14th Feb: First Love

Here it is. The 1st issue of LOVE which previewed today at DSM and sold out within the 2 hours. As such, my reporter Ben missed the action after trekking all the way there on my instruction (SORRY!). But fortunately I have been sent these images courtesy of my friend HannaH Beal who was paid £5 to go and buy a copy for a colleague. She didn't know what was going on or what the hysteria was all about so text me for an explanation which was lucky as I could then pester her to get some illicit snaps. So thank you Han for risking a telling-off in the name of blogging! Apparently there was also a bed as an installation for this "Love In" but she was stopped before being able to get a pic of that.................

Sat 14th Feb: Lily's toys lost

So after hyping up the content of Andy Hillman's artwork for Lily Allen's new album, I was totally gutted when it finally came out. I asked the nice lady in HMV to break the seal on a CD with impatient enthusiasm to investigate the outcome. To my horror it is just a few pictures of the outsize letters which we have already seen. None of the incredible toy shots have been included. Here are some snaps from Shoreditch studios on the day of the shoot to give them some exposure so that they have not gone totally to waste. Hillman Studio had so much fun making these treasures its such a shame that they could not be enjoyed by fans who invest in the album. In this day and age of acquiring music without having to buy the actual hardcopy, I find it a strange decision of the record company to only run an edited cut of this sensational story. Who knows what happened but I had to share these images for everyone to see the characters that were invented in Lily's honour.





(photos: Alex Cunningham)

Fri13th is unlucky for some but NOT for Craig!

The sun is out at last and the angels are shining down on Craig Lawrence as he found out today that a creation from his graduation collection is modelled by Tilda Swinton on the front cover of the new Another Magazine. Can I just say, how bloody exciting is that! I was excited enough just to see a preview of the shoot in the Observer Woman at the weekend so to now see the shot has made the cover............woo hoo!
Craig has kindly sent me some snaps from the time when he was knitting the original collection. Back when the glitter yarn was the only twinkle in his eye, little did he know where it would end up! The shoot was styled by Panos Yiapanis and features garments by numerous other designers who are part of the NEW GEN scheme. The time is now!

(photos by Kenzie)

Thurs 12th Feb: Count Down

Only 1 week left till London Fashion Week eve, yikes!
Here is a preview of the Cooperative Designs collection as shot in self portrait by their muse Amy Gwatkin.
This time last week I delivered her birthday present which was a bashful gesture as I missed the actual official celebratory bash due to my hibernation status. But I love this spontaneous Spadgermatazz self portrait as much as the organised ones for the Coop A/W launch and look book.

Weds 11th Feb: Back To Life

Whilst British yaghtswoman Dee Cafari has been sailing in impossibly inhospitable seas to become the 1st woman to sail round the world alone in both directions, I have been taking part in my own one-woman experiment to test out the boundaries of cabin fever by inadvertently residing solely within the four walls of my studio. Its me and the mice of Islington working to the beat of "we will fix it, we will mend it" pushing the realms of physical endurance and sleep deprivation equal to Dee in the high sea.
Well perhaps not, I don't yet have a survival suit to swim out in perilous seas to save my skipper BUT I am feeling the need to activate my EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) to be rescued. My batman beam has been answered with invitation to the next "Work It" event in the ever increasing over subscribed calender. If I do make it down I fully intend to dance away the blues of pre fashion week hibernation hysteria. Hooray!
I was very upset to miss the last block party when I was away in NY, but fortunately didn't feel too far from the action when i found an article about it in the NY Times Style Magazine! Now the British press have followed suit giving a feature in last weeks Sunday Times Style. So if you are still not sure what all the fuss is about , head down to the ICA this Saturday for some Valentine Vibes and good times.
(On another Valentine tip, Katie Grand's new baby "Love" magazine is being previewed at Dover Street Market on Saturday for anyone unable to wait another week for the official launch.................http://thelovemagazine.blogspot.com/)





'Work it' - block party from Trav on Vimeo.

Tues 10th Feb: Fold Fantasy

My Graphic collaborators "No Days Off" continued with my origami obsession for the S/S look book by inventing a special envelope to encase the concertina artwork. Here are photos illustrating each stage from the portfolio of Katie Alger who was on placement with the team during this project. She graduated from Kingston last year and is curently featured in the Wallpaper 2009 Graduate Directory.

Sat 7th Feb: Pimp My Bass

Here is the latest project by my friend Raphael Perret a.k.a Friedrich Digital which GABi of Three As FOUR named him when he interned for them in 2003. Since this time in New York, Friedrich has settled back in Zurich and been developing intensely bonkers art such as this new offering "Pimp My Bass". As a thoroughbred Essex Girl, this automotive project resonates with my formative years of watching the Friday night circuit circus.
Friedrich bought a pair of bass shakers that are usually used to make a car move with its sound system but here they have been transformed into a drawing tool. I daren't attempt any more explanation so here is the blurb and the final video:


Q: What ist “Paint My Bass”?
A: PMB is the little brother of Pimp My Ride.
A: An audio installation with a Bass Shaker. That is a loudspeaker producing frequencies from 20-100Hz. A visitor can plug an iPod and play music with heavy bass. Thus the music becomes the ‘gas’ for the Shaker to move/vibrate on the ground. While moving about, one can paint some traces.

Q: What kind of music works best?
A: Bass lines in the range from 20-100Hz. Mostly techno music is dealing in such a low realm. Noisemakers etc. would work too. With some pitch shifting any input can be mapped to the target range. Meaning it could also be performed live…
A: From all the tracks I tried, ‘AA XXX’ from ‘Peaches’ works best. It has a low and driving bass line that unfolds a miracle.






Paint My Bass from Raphael Perret on Vimeo.

Friday 6th Feb: Introducing Ben Fern

If I am Danger Mouse, here is my Penfold.

My blog now has an outside informer in the shape of a Central Saint Martins fashion communication foundation student Ben Fern. He has many projects to juggle in addition to starting a fanzine, whilst also applying for BA . So to experience some true-to-life fashion career crushing responsibility he has signed up to research for this resource.
Here is a mini synopsis of our new voice:

" Live in tooting but come from Loughborough, where i was at Loughborough Grammar school. Ermmm my favourite cheese is brie, favourite designer might have to be a mix between Proenza Schoeler and a good old bit of revolutionsionary Vivienne! I aim in a few years to either be a socialite, which i sincerely doubt will happen or a fashion something or other, just as long as it's fashion as its my only love. And make sure everyone who reads your blog is patient with me, as I'm new. "

I like the way this portrait already looks like a Polaroid by Ezra Petronio for Self Service! We have a contender.....

Thurs 5th Feb: Chocks Away!

We can now give explanation as to why our set builder's (Andy Knight) Christmas Party was Blitz themed. They were inspired after spending a couple of weeks constructing a replica aircraft specially for the latest British Vogue story by Tim Walker with set design by Andy Hillman. Lily Donaldson had to hoist up her Bottega Veneta two-piece in order to scale the spitfire to hang off the the wing mid air inside Glemham Hall. I asked Andy if he had any anecdotes from the shoot to accompany these snaps. Unfortunately his funniest memory was some scaffolding terminology that he learnt during the installation with the riggers, which quite frankly is unrepeatable due to is misogynistic leanings! Lets hope Miss Donaldson was not privy to this colourful language whilst having her hair set in rollers!
There is another shoot in the same issue by Tim and Andy with Caroline Trentini set within a mystical white wonderland in a Swarovski special for which Andy was lucky enough to be flown to the HQ in Austria for research.

Tues 3rd Feb: Just landed - The Colour Of Sound

Uslu Airlines have once again answered to my synesthesia callings with the latest edition to their nail varnish range. The previous collaboration for Colette's birthday in making a specially scented metallic blue colour, had me sniffing my fingers in a suspiciously unsociable regularity. This time, the concept has picked up on another of the 6 senses and has been developed with sound. Entitled "DJ Nails" its not so much about the speed at which said digits move but the choice of tune. 4 International DJ's were asked not only to write a track and pick a colour but also use the USLU trademark theme of airports to invent and title their very own gloss. For example BusyP (Justice) chose PSG -Petersburg in Alaska (James A Johnson airport) for his glow-in-the-dark version. Although he has never actually been there, the initials stand for PARIS SAINT GERMAIN which is his favourite football team.
For anyone that is in the dark about USLU .......... Feride Uslu founded the cosmetics company originally naming it after her unique airbrush application system before diversifying to other products. For example you can see circles of makeup airbrushed across the face and hair of a partygoer at the launch (accessorized with AMAZING rainbow necklace made from spraycan lids!). Thank you to Feride and Jan for sending me a selection of their iPhotos from the Colette Blogs Party No.1. (here is Feride - sitting right, obscuring her face with the magic manicure).






To check out the tracks by Headman, Rollerboys, Fetisch and BusyP go to http://www.myspace.com/usluairlinesdjs

Monday 2nd Feb: Scoop on the loop

Annalisa and Dorothee invited me over to their studio to receive a magnificent gift which is quite overwhelming. They have donated a multicolour llama motif cropped hoody to my monochrome wardrobe. So I now have a new section to cultivate - rainbow day!
But that wasn't the most exciting relevation of the trip. Blow me down, the girls casually slipped into conversation that they can now announce a previously hush hush hook-up. Cooperative Designs are officially now consulting for Hussein Chalayan!
After working for him last A/W on some showpieces, they were received so well that he asked them to come back and consult this season! You read it here 1st! (most probably?!)
Can't wait to see what materialises from these two houses of covertable classics!

Monday 2nd Feb: Its Snow Business

Never to miss a quick photoshoot opportunity, just before work, Alex Cunningham kindly lent me her balloons and snapped the moment. Yup, that's me rocking some mock crock high heeled welly boots. So wrong, it is undeniably just wrong NOT RIGHT. But its been worth it to watch the disdain and disbelief at peoples faces as they scan down my Kermit clobber and clock the offensive footwear. They are actually my sisters who acquired them on an early date romantic weekend in Venice.........it flooded and her boyfriend could only find this pair of boots for her...........2 sizes too big and distinctly disgusting.............hence I am now the proud owner..........

Sun 1st Feb: Portrait Profile Weekender Season 2 cont....

"and yes I guess I do have vagabond ways" is a story from Mads fashion work with stylist Susie Lloyd with whom he has collaborated on a number of menswear shoots. I think it must be quite rare for editorials to still be shot on film so its really nice to see that it can be the format of choice to obtain classical imagery. Mads took a picture of his desk and equipment for me to use in his profile............I love that his cat tried to get in on the act to juj up the still life............

Sun 1st Feb: Portrait Profile Weekender Season 2 cont....

A significant segment to Mads work is profiling music acts, all the way from 50 Cent to the staff at Rough Trade Records. Quite often these are humerous anecdotal set ups that appear spontaneous and a chance for artists to try something new but still be themselves. I like the way this quirky dry humour comes through the images in smiles and scenarios. I always admire photographers that can make thier subjects laugh and interact to create an energy when their face is hidden behind the camera. These examples are more pensive Polaroids (Bishi & Allison Moshart), so to see what I mean have fun trawling his archive at http://www.mads-perch.com/

Sat 31st Jan: Portrait Profile Weekender Season 2 cont....

The golden colours in this picture are beautiful and very different from the rest of the shoot that is light and crisp. Perhaps it was affected in the instant developing and came out wrong in an accidentally fortuitous way. It is this uncontrollable quality about Polaroid's that Mads likes in addition to how they can also alter over time:


"I like all the small mistakes/scratches that normally appears on the
Polaroids after they been laying around for awhile. - it almost reminds me
of old photographs- which is more and more a medium that's dying out.
In a time were almost everyone is moving onto digital, images are starting
to look more and more perfect and clean- I think it's worth remembering the
Polaroids and all the fascinating moments they can recall. Had they been
shots from a digital shoot they would probably have been erased because
why would you save non perfect images."

Sat 31st Jan: Portrait Profile Weekender Season 2 cont....

So here are the Kickers portraits I mentioned. I like to use un-seen pictures on this blog to give artists a platform to show more personal work. All the photos that Mads has sent me for this post are original Polaroids from his shoots for this reason and also to show the special magic that materialises in that moment:

"By re looking at these old
Polaroid's I became fascinated about the fact that most of them are taken
in a quite spontaneous moment before the actual shoot starts. Most of them
have been shot to check the technical aspects rather than thinking of the
model looking perfect. This again creates a more natural approach and I
believe that sometimes the best images are taken in the beginning when the
person you photograph is not completely ready.
By reshooting lots of stuff and re directing the models they become almost
to aware of being photographed and the shot quite easily ends up looking
to composed, almost to perfect if you like."

Mads had 1 day to shoot each designer and their muse for this story. That equated to negotiating a cast of about 16 different people which is a tough call for any photographer. But on top of this tall order, poor Mads came down ill with food poisoning the night before! Ever the professional, he soldiered through and managed to extract a gorgeous glimmer of the dynamic between each couple's relationship.
Yes that is Peter Jensen is his underwear! And Simon Foxton and his assistant at the time, Elgar Johnson who has his own shoot in current menswear issue of i-D with Jason Evans.

Sat 31st Jan: Portrait Profile Weekender Season 2

Last weekend I covered the work of Tara Darby who I collaborated with doing the still-life shots for the Kickers X Project. This weekend I'm going to shift focus to photographer Mads Perch who I met at this time. It was 2 summers ago at a sunny August birthday picnic in Regents Park. We went through the customary polite convo of "What do you do?" It turned out we were coincidentally working on the same thing without knowing. Whilst I was styling the boots for press, Mads was snapping the actual designers for a feature in i-D. These portraits then became part of the installation we were asked to curate for the Kickers launch at the following fashion week in a deserted library on the Euston Road.
So to introduce his work, here are a couple of other designer portraits that he has been commissioned to do in the past. Mads has been lucky enough to shoot some fascinating characters and captured some real moments in history and evolution of the subject's individual career and times. I love this picture of Zandra and Andrew Logan from an article in i-D "Two Peas In A Pod"

Fri 30th January: Michael Vanderham

When Professor Louise Wilson had her OBE celebratory party, friends flew in to London especially for the event (eg. Balenciaga's Alistair Carr from Paris & Zero's Maria Conejo from NYC). One of her achievements awarded by the Queen is the continued success of her ability to sniff out an abundant source of future fashion stars. So who is going to emerge from the smoky corridors of Central this season?
My blog has a newly appointed assistant Ben Fern who will be contributing to the content of my page from here on in. For his 1st report I asked him to catch up with my top tip Michael Vanderham who will be showing at the CSM MA show in February.
************** WATCH THIS SPACE******************



Apparently you use a lot of fabric manipualtion and textile techniques in your work?

I used to however now I use a lot less, now I use more textiles and use the wieghts of the fabrics to work within my designs to contrast the weights- opposites.

Which designers have you trained with?
I've only worked with Mcqueen, Three as Four (NYC) and a few others.
(I also know for fact that Michael worked a long placement with Sophia Kokosolaki too, so I think there is some modesty here)

Who can you see yourself working for in the future?
I'm not really sure I have no idea as I don't really have any plans for after MA as of yet.

Who is your ideal muse?
Well being as though my work is quite ecclectic I have many influences such as Grace Jones, which I then contrast with other less outrageous people, but not as such a muse.

I know you don't want to say much about your collection for fashion week, however could you perhaps let me in on the theme?
Well as always my looks are going to be labour intensive with lots of hand sewing and a major amount of hand finishing. There will be 10 party dresses which will all be constructed to be layered and extremely busy to look at.

Did you always see yourself going down this fashion path?
I've been doing this since I was 16 so yeah I suppose so.

And finally, do you have any tips on who to look out for from CSM MA at fashion week?

errrmmmmmmmmm yeah there's two that instantly come to mind - Laura Mackness and Chary Westberg.

Tues 28th Jan: Fear and Loathing in Camden Town

I have been sitting on this one for a long time................the artwork for the new Lily Allen album was shot back in the Summer and i have patiently waited to preview the preparation. The cover for the 1st single from the album "The Fear" which features Lily sitting atop her own name in gigantic letters was the mastermind set, designed by Andy Hillman. There are some surprises to come judging from the treats that materialized during a week of intensive prop making from the team of regular specialists and friends that join our studio for such events. My lips are sealed but I'm buzzing with excitement to see the launch of the actual album on Feb 9th and the campaign popping up all over LDN.
Lily is going to debut the new tracks at her 1st gig in London for 2 years at KOKO tonight. Apparently its going to be a "rare and exclusive" set?! She kept hold of all the props from this shoot so who knows there might even be a special set on stage*

(*that is purely personal conjecture, not 1oz of fact, but fingers crossed)

Mon 26th Jan: Thank God Its Not Blue Monday

Photo from meeting with Kim Howells and Elisha Smith-Leverock who snapped us to record the uncanny coincidental match of hue.