Seeing Red

Garment and head piece by Lucy Lee

I am seeing red- or at least I will be very shortly. I have a great collaboration in the pipeline with some fabulous talent, enviable forward thinking and fresh designs.

Up and coming Fashion Designer Lucy Lee is currently working very hard and extremely secretively on her final graduate collection which is being much awaited with an abundance of anticipation. Lee has once again assembled the skilled Photographer Jessica Wright and myself to aid her in capturing her visions of/for this latest collection (and last collection as a student, before bigger and better things beckon!). So I offer you a snap shot photograph of this powerful and undoubtly triumphant collection. To tantalise, spark and ignite your creativity and curiosity. 

Intrigued yet? You should be...

H U N G E R

Image not my own.

Let's just take a moment and inhale Abbey Clancy in all her glory, especially as this creature of beauty graces the pages of Rankin's Hunger Magazine for the 4th Girls, Girls, Girls edition. Posed in shapes that are aesthetically simplistic but physically complex, utilising and displaying the carved sculpturesque body which Clancy strives to possess. Her bodies only adornment and decoration is in the form of SS13's hottest shoes as well as a slick of make up across her flawless face. Confronting the nude photo shoot with air of fearless confidence which clearly conveys from the images to the Hunger Magazine's audience.

Images not my own.

Showcasing her impeccable model attributes within Rankin's biannual magazine, it is imperative for you to buy a copy and almost certainly a sin if you do not. The Girls, Girls, Girls edition is available now!

Image not my own.

Khai Khai

Image not my own- Leandra Medine wearing Khai Khai jewellery

This Monday's post is here just to spotlight a relatively new jewellery brand. Thrust into fame by Leandra Medine aka The Man Repeller who is the face of the brand as well as Khai Khai's founder Haim Medine, yes Leandra's brother! Fashion, style and all things coveted really must run through this families genetics.

Image not my own. @&?

Khai Khai offers a chic (and expensive) way to add the much needed humour and tongue in cheek attitude to a world full of oh so serious fashion. The shimmer of the jewellery is simplistic and understated due to the dainty and polite nature of the jewellery and it size. This creates an illusion of naked and understated accessorising; by naked I'm referring once again to the small, slight nature of the Khai Khai collection- you only notice it when the piece glints in the sunlight. This nakedness of accessories is what draws me to the brand and makes it stand out in what sometimes is a sea of big and bold statements. However do not begin to think that Khai Khai is bland; the fruity choices of words, symbols and creatures which are born from clustered diamonds bring edge and contemporary attitude to the brand. 

Image not my own- LOVE.

No doubt when my bank balance permits i will find no reason to not invest in one of Khai Khai's glittering delights but until i can afford that why don't you check out the Khai Khai Jewellery website.

Click here for Khai Khai

Lillesden House

Lillesden House

Earlier in the week i took part in an amazing photo shoot as a Creative Director and i cannot go any longer with out sharing this information with you and offering you a sneaky peaky insight into it.

The photo shoot was a reshoot of an old collection for up and coming Fashion Designer Lucy Lee. The collection was her first six piece graduate collection from the first part of her degree, inspired by the subculture of Steam Punk. The shoot team consisted of all young and incredible talent including Photographer, Model, and Designer.

The shoot took place at Lillesden House, historical, derelict and outstanding in beauty of both architecture and of the grounds. Once an all girls boarding school this magnificent and clearly once luxurious piece of architecture creates it's own presence and aura hailing from its unfortunate past. Offering a mysteriously eery and entrancing atmosphere it is no wonder this location was chosen for the shoot and it is obvious as to why it compliments Lee's collection so perfectly. The deconstructed nature of this saddened building, crumbling in plain sight- juxtaposed against the heavily structured garments but drawing parallels from the heavily gothic architecture to the Steam Punk subculture; as well as the grandeur and commanding disposition of the garments in relation to Lilesden House.

I didn't manage to get many behind the scene shots as the day was run on a tight schedule and was extremely busy but here is what i can show you:

Please stay tuned for more updates on the shoot from behind the scene photographs, the final edit and future collaboration with Lucy Lee! 

Check out Lucy's blog!

Check out Jess's photography!

The Main Part

If you were left a little miffed by Friday's post, this is the post that will clarify all those vague and fairly mysterious comments that i made. 

When the weekend arrives it seems to cause a frenzy amongst girls, women, ladies- anyone in fact. The trials of choosing outfits, shoes, accessories; endless photographs are taken, sent and shown to girlfriends and fellow peers. Research and countless testing of smokey eyes and flicked eyeliner is applied. Experimental hairstyles and even more experimental nail art. The frantic exfoliating, painful waxing, shaving or perhaps epilating. The monotonous task of tanning- the trickiest of all. The All this drama surrounding one night, just another day of the week it makes me wonder- why do we try so hard or even bother, whether we admit to how much effort we actually put in or not?

Putting ourselves under so much pressure for just a few hours in most likely a damp and drizzly location somewhere in the forever chilly England. When exactly did the thought of a Friday or Saturday night brainwash us into a superficial state, obsessed with appearance in order to have a good time. The question, one might contest should even be: who created these completely abnormal constructs from which we learn and act upon from?

This post as you may have gathered by now is entirely subjective, i am not here to provide an answer for i actually do not have one. It is just a post for me to air and articulate my thoughts and perhaps provoke yours.

The Intro

Just a little post today to hopefully put smiles on faces that have endured long and stressful weeks and are welcoming the weekend with all the style and chicness they can muster. As i too, am currently in this constructed world of fashion and beauty which encapsulates all the necessary prepping and preening for a weekend ahead. This post had to be short and on Sunday there will be a follow up post detailing and exploring the themes which i have implanted into this small piece of text and have discovered lies within this fabulous Rebecca Minkoff and Leandra Medine video.

So enjoy and i look forward to seeing you here on Sunday night for a deserved explanation of what exactly it is that i am waffling on about (rather mysteriously) here!

Céline Céline

Every now and then i cannot possibly help myself but indulge in luxuries, luxuries i see as an investment- even to the the dismay of others around me. This however was an unexpected treat for myself. 

I have limited money for many reasons, being a student is probably the biggest problem concerning my ever empty purse. The past few months i have been trying to save and to bore you of a long and perhaps even slightly pointless story- i have enough £££££ to afford myself one deserving gift. So while browsing through many online slices of heaven, i don't know how and i do not know why but i clicked Tkmaxx from a search engine result. A risky click of the mouse but a huge surprise once on their online store. A perfect pair of summer sandals and imprinted into the leather sole were the most beautiful concoction of letters, to make an even more exquisite word- Céline.

Smooth wood, rich tan leather, chunky wrap around ankle strap and gold studs. The excellence and the supreme nature of style which embodies Céline is personified within these shoes. 

I can hear the cries of all those fash-head snobs "Eeek last season!" but i do not care if they are last season, last year or even four years old. The fact remains they are an investment, a timeless classic (which does get repeated most seasons), as well as being birthed from a timeless brand which will no doubt continue to soar higher and larger into the fashion industry. Another factor which made these Céline shoes too damn hard to turn down- price. Often an unforgiving and ruthless beast of the fashion industry however due to the fact that these shoes were from last summer i got an amazing £341.00 saving on them!

I just simply had to introduce my new Céline babies to the world it's a short and sweet insight into my love for them. Please stay tuned to see them crop up into an OOTD post!

Thank you Céline. Thank you Tkmaxx. Thank you to the money-saving part of my brain.