BARCELONESS in 3D with Roberto Piqueras

It has been quite an unstoppable season for Barcelona based designer, Roberto Piqueras.

Roberto studied fashion design in the Escuela Superior de Diseño y Moda Felicidad Dulce in Barcelona, and presented his first Fall/Winter 07/08 Men’s collection at Ego Cibeles Fashion Week [currently known asCibeles Madrid Fashion week. In 2007 he presented his Summer ‘08 collection, only this time in Barcelona. For that season he decided to go more commercial, which put him right where he should be: on the international market.

Roberto Piqueras is synonym 0f electric colours, like magenta, yellow or blue, as well as the beach/sporty look. Very Californian, yet very Barcelonean. The latter, as Roberto states, has very much influenced his collections, as Barcelona keeps being one of the most inspiring cities in the world. And how couldn’t it be? The city reflects a fresh acid youth surrounded by different forms of beauty.

For his Spring/Summer 2011 he decided to take his vibrant colours beyond his clothes. Literally. He presented his collection during the Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week this year, and as we entered the basement of a showroom/art-Gallery in the centre of Madrid, we were all surprised to see people wearing 3D goggles. They were all looking at t-shirts, body suits, dresses and pants that Roberto hanged on white walls. Unusual, but the designer states: “I think there hasn’t been a single person who didn’t experience seeing some movie or photography in 3D this year, so I decided to investigate on what the result would be if I tried it on fabric, and the result was better than I expected”.

Meanwhile, Roberto couldn’t be happier with his contract with Reebok. He is thrilled that a sport brand became interested in his brand: “The idea of my brand is not supposed to be luxury prét a portér, it is really based on street wear, but without being sporty. Having said that, a lot of people come to me and say that going out and partying often can be considered as a sport, so I think my collections fit perfectly with that lifestyle.”

His clothes can be bought on-line on his website, with the biggest buyers being from Asia and the UK. They can also be found in a couple of stores in Barcelona and Hong Kong, and soon in Madrid, Berlin and Los Angeles.

Available at: KR Store (Barcelona), Paco Rueda (Barcelona) and Kniq (Hong Kong)

and online at: www.robertopiqueras.com/shop

Get some Catalan seduction when in Barcelona at the Hotel Omm as chosen by White Line Hotels – the network of more than 40 creative boltholes for individualists.

Contributing Writer: Fier Management

INVERN NËI DOLOMITES

Aficionados of Ski & Mountain Life will be well aware of this insider’s winter sporting experience in the Dolomite Mountains in and around the resort of San Cassiano – and if you didn’t know well, you do now.

The Dolomiti Superski, the world’s largest ski carrousel, encompassing the Stella Group, Val Gardena, Val di Fassa and the Marmolada are accessible with just a SINGLE ski pass, giving the adrenalin junkies a terrain of some 130 kilometres of groomed ski runs served by as many as 53 ski lifts and cableways in this altitudinous setting.

Where to stay – well for us there’s just the one place –the Lagaciò Mountain Residence, a boutique hotel created and run by the super lovely Canins family. Natural woods abound are offset by local stone, woven fabrics and regional “bric-a-brac” spell-out the somewhat mystical Ladin culture.

Rest your weary limbs and tank up on essential elements in the rather fab Spa, then dine locally like a Ladin aristo in famous eateries of the region – the good life indeed, White Line Hotels & The Alpine Edit – Lagaciò Mountain Residence San Cassiano, Alta Badia in the Dolomites, Italy.

WIN a pair of shapely handcrafted skis

The brothers Andrin and Fabian Schuetz were lucky enough to grow up in snowscapes of Arosa, Switzerland, you could say that their destiny of working alongside snow was indelibly cast since early childhood.

Beautiful, shapely, handcrafted skis, which in our humble opinion are simply the best, thankfully shared by devout followers across the globe – once Schuetz then always. It’s akin to having your shoes hand-made, these skis are not only made for you, but reflect you in every sense – these are serious statement skis made in the small village workshop.

Hand Made Skis - in the process

Glimpsing through their website – it’s like a candy store or a car showroom full of glossy classics – you can feel the attention to detail, and the expert eyes of the innate skiers. The styling symbolizes the very best in performance, customization, sophistication and the understated.

We, White Line Hotels, love having the guys as a partner as they embody everything that is makes us smile – they are passionate about what they do and have successfully embraced traditional methodology whilst grasping new innovations. They also, admirably, have their feet firmly on the floor.

Having the skis made for you is an experience in itself – with the brothers clocking the whole process with you – you are encouraged to even visit the workshop for a fleeting glimpse of your labour of love being created.

If you want a chance to WIN your own pair of handcrafted skis made together with you in the Zurich workshop – go to the facebook page of White Line Hotels for details.

Photography: Luigi Caputo, Salzburg

Mykonos – the icon of style

The Cycladic island of Mykonos and the unmistakably matriarch of sophisticated style, Jackie Onassis, go firmly hand-in-hand. Her frequent trips alongside European aristos, the super wealthy and the silver screen heroes, helped mark the era of travel and the golden age of glamour that put Mykonos firmly on the style map.

Fitting indeed is the iconic Mykonos Theoxenia Hotel – the favourite bolthole of Jackie.  Complete renovations not only restored this iconic build, it also captured the spirit of an era. Today this discrete retreat oozes a sense of the modernist with bold bright colours of cyan dancing with heritage orange set against rustic stone and sleek furnishings.

Mykonos Theoxenia plays host to a relaxed, eclectic & urban scene, whereby fabulous touches of the nostalgic continue to reign – all right next to the landmark Windmills.

Just steps away, you can get lost between the cubist houses of Mykonos Town, the Chora, and the maze of curling narrow streets dotted with bulb-like churches. Almost everything is brushed in a violet whiteness, which once the sun goes down, throws a candescent glow; the streets hum to the tune of the night rhythm.

Book direct here, Mykonos Theoxenia Hotel, home of modernist glamour, right bang smack in the midst of town,off side from the crowds and noise – which is where you need to be.
*Vintage images courtesy of Dimitris Koutsoukos

THE ALPINE EDIT & mountain hopping

White Line Hotels – the collection of more than 40 indie hotels, has introduced the cool concept of Mountain Hopping through a selection of creative boltholes; The Alpine Edit – the insider guide to hotels, ski chalets, retreats and lodges from across Switzerland, France, Austria and Italy.

We don’t list many places, just those that capture the soul of the Alps for those aficionados who seek accommodation that echoes of the setting. Abstract wooden elements of the chalet marry with the contemporary, aged components relish designer furnishings whilst others are simply Alpine being a tapestry of naturalness.

Whether you are a ski junkie, a carver or a boarder, or someone who gravitates towards the slow lane, you can soak up the holistic of the snowy and sun decked Alps.

Hop through our edit of diversity, that the line smartly draws together – each very different, each very much like-minded.

Enough words have a gander through The Alpine Edit and get yourself off – just click on each place to book.