Elle Magazine - "Shopgirl To Stylist"

Having previously mentioned Elle's shopgirl to stylist competition, I was very excited to see these photographs on style bubble. Susie went to one of the semi finals of the competition on monday (19th July) where 4 contestants presented their double sided moodboards for a high street A/W '10-11 shoot, including details of hair/makeup/mood/trends etc. to Natalie Wansbrough - Jones and Donna Wallace from the Elle team.
Lauren McBride proposed an all-black, shape and texture driven shoot, Ellie Wilcox proposed an outdoorsy "Woman on a Mission" shoot, centered around knits/layers/shearling/a deliberately chunky effect, Emma Molyneax proposed another outdoors inspired shoot, which was a much dreamier and more delicate affair and Lucy Kenny presented a shoot inspired by the anarchic layers of John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood, a particularly high end look for a high street shoot. These were only 4 of the 25 semi finalists, and the judges now have to choose the final 2, so it will be really interesting to see if any of these girls make the final.

Port Elliot Literary Festival

The Port Eliot Festival kicks off tomorrow, and after reading about it on the oasis blog, I will definately be getting myself a ticket for next year! It is in its 7th year, and is an annual celebration of authors, fashion, music, and florestry with a fairy tale atmosphere. You can choose to camp in your own tent, a gypsy caravan or a range of tipis and yurts. There is a range of activities workshops seminars and concerts to attend, and the personal highlight of the festival for me would be the talks from various fashion legends, and this years include Anna Sui and Luella Bartley, costume designer Sandy Powell, and milliner to the stars Stephen Jones. It looks like a really inspirational experience, and I cant wait to check out the write up on the festival!

As Seen In Vogue: Oasis Camel Coat

So well DONE Oasis! :) This coat is bang on trend for A/W '10, and warrants its place in the August issue of Vogue's "More Dash Than Cash" spread. In the Elle Collections A/W guide, the camel coat is hailed as the new season's staple for grown up dressing, being a status colour, the best catwalk examples by Chloe, and Etro, among others. This coat is going to be a hit, being released into stores at the end of April, priced at £85, and Vogue fashion editors Verity Parker and Emma Elwick-Bates suggest teaming it with a peter pan collar shirt a box pleat skirt and lace ups in true oxford student style.

Love Magazine: A Love Thing

"The Love Thing" is different to the Fashion Films I have previously looked at, it is higher fashion, more commercial, using Prada Clothes, and high profile models, such as Agyness Deyn, Alessandra Ambrosio, Dree Hemingway, Jeneil Williams, Kasa Struss, Lindsey Wixon, Pixie Geldof and Rasa Zukauskaite. It is directed by Josh Kraszewski and edited by Antoine Mills. It is filmed in a studio, with background effects and animation to create an atmosphere of a virtual world.

Earth Angel: Gisele for Muse Magazine by Nino Munoz

Director/Photographer Nino Munoz; Editor Shannon Ruddock; Producer Rikki Keene; Stylist Katie Mossman; Hair David Von Cannon; Makeup Yumi; Set Design Taylor Lorentz.

This video is very feminine and very beautiful. It was filmed in a studio, and dance and movement are focal. I partiularly like the setion with the long grass and 1950s hairstyle! The editing is also lovely, overexposure in a white studio always looks fantastic, and here it simply adds to the playfulness and implies an almost heaven - if you believe in such things - like atmosphere.

Elle Magazine - 'Shop Girl To Stylist'

Can I just say - how thorougly GUTTED I am that I have only just stumbled across this now! But when I was browsing through the Oasis Blog, I read about a competition to win a stylist job at Elle Magazine (cleverly named shop girl to stylist). This is in celebration of their 25 year anniversary they began a 6 month long talent search for the most savvy shopgirls/boys. The entry requirements were to create a look from the high street, and the prize for the winner is to style a shoot for an issue of elle, an internship at the magazine, and in the mean-time get some invaluable mentoring experience from the Elle team. The competition closed on May 4th, and the mentors (Anne Marie Curtis, Stacey Duguid, Avril Mair, Natalie Wansbrough Jones and Donna Wallace) selected the 25 semi finalists. This was then cut down into 10 finalists, and then 2 finalists will be lead through the final stages. Editor in chief, Lorraine Candy will shortly be selecting the most promising stylist, and the result will be published in the October Issue of Elle.

My vote went to Oasis contender, Sophia Richardson, who works at the Oasis Concession at Beales in Horsham. She cites her style as effortless and unplanned, and her fashion role models are chloe sevigny and Erin Wasson. She has a really quirky vintage/high street style, and she is a great contender!

The 24 girls and 1 guy who got through to the semi final, are all incredibly lucky, as this is such an amazing opportunity and such a great experience, and for the winner of the competition, it will be a complete lifestyle change, and they will have a superb career ahead of them. In short, I am incredibly jealous of them all!

Luisa Beccaria A/W '10

So, I was flicking through the Vogue Spring/Summer 2010 catwalk report, and started researching some of my favourite collections... and stumbled across Luisa Beccaria. This was a new name to me, however she is a well established Milanese designer, having showcased her work at Milan Fashion week from 1996. She was offered the job of head designer for ready top wear at French fashion house, Chloe, but decided to pursue her own name fashion brand instead. Her collection reminds me somewhat of the Chloe name, it is very feminine, girly and somewhat childlike, using a soft colour palette and a touch of 1940s glamour.

Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel is a pin-up for vintage 1950s/60s fashion. Having appeared in such indie films as "500 days of summer" and "Gigantic", and performed with indie band "She & Him", she stays faithful to her kooky feminine vintage style, and without wanting to quote the old cliche, "Men want her, and girls want to be her..." or however it goes, she is adored all around.

Erin Fetherston: Fashion Films

This short film, starring Zooey Deschanel, is really fun and playful. I really like the editing (in the way that it is sped up in places) and the lighting. It reminds me of a dream sequence, and it is very fantasy, and indie, and reminds me of musical talent such as Florence and the machine. The styling would easily fit into Lula magazine. Directed by Ellen Von Unwerth



Birds of A Feather is a really great short fashion film. The story is based around the Pied Piper of Hamelin (The boy played his pipe and all the rats followed) but in this context, a girl plays a sparkly trumpet, and all the fashion conscious femmes follow her through the town. This film is more glamorous than the previous, the styling is 50s/60s inspired, with glittery mouse masks as props. It is filmed in classic black and white, and is a beautiful and playful film. Styling and props by Sharon Anderson



Wendybird stars Kirsten Dunst and is about a factory worker who finds a dressing up box. It is very much in the style of 1950s film and fashion, and is very childlike and fun, at one stage the girls are playing in a playground. The editing is sped up, and is broken and disjointed, and in black and white, making the film look really authentic.

Lula & Topshop Short Film: Spell

Directed by Maximilia Lukacs and Sarah Sophie Flicker
Starring: Nina Persson, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Ingrid Sophie Schram, Dakota Godhor, Tennessee Thomas, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Yelena Yemchuk & Rain Phoenix

I read about this film in Issue 9 of Lula, it is about a group of angel-like girls who live in a childlike innocent world, and a dark (witch?) woman puts a spell on them, and the film turns eerie with stop motion editing, and blurry lighting.
It is a relly artistic film with beautiful clothes and an underlying fantastical storyline. It is a piece of work which has inspired me to make my own fashion film in the future.