me that the media celebrate women acting like bimbos on TV — it's not cute, it's ridiculous. I call it "Paris Hilton Syndrome"; there's a place for that superficiality — but it must neutralized by an equally powerful, intelligent counterforce in culture. I don't want to perpetuate the wrong ideal. For integrity's sake, say no to a lot of people who ask to wear our clothes!"

- Prabal Gurung

Images via Style.com

Great spirits

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

-Albert Einstein

♥

In my ears: Hold On (SiSi BakBak remix) by SBTRKT

wicked beat; take a listen -

The morning after...

TED talk: Shawn Anchor

The Happy Secret to Better Work

"90 percent of your long-term happiness is predicted not by the external world, but by the way your brain processes the world. And if we change it, if we change our formula for happiness and success, what we can do is change the way that we can then affect reality." 

In a witty and insightful TED talk, Shawn Anchor discusses the link between positive thinking and productivity. He challenges academic institutions to embrace positive outliers - students whose success is propelled by positive habits of the mind - rather than merely focusing on the average. 

By encouraging the habits of positive outliers, Anchor hopes to revitalize society's attitudes towards work. 

Daily mantra: Internal thoughts are predictive of external success.

Golden bliss

Each season, we see the return of gold and metallics as a style trend and I, for one, am not complaining! 

I love the idea of incorporating one or two pieces into an outfit to up the glam factor. A little bit of glitz can go a long way, especially in the summer months. Here are some photos to help you draw inspiration for your own wardrobe:

Backstage magic: Prabal Gurung Fall 2012

via From Me to You