We are on a break...

Sad but exciting news blog fans; the job which I have been working on for the last month starts production this week! I shall be in the studio all day tomorrow getting everything ready for the first day of shooting on Wednesday. The shoot will continue on until  next Monday which means incredibly long hours and a severe lack of sleep. I shall probably be getting up at 6, having breakfast on set at half 7 then working through until 9 (if all goes according to plan) or more likely around 11, which means home by midnight if I'm lucky, then getting up and starting all over again the next day! So the bad news is this means absolutely no time for blogging. I may get round to putting up a post or two at the weekend but I will most likely be lying in and trying my best to catch up on sleep. It will all be worth it though as this is a big commercial for a really well known brand. I'll let you know when it's on air.
Aurevoir until next Tuesday!!

Sex, drugs and rock n roll

Sex sells. We've always known this. From watching Mad Men and studying the use of Freudian psychology in advertising it is clear that for decades the most effective way of selling a product, whatever it may be, is to link it to sex. Obviously it didn't take long for celebrities (and females in particular) to catch on to this idea and start acting provocatively and wearing revealing clothing (just look at any footage of Marilyn Monroe). However it appears that whereas the late 90s and early 00s were dominated by suggestive sex sirens like Britney (THAT VMA's performance), the current crop of female songstresses are indulging in all out, undisguised, overt displays of sexuality- from bicurious/lesbian antics to leather clad S&M dominatrix looks. I'm not sure if it's the influence of the ever experimental and shocking Gaga or just the coincidence of having a generation of young females who have outgrown the good-girl Disney stereotype, but almost every music video features some sort of underwear themed clothing, sex inspired gyrating and girl on girl action. Whether this is to illicit a shocked or aroused response from viewers it is most certainly opening up debate on what people (men and women alike) feel is the appropriate way for women to dress and act. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for female empowerment and experimental dressing but at times it ends up looking both pathetically rebellious (Miley Cyrus kissing girls now?!), try hard (Christina's shameful 'Not myself tonight video') or just plain weird (Gaga's 'Alejandro'). I also think it is completely unnecessary for women to wear leather and fishnets in a bid to appear 'sexy' and appeal to their male (or female) fans. Nevertheless, there are women who have the balls and attitude to pull off such extreme looks without appearing fake or affected. Rihanna is such an example. From the well publicized case of domestic violence between her and Chris Brown to the emotional and heart rending interviews which followed, we are all well aware of Rihanna's strength and tenacity; therefore it doesn't seem wrong or unnecessary for her to present an image of herself as a powerful and dominating women. Plus from the extensive paparazzi coverage of Rihanna we know that she is extremely fashion forward and confident (but in a wearable manner, not the insane 'art' creations of the Haus of Gaga), so she can pull off provocative looks without them seeming like costumes. So here are the two latest videos documenting Rihanna's new image-Te Amo and Rockstar:

Fabric and flowers

On Friday I was sent out on a run to buy 20m of lace (for decorative, not constructive purposes) and ended up passing almost an hour on one stretch of road in Soho: Berwick Street. The central part of the road is closed off to traffic and filled with market stalls selling everything from fruit and veg to bags and hats, whilst the shops to the side are mostly fabric stores with an odd scattering of music stores (vinyl specialists), jewellery (studded goth style and Indian inspired) and antique lighting. Whilst my hunt for the perfect lace was unsuccessful I gave in to the overwhelming temptation of the flower stall and spent £10 on a beautiful bouquet of lilies.  When I have more time I shall most definitely go back for a more lengthy and in depth perusal of the fabric stores and also to buy more flowers- the girl infront of me bought an amazing bouquet of wild flowers with lavender, sunflowers and other foliage, all for a really reasonable price!

New Fashion Find

The blogging community has always astounded me with the breadth and variety of topics which are posted about and which blogs are centred around. My role at work, in the principle stages of each job, involves doing a lot of magazine and internet research to find appropriate imagery for creating reference boards for hair, make-up, art department, mood and location. On my extensive internet wanderings I have come across so many intriguing, unusual and strange blogs ranging from a blog about scottish highland terriers (written from the perspective of the dog), a blog about french baking (macaroons, croissants etc) and blogs which focus upon a specific aspect of fashion like shoes, themed dressing and french hip hop street style (montaignestreet ). I thought I had found a personal treasure trove when I stumbled across the blog dedicated to the Olsen twins' style (I posted about it last month), but then today as I was doing some internet research for my new tattoo I stumbled across a blog which is entirely dedicated to Freja!!! And unlike the Olsen blog it doesn't just feature photos of outfits but provides intelligent and insightful reports on editorials Freja has been in plus very up to date news on campaigns and catwalk shows which she will feature in in the future. So check it out and enjoy:

frejabeha 

Omg, breathe, just breathe...

Ok, so just when I think that I love Tom Ford the man, and the brand, to the utmost of my physical capability I witness these photos from the F/W 2010/11 ad campaign. I had expected that after the success of A Single Man and his role in the Tom Ford eyewear campaign that Nicholas Hoult would resurface, as he has, looking more dashing and gentlemanly than ever, but THEN enters possibly one of my favorite models of the moment (maybe joint second with Abbey Lee Kershaw after Erin Wasson) FREJA!!! If you've followed my blog from the start of this year you will have read about my love of Freja's androgynous, moody, tattooed self and my hopes that she would be used in more high profile campaigns after last years fabulous Gucci ads, as she has with her roles in Chanel ads and catwalks. So here the gorgeous twosome are in all their glamorous, luxurious, feathered glory...

These images are pure drama and concentrated beauty. Sensuous and provocative yet strangely classic and simultaneously unusual. I have yet to find out specific details of photographer, stylist etc but when I do rest assured their talent shall not go unmentioned.

Express Yourself

There are a lot of things that were wrong with the 80s. Style wise the power suits were probably the worst. But in my eyes the best thing was Madonna; specifically her costumes for the Virgin Tour. Subtle these looks were not. It was all about excessive layering of both clothes and jewelry and a heck of a lot of attitude. No one epitomized and exuded the ethos of 80s dominant femininity and sexuality better than Madonna through her well documented image reinvention. As the Madonna themed Glee episode proved we are still just as in love with her image and her songs as ever and still find her an empowering role model for men and women alike.

I was feeling in a bit of an 80s mood today so threw on some leggings with my black and white print Madonna tshirt; hair in a side plait with my current favorite accessory- the panama hat. As I drove into the train station I had the Immaculate Collection playing at top volume through my car speakers and nothing has ever got me in such a good mood!! So in honor of the Queen of Pop and my ever-growing fascination with her 80s songs and outfits here are some of my favorite looks from that period:

Into the Groove and Cherish (along with the later song Frozen) will forever remain my favorite Madonna songs and in my top 10/20 songs of all time.

Lace and Leather

I have always loved Taylor Momsen. I enjoy her grunge slut style whilst agreeing with those who question how appropriate her overtly provocative image is considering she is only a teen. I am always amused to see each concoction of vintage lingerie and torn tights worn with skyscraper black heels and her customary raccoon eyes- at least she's being different and not wearing the uniform of jeans and uggs which most Disney tween princesses live in. Whilst I genuinely enjoy her music and appreciate her skills as a song writer the only thing that I question is her arrogance. In multiple television and magazine interviews Momsen takes credit for being not just the driving force but the sole visionary and creator of her band. This may be true. It could well be that she, alone, writes, sings, plays and produces all of her songs, but if this is the case then don't call yourself a band. You are a solo artist. It is fairly obvious from all the coverage of the band that Momsen is, for all intents and purposes, the only person in it. The cover of the EP and all promotional posters feature only her; the band's facebook page only features her picture and on their website the majority of images feature Momsen alone. So here we have it- The Pretty Reckless- aka Taylor Momsen and some long haired, black clad, older musicians.

I still love her though.

I LOVE YOU TOM FORD.

I think I may have become obsessed with Tom Ford. Tom Ford the man and Tom Ford the brand; both are equally as seductive and appealing.

Tom Ford the brand: the iconic scents, sunglasses, clothes and now a range of fabulously glamorous lipsticks.

Tom Ford the man with his open neck shirts, shadow of stubble and alluringly strong gaze.

Tom Ford the designer of sharp and sleek clothes for Gucci and his own brand.

Tom Ford the advertising whizz who knew how to make sex sell without ever appearing either seedy, misogynistic or pornographic. Always controversial. Always successful.

Then there is the most recent metamorphosis. Tom Ford the director of a beautiful and shockingly moving film about love, life and all that comes in between.

When I was in the V&A bookstore yesterday spending forever gazing at the shelves of volumes on fashion and textiles, imagining my dream bookshelf in my new flat....sigh....I stumbled across two very interesting books. The first 'Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion' by Sarah Mower is a fairly comprehensive account of the women behind the scenes of the fashion industry including notable figures like Grace Coddington, but also Carine Roitfeld. I don't think I ever stopped to wonder what it was that Carine did before becoming Paris Vogue's editor. Apparently she collaborated with Tom Ford on his campaigns for Gucci!! So without a doubt definitely an educational book for those who are interested in styling. The second book doesn't really require much to be said about it: 'Tom Ford: Ten Years' by Graydon Carter and Bridget Foley. It's pretty much a comprehensive portfolio of images documenting, surprisingly, a decade of Tom Ford's career. It's top of my birthday list.

I shall leave you with a video from Tom Ford's official website which features photos of the man himself and images from his most iconic ad campaigns:

http://www.tomford.com/#/en/thebrand/video?id=0

An afternoon jaunt to the V&A

Well, completely out of the blue I ended up going on an impromptu gallery visit this afternoon!! Work wasn't very busy and although I had the offer of going straight home I already had plans to stay the night in London and go out for dinner with my new housemates Helen and Eleanor. So I thought I would be productive and fill up my time by checking out one of the many exhibits in London which have been on my 'Must See' list for a while. The obvious choice was the Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibit at the V&A which is only 6 stops down the Picadilly line from where I'm working in Covent Garden. Now, as amazing as it was to be able to pass some hours looking at fabulous clothes and other interesting artifacts I was incredibly disappointed that as I didn't know I would be going I didn't have either of my cameras with me. So unfortunately I had to rely on the less than adequate camera on my iphone to document the visit. It seemed fairly pointless to photograph any of the Grace Kelly dresses, jewellery, bags and sunglasses with such a terrible camera as, even with a great lens, taking photos of such exquisite things through glass casing never turns out so well. So, as I had an hour to just stroll around the rest of the V&A's collection I took quick snaps of other items which caught my eye...

The bookstore in the V&A is killer for anyone who loves books and/or art/fashion. I must have spent about 20 minutes alone just looking at what was on offer in the fashion and textiles section and made a list about ten books long of things I want to buy. It seems like my shopping ban may not last so long after all. Although technically these books would be educational...