Appliance manufacturer Electrolux’s The CUBE is travelling Europe offering seating for 18 guests and promises of a gastronomic experience without precedents. Until April 26th, The CUBE is perched in Milan, overlooking the Piazza del Duomo.

The CUBE marries the Scandinavian design heritage of Electrolux and includes transparent glass walls and a high-end white Corian ™ interior. See website.

Dansk Magazine is 10 years old and lives up to its reputation as one of the best magazines on the market. This 10th anniversary issue celebrates the very best of Danish fashion, art and culture, shared by Models.com.

Covers:

Freja Beha Erichsen by Christian Brylle, fashion by Anders Solvsten Thomsen
Juliane Grüner by Aitken Jolly, fashion by Anders Solvsten Thomsen

Editorials:

Freja Beha Erichsen by Christian Brylle, fashion by Anders Solvsten Thomsen

Ida Dyberg and Jonas Kloch by Thomas Lohr, fashion by Anders Solvsten Thomsen

Mathias Lauridsen by Mark Kean fashion by Toby Grimditch

Dorte Limkilde by Martin Vallin and styled by Oscar Lange

Victor Nylander by Laurence Ellis, fashion by Toby Grimditch

Gertrud Hegelund by Hasse Nielsen

Christian Brylle & Caroline Brasch Nielsen by Henrik Bulow fashion by Uffe Buchard

Josephine Skriver & Malthe Lund Madsen by Emma Tempest fashion by Sam Ranger

Adrian Bosch by Tomas Falmer, fashion by Marcus Soder

Agnete Hegelund by Jimmy Backius, fashion by Gabi Humnicki

Nadja Bender by Alexander Neumann, fashion by Simon Rasmussen

Louise Pedersen by Peter Gehrke, fashion by Robert Rydberg

These i-D Magazine’s ‘Rise and Shine’ covers from Spring 2012’s ‘Whatever The Weather’ issue celebrate Chinese New Year and the year of the dragon. Shot by China’s avant-garde fashion photographer Chen Man in collaboration with MAC‘s Director of Makeup Artistry, Terry Barber, the images showcase original and unique beauty looks. Models Li Zheng, Quncuo, Meng Lu and Pan Yan feature on the 4 newsstand covers, while Zhang Li Na,Wan Bao Bao, Renqingcuomu, Yangci, Cheng Hong Jin, Xin Yuan, Liu Dan & Langsuowangmu star in the online only covers.

For even more on the ‘Whatever the Weather’ issue visit I-D online! and watch for our preview.

Taylor Swift confesses that she always felt like an outsider as a young woman. “I think who you are in school really sticks with you,” Swift tells Jonathan Van Meter in the February issue of American Vogue. “I don’t ever feel like the cool kid at the party, ever. It’s like, Smile and be nice to everybody, because you were not invited to be here.”

Swift finally stopped caring about being cool.

“I think that happened as soon as I left school, when I was sixteen, because then all that mattered was music and this dream that I’d had my whole life. It never mattered to me that people in school didn’t think that country music was cool, and they made fun of me for it—though it did matter to me that I was not wearing the clothes that everybody was wearing at that moment. But at some point, I was just like, I like wearing sundresses and cowboy boots.”

Mario Testino captures Taylor Swift styled by Tonne Goodman in ‘The Single Life’. She likes it. And yet, Taylor agrees that she gets freaked out.

“This is what I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” she says. “It never freaks me out. Never. Ever.” She pauses for a moment. “But you know what does freak me out? When is the other shoe going to drop? I am so happy right now. So I am always living in fear. This can’t be real, right? This can’t really be my life.”

Photographer Carolina Amoretti’s ‘Vegetable Totems Project’ calls up ancient spirits and shamanistic religions. Specifically the totem is uusually an animal or other natural figure that spiritually represents a group of related people, clans or tribes. We associate totems with primitive cultures, but in the case of Carolina Amoretti, her vegetable totems may speak to Cultural Creatives fresh food lovers, vegetarians or people dreaming of retirement in Costa Rica.

“Totems are entities that remind surreal characters and masks of men and animals. There is clearly the reference to Arcimboldo and psychological studies on simple symmetrical images,” says Amoretti about the projects’ derivatives. After speaking with the artistic, we can’t wait for her next series of psychologically, engaging, artistic totems.

Aurora Sansone styles Kate King on ‘The Road to Tijuana, a funky, hippie-chic editorial shot by Tommy Ton for the March issue of Vogue Japan. Kate hits the road in saucy, Latin-influence summer dresses and cowboy boots from Michael Kors, Moschino, Roberto Cavalli and more./Makeup by Dawn Broussard; Hair by Michael Long.

Our initial response to this editorial was based on not being fully informed about the revival that is occurring in Tijuana after years of horrific violence. The San Francisco Chronicle’s recent article Reclaiming Tijuana from drug cartels’ violence makes it clear that Tijuana is no longer a ghost town after sunset.

“We’re reclaiming the city,” said acclaimed Tijuana chef Javier Plascencia at Caesar’s restaurant on Revolution Avenue, where nightclubs, once the playground of U.S. college students, stand shuttered and empty.

“We are going to attract a more adventurous, cultured tourist. Once the visitors come, we will win over. The problem is getting them to come the first time,” said Plascencia, who used to go to work with a bodyguard.

U.S. counter-narcotics officials say the relative stability owes a lot to drug cartel dynamics.

Separate US border patrol articles also confirm that adventuous souls like Cultural Creative readers are now encouraged to take ‘The Road to Tijuana’.

The Italian family business, Luminarie De Cagna erected a gigantic colonnade as the symbolic entrance to this year’s Ghent Light Festival . Illuminated with 55,000 LED bulbs, the colonnade was transformed into an inspiring cathedral of light with Renaissance arches. The best news is that this majestic light installation only consumes 20 Kwatt/h. The consensus is that Luminarie De Cagna may have stolen the show, but other highlights including Kinect-inspired human mosaic tiles, a phone booth aquarium, and 3D projections on the Post Plaza building at Korenmarkt were very much enjoyed by the crowds. 

Lichtfestival Gent 2012 from Lieven Vanoverbeke on Vimeo.

American natural Dree Hemingway is lensed carefree and easy by Dan Martensen for the February issue of  Elle France. Dree wears a wardrobe of bohemian inspired prints, platform shoes and scarves styled by Marine Braunschvig in the sun-drenched images.

American actress Elizabeth Olsen, another blessed daughter in the incredible Olsens brood, covers the March issue of ASOS Magazine in an Elizabeth and James silk blouse, from Mary-Kate and Ashley’s collection. Photographed by Todd Cole in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Elizabeth soaks up pure natural goodness in a favorite New York spot.

In his own words, artist Wittner Fabrice describes the evolution of his new work in Vietnam. Keep in mind these are not digital, but rather long-exposure photos created with lights shone through large cut stencils. See Wittner Fabrice website.

Following the first opus of Enlightened Souls in Christchurch, I went to cut my stencils out in Hanoi, Vietnam.
I didn’t expected to work on a second series of characters during my journey in Hanoi, but my schedule went lighter than I thought and I needed to find an occupation.
September was dedicated to a simple trip across Vietnam, as a standard tourist.
In Sapa - one of the hot spot for tourism in North Vietnam - I realized vietnamese city-dweller tourists were a bit sniffy and picky with the local people from the mountains. Tourism doesn’t always wear the happy face of a brochure but as tourist myself, I couldn’t criticize too hard…
Anyway, this is how the enlightened idea occurred for the second time. Back in the capital I had two more month to prepare my material. Like a little joke, I thought it could be funny to let some country-side kids wandering in the streets of Hanoi, like country mice visiting their town mouse cousins.

Inspired by the sitcom “Ugly Betty”, photographer Isabelle Chapuis creates a story of awkward beauty for the winter edition of Citizen K. Model Appoline expresses her love of quicky, individualistic style in a kitschy wardrobe of vintage prints and chunky jewelry styled by Jerome André. Slicked down hair by Javier Palacio and red eyeshadow by makeup artist William Bartel perfect Appoline’s ‘Ugly Pretty’ geek chic look. / Manicure by Lucia Cheptene, Retouching by Pedro Pons Perez, Production by Kappauf

Gertrud Maria Bønnelykke styles Patrycja Walczak in torn up ‘Hippie Cool’ denim for Eurowoman’s January issue, lensed by Christian Friis.

Cultural Creatives typically desire to live life authentically, in harmony with their own personal values and not those of society, religion and definitely fashion magazines. Jennifer Hahn styles Sophie Hirschfelder as an expression of the Cultural Creative mindset in ‘I Am Somebody’, lensed by Dirk Messner for Push It Spring 2012.

Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani was in Paris earlier this week, reflecting on a sonnet written by W. Wordsworth.  “The poet emphasized the deceitful way of thinking, so fashionable at the time, based on the belief that fame and wealth are everything in life,” writes Sozzani. Wordsworth “enhanced simplicity and purity of feelings, disapproving of the fake greatness that does nothing for us and those close to us.”

Our favorite Vogue editor continues in her own typically frank fashion, saying that Wordsworth is writing about a way of living that’s the opposite of today’s lifestyle. Without knowing it, she is contrasting the Modern and Cultural Creative values I speak of so frequently. The Traditionals (think America’s social conservatives) aren’t part of this conversation.

I don’t have permission to just publish France Sozzani’s entire blog post, but I doubt she will mind. AOC is a big fan of hers, and I’m participating in her Citizen Journalism project.

Ostentation: it is precisely a life lived in greatness that often does not leave a trace. A life lived with an extensive use of means, but without honesty. People invest incredible sums of money to look something they are not. Just take a look at the newspapers from all over the world for the amazing stories of men who have lived with greatness of means and then have vanished into thin air, forgotten by history and often also by friends.

It’s not living in greatness that makes us great, but it’s “thinking big” that makes us unique and different. Resisting to the fatal attraction of “the more, the better”, and learning to live simply. That’s a much more regal attitude. Living simply doesn’t mean giving up all comforts, but facing life with a certain detachment as regards material assets. While our mind has to fly free and high, without restraints. Expressing greatness and unlimited means. That’s where the difference between a great writer, thinker, artist or creative mind and a mediocre one lies.

Greatness of spirit and simple ways. In La Bohème Rodolfo, a penniless poet, introduces himself to Mimì with his meager assets and abundance of feelings, and with great simplicity: “ Who am I? I’m a poet. My business? Writing. How do I live? I live. In my happy poverty I squander, like a Prince, my poems and songs of love. In hopes and dreams and castles-in-air, I’m a millionaire in spirit.”

These words perfectly sum up the combination of a great mind with a simple attitude.

France Sozzani

Mimi (Elena Razgylyaeva) and Rodolfo (Gabriel Gonzalez) at the end of ‘La bohème’. Photo © 2006 Robin GrantTo clarify about the incomes of Cultural Creatives, they are higher than average, primarily due to advanced education. CCs do reject the idea that their self identity represents the sum of their possessions, as Sozzani writes.

More information about the Cultural Creatives is written in the body and also a long followup comment of a popular AOC article on the Slow Living movement.

Cultural Creatives Constitute the Core of the Slow Living Movement

Camlle Rowe is irrepressible, amusing and truly lovely, styled in Just Cavalli, Stefanel, Diesel and more by Alberto Zanoletti for Elle Spain February 2012. Matt Jones captures Camille’s contagious style merriment in ‘Primavera Circus’.