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!
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
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 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]
I’m not a sparkly bling kind of girl - but it’s something I do love in a shoot. If you’re looking to customize a garment Swarovski Crystals are the way to go. It’s worth a visit to the Swarovski Crystallized Cosmos & Lounge, 24 Great Marlborough Street, London, W1
Customizing shoes and garments is such a unique way of giving an item some personal style and making it unique!
We make fun of men who wear lifts in their shoes - I think in general life is difficult for the shorter man. King Louis XIV was only 5 foot 4 inches but some of his shoes were 6 inches high.
During the seventeenth century, high heels signified the wealth and privilege of men and women. King Louis XIV of France passed a law stipulating that only those who were granted access to his court were allowed to wear red coloured heels. Red heels still signify wealth & privilege - how many of us can really afford Christian Louboutin’s?
And why red heels? Red was a rare luxury as it was a precious commodity in 17th-century France; the dye was made from a small beetle, the cochineal found only on the Mexican cactus. (Synthetic dyes weren’t invented until the 1800’s).
Since the late 1700s, men’s shoes have had primarily low heels. There have been many boots for men that have a heel: there is the the cowboy boot and the Beatle boot. Also the Cuban heel has become somewhat acceptable for men and are not considered effeminate (but they’re not truly part of the main stream). At the end of last season we saw more fashion forward shoes for men: the Manolo Blahnik’s open toe - slingback.
So far I haven’t seen anyone wearing them but I hope some fabulous man does. I envision the wearer sitting at a posh cafe, everything white with canvas umbrellas and a perfect view of the ocean…Anyway this season Fendi has created a beautiful men’s shoes with very low wedge.
I don’t think the man who wears this shoe is interested in being taller or concerned about stature. It’s for a man who has attitude, a strong sense of personal style and perhaps a bit of humour.
I like when I go into a shop and there is signage about the shop’s ethical policies. I want to believe them but I have this nagging feeling …it’s too good to be true feeling…I should know better. In my head it’s just common knowledge that cheap garments equal some kind of exploitation. I’ve had nothing to prove it - this was just a something I taught from a very young age. I’ve always felt people should be paid what the job is worth to you, not the least amount you can get them to do it for - that’s a mentality that I hate. Anyway I think when people read the signs in shops about ethical labour policies they want to trust the retailer. It’s easier and if it’s a policy it must be true and it puts our mind at ease. Even if on some level we know or can’t believe that a top only costs a fiver; the shop has a policy, so it must be OK. After a programme like Panorama it’s all most impossible to for us the consumer to claim ignorance. What will retailers have to do to gain consumer trust?
I am addicted to mascara and I’m dying to try the new Estée Lauder and Lancôme vibrating mascaras. I’m not brand loyal about mascaras as I’ll try anything if it will give me big full lashes!
I am obsessed with skin care and I’ve never worn make-up to bed - ever. I always feel validated when I see a product I use in a make-up artist’s kit. A good make up artist is very picky about the products they use, so you know they use only what they really like. I don’t usually brag about products but since I’ve been in the UK I discovered No7 Cleanse & Care Eye Make up Remover and I can’t live without it. I can wear several (many) coats of mascara so eye make-up remover is very important to me. I’ve learned that you can buy it in Canada so I’ve got my mum hooked on it too!
Rakish Heels is a unique quirky new shoe brand. Lona Jones is the owner of Rakish Heels and she knows lots about shoes but most importantly she’s super sweet!
Rakish Heels only launch in February 2008. I’m a lover of spats and Rakish has something just as cool - heel covers! Each shoe comes with a detachable heel cover - it can transform the shoe from day to evening!
Lona in Vegas!
This video really says everything about Rakish - its quirkiness with it’s Victorian inspirations & charm. I really like when designers are just doing their own thing - they’re not following trends or copying others they’re just making & designing items that are an extension of themselves - things that they like.
So if you’re feeling like summer’s here and you’re already wearing your favourite Luella floral dress then it just might be time to customize your scooter! I love these flowers! I used to decorate my bicycle when I lived in Montreal. I don’t tent to cycle in London as I find that I’m always carrying way too much stuff. But oh, oh how I’d love to be the girl on a Blooming Scooter!!!
For more info check out Tucanourbano.it
I love how these two girls are dressed. They look like the kind of people you want as friends. Trustworthy, cool and fun! It’s interesting that a bright colourful dress, a groovy head band and a red hand bag can covey a message - so if clothing is a language- a method of communication - what are we saying and do we look very different when we are smiling?
Yesterday’s shoot was all about Wonderful Hair. I’ve never had hair extensions and have never had the desire to have them - until today that is.
I love how Yulia looks while waiting for her hair to be done. Most models bring a book or something, occasionally I’ve known models who knit to pass the time.
This was a busy shoot as we had lots to accomplish but we really had a great team and worked really well together. I think too many people are thinking that working in fashion is just like life in The Hills! Although The Hills is my assistant’s favourite show she knows what really happens on a shoot & how much work is really involved.
And yes, sometimes there are perks! The perk was some red hair extentions!!
I recently met with the lovely Leon Bailey Green. He is an online marketing and branding consultant. He is also the director of marketing for OSOYOU.
OSOYOU is one stop shop which helps shoppers navigate their way round the internet. If you’re looking for a little black dress OSOYOU is going to give you a selection from many different shops - my search results gave me “18,947 items “! Of course this is a lot of dresses but it’s really only about 30 pages and I could have refined my search. So really it’s just not a lot of click-throughs to find the perfect dress!
Dawn Bebe is the Managing Director of OSOYOU and if it wasn’t for her and all her persistence and hard work we would not have Grazia!! She’s responsible for bringing Grazia to the UK! It’s one of my favourite weekly reads
While on my way to dinner I spotted this Nissan Figaro that’s for sale. I know it’s not practical: I couldn’t fit my luggage in it, I only have a license for an automatic, I don’t like parallel parking - which is all one does in London. But it’s Barbie pink and so cute! I rarely want stuff - I know this might be an odd trait for a stylist but if I can use the things that I love in a shoot I don’t feel the need to possess them. Maybe I don’t need a car but I’d like to be the girl who wears a floral dress with big white vintage ray bans, singing my heart out while driving around town.
Salvatore Ferragamo Christrian Lacroix
Ray-Ban Wayfarer in white, black or blue. Bottega Veneta
The dog is no longer man’s best friend but has become a delightful fashion accessory. Over the past few years I’ve seen quite a few fluffy pink lap dogs. I find the dogs quite amusing, cute and slightly odd - all at the same time. I must admit I’m kind of drawn to the dog, I’m just not sure that if I had a dog that I’d dye her fur.
This puppy was born last week, and so far, he is perfectly healthy… he’s just green. Veterinarians say this can happen when the mother’s amniotic fluid mixes with the placenta during birth and dyes the coat of the puppy. In a few weeks, the green will fade and the puppy become it’s natural colour.
I love Japanese fashion and their love for their pets! The Japanese beauty company Merry Do Beauty Products, offer a rainbow of colours for your pet! They even have 10 different colours of nail polish for you pet made from natural plant ingredients, combined with natural Vitamin E!
This is a special mud bath for the dog, how cute is he! I love spas but I wonder if the dog likes it, if it’s fun for him, maybe he likes all the attention and praise? I would.
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!
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.
