oh. hi douglas booth.

already a big fan of the Booth,

i found the new Burberry campaigns shot by Mario Testino very very yummo.

mmmmmmm

extra credit to Burberry for standing tall on keeping London in the spotlight as a great fashion capital - the whole campaign features British models, actors, musicians only. ONLY.

(and also keeno to test out the new Burberry beauty range... check out the website, its had a makeover, all interactive and stuff - www.uk.burberry.com/fcp/content/beauty/content)

I couldnt be bothered with a good title so its just... Grunge.

So I'm collaborating with Rob and Sarah on a new shoot and we're going for a grunge-esk look.

The biker boots, crop tops and ripped jeans have slowly been creeping they're way mainstream and now its time to go 90's Nirvana heaven with plaid, ankle skimming bodycon dresses with dark dark lips and pale pale skin.

A few months back I managed to purchase myself the journals of Kurt Cobain and have been inspired ever since to go grunge.

Today I blagged myself quite a few bargains at the boot sales (Jades influence ofcourse) - silver chain belts, boots, cut off denims and a whole load of baggy Tee's


if you would like to donate me anything else to add to the collection nudgenugdge wink wink hint hint...


ok so you think Taylor Momsen is one of the key movers and shakers on the grunge front?


WRONG.


shes made it commercial, fashionable again if you like.

but what about the people who were actually old enough to appreciate the 90's like Courtney Love and Alison Mossheart?

(my main style influences of the 90's went by the names of sporty, scary, baby, posh and ginger so I'm one to talk hey but even so my point is valid)


Mary Kate Olsen is my particular grunge girl crush and so my picture space is being taken up by her, enjoy...

ice. queen. hippy. chic

a couple of snaps from Wednesdays shoot with Veronika and David Greensmith...

with the transitional season change fast approaching it was time to look at incorporating the latest trends with next seasons looks
soooooooo white floaty cottons/silks mixed with loose boho hair (a la summer summer tiiime) were clashed with next seasons make up trend which i like to call 'ice queen' seen at Viktor & Rolf, Preen and Giles.
(seriously, this is one of the make up trends to be reppin big time okay)
so yeah, this is how it went...

watch things on VCR with me and talk about big love...

i think we're supserstars.
you say you think we are the best thing...

I could carry on typing XX lyrics forever but I guess I should stop and tell you of another tale, this time a tale of fashion music.

which results in very big BIG fashion hapiness may I add.

Last night not one person at Roundhouse could have walked away feeling dissapointed with the nothing less than amazing performace AND all round atmosphere of iTunes festival's latest installement.


Two bands.




The XX and Wild Beasts.




I've been scouring the world wide web to find the ultimate video of performances but to no availability (as of yet) . If you don't know the XX very well I suggest you type them into your search engine and see the rave reviews they've had in less than a year...to quote but a few

'The xx have made a debut that sounds utterly flawless; it’s the kind of album that bands take years to create.' Delusions of Adequacy
'It’s strange that such a traditional set-up (drums, bass, keys, guitars, voices) has resulted in one of 2009’s most unique debuts.' NME

Ending with a bass-tastic version of 'Stars' would have been good enough but then came the glittering confetti.


And I do like if not love a bit of a glitter showering.

You can tell their music and style is heavily influnced by a strong London background and I predict trend setters as this band heads up the commercial ladder of fame and fortune.

i left my heart in Munich.

It all started with a conversation between me and Matt that went a little like this

'I'm bored. I need to go somewhere.'
'So. Do it.'
'Okay...pick somewhere in Europe. Anywhere.'
'errr...Munich.'
'Okay. I'm going to Munich.'
And thats what I did. I went to Munich because Matt told me to.

Beer, Bravarians and Beautiful bone structure would sum it up quite well in a sentance.

I could go on, so maybe when you see me about ask me ,all I know is...

I have to go back.

I know I've quoted being fickle with my fascinations in previous posts but this is not the case in this situation.



Oktoberfest anyone?
One thing I did discover was at 'Haus de Kunst' - Michael Schmidt was showing an exhibition of gritty black and white very contrasty photography , 80's underground nostalgia and urban decay mixed with alot of nudity was the order of the day. Since then I've made him my latest favourite.

You can check out some of his more commercial / editorial work right here ...

http://www.mesfoto.com/
hey how great would it be to do a A/W shoot here (Marienplatz)...
...you just have to imagine it sort of dark and grungy...see it?




cool.

june bride you say? its all about july...

I have an excedingly good week ahead of me, 3 nights in Munich - a world of gothica and... err beer followed by a stint in London - shopping, gigs and err...probably more beer.

The downside is I've had to turn down a 10 dress bridal styling job in Oxfordshire on Sunday (booooooooooooo) ...
Upon this theme I leave you with a bit of bridal that I quite simply adore... the whole fairytale marriage thing frightens me quite lotsly, but how can you possibly deny a cheeky bit of Vera Wang? I think not.
Its the most high fashion collection shes produced in seasons, the monochrome is faaaarbulous for A/W 10. But below are my favs.

Note to self: If I ever get married - those ruffles on that fishtail and I think I've just found my perfect dress...

lack of styling

is sometimes just as effective as layering...

But isn't it ironic that our own skin is often the hardest fashion to pull off as stylish...

just thoughts. nothing fashionable about that.

Blogging has become addictive.

I don't like its power.

(Don't tell anyone but secretly I do.)

Crystal Jewels

Lots of name dropping / publicity coming in this post so go grab a pen and paper if you don't have a great memory

ok well...

Last week I worked on a jewellery shoot for online boutique Crystal Jewels, concentrating on looks for their new line. You can check it out for yourself - www.crystal-jewels.co.ukpretty little handmade delicate jewellery perfect for prom/bridal so FILL YOUR BOOTS!
Rob Wilkinson did a fantastic job at photography (www.robwilkinson.com) teaching me about all the scary looking lights he had set up (when i say scary I'm being literal, one of them actually looked like a spaceship...turns out the spaceship is called a butterfly light which in actual fact gives a softness to the face, maybe not so scary after all hey)

Make up artist Sarah Heap did a great job at bright colours and soft hair adapting it to each shot whilst I concentrated on styling :)

The shots are mainly close ups but you get a sneak peak at what I chose to compliment the looks in the photos below...enjoy!







All modelled by the lovely Katrina... I guess the downside to all this fashion stuff is feeling ever so slightly (or more than slightly) like a hobbit in comparison to these leggy 5'11 models.

When you're 5'3 AND A HALF. the AND A HALF is very very important.

David Greensmith

Wanna see the ACTUAL photographs from Sundays shoot?

OKAYYYYY...


David is breaking into fashion photography and you have to admit this a great start right?

I wish him every success...

and as for Veronika Jones, you'll probably be seeing lots more of her over the next few months :)