If you live in central London and are interested in work experience as an assistant fashion stylist please send me an email: assistant@fashion-stylist.net
There is nothing worse than having sore feet. I love shoes and a don’t mind a little bit of pain, but shoes that really hurt or cause blisters are the death of me. A while back I wore a pair of shoes that I love, but they left me with a two inch blister and I found myself hobbling all over London. The next time you get a blister try a hydrocolloid blister plaster; it might seem like a weird idea to put a plaster that sticks right to the blister, but it actually works! You can find them at Boots or Superdrug.
I have really dry skin so I also used some heel repair cream just because feet need that extra care in the summer! And of course who doesn’t love a good pedicure. I see so many ugly feet, I really notice them when I’m on the tube - avoiding eye contact & staring at the ground. I’m not suggesting an expensive pedicure, maybe just a bit of cream.
Recently someone asked me if I was paid to write about products on my blog. I’m not. I write about things that I like and sometimes things that I don’t like.
I spotted designer Karen Brost on her scooter! I love girls on scooters - maybe because it’s something I rarely saw in Toronto, but when I moved to London you see loads of scooters and even more in Barcelona. A girl with a dress, heels and zooming around London - so cool.
We decided to go for drinks at The Botanist on Sloane Square - it’s only been open for a short while but it seems quite popular & trendy. How nice to pass the time away chatting about Karen’s new Spring/ Summer 09 collection - Frill Seeker & Regal on the Riviera, while sipping on a Fresh Summer Breeze - fresh strawberries, natural cinnamon syrup and pineapple juice.
The KBL collection is very chic and has a subtle edge to it. Many of the pieces are quite sexy without being revealing - it’s all about the cut and the beautiful fabrics, oh and some of her prints are to die for. It’s the names that get me: Aphrodites Legacy, Grecian Rocker, Angel Face and Rock & Roll Riding Coat!
Me with the super cool & chic Karen Brost!
I’m working with The Sunrise & Big Chill and we’re doing Ethical Fashion Show and Upcoming Ethical Designer Competition at the festival on Saturday August 2nd! I’ll be styling the show!
The Big Chill Nights Arena is 40m by 40metres, the stage is 10m by 9m with a 16ft catwalk and a huge video screen at the back. Aveda will be doing the hair and make up.
And we will be featuring some of the best ethical fashion designers in the UK:
EDUN – Organic and fair trade clothing Company founded by Bono and Ali Hewson
One of my favourite characters is the Diva from the 5th Element. I think her costume is extraordinary and I always wished I’d met someone like her in real life. Well Bishi exceeded all my expectation - not only is she super nice but she’s extraordinary. I was able to watch her during her sound check as I was setting up for my presentation and I got to watch her whole performance as she started after my fashion talk. Mind blowing!
A girl with an electric sitar - how cool is that?! Well actually it was really cool. You felt like you were witnessing something very special.
Bishi arrived wearing her own canopy with two clown brides maids. She promenaded around the dolls house then stepped out from her canopy and went up the stairs. It was one on the most grandest entrances I have ever witnesses.
Bishi - singing from the top of the stairs that go no where.
Bishi is a singer, DJ and multi instrumentalist and plays her electric sitar standing up! She’s toured with the likes of Pulp and Goldfrapp. Her voice is very distinct - her can listen to her on her site.
BISHI - Never Seen Your Face
Avsh Alom Gur was appointed as Head of Design of the newly formed Ossie Clark fashion house in 2007. He graduated from a Fashion Masters at Central Saint Martins in 2002, and following consultancies for Donna Karan, Robert Cavalli and Nicole Farhi, Avsh Alom Gur launched his own womenswear and accessories label in 2005. I loved seeing his shows at London Fashion Week - definitely a hot ticket!
Palette London has stocked Avsh Alom Gur’s label exclusively in the UK right from the very beginning. One of the things that I really like about Mark Ellis - owner of Palette is that he really loves and cares about the designers he stocks - it’s not about the label or the name it’s always about the craftsmanship & design.
Oh, to be a glamours girl and dress up and feel oh so fabulous!
Palette London
21 Canonbury Lane,
Islington, London N1 2AS
Whoo, after lots of preparation the day has arrived for my fashion talk! There was lots going on during the presentation; me chatting away, a rail of inspiring clothes and quotes from fashion industry insiders about personal styling - I will post some of these quotes later.
The room was quite pack, lots of people had to sit on the floor but it had a nice vibe and it’s cool that it’s right in the heart of the exhibition beside the dolls house. Unfortunately I think quite a few people got turned away - people were already queuing before 6pm
I had a wonderful model Alys Hale from Storm to present some of the looks. She’s quite a cool girl, who has a very rock and roll style of her own and she performs in a band. Remember having the right model for the job means 80% of your work is done! I love team photos: my assistant Jennifer, me, Alys and hair & make up artist Evie!
Me with handbag designer Michaela Wenkert’s Lady Double You!
So many great people came to the talk, several of my fashion assistant were there too - Io who is now doing shoots for Subline Magazine! I love meeting other bloggers - This is me with Kate Battrick of Make Do & Mend!
Update:
If you missed the Fashion Talk check out Kate’s lovely & informative post on Make & Mend Do!
When lunching in a restaurant on Savile Row you naturally expect to see handsome men in suits. Satoria is a tailor themed restaurant & inspired by Milan of the 30s. Suit jackets from Savile Row tailors:like Richard James & Henry Poole are framed on the wall, there are subtle touch of tailoring and humours stands of real body shapes grace the room!
We had a delicious lunch. Lunch is quite decadent for me, I always eat breakfast but usually I seem to be half munching on a Pret sandwich & carrying loads of bags while running around central London.
The lunch was in honour of the young Italian shoe brand Maruti! Their new collection is available not only in the UK but has recently started selling in Canada and the US. It constantly astounds me the amount of work it takes to make a product a global brand!
I love working with “New Designers” - what’s funny is most new designers aren’t all that new - it’s more that they’re just not well known (yet!). Often you meet a designer who’s only 25 and they’ve been designing for the past 10 years. I worked on a look book shoot which went really well. There is so much planning involved but it pays off in the end when you have a great team!
I know I talk a lot about the team but the synergy of the team is essentail to doing a great shoot; it’s easy to do a good shoot and sometimes by fluke you can do a great shoot, naturally the more experience you have the better your work becomes.
It’s also important for the whole team to know what the look and feel of the shoot is about. You’ll have mood boards about hair and make-up, lighting and the looks so everyone can have a visual to work from and of course on the day things can change: something doesn’t work, you have a better idea, someone is sick - things change! Just be prepared - the motto I learned in Brownies always seems to be right!
Forward PR knows how to throw a good party - and I love a cocktail party! There were lots of delicious cocktails - Yum - Vermeer Chocolate & Rasmeers Martinis - the Martini glass gets me every time - the shape, the romance of it all! If something fruity is more your style Tapio - Raspberry & Rosehip with French Vodka! Delightful! We feasted on sushi and danced to music from Audio Sushi! Dance contest and awards for the best facial hair -men only ;)
Michele Obi editor of My Fashion Life & Jessica Bumpus of Vogue.com
Sabinje Von Gaffke wearing Betsey Johnson - great party dresses and a shoes designer with the tiniest feet in the world UK size1!
Jimmy Ho and the lovely Michele Paradise!
Me in my vintage £35 dress and Courtney Blackman of Forward PR wearing Aquascutum - dressed by her date Michael Herz, head of womenswear design at Aquascutum!
For more Party info check out the Glamour Party Blog!
Beyoncé knows how to work the red carpet and she’s one of the few truly glamorous women of her generation. Her bold choices are often either a hit or a miss, but she wears this dress extremely well because we actually notice the girl more than the dress. Few of us could wear a canary yellow gown but it looks gorgeous against her caramel coloured skin. The simple & sophisticated chignon with just enough bling looks elegant and timeless.
Doing a photo shoot with Olympic athletes can be great, they already have such a strong presence and are comfortable with lots of people running around; which they can just ignore and focus on the task at hand. All the athletes are sponsored by Team Visa. When you have young athletes doing there first fashion photo shoot you need a strong team behind the camera: photographer Joe Lacey and art director Simon Costin! The energy was great and you just know it’s going to be a fun shoot day!
Tom Daley is a diver and wore Vivienne Westwood.
Mo Farah does track and field and looked dashing in a Richard James.
Natasha Baker is an equestrian and wore an iconic Giles Deacon dress. Beth Tweddle is a gymnast wearing a bespoke Marchesa gown.
I love going to vintage fashion fairs. Many of the vendor have been collection and selling items for over 20 years so if you’re looking for something special just ask them. They might not have brought it with them but most of the vendors have hundreds of items stashed away!
I got two fabulous dresses for £10 each!
The key to looking through vintage is to really take your time. I look for fabrics that I like - I don’t really worry about the shape or cut as I know if I like the fabric I can remake the dress. Occasionally I’ll find a dress that fits perfectly!
The 20th Century Theatre
291 Westbourne Grove
Notting Hill
London W1
Annabel Lewis is the founder of the celebrated trimmings and ribbon shop and every stylist’s favourite haberdashery VV Rouleaux! Annabel was giving mini demonstrations as part of the Viktor & Rolf exhibition on bow making. She gave everyone a long wired ribbon and showed us how to make the perfect rose and Christmas tree bow!
Update:
Designers of New Couture do not copy other designers work - they have the ethics of a fine tailor; they are not like the typical dress maker who will copy a garment.
Quilted Knee Pad leggings - I think these are quite fun & cheeky! Lindsey Lohan has signed an exclusive deal with Fred Segal stores and her leggings will be available in August. The line is called 6126 in honour of Lindsay’s idol, Marilyn Monroe’s birthday.
I love shops that have that old world feel to them, you just know that there is something extraordinary inside and I love antique jewellery. Bentley & Skinner specialise in fine antique jewels from Faberge and silver to an array of diamonds. They have been buying and selling jewellery for over 180 years.
Much of their jewellery is from private auctions or purchased privately. Jewellery and accessories are key to creating a personal style, and by adding an antique piece of jewellery it helps to create a more personal unique look.
8 New Bond Street, London W1
I know there are loads of fashion shows on tv at the moment and I’ve watched them all - and maybe there’s a bit over fashion over kill at the moment but I’m quite excited about Twiggy’s Fashion Trade. It’s is a new 3 part series for BBC2 which taps into the latest trend for clothes swapping parties! I’ve never been to a clothes swapping party - not officially but I have swapped clothes with friends. Anyway so many of us have wardrobes full great piece that we never wear for one reason or another - so why not swap them for something better & get expert advice at the same time! I think the show airs in September.
Fashion has become very fashionable and there’s something comforting and fun about working in a virtual world especially if your only 10 years old. I think I would have liked games like this when I was little. Fashion games for girls is a huge market so it’s just not surprising that Koei have created a game around Japanese Street fashion. Japanese Street fashion has been so influential - Photographer Shoichi Aoki’s books Fruits & Fresh Fruits are so popular that Aoki’s been credited with introducing Japanese street fashion to the rest of world!
In the world of Pop Cutie players will start the game as an independent designer with a small shop at a flea market - like so many real young designers. As players progress, they’ll move into larger boutiques. The competition against rival shop owners culminates in a ‘Fashion Battle,’ where a panel of judges will decide if a player’s style has enough cute or enough cool to become all the rage.
The game involves running the boutique, hiring staff and models, and decorating their shops. It also involves fashion design based on capturing and combining “images” from kids on the street. Two-player “Fashion Battles” are also possible with a friend who has a copy of Pop Cutie.
I like the concept of the game I’m just not sure if the characters are cool or fashionable enough - when someone says Japanese Street Fashion the expectations are high. Anyway when I was little, like so many other Canadians, summer holidays involved a long, long road trip - I would have loved to have a super cool fashion game to pass the time!
[resource Game Press]
