A Bright and Early start to in Gravesend

As I have been so busy with uni work I've let my modelling side slip a fair bit and this has annoyed me greatly! Because you know occasionally it is fun to pull faces in front of a camera. So me being the silly girl that I am applied for a casting with a local photographer but then I looked at the date and realised it was the same date as The Rhythm Riot, how could I possibly get this mixed up you may ask, I know I was in shock too. I told the photographer and he asked whether I was free at the weekend, I thought it over with the work load I still had to and thought Oh what the heck!!

    I got up rather early for it and met the photographer who was a lovely chap and I think we got some fab shots from that morning, it was a rather short and sweet photo shoot but I didn't mind because it meant that I could get on with my coursework and it was also a bit nippy so I was happy to be back in the warmth.

    Anyway here are some of the images, I hope you like them!!!

Wearing my Vivien of Holloway halterneck pencil dress

It is amazing how my bags under my eyes weren't that noticeable!!

Unfortunately I had lost some weight since I last wore this dress so it was a bit loose,nothing an elasticated belt couldn't solve

                                 However I am wearing my lovely Rocket Original shoes

                     According to a friend I remind them of Imelda May in this one

                                                                   Any thoughts?

This was near what used to be Vintage red telephone boxes

 but for some reason they'd painted them green?

What was I thinking about?

Answers on the back of a postcard

I like that this has a grainy edge to it, It

gives it a vintage feel to it

I'm very convincing at not looking cold!!

Hope you've enjoyed my new pictures ladies and gents, I shall be putting my editing cap on soon and putting some old ones up too!! Also check out my blog about Kustom Kristmas that's happening in London, and my view on my first Rhythm Riot!!
Until next time

Toodle Pip

xxx

The Flapping depression final shoot

I'm now coming to the end of my creative styling project, Yes it has been 10 weeks already , and yepp its nearly christmas (Keep an eye out for my next blog about an upcoming christmas event!!)  And I thought I Would show my final images from our very successful photoshoot with the lovely Eddy Shaw again as photographer!!
We kept one of the models from the test shoot at the Ace Cafe, the fabulous Joe Worthington Leese and picked up two other models Billy Sutherland and Bradley Austin who were both just brilliant on the day and so friendly, so if any of you are looking for models for photoshoots I could not recommend these three enough! A great bunch of guys.
But yes the shoot, we had the same trend, very Charlie Chaplin/20s/30s inspired, with a few more outfits thrown in and we shot at Chatham Dockyard to give it a very industrial unique feel to the images.

Here they are. I hope you like them!

I love the layout of this image there is a lot of texture with the brickwork and the darkness from
under the bridge, it creates a sense of mystery and moodiness I think.
I think this composititon works well with three models and the triangles in the garden.
I've given it a different tinge to the previous so it looks more blue.

I found the styling worked quiet well, after we had done this shoot I noticed in Arena Homme magazine
similar styling with the vest over the jacket which looked also very 30s,
I do believe we've caught onto a trend before it's started!
I found this was the only image that worked in colour, I think it is a very
strong fashion image, I like the compostition because it would make a good double page spread
I added a grainey effect to it to make it look a bit more grungey

I love the composition of this because of the texture of the sky because it looks overcast and creates a moody atmosphere

\

This was with a train at the location, it looks like working man shot

I loved the jacket we used in this shot which was from Topshop, this is such a natural shot but I think it captures the model and outfit really well.

So these are some of the ones we've decided to use for our final project, fingers crossed for a good mark, overrall I think we've had some successful images throughout this project, I still don't think I'm that good at styling but I'm starting to open up a bit towards it now.
Until next time
Toodle Pip
xxx

Kenzo : Fashion in Motion

A couple of weeks ago I got a notice saying the fashion company Kenzo were putting on a free (YES FREE!) fashion show at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, to celebrate 40 years in the fashion business, wowee doesn't time fly!! It was part of the museums "Fashion in Motion" series, so when we found out, Rosie stayed on the phone to the V&A for a good twenty minutes, bare in mind we had a photo shoot that day but some things are just far more important!

Now for all of you who might not know who Kenzo is, the company was started by Takada Kenzo who was originally from Japan, during 1970 and opened his first boutique in Paris, as well as Women's wear they also do collections for men and children! So there is something for everyone!

But anyway back to the night itself...

Rosie managed to nab 4 free tickets for this show so we grabbed a couple of chums and made it a girls night out with cocktails, do I hear Sex and the City? Yes we were trying to figure out which one each one of us were, apparently I'm Carrie?? Hmmmm I'll let you followers decide!
Anyway we got to the V&A rather early so we got a couple of cosmopolitans down us and had a good ole catch up. We decided to make the effort as Uni does kind of drag the glamour out of you! So I decided to put on my prize dress from winning the Hemsby pin up contest, which was my "Bettina" dress (yes you did hear that right!) designed by the gorgeous Bernie Dexter

Wearing my lovely Red Bettina dress whilst sipping a cocktail, I've done my hair in a 40s style up "do" with mock Victory Rolls as I've not quite grasped it yet!

So it came to near on 8pm and we started queuing up for our seats and oh my it was so exciting, the queue seemed never ending! We sat in our seats, 3 rows from the front so I had a cracking view to take some shots! The show, like any main fashion event started late but once it started, oh my we were all in awe!! I've never seen anything quite like it, girls wearing very floral printed garments with African inspired head dresses and Japanese Geisha inspired shoes, I didn't know where to look  and couldn't seem to click my camera quick enough!

Models wearing pastel pinks with over layering effect and hoop inspired skirts

I love the shades of green and pink in this collection it was just magnificent customising it with vintage styled bra's I love it!

This seemed so African inspired, the fabric looks really exotic and the colours are quite calmer compared to the previous

I  wanted to steal the jacket off this model, it was so nice and is actually wearable other than on the catwalk!!

I found that the darker collections seemed more wearable than the pastel colours, the fabric in this dress seems quite Japanese because of the wave print, very Oriental.

What a Finale! The girls and I did wonder whether the models were doing rather quick changes, but with those head dresses and all that layering I think they would have been there until next week!

So my first Designer fashion show, it made me appreciate the course I am doing at University and made me also realise I am on the right career path, when I was there the atmosphere was unreal and has made me think I want more!
So next Fashion in Motion here I come!

Oh yes before I forget! We had a invite to the Kenzo store in a fortnight for a cocktail party, I may have to check my diary but you know I think I may just go.

Until next time

Toodle pip

xxx

The Flapping Depression take one...

At university at this moment in time.. yes that's right now I'm involved in a creative styling product based on a Spring/Summer 2011 trend... this means I had to look at many many catwalks until I went cross eyed over eccentric fabrics and went mad over Japanese kimonos. I looked at men's wear and women's wear a few favourites were Marc Jacobs take on 70s chic and Alexander Wang's slicked futuristic look. But I somehow got drawn to menswear.. I wonder why you may be asking.

My partner in crime Rosie showed me John Galliano's menswear collection and suddenly there was a light at the end of the tunnel. It was like a homage to the funny men of the twenties and thirties, yes that's right Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. It worked so well, the references were so strong and it just stood out from other collections. Soon as I'd seen that collection others such as N.Hoolywood all started to make sense, there were links where there were no links before.. The trend we came up with was the Flapping Depression, a cross over between the 1920s and 1930s.

We organised a photo shoot at the Ace Cafe as a test shoot with two models Rosie had previously worked with and our lovely friend Eddy as our photographer. We were looking to create quite a grimey & grungy feel to our images as well as using strong Chaplin references. Here are some of the edited images (all edited by myself of course . Some work really well with the editing some not so well, I'll let you all decide that. This was only our test shoot we have our final shoot of the project on Monday 1st November so I will be reporting with image on that also.
Until next time

Toodle Pip

xxx

                                  This is very in the style of our Chosen Publication; TANK

This is my favourite image from selection, it is very natural and wasn't posed, I think we captured Chaplin very well

This image was meant to look quiet prison like with the denim of the thirties

What has happened to the designer??!

As London fashion week has just gone, I thought I'd talk about my main love, that is of course; Fashion. Now I am a great lover of the designer and all things designer, especially Louis Vuitton (god bless you Marc Jacobs for your divine tribute to the fab fifties!) and I would love nothing more than to carry a Vivienne Westwood bag on my shoulder or wear a Chanel Dress down to the shops but due to lack of funding of being a student... this isn't happening anytime soon.
   Which leads me onto the subject of my latest entry, in today's world of labels and brands, is Designer losing its individuality and its edge? I currently live in Chatham, most of you know this and as I was walking through the town centre recently, I noticed several ladies sporting Louis Vuitton handbags, we all know the famous design and yes we would all love one, but I was surprised of all places to see them in Chatham, because its not one of the most "up and coming"  towns and definitely isn't known for its designer stores. But it made me think, designer labels such as this, were once for the well off or a special treat for ones self on pay day at the end of the month. Now it seems everyone is wearing designer, be it make up, jewellery, sunglasses or an actual garment.
    I'm not sure if I like this, if its like this it seems to lose its authenticity because it is so accessible, people can now feel part of a certain crowd which they never did before and without having to go out and get a second mortgage! Which of course to these people is a brilliant thing, but to me, I see it as something to strive and work for, when I've bought something from Vivienne Westwood or YSL, I know I've hit the big time, its an achievement. People don't see buying a £20 Dior Lipstick as an achievement, they see it as an essential, why? Because it is simply now affordable.



Is this the next step for designers?



    

This is probably what designers are aiming for, of course the more people that buy their brand, the more known they become, and the more money they earn. Surely though, they would still want to keep their morals and values for clothing, otherwise they would simply become high street. With everyone wearing the latest Prada shoes and carrying this seasons Stella McCartney purse, is this a sign of things to come? They still keep the prices on their garments because of course they use the finest fabrics, so what is it? Do people now have bigger bank balances? Or are designers making themselves more accessible for lower earners by designing for high street stores such as H&M, this of course is another way people can grab themselves a bit of designer for more than half the price and quality.
    I don't know, I'm just as confused as the next girl, has the fashion world gone mad? Only time will tell.
Until next time

Toodle Pip

xxx

A stroll along Dover beach

Yes people, I've done another blog! I'm keeping up to date at long last, it only took me a few weeks, just a quick hello to all my lovely new followers, I hope you enjoy my blog!
So here are a few photos from a photoshoot I did in Dover at the end of September, with a local photographer, Ian Farrent, he emailed me many moons ago asking if I'd be interested in doing a photoshoot which seemed quite gothic/ 1930s inspired, we got influence from a video blog of the amazing photographer Melissa Rodwell .
Here is the video blog if any of you are interested in seeing our influences

 

I was very interested in doing this shoot because Ian's work is very individual and it stood out to me a lot so I jumped at the chance to work with him, he'd paired me up with another model, Charlie for the day and we got on tremendous! I didn't have exactly the same clothes as the ones in the blog but I think we improvised quite well, so here are the final results, I hope you enjoy!!

Wearing a 70s style leopard print maxi dress borrowed from my dear friend and stylist Rosie

Wearing a vintage 50s black chiffon dress, it was impossible to stand on sand in heels!

Wearing a make do and mend swimsuit borrowed from Rosie! I had great difficulty climbing onto those rocks!!

So there they were, hope you like them! These are definately some of my best shots to date and hopefully I can keep up the good work!
Until next time

Toodle Pip

xxx

Bettina Scarlett styling Miss Dollface Darling

So here I am again, making yet another apology because I've fell behind on my blog! How terrible! I really cant be doing this can I, but as I've just started this one, I have just had a few more light bulbs light up in that little brain of mine so hopefully I'll keep going for a bit! Being back at university really is taking its toll. On my course we've been thrown in the deep end with a creative styling project which is great as over the summer I had a bit more experience in styling a photoshoot for my beautiful friend Dollface Darling.
   If you remember from past posts me and Dollface got on like a house on fire at a photoshoot we did at the East Anglian transport museum so as I was looking for some styling experience I tagged along to a photoshoot her and the delightful Dominic Fenn had at the beginning of September, here are a few of my fave shots! All of which are unedited.

I loved this idea of Dominic taking the photo over Dollface when she is surrounded by sweets

Originally Dollface's idea was a cupcake shoot with her baking cakes etc so when she told me I started researching a few kitsch ideas and as I still worked in my delightful seaside cafe I managed to pick up lots of goodies! including rainbow sticks of rock, windmills, a hulahoop and lollies! So we were going off the subject a bit but I think the images were really successful, Dollface brought a selection of outfits so I picked what went with what including accessories I'd brought along and gave her my thoughts on how she should do her eye make up and hair .

How much can you do with a hula hoop? Well we were limited but Dollface managed to work with it very well and this is one of my favourite shots

I got inspiration for this image from a vintage photograph of the fifties of a lady with a hulahoop, I can't find the image now which has annoyed me because I would of liked to show my references

Final two images with the windmills, the colours worked really well with what Dollface was wearing, I chose well even if I do say so myself!