Final Shots For Our L'Oreal Homme Advert

3 hours
3 student Art Directors come hair stylists
1 professional photographer in the shape of Mark Enstone
1 photographic studio
1 male model
1 pot of texturising wax and a bottle of hairspray later...

Here are out final executions. Very pleased with them!

Favourite blog...

There's no conflict of interest with my next recommendation. I have been an avid reader of this blog for quite some time...since Grazia published an article about it actually. It's a kind of aristocratic English student twist on Carrie Bradshaw's column in Sex and the City or Belle Du Jour's 'Diary of a London Call Girl'. Documenting in a funny, down-to-earth tone of voice, the anonymous writer has a story which all of us can relate to at one point or another. I'm about to have a good catch-up as 3rd year has rather compromised my time to enjoy casual reading!

http://oxbridgesex.blogspot.com/2010/11/rebounds.html

Insider's scoop: During work experience at the Independent on Sunday, a Cambridge student who happened to be the editor for the student newspaper revealed the blogger's location of the 'Oxbridge Sex Blogger' was Cambridge. That's narrowing the options down somewhat...

Rock Ball 2011

I'm very excited about this upcoming event organised by Rick Parfitt Jnr to raise money for his own charity, The RPJ Crohns Foundations. With the dress code described as @opulent glamour and black tie" I think I better get shopping before this Thursday. Will definitely be blogging about how the event goes...

Love Shoes? Me too Helmut!

It look sixteen years before I finally listened to what every teacher seemed to be saying..."Study what you enjoy." It seems so simple when you think about it but there are always expectations. There is always the worry about what your parents will think, which teachers will be happy with your choice or how certain subjects look on your CV. More often than not, it's a case of this all being in your head as everyone wants the best for you. When I finally sat down and listened to what I wanted to do at University, blocking out all the worries of matching my sister studying Philosophy or my best friend reading History at Oxford, fashion was the answer. In fact, I was remember being asked what I really loved and answering "Shoes". Having thought that was a silly answer at the time it managed perfectly well to leading me to a course which embraces my creative writing and developing justifiable but elaborate ideas based upon the fashion industry.

Having arrived in my 3rd year to the stumbling block of a subject to write my dissertation upon. I applied the same theory. What did I love? Shoes. I had to make a valid link between shoes and visual culture and so I began to assess how they make women feel. The intrinsic assocation with confidence and sex appeal opened many ideas for development. Through my research I found there was one very famous photograph who shared a similar passion for stilettos...


Helmut Newton has to be one of the most famous photographers of the 21st century. His black and white photography is iconic and often a point of reference for modern day contemporaries. Whilst assessing whether the stiletto was a tool of female empowerment or subordination, I looked at how Newton had composed his photographs which often featured naked women apart from a pair of high heels. Most famously is the image below from his 'Naked and Dressed' portfolio (1981):


One lecture given by photographer Mark Enstone, a successful beauty and fashion photographer, reassured my interpretation of Newton's work: through the action within the photograph and the angle he takes the shot he is positively displaying the women in a powerful position. According to Enstone, there is only one photograph which Newton took which showed a woman shackled to a bed but flips this idea by showing the person who had captured her to also be a woman.

My understanding of Newton's work has grown with my love for his images.


I absolutely love how this photograph emphasises his love for high heels and also the effect they have on the wearer's legs when worn. By removing the rest of the body of the woman, it adds a fetishistic element:

Bright Young Things : Magazine

In conjunction with the end of our degree at Nottingham Trent University, a graduate celebration event is staged within the Art & Design buildings on the city campus. A team of six are currently developing a concept based on 'Bright Young Things' and alongside the event are publishing a magazine. This magazine will be the first (hopefully) of many, following a similar patten to London College of Fashion's 'Pigeons & Peacocks'. The magazine will be sold at the London Zine Fair on May 29th 2011.


In order to create a professional and successful publication, a team of Fashion Communication & Promotion students have come together to assist with the editing, photography and journalism. I am really excited to have been successful in gaining the role of Editor/Proof-reader in the Editorial Team alongside two others. We are given general direction from the team over-looking the whole graduate event who have decided upon the theme of 'direction'. This is a really flexible thread which enables all participants to fully utilise their creativity.


Just this morning I pitched an article idea about the change in direction from my 4-year old ambitions compared with my current perspective on the next stage of my life...WATCH THIS SPACE!

Self-Promotion Fashion Shoot

Since working on the Diana Vickers' photo shoot during my time at Look magazine in the Summer (2010), I've always wanted to try and recreate the image below.



With the task of creating some self-promotion material for our Degree Celebration Event, I created the following moodboard as inspiration for a shoot.



The shoot is booked for Friday 25th March. Results to follow...

Tom Ford, oh my

Well they do say sex sells...but really? This leaves NOTHING to the imagination. I do quite admire Tom Ford for creating something so controversial. It comes from a similar vein as Dolce & Gabbana's advertising campaigns which frequently embraces nudity. However, the historical references which tend to be rooted behind D&G's campaigns is absent in Tom Ford's work and replaced with a brazen and more direct message of sex. Has an impact...that's for sure!

Blackdog Ballroom Manchester

It's always the nights you don't plan which turn out to be the best... Well that's the fairytale version at least. That would be because I'm failing to mention the bickering amongst my group of friends about where to celebrate Jodi's 22nd birthday and the numerous cabs and bars we visited before we discovered this gem! Oh and the pouring rain. However, we ended up in the Blackdog Ballroom in Manchester's Northern Quarter which is a New York-style bar/club/snooker hall.

You can see from the images below it has a very slick interior. A combination of leather, velvet and neon lighting somehow maintains a very slick and sophisticated interior. The queue for the bar was somewhat an endurance test and the absence of proper Malibu left a little bad taste but the music, a foot-tapping mix of classics and chart-toppers, makes this place definitely worth a visit!








And rumour has it, Elle have branded the Blackdog Ballroom as the 'hot place' to be visiting.

Most Glamour-ous Doughnut

Another exciting discovery in Manchester this weekend was a visit to a Krispy Kreme shop! Aside from the concessions in shopping malls and even the odd Tesco Metro, this was a real insight into lifestyle of the brand. The store itself had black and white images illustrating how doughnuts were manufactured in bakeries. The seated area at the rear of the store was brightly coloured with leather cushioned seats and white varnished tables. It had a real 1950s vibe.



The POS which caught my eye was promoting a collaboration between Krispy Kreme and Glamour magazine. They have worked together to create a new design for the ring-shaped doughnut with a distincly girly and shimmery pink glaze. I must say the icing made me think, "That's the perfect nail varnish colour!" which I think it a little removed from the "Mmmm that looks delicious, I must devour NOW" reaction they had hoped for!

This was a really surprising collaboration to see which reminded me of a 2nd year project we undertook named "Swap Shop". We had to select two brands which could work together to create a new product and increase brand awareness for both parties. Being the shoe-fiend I am, I opted for Faith Shoes (R.I.P) and Scholls Party Feet. The motivation was to improve comfort for the wearer and the justification was that these are two complimentary products which tend to be purchased together. The execution was to create a new range which fitted the gel pads into the lining of the shoe so that the consideration to comfort was more prominent.

Perhaps a little more straight-laced than Krispy Kreme's recent undertaking, but the healthier option!

Testing...testing...1-2-3.

Have I really just got totally up to date with technology and set up blogging from my Roseberry??
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