Getting up at 5.30am to be in make-up at 6am is never the most pleasant way of waking up – even if on this occasion it was the lovely Emily choosing my lip shade and expertly applying eyeliner. But shooting a video with Carrie directing, Nadia styling and Miguel shooting definitely ranks among the best things I experienced this autumn past.
What I enjoy most about my blog is the unusual opportunities it occasionally throws up, that would have been inconceivable had I, in some ‘Sliding Doors’ style parallel life, not decided to create ‘Clothes, Cameras and Coffee’ on a day off from school several summers ago. This alternate Rosalind wouldn’t have visited London Fashion Week twice, been honoured to be featured in a number of magazines and websites from around the world (including Grazia most recently – thank you so much to Hannah Almassi!), and she definitely wouldn’t be as interested in writing. She would also never have met the wonderful Carrie from Wish Wish Wish, and so the chance of modeling in a video in collaboration with delectable designer Nadinoo would have been entirely improbable. Luckily, here I am, two and half years after starting my blog – and here is the film I appeared in.
Sounds of the Woods - Nadinoo AW11 Film from WishWishWish on Vimeo.
I will state now that having a blog is a little like having a double life. I get up (often blearily) in the morning to catch the train to college – and with that comes the endless responsibilities of homework and extracurricular activities, alongside socialising with good friends. Another side of me writes potential blog posts in the back of my lined notebook during free lessons, replies to the wonderful emails I receive and puts together text and photos for features. This side attends Fashion Week and the occasional shoot in London – often involving a hastily organized train journey. The two aspects to my life are not entirely separate though. I cajole friends into letting me take photos of them for my blog, and although I don’t wear fifties' ball gowns and gold pleated skirts to college, I don’t particularly water down my style either.
However, this video divided me not into two halves but into three characters. Pixie, Lula and Fleur to be precise. The trio serve as the muses behind each Nadinoo collection – a brand that mixes whimsy and classic design to create clothes that can be labeled simply as ‘beautiful’ and ‘highly desirable’.
Pixie is book-ish, with a fondness for wildlife and the outdoors (possibly bearing the most resemblance to me). Lula is the mischievous one, whose red cape and lips give her away as she spies on her fellow characters. The constant advice given to embody her was to “scamper” and “look cheeky”. The third, Fleur, was perhaps my favorite to act out. I was thoroughly enjoying myself, and so really got into character as I pretended to read tarot cards – fulfilling her more ‘mystical’ aesthetic. We shot all three in a day in the outskirts of London, not that you’d know that from the locations. The only reminder that the city was not so far away was from the occasional clatter of trains as we crossed and re-crossed a railway bridge. In the course of the day – a real dawn to dusk affair – our small team walked from the trees where the Boy Scout-esque tent was pitched to the lake where I ‘fished’ (country girl? Pah – I know more about Balenciaga than bait) three times. It was roughly a mile each way, meaning that I probably did more exercise than I usually manage in a fortnight! And might I add that portions of those treks were completed in heels? I wore those black Mary-Janes, (which you may also recognize from this post), to do everything from clambering up a muddy bank to Kate Bush-style swirling while the smoke canisters did their work. I was told afterwards that the designer and make-up artist had been singing ‘Wuthering Heights’ as I spun.
I was immensely impressed by the props that Carrie had painstakingly collected and organized, and I took great delight in several ‘Observer’ leather-bound books she’d found – reading the miniature guides on birds, fungi and butterflies while filming. Her boyfriend Miguel, who is also working on this fascinating-sounding short film, did all the cinematography and is obviously intensely talented. The assembled crew of four (five including me) made the day both memorable and interesting. The yellow leaves and autumn light led to repeated praise of the perfect locations, and I'm still smiling when recalling the bemused expressions of dog-walkers who stumbled across us. It was an exhilarating time – and my first chance to perform on film (I’m more used to doing formal LAMDA speech & drama exams).
The stills were taken by Nadia, and for anyone not already familiar with her work, please do take a look at her incredible designs. Her personal style is top-notch too, making her a brilliant advert for her own brand. I hope you enjoy the video – I certainly enjoyed making it and am extremely honoured to have been asked by Carrie to be involved. The amount of work she put in to the making of the film was simply extraordinary.
And of course, it being the first day of 2012 I wish everyone a very, very happy new year. May it be filled with adventures, opportunities and friendship. Thank you SO much for reading and commenting on my blog in the past year. I have so many ideas fizzing around my head at the moment, so I hope that I may continue to improve in all creative endeavours this year.
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment