CUTTING EDGE

From sharp silhouettes to radical geometry - this season it's cool to be a square.

Structure, form and angles, usually associated with architectural design, have seemingly trascended from teh city streets to the fashion runways. Has the rise of minimalism (and the fall of the economy) encouraged a more sensible approach to fashion design? Clean-cut lines at Derek Lam and razor-edge tailoring at appear to say so.

Colour palletes nod to city chic, prevailing in concrete greys and asphalt blacks ozzing lucrative sophistication. Calvin Klein - the godfather of simplicity - showed us the way this fall with A-line dresses and geometric pleating reminiscent of origami.

Alternatively the high-streets heaving with shimmery futuristic shifts (that Balmain copy at Asda anyone?) laden with metallic embellishments echoing those of Bank's multi-faceted Gherkin building.
It seems this season's not cutting any corners, and fashion's getting serious...simplistic elegance is the future.

La Bourgeoisie

Fettered Fashion

...Putting the S&M into H&M

From Burberry to Mulberry and even a rogue Tory MP, it seems everyone’s getting a little hot under the collar (and leash) this spring. Last season’s floaty florals have been dropped faster than a call-girl’s knickers in favour of all things leather, latex and downright kinky. The A/W catwalks took us back to the Dark Ages with suites of masked, chastity belted dominatrixes (oh, and a few clothes). Dolce & Gabbana’s 2008 advertising campaign took this one step further with whip-toting models forcing their half-naked male subjects into submission.

But by no means is this fashion’s first dabbling in fetishism: Vivienne Westwood, the Queen mother of kink, pioneered the audacious punk style of the 1970s with her exhibitionist PVC and rubber designs. Her first shop, aptly named ‘Sex’, introduced the taboo of exhibitionism to Chelsea’s ladies who lunch, marking the start of fashion’s intensifying penchant for the unconventional. From Gaultier’s ‘bullet-cone’ corset to Versace’s 1992 strap-on slitted creations, it appears the forbidden has increasingly found its way into the mainstream.

More recently Gareth Pugh’s LFW collection was brimming with aggressive sexuality, most memorably his inflatable balloon garnments reminiscent of blow-up dolls, and what appeared to be a cellophane catsuit.
The high fashion industry is undeniably one of extremes, and the high-street offers some welcome watered-down alternatives, from studded leather pencil skirts and whip-esque fringing at Kate Moss Topshop, to latex vests and those good old wet-look leggings at American Apparel.

Pugh describes his titillating creations as “a struggle between lightness and darkness.” Channel this juxtaposition by teaming feminine nudes and chiffon with stiff black leathers for vicar’s daughter meets Bettie Page sex appeal. Keep make-up neutral, submissive and bambi-eyed for maximum contrast with madam-like multi-strapped, gravity defying stilettos.

As Valerie Steele wisely declared, "to understand contemporary fashion, it is crucial to explore fetishism.” The contemporary fusion of these worlds, far from mysoginism makes a positive and wholly Amazonian statement...’couture Catwoman’ if you will.

And besides if fetishism defines "an object of unreasonably excessive attention or reverence" then hold me down and spank me silly as my need for sweet Burberry sandal gratification positively verges on the sado-Masochistic.

LFW '09

Words cannot describe my excitement for LFW...it positively borders on the psychotic.
Show's I'm most looking forward to include: Horace, William Tempest and House of Blue Eyes (with a rumoured return of a certain miss Ditto to the catwalk!)

Pictures coming soon to a screen near you...
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now this is the story...

My all-time favourite shoot so far! We wandered through the streets of 'downtown' Oxford, littered with grafitti, concrete and flyered walls (all the while subconciously whistling the Fresh Prince theme tune).
80's vintage (kindly donated by Reign) totally dominated this shoot - cue acid brights, nylon, adidas and dunks. Accessories also featured heavily, taking the form of oversized headphones and old-skool methods of transportation...BMX or skateboard anyone? Purple equally appears to be something of a recurrent theme...
Anyway i won't bore you with unnescessarily patronizing droning...the pictures pretty much speak for themselves.

Smell ya' later!

power dressing.

Forgive me for going all ‘Destiny’s Child’ on yo’ ass – but there’s nothing quite as sexy as an empowered, independent woman. Before yelping at the thought of Margaret Thatcher as your next style icon, there are a few invaluable lessons in dressing to be learnt from our first female Prime Minister – her penchant for “power shoulders” and omnipresent pearls for one, as well as her statement pallet of navies, blacks and fuchsias.
No flimsy draping for our independent lady, oh no. The 21st century is all about female supremacy - with sharp, geometric tailoring and colour blocking dominating the S/S 09 catwalks.

Of equal note is Michelle Obama, who teams gobstopper pearls with waist cinching shifts for practical outfits that flatter whilst giving poise and authority: in no way is this woman defined by her husband’s role.

So, like the two Lady M’s, go forth, don your tailoring like a suit of armour, your hair a coiffed helmet, and your handbag a fearsome weapon. To put it simply: She went. She wore. She conquered. In the words of Maggy herself, “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't.”

,,

demure vs the cure.

Yes this season’s florals are cute, and yes you’re mother would probably approve...but continually fulfilling the female stereotype is frankly getting rather dull.
So what exactly happens when feminine allure car-crashes with rebellious biker? This shoot aimed to answer this, and Camden was undeniably the perfect location.

After much sweet-talking (and several rounds in the oh so charming 'Hobgoblin' pub) I managed to persuade a group of very indigenous punks to take part in the shoot. My friend Anna kindly agreed to indulge me in what was an undeniable down-grade (considering she's signed to IMG!) and congeal in a side-street whilst traffic stopped to observe her molestation (punk on the left in particular). I wanted to contrast femininity with rebellious nihilism, heavily influenced by the wonderful Alice Dellal.

This girl totally juxtaposes feminine chic with punk-rock nihilism, admittedly with a very much optional serving of trashiness (cue – ripped tights). The flowing glossy maiden locks contrasting with shaven scalp, the bondage-esque leather and zips revealing lacy pastel bustiers – she’s breaking-rules at every imagineable level...and i think i might love her just a bit. Okay, a lot.
Plus you’ve got to admit….donning your leather jacket with a swing of your unwashed mane does make you feel, if just a little bit, badass.

hello shoes, goodbye eyes.

Below is shoot number two...post obscene amounts of Photoshoping.

My eyes, my poor poor eyes.

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my first shoot...

Goodbye shoot-virginity!
Friday 21st November 2008...the start of a beautiful (and somewhat stressful) relationship with the Cherwell Newspaper's C2 fashion section. The theme was "the art of reveal and conceal", focusing primarily on sheer fabrics. There's nothing more seductive than a hint of flesh through translucence, leaving the rest to the imagination. I wanted my model to have a very specific look - geometric platinum bob and pale skin (for maximum visibility through material) - and thanks to a fair amount of Facebook stalking I found my girl, Phoebe. Topshop provided most of the clothing, to which I added a handful of miscellaneous vintage pieces (i.e. 1960s cut-out bandage dress) to avoid monotony. I also hoped to showcase that navy and black can in fact look effortlessly chic in certain combinations. I wanted the lighting to be harsh and artificial in order to best contrast skin with fabric, and for the wall behind to be easily perceptible. Poses were to be powerful yet underlying feminine, which Phoebe portrayed to perfection.
All-in-all a sheer success! Sorry.