2012 here we come

Happy new year to one and all! I cannot believe how quick the last year has gone and that we are now in 2012, where has the time gone?!

I hope everyone had a super christmas and new years? My Christmas was very quiet, but I quite liked it that way, I got some lovely little presents, including some fabulous vintage jewellery bits from my friends, Sam Cookes biography, a brand new camera, and the one and only Bruno Mars album that I have waited all my life it seems to own (believe me it was worth the wait! My life is now complete!)  and many other bits and bobs, I was so over the moon with all my goodies, I just don't know how I'm going to get them back down to Chatham!

The rest of the Christmas period was once again very quiet but New Years ever made up for it, I ended up going down to London to the Boston Arms in Tuffnell park, one of my favourite rockabilly clubs in London town, I had told myself that I wasn't going to go out at all and was going to spend it being boring in Lowestoft but no I got my arm twisted to go to the boston and I'm so glad I did.

I got to see lots of friends that I hadn't seen in many months and got to put my glad rags on and dance the night away, which I hadn't done in the same amount of months it seemed, and boy did my feet pay for it! I wore a vintage sixties velvet pencil dress which I decided to embellish myself by gluing gems on the dress and stitching beads around the collar, I kept it quite simple but I think it was effective, I teamed it with some black pumps from New Look and my white lucite handbag, ohh la la!

 Me and my gorgeous girls Clare and Tasha, you can almost see my dress!

A good night had by all I think, it really took it out of me being up until gone 5am but the bags under my eyes were well worth it I'd say, I did feel a little guilty going out but it was the last event of the 2011 so in 2012 I'll be good.

Which leads me onto my next rant, over the new year period, we all decide what our resolutions will be and I think this year I've decided on millions of resolutions that I want to achieve, I hope I'll achieve most of them, but we shall see as the year goes on!

My first is to graduate from university with an overall 2:1 because that really has been my goal since year two, I'm not expecting a first but if I got a 2:1 I would be over the moon because I know then I would have tried my hardest.

My second is to get a job or internship that I am happy with by the end of the year, so I know my course hasn't been a waste really, I've always wanted to do well and get a job that I'm happy in so if I got this, this year I know my life would then be on the right track.

I have lots of little ones aswell such as read more, I cannot wait to read for pleasure once I've finished university, I've got so many books I want to read but it's just having the time to do so, after May I will turn into a bit of a nerd for a few months, bring it on!  

Another is to spend less time on blasted facebook, it's rather difficult when I've got my fanpage on there but I think I have to do it because I'm turning into an obsessive hermit otherwise, so if I can limit my time on that and do something more better with my time, like read or do university work, Bettina will be a happy bunny!! 

Finally my last is to do more for others, now I like to think that I already do quite a lot for others but I always try and find room for improvement and I'd like to be less selfish and more selfless this year, even by doing the littlest of things hopefully I can make a difference. 

Lets hope I keep up with my resolutions!

I apologise for the lack of images, I forgot to take pictures of anything it seems

Until Next Time

Toodle Pip

xxx

And the addiction begins

It now seems that the only time I get a chance to do my blog is late at night, as I type this it has just gone past midnight and bizarrely I am not in bed! To be honest though if I didn't write this now I would have probably forgotten by tomorrow (well later on today) and pushed it aside! So while I'm still (half) awake I'm quickly posting before I hit the hay!

Basically I just wanted to show off a little, which if you know me, is something I like to do often enough, however good enough time to brag, while I was trailing the Internet the other day with my house mate I went on a few websites that sold Vivienne Westwood shoes, I've always adored her clothes/bags/shoes you name it, I've drooled over it and I came across the Melissa shoes, I'd seen these in past collections and fell in love immediately however they were always a bit out of my price league, once again for those who know me, over £10 is normally a no go for me! Also I had the chance to try a pair on before Christmas, hoping Father Christmas would treat me to a pair (which he didn't!) and as I tried on the heels, unfortunately I thought they were not for me, basically because my feet felt like they were in some kind of pole dancers shoe so I gave up on this dream.

Until now.. It completely slipped my mind that in these collections they also did flats! Low and behold my saviour, I went shopping with my fella recently and saw a pair for £70 (£85 on the tinterweb) and he said he would treat me to some but I... for once put my foot down and said no...until now when I came across a rather nice sale section on a Vivienne Westwood site where they were selling the Melissa flats for a damn good offer! I saw two pairs I liked, one in a size 7, one in an 8, I'm an awkward size so I didn't know what to get, and I thought well you only live once and bought both for a brilliant price and thought if one pair didn't fit I'd return them, however when I got them, they both strangely seemed to fit so I just had to keep them both! Luckily my fella stuck by his word and bought them for me ( I am at university after all, poor student and all that!) And here are my new  babies themselves:

Aren't they beautiful, I think I'm going to treasure them forever, I can officially say I own designer,

well I do own a vintage Jaegar coat but you know what I mean.

                                                               

I love them and think they go well with the majority of my vintage and repro 40s and 50s clothes because they are quite kitsch don't you think?

Until Next Time

Toodle Pip

xxx



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

Salute to the 40s... in Chatham?!?!

Last year when I'd first moved down to the glorious area of which is Kent, I found a 40s event at a place called Chatham dockyard, I didn't know anything about the event then and I wanted to go dreadfully! But having only just moved, I hadn't made many friends so I had to give it a miss. When I found out they were doing it again this year I was thrilled and even better I had my man to take me there too! I checked out the website and found out it was 70 years since Dunkirk so it was also a remembrance as well as a jolly good day out!





  So off we went just after midday, I'd dolled myself up to the nines wearing my brand new Vivien of Holloway turquoise pencil dress and Hawaiian wedges, which after my man getting us lost and taking us on a tour of Chatham it seemed, my feet were lets say a bit on the sore side. However this did not put my spirits down and when we got there I felt like a little girl at Christmas!

    I didn't quite know what to expect as Chatham's not got the most going on but as I walked down to the main event it was fantastic to see everyone in original  40s clothing and in world war 2 uniforms, including police, army, firemen. Oh it was magnificent! Everyone was so friendly and looked like they were having the time of their lives! I was a bit nervous at first thinking I'd over dressed, how wrong I was! I felt under dressed in the end. Ladies in beautiful tea dresses and Dior inspired suits and hats, men in double breasted suits or sailor outfits.

Every girl's gotta have a man in the army..or two

Four lovely ladies lookin good!

    Every now and then I had the urge to have my photograph taken with a plane or with a car ( as you do!) and as my man was taking my photograph,I noticed other people doing it as well, how nice of them! I guessed from this event people put on their glad rags here and love to have their picture taken so I let them snap away!

My favourites from the day,opposite from each other but just as good

   There was live music from singers and bands, I only caught a few of them, two of my favourites were a t-chest bass blues band who did a lot of Elvis, of which I was happy to hear! Don't get me wrong I adore forties music but it was still a delight to hear my favourite! And also a very Andrew sisters inspired girl group who were just fabulous, they had the look down to a tee and their voices were just gorgeous!

      I gave out a few business cards hoping for some work to come my way, but if it doesn't I don't mind, there was a few stalls to buy clothes from and of course there was the Best of British magazine there so I made sure I got myself a couple of copies of that magazine, there was a woman making hand made snoods too so after treating myself to a pretty one on eBay I made sure I got myself another so I have a choice now! I'm still trying to get the hang of wearing them at the moment, because when I try it on, I seem to look more like a dinner lady then a forties starlet, better keep practising I say!  I also had to stay away from a lovely vintage dress that caught my eye, it was a beauty but I thought I'd better not!

Some lovely ladies getting their hair styled

   Do you know I could actually go on about this day forever, when I was walking home I kept saying to my man how I'd had such a good time and I honestly did, being a fifties girl I was a bit wary that I would get fed up with a day of the forties but how wrong I was! I definitely could tell a difference between the 1940's scene and the rockin scene. There is a lot more drinking involved in the 50s scene and the music where as 40s is more about the clothes and dancing, which to me is still just as good, I loved watching the couples lindyhopping and would love to do it myself but I'll just stick to my jiving, I can do that, I think I'd trip over my own feet and that would not look good!

  So after a long ole day we retired back to my house to go get ready to go out in the evening. A long day of glorious 40s music, dancing and great people.
    I'll be reporting on the London tattoo convention over the next few days so keep your eyes peeled

 Until then

Toodle Pip

xxx

 

In rememberance to people who lost their lives in the war