Love for Swan

I’m going to share my love for the film Black Swan starring Natalie Portman, who is the new face for the “Miss Dior” perfume. The campaign shot by photographer Tim Walker is amazing – he is my fav photographer, absolutely incredible, every photo is magical.

After wanting to see this film since it first hit the screens in January I have finally got around to watching it. The film is a new take on the original Swan Lake, and after doing ballet for many years, I have seen many interpretations of Swan Lake, and also danced in a show based upon it too! However, Black Swan takes a more thrilling plot, much more up my street.

As the delicate white swan lead needs to figure out her sub role as the black swan she struggles with her underlying need to be perfect, as the plot unfolds we see her lose her mind as she becomes more like the black swan, Odile. The twisted movie has a dark and sinister tone, it is gripping, one to watch. Rodarte’s designers for the film, Laura and Kate Mulleavy used a love for horror films to inspire its wardrobe – the result; awe-inspiring, dramatic pieces. 

The trend of ballet could be seen throughout the catwalk at LFW. Ballet is having a huge influence on style. Hannah MacGibbon’s ballet-influenced SS11 show for Chloe, with its pretty yet minimalist aesthetic was one out of many which can be seen to show a ballet influence. There were no prints, no complexities, no heels just an air of pure femininity. The colour palette didn't deviate far from what you'd expect of the modern Chloe girl: nudes and crisp whites. 

From,

Vikky Ivie

What a Success at LCS!

I have to take this last blog of mine to specifically applaud the LCS staff, program and other students in the course. We are onto our 9^th week of class and looking back on all that we have learned and everything that we are learning about right now is just jaw dropping. So if any of you are looking at applying for the course, getting ready to start come summer, or just looking at this blog for the first time, definitely stay tuned, you’ll be amazed at the amount of things that are learned in a 12-week slot of time!

This past week was yet another insightful lecture at the London College of Style as we learned more in depth what it takes to be a personal stylist and some valuable tips on good ways to start getting to know the clients, organizing wardrobes, and we were actually given a hands-on detailed assignment to “wake up” the wardrobe of a friend, relative or neighbor. I, naturally, chose a classmate turned good friend, Hugh Metzger as my project for the week. We went through Hugh’s extensive wardrobe, detangling the good from the bad and it was actually a really fun process! I even got a pose or 2 out of him and a little catwalk strut for the pieces that looked great on.

Hugh during the “wake-up” wardrobe process

Aside from this project, we also have our final photo shoots coming up where we get to choose the themes of 2 different outfits. Though I chose two pretty tricky themes, I’m pleasantly surprised with the results! Now I’m just crossing my fingers that they both look just as good on the model as they do off! 

Photo shoot outfit #2
(inspired by Vivienne Westwood A/W 2011/12)

Photo shoot outfit #1
(inspired by Julian Galliano A/W 2009)

Confessions of a Customizer

At LCS, I’ve really enjoyed learning that there are endless possibilities within the fashion biz that are right at the tips of our fingers. I came into this program assuming I wanted to do two things with my life afterwards: fashion editorial styling and fashion writing. However, like many other of my fabulous classmates, I’ve come to learn that there’s SO much more depth to the styling industry than I thought and thus came my revolution.

Wendy, Jason and the rest of the LCS team are so great in that they really help us to discover what we want to do with our lives; expressing what regions within the fashion world that we show a knack for and pushing us to explore those areas deeper. One area that they have built up my confidence in is my ability to customize.

Now, I never realized how pertinent customization skills can be within the fashion industry, more specifically, styling, but I have really started to become more fascinated in taking a piece of clothing that was once an absolute horror, and turning it into something useful. It all started with Selena Francis-Bryden- the stylist for SJP’s infamous character on Sex and the City- having us customize a white t-shirt which I just added a little bit of lace onto and cut off a sleeve, and it has slowly evolved into creating a pair of colorful beaded shoes, a 1940’s themed hat that I used for our last photo shoot, and now, I am currently the proud parent of a once-was button-down top turned fur vest that I will be using for my final photo shoot.

First Project

Customized hat in use for photo shoot

Shoes I customized for a class customization assignment 

I thought I’d give you all a view of what I’ve come to discover and love, thanks to the program- I honestly don’t think I would have ever figured this out about myself otherwise! 

If this is something you’re interested in, I highly suggest checking out Selena’s book DIY Fashion: Customize and Personalize or the U.S. stylist turned author, Erica Domesek’s P.S.- I Made This.

Back of vest

Front of vest 

Excessive Accessories

Picture of a stand at Portobello Market

I have really become more creative with and enjoy the use and amount of accessories. At LCS, we have been learning how accessories can really make or break an outfit and the amount worn always matters too. Yeah, for editorial shoots you are bound to use an exaggerated amount of accessories (so we’ve learned first-hand) however, excessive accessories are also a big look hitting this spring and summer and some of the high street shops have really done a brilliant job in creating certain looks solely through their accessories. You could wear a completely plain outfit and still create a certain theme through the amount and type of accessories you wear!

Personally, being new to the London area, Portobello Market is one of my favorite places to find accessories because of the array to choose from! Some are so ethnic looking while others are antiques and still there are costume pieces as well. However, if you don’t have the time to rummage through the piles upon piles of things Portobello is notorious for hoarding; some of the high street stores are doing a fantastic job with the different themes that are big right now through their jewelry.

Bright colors are a big thing for spring through color blocking as well as the neon look and 70’s style and right now Topshop has a fantastic number of collections that appeal to all of these looks- I’m loving the feather accessories they’re mixing with turquoise, brown and coral for the more bohemian 70’s look, and the royal blue bangles  and fun brightly colored costume rings are fab!

Another one of my favorites right now is River Island’s 70’s-themed scarves and sunglasses and don’t even get me started on the vintage jewelry at Urban Outfitters!

Leigh x

Fashion as the Arts

Greetings all! My name is Leigh Loosbrock and I am yet another LCS fashion student learning in this glorious city of London, as the out-of-country traveller. I’m from the states- Chicago, Illinois- having ventured out of my American bubble solely to attend LCS and have had the most fantastic experiences through learning here.

One of my favourite parts about this course is the staff’s ability to get all of the students to think outside the box and find new places where we can gain inspiration for our projects, our photo shoots, and even ourselves. They have truly done a great job in building up the confidence of all students to experiment with new looks, colours, and ideas and push us to really dig deep to find our creativity.

With that said, one of the most fascinating yet conventional places where I’ve been getting my inspiration from are the window displays and visual merchandising techniques of retailers out here. With the amount of sourcing items, fabric shopping, and rummaging around that I’ve been doing for the course, I’ve had the opportunity to get sick of shopping, but I have to say, it never gets old on the streets of London because of the retailers impeccable ability to catch the eye with their visual merchandizing techniques and window displays. They make the most interesting creations out of materials and props that, to the average human eye, would make absolutely no connection to fashion.

Granted, this could have to do with the fact that I’m from the states, and our high street stores have yet to reach that level of serious artistic ability through fashion, but seriously! Some of them are surprisingly crafty and I have to admit, they have really helped to get my idea pot brewing!

Image in Topshop: a 2-story dress made out of clothes pins

Image of window display at 7 For All Mankind- a dress made out of a bunch of jeans

Westwood in Wonderland

Hello all!  It’s Leigh here, ready to share my enthusiasm for how absolutely fantastic the fashion scene is out here in London-town. With the conclusion of London Fashion week, I can no longer keep my excitement in for how absolutely brilliant all of the collections were for autumn/winter 2011-12.

  

To no surprise, Vivienne Westwood has remained loyal to the fantastic eccentricities behind her London name, yet again creating one large masterpiece out of her Women’s RTW Red Label collection. Apparently Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland inspired her, but Westwood’s translation of its whimsical characters is SO much more abstract and interesting. With a combination of animal prints, checkers, plaids, argyle, a wide array of colour and make up literally splashed onto the models faces, her autumn/winter collection showed absolute genius and inspiration- to me at least!

I’ll admit, some of the combinations made the models simply look like a posh-homeless cult, while others looked like royalty pulled out of a Picasso painting with oversized, tilted crowns (and I’d like to add- made out of their hair) and extravagant cape-coats with vibrant colours. However, all seemed to share the Joker look from Batman with clownish make-up: one painted on raised eyebrow and smeared lip colour.

Check out the detail put into each outfit- she didn’t miss a beat from head-to-toe!