Catch up

Right so I have neglected this bad boy for the last few weeks - not cool. I've been up to quite allot, working on editorial and test shoots, live shows.. and the lovely London Fashion week.  So I've got allot to chat about but for now I've been catching up on life.

I'll be updating over the next few days :) and hopefully I'll have some images from a recent shoot to share...

xx

Madame Tussauds....

First off.... Apologies for the lack of post lately... but I've been doing allot of life admin, emailing, begging, networking - trying to get some experience under my belt. Nothing too blog worthy BUT with the new year comes new opportunities. 

I am very fortunate to have some amazing friends with some amazing contacts! A good friend of mine works for the company that owns Madame Tussauds and very kindly put me in touch with their wardrobe department... sadly they didn't have any positions available but I was offered a chance to come in a shadow them for a week at the London Attraction to get some experience and insight of the world of costume and wardrobe. 

Quickly... for those of you unfamilar with Madame Tussauds, it is a wax museum - and the original one at that. Filled with figurings of celebs, royals, presidents.. etc etc

Anyways...  Currently being unemployed - It is the best time for me to take up work experience (which in turn should get me a job..) so I agreed to do a week with the company. 

I started this past Monday - bright an early at 7:30am. And was introduced to the team. The department consist of the Wardrobe team who are responsible for the costumes, repairs, alterations etc. Colour Team: touch ups to the figures, repairs to the wax work, and the Hair team: ensuring all the figures are styled and clean. 

The day starts with the team walking through the whole attraction, ensure all the figures are styled correctly, intact, clean, dusted etc. This takes about 2 hours as it often involves quick repairs (Sewing buttons, changing tights etc) and sometimes there are full costume changes for those who are looking less than fresh.  

after this we brief for the day, find out who is working on what figures and then we start our prep for the next day. Repairing costumes, dry cleaning, steaming, washing, sewing... the works. 

On Monday after our walk through I was given my first job, repairing shirley Bassey's dress. Shirly's dress is a floor length gown made completely of beads... and as up to 13,000 people go through the attraction on any given day - it gets allot of love... leading to it needing to be repaired a couple times a year. 

So I began the task of sewing on more beads... and repairing weak fabric...

Shirley Bassey's Dress in the midst of repairs

It took me a good two afternoons to make sure the dress was up to standard, but in the end it was looking  fresh and full.

The dress complete... unfortunately Shirley's figure was still being touched up by the colour team so I couldn't get a shot of her in it.

Right so my first task was complete... The rest of the week followed the same format. Each morning we would do a walk through for maintenance then followed by a brief of the day, a prep for tomorrow, and then any repairs that were necessary.

After Shirley was complete, I then moved onto repairing Christina Aguilera's dress. Whilst on a walk through we noticed a hole in the bust of her dress which needed to be fixed immediately.  So after a quick change of costume.. I began my repairs on the dress..  This one was pretty much the same repairs/alterations I was doing on Shirley's costume, however allot less complex and allot lighter! I ended up only needing one afternoon to complete it.. and we had Christina back in her dress.

Repairing the bust of Christina Aguilera's dress

Close up of the detail

Christina Aguilera's Wax figure in the attraction after repairs

The rest of the week I spent doing odd jobs, helping the wardrobe team anyway I could. Ironing shirts, changing costumes. A few minor repairs.. sewing a button on to King Henry's Jacket, stitching a hole in Liza Mineli's trousers... and replacing the elastic in David Beckham's shorts... ya know nothing out that normal ;)

I was very fortunate enough to be asked back for an additional week - in which I plan on doing in the future, as I have a few prior commitments for this week...... however there is a possibility I may go do a week's interning at the head studios' in Acton. This is where all the figures are made and styled from the begining. Interest stuff.

I had a wicked week in the department and it's a shame it's not a full time thing - however I am very grateful for the experience - I've learned allot more about caring for items of clothing and repairs... all which will help me get further I am sure.

I have a few more things lined up for this month... so definitely more updates on the way :)

Vidal Sassoon Photoshoot

It's about 8:30 on Wednesday when I finally stroll into my flat..... Some of the girls from the course and I went out to dinner after our last class to celebrate qualifying. When I was out... my phone died.  I didn't think anything of this.... I didn't need to get ahold of anyone, all my work was done, plus I'd be home soon...

When I finally got some juice in my phone it went nuts, I had about 4 missed calls, 3 voice mails and an email all pop up at once. Well this was a bit odd.... I check my email quickly and the subject line just reads:

 VIDAL SASSOON STYLING JOB TOMORROW.

When I read the rest of the email I realised it was from Wendy and she had been desperately trying to get ahold of me for the last hour - and I had 10 minutes to get back to her or she had to offer it to someone else. I figured she had already passed it on but when I rang her she immediately picked up the phone and just said 'Thank god you've finally answered your phone'. 

Basically she had a phone call from a contact who urgently needed an assistant stylist to help out on a photo shoot for Vidal Sassoon at the academy in Knightsbridge.... and she wanted to offer me the job, and would I be up for it........ Uh hello yes! Not even a question, of course I accepted. 

Wendy gave me a quick brief and some advice and tips for the day - really helpful as usual. Then later in the evening both the photographer and the head stylist got in contact with me about the shoot. While it wasn't a paid job - my expenses were covered. Happy days. 

After already on a massive high from all the great feedback and celebrations - I was now on another planet. I forced myself to get some sleep as I had a call time of 830....

8:30 on the dot I was outside Vidal Sassoon..... Bright eyed and bushy tailed I was the first one on set, but everyone else arrived moments after. When Amy (The stylist) arrived.. we got straight to work. As the location of the shoot had changed last minute we were missing a few things... hangers, rails etc... so we were a bit hard pressed for space and had to make do with what we could find in the salon. 

Vidal Sassoon Academy Knightsbridge

The day started with organising all the clothes, getting them hung up, ironed, steamed etc and grouping them by outfits so we could present the models with a number of choices. The shoot was show casing all of the recent Vidal Sassoon graduates work. Amy was given a brief that all the clothes should be black and white and fit into the following categories: Sporty, Sexy, and Androgynous.

This was my first live job, I mean I had had experience within the course doing photo shoots etc - but this was my first chance to compare and they really prepared us for what to expect. Nothing shocked me or surprised me. I just tried to be as helpful as possible. Amy had put in all of the work before hand, sourcing the clothes, coming up with the looks etc... and it was my job to be a second pair of eyes.. and help out where I could. 

I ran a few errands, went to TopShop and begged them for about 100 hangers - which they happily obliged and even stopped by Amy's flat to pick up a delivery of more clothes from ASOS that hadn't arrived for the shoot in time. But it was really fun... I got to give my input where needed and stood in on a few of the shots monitoring the looks and making sure everything was in place. 

Amy working her magic on a female model

In this industry it isn't uncommon to come across people that are difficult to work with - but luckily on this shoot.. my first one, I had the best experience possible. Everyone was so nice and very humble. These are all very talented people and they were all super friendly and helpful.

At the end of our 12 hour day we finally finished. All that was left was to sort out all the clothes... which was not an easy task. Amy had spent about 2,000 on clothes and we had to go through and check off hundreds of items, making sure that every item on the receipt was there as it was all being returned the next day. 

I exchanged numbers and emails with a few people, and parted ways for the day. 

I made some really good contacts and hopefully will be working with both the photographer and stylist again soon - whether it's on a test shoot building looks for my portfolio, or assisting Amy again for other shoots. 

It was so unexpected to get a job this quickly.... but it was great, it has given me that last boost I needed to really realised how much I want this - and how much I need to keep at it so I can make it in the industry.

So until the next adventure.... :) 

Officially a Stylist.

It's hard to believe that I started this year in Bournemouth, sat behind a desk of a job that just wasn't me.... and as I enter 2012.. I live in London, finally doing something I love. 

After 3 months of Mood boards, assignments, personal shopping, museum exhibitions, photo shoots, blog entries, articles, and one fabulous runway show - I can officially call myself a stylist.

This past Wednesday was my last day on the course. I have massive mixed emotions about this. On one hand I am happy to be qualified as it mean I can finally get out into the industry and start to make a name for myself.. and on another hand I have been having so much fun the past 12 weeks - I can't imagine it ending.  From the other girls on the course to my lecturers, I met some amazing people.... we became like a little fashion family and it's sad to think I won't be guaranteed to see them once a week.

Our last class was pretty chilled out - we started by going over everyones portfolios. Everyone laid their work out on a tabel and we got a chance to see everyones final images from our photo shoots. Pretty amazing to see how creative some of the girls are... and how much they have grown from their first to their last image... and I was really happy with mine in the end.  I've got 4 really strong images to start with. 

The rest of the morning we spent having final classes with our guest lecturers from over the past few months. They gave us contacts, advice, and final tips about making it in this industry and then after lunch, it was time for our final individual assessments. 

Although I pretty much knew what my final grade would be... I was still a bit nervous for my one on one. However as soon I walked in the room that all ended, I had become so close with both my lecturers Wendy & Jim - that it was just like any other conversation. 

My assessment could not have gone any better. It was essentially a recap of all my marks and feedback on how I did on all of the assignments and live jobs (our photo shoots, runways show etc..) through the course and they said some really lovely things about me. I got quite emotional half way through and like the massive geek that I am started crying. I don't know why... perhaps it was overwhelming hearing someone say all those nice things combined with the come down from all the hard work and stress. Regardless I cried - lame.  But they seemed to think it was endearing... and nice to see how much I loved the course - so I guess not so lame in the end.

They also gave me feedback on which area of styling I would be best suited to... my strongest areas (according to them...) seem to be Fashion Writing, Personal Styling, and Fashion Show Styling......  any of which I would be happy to do for a living.  But at this stage I still don't know what area I'd like to stick to. I'll probably dabble in a bit of everything... film, editorial, live shows etc.. till I find my niche and run with it.  I really enjoy it all - so it is hard to pick just one.

we said our goodbyes and I went to wait for the rest of the girls while they had their one and one assessments...... (I think I scared them a bit as when I came out I cried a bit again haha). 

At the end of the day my fellow fashion homies and I went for a celebratory dinner - and drinks to enjoy our new found titles in the industry..... 

But as sad as it may be that the course has ended, I know that things are only just beginning. The college has an amazing relationship with the alumni students, always staying in contacts, offering internships and providing job opportunities..... so in the end it isn't really goodbye, more of a see ya later.....

So now it is up to me - to get out there, network, and make a name for myself. Wendy's final advice to me was 'Be patient because it won't happen over night, but it will happen for you'. 

Watch this space :)

My Diploma

Final Editorial shoot: Brit PoP!

So as the weeks fly by we are coming to the end of the course (massive sad face) and yesterday we had our final editorial photo shoot.

This time the brief was Brit Pop... however it was modern brit pop, so taking influences from the pioneers... oasis, blur, pulp (amongst other 90's gems) and taking a modern spin on it ala Lily Allen, La Roux, Marina & The Diamonds etc...  It was a chance to have fun, and be avante garde.

I knew from my experience on the last shoot that I needed to amp up my game big time... I wanted to show my personality and prove that I am allot more creative.

I started out doing some research, looking up images, flipping through endless amounts of magazines and in the end I found a strong influence in British Hot Babes Agyness Deyn and VV Brown. There style was quirky, bright, fun and everything I wanted my shoot to be.

SO now it was time to put my ideas into something real... Once again I began trolling the shops.. from vintage to charity and even back to my favourite haunt: Oxford Street.

I find that often I get inspiration from one item... The trick for me is finding one item that I absolutely love and then building the rest of the look around that one key piece. After a few weeks of searching I found my start item; this little bad boy from TopShop:

 

Yes, it may be a swimsuit - but it is not just that. It is amazing! From the print to the colour - it is all around great, and a good strong piece that would pop ! Plus I didn't plan on using it a swimwear capacity... I planned on using as a bodysuit, pairing it with some disco pants, or a skirt.

So a week before the shoot we had our developmental reviews as per usual and I was feeling really good about the items I had. After speaking to my lecturers Wendy & Dan.. I had an even clearer idea of what look I was going for... all that was left to do was go out and create it

In the end I had come up with the idea to make a skirt similar to the Pink PVC number VV Brown is wearing in the above picture... but put my own spin on it. I scoured the fabric shops of Berwick street only to be broken hearted when I found out High gloss PVC Vinyl runs at 17 pounds per metre... a little out of my price range.  Luckily a last minute trip to brick lane saved my life - and I got a shiny waterproof material for a nice 4 pound per metre. Once completed I jazzed up the waistband by sewing alphabet fridge magnets to give it some fun and colour.

The next week I spent sewing and creating my look... with a few late night trips to Oxford Street for Accessories, and shoes I had completed my look - and feeling confident this time around.

Wednesday aka final shoot day rolls around and I lug my jumbo skirt (which has now been stuffed with newspaper to make it pouffy) on the tube only to be greeted with odd stares from fellow passengers. I arrive at the studio, make some last minute alterations and finally the time comes for me to get my model ready.

I had the lovely Mel who we worked with before at Britain and Irelands Next Top Model wearing my outfit and she looked amazing - like a barbie. You never are quite sure if your outfit will look how it does in your head... this time around it was better than I thought.

My Brit Pop Look

It's all in the detail... hiding labels, arranging jewellery...

Making last minute adjustments..... not my best look but Mel looks hot.

Taking a step back and comparing the two photo shoots.. this one was allot more relaxed and ran very smooth. I felt more confident and that I had a clearer idea of what I wanted my outfit and images to look like. I definitely feel like I have grown creatively in a massive massive way.

So now we are down to the final two classes... which breaks my heart to even say as I literally love the class so much it hurts!

My next blog will probably be about how I made a tit of myself on the last day.. crying my eyes out in a beer...... 'I love you guys sooooooo much'.

haha until next time :)

Omg.. Shoes. Let's get em!

For those of you who get the reference of the this post title - I couldn't help myself.

On this lovely little course of mine we quite often have to customise and item of clothing as an assignment. For our 3rd customising assignment we were given the task of jazzin' up a pair of shoes.

I was actually really excited about this, because for the runway show I had already planned on customising the shoes my female model was going to wear - they were actually going to be a major staple in my outfit's concept.

I headed down to good ol' Primarni and picked up a cheap pair of shoes that I could work my magic on. I opted for a pair of 5 inch black velvet heels with a extra high hidden platform. Just what I was after.

I had a pretty clear idea of how I wanted the shoes to look. As my outfits in the show were a bit 'gothic glam' as I like to call it - I wanted the shoes to feel the same way.

I had this vision in my head of covering the shoes in a mix of gold and silver studs & spikes. So doing some googling, I found a great little website that sells every kind of studs and spikes under the sun. From Pyramid to dome - you want it they have got it.

I order a shit ton of studs,  ( I was also using a large majority on the jacket...) so the lovely man at 'Studs and Punks' gave me a discount for placing such a large order.

They arrived the next day and I got to work... several hours, tubes of super glue, puncturing and a few curse words later...... my masterpiece was complete!

In the end I was very pleased with these bad boys! They looked epic with the female out fit and they got loads of attention during the show. I had a number of offers to buy them - but I am going to keep them as they are the first pair I ever made... Who knows perhaps when all is said and done I could always start a little shoe company.

So what is the verdict?

Britain and Irelands Next Top Model - Live!

Britain and Irelands Next Top Model - Live, or BINTM is an exhibition that the London College of Style was chosen to show case their work at. From the begining of the course we were told we would each be showing 2 out fits, for a male and female model.

There was no breif except that the outfits needed to compliment eachother - so it was quite hard to come up with an idea from scratch. After a number of consulations with our lecturer's,  endless trips to fabric stores, and model fittings etcs...  our creations were done. In the end my look had a bit of a gothic inspired vibe to it....... dark colours, studs, velvet etc. I even customised a pair shoes I picked up from Primark.

The weekend of the show arrived and it all of sudden felt real - we had a call time of 7am for rehersals on the first day and it was all a bit nuts. Rehersals did not go well to put it lightly - we were slow, missing timings, outfits broke (which later resulted in a cat fight, however that is awhole other blog post in itself...), basically a disaster.

Our shows were roughly mid day each day and we had to be back stage exactly half hour before each one to get first all outfits in order and the models into their first looks. When that beat of 'Moves like Jagger' started (our first song in the show... ), the adrenaline began.

The show was roughly 14 minutes long - but felt like 30 seconds. When you see the model you are dressing step of stage - you literally have 1 minute, maybe 2 if you are lucky to change her into the next look before she back out there again. it is a whirlwind and before you know it - it's the last outfit and the show is done.

After 3 days of chaos the shows were complete, and I  was very happy. My outfits looked great, and the customised shoes I made got LOADS of attention. People left and right were offering to buy them and the presenter of our show even mentioned them on stage... very flattering. So it was an exhausting weekend... but all the stress was worth it in the end... and now I know what it's like to work backstage at a runway show - never again will it be my first time.

Model wearing my females outfit

Show finale, my 2 looks on the inside male and female model