Thursday, March 31, 2011

Catherine Baba - Palais de Tokyo, Paris


Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Shoreditch Sundays: Shades of Caramel


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Knitted - Jardins de Tuileries, Paris

Monday, March 28, 2011

Shoreditch Sundays: Catherine - Spitalfields Market, London

So on Sunday I ventured out on a photography expedition to Brick Lane. You know.. shoot some 'real' people and some genuine street style. My partner in crime was Mr Nyanzi, who was on fire and discovered his long lost love for ladies on bicycles.. I think he may have even (just for a second) considered changing his street style blog to a bicycle blog :)

So much for 'real' people - the first girl I spotted and approached ended up being a fellow blogger, stylist and a London Fashion Week regular - Miss Catherine Fuller ... hey! at least I tried.. it's not my fault she caught my attention :)


Looking for recommendations in Moscow - need your help!

Hi guys, I'm heading to Moscow on Thursday and need recommendations on where to photograph street style! I will be staying centrally, close to the Volvo Fashion Week venue so if there are any particular areas/streets that you might think will be good for meeting some trendy people PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!

Thank you!! xx  

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Evelina Khromchenko, Editor in Chief L'Officiel Russia, PFW 2011


Friday, March 25, 2011

Who is Bobb Parris?? Somerset House, London

Michelle Bobb-Parris from whoisbobbparris blog. I think Michelle has to have one of THE coolest last names out there! I mean... it is hyphenated, it has "paris" in it and it makes for a great blog name.. cant go wrong really! 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

how to look cool and stay warm?.. New York


I guess the answer is.. fur! Hate it or love it.. fur is back and, fake or real, it will be everywhere next winter

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

French Chic, Paris


Happy Because... London


Frances from Happy Because blog. Frances is an art student and has an amazing sense of style, make sure you check out her Vlog from LFW 2011 

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Layered colour - Somerset House, London


Monday, March 21, 2011

Mademoiselles - Avenue du Président Wilson, Paris


The cape - Jardins des Tuileries

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Hedvig - London Fashion Week 2011



Hedvig Opshaug, blogger behind Northern Light and fashion editor at Flingly
You can read more about Hedvig in my previous post.

a fling with the northern light...

Do you ever wonder how street style bloggers and photographers choose who to photograph? Some get attracted to bright colours, some to original outfits - the crazier and bolder the outfit the better. Some photograph the celebrities, some stick with the pack and shuffle from one person to another in an organised flock.

Personally, I wouldn't be able to tell you what my approach is. I may choose to photograph one outfit over the other even if both of them are equally as tasteful and stylish. I may be attracted to the face or to the manner, to the kookiness or to the attitude of a particular person. It is very difficult to explain.

Take Hedvig for example, I first spotted her in the BFC tent before the John Rocha show. I first noticed her coat which you will be able to see in my next post. I came up to ask her for a photograph and, to my great surprise, discovered that her coat was from Zara (it looked way too expensive to be a Zara piece!) As we started chatting, I couldn't help but notice Hedvig's beautiful manner - softly spoken, poised, demure but not shy and very elegant.

Although I love street style fashion and it is my primary type of photography, I quite regularly veer towards portraits. I get fascinated by the fact that a snapshot of a person's face without any words, without any particular information, sound or smell or even colour can tell a story (whether you read the right story from a photo or not is a different matter).

The face is not something that you can dress up, albeit some people's excessive make up may suggest otherwise. A face is what it is. Old, youthful, sad, happy - what you see is what you get.

At fashion week you are spoilt for choice with beautiful girls and striking faces. It really is a field day for photographers. But then again - you always choose one face over another. I don't think it's even about being pretty or having high cheekbones. It is about personality and attitude because I really do think a photo can actually communicate both of these to the audience.

So after a quick chat I decided to drag Hedvig outside for a photoshoot. These shots are very rough, some out of focus and the composition is.. well.. not ideal but I just love the sequence as I feel it really gives you a feel for Hedvig's personality and manner.

Hedvig Opshaug, as you may have guessed by the name, is from Norway but is currently based in London. She is a Fashion Editor at Flingly, a fashion and lifestyle blog, and has her own blog called Northern Light.

Interestingly, like many other bloggers, Hedvig is not a product of creative nurturing but rather comes from a maths and banking background (which is a change from the standard - law.. seriously you would be surprised how many ex-lawyers joined the blogging army :)

After moving to Stockholm for work and later to London, she somehow found herself immersed in the fashion world and hasn't looked back. You will not see Hedvig sporting crazy outfits or decked out in vintage finds, rather she is a showcase for slick, polished, often minimalist look.

Check out her blog and say hello!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Pretty in Pink - London Fashion Week




The lovely Jennifer Inglis from The Style Crusader. I absolutely loved her outfit with the colourful shirt complemented by chunky jewellery and of course the 70's inspired trousers! I think this outfit is so well put together. Take the time to check out Jennifer's blog - you will enjoy it! It has plenty of original content, with great outfit posts and glimpses of Jen's everyday life which gives the blog a personal touch and makes it what blogs were intended to be - a personal story as opposed to an online fashion magazine (which, admit it, a lot of fashion bloggers are guilty off.. including myself).

p.s. what do we think of the bigger photo size? - just you know, trying out something different.. love it? hate it? leave a comment and let me know! x

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Alexis Mabille AW 2011 at PFW - Review


Alexis Mabille chose the lovely Maison de la Chimie for his AW 2011 ready-to-wear collection presented at Paris Fashion Week. Like so many other designers, Alexis Mabille had a strong 70's presence in his collection. In fact, 'presence' would be an understatement in this case. 

Amongst other things, one of the strong points of the collection was the use of texture. There was a good mix of fabrics which was complemented by clever layering. Some of the pieces were quite complex with a lot of detailing and interesting cuts whilst the shapes were feminine and true to the 70's.

Whilst the collection had some very strong pieces, it didn't quite hit the spot for me. It would seem that Alexis took the retro feel a bit too far as the pieces were very much 70's as opposed to 70's inspired. Although the colour palette was every bit autumn/winter appropriate, some of the colours, especially the ones in deep shades of brown, took away the youthfulness and lightness of the clothes. 

The main theme of the collection was a bit hard to follow as it veered from retro… to what at times made me think of 'eastern europe does boho'… to almost folky… and then back to beautiful flowy dresses. 

Another let down was the models, who not only tripped on a number of occasions but actually tumbled down Naomi-style. It is unfortunate and it happens but it sure does take away from the intensity of the show, as every show is a spectacle, a performance.

I do not think Alexis found 'the edge' so to say with this collection but I very much believe that all the ingredients are already there and he just needs to find a way to make them work.. which he will no doubt do in his future collections.


Here is a little slideshow (all photos and editing by me): 


Monday, March 14, 2011

Furs, Hats and Smiles.. June Ambrose at NYFW 2011


Does anyone know who the lady on the right is?? I literally fell in love with her at NYFW, she has such an amazing energy about her (you can probably even tell from the picture). I think she would be one of those people who just light up the room when they walk in and everyone wants to be friends with them. She was so happy and kept smiling and being nice to all the "annoying" photographers - a rarity at fashion weeks as everyone is very serious, tired and/or grumpy.

[EDIT]: Thanks to CurbAppeal, we have identified the mystery woman! Her name is June Ambrose and she is a stylist based in NYC! 

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Elisa Nalin - outside Sonia Rykiel PFW 2011

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Outside Viktor & Rolf - Jardins des Tuileries



Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Volvo Fashion Week Moscow


Just when you get sad about the fashion month coming to an end... You realise that there is plenty more fashion to be seen and people to be snapped! Volvo Fashion Week Moscow is uncharted waters for me so I am extremely excited to be attending. I am not very familiar with the Russian designers but I am looking forward to finding out what Moscow has to offer! Some of the headliners are the very talented Alexander Terekhov, Alena Akhmadullina and Masha Tsigal.

The full list of designers and catwalk schedule will be announced shortly but some of the designers showing are listed below. I will of course be writing reviews and posting photos of the shows, so stay tuned!  - it will be something new, fresh and something you won't catch on style.com

photos courtesy of Volvo Fashion Week Moscow

Some of the participating designers: 

Valentin Yudashkin | Alena Akhmadullina | Kira Plastinina | Masha Tsigal | Viktoriya Аndreyanova | Sergej Sysoev | Natasha Drigant | Kirill Gasilin | Konstantin Gajdaj | Ilya Shiyan | Аntonina Shapovalova | Аlina Аssi |  Elena Teplitskaya | Erica Zaionts | Olga Deffi | Vemina (Liza Romanyuk) | Nadezhda Slavina | Olga Poluhina | KhavaАrapieva | Natalya Kolykhalova | Galina Vasileva | Аleksandra Serova | Igor Gulyaev |  Аlena Serebrova | Marina Bakshi | Аnna Miminoshvili | Julia Аjsina | Natasha Glazkova | Tatyana Gordienko | Pavloff | Mariya Rybalchenko


For more information visit www.fashionweekinmoscow.com

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

What happens at Paris Fashion Week?

Paris FashionWeek is best described as hectic. As this was my first time at PFW, I wasnt sure what to expect and given how different NYFW and LFW were, I was ready for pretty much anything. And that is probably the right attitude to have because PFW is aimed at testing your endurance, dedication and commitment to fashion. I only had the weekend at PFW so I was determined to cram as much as possible into those two days.

PFW shows are spread all over Paris, so you are forced to become closely acquainted with the Metro from the word 'go'. A lot of the venues are not disclosed on the official timetable so the added challenge is to find out where the shows are.. of course everybody finds out eventually but I guess the suspense adds to the excitement of the whole thing.

Paris Fashion Week is like New York, London and Milan fashion weeks put together and on steroids. There are more photographers, more paparazzi, more fashionistas, more editors and more glamour; and all of this is set against the gorgeous backdrop that is Paris.

So here are my highlights and impressions from my two days at PFW (I am secretly happy and relieved that I didnt have any more days because frankly, I doubt I would've survived a whole week):
  • there are way more tourists at PFW than any other fashion week
  • as a photographer you are at risk of becoming a victim of stampede of other photographers chasing celebrities and editors
  • you are also at risk of becoming a roadkill as the streets are narrow and the mopeds, cars and cyclists are vast
  • a lot of the stampedes are caused by French celebrities, but you dont know it at the time and when you victoriously find yourself in the middle of the scrum you often realise you dont know who this big celebrity getting out of the black car actually is - awkward!
  • the 'hangers on'* tend to be much younger in Paris and can often be identified by a distinct lack of style - a juxtaposition to the uber-stylish legit Paris fashpack!
  • the 'hangers on' are RELENTLESS - I was so surprised to see some of them trying to get into Hermes show which is, lets face it, one of the most coveted shows at PFW! 
  • the photographers' scene is extremely competitive as locations are difficult to shoot at and the people you actually want to shoot are often not willing to stop because they are running late to a show
  • on that note - all the shows are running at least 30 minutes late because the venues are quite far apart
  • food/lunch/toilet breaks are near impossible to fit in as the schedule is so incredibly tight
  • the mystery of how Anna Wintour arrived and left the shows remained unsolved - I did not see her walking into a show once over the two days.. but she was there in the front row
  • Kanye West attended a record number of shows being patient and photographing with fans
  • Paris is pretty. Even police officers are pretty. All the bloggers/photographers had a group crush on the the police/traffic control lady outside the Hermes show! 
*by 'hangers on' I mean people who come to the shows with the sole purpose of hanging out outside the fashion show venue. They do not photograph, I doubt they blog and I am pretty sure their main purpose is to actually get into a show without any particular interest in the designers or the clothes.

Jardins des Tuileries - the main venue for PFW
the fashpack

Anna Dello Russo, PFW 2011



I figured you can see her outfit on the other 10 million blogs that cover fashion week.. so here is a little portrait shot instead. This was the first time I had encountered Anna in real life and she was even more captivating then in photos. No wonder all the photographers love her - she is such an st-eye-le candy... She has a different outfit for every show that she attends so even if you managed to catch her at a morning show (and survived the herd of stampeding photographers) - it's a whole new challenge in the afternoon! 

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Un nouveau ideal - Matthew Zorpas

And then there are times when you eat your words... as I was sifting through numerous and numerous street style shots I took at LFW 2011, I came across a photo of Matthew (contributor to Un Nouveau Ideal and the voice behind PR Wonderland) and my immediate thought (which often crosses my mind when I see him) is "how on earth does he do it?!"

Matthew is the polar opposite of what I was trying to explain in my Gentlemen of Style post. He does not dress up casual outfits to add an oomph. In fact, I doubt he even owns any casual outfits. His forte is taking the oomph and making it look wearable and stylish. He pulls off his outfits with such ease.. as if saying "what do you mean I look cool today?!.. this is how I always look"

Anyway, enough talking - you be the judge. I guess David is right - the jury is still out on the London vs NYC style debate!

p.s. Matthew is wearing some super funky pieces by Harald Lunde Helgesen (HLH), a London-based menswear fashion label with distinctly Norwegian roots.


p.p.s. I always hate how these collages take away from the quality of the photo but I do feel these two shots belong together