Thursday, 4 March 2010

Forgotten dressing up box- Shoot with Zoe (Plus the amazing Charlotte Taylor!)

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I've been meaning to post this shoot for weeks and weeks, ever since I actually took the photos of the very lovely Zoe! Some of my long time readers will recognize this photogenic person from the first shoot I did with her, in november. I really enjoy working with her as a model and have been eager to do more photos with her since then!

This is a digression from my usual posts, me being behind the camera instead of in front of it. But I really enjoy doing photography, so leap at the opportunity to take photos of someone else.

The theme for this shoot was 'Forgotten dressing up box.' Like a childhood memory rediscovered- the fun of dressing up in anything ranging from a vintage swimsuit to Granny's ball dress to a thirties dusky pink silk slip.

So out with the oversized jumpers and furry hats!

In a brief summary, the first outfit is made up of a vintage fifties swimsuit over my black top, with a fringed bath mat as a cape. The black furry hat and white brogues are both thrifted. The second outfit (probably my favourite!) is made up of a thrifted pink cable knit jumper and white lace dress, plus as many faux pearl necklaces I could find. The third outfit is a thirties silk slip with another thrifted jumper on top, and a tied leather belt. Some may also recognize the dress in the fourth outfit, previously modeled in a river. The black velvet cape was my grandma's. The fifth outfit is comprised of a customised t-shirt with a thermal vest layered over it, a pencil skirt and a hat from Beyond Retro. The black shoes throughout were a christmas present.

Gosh! I'm not used to writing so little about each individual outfit. Don't worry, long winded descriptive-ness will be resumed fully in the next post.

The whole idea of a dressing up box got me thinking. Personally, I still have a dressing up box that can always be relied upon, but isn't fashion just an extension of that creative play? I certainly feel that it is. Getting dressed is the perfect way to start one's day. I'd love to hear your opinions on this. What is your favourite childhood dressing up item? Or do you think that you are still dressing up now?

Anyway, on to the second part of today's post. Now, I promised to give my overview of the London fashion shows of days 4 and 5. Here goes:

Erdem for convincing me that I might actually enjoy wearing a print that isn't just floral. I have a slight antipathy to patterns and prints sometimes, but would very happily put on his pieces.

Jaeger London for definitely not disappointing. I have a rather large penchant for Jaeger, and have inadvertantly started a mini collection (standing at 9 pieces so far.) I really liked the recurring check print, voluminous sleeves and 'casual tailoring' (if such a phrase can be used.) I never imagined that I could at one point in my life be attracted to drawstring trousers.

Roksanda Illincic for the layering, draping and embellishment that just make her clothes all look so 'pwetty'! But seriously, I love that fact that a number of pieces look like demi-couture.

Paul Smith for a very vintage looking collection. The jury is still out on those flat caps, but fifties style full skirts and pale watercolour-ish floral dresses are always welcome.

Pringle of Scotland for featuring two of my favourite things to wear at the moment- grey and knitwear. I'll forgive them for the tracksuit trousers because they created such pretty pleated dresses and cable knit jumpers.

Burberry for the beautiful juxtaposition of textures- shearling with floaty dresses and those tailored coats. The bright blue slightly miltary-esque long jacket really caught my eye.

However, someone else who REALLY stood out to me this London Fashion Week was Charlotte Taylor...

Charlotte has been chronicling her work as an up and coming designer on her blog http://charlotte-taylor.blogspot.com/ and she recently revealed her collection. I was so amazed, every piece was exquisite! I would definitely recommend looking at her blog to see the other pieces from her collection she has there. The classic tailoring and refined colour palette mixed with kooky details such as a bold penguin print makes her collection intensely desirable.

As a bit of an aspiring designer myself, I find people such as Charlotte really inspiring, and reading her blog has been very useful...

Oops, I seem to have inadvertently written another insanely long post. Those of you who have reached the end, I congratulate you!