Express Yourself (Editorial 3)

Hot on the heels of Editorial 2 came our third and final LCS styling challenge... and, this time, the brief was thrown wide open... Given a starting point of "Express Yourself", we were to target publication in an edgy mag in the mould of i-D. First thoughts (obviously) revolved around Madonna clad in double-breasted suit and monocle in the pop video of the same name... Hmm...

Since we were to be provided with our choice of male and/or female model once again, as in the previous shoot, I decided, once again, to take full advantage of the situation and use both, switching up my gender references (not that this turned out to be an entirely unique idea - at least half the class seemed to decide at this point that their portfolio would not be complete without at least one man in a skirt).

Delving into the street style archives and current catwalk collections for inspiration, I opted to combine elements of gothic Victoriana (inspired by Givenchy and Thom Browne's AW15 shows) with a nod to street-style sportswear, playing on the theme of expressing vs. concealing with sheer fabrics and veils. I'd already decided to use our final shoot to push myself out of my darkly romantic, vintage-inspired comfort zone with something a bit tougher and edgier, more graphic and pared-back... so this brief provided me with the perfect opportunity to do just that... which, on the whole, I think I managed pretty well, whilst retaining the essence of "my" style... because, OK, there is a darkly romantic vintage vibe (modern, female version of Charlie Chaplin, anyone?) about some of these shots, but so what?

Photographer: Leigh Keily
Models: Bella Glanville at Milk and Phillip Gardner at Nevs
Make-Up: Martin Carter
Hair: Carolina Crona
Styling: Samantha Simmonds

Join Me On:

 

Into the Wild (Editorial 2)

When I heard that our second LCS editorial was to be shot on location, in "the wild", I was instantaneously possessed by an unassailable compulsion to conjure up an epic fairytale romance in the mode of a Leith Clark-styled Harper's story... This was what I'd been waiting for all my life. Drawing additional inspiration from the trademark dark romanticism (or "savage beauty", dare I say?) of Alexander McQueen's AW15 collection, and the mussed-up elegance of Haider Ackermann's SS15 menswear, I decided to make volume and layering the keystones of my "regally dishevelled" prince and princess's looks.

My Mood Board

Location and concept sorted... now I just had to style up "couture" looks for two on zero budget...

Easy. First stop - my own wardrobe. 4-year-old Limited Edition Primark dress (previously part of my Alice in Wonderland/Jesus - don't ask - costume, worn for last summer's onstage crucifixion) layered over £10 Izabel London tutu for a lavish tiered effect, and under Topshop's new dusky-feathered gilet for an additional "lift" and nod to the wilderness.

Accessories-wise, it was customisation o'clock once again... Inspired by Andreia Chaves' mirrored shoe boots, I marshalled a few hundred mirror mosaic tiles (nope, I'm not exaggerating), a whole lotta hot glue and 11 hours of my time in the service of creating my take on Cinderella's glass slippers...

Cinderella, pre- glass slipper loss (and/or disintegration)

Did they fare better than Cinders' originals in the great outdoors? Well... no, not really, since you ask, but Franco, our lovely photographer, was kind enough to touch up the tiles wickedly whipped away by the wind by the time the above image was shot #AboveandBeyondtheCallofDuty.

A bangle wrapped with ribbon and some illicitly-gathered twigs fashioned, along with some more of those damned mirror tiles, into a headdress, and Cinderella was complete. Then, of course, Prince Charming had to be appointed - from sources outside my own wardrobe, obviously (well, aside from the Primark faux fur... and I'm keeping that snake-print scarf).

On top of the world: my favourite shot

Photographer: Francisco Gomez de Villaboa

Models: Eliza Franks and Jack Harrison at Milk Management

Make-Up: Martin Carter

Hair: Carolina Crona

Styling: Samantha Simmonds

Keep your eyes peeled for the results of Editorial 3, coming soon to a screen near you...

Join Me On:

 

Prints Charming: Styling my First Editorial...

A peek behind the scenes...

I'm sooo excited to finally be able to share the results of my first editorial shoot! Before starting at LCS - I'll be honest - the thought of styling men had never really crossed my mind, and the editorial work I'd come across by former students had left me feeling a little daunted, to say the least - could I ever hope to match that level of creativity? So the sheer amount of fun I had putting this look together came as a very big, but very pleasant, surprise (not to mention the sheer level of obsession which consumed virtually all waking (and sleeping - I genuinely dreamt of paisley) hours between brief and shoot.

My Mood Board

The brief was "Pattern Clash" - beyond this, we were free to take our creative vision wherever our imaginations might roam (whilst ensuring we remained within the remit of "fashion" by taking current runway and editorial trends into account). Three weeks of scouring street and web, despairing at the high street's dearth of printed menswear, setting my alarm to nab vintage gems on eBay and tarring (well, OK, glue-gunning) and feathering my favourite fedora later, and my Aristocrat on an Acid Trip look (inspired by a combination of influences from '60s psychedelia to Etro's paisley-centric rebel-luxe aesthetic) was complete. Now I just had to hope and pray for a model with long hair...



Result! Nevs sent over the lovely Henry Ashton, who carried off paisley-on-paisley-on-paisley-on...paisley with aplomb... with a nice little tonal gold-on-gold-on-gold touch courtesy of his luscious locks coming in as a bonus.

I think, however committed you are to your creative vision, it's tough not to second-guess your own work when it comes to the crunch, and lots of niggly little last minute doubts crowded in as the shoot approached - Does this really work with that? Is that just too much? Cravat or pussybow? Should I tilt his hat a fraction more? - to the effect that I was filled with equal parts excitement and trepidation in anticipation of the final images...

Photos: Cicci Feinstein

So for our lovely principal, Wendy, to tell me she could see this shot in a magazine, right now... I was over the moon and back! And really rather tempted to do a bit more with menswear... Do you think, if I try really hard, I can make paisley-on-paisley-on-paisley-on-paisley mainstream..?

Join Me On: