Valentino: Master of Couture

Valentino

This is another exhibition when the set up is so key. You beginning with a section which has invitations and letter so people that have worn Valentino's designs varying from Liza Minnelli and Princess Diana. Then moving on to the photographs through the year of his fashion house developing. The main attraction is a long thin room set out like a run way with white chairs and mannequins with his couture designs on them which start from the beginning of his career to the end. Even all the chairs are labelled with famous peoples names who have worn his designs. It is astonishing seeing the clothes up close and seeing  the amount of detail that is goes into each hand stitch. Elegantly presented which I feel reflects Valentino's label.Three words that sum up Valentino's collections: Elegance, sophisticated and timeless.  

I had to get a postcard at the end just to have a souvenir of this amazing experience of seeing this exquisite dresses up close. This made me discover the photographer Cathleen Naundorf. She creates these amazing images that she then by taking simple Polaroid photographs and manipulates them into looking aged. I'm not sure how she does it, However it is incredible.

'She’s developed a unique technique of using the characteristic quirks of Polaroid – once again, an anachronistic technology, though hardly without its own warmth and charm – playing with shadow and light and developing a visual language entirely her own'



Tim Walker: Story teller

Tim Walker: STORY TELLER

At Somerset house, one of the best exhibitions I have seen for a long time. It was not just the fact that his photographs are amazing it was the set up of the whole exhibition.. down to every last detail of how it was exhibited. The writing on the wall was never in the same set up, never a simple paragraph but a swirl of writing in circles which often complemented the work it was around. Also one of my favourite parts of the exhibition was the all the props he had used in his photographers were displaced near the photograph it had been featured in. Here is an image below showing the set up. They are even still in their wood packaging with a straw like material still around it. Making it a less intimidating atmosphere as if Tim Walker himself has just taken them out temporarily for people to see.

Behind the scene of one of the shoots that was shown in the exhibition, he is almost like a film director who is a photographer because the set is the most important aspect of the shot.

It is very bizarre because my main focus in all my projects is the figure, However in the exhibition my favourite image is the one shown below of roses in a glass sundae dish and what looks like cream dripping off them. It is so simple however so effective. He has used the colour of the roses that are the classic flavours of ice cream strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. The colours he has used are very much 'Tim Walker' he loves using pastel colours which is shown through out his work. It is something that look at it is beautiful, sweet, happy but a bit isolated at the time. I would love to hang something like this in my room. 

After going to his exhibition it really made me think of the music video by Lily Allen 'The Fear' the colours with the grand old house as the background setting and how the props were the main feature in the video.

Nick Knight evolutinary film and fashion photographer

Nick Knight is a film and fashion photographer who is inspirational with a lot of things he does below is him going through the different areas of his exhibition in 2009. He has developed photography in so many different ways.. using 3-D photography and filming. It is incredible what he explores with the fashion industry.

He has also developed SHOWstudio's which do very interesting shoots and explore different areas.

Here is a recent Topshop Campaign celebrating a decade for the Highstreet brand.. with model of the moment Karlie Kloss. This campaign is 3:

Having never done a shoot myself it is really interesting to see what happens behind the scenes of a shoot and the detail that goes into every shoot.. it is so throughly  planned.

Here is another example of Nick Knights shoots behind the scenes with Karlie Kloss, they spend more time setting up the shoot for each photograph an taking the actual image. Karlie is wearing wigs in the photoshoot and they even take photos of just the wigs in the light to see what they look like. Us mortal fashion readers have no idea how much goes into each fashion spreads and story.  

Things you need to think about in the shoot:

• MODEL!! very key part
• Story board (concept behind the shoot)
• Location
• Lighting
• filters
• Background
• type of Camera
• Wardrobe
• Hair
• Make up
• Props

There are probably many more things to think about but these are the key elements in a shoot from look at behind the scene footage.

All walks of the catwalk

'All walks beyond the catwalk is an initiative founded by Caryn Franklin, Debra Bourne and Erin O'Connor working with influential Catwalk designers and top industry creatives to celebrate more diversity with the fashion industry'

'Having played our part in instigating a shift in attitude, since our launch at London Fashion Week in Sept 2009 – where eight emerging designers were paired with 8 diverse models – most notably creating the ‘plus size,’ model Harley Morley and Mark Fast partnership – All Walks Beyond the Catwalk has continued to grow.'

What the company has accomplished

In November 2009 we accepted ‘Cosmopolitan Magazine Fearless Women,’ award.

In June 2010 we successfully launched the first ‘All Walks Forum,’ at Graduate Fashion Week with fashion educationalists attending from all over Britain. Many colleges have pledged to incorporate diversity modules into their teaching. Since this time we have lectured up and down the country on a voluntary basis to rave student reviews.

In Sept 2010 we launched the campaign SNAPPED with Rankin at London Fashion Week.

In Feb 2011 we celebrated diversity at the National Portrait Gallery. A record 4000 people came in one night to see our Rankin images.

In June 2011 we launched the Edinburgh College of Art, Centre of Diversity in Association with All Walks

In April 2012 we co -produced the Body Confidence Awards from Parliament chaired by MP Jo Swinson and awarded our own All Walks ‘Visionary Fashion Award.’

In June 2012 we launched the National Student Competition Diversity NOW! in association with i-D Magazine.

We are also contributing to round-table government discussions on how diversity and the beauty of individuality can make an impact in the wider culture and influence self-esteem and well-being. This has been chaired by Govt. Minister for Equalities Lynne Featherstone. Since the reshuffle of Aug 2012 is chaired by MP Caroline Noakes

All Walks Beyond the Catwalk is a voluntary organisation that recognises the power the fashion industry has to communicate positive messages to women and men about their bodies and acts. Small steps, big ideas. We are delighted to see that our position is influencing brands as diverse as Lanvin and M&S

They are such a positive company helping not only the fashion industry to embrace different sizes, races, genders and age but also everything single person out there who reads magazines and doesn't see a REAL women on the pages. Wouldn't it be refreshing if we could see people who had more similarities to us out there in campaigns and magazines.. it would build peoples confidence in such a positive way. Encouraging people to think I don't look the same as these skinny models but i am unique and beautiful in my own way... being beautiful is so subjective, what one person sees as beautiful another doesn't.

i-D Magazine

'i-D has built its reputation on being a consistent source of inspiration in fashion culture. It began as a fanzine dedicated to the street style of punk-era London in 1980, and quickly earned its position at the vanguard of fashion and style, abiding by the premise of originate – don’t imitate. i-D has come a long way since its pre-digital, cut-and-paste days and has developed into a glossy magazine that documents fashion and contemporary culture, and has broken ground defining it too. Constantly reinventing itself, as with our website, i-D continues to encourage creativity, which is why after more than 30 years, its editorial content still manages to surprise and inspire.'

The consumers of i-D can really vary because it is so diverse there is something for everyone in it. It gives off such a fun vibe particularly for the iconic front covers which always included their signature wink with people varying from Madonna to Grace coddington.

It talks about subjects that some magazine may not even cover...people who are inspiration such as Aimee Mullins. Aimee Mullins is athlete, fashion model and actress however there is something a bit different about her she was born with a medical condition which meant both of her legs had to be amputated off. She has done some may incredible things in her life and praises her disability for letting to able to do all of it. She has walked in an Alexander McQueen show but with prosthetic boots, was the face of l'Oreal in 2011, competed in the Paralympians  and was voted last year by ZOO as one of the sexist Paralympians.

i-D magazine is one of the few magazine that when you turn the page you do not know what to expect. This is a quality i really admire about it.  

Models......

Models...

The big question why should there be limits on what a model can be whether it is size, gender, age and race. The fashion industry continues to push for skinny, tall, young and even white models.

The size zero debate that has been going on for so many years and even though small changes are being made by designers.. size zero stays as the ideal model size.

Why???

When the average British women weighs 11st and is a size 14 

Why can't we see some more REAL people in the fashion industry

It has even gone as far as using male models who look quite antagonistic to model female clothing because they can have physically skinner frames. Example shown below of andrej pejic who has taken the industry by storm as a male modelling female designs.

The point of this competition is to push the boundaries of the models that are used in the fashion world and try and make it more diversified.

I did know where to begin at the beginning of this project.. However ever since the paralympian games in the UK the 'super human' (paralympian) have made a real name for them selves and made I think everyone aware of how incredible they. They are amazing role models.. know matter what has happened to these people that has give them their disability they push to win like anyone else. 

I researched and found out about a young  paralympian called Sally Brown who at only 18 has won a bronze medal. My dad had gone to an event when she had been awarded young sports personality of the year awarde and had a long dicusson with her so though I could maybe get in contact with her about being my possible model. 

She has very striking features with her quirky freckles and strawberry blonde hair and has her left arm up to her elbow. here are some images of her below.

  

This film above is her being interviewed about all her achievements

Locations

New project focusing on us locating are work in an external context. 

We had to enter our selves in to competitions in the outside world to get a feel of what sort of area we would like to go into after our degree. 

However the competitions that the University provided were not Art direction based which is the area I am working in. It has suprised me how I have moved into an area that is so technology based. 

I reasearched on my own and found a project that fitted exactly what I wanted my brief to be and I touched on it in my last project. It is about try to look at having more diversity in the fashion industry when it come to models: with size, gender, age and race. It is sponsered my the company 'All walks on the catwalk' and i-D. A company and magazine which I really look up to and love the things they do. 

in this link below it has all the details for the competition and the different areas you can enter yourself into 

http://diversity-now.allwalks.org/