Seeing Double

Saw this and I've seen it before.

How Katie Shillingford does it. Dazed and Confused December 2011

Top - Beyond Retro

How I did it.. Unpublished July 2011

Top - Beyond Retro

Go on then Dazed, I'll let you use my pictures in the magazine then.

Printspiration

Working on a shoot which will turn any wall flower into a eye sore old woman on a swing with a fag. Check out the website to see the whole shoot soon!

Cambio

About this time last year I had the chance to visit Munich with Jo Barker to assist her on a commercial job working with the specialist trouser label Cambio. The pieces were very wearable and excellent quality, we just jazzed them up a bit. Here are a couple of images from that campaign.

Cambio A/W 11

Stylist: Jo Barker

Photographer: Dancian

Stylist Assistant: Helen McGuckin

I just got back from Frankfurt with Jo too and will be going again in January to work with another brand. I am very lucky that I get to travel around a lot more with work. It is great to have the chance to work on beautiful creative editorials but it's essential to gain insight in styling commercial projects where you see the difference working with clients rather than pushing your creative vision. I think the images look great and I am very happy I was part of this and I will get our newest work up soon.

Oh What A Night..

.. Last Tuesday was the night myself and the wonderfully talented Stephen Lally showcased our Fashion Film, The Dionysian at Space Fiftyfour on Rivington Street.

Filming was completed quite a while ago now and my job was simply to style everyone in the production. I was lucky enough to work with some great new designers such as Rachel Freire, Shao Yen Chen and Ioannis Dimitrousis to produce some wonderful looks to create an array of dark atmosphere, story line and character. This is the first fashion film I have worked on and I thoroughly enjoyed putting it out there for people to see, only to receive some great feedback from friends, professionals and passers by. The show was publicized on VoltCafe who will also be showing the film online very soon.

As well as the film showing downstairs we had a small photography exhibition of our favourite shots taken by the other man in my life Patrick Schuttler who I worked with on my last Exhibition, The Chopped-Off Heads Of Leviathan last July. This guy really knows how to capture the mood. Here are some of his beautiful images.

If you couldn't make the show then here are some images from our Exhibition with props, a classic Tom J Newell display of text on the walls, and pieces from some of the aforementioned designers showing their garments are actually as gorgeous as they appeared on screen and that it was not all smoke and mirrors.

Me and Stephen proper chuffed.

The Dionysian

STEPHEN LALLY

&

HELEN McGUCKIN

PRESENT

'THE DIONYSIAN'

TUESDAY 18TH OCTOBER 2011

5:30PM - 8:30PM

SPACE FIFTYFOUR

54 RIVINGTON STREET

LONDON

EC2A 3QN

So.. London Fashion Week

I plan to do a bit of a round up on all the Fashion Weeks at the end of the madness, but for now I just need to log one of the best and brightest looks I have seen so far.

A floral suit by Mary Kantantzou.. I have been breaking into clashing prints every now and again since the previous blog about Stella Tenant wearing bold prints in Vogue. This suit sums up how I hope to be boldly dressing by next season. It's kind of good to break into these things slowly as it makes it feel less like you're dressing in a trend and also goes with my don't- look- at- me persona.

We have seen so much colour for the past few seasons now and it's obvious to assume it will be sticking around till next season, but thanks to great editorials such as the In Bloom shoot styled by the wonderful Katie Shillingford in Dazed and Confused July 2011, it is easier to come to terms with this loud and proud style and it looks like Mary Kantrantzou could have been involved in this shoot.. Or maybe this suit should have been involved in this shoot. Either way I am loving them both just as much.

White Weddings

It's that time of year when it feels as if every single person you know is getting married. There have been a few famous weddings lately. I'm a bit too late on the down low to publish about the Royal Wedding and I wouldn't even care to. I also was pleasantly surprised by the lack of fuss caused by the other and better Kate's wedding.

I am also a little bit late with this post but I have to mention the admiration for my favourite Stylist's wedding which proved that weddings can be very stylish and you don't have to lose all of your own personality and style to settle for meringue dresses and floral head pieces.

Katie Shillingford is a stylist that I have followed and admired for a very long time. I was very happy to see her marry her partner Alex Dromgoole at the end of July. I immediately had to see how great she looked, her Gareth Pugh pale grey slashed chiffon dress was the perfect touch of goth needed to go with her perfect pale skin and purple wash 30's waves.

I have never wanted to get or be married.. but if I did. This is how to do it. I am very happy for the couple and wish them all the happiness in the future.

All images by Amy Gwatkin and taken from here.

Cultured Clash

There are not many editorials that make me want to completely change the way that I dress.

Stella Tennant in Vogue (Sept) pretty much makes me want to become a "lady", dripping in clashing geometric prints and drowning in heavy perspex.

TOPSHOP A/W 11 LOOK BOOK

Everyman and his dog gets excited about the Topshop Collections. Autumn/ Winter is my favourite season and I wait till this time of year to see what I will want to be wearing in a few months and still continuously moan about summer attire.

There are some classic 'best seller' trends that pop up every season from Topshop.. The trends Thrift and Barvaria are those for me this season and will most likely merge throughout the season within merchandising and sales (I guess).

My absolute favourite that I got pretty excited about is the Psychobilly trend with pieces that are my style and timeless pieces that would last me for many seasons ahead. Clear inspirations from Balenciaga and Marc Jacobs collections we saw back in February. Good tailoring mixed with chic knits and perfect day to night easy styling.

Psychobilly

Thrift
Barvaria

Glam Rock

I have a great Love/ Hate relationship with Topshop. I hate how much I love it. It will mostly be more boots, jackets and knitwear I will have to give in to from here very soon.

Metallic Mania

I am very excited about a photo shoot I am styling next saturday, working with a mixture of wonderful fabrics, colours and textures. I want the images to look like you just want to touch everything, almost like a scratch and sniff picture but instead of sniffing your just scratching.

Here is my inspiration mood board. I am going to be using some great designers.. I won't give too much away though.. All to be revealed.

Angela Brandys

There is a beautiful young girl called Angela Brandys and she is very talented.

Here are some of her looks from her graduate S/S12 Collection. She is not only great at designing wonderfully glamourous clothes with a rock/trashy twist but she can actually make everything that pops into her head! She has been working hard on her newest collection which I believe is for the next season to come and it takes all of the recent trends of bright pop colour, metallics from A/W 11 and textures, which make me want to get hold of all of her looks and just roll around in the fur, pvc, silk and baroque.

Angela Brandys SS12

photography - sean michael

direction - rob phillips

hair - su jin jung

make up - james peg

model - claire barrow

The collection has all of the fun and glamour of top designer collections such as Miu Miu and Prada with the grown up silhouttes and styles from designer collections such as Rodarte and John Galliano. The girl is destined for big things and I am sure you will see this collection and others to follow in press as soon as she is up there and riding the radar.. You can definitely expect to see these pieces in a couple of editorial shoots I am working on at the minute!

You can now also help the new young designer to get the first kick and step up there straight into the fashion industry by voting for her and this collection to win a great prize of a serial production worth 25,000 euros, worldwide distribution and a trip to Paris for the finalist photo shoot to be featured in the Fashion Magazine QVEST. Please take two minutes of your day to click on the links and Vote for her!

The competition is up and running on Garmz.com and if you are a new, aspiring designer and also want a go at winning this competition then go on the website and upload your collections NOW!

Good Luck Angela, the prize is yours no doubt and well done on just being so bloody good!

Excitement

There has been at least a month gone by since my last post, this is terrible. I have been rather busy though with things I will have up here soon.

I am doing something extremely wonderful and exciting next week and I will show and tell soon.. but for now here is a wee taster to what is involved!

Who's not loving old school circus right now?

Muu Baa A/W 11 Look Book

Muu Baa is a London based label that prides itself on the finest quality leathers and attention to detail. Each piece is beautifully crafted and "adapts to the wearers personality and style".

I have seen the brand before whilst working as a Style Advisor in Topshop, I might have even helped with their initial profits from the concession as I did have one on almost every rail for customers of all ages, budgets and briefs. But I am not trying to sell this product as they actually do sell themselves.

I got to assist Jo Barker on the Autumn/ Winter '11 Look Book and it took all of my will not to try and barter with the Brand Director, who was at the shoot, to let me keep a couple of the jackets, the leather trousers oh and the leather skirts! The final images are classic and simple. Jo's styling is great and the product speaks for itself.

Muu Baa A/W '11 Look Book

Stylist: Jo Barker

Stylist Assistant: Helen McGuckin

Photographer: Dancian