Yesterday I had the great honour of styling the very beautiful and talented Juste Juozapaityte for a photoshoot. If you're wondering why you know the name, it's because Juste was the runner up in this season of Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model, and after working with her it's clear to see how she got so far in the competition. She may not have came first, but she is definitely a winner in my eyes!
The shoot was also a great excuse to reunite with the lovely SJ Walton and Jenni Defalco again, who I hadn't worked with since we shot the lovely Lykke.
Given Juste's busy Top Model schedule, we only had enough time for four different looks but I think you'll agree she looks absolutely incredible! Not only that, but she's a very lovely person and an absolute pleasure to work with. It goes without saying that I am very excited to see the final photos back! I'd like to thank Juste for being so amazing and making the time to work with us, as well as the rest of the incredible team. I'd also like to thank Simon Preen, Katrina Ferrari and Greene & Sheppard for letting us borrow their amazing clothes!
On Saturday I was invited to attend a brunch and catwalk show at Bacanal London to see the newest collection from Winter Kate, the ready-to-wear label owned by Nicole Richie. Given that it was a daytime affair and that the word "brunch" was involved, I was expecting a quiet afternoon of tea, browsing the clothes and maybe some eggs.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
To set the scene, I should start by saying that the event started at 2pm. This is arguably a bit late for a brunch, but the world of fashion is not one bound by the limits of time. The menu consisted of three courses with not an egg in sight (my first, and definitely not the last, surprise of the day), but it was lovely all the same. After tucking into the first course, "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" starting to play and who should appear but Banbury Cross, the Marilyn Monroe-a-like burlesque performer, show girl and all-round vintage beauty queen. After getting over the initial shock of seeing nipple tassels before my main course, I pulled myself together and thoroughly enjoyed Miss Cross' performance, although I was filled with terrible body envy. She looked absolutely incredible, even when pretty much naked and jiggling around! I'll have what she's having, please.
Banbury Cross actually performed twice during the event, but I only managed to film it the second time - here's a feast for your eyes:
After the food had all been served and cleared away, it was time for the catwalk show. As always, my camera and I weren't getting along very well, and unfortunately I missed a few of the pieces. I did manage to capture some of them, however, but please excuse my poor photography skills.
The collection was very typical of Nicole Richie's design style, featuring an array of extremely wearable vintage-inspired looks. There was heavy emphasis on rich fabrics, particularly velvet, mixed with fringe detail and subtle embossing. It appears that Winter Kate are going to be big on the kimono style this coming season, and the more slouchy and oversized the sleeves the better. I am a fan.
After the show and the second performance by Miss Cross, things took yet another unexpected turn. As you can hear at the end of the video I have posted, a loud siren-like sound was blasted out, and two girls in fancy underwear walked out and proceeded to dance on chairs. And before I knew it, everyone was dancing. And I mean everyone! On tables, on chairs, in the aisles - and I have absolutely no idea where it came from or why!
People were dancing so hard that for a second I thought perhaps one of the guests was perhaps a timelord and that we'd been transported to Magaluf at 2am. But we hadn't, for course. We were still in Belgravia, and it was only 4pm. Who knew velvet kimonos would have such an affect on people?!
In conclusion, the event was a lot of fun and I enjoyed myself a lot, but I still don't really understand what happened! Thanks for having me though, Winter Kate. Next time I'll bring my glow sticks and feather boa with me!
I love E.G Emma Griffiths. I have spoken about them in passing before, but it's a brand that definitely deserves all of the attention they're getting at the moment. Prime example of their greatness? The new video for their Spring/Summer 2012 collection.
Isn't it beautiful and evocative? I don't just love it because my good friend Skye is the main model and she looks absolutely incredible (best hair in the world? I think so!) - the video powerfully sets the tone for their phenomenally seductive, intricate and distinctly unique designs. And the best part is that even though the pieces are high end, they are still extremely wearable and very sexy. I don't know about you, but I am in serious lust.
On Friday I travelled to Cambridge to shoot some editorial looks with the brilliant photographer Alexandra Cameron. The concept was inspired by the beautiful 1999 film "The Virgin Suicides" by Sofia Coppola, an idea that both Alexandra and I were very excited about doing as fans of the film. If you haven't seen the film, it's a very tragic yet visually stunning story about five sisters who grow up in a sheltered home. Here's a little YouTube taster for you:
When styling a shoot based on such a iconic and aesthetically important film, it would be very easy to attempt a shot-for-shot "remake", but when selecting pieces I looked for a more subtle nod at the themes of the narrative.
The clothes from Rokit vintage and Fable London, as well as some of my own vintage collection, complimented the theme perfectly, the location was pretty spectacular too! If you're ever in Cambridge, swing by Wandlebury. Especially if the weather is as good as it was for us.
I'd like to say a BIG thanks to the lovely team who made it such a great day.
I've been meaning to blog about Young British Designers for ages and ages, and now I'm finally doing it. Better late than never, eh?
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then listen up because you're in for a treat! Young British Designers is a brilliant website that celebrates the very best of the UK's fashion talent. In their own very apt words, "Young British Designers is proud to create the first dedicated retail environment purely focusing upon young talent working in this country (and by young we mean still in the formative years of their brand, we don't really mind if they start designing at 60 or beyond)."
And just because a brand is new, it certainly doesn't mean that it's short on talent. Everytime I go on the site, I find myself increasingly excited by the incredible designs for sale, and the best part is each piece is an investment. You just know that these designers are going blow up and become ridiculously popular any day now, and there's nothing like getting in at the ground floor.
Here are my personal favourite pieces available to buy right now over at YoungBritishDesigners.com:
And that's just a small selection! I could go on and on...
To find out more about Young British Designers, head over to YoungBritishDesigners.com right now and browse their amazing wares. You can also follow them on Twitter, which I highly recommend because they're ever so lovely.
