The Winter Issue: Womenswear

Behind every great man in an editorial is a great woman. Or three.

And luckily for them, the lace up Acne and Jeffrey Campbell platforms acted as a stylish alternative to the Archiv vintage hiking boots that the men were subjected to. It's an unusual feeling making a 17 year old model's eyes water by cramming their size 11 feet into size 8 shoes...

However, as promised, here come the girls. I'll let the pictures do the talking here but I will say only two things:

Firstly, the Jaeger sheepskin coat that Sara is sporting is to die for. Secondly, the Holly Fulton dress in the first image was worn by Samantha Cameron just a few weeks ago which wasn't exactly the look this editorial was going for...

 Images, again, courtesy of Mark Shearwood to be found in full at Fashion156

C. x

The Winter Issue: Menswear

Picture the scene.

You're on your way to the Christmas party. It's snowing, it's cold and you're, of course, impeccably dressed for the night's festivities. However, the car breaks down on the roadside and, with the vintage hiking boots that every respectable man keeps in the boot for emergencies such as these, you are forced to trek to the party.

Sound familiar? Well, not for most of you. However, the story for Fashion156's winter mens (and womens if you keep an eye out) editorial struck a chord with me, bringing back memories of the Leeds English Ball 2010. When news reached our ears that a refund wasn't  on the agenda, every single one of us decided that snow or no snow, taxi or no taxi, we were going to claim our half a bottle of red wine per head at all costs.

Standing in the entrance of the grand Queens Hotel were a few curious outfit combinations of cocktail dresses and Hunter wellies alongside suits and Sainsbury Local bags as everyone leant on one another in a bid to look vaguely presentable as they transformed from Tundra explorer to distinguished guest in under 10 minutes. In all fairness, unlike in the shoot, the snow was thankfully absent and the pricetag of the clothing had a few extra noughts on the end. Regardless, I felt somewhat connected to the idea my Boss had in mind.

So take a look at the most recent shoot I assisted with for Fashion156's winter issue. Below are the menswear shots featuring Lanvin Navy pinstripe suits and Alexander McQueen double breasted tuxedo jackets that showed up the Primark suits I assume half the Leeds guests were wearing (well, we can't all afford John Smedley cashmere roll necks on a student budget can we?).

Particular love must go to Lyden in the T.Lipop sheepskin coat in the group shot. I absolutely adore it and it was a last minute snatch courtesy of Tom himself forcing his PR to hand it over. Particular distain goes to the £150 Lanvin bowtie which mysteriously went astray and sent the office into utter panic mode. Ugh.

The Mark Shearwood shot editoral can be found at Fashion156
Womenswear to follow....

Into The Woods

After a frankly exhausting month of being M.I.A. and neglecting this humble blog in a terrible way, I have returned with much to tell. For a while now I have been getting up at 6am and returning home at 8pm as part of a lengthy process of putting together the latest issue for Fashion156 – The Headwear Issue. 

I have had the pleasure of contributing to near enough every section of this magazine so it’s like my baby! From picture research to locating street styles to writing the blurbs, a feature and even uploading each component before it goes live – it was a whirlwind and hilariously stressful. But there are worse things to do then write about hats and go on shoots with attractive young men who are more than willing to model the last-minute handmade headpieces you’ve just created. What am i on about? Just another ad hoc task for a creative intern. With the help of one of my best friends, Catherine, who swooped in last minute as my assistant (an assistant with her own assistant? Oh yes) the shoot ran smoothly. The majority of headbands below were actually made by her fair hand and modelled on my not so fair head.

The theme: Headwear. Beyond that, it was a play it by ear day which soon turned into a midsummer night’s dream affair with lilac smoke and floral garlands in a perfectly autumnal setting, dressing with pieces from Liberty to Acne.  All accompanied by a team of not very Shakespearean scousers, lead by photographer Mark Shearwood, who created some gorgeous shots. The end results? Look no further:

P.S. The model with the thicker eyebrows is Sasha, photographer David Bailey's son!

Beyond this, my days consisted of insane amounts of blogging, research and anaylsis to help put together the new issue which can be found in all its glory at fashion156.com.

In other news, I’ve barely had time to breathe. Contributing blogs here and there (yet not here here, I must apologize) and writing a lengthy ol’ article for Who’s Jack December issue, my fingers are worn out. However, you don’t care about that! So never fear, with much in the pipeline, I’ll be getting my camera out of its dusty case and going in search of adventure.

Until then.
C. x

Spaceships and Champagne: An Interview with Andrew Majtenyi

It’s hard to believe that London Fashion Week was almost a month ago. It seems just a few days ago that I was hot footing it down Oxford Street for a private reception for Andrew Majtenyi’s SS12 collection and now, with Paris soon to be finding its place in our memory banks, it seemed like a fitting time to keep the dream and week alive and recall a conversation I had with Andrew himself on the 20th September.

Unlike most fashion designers who start with a simple hand drawn sketch, Andrew Majtenyi launches the design process with bolts of fabric and a myriad of unique inspirations surfacing from personal experience to historical events. Not exactly convential, there is definitely a strong element  of original artistic flare that undoubtedly ensures that his designs are anything but ordinary. Having based his AW11 collection, “By The Book” on a trip to the British Library, it’s clear to see that a lot of research and love goes into his collections and that this designer, in a brilliant way, can be inspired by anything and everything. 

As we joined the event upstairs in Orwell House, a glass of champagne upon arrival puts us in the mood to enjoy the ensembles that his three models are stylishly exhibiting. Inspired by the Medieval trial of Katherina  Hetzeldorfer in 1477, especially in images of the jurors and art of the period, his influence is unusual to say the least. From the richness of the colours and textures and the sombre moods on the faces of the subjects that Andrew came across have inspired a rather grown up collection of classically elegant dresses in white silk and crimson  juxtaposed with structured zip front jackets in silver.
With his suitcase packed and waiting round the back,  Andrew was heading off to Paris in less than an hour yet this didn’t stop him having time for a little chat with me. And blimey, what a chat it was!

Growing up in the middle east (“It’s a long story”) , Majtenyi has also designed for film and television working on numerous productions including The Sentinel starring Michael Douglas and Eva Longoria, and Cheaper by the Dozen starring Steve Martin. Over the years, Majtenyi learned about filmmaking, a skill he now uses to write and direct the film shorts that open his catwalk shows, stills of which were on rotate around the room.  Astounding friendly and energetic, Andrew tells us about his recent recovery from a 3 month bout of food poisoning following some dodgy mayonnaise on a street- vendor hot dog  and provides a zealous interpretation of that fateful event:

“Bah! Have some of that you stoopid forreeeiggnnerrr!”, he exclaims, imitating the dreaded vendor, before blowing a raspberry to really bring the ridiculous scene to life. This man is clearly imaginative in both the design process and everyday life. With his garments possessing prints specifically designed for the collection, with references to art and architecture including castle towers and gothic spires, one has to wonder if he will be drawing on this particular experience and be creating a series of two pieces and miniskirts covered in images of hotdogs and condiments.

 Image courtesy of Vogue

“I’m currently building a spaceship”, he continues.

A zany character he may be, but this spaceship has its purpose. “It’s for a show” he explains. His creativity knows no bounds! How exactly a spaceship fits in with the trial of Hetzeldorfer I’m not sure so perhaps he disclosed a little taster for next season.

As he leaves us to mingle, the models switch outfits revealing some more youthful attire including 60s style shift dresses (the orange and purple print had me staring in envy)  whilst a medieval burgundy cross adorned a silver mini with a beautifully made matching cape. Dashing off to make his flight, Majtenyi kisses each model goodbye before making his excuses with us and offering us a business card. Amongst the crowds of bloggers, models, pr agencies and people who had a strange air of needless self importance, it was clear that I wasn't going to encounter a nicer and more engaging designer no matter how hard I tried.

However, as I look back at such a strong and vibrant Fashion Week, I can now look forward to my latest venture. Having been promoted to online media writer at Who's Jack magazine, I will be updating on a regular basis whilst also commencing as a full time intern at Fashion156.com. Wish me luck!