Sunken Dreams

Free man, you will always cherish the sea!

The sea is your mirror; you contemplate your soul

In the infinite unrolling of its billows;

Your mind is an abyss that is no less bitter.

You like to plunge into the bosom of your image;

You embrace it with eyes and arms, and your heart

Is distracted at times from its own clamoring

By the sound of this plaint, wild and untamable.

Both of you are gloomy and reticent:

Man, no one has sounded the depths of your being;

O Sea, no person knows your most hidden riches,

So zealously do you keep your secrets!

Yet for countless ages you have fought each other

Without pity, without remorse,

So fiercely do you love carnage and death,

O eternal fighters, implacable brothers!

Poem: Man and the Sea – by Charles Baudelaire

Photos brought to pass in collaboration with Chris Gilbert.  

Merry Christmas

Piers Atkinson’s magical headpiece is the crowning glory of another year in wonderland. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas xx

Wonderland headpiece: Piers Atkinson

Ooh you’re so hot…Jeremy Scott!

Moschino and Jeremy Scott is a fashionista’s wet dream-come-true! Moschino has undergone a supersized transformation with Scott at the helm; we have witnessed a revival of the brasher, more in-your-face Moschino of the early 90’s, when it was under the creative leadership of its founder, Franco Moschino. Franco Moschino left an unforgettable mark on fashion history and although no longer with us, his sense of irony, his playfulness, individuality and genius are being brought back to life through Jeremy Scott.

Moschino had until recently sort of faded into the background but since the appointment of Jeremy Scott it has sky rocketed from ‘mos-key-no who?’ To ‘MOSCHINO OBVS’ practically overnight. Jeremy Scott has long been a favourite of mine, from his iconic teddy bear trainers to coca-cola dresses and brilliant slogans, he is everything I love about fashion; kitsch and cool in equal measures! His ability to provoke, challenge and shock through his designs made him the perfect choice to lead Moschino out of their financial and creative stagnation.

    

The McDonalds pastiche in his first collection for Moschino was brilliant – I had been championing this idea for years, fashioning bras out of McDonalds cups at one point…but who would’ve thought they’d make a good handbag…utter genius! Those golden arches that are so synonymous with our consumerist brand driven culture are a statement of hyperreal proportions. He is not just playing because he can but he is deliberately laughing at the materialistic and consumption driven world of fashion – even using Barbie as his muse for his latest collection. (See Barbie’s don’t grow on trees). He is bringing back the irony that made Moschino what it was from the outset, making him a post-modern icon of the fashion world.

  

It was about time the muscles in the faces of the FROW learnt how to smile again. Why does fashion have to be so serious? And why does everyone take themselves so seriously? Come on let’s all laugh at the whole farce that is the fickle world of fashion and WEAR MOSCHINO!!

Dress: Moschino Necklace: Miu Miu 

Photography By Ben Sage 

Blinded by the Light

  

Lace Trousers: Rosamosario Necklace: Topshop Top: Mine

Ophelia

I cannot rest, I cannot rest

In straight and shiny wood,

My woven hands upon my breast–

The dead are all so good!

Ophelia by John Everett Millais

The earth is cool across their eyes;

They lie there quietly.

But I am neither old nor wise;

They do not welcome me.

Where never I walked alone before,

I wander in the weeds;

And people scream and bar the door,

And rattle at their beads.

We cannot rest, we never rest

Within a narrow bed

Who still must love the living best–

Who hate the pompous dead!

Ophelia by Alexandre Cabanel

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Words from The White Lady by Dorothy Parker

Barbies Don’t Grow on Trees

Inspired by the Prix Pictet photography competitions’ theme of consumption this year I set about creating an installation of my own. The Barbie doll is the perfect metaphor for the consumerist society we live in, not only is it synonymous with our pursuit of physical and material perfection but it signifies consumption on so many levels. One Barbie doll is sold every three seconds somewhere in the world and over 1 Billion dolls have been produced and sold worldwide since 1959. Making the Barbie doll an emblem of global capitalism with its disciples being the biggest guilt free mass consumers of all – children. Children use and dispose of goods on a massive scale with complete ignorance of the consequences. The toy of the moment is quickly replaced by the new flavour of the month and simply disregarded in favour of the next. This conspicuous consumption cycle is becoming more and more rapid and the plastic just keeps piling up. A Barbie doll is made out of ABS plastic and the head is made from soft PVC plastic and therefore doesn’t biodegrade. So all of these billions of Barbies already sold are still here and yet more still being produced daily. I want to illustrate issues of environmental sustainability through this installation and as I continue to photograph the tree through the seasons one can reflect on the changeability of nature and the permanence of plastic.   As I set about on my quest to fill the tree with Barbies, I had no idea how easy it would be to amass these dolls. It took me only 2 weeks of scouring car boot sales to collect 72 unloved and unwanted dolls. Now looking back, going to a car boot sale was actually ironic as they are an unintentional sustainability practice, which recycles and extends the life cycle of products. Prix Pictet is at the V&A until the 14^th June

My Rebellion Against Normcore

 

New York trend forecasting agency K-Hole coined the term ‘normcore’ last year but I think they must’ve been in a k-hole at the time or rather wish they were in one now. The term is supposed to signify a ‘move away from a coolness that relies on difference to a post-authenticity that opts into sameness’ but it has become exactly what it is supposed to be rejecting, especially within fashion where people are deliberately dressing #normcore!! That is not the point. Surely having items that are a sort of normcore uniform (beanie hat, straight leg Mum jeans and trainers) is actually going against what the initial idea of normcore was, which was for people to just be themselves without trying too hard to be cool.

Normcore is stupid and needs to be stopped in its tracks before it spirals out of control and we accidentally put the old woman from down the street in the ‘style hunter’ pages of Grazia because she is wearing the same black roll-neck and jeans that she has worn every winter since the 80s. This whole idea has probably forced Anna Della Russo’s frown to break through her Botox!

Normcore has lost its intended meaning, it’s not a thing, a fashion movement or even a trend…it’s nothing! Since when has anyone actually gone to the effort of looking as if they have made no effort? It seems pretty pointless to me to actually consciously decide to look, ergh…can’t even bring myself to say the word… normal. Why would anyone want to be normal?!

Its a bit like sitting on the fence, its just not very confortable. Or actually could this be what its all about? Comfort? Comfort clothing! A rejection of the imposed fashion trends and the innate desire to be cool and make a statement that has exhausted us for so long now, that we just yearn to just pull on a pair of jeans and an unbranded t-shirt because we don’t care anymore.

But surely all of us do this anyway? Either you’ve dressed up to go out and make a fashion statement or you’ve just popped out to get a pint of milk. You cannot tell me that my corner shop look is actually a normcore fashion statement.

Normcore shouldn’t be a fashion trend and it shouldn’t be photographed as a street style revolution because as far as I know it’s always been around. Have we really run out of new trends to discuss that we are looking to make boringness a thing?

Ok rant over. Now please join me in my rebellion against normcore.

By following my 7 glitter-coated fashion rules…

Rule Number 1: Too Much is Not Enough

Hat by Twinks Burnett*, Clutch: Mawi, Dress: Vintage, Platforms: Topshop

Rule Number 2: When in Doubt Add Another Accessory

Dress: Topshop Unique, Clutch: Mawi, Sequin bag: Reiss, Handbag: Prada, Shoes: Dolce and Gabbana, Headband: Topshop, Earrings: made by Me!

Rule Number 3: Always be Weather Appropriate 

For when it rains…Jelly Shoes: Sophia Webster, Mac: Maxmara, Umbrella: Iva

And for when the sun comes out…Hat: Malene Birger, Swimsuit: Vintage M&S, Hi-Tops: Manoush

 

Rule Number 4: Colour Block Rocks

Top: Topshop, Trousers: Sportmax, Sunglasses: Joke Shop

Rule Number 5: Be Occasion Themed 

So when you are going to play tennis, make sure everyone knows you are going to play tennis.

Top: Topshop, Skirt: River Island, Trainers: Nike

And when you are going to a funeral, make sure everyone knows you are going to a funeral!

Hat: Joan Biggs, Dress: Asos, Shoes: Bally

Rule Number 6: Always Buy Easy to Match Accessories

Dress and Matching Backpack: HORACE, Sandals: Shakuhachi

Rule Number 7: A Hat Fixes Everything!

Hat by Twinks Burnett*, Dress: Roberto Cavalli, Trainers: Nike

Ka-Pow!!

*Check out the amazing Twinks Burnett at www.twinksburnett.com

 

Easter Greetings

 

 

  

Assault on the Senses

The rich tapestry of colours adorning every surface, the pungent/smoky aromas filling the streets, and the eerie call to prayer that reverberates through the air over the murmur of motorcycles, leaves one utterly enchanted.

There is mystique in the air making one feel transported to another world; a world of rich Sultans, Soothsayers and Snake Charmers, where women glide through narrow streets to Malhun melodies and the hullabaloo of the sellers in the souks.  And with the sumptuous smell of spices diffusing through the hazy atmosphere, Marrakech hypnotises one and all. 

Dress: Vintage Maxmara, Necklace: Roberto Cavalli, Clutch: Chloe, Sandals: Louis Vuitton, Sunglasses: Louis Vuitton

Dress: Vintage, Clutch: Chloe, Sandals: Louis Vuitton

 

Perfectly Pleated

 

Pleats are having a renaissance but they’ve never really been that far away. Season after season they make an appearance of some sort, except this season they have gone from cameo to leading lady before you can say knife…pleat. The catwalks were full of pleated styles with my favourites being shown at Proenza Schouler, Christopher Kane, Givenchy and Antipodium.

Proenza Schouler, Christopher Kane, Givenchy, Antipodium

 

Illustration of Givenchy Pleated Dress

As I stepped back into my vintage Jaeger pleated skirt for the first time since I was a teenager, I suddenly felt an air of lady-like sophistication swoon over me. So elegant and feminine in fact, that I thought I could get away with teaming it with converse, sports socks and a sweatshirt. Not just any old sweatshirt though, my new prized possession ‘Filles à Papa’ sex on the beach motif sweatshirt of course! 

Sweatshirt: Filles à Papa, Skirt: Vintage Jaeger, Converse trainers, Nike socks

Proenza Schouler’s catwalk was awash with metallic-foil-printed silk pleated skirts, which brought a freshness and sharp modernity to the traditional pleat. When I saw these skirts in real life I was even more bedazzled by them, they are a work of art, so beautiful in fact that they may have to be hung on the wall rather than being hidden in the wardrobe.

Top: Zara, Skirt: Proenza Schouler, Sandals: Christian Louboutin, Sunglasses: Shakuhachi

I am always attracted to clothes that have a movement of their own as we walk, they add an air of importance and sex appeal but in a subtle way. The pleated skirt is so feminine and romantic when it catches the breeze, and flutters with such a rhythmical ease that I imagine hearing a xylophone accompaniment.  So off I go to float and twirl through the streets of London exuding the power of the pleated skirt.