I’m always happy to shoot at a studio that has a nice lunch, so I was quite pleased about shooting at Holborn Studios. I also like studios that are helpful. I usually bring hangers just in case the studio doesn’t have enough and sometimes I bring my own steamer & iron.

I like bringing an assistant to a shoot, not just because there lots to do but because it’s a great experience. Once we’ve organized the rails, steamed & ironed everything we’re good to go. This shoot was for a designer that I’ve known for a few years so it was really a pleasure and a very smooth day. We planned the shoot really well and the dresses were beautiful! Sometimes you can plan a shoot to the last detail but it’s the synergy of the team that makes it a great shoot!

Many Canadians never see the Arctic but an adventurous group of employees from Hermès won their dream trip to travel to the Canadian Arctic and learn about the Inuit way of life. The contest was offered by Hermes to their employees worldwide; the employees were asked to submit a dream of any kind, travelling or otherwise. The ten winners were from France, Korea, Hong Kong and England went to Iqaluit and Kimmirut!

A bit of info about Nunavut:
The cost of living in Nunavut is the highest in Canada. The average temperature in January is -30°C and in July is 15°C. In Inuktitut there are 14 words for snow. Iqaluit experiences 24 hours of daylight per day in June, and six hours of daylight per day in December. Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and English are the main languages. Only 28,000 people live in Nunavut which spans 1,900,000 sq km of land and water. Nunavut became a territory in 1999 but have a culture and history that spans millenniums. There have been people living there for approximately 4,000 years. Usually when someone refers to The North, they mean anything above the 60th parallel.

I love that Hermès gave their employees a trip of a lifetime. How many companies offer this type of experience?! The Hermès team learned to fish, travelled to an iceberg and made tea from fresh ice! One employee has never see snow before! The teams also went to visit the fur production course at the Nunavut Arctic College campus in Iqaluit to see how the Inuit use sealskin. The team were surprised to learn that the entire seal is used for food, clothing, fuel, and arts and crafts! The Inuit believe they must give equal respect to the spirits of the land, animals and plants. Many of the students want to learn & continue their traditional use of the land including hunting and trapping as their ancestors have done.

[Source: Northern News Services]

I went to Manchester the other day and it was hot and sunny. It’s great how everyone dresses up to celebrate the weather and all the summer dresses appear!

I first met Sans a few years ago at the OnOff Exhibition during London Fashion Week and I just loved their socks. This new collection features organic pima cotton and their previous collection featured socks that were 83% soy!

Sans is an eco-fashion line based in NYC and was created in 2005 by design team Lika Volkova and Alessandro De Vito. Sans translated from the French means without, a great name for an eco-focused fashion label. Sans use sustainable materials such as bamboo, tussah silk, organic cotton and wool to create unique, high-quality wearable designs. I love their fusion of fashion and sustainability. Their dresses are very cool: interesting shapes with cut outs that have a deconstructed look - that you know you could wear for years. It’s more about style than being fashionable or trendy.

I went to visit Kristian Aadnevik at his studio in London. Kristian is warm, kind and friendly and of course incredibly talented. Needless to say he works very very hard. He just returned from Australian Fashion Week and he’s already busy in his studio planning the next collection.

Kristian set up his own label in 2004 after graduating from London’s Royal College of Art in 2002. Before then he won several awards and worked as a design assistant for Alexander McQueen. He also worked with Harrods International and Charles Jourdan in Japan.

Kristian’s collections are beautiful, glamorous, sexy and verge on couture. His dresses have a dark edge and a slim cut silhouette using feathers, leather, texture and embellishment with luxury fabrics. Every piece is stunning. Recently I’ve had a desire to wear more fabulous dresses and to feel glamorous. I just want to dress up. Kritian’s studio is full of so many amazing pieces that my head was spinning! I really have a physical reaction when I see things that I love, I’m sure my heart rate goes up - it’s like an adrenalin rush.

Kristian just returned from showing in Sydney. He’s is part of the Wool Protégé show, which features the collections of six emerging designers who have been hand-picked and mentored by six international fashion figures to develop an Australian merino-based collection.

The Protégé Collection:

Jean-Pierre Braganza (mentor Karl Lagerfeld)
Kristian Aadnevik (Donatella Versace)
Julian Louie (Francisco Costa)
Ioannis Cholidis (Paul Smith)
Sandra Backlund (Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani)
Friedrich Gray (Vogue Australia editor Kirstie Clements)

If you’ve very hungry or in need of a good English breakfast the S&M cafe (Sausage and Mash cafe) is a great place to eat. This is also a good place for a photo shoot. I’ve shot here a couple of times but you have to start early in the morning and finish before noon as it starts to get busy from the lunch rush!

Sometimes you might only be doing one shot, so all you need is one look, but you still need to bring a good selection to chose from. We had about 35+ dresses!

This is Jenna (on the left), who organizes all the production, with the make-up artist.

Shu Uemura has a wonderful selection of false eyelashes and they offer a complimentary eyelashes application as long as you purchase the eyelashes in the shop. False eyelashes are the last thing that you put on the eyes, so the eye make-up has to be complete beforehand. Shu Uemura also offer an eye make-up session for only £10!

I chose a pair of blue and black eyelashes and had my eye makeup done too. It was quite strong but very cool and I loved it! In general I don’t like getting makeovers because I don’t really like foundation and I just end up feeling like there is too much stuff on my face. As for eye makeup the more mascara the better - so false eyelashes are perfect.

Shu Uemura also do eyelash extensions. I’m quite curious about this service but it only lasts several weeks, though it could last longer depending on your eyelash cycle. It’s also a bit more expensive £140 for a full set of lashes and it takes about 2 hours to apply.

I used to dress up my cat in my doll clothes and push her around in my pram when I was little. So naturally I was very excited to read about Cat Prin in this months Vice Magazine. You can read the full article by Vice at Puss In Boots (And Hats and Capes and Wigs and Little Ruffled Collars).

Takako Iwase - the cat tailor with her model & inspiration scottish fold cat, Prin!

I love this outfit, especially the wig; it’s part of the Versailles series.

Oliver Sweeney has been designing shoes for his own label for almost 20 years. Everything is designed in England and hand made in Italy. There are more than 120 stores stocking Oliver Sweeney shoes and accessories countrywide. I often go to the shop on Bond Street and the staff are very helpful.

It’s important to me that if you go to a shop you’re treated well and that the staff are helpful and sincere (hey, I’m Canadian so even if I live in the UK I expect good customer service). A while back there was one designer that I liked but I went into their shop and the staff was so snobby I didn’t want to use their clothes anymore.

Oliver Sweeney shoes are beautifully designed, and fashion forward without being too over the top - classic with a twist. They also come with a matching belt!

You’ll notice that this season many of Oliver’s shoes are very chic. I’m loving the white patent, which also comes in black and a petrol blue.

I realized that I can leave the house without my Oyster Card, map book, bank card, money or even house keys but I can not leave the house without my mobile. I think I have some kind of addiction. I’d be lost without it -perhaps even panic stricken. I wouldn’t know what I was doing or where I was going. My life is on my mobile.

I never had a baby blanket and I don’t really remember demanding my baby bottle - but my teddy bear went everywhere with me - just like my mobile. I think it’s the adult security blanket. It might be necessary and practical. I don’t even have a landline so of course I can justify my mobile. If I’m going to purchase a little evening bag I first check that it will fit my mobile. Function over fashion? Yikes!

Sometimes I find myself holding my mobile or checking that it’s still in my pocket. I used to share secrets and talk to my teddy, and now as an adult I think I have replaced my teddy with my mobile.

So many high street clothes are made in such large quantities that it’s very likely several girls could be wearing the exact same outfit at the same club or party. It’s hard to find something different without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for a fun little dress Dolly Dare specializes in making a maximum of 20 garments in each look. So it’s quite unlikely that someone will be wearing the same dress at your party or afternoon tea!

There are lots of day dresses & party dresses! Many of Dolly’s dresses range from about £60-£75.

37 Marshall Street, (just off Carnaby Street) 02704343423

Primark’s sales are increasing and throw away clothes and fast fashion are just part of our every day language. So the timing couldn’t be more perfect for the BBC to launch the on-line magazine Thread in conjunction with the programme Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts.
I love fashion and I want to feel good about any of the purchases I make whether it’s food or cleaning products and especially clothing. I think it’s hard to wear an items of clothing knowing it’s harming something or someone. Fashion is something that I want to feel good about. It’s just difficult to find out what’s true and what’s important. I think any info about the latest eco-friendly fashion is a great idea. Thread addresses a range of issues that the fashion-conscious wrestle with: what damage is sustained by the environment due to irresponsible and unethical practices, what is the impact of the fashion industry on human and animal rights and what fair trade practices are in place. They have a list of eco designers, an A-Z guide of fashion terms and cool fashion shoots. We are finally starting to have a choice; we don’t only choose clothe that are fashionable and eco friendly. Long gone are the days when ethical clothing meant boring and plain!

I decided on a whim to get my hair styled at the Hershesons Blow Dry Bar in Topshop. It was quite fun as it’s the sort of thing that I don’t normally do but now I find myself with an addiction to big hair.

There are 8 different looks to choose from and each look is trend led but incredibly wearable. All you need is long hair. I decided to go for the Bardot - it’s an updo that involves some back combing and it’s very similar to the “B-52″ the only difference is the “B-52″ is half up, half down. The Bardot is their most popular request. I went in with clean hair although, I’m not sure how important it is, but since you only have a 1/2 slot they don’t really have time to wash your hair.

Last Halloween I really wanted to dress up as a pekingese and with my hair like this I realized I probably could resemble a fluffy little dog. I’m not a big haired girl and never thought I could be as my hair is fine and poker straight.

The staff at the Blow Dry Bar are second and third-year apprentices from the Hershesons’ Conduit Street and Harvey Nichols salons. Alex styled my hair, she’s been there for just under a year and loves it!

Daniel and Luke Hersheson opened the Hershesons Blow Dry Bar in December 2007. The father and son team have a salon in Conduit Street, opened by Daniel in 1991, and a luxury hair spa in Harvey Nichols. Their client list reads like the Who’s Who, but they don’t rest on their laurels as they really seem to be more interested in what they do, then who they do. The concept of the Blow Dry Bar was inspired, in part, by coffee bars, so after each purchase you have reward card and after your 7th styling session your 8th is free!

Fur Coat No Knickers is a tiny shop in Kingly Court just off Carnaby Street. The owners Laura Thomas and Emma Cascarina both have a back ground in theatre costumes which is obvious when you walk into the shop as the selection is well thought out, everything is beautifully placed and the more you look the more there is to see. Fur Coat No Knickers specializes in vintage wedding dressing; they’ll even close the shop and do special fittings for their brides to be.

Laura & Emma have already done all the hard work for you. You don’t have to go digging through boxes or scouring the markets as they’ve already selected the most interesting or valuable pieces. I love how they have decorated this stand with all the lovely broaches!

With a little bit of notice Fur Coat No Knickers offer tech-boxes in the form of roll along trolleys which they’ll deliver and collect from the theatre, film set or fashion shoot. (A tech box is a selection of items, accessories, costumes etc that a wardrobe mistress might need for technical rehearsals or fittings.)

Pattern Cutter, JP with Courtney Blackman and Jaime Cooke - the Director of Muks!

The Muks Fashion Soiree was a great success! We drank cosmopolitans and mojitos and danced until the early hours of the morning. Michel Herz, head of womenswear design at Aquascutum with Coutney Blackman.

Catherine McColl, fashion editor and her the team from Amelia’s Magazine.
Alexia Somerville (middle) and fashion designer Karen Brost (far right)

Amechi Ihenacho (on far right) with other happy partygoers!

Stylist David Bartlett & a cute actor!

On the far right Justin Cooke, Managing Director of Fortune Cookie.

Mitsukoshi is a great restaurant: lots of kaiseki course meals, shabu-shabu and sukiyaki, and sushi. Downstairs they have a magazine shop; you can find lots of inspiration there!

14-20 Lower Regent St, London SW1Y 4PH

I love Ann Demeulemeester’s menswear. Demeulemeester is part of the group of young designers who emerged from Belgium during the 1980s. She studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and launched her line in 1985.

These images are from her Spring Summer 2008 collection and it’s very rock’n'roll. All of her clothes have such an edge and they are very wearable!

Models go on castings on a daily basis, the rest of us make up artists, hair stylists, photographers and stylists go on appointments. It’s hard to make the time when you’re busy shooting but it’s important to meet new people and show your work. You’re basically going on mini interviews all day.

What’s great and not so great is that you might be running all over the city while going to appointments. So I generally use this opportunity to check out any cool shops or cafes. Near Dalston Station there are two Oxfams quite close to each other - one for clothing and then just a few doors down an Oxfam book shop. It’s huge and all the books are 99p!

Cyprus Crocs are the focus of their new ad campaign “What a Croc!” I laughed when I saw the ad. It’s great to see humour in advertising. I didn’t really like the original Crocs. I like comfortable shoes but there is a line I just can’t seem to cross. Anyway it’s likely that this ad campaign can turn Crocs into a fashion brand rather than just a trend.

The company was founded in 1999 and changed its name to Crocs, Inc. in 2005. It’s based in Niwot, Colorado and has 29 shops and 174 retail kiosks world wide. They sold 50 million pairs of Crocs around the world in 2007 - pretty good for a trend!

London is the world’s CCTV capital. Britain has 4.2million CCTV cameras - one for every 14 people in the country. The average person is filmed on camera 300 times per day. -Dress for it!