Wednesday 22nd July SHOWstudio SHop Press Day

Hello Butlerettes! Naomi Attwood here, looking after the blog this week. Hope I can manage all the technical uploading ok, and do Fred justice with some top quality reporting from the very edge of London’s fashion and creative scene.

Today I’ve been off to swanky Mayfair to SHOWstudio’s new premises to investigate the latest addition to the Show studio empire: or, as they put it in the press release: another element to their constantly evolving platform: The SHOWstudio SHOP.

As the original aim of Nick Knight’s groundbreaking website was to expose the processes that go on behind the scenes to create fashion imagery, its logical that the SHOP puts up for sale some of the props and scenery used in Knight’s shoots. Created by stylists such as Simon Costin, Shona Heath and Michael Howells who are artists in their own right; it’s awful to think of these items getting all dusty in some cupboard after the shoot has wrapped (or even end up in a skip as Nick Knight said in one interview) so now they’re up for sale individually from the Mayfair shop and online.

On the ground floor gallery you are greeted not only by not only this ferocious Bengal tiger rearing up on its hind legs, once used in the campaign for Alexander McQueen PUMA collection Crane Vs Tiger


. . . but by no small amount of heat radiating off this fantastic dollar sign, which was designed by Knight himself for a W magazine shoot in 2003, and features 178 25w bayonet lightbulbs. Phew!

These beautifully reflective cherries are artfully arranged on both floors of the gallery (can you see the dollar sign behind them?) which were made by Simon Costin for a cosmetics shoot by Tim Walker for A/W 2009.

Upstairs you can see these ghostly white animal heads; created by Michael Howell for a Dior catwalk show. . .

. .and this life size toy soldier costume by Shona Heath for a male model to wear in a VOGUE shoot.

So far so good, but it wasn’t until I was about to leave that I spotted these gorgeous embroidered boxes made by Laura Lees. How can you compile a Fred Butler post without at least one rainbow item?

Many many thanks to the SHOWstudio gang and Starworks, who were responsible for PR.

You can go online and buy the items here plus a few others on http://shop.showstudio.com/

Naomi Attwood

Weds 22nd July: Over and out

Im off-line for a week so I leave you in the capable hands of Naomi Attwood..........

Except for the fact Ive only just told her that.............so she may well infact have other fish to fry ........not of the fredbutlerstyle variety..............

But daily posting will resume on the 30th July...........until then, there is a sample sale to sniff out somewhere in London town .............

Weds 22nd July: Helen Macintyre Studio Visit

Here she is!  The little trickster Macintyre.  I finally made it along to her Stoke Newington studio to see where she gets messy to make her incredible sets and props.  Helen doesn't actually have a moustache....... that's some fake hair she is using at the moment to make a costume.........I didn't ask anymore questions!  

I met Helen when we were both assisting Shona Heath back in 2004.  Now Helen features side-by-side Shona in the new issue of Plus Eighty One magazine which is a fantastic special edition issue entitled "Creativity of Garments".  Its so good, I recommend purchasing this for a plethora of profiles on other pioneering prop stars such as Gary Card, Mary Howard ............and multidisciplinary mavericks Husam El Odeh, Henrik Vibskov..............

Today Elisha Smith-Leverock has uploaded her latest music video to her blog which was a collaboration with Helen.  I asked Helen what inspired her surreal world of carousel horses and giant Man-in-the-moon faces ...........

"It is the morning after a party ..........friends sleep over, wake up and have a little festival outside, using bits from the house ........what larks!"

Although it sounds relatively fantastical, I can testify that this is actually how Helen exists without realising its  bizarreness.  I have been to dinner at Helen's and she went into the garden to retrieve the giant moon to serve as a table top .................and then proceeded to keep her wellies on to cook.............

Here is one of Elisha's portraits of Daisy Dares .............check out the video at 
http://blackmaskenterprise.blogspot.com/
http://www.helenmacintyre.co.uk/

Tues 21st July: A Wolf in owl's clothing

Here is the subject of the shoot mentioned in the previous entry.  I have made Patrick a garment for an upcoming project and he wore the toile for his performance at Latitude festival this weekend.  He was joined on stage by Rowdy Superstar who donned the silver shoulders from my Heliocentric Electric Collection which was a really nice surprise!  I'm so chuffed to have sensational musicians as ambassadors for my work so PROPS TO PATRICK for rocking my creations to full effect!

Thanks to Teo Connor (NoDaysOff) for these snaps from the performance (and the one of the rainbow sheep which she thought I might like!)  Thanks also to Rosy Nicholas for helping me construct the owl with loving hands..........the reason for this choice of animal will all become apparent soon..........

http://www.myspace.com/officialpatrickwolf

http://www.myspace.com/rowdysuperstar

Tues 21st July: Another string to my bow

I think I have been labelled a "slasher" as i have my sticky style fingers in a few different creative pies.  Now I have a new service to add to my CV (although I really wouldn't recommend it)......a photographer's assistant.  Elisha and I had a very last-minute impromptu shoot so I had to step up to the challenge of holding her Hasselblad (oh dear!).  She also gave me responsibility of holding the reflector.  Ive always thought they would be an ace prop or accessory..........especially the gold ones!  

Never without her finger on the trigger..........Elisha caught me mid-demonstration............

Can I just point out how hilarious the applique is on this jumpsuit..........especially if my hair is down and I'm drinking a glass of bubbly...........maybe that will be the next installment.........

http://www.smith-leverock.co.uk/

Mon 20th July: If you go down to the woods today

Dover Street Market ceased trading last week to replenish their stock with all new A/W season's collections including brand new lines.  Here is "Endless Summer" the window scheme by Andy Hillman installed to unveil the new look shop.  Its a reflective mirrored enclave with a walkway for you to enter the mini forest and have a poke around for yourself!  Hillman studio planted the arboretum of psychedelic flora on Friday night ready for the opening on Saturday. Earlier in the week Faye Toogood set up her set design in the basement for the new sneaker section...........so even if you might not have intentions to snaffle up the latest Lanvin, there is plenty to see...........including an illustration exhibit by Charles Anastase and reading corner compiled by Anne Valerie Hash......... 

http://hillmanstudio.com/

http://www.doverstreetmarket.com/dsmpaper/

Thanks to Alex Cunningham for the nocturnal work-in-progess snaps

Sun19th July: Bethan Wood by Alistair Allan

I don't normally use photography that is not by myself or contributors but I just had to run a little entry of snaps from DirtyDirtyDancing.com.  I met Bethan at Boombox and have recently been trawling Alistair Allan's archive from the days and found all of these beauties.............it was so much fun getting dolled up every Sunday and Bethan was one of the best dressed!  

Alistair has been helping me out with some homework this week so here is also a thanks to him by revisiting his fantastic library of captured moments.  I think that it will be a really important body of work for future sartorial history............lets convince him to do another coffee table book............if you go back through the 150,000 images you can see London's new generation of fashion movers 'n' shakers when they were in their early regalia............e.g how many different colour-ways of hair have been covered by Anna Trevelyn, Gary Card, Henderson Mccue, Dominic Jones, Hanna Hanra............its the whole spectrum between them!

http://dirtydirtydancing.com/