FILM | IRIS



 Iris, the documentary, follows the eccentric and witty character of Iris Apfel and retells her life as a interior designer and fashion icon.
 

The film feels very raw and real to me. As we follow Apfel through her daily life we get to know of how she and her husband met, how Iris shops from high end to scavenging through market stalls and of her past fashion exhibitions. These exhibitions shown throughout America proved to be extremely popular. Iris claims this was due to them providing fantasy, glamour and a great deal of fun.
 



It becomes clear during the film that Iris is an extremely well respected woman within the fashion industry. This is due to her skill in interior design, her attendance at many designer shows and events, making guest appearances at stores and securing her own collection with MAC Cosmetics. But more importantly her reputation flows from the way respected figures within the industry talk of and praise Apfel.
 

I particularly enjoyed parts which allow us an insight into Iris' and her husband's Manhattan apartment, as it is just so beautifully eclectic and eccentric. It was even revealed that several rooms within the apartment are dedicated to Apfel's wardrobe.
 

 

Following the film I was shocked to find that Iris is 94 years of age as despite her occasional use of a walking stick, her busy lifestyle and big, bold character does not fit with the stereotypical idea of a 90 year old.  


 

I would definitely recommend watching Iris as it is just such a happy, creative and inspirational film and not only inspirational in the terms of fashion but also inspiring in terms of the way of her way of life.
 

I shall leave you with one of my favourite quotes given by Iris during the film.
 

 'It is better to be happy than well dressed'.



 

- A

SUMMATIVE PROJECT #1 | GATHERING IMAGES AND INSPIRATION

Before breaking up for the Christmas period, our lecturers issued us with our first individual summative brief. In other words, this next piece of work will be formally marked and count towards our final grade for this academic year.

 

This will involve producing a brand/retail promotion and visual analysis report, of which will be focused upon a subject matter from our previous formative project, ours being Beauty.

 

One beauty colour trend for A/W15 my group paid particularly attention to was that of 'Colour Pop'. Where 'pops' of colour were shown on eyes, predominantly in shades of reds, blues and purples.

 

Keeping this trend in mind, I have decided to focus upon The Red Lip, a classic beauty look that has remained popular throughout history, and look that also could fit well into the 'Colour Pop' trend category.
 

So far I have done little than simply gathering and collecting images and inspiration for the layout and for the inside of the illustrated page report that I must produce. Here are some of the many images I have complied up until now.

 

I shall be documenting my full process throughout this project, and my next post giving more structure and meaning to these images which will be coming very soon!

Thankyou for reading,

- A

 

Sources for Images -

 

'Crying Girl' (1964) - insp.tess-evans.com

Hepburn - theguardian.com

Monroe - missmonroes.tumblr.com

Tatou - huffingtonpost.co.uk

Pucci VM - runway.blog.nytimes.com

Minelli - theredlist.fr

VM - blog.mannequinmadness.com

Rolling Stones - sticky-fingers-by-the-stones.tumblr.com

Hepburn #2 - hepburndeneuvekelly.tumblr.com

CITY SERIES | CAMBRIDGE

 Hello!

 

The aim of the 'City Series' is to explore the retail environments of various cities and to give a general feel of a particular location through photographing architecture, inhabitants and much more. Not only this but it will be interesting to compare these different cities.

 

The first featuring in this series is the city of Cambridge.

 

Cambridge is a city not too far away from where I live. It is often associated with it's well renowned university, and therefore attracts many tourists throughout all seasons.

 

I unfortunately did not manage to capture as many images as I had initially hoped, due to my camera dying on me! But below are the images I managed to shoot.

 

 



The city certainly has a very British and preppy feel about it, the cobbled streets, the iconic red telephone boxes, the general structure of the buildings, old bookshops and the style of it's inhabitants. The city is full of young aspiring students who generally dress very 'public school esque', wearing leather satchels, large woolly scarves, and tan brogues. This is reflected by the shops which are situated within the city, which include the infamous Cambridge Satchel Company, and stores such as Jack Wills.

 

Cambridge is well known for it's cyclists, so whilst I was there I attempted to take a slight Cunningham approach and capture images of these cyclists. However the images did not come out as well as I had hoped. Some images proved to be quite amusing in my eyes, displaying a variety of various characters, so here they are none the less.

 

 

Cambridge is certainly one of my favourite cities to visit all year round, especially for a spot of shopping! If you haven't visited this area, I would most definitely recommend a trip. 

I had hoped to have featured more Christmas inspired visual merchandising and street style within this post, so I will ensure that the next posts within the 'City Series' includes just this.

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading the first in this series.

 

- A  

TREND SPOTTING | SEEING DOUBLE

It seems there may be a new set of models taking the fashion world by storm. What are the chances of two female family members being blessed with model looks?

Here are five sets of modelling sisters who appear to have made a mark on the fashion scene.

 

1. SUKI AND IMMY WATERHOUSE

 

 

Suki has appeared to be a favourite of Burberry's for many seasons, whilst Immy has just begun her modelling career kicking off her runway debut at Ashley Williams during LFW this year.

 

2. GIGI AND BELLA HADID

 

 

Gigi has had a huge year, featuring in the recent Victoria's Secret Show, featuring in what appears to be every designers runway collection at Fashion Week and being photographed for the cover of British Vogue's January 2015 issue. However it is predicted that 2016 may be Bella's year, having already made a big impact during A/W 15. Both sisters have featured in the infamous Love advent calendar this December.

 

3. MARY KATE AND ASHLEY OLSEN

This iconic duo although not known as models but as designers, can be regularly seen as part of the 'FROW' and are admired by many for their signature 'granny chic' style.

 

4. DAKOTA AND ELLE FANNING

 

 



Having previously both been actresses, the Fanning sisters appear to have now focused their direction towards the fashion industry. Aside from Elle being the face of Miu Miu and Dakota fronting several Marc Jacobs campaigns, both sisters can often be found on the 'FROW' at fashion week.
 



5. KELSEY AND BALEE SOLES

 

 

The upcoming Soles sisters are a pair of identical twins dubbed as the next Olsen duo. Kelsey alone has walked for Marc Jacobs and Narcisco Rodriguez, whilst Baylee has modelled for Theyskens Theory and the Rachel Zoe Show. Ones to watch for 2016!

 

It is clear that designers and others alike have singled out this 'trend' and used it to their advantage. For example, Balmain tapped 'power sisters' for their A/W 2015 campaign.



Not to mention Vogue's magazine spread in their recent January issue featuring Bella Hadid, Lottie Moss and Kylie Jenner. All of whom have supermodel sisters, and now following in their sisters footsteps.

 

 



No doubt there has always been a push for sisters to model together within the fashion industry, for example the likes of the Taylor sisters in the 90s. However I feel as though the fashion world is now using siblings more than ever before in campaigns and shows.

 

Perhaps this is because of the awe and fascination surrounding supermodels, especially on social media, and by doubling this using an extra sibling, it creates even more promotion for designers?

 

What are your thoughts? I'd be interested to know.

 

Thankyou for reading yet another post in the 'Trend Spotting' series.

 

Until next time,

 

- A