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.

New Brief

FINALLY I have a new brief! For the past few weeks my life has been very Oasis Oasis Oasis, so its nice to have a new focus! Simon Ackerman, the photographer I worked with on the sandbanks Top Yachts shoot, has asked me to work on a new project with him. This shoot is going to be held in the studio, and focused on high fashion. We are also going to incorporate some beauty shots with theatrical make up, and accessories.
The first thing that popped into my head when I thought "High Fashion" was Greg Kadel.

Oasis

Okay so I don't blog much about my work life (my work life being my part time job at Oasis in Bournemouth - which to be fair is becoming increasingly more full time, as I am currently working 5-6 days a week) but I am starting to get into the swing of it, and am starting to enjoy myself and learn new things. I have been doing a lot of visual merchandising lately, dressing the mannequins for the window and arranging the different capsule collections in store, which I have had a lot of positive feedback from, so thats encouraging! Yesterday a really lovely french lady came and chatted to me while I was on fitting rooms, just about fashion in general and fabrics, and occasion wear, and she complimented me on what I was wearing. It was really refreshing, and inspiring, and reminded me of why I love retail! I was a bit slow to fiot in at the start, but now I love the brand, I can speak passionately about anything in the shop, and I am turning into a good salesperson! Who knew... the quiet little girl from Sandhurst, who couldn't even speak up in class! :)