Expressions

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Dazed & Confused Magazine
Vol. 2 Issue #73 - May 2009
Photographer: Horst Diekgerdes
Stylist: Bryan McMahon
Models: Zdenek, Cole, Rogier, Joseph,
Craig, Chris, Jakob and Bertrand.

Whilst I had intially picked up the May '09 edition of Dazed & Confused earlier this month for the fabulous cover featuring Beth Ditto, I was rewarded by one of the most colourful and appealing menswear editorials I have seen as of late.

In a true testament to the photographer, Horst Diekgerdes, and stylist, Bryan McMahon, I felt far more excited about the pieces featured than I had previously, when solely based on the runway shows. The beautifully expressive make up and colourful garments made a wonderful combination. There was a sense of juxtaposition between the inherent elegance of the clothing, when laid aside the energy and vibrancy of the concept.

I especially enjoyed the photograph of Cole in the layered Bottega Veneta suit upon the Vivienne Westwood. The shape of his pose gave a very interesting silhouette, and with the subtle light fall off towards the right, the clothing was gently cut into shade on the left. This contrast was further emphasised through the use of the colourful make up over just the one side of his face, whilst the other sat in shadow. The shot was also brought forward towards the viewer with the trail of string falling off the bottom. Indeed this added quite a fascinating visual element with regards to the depth of the shot, despite the plain studio backdrop.

I was also intrigued by the continuation of the jewels around Bertrand's neck, in the last shot, with the speckles of paint in his beard. The subtle embroided detailing of the Gucci jacket added a beautiful depth to the black cloth. Indeed the light allowed the creation of further shades of black, which has always interested me visually. It was also fascinating to note how the detailing on the suit, especially around the shoulders, when hit by the light, created the illusion of being ostensibly level with the colourful jewels and paint drops.

Now if I could only grow a paint speckled beard...

Currently playing: This Is Not The Fire - My Tiger My Timing

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Little Timmy's plan to run away from home and become a Space Cowboy was cut short when mother announced that they were having pizza for supper.
Who knew if they even had pizza in Space?

(Excerpt from a short story I wrote for my nephew)

Currently playing: Fun For Me - Moloko

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Colour + Colour

Three Chairs with a Section of a Picasso Mural (1970)
David Hockney

"Anything simple always interests me" - Hockney

Following a rather beautiful week of blue skies and gentle sunshine, the weather decided to mix things up with a sustained downpour of rain yesterday. As I was curled up inside, reading to the lyrical rhythm of rain drops on the window, I imagined the vast sea of black umbrellas and dark rain jackets outside. Whilst the majority seem to feel that the dreary grey days of rain require equally sombre outfits, I always find that the best outfit for me is a colourful one. This is especially the case during spring days of rains, where one would otherwise be donning quite a bright colour palette.

Whilst thinking through the colour combinations I could achieve with my wardrobe, I also tried to picture the more unusual colour clashes and complimentations I could possibly try. I am a definite fan of colourful clothing, however I rarely go the full step, for example including brightly coloured trousers also. As such, when I vaguely remembered the rather colourful Spring '05 collection, by Christopher Bailey for Burberry Prorsum, I decided to go back and look through the bright Pop inspired colour pairings.

What I found so beautiful about the collection was Bailey's unapologetic use of colour and the clear sense of joy in his designs. There was a wonderful cascade of vivacity, with his clever use of grassy greens, blazing oranges, fluorescent yellows, hot pinks and more, presented on canvases of ice whites in order to give them all a greater visual boost. The simplicity of the designs and elegance of the cuts allowed the loud colours to have a more refined nature, and indeed that is one of the reasons that the collection worked so well. Rather than being overpowering on the eye, the collection managed to be wonderfully colourful yet well coordinated.

Another point of intrigue for me was also the treatment of fabrics. The garments were crafted from cottons, leathers, and in the case of the last look, paper, yet all had a softness and light weight look. Indeed the colouring of the pieces, and visual weight of the fabrics, lended the looks to seeming as if they could have ostensibly been cut out of a bright Pop painting. Yet the crafting of the garments allowed the clothing to create a visual depth that one would perhaps have not thought possible with the use of block colour.

There is something wonderfully reassuring about the collection that for me shows that colourful clothing is perhaps not as scary a thought as many believe it to be.

Currently playing: Who Knows ft. Mike Posner - Big Sean

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Scattered thoughts.

Currently playing: Not What Love Is - Cassie

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Neapolitan Ice Cream

As I was considering outfits with regards to the Pink Panther yesterday, I spent some time to think through the possible colour combinations for the varying shades of pink. Whilst I enjoy the look of pink on black, I feel that the look would be too dark for my own satisfaction, and one would indeed have to be very careful as to which shade of pink to choose. As such when I thought of a softer palette, that would best suit my skin colour, I started considering the idea of browns and nudes, to softly contrast, yet draw attention to the pink.

Today I decided for a more casual outfit, perfect for a relaxing day in the garden, looking up at the clouds drifting slowly by. I opted for a pink based colour scheme, in all actuality, inspired by ice cream. In fact, the colours of the neapolitan icecream to be specific, and that beautiful combination of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate.

As such, I decided to wear a simple pink cashmere sweater over a white cotton t-shirt, which I paired with some brown cotton drop crotch trousers. Not wanting to over complicate the look, I went for a nude coloured Kashmiri scarf, which I draped over twice and knotted at the back, and navy blue espadrilles. I wanted to create a more relaxed and draped silhouette, whilst still maintaining a close and flattering fit, which I hopefully managed to achieve.

On a side note, the lovely Hello, darling of Berry blue muffin and the Prada handbag recently tagged me with this wonderful question tag.

What is your current obsession?

Crunchie chocolate bars, apple lollipops, Ceylon tea and Bad Science by Ben Goldacre.

What is your weirdest obsession?

Collecting the red rubber bands that the postman uses to keep all the post for each house grouped together.

What are you wearing today?

^ Check above ^

What’s for dinner today?

Keine Ahnung...my mother will probably be cooking something tasty though :)

Why is today special?

Red Hat Society Day?

What would you like to learn to do?

I would love to be able to play the guitar and piano. And I have always wanted to know how to cut and sew a suit, I suppose a part of me has always entertained the idea of being a tailor.

What’s the last thing you bought?

The Thoughtful Dresser by Linda Grant.

What are you listening to right now?

Stars And Boulevards by Augustana.

What is your favorite weather?

The days just towards the end of summer, when autumn is knocking on the door but has yet to step inside. It is still beautifully warm, and the darkness is gently creeping in during the evenings. The sunsets are wonderfully colourful and the trees have those mesmerising burnt reds and browns on their fringes.

What's your favorite meal of the day?

Breakfast. You can always be more creative with your food at breakfast, and I also happen to love breakfast cereals.

What is your most challenging goal right now?

Getting my health back on track so I can return to University.

What do you think about the person who tagged you?

Super sweet, always leaves adorable comments and you should check her out here.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?

"Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner, that I love London town".

I would love to live in one of those beautiful town houses just North of the River, or an apartment overlooking it.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

Egypt. The history and culture is simply fascinating.

Which language do you want to learn?

I wish I could speak Russian fluently.

What do you look for in a friend?

People that make me happy.

What would you like to have in your hands right now?

Låt den rätte komma in (Let The Right One In) on dvd.

What’s your favorite type of music?

Something that my mind gets lost in, and can evoke emotion or bring back memories.

What’s the favorite piece of clothing in your own closet?

A small red sweater that I wore as a baby. I am keeping it so that one day, when I hopefully have children, they can wear it. I eventually intend to frame it, so I can have those memories constantly there for me to see.

What is your dream job?

A job in which I can write for the pure enjoyment of it. And I would love to be a position where I could quit whenever I wished without putting my family finances at risk, meaning that I would be working solely for the want to work.

Any favorite models?

Lily Donaldson, Coco Rocha, Chanel Iman and Daria Werbowy.

If you had £100 now what would you spend it on?

I was born with a reading list that I shall never finish, however what else can one do buy try? I would buy a well considered amount of books to read and just let my mind be free.

Favorite designers?

Yohji Yamamoto, Ozwald Boateng, Sir Paul Smith, Rei Kawakubo, Hedi Slimane, Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester, Marc Jacobs, Valentino Garavani, Diane von Furstenberg and Filippa Knutsson.

Fashion pet peeve?

*cough* Cr*cs *cough*

Do you admire anyone’s style?

Johnny Depp. Unlike, say Brad Pitt, he never uses a stylist and in spite of that is still always well dressed. You can truly feel his personality through his clothing, and that, for me, is the epitomy of style.

Describe your personal style.

Constantly evolving, emotive and hopefully with a story to tell.

Currently playing: Boston - Augustana

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Under lock and key.

Currently playing: Single ft. Neyo - New Kids On The Block

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One Cool Cat

I was flicking through the numerous cartoon (well, mostly 3d animation nowadays) channels as I was seated with my nephew yesterday. With his favourite show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse having just finished, I decided to try once again to introduce him to some of my favourite childhood shows. The final choice came between one of the earlier shorts of the Pink Panther, or the more contemporary, and in all likelihoood more accessible for his age range, Spongebob Squarepants. Now whilst I have a clear love for the adventures of the amicable sponge and his dopey starfish friend, I thought that one of the Pink Panther animated shorts would make a wonderful entry into the franchise, whilst he is still too young to really enjoy the original movie.

As the Panther caused his usual amusing mayhem and my nephew laughed away, more so at the general animation than the actual jokes given his two year old age, I was reminded of Rei Kawakubo's beautiful pink Spring '05 collection for Comme des Garçons.

I am fascinated by the fact that the collection could have easily shown for Spring '09 and have such a current appeal. This spring season saw the likes of Paul Helbers showing a whole range of pink tailoring at Louis Vuitton, or Frida Giannini with her bright pink jeans at Gucci. Indeed some may remember my recent post on the matching of bright pink with fine striped blue garments this season, which is again apparent in this '05 collection.

I found Kawakubo's colour palette beautifully appealing, although perhaps this may have been biased by the fact that pinks actually works quite well against my skin tone. Yet also, given her penchant for darker monochromatic designs, focusing frequently on blacks and whites, I was fascinated by how well she worked the more shocking pinks and bright patterns. Another appeal for me was definitely the cut of the collection.

When it comes to the more deconstructed look, CdG always gets it right for me. And indeed the trademark designers of this look have always been the likes of Yohji Yamamoto and Kawakubo herself. In more recent times designers such as Rick Owens and Ann Demeulemeester, who was actually inspired by Kawakubo for her own aesthetic, have added to the ranks of the continued exploration of the deconstructed garment and effects of layering. I suppose I have quite contrasting tastes in my ideal of fit, admiring both close cut tailoring and flowing layering, for their showcase of design talent and the artful way they work against the body.


Currently playing: Robocop - Kanye West

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Don't stop yet.

Currently playing: Overdose - Ryan Leslie

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Remember to look up once in a while.

I went for a short walk around the block this weekend with my camera in hand to take some photographs. I saw the majestic tree pictured above, which had shed a vast array of tiny yellow buds across the pavement, making a fascinating colour contrast against the cold grey. As I was taking close up shots of that beautiful cascade of colour on the ground, I took a quick look up at the branches above me. What I saw was even more fascinating than what I had been so preoccupied by. I took a quick snap of the canopy, whose size was daunting, yet had a great sense of comfort to it.

I walked over to the base of the tree, and looked straight up the trunk, towards the skies above - the experience was absolutely amazing. The view that my eyes could see managed to betray my sense of standing, in that what I saw, gave me an unexpected experience as if I were standing on the edge of the world and peering down into a fathomless chasm. An odd sense of vertigo was simultaneously met by an admiration of the previously unknown beauty.

I suppose a photographer should always try to introduce the viewer into looking at an ordinary subject in the most extraordinary of ways. To that effect, on Monday I actually went out with my Olympus XA2 and shot a number of colourful, just budding trees, from below in order to try and capture the awe that I had felt in those moments. Once they are developed and printed, I shall be sure to share them with you all.

Currently playing: Masters Of The Universe - Juno Reactor

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"Risk of sudden thunderbolts"

Currently playing: The Magnificent Seven - The Clash

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A Day At The Circus

Vogue Italia
April 2007
Model: Karen Elson
Photographer: Steven Meisel

It has been a number of years since I last felt compelled to leave my life behind and join the circus. For the first occurence, the Disney classic Dumbo was to blame.

Currently playing: Starstruck ft. Flo Rida & Space Cowboy - Lady GaGa

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