Sat 29th Nov: House Of Organza introduces family member NOKI

Watch out, it's NOKI.

Heaven Help us...............

(Lots of exciting news *in store*)  

Sat 29th Nov: House Of Organza Teaser

"HOUSE OF ORGANZA" teaser - FRED BUTLER from PRICKIMAGE on Vimeo.

Friday 27th Nov: VOTE ERIC a.k.a Black Shadow

Eric is up for nomination in the "Top Cat" competition over on Cat Party and has been totally overlooked..........  unfortunately I guess that is his predisposition........a meek moggy......so vulnerable and silly looking......BUT ultimately that's what makes him so CUTE! Those ridiculous eyes and chops just shout "pity me". So don't let his affliction affect the votes. He's never gonna win a cat comp in the looks CATeogory so this can be his moment to shine.  Bless his little furry pads!  So fur he's just accumulated 6 votes in total.......... and the deadline is in 3 days..........PLEASE SUPPORT THIS KAWAIITASTIC CREATURE AND HELP ME WIN THE TOP CAT MUG PRIZE!  

Friday 27th Nov: House Of Organza

When Kim Howells commissioned me to make something out of organza for a project set in the shop space  "VOGUE" fabrics and listed off the other collaborators.........it immediatly triggered off my imagination thinking back to Paris is Burning and the VOGUE balls.........thus lets call ourselves House of Organza?!.........then she told me that for the opening they plan to cover the face of the house in fabric........so literally creating a HOUSE OF ORGANZA.........est voila!  Its titled.........and its got a good ring to it hasn't it?

So who's in the collective?...........Craig Lawrence, Atalanta Weller, Piers Atkinson, Gloved-Up, NOKI, Judy Blame and yours truly..........that sounds like a riot already!  We have all created a one-off piece from a roll of ruffled organza sewn by Lyall Hakaraia (who is the head honcho of Vogue Fabrics).  These looks have been styled by Kim Howells in a shoot with Mari Sarai and the final prints will be exhibited alongside video footage of the process at the opening next Thurs.  So if you are on a 73 or 149 bus crawling down Kingsland Road and you see a house that looks like an architectual answer to a snow ball............this is the explanation.

If you can't wait until next week, you can visit VOGUE tonight for our fundraiser event to help us get some quids in for putting on the show.  There will be performances by Ryan Styles, Feral and Cara Park..............

(images.....sketch/collage from Lyall, snap from the shoot, snap from my studio floor) 

Thurs 26th Nov: Man Like Me Interview

In the deluge of trite shit clogging up the charts at the moment I thought it was time to take a break from X Factor flu and find an antidote.  To combat the national obsession of elevating vapid victims and celebrating their vocals with homogenous pseudo Americana anthems..............Ive hooked up with some genuine homegrown talent..........London Town's "ManLikeMe".  If you haven't seen them live, you have missed a treat, especially the latest formation of a 7 piece band congregated for thier Camden Jazz Cafe concert tonight.  The energy and humour is infectious with front man Johnny Langer jumping around with his jumper over his head singing jocular observational paraphrases.  It was discovering this priceless poetry and the early videos by Simon Owens that got me hooked into the ManLikeMe vibe.  To highlight this recommendation high on my list, Ive focused my interview purely on Johnny's record collection........one of my favourite pastimes is digging the crates of charity shops so I thought it would be fun to delve into the depths of the discs of one of my favourite musicians........

Enjoy...............(and then check out the album here)...........

1)  What was your favourite song to put on at home when you were a kid to dance/jump/be silly to .............what was your dance style?

Fave song to dance around to when i was a kid was probably i get around by the beach boys and i kind of liked dancing the twist,probably influenced from watching old american films all the time.

2)   Which was your fave TV:     Top of The Pops or The Chart Show?

EERRR top of the pops every day! It was a standard proceedure for the whole family to sit down on a thursday night and watch it...mainly because it was followed by eastenders

3)  What is the best record you've inherited?

I robbed my dads silver disc of one step beyond by madness which he was given in 1980 for 250000 record sales. It hangs proudly on my wall.

4)  Were you inspired by a particular record collection?

Probably my dads as that was what i had access to when i was growing up. My favorite was his motown selection.

5)  Have you ever had record collection "envy"?  If so, why?

In my teens i used to dj with my mates maxipooh and pete and if they ever got hold of a banger i diddnt have i would be screwing! 

6)  Are you a 7" or 12" man?

12"! they are much more sturdy to dj with

7)  Aprox how big is your collection and how is it ordered?

not really sure how big it is? enough to fill a few shelves and there is definitely no order to it. some are at my parents, some at my studio and some at mates houses.

8)  Best discovery?

Recently i would say kid creole and the coconuts record my male curiosity 

9)  Biggest waste of money?

Most of my drum and bass collection

10)  Aesthetics = which is your fave for artwork?

The roxy music covers arent bad

11)  Dream team:  if you could comprise an imaginary band / dream collaboration out of your records, what would the outfit be and how would they sound?  (can be dead musicians.........pure fantasy)

No allow a super group, id just have the funk brothers band and marvin gaye on vocals

12)  Any fave coloured vinyl editions?  Whats the colour?

I quite like my rolling stones "miss you" pink colored vynil i got in new york.

13)  Which 5 would you take to a desert island?  

the walker brothers - make it easy on yourself

Tricky - makes me wanna die

robert tepper - no easy way out

micachu - lone ranger

deafschool - what a way to end it all

the titles explain themselves really.

14)  If you had to kill attacking zombies, armed only with your records to Frisbee (think Sean of the Dead) which would be the first 5 to go?

Any records by Man Like Me

15)  What songs best describe each member of your band?

for pete i would choose steely dans peg as its straight but still quite groovy. 

16)  You have covered Salt 'n' Pepper............what is your favourite condiment?

Chilli sauce each and every day.

17)  Most random place youv'e ever acquired a record?

That record shop in holloway which doubles up as that fat smelly italian blokes house.

18)  Every hotel room has a Gideon Bible..............if you could enforce a standard issue record, which would it be?

love is in the air by john paul young. feeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllll goooooooooooooooood !!!!!!!

19)  Whats your trump card...........definite floor filler?

cheryl lynn - gotta be real

Thurs 26th Nov: Poor Love

Is it just me or has anyone else spotted the irony in this billboard advert?

"Now every day ain't gon' be no picnic" 

Wes 25th Nov: Nice Piecee

Hannah Wood's Bless Necklace I poached off her back when she came in the studio yesterday..........a piece she was given when she interned for Desiree and Ines back in the day..........

Wes 25th Nov: That's Why Mum's NOT Going To Iceland

Supermarket Sarah is holding a Pop Up Shop at Poke (Biscuit Building) for some yule-tide retail therapy.........she has curated a roster of contributors to set up an "aisle" so you can push your gold trolley thourgh a whole wintery wilderness of artists.  Check-Out girls will be on hand with "Can I help you" couture plastic bag costumes to aid your trip whilst the whole extravaganza will be live online for those not able to peruse in person.  Some of the teams with designated departments are the WORK IT girls with their 90's vintage garms, Scott Ramsay Kyle with a wall emblazoned with his embroidery , Peter Ibreugger's fab moustache mugs, Illustrator Phoebe Eason with painted birds and the exceptional milliner Victoria Grant.

Here is a sneaky peak at the 1st day of setting up..........

Tues 24th November: If you go down to the SHOP today.....

...........your in for a big surprise!  ............in the form of Gareth Pugh creating an unknown original one-off garment live before your eyes.  The SHOWstudio regular contributor has schlepped his overlocker across town to swap his studio for the upstairs space at the new SHOP.   For the duration of three days he is conjuring up a creation infront of the camera for anyone to tune in to follow his process from beginning to end.  Thanks to Kirstie for conscientiously undertaking a mission for me to visit the project to snap it for the blog............interrupting the creative flow to record the moment........and capture the creative juices .........tea and chocolate fingers to be precise.

The final garm will be positioned in the SHOP and then up for sale alongside another of his headpieces, Nick Knight's Tiger and Andy Hillman's Sissy letters..........

Tues 24th November: AnOther blog for your list

A new website launched on Friday from AnOther Magazine..........a listings of luxury "Loves".......for which I am a contributor.........and today I have posted Anna Leader's "Construction Site"..........so here is AnOther blog to add to your roll...........go check it out, it think its going to get addictive...........although perhaps not in the shopping price bracket for all of us (eek!) ..........who cares when Matthew Stone uploads goats!...........go see........

Mon 23rd Nov: Now for something completely different AGAIN

This cheeky chappie and I bonded last year when I looked after him for a while.  We were re-united this weekend for a soft hug and Saturday brekkie.  His name is Archie and he belongs to The Future Laboratory.  Im looking after another furry friend over the festive period so be prepared for some more cute content.

Sun Nov 22nd: "Unmade Beds" Stills Photography by Anna Leader

The latest offering to come from Argentinian director Alexis Dos Santos named "Unmade Beds" has been made as a 1st person commentary on a particular connection with London Town. Alexis has harnassed his own experiences and memories of encounters moving to the city and turned it into a feature film. The story is set predominately in the East End and focuses on two young wayfarer immigrants Axl & Vera. Its a familiar scenario for the network of hipsters that circumnavigate the "scene".........and now its been canned into celluloid. "Unmade Beds" literally focuses on the day-to-day antics of squat dwellers who have quite possibly chosen the lifestyle for an experimental education to the protocol of coming of age. The films idealised vision of this bubble is composed as carefree as the the actual subject matter.........(I haven't actually seen it yet to give you a Barry Norman breakdown so this is preliminary conjecture and insight! .........)
Here are Anna Leaders documentary stills from being on set for the beginning of filming which she has exclusively lent for this blog post. The wardrobe was selected and styled by Kate Forbes with Jacob Higher as Director of Photography. Anna takes the most beautiful portraits and comes into her own when challenged with the constraints of capturing moments with uncontrolled lighting and conditions on set. To see more of her stills work, check out her landmark photographs of Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko in her debut role "Lannulaire".

Fri 20th Nov: Broken Hearts, Fixed Beats

When Jez Tozer was handed the baton for the live studio at Somerset House he rallied in The Broken Hearts duo to spin the soundtrack to his session.  I got in touch with Amber and Nisha to send me some pics from their set at Somerset House.  In the name of research I tuned into the live feed and bopped along to their do-wop roster of tunes whilst I worked away in my own studio.  Stand out favourite tracks for me were Snoop Doggy Dogg - Gz & Hustlas, Warren G - Regulate, Jungle Book soundtrack, Harry Belafonte - Jump in the line, Dionne Warwich - San Jose, Ella Fitzgerald - Wubba Dolly........they mixed the whole schaboodle using this covetable telephone handset by Hulger.

Not only were the sounds sizzling but so were the sweethearts themselves..........check out their shoot transformation into their own Beyond The Valley label playsuits and Melissa Vivienne Westwood shoes.  Even their bangs are a beautiful heart shape (coiffed by Nina at Alfie's Antique Market I'm informed) with the finishing touch of immaculate macqulliage by Thomas K.  

So thanks to the girls for taking time to snap away and send through all these live action iphone pics.  You can see Jez at work shooting a new face from Storm and also stepping aside into the dj booth...........the warped image was taken in the reflection of the two-way mirror down at the space where the public can view the proceedings of the live shoots.  Up next week is Jason Evans...........woo hoo!

If anyone wants a playlist for the weekend here's a selection of the tracks The Broken Hearts played and recommend:

Watashi No Boyfriend: Hibari Misora
Proper Cup of Coffee: Andrews Sisters
Shimmy Shimmy Koko Bop: Little Anthony and The Imperials
Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian: Shorty Long
Count Those Freaks: The Broken Hearts
Istanbul (Not Constantinople): They Might Be Giants
GZ and Hustlas: Snoop Dogg
Superfreak: Rick James
American Boy: Estelle feat. Kanye West
She's Not There: The Zombies

If anyone wants to get their manicured mitts on The Broken Hearts capsule clothing range its also available at asos and farfetch.

I got in touch with them through their twitter which is also one to add to the list..........

Fri 20th Nov: Morgan's new puppy Buddy

And now for something completely different.......

...........just because................

.............this makes me let out involuntary squeaks from cute appreciation..............

I have an exciting post from The Broken Hearts today but I'm up against time with a deadline (hence posting at 2a.m) so it will be delayed for a while............sorry ladies..........

In the meantime please join me in revelling in this bundle of bull terrier joy.........

Thurs 19th: What's Kyle Bean up to..........?

Here is an update on Kyle Bean  who I first blogged about when I discovered his incredible work at the Brighton degree show in June.  I don't know whether to be sick all over him or give him a well deserved pat on the back (obvs the latter!) as only 6 months since graduating he has already been working on commissions for Hermes and Libertys!   No shovelling shit or schlepping shite for this star.......he's been installing window displays on Sloane Street!  For Hermes Christmas windows, Kyle has covered 50 instruments in music manuscript sheets and some suitcases in ordinance survey maps.  He teamed up with in-house designer Rebbecca Cox to also make paper fans and canopies to dress the props and products.  Here are the instruments at his studio when he finished making them...........which will now be distributed across Hermes UK  stores so its not just London who gets this festive treat.............

So 2010 looks to be an exciting year for Kyle ..........rewind 6 months to see his progress and then fast forward 6 months to project potential future projects?!...........

Weds18th Nov: Jez Tozer - Priceless

Today is Jez Tozer's turn to step up to the live shoot challenge and take on a production under the scrutiny of the observers at Somerset House and followers on the web.  Jez is taking residency in the SHOWstudio exhibition space to shoot Antony Price's special Topman collection............with Antony in charge of the actual styling!  Jez has cunningly enlisted the sounds of the BrokenHearts duo to soundtrack the event, spinning tunes to inspire the proceedings.  I contacted Jez for some inside info on the project and you can see the girls denoted d-j space with a heart in the sketch above!  How organised of him to map every detail!  But it has to be a military operation as its going to be a jam packed day with a back-to-back shoot, doubling up with capturing Kate Moss's Topshop range.  This is going to be styled by The Independent's Gemma Hayward and the final result will be a printed editorial.  But as you know by now, you can watch the whole thing live and direct ...........taking your part in adding to  the pressure by breathing down the neck of the photographer as he tries to do his job..........

Thanks to Jez for taking time to send me these images as a background to his vibe and work................

Image 1:  Studio where we sit when we're not shooting

Image 2:  Planning how to get everything into the live space hair make up set build DJ's ... And a little tiny corner somewhere for me hopefully