grab a marker

this weekend, lets all customise a white tee shirt?

holidays are coming

Magazine: Marie Claire Italia March 2009

Editorial: Trancoso – Brasile 20/11/2008

Photographer: David Bellemere

Models: Tiiu Kuik & Michelle Buswell

spring is in the air today; there is that beautiful sunny haziness, the kind that gets you through winter just thinking about it.

I'm wearing a big striped breton sweater, a super short skirt and plimsolls.

my friend said I look like I should be on the french riviera.

I wish I was!

falling in

This time tomorrow I'll be in Love.

Put your hands up if you're squealing with excitement about tomorrow as the launch day for Katie Grand's Love Magazine?

being young

just pounding the sunny streets with five pairs of sunglasses in the bag, some bubblegum in the mouth, a cigarette in the hand and a juicy burger on the mind.

Elle Italia
November 2008
"LA Woman" with Shelby Keeton
By Michael Evanet

fotodecadent

watching a model in motion

happy saturday!

a video of an editorial being shot is like gold dust. there is something quite mesmerising about watching an established model mould her body into pose after pose, making it look so seemingly easy. yet simultaneously proving that you have to have an imagination with the capacity of eternity to produce something that actually looks good.

in this case, it's lily donaldson modelling a hoard of SS09 pieces for V Magazine; balenciaga, margiela and the like, so all look sculpted in a pleasingly simple way.

the shoot was for the v's feburary issue, and SHOWstudio.com, which photographer Nick Knight is Director of, has dedicated a project, which is deliciously time consumming and shows the filming and behind the scenes of the editorial. you can find each of the looks broken down, as well as interviews with Nick Knight, Lily Donaldson, Sam McKnight and those involved.

click here for the time portal of a page; it'll swallow up your time!

the fantastic fantastic music is Paris - Friendly Fires ft Au Revoir Simone. Aeroplane remix. cue the sound of a thousand fingers hitting the download button!

Industry Insider; Taylor Tomasi

My ears prick up and I go hawk-eyed when contributors or the fashion elite start talking about their jobs. It's the same nosily intrigued reaction that has me drooling over stranger's houses...

Taylor Tomasi, walking style inspiration and Accessories Director at Teen Vogue, talks to teenvogue.com about her job, and shares plenty of insight.

I am always on the lookout for cool, interesting accessories to include in the magazine. I attend all the major fashion shows in New York and Europe, which is where I spot new trends and come up with story ideas. Outside of Fashion Week, a typical day starts early, as I jump between showrooms to pick out all the accessories used in our photo shoots. I have an average of 15 to 20 appointments per day and pull anywhere from 200 to 300 accessories for each shoot. I head back to the office in the afternoon to sign off on paperwork, check credits for stories, organize accessories that have come in, and work with the stylists on upcoming shoots.

I have a Bachelor of Industrial Design degree from Pratt Institute. My first internship was at W magazine, in the accessories department, which led to a full-time position. I eventually became the fashion-market editor there and assisted Alex White, Fashion Director of W, on all her shoots, which really helped me to understand the full scope of market work. Then I became the senior fashion editor at Teen Vogue, before finally switching back to accessories.

My best tip for jump-starting a career in fashion is to take an internship very seriously—and if you love where you are working, try to stay there as long as possible. Showing initiative may lead to something more. Working in fashion, however, is not always as glamorous as what you see on television. It's a very demanding, high-stress environment—but if you thrive under pressure, it may be the perfect fit for you.

lara by night

the images continue to slowly trickle from the February issue of Paris Vogue onto the internet.

pics, hedi slimane fashion diary

laralara

One of the outtakes from "lara stone noire fiction", photographed by Steven Klein in the February issue of Paris Vogue.

It's a shame that it wasn't included in the final issue, as I think that it is one of the strongest from the Klein story. The others look a little cliched (by Paris Vogue standards, of course) and don't have much charm. You can see some of these images here.

bated breath for the september issue

Two minute clip with RJ Cutler and Anna Wintour

This weekend sees the premiere screening of "The September Issue" at Sundance Film Festival. The documentary, is the outcome of eight months of filming at 4 Times Square and focuses on the production of the September issue back in 2007. (You may remember it from the cover which saw Sienna Miller with slicked back hair and superdark eyebrows.. it gathered a bit of a negative reaction at the time, If I rememeber correctly.)

For all of the Wintour bashing that makes up a good fraction of the archives on this blog, I must admit I'm very curious to see this. The frustration at the absence of inspiring editorials and the seeming lack of fashion forward content often makes me forget Anna's importance within the fashion industry. Though it may be easy to question how on earth her influence can still be relevant in an age where the likes of France Sozzani (who incidentally has edited Vogue for as long as Wintour has, and yet still manages to keep up with the mood of modern fashion and society) Carine Roitfled are steaming ahead and editing much more cutting edge international editions, they are arguably able to get away with more when they have a smaller circulation and therefore less of a reliance on the approval of advertisers. As much as we may disapprove an issue for it's unoriginal content, it must be a tricky balancing act for editor in chief, to 'people-please' both the readers, advertisers and still stay true their indiviual creative aesthetics.

I'm interested to know what Anna's reasons were for allowing the team, led by Director RJ Cutler to film for such a long period of time; in total 300 hours of footage has been produced. It seems out of character for the famously icy editor and Cutler himself claims that Vogue fashion director Grace Coddington was originally less than welcoming to towards them.

sexysweaty summer

Pop Magazine AW03
A Long Day's Journey Into Night
Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Amber Valletta, Daria Werbory, Elise Crombez & Polina Kouklina

I cannot wait for the sun.

old lara stone

old ellegirl netherlands

and the award for coolest accessories editorial goes to..

jalouse magazine with their "caricatures" story.

In my magazine-flicking list of priorities, accessories come just after the beauty section. I yawn upon reading about the top 10 facemasks on the market or that big eyebrows are back (oh, are they? well, mine look like the B List version of Ali Michael's all year round!..) and promptly see what else can amuse me. The accessories section generally fairs slightly better, and depending on the magazine, I'm always vaguely interested to see how this slightly dull realm has been jazzed up thanks to it's presentation.

Teen Vogue is a bit of a master at this; they have the ability to make you forget the $11,000 price tag of a single earring or a deliciously glossy heel by taking each accessory on a journey through Paris, or a similarly novel adventure. It's evidence that Accessories Director Taylor Tomasi is far more than show season candy.

Jalouse Magazine has taken a leaf out of the "humorous impersonation" book which has been a template used by a few magazines including Harpers for that Simpsons editorial back in 2006 and also the editorial (the magazine slips my mind..) that saw young children doing their best impressions of fashion designers as donatella, karl and co.

This time it is Vanessa Paradis, identified by her gap teeth wearing a head to toe pattern identical to that worn in her Miu Miu adverts as well as Marc Jacobs who is clutching a self help book cheekily titled "How to turn your addiction to presciption drugs".

The characters which have been fashioned out of balloons in popping bright colours are as enviable as they are cool.. just look at the overflowing piles of accessories carefully concealed within their forms. Well well,

Jalouse, we salute you!

images, fashionista

BACK ASAP!

I get all twitchy and aggravated when I'm not able to update the blog.

back asap, i promise!

ps, did you see the lara stone paris vogue cover has been sneakily revealed (we love you, aby at tfs!) i'm just sillyexcited about seeing the insides..

cool cat

uhh, hands up if it's "back to school" tomorrow?

whether it's work, college, school.. one things for certain, it's not under the duvet or in front of the tv.

god knows how i'm going to do this.

better get my head down with all those last minute essays.

happy sunday, everyone!

will this be the last post of 2008?

..quite possibly. for I am working for the next two days and with evening plans and new years eve to throw into the equation, i don't see when i'll have the chance to blog over the next two days.

alas, there was so much i wanted to do to see out the new year.. but i promise i shall share what i got present-wise (it is tedious, and i promise i wouldn't if some of you hadn't seemed genuinely interested, he!) when i get back online.

have a great NYE, remember (because i'm as guilty of this).. don't build it into some perfect dream night it isn't. slip on your favourite heels and dance out, sip champagne at home, or devour mugs of hot chocolate in a mate's freezing garden shed. it is after all, just a night like any other, but with a little extra.

happy new year!

ps, i just rediscovered an old favourite song. it's lovely and anti-romance in a very, well, romantic way.

22: the death of all the romance by the dears.. click here

advent season; day twelve; magazines, you make the world go round

i have une question..



now that it's december and we have whole years worth of fantastic fashion editorials behind us, which have been your favourites?

maybe one of the million lara stone editorials in paris vogue?
the jalouse hipsters of nyc?
or how about one of the scruffy tomboy erin wasson eds that cemented our love for her?

of course there are far too many to name and these are by no means incredibly stand out ones.. those will have to wait for another post!

pic, italia vogue december 2008

advent season: day nine, fairytale of new york

this weekend my door had a makeover with a lick or two of blackboard paint, and if anyone finds themselves pottering past a hardware store, i urge you to dash inside and get a tin yourself as it's the most had I've had since.. well, since I was last messing about with a chalk and blackboard aged 5.

the nyc skyline started off as a little "fantasy" view and an incentive to keep chucking fivers into my new york savings pot, but i thought a seasonal reference was a must and so it's a little tribute to one of the best of the christmas songs, "fairytale of new york" by the pogues and kirsty mccall.



and for added new york spirit, take a peek at this old paris vogue editorial.
from way back in 2001, the year that carine roitfeld started as editor-in-chief.
when i look at these images, i feel like i can feel the buzz of the streets and to me the images remind me of that "first time in the big city" excitement.
let's close our eyes and imagine standing on a street corner downtown with a bunch of friends, balloons and bubbly cheering in the new year. because wouldn't that be the perfect way to welcome 2009?

advent season: day six, winter wears

VOGUE NIPPON
Missy Rayder
Styled by Camilla Bidault-Waddington



and the biting cold continues.
let's not leave our houses until the january sales!

but if you do, I recommend a high collared cocoon coat ala this vogue nippon editorial. i have mine in deep purple.

i'm curious to know what shapes you're all rocking in the coat department this winter?*

*and to those guys in the southern hemisphere, apologies for seasonal discrimination! you could tell us about your swimwear but I think you'd make us all too jealous..

advent season: day one nativity scene

"And it came to pass, as the Angels were gone away from them into heaven, the fashion assistants muttered in excited tones, mario stopped clicking and lara put out her cigarette. Emmanuelle stopped, looking at each and every one of them and said "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and to Carine, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." And so they ran, with their Balenciaga stilettos clacking, and their hair blowing in the night breeze, and mario and lara giggling along the way."

I'm not religious. But if I was, I would preach the Carine faith. The Nativity, French Vogue style.

pic my own, please credit if you use it, it took bloody hours to create! haa.

he said, she said

scott schuman; "I love that Carine is always happy to stop and talk or have her picture taken with her fans. Carine shows a genuine interest - Carine asked this young lady where she was from. The girl walked away just beaming."


pic and text from the sartorialist

carine, i ♥ you