Erika Trotzig recently collaborated with Studio Private and photographer Yuval Hen. This is one of the images from their exhibition in London. I just love the feel of this shot, the light & the yellow background. I want to know more about the girl - it feels like a painting.

Yellow backgrounds often remind me of the short story The Yellow Wallpaper (first published in 1891). It’s a story is about a women and her descent into psychosis. Her husband, also her physician confines her to room in a summer house where she is forbidden to work or even write, otherwise known as - the rest cure. With nothing to engage her she slowly becomes obsessed by the room’s yellow wallpaper. “It is the strangest yellow, that wall-paper! It makes me think of all the yellow things I ever saw — not beautiful ones like buttercups, but old foul, bad yellow things. But there is something else about that paper — the smell! … The only thing I can think of that it is like is the color of the paper! A yellow smell.”

Erika’s work is very beautiful, her pieces are very wearable and have the feel of haute couture and fine art. She studied pattern cutting in Stockholm before enrolling at Saint Martins. In 1988 after graduation she went on to work for Belgian designer, Josephus Thimister in Paris and then returned to London to launch her own label. Erika was awarded New Generation sponsorships, and sold in boutiques and department stores across the world, had catwalk shows during London Fashion Week, and exhibited in Paris and Tokyo.

For the fifth consecutive year, Elizabeth Arden and London College Fashion have collaborated on the Eight Hour Cream Photographic Project. Vote online for your favourite image before June 10th!

A very cool video from about 10 years ago, directed by one of the coolest photographers ever: Andrea Giacobbe, represented by Art Department.

We had a great shoot day. We did lots of prep for this shoot; we went to PRs and designers and found lots of fabulous dresses!!! It was an easy, happy shoot day - lots of shoots are - everyone wants to get as much out of the shoot as possible and to do a really good job. It’s great to work with people who really love and care about what they are doing - it makes a difference. The hair and make-up were great, this was really important because it brings everything to life. Alex Foden, (also Amy Winehouse’s hair stylist) did the hair, he not only styled it but did the cut & colour - how fab is he, and Samantha Hosker did the make-up!

Today (Dec 21) is the final day for the Chris Moore exhibition at the London College of Fashion. I went yesterday, and it’s worth seeing, if only because there is no other catwalk photographer as famous, or as worthy of his own exhibition!

We don’t start a fashion show if the photographers haven’t arrived. There’d be no point. Yes, a picture really is worth a thousand words, and sometimes the photographers are all but forgotten - we never really think that the show is for them, it’s all about the front row, the editors, the celebrities (and the buyers!) but there they are, all squished together at the end of the catwalk, jockeying for the best position while holding heavy equipment. It doesn’t matter if the lighting isn’t optimal or the model forgets to pose at the end of the runway - it’s the photographers’ goal to capture every look. If you don’t have a good photographer shooting your show it’s almost not worth doing.

Amazingly, Chris Moore has been shooting catwalk shows for over 35 years. He shoots everything from Paris couture shows to new designers at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. If you haven’t seen this exhibition, the next time you look at a catwalk image check the credits - it’s probably one of Chris Moore’s!

I never go to a show without taking a picture of the photographers, it’s actually one of my favourite parts of the show!

This shoot was for Luxure Magazine. I was really happy to do a shoot for Luxure because I adore the Fashion Director, Alexia Somerville. She’s an amazing stylist and has a really good eye for spotting new talent. The shoot was about “The Ones To Watch” so we focused on several up-and-coming designers. The team is also so worth watching. Hamilton is a great hair stylist, he actually reminds me of a rock god (I think he is a rock god…) I ran into him back stage at Prince, and his client list is endless (Nicole Kidman, Linda Evangelista, Cate Blanchett…). Alex Babsky has made up every famous face from Naomi Campbell to Victoria Beckham. He’s a genius, and so generous with his make-up advice. I really loved the make-up he did on Poline, her eyes looked so amazing that I couldn’t stop looking at her! I loved her look, it was a cross between Cindy Lou Hoo and Sandra Dee! I’d been wanting to work with Carlos again for ages and we were just waiting for the right project. It’s important to work with someone that you really trust because you know whatever they do it’s going to be great!

One of the things I like most about my job is that I have the opportunity be in the company of such talented people!

Photographer: Carlos Lumiere
Hair: Hamilton @SLR
Hair Assistant: Graham Tilley
Make Up: Alex Babsky @Frank
Fashion Assistant: Io Takemura
Model: Poline Geereeva @Premiere

It’s just been announced that Hannah Marshall will receive a New Generation Sponsorship to show her autumn/winter 2008-9 collection at the London Fashion Week Exhibition!

I love Hannah’s work; in it’s simplicity it’s true luxury. You always feel great when you wear her dresses. Above is a picture of the silk chiffon trapeze dress from her lookbook, which was shot by Carlos Lumiere and styled by me. Hannah’s the type of person that you can’t help but adore. She’s not a jaded fashionista; she’s sweet, extremely hard working and
very funny.

I asked Hannah for a quote, and here it is!

I have been in business less than a year, so to receive recognition and support from the British Fashion Council is so exciting, and I am really looking forward to exhibiting as part of New Generation sponsored by TOPSHOP this February.

Some fashion shoots are fast and furious. We started organizing and doing some prep at 9am as our shoot wasn’t going to start until 4pm. The team for Ebyan was coming from Paris and arrived quite late so we didn’t start shooting until about 10pm, and I didn’t go to bed until 5am! I was packing up all the clothes as we were shooting in a different location the next day. I think it’s good every now and then to be sleep deprived: the world looks so different, and somehow that’s a good thing. It felt like a shoot right out of Fashion Babylon.

We has lots and lots of clothes, so many beautiful dresses and such sexy slutty shoes!! It was great and Sarah Marshall was amazing, you just end up adoring her!

I love shooting for Flux magazine.Today’s shoot was with Satoshi & Petra. I’d already worked with both people so I knew it would be good shoot day. Also we were shooting at the same location as for Rosabella Album cover, so that makes it easier too, you just know what you have to work with, ie. the furniture, the colours of the walls etc. The shoots focus was on the label “Blaak” - menswear - the shirts are amazing and have wonderful detail, pattern and texture.

The best thing about my job is I get to work with some very talented people. Today I was styling Y’s by Yoshiko Kajitani, SS07 collection. All the fabrics are black and white linen that is bejeweled with pewter. All the pieces are simple and wearable. I tried on the jacket and just loved it. It’s so easy to wear and looks so good. Each piece has what I call a built-in style: the jacket and shirt are great classic pieces that will never really date, it’s the detailing in the pewter jewellery that make the garments unique and personal. There is a slight 80s feel and a western-cowboy-punk influence. It’s very rock and roll but you can see so many different people wearing this collection.

Me & Hannah at the On|Off VIP Party. I think we look quite happy but a bit sleep deprived! Hannah With photographer Diana Gomez.

Hannah’s stand looks great. There is so much thought into ever aspect of a designer works, right down to which hander make the garment look it’s best. Tuesday was the opening day of On|Off of course she’s already had some Italian buyers order her dresses!

What is the best way to show a collection, is it still the runway
show, or the fashion video? Shows are fun, they create a buzz, lots of
excitement, lots of press and most shows are videoed. Of course they is
lots of waiting, of hours of preparation and lots of money that goes
intocreating a show. The fashion video is still relativley new but last
season we saw a few video’s like "Wendy Bird" on YouTube. It’s directed by Ellen Von Unwerth staring Kirstin Dunst and Autumn winter collection 06 by Erin Fetherston. Maybe we need to have both?

I love the photographers at fashion week, we tend to forget but the show can’t start with out them

Saw a cool studio in Kentish Town this evening. You go down some very steep stairs in the dark, and you feel like you’re being led down a secret passage way and voila! you’re in the cutest studio. Part of me would love to have my own studio, I know that’s more of a photographers thing…but I imagine I could build sets or environment for my fashion. It’s just nice to have ones own creative space and I’d love to have this space.

Saw a cool studio in Kentish Town this evening. You go down some very steep stairs in the dark, and you feel like you’re being led down a secret passage way and voila! you’re in the cutest studio. Part of me would love to have my own studio, I know that’s more of a photographers thing…but I imagine I could build sets or environment for my fashion. It’s just nice to have ones own creative space and I’d love to have this space.

Marc Lagrange is a fashion,
advertising and portrait photographer. You should visit his site at www.lagrange.be as his work is beautiful, strong, sensual and playful. If you have a chance go to the exhibition:

PhotoMuseum
16/6-10/9/2006
http://www.fotomuseum.be

This girl make not only the coolest jewelery, but there are so many pieces that I want, and I’m not really a jewelery girl. I used to be the kind of girl that loved & wore loads of jewelery, then I don’t know what happened. Things change and I just have seen anything that I really felt was me. Jewelery is very personal and I always think it makes a great gift, it’s just so intimate. Miss Bibi is also a graphic artist and you’ve probablely seen her work a hundred times in magazines like Jalouse.

It would be great to do jewelery shoot with Miss Bibi!

I love using statement pieces in shoots, I would love to be the type of
stylist who piles on the jewelery, but just haven’t done the type of
shoot that called for that. I do like jewelry shoots and did a cool one
a while back. To see the whole story just click on the link Risk Versus Reward.

I’ve got a new agent!!

Becki at Oak Management, she used to be my old booker about a year ago and then she’s started her agency mainly with properties and now she’s moved on to photographers and stylist. Should be an interesting move!

Went to see Julia Fullerton-Batten exhibition at the Charing X Gallery. The images are playful and thought provoking. For some reason you’d think the photographs were taken by a women. I’m not always sure why this is, it’s not one particular thing, but a combination of impressions. What is feminine, feminist, is it because they are teenage girls not portrayed in an overtly sexual way, anything sensual seems incidental… (not to say that male photographers can only photograph teenage girls in a sexual way…) is it cultural or conditioning that gives me these impressions, sometimes its just really hard to understand how we come to our own conclusions.

It’s worth a look, June 9th - July 21st

This is the cutest room. It’s so tiny without feeling tiny but then I’m barely 5 foot 2, and I’m  sure someone of six feet would feel like a giant but I love this compact little room! My Hotel is just off Bedford Square. It’s  like a boutique hotel - which I just love. Who wouldn’t want to live in a hotel? Someone who makes your bed, leaves mints on your pillow, and cups of tea and toast in the morning…sounds like love! Have I mentioned how much I like hotels?

Now the cute little girl jumping around is actually the picture editor, Kali. We are shooting Nadia , who won Big Brother a few seasons back. She’s actually a small girl with big hair & big personality. There’s defiantly something about her! Piers MacDonald is the photographer today, ok so he’s a bit blury, but he’s very fast! I can’t wait to work with him again!!