www.thechicparade.blogspot.com

What I wore today....

2012-03-01T11:42:00.001Z

What I wore today....

2012-02-28T11:42:00.000Z

London Fashion Week, Mudpie at Mokspace...

2012-02-28T11:00:00.000Z

A lovely evening was had when Mudpie hosted an exclusive networking event at MOKSPACE, a new boutique gallery in the beautiful and cultural little streets that surround the British Museum.

The event, to celebrate London fashion week, also provided a brilliant platform from which to launch their new blog, The Trend Journal. The drinks flowed, from the lovely sponsors Saint and Wickham Vineyards, and the goody bags over flowed, packed with OPI nail polishes, Lipcote, mini vodkas and various Mudpie products. This was indeed a treat, as so rare it is to leave an event with some decent swag. One lucky guest even won the exclusive prize of a spa day at the Norton Park Hotel in Winchester.

For all the guests, press, designers and buyers, it was a welcome relief at the end of a busy day at the shows in the midst of a jam packed schedule that is fashion week. Looking forward to the next...

The lovely Sarah-Leigh with sister Helen

Knitwear designer Adrienne Honie, in vintage Ossie Clark

NYFW Autmn/Winter 2012/13

2012-02-18T09:29:00.003Z

Herve Leger by Maz Azria

I love the fact that Herve Leger by Max Azria has loosened up a bit, creating the wonderful sexy lady lines with bondage style strapping over flowing gowns in his equestrian themed collection.

Herve Leger by Max Azria

Proenza Schouler

At Proenza Schouler volume was key with crisp yet bulky whites and billowing leather. Leather rarely billows, I think it should consider doing it more often, a very pleasing result is achieved.

Proenza Schouler

Marchesa

And of course Marchesa was fairy tale beauty, a lot of beading on sheer (even down to their bedazzled pop socks) and feathery 'Swan Lake' elements.

Marchesa

Oh, Jeremy...

2012-02-17T11:27:00.000Z

I am currently, as always, still reeling at what Jeremy Scott has put down the catwalk for his A/W 12/13 collection. I am, not to put too fine a point on it, delighted by what I'm seeing.

I find New York designers to be very reserved, all clean lines and sophistication, they seem to leave the oppulence to Paris, the brashness to Milan and the quirkiness to London but Jeremy Scott breaks this stereotype every season.

The rainbow colours and bra tops do suggest that someone's forgotten it might be a tad chilly for a winter collection, but I like the 'throwing practicality (and most of your warm layers) to the wind' approach to dressing, and besides there IS knitwear in the collection (knitted knickers). And fur (of the monster variety).

Now, just have to sell a kidney and leapfrog an inevitable waiting list and the rainbow hair cape and Bart Simpson knitwear will be mine. Not too difficult then.

My absolute favourite.

All images via The Cobra Snake

Ibiza...

2012-02-06T21:29:00.000Z

Well we're into February now and the snow has hit, this plus the pesky post New Year lull is making me long for a bit of summer and I'm sure it has for you too. Stumbling across a hoard of street style shots I took in Ibiza this summer did feel a bit like my laptop was mocking me and my anti-winter state of mind, however, I did think they would be worth sharing with you. Can't wait to go again this year, ooh I can almost feel the sunshine now...

Notrelle 'Body' Music Video...

2012-02-04T20:56:00.001Z

Here is the first batch of 'behind the scenes' shots from another music video I styled recently. The video is for an artist called Notrelle, a brilliant producer who is releasing stuff with his own vocals too now. He was lovely to work with, dressing these urban boys can be a battle of wills sometimes but we were all agreed he looked like a star...

Jacket and shirt: Addict

Sunglasses: Rayban

Cropped Trench: Topman

Notrelle and our talented director Ore

More coming soon, including some snaps of my other styling project that day, our beautiful model...

What I wore today....

2011-11-24T12:17:00.000Z

Converse creepers! Tres exciting.

What I wore today....

2011-11-22T10:00:00.001Z

We like to party...

2011-11-19T10:00:00.005Z

Well she's done it again! Beyonce refuses to miss a trend, the sound du jour right now is that nostalgic 80's soul and she's nailed it with this track. Love the story and styling of this video, the outfits seem to get better as the video progresses and it has made me wonder if I will ever grow out of loving crazy coloured fur, or regarding knickers as acceptable lower half attire on their own, I doubt it and if I'm honest that's the kind of growing up I'd rather pass on. The one thing I think may be missing from this video is the fabulous Andre 3000, he's a bit like this generation's Prince so a shame not to see him but the cameos from Solange Knowles (hot girl dj) and the girl-of-the-moment Kelly Rowland at the end do make up for it.

What I wore today....

2011-11-17T09:54:00.001Z

Uberluvly...

2011-11-16T10:08:00.007Z

I spent this saturday with the wonderful Sarah-Leigh of Sarah-Leigh's style files and one of our activities of the day was a very cultured little jaunt out to an art show at Southampton's newly refurbished Grand Cafe. The show featured 120 pieces by the very hard working Lee Murray of Uber studios, and it was an exhibit that started to feel a bit like a shopping trip, for example... 'ooh i want that one in my living room' or 'wouldn't whas-is-name like that one for christmas' and so it went on. There were plenty of girly vintage inspired pieces, iconic musicians for the boys and the slightly evil Banksy-esque Mickey Mouses (or is that Mickey Mice?) that really caught my eye, my favourite however had to be the lip one that reminds me of an eighties album cover (below)...

Online store launching 19/11/11 www.uberluv.com

What I wore today....

2011-11-14T19:51:00.001Z

What I wore today....

2011-11-11T16:48:00.000Z

Rudy's blog debut...

Luke Bingham: Nothing to lose ....

2011-11-11T14:39:00.000Z

Very early this summer (around about the freak heatwave in May) I was called upon to dress a beautiful model in a beautiful video. The beautiful model just happened to look exactly like Mischa Barton as you'll see, and she boosted her sexiness by chattering away on her phone in various languages, nothing hotter than switching beween languages with lovely lilting accents whilst having looks like that.

It was a long bloomin' day, as music videos tend to be, fun though. There are a few nailbiting moments in a day in the life of a stylist however, example: Luke's stylist frantic with worry and weilding a lint roller when Luke entered the wardrobe nightmare that is a rapeseed field when dressed head to toe in black. The only side effect to this being a minor O.C.D attachment to the lint roller. Meanwhile I was fighting my own personal war with boob tape. It's a tough job but we persevere.

Keep an eye out for Mr Bingham in the future, he was doing a lot with Radio 1 over the summer and a stint touring with Trey Songz, definately one to watch.
Behind the scenes shots to follow...

What I wore today....

2011-10-25T08:38:00.000+01:00

Recent Styling Project....

2011-10-11T10:03:00.005+01:00

I recently styled some new artists for 360 records, one of whom was the east London based grime artist Marger. Here's a few behind the scenes sneaky shots, will post the shiny official edited ones soon...

Loved this hat, the crazy cartoons under the brim are a nice touch.

Hat, New Era. Hoody, American Apparel. Tshirt, Archangel Emporium. Jeans, Topman. High-tops, Nike.

Charley Macaulay...

2011-09-12T10:02:00.004+01:00

I have been doing a lot of work recently styling the up and coming singer Charley Macaulay, here are some behind the scenes shots from a photoshoot we did recently for the cover of her upcoming EP. This girl is immensely talented so if you get a chance to see her live then take it, she's goosebump-causingly good.

Really enjoying working with Charley, in shoots and on stage she doesn't want to dress in things that anyone else might have so we're having a lot of fun with vintage and other unusual bits we can acquire at the moment, and thinking up unusual ways to wear them (you may notice that exquisite evening wear teamed with battered converse became a bit of a theme this particular day).

I will post more looks from the shoot soon.

A rail of vintage beauty, such a lovely sight.

What I wore today....

2011-09-09T10:00:00.002+01:00

Wretch 32 music video shoot (part 2)

2011-09-08T21:40:00.000+01:00

Glad I stumbled accross these today! Here are more of the behind the scenes shots of the styling on the Wretch 32 music video for 'Traktor' that never quite made it onto the blog, but I think they definitely deserve a veiwing...

This was such an amazing transformation, can you believe this dancer has a huge afro under that wig?!

The make up artist scored top points on both of the girls that day.

What I wore today.... Ibiza Special

2011-09-02T10:00:00.001+01:00

What I wore today.... Ibiza Special

2011-08-30T10:00:00.002+01:00

What I wore today.... Ibiza Special

2011-08-26T10:02:00.001+01:00

What I wore today.... Ibiza Special

2011-08-24T09:58:00.002+01:00

So in love with this...

2011-08-23T14:51:00.001+01:00

Starring the beautiful Freha Beha Erichsen, shot by Karl Lagerfeld and styled by Carine Roitfeld, what on earth is not to love here? Never one to just throw on a balaclava, it is now my most wanted item, but only if it comes with ears attached. I am glad to report that in perusing the upcoming trends for this quickly approaching winter and checking out which of these trends have been adopted by the high street giants, I am thrilled to see that there are indeed a few garments with ears attached available out there. I think it will be a 'mini-trend' at best, one probably mostly kept in the confines of photoshoots, but by jove I will be chmpioning ears this winter.

Image via: models.com

What I wore today....

2011-07-22T14:58:00.002+01:00

What I wore today....

2011-07-14T09:38:00.002+01:00

What I wore today....

2011-07-12T10:27:00.004+01:00

What I wore today....

2011-07-06T09:55:00.001+01:00

What I wore today....

2011-07-04T07:54:00.000+01:00

This makes me smile....

2011-07-02T10:00:00.001+01:00

Hand-made by a woman (I'm guessing named Sandi?) and bought in a market in 1972.

God bless you Sandi.

What I wore today....

2011-07-01T10:00:00.002+01:00

A shoot from last year...

2011-06-30T10:00:00.002+01:00

Here are a few pictures from a shoot I styled for the British Journal of Photography that was published last year. Once again I was working with the amazing photographer Micheal Roscoe who was experimenting with outdoor lighting rigs. We were out on the street, spilling off the pavement with lights and battery packs and the poor make-up artist trying to hold the reflector high enough with plenty of passers by taking quite an interest. Pulling the 'roar' face over and over again makes you feel a bit silly at the best of times, but with an audience we ended up with as many shots of me laughing out of embarrassment as we did serious ones, bad model!

What I wore today....

2011-06-29T10:00:00.002+01:00

Versace for H&M...

2011-06-28T10:00:00.002+01:00

I was very pleased to hear about the upcoming collaboration of Versace with collab-pros H&M, although I was a tad suprised. It seems the fashion house has had a change of heart from the days when they claimed collaborations with high street stores was not an avenue they would explore deeming it 'not for them'. I admire the exclusivity that the brand retained with that policy but am so very excited about seeing the collection in full, in stores and in my wardrobe. (Especially all the black leather pictured above).

Images: vogue.com

What I wore today....

2011-06-27T10:00:00.004+01:00

These make me smile....

2011-06-25T15:12:00.000+01:00

Been lusting after these babies for a while, the London College of Fashion Masters' Collection 'Ruth' wedges. I am, however, about 9ft tall in them but it's an unavoidable fate that I have come to accept.

What I wore today....

2011-06-24T10:00:00.000+01:00

What I wore today....

2011-06-22T10:00:00.001+01:00

What I wore today....

2011-06-20T09:40:00.000+01:00

New very favourite dress, we'll be seeing a lot of this one!

What I wore today....

2011-06-17T10:00:00.000+01:00

What I wore today....

2011-06-15T10:00:00.004+01:00

These make me smile....

2011-06-13T10:00:00.002+01:00

They capture all the glamour of a woman in Benidorm circa 1991, I love them.

Easy, Please Me....

2011-06-10T10:00:00.001+01:00

Ridiculously hot extra in the fantastic vintage suede jodhpurs, I've waited for ever to use these in a shoot! Earrings vintage too, both Hepwrights.

The much fussed over alphabet jacket, teamed with the much lusted after 'V' blouse and jewellery, all vintage, all Hepwrights.

Nice bit of boy-chic.

My 90's raver jacket (current favourite) and my embellished shorts (trusty old favourite), always a bit weird dressing models/actors in your own clothes! The distressed black and white tee is by Urban Outfitters. The girl in the jacket also had extremely impressive and unusual tattoos which you can just see bits of in this shot.

Katy showing the boys who's boss on the pool table.

What I wore today....

2011-06-09T20:52:00.001+01:00

A bit of 70's in the evening sun....

2011-05-26T19:32:00.000+01:00

Recent Styling Project....

2011-05-26T19:28:00.001+01:00

I recently assisted Georgia Broaders on the styling for Katy B's new video for the track 'Easy Please Me'. I love, love, love doing music videos and this one was no exception, and we certainly had our work cut out with no less than 25 extras to dress. There's a lot of pieces from my own wardrobe used and plenty of Hepwrights Vintage featured too, which is always good to see. I'm a big fan of the song, which is a good job too when you are listening to it on repeat all day while shooting! Behind the scenes shots will follow very soon, enjoy...

What I wore today....

2011-05-26T10:12:00.001+01:00

What I wore today....

2011-05-06T19:54:00.000+01:00

Orange Rooms 10th Birthday...

2011-04-21T09:49:00.001+01:00

The fantastic Orange Rooms in Southampton turned 10 recently and I took my trusty camera along to snap a few fashionistas, I found instead that it was fashionistos I was snapping. I have to say, the boys in attendance really put the girls to shame! Here's a few...

Yes, that is an Archangel t-shirt!

The fabulous Sarah-Leigh

Pretty amazing cocktails, mojito + dry ice + teapot = impressed Sophie

The bullet ring made an appearance, a treat from Tringkets

The Archangel Emporium

2011-04-20T09:20:00.001+01:00

I am lucky enough to have met a lot of very talented creative people, and when you team being talented and creative with a serious dose of hard work things like this happen... The Archangel Emporium.

Gabriel Maselino owns this store in East London selling t-shirts, all of his own label, all of his own designs. I recently purchased one for a friend of mine and there is a hell of a lot of jealousy around that t-shirt right now, so if you are a London dweller, or indeed a London visitor, go and have a look (and a spend)...

The man himself.

The Archangel Emporium, 151 Bethnal Green Road, E2 7DG

www.thearchangel.co.uk

What I wore today.... Special birthday edition

2011-04-19T21:20:00.000+01:00

Apologies guys for my absence! I will not bore you with the reasons why, instead I shall treat you to my fave outfit of the year so far... the birthday 'Wonder Woman' bodice. Enjoy...

What I wore today....

2011-02-25T10:43:00.000Z

London Fashion Week Sunday

2011-02-23T20:52:00.000Z

Just a few snaps of what we wore on the cobbles at Somerset House, reviews of the shows and more street style to follow!

P.s. The heels and cobbles combo really does sort the men from the boys (so to speak) in the heel wearing stakes, many a fashionista were whipping the ballet pumps out of the bag and onto the feet towards the latter part of the day.

Image courtesy of fashionistable

Sarah-Leigh of sarah-leighs style files. Image courtesy of fashionistable

Coco of coco, le freak c'est chic. Image courtesy of fashionistable.

Quick rest and tea! Image courtesy of Tringkets.

Wretch 32 Traktor (part 1)

2011-02-23T19:55:00.000Z

Here's the first installment of the behind the scenes shots I took on the 'Traktor' shoot, the outfits for the dancers had been very carefully considered so we didn't have endless clothing options on the day but there were plenty of accessories for playing with and adding extra adornment.

Nice bit of Dior for the boys!

What I wore today....

2011-02-15T18:01:00.000Z

Waiting for spring

2011-02-11T08:30:00.002Z

It has definitely reached a point in the year where I have run out of patience with winter, it has had it's time and is just starting to get on my wick now. I suspect I am not alone. I'm truly ready and prepared for summer florals, citrus bright colour blocking and the hippy-chic that I inevitably end up living in each year in the warmer months. Something that has caught my eye and I have found irresistible, even in chilly February, is this vintage Laura Ashley number. I must admit though, it is partly because I am on a mission at the moment to source vintage fabrics in order to make mix and match bedding for my daughter in every Laura Ashley floral I can find and if I turned it into a cheeky playsuit I could get at least a pillowcase out of the skirt.....

Little job from last year

2011-02-11T08:00:00.001Z

In November last year I worked on the Wretch 32 music video for 'Traktor'. I was working with the fantastic stylist Georgia Broaders and it was quite a day, it's shot in a car park that is 13 stories underground near Barbican in London, which got quite claustrophobic when you started to dwell on how far away the surface was! I was quite impressed with how much the crew were allowed to do with the space as well, painting the walls and graffiti etc. Everyone there on the day was brilliant (including the owl!) and I'm really pleased it's done so well. I've got tons of behind-the-scenes shots to share with you that I will post shortly.

What I wore today....

2011-02-10T08:30:00.000Z

If you go down to the woods today....

2011-02-09T11:00:00.000Z

Here are a few pictures from a shoot that I styled last year for the British Journal of Photography. I was working with the photographer Michael Roscoe who works for the magazine testing different photographic equipment and the day we shot this we were out on location in the New Forest experimenting with outdoor lighting. The elaborate lighting rigs in the middle of nowhere and poor make up artist holding lights above her head just outside the shot were quite a sight to behold! I have been really lucky to work with Michael over the last couple of years, as you can see he's quite an amazing photographer. This shoot was featured in the British Journal of Photography in October last year. Due to the mood of the shoot and us being out in the elements I opted for a light and floaty look that we could capture a lot of movement in, unfortunately for me the breeze refused to pick up! So not much movement but it still works quite nicely I think.

Shimmy shoes

2011-02-08T15:25:00.000Z

These fantastic vintage beauties have inspired me to now start finding metal chain fringing to attach to the backs of my shoes, never thought it would have worked so well! They also make an amazing sound when you walk (a bit like a cowboy walking in spurs) so a treat for the ears as well as the eyes. With black suede, metallic polka dots, fringing and adorned heels these shoes are the perfect example that sometimes more is indeed more.

Knickers on display

2011-02-02T14:18:00.000Z

Here's a little window display I put together for Hepwrights, the fabulous vintage emporium in Bedford Place in Southampton. With February arriving rather swiftly and Valentines day looming I thought a saucy boudoir in the window would be perfect, and the bullet bra, suspender belts and stockings draped over the rail were certainly catching the eyes of passing businessmen quite successfully. And I have now decided I am definately going to start growing hyacinths in handbags at home, they seem to be coming along rather well (apparently they flourish in shoes as well).

What I wore today.....

2011-02-02T13:41:00.000Z

Oh the trinkets!

2011-01-22T20:02:00.000Z

I am currently head over heels in love with having too much jewellry on. I find myself slowly collecting thin gold chains of every possible length to wear all at once so that they glint and shimmer with interesting pendants and details. I've managed to discover a lot of little treats at trusty Topshop (especially the GoGo Phillips range in the Oxford Circus store), but the best finds have been vintage or from my own glamourous mother's jewellry collection, the bits I watched her wear and loved as a child are now adorning me daily in different clashing combinations. Here's a few examples.....

The magic doorway

2011-01-20T21:44:00.000Z

Here's a few pics from a shoot I styled for Sarah-Leigh back in the summer after she had discovered a row of fantastic derelict buildings with distressed doorways right round the corner from my humble abode. In the depths of winter now I'm longing for the days when skimpy summer shorts can be worn with no risk of frost-bite. Oh well, it's sure to come around soon enough, meanwhile I'll just go through the old shoots and dream of warmer times.....