I am off for a brief holiday. I plan to let my feet enjoy the freedom of flip flops, soak up some of the sunshine which has been/ sorely lacking here all summer and indulge in lots of sleep before the madness of London Fashion Week begins. Expect plenty of behind the scenes insights, photos of what the fashion crowd are wearing this season and my reviews of the shows. See you then, I can’t wait!
I have been obssessed with nail varnish for longer than I can remember, mainly born of not being allowed to wear it in school. I used to try and sneak nude colours, palest pinks and glitter past my teachers but when caught was sent straight to the nurse who had nail varnish remover in her first aid kit beside the usual paracetomol, bandages etc. I have done holly for Christmas, flags for England (before it became cool) and home made stencils. I then reverted back to plain colours as I found the art work just took me too long and my right hand was never up to the standard of my left. But nail art is back, made prominent by the Olympians, Wah nails and NailsInc magnets to name just a few. I just love all these nails below and I’ve definitely been re- inspired to get back into nail design; I think the fade is my favourite but maybe only on the left hand!
Source: Pinterest
These two covers below are, for me, a perfect example of a great cover versus an awful cover. The September issue, as I’m sure people are aware after the documentary of the same name, is the most important edition in a magazine’s year, so the cover tends to be a striking one. Let’s start with the good: Tatler’s cover has the legendary supermodel Cindy Crawford shot by Ruven Afanador. It’s like the slickest of make-up or shampoo adverts, not the most high fashion, but she looks fresh and relaxed and the atmosphere created is appealing. I really don’t like it when the September covers go straight into winter mode (more of that later!) because the edition comes out in August and most people are still trying to hold on to the last weeks of summer. I really like that the lettering in Cindy goes under her hand – simple details.
The bad cover belongs to Harper’s Bazaar, ‘starring’ Keira Knightley, shot by Ellen Von Unwerth. Starting with her hair, which looks straggly and not totally clean. I don’t think the make-up works either and is far too heavy for a September cover. Yes, I understand it’s meant to run alongside the promotion of Anna Karenina, but does she have to look so Russian? It’s such an obvious concept. You get no impression of the outfit she is in, which is what it should be all about, and the rose in the foreground just makes it more autumnal and melancholic. Nice teeth, but what’s with the open mouth? I really don’t think it’s a photo worthy of a cover.
Source: TelegraphFashion
I apologise for reporting late on this exhibition but I only managed to see it just before it closed last weekend. As ever the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy is an exciting and stimulating mixture of artists and genres, with well known names alongside the unknowns chosen through the open submission process. I love how tiny little pictures are muddled together with bigger images, and the juxtaposition of paint, textiles, sculpture, architectural designs and photography. It’s one of my favourite things to do in the summer. As usual I was left lusting after a Tony Bevan, but at £78,000 it’s a little out of a freelance stylist’s price range! This sculpture was outside dominating the courtyard (no photos allowed inside) and is by Chris Wilkinson, titled From Landscape to Portrait.
The London 2012 Olympics are officially over and I’m officially not sure what to do with myself! When will I be able to watching rowing at 10am, water polo at 3pm and hurdles till 10pm? Team GB has had an outstanding medal tally and if the BBC coverage is being criticised for lacking impartiality, well, that just made me love it all even more! There is no way that a British presenter or interviewer is not going to be more proud of ‘one of us’ than ‘one of them’. My highlights were the boys winning Bronze in gymnastics, Mo Farah’s wonderful golden double, Jess Ennis and Tom Daly, ALL the cycling. London did me proud with an amazing and inspirational Olympics. Let’s do it all again next week! In fact, with the Australians and the French and Americans all singing our praises, couldn’t we just host it forever?
This editorial is from the August issue of L’Officiel Paris. The photographer is Alexander Neumann with model Ieva Laguna and styling by Vanessa Bellugeon. I’m not a fur fan and totally believe that only fake fur should be used at all times but I think the Mongolian boho vibe in this editorial featuring Fendi’s a/w 2012 coats looks great. And I love the Heidi goes Cossack hair with the nude face.
Source: FashionGoneRogue
Great Britain had an amazing weekend at the Olympics and I was in Hyde Park to watch some of it. It was lovely and sunny with thousands of people coming out to support their countries including some impressively lary South Africans. If you are in London there are lots of big screen hot spots to watch all the sport – Duke of York’s Square in King’s Road is one – and I would definitely recommend you to go and hang out in Hyde Park: it’s free to get in with loads of screens to watch the different events. After watching through most of the evening I had a romantic walk back through a part of London’s Mayfair that I hadn’t been to before and I used my phone to record some of the serene places there. Love your city.
I have been updating my portfolio and work files recently and came across this shoot I did with Gemma Arterton for Nylon, which I haven’t posted before. It was on a houseboat on the Thames in central London, with another boat beside it as the wardrobe and make-up area. It was shot by Julian Marshall and styled by Karen Clarkson. No one got sea sick as far as I can remember and it was a very cool location to shoot an editorial.
Source: www.julianmarshall.com
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Editorial
August 24, 2012This shoot is taken from Flare magazine’s September edition and is shot by Chris Nicholls. It is a high concept shoot, with the interplay between a sci-fi futuristic mood and the formal baroque background creating great drama. There is so much to look at and be inspired by here, with the fashion, the accessories, makeup and McQueen inspired hair all playing their part. It’s Blade Runner vs Madame de Pompadour. This kind of up-lighting can be incredibly hot and I can imagine how uncomfortable the models must have been, especially in those stiff and layered clothes. So much suffering for so much art.
Source: FashionGoneRogue
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