SLOUCHY CHIC

This past weekend the sunshine finally decided to make an appearance, at long last!

I spent the day out and about in one of my favourite cities, York, so I wanted to wear something that would be comfortable to explore in and yet look reasonably stylish.

I dug out a chunky knit of mine which I had bought months ago in anticipation for breezy summer days, and paired it with my favourite boyfriend jeans.

Jumper - ASOS | Jeans - ASOS | Choker - ASOS | Sunglasses - ASOS | Boots - Topshop

Before investing in this jumper, I was never a great fan of the 'cold shoulder' trend. However, the contrast of a heavy knit with the fine detail of cut outs on the shoulders I feel works.

More outfit posts coming soon!

- A

THE BEAT GENERATION

So what is the 'Beat Generation' exactly?

The phrase was first appear in the New York Times Magazine. The journalist Holmes wrote: 'The origins of the word 'beat' are obscure, but the meaning is only too clear to most Americans. More than mere weariness, it implies the feeling of having been used, of being raw. In short, it means being undramatically pushed up against the wall of oneself'.

I feel this sums up the essence of this subculture perfectly.

The 'beatniks' were a 1950's Bohemian counterculture, often associated with berets, roll-neck jumpers and goatee beards. These individuals were considered anti-materialistic and focused upon one's inner-self rather than the shallowness of material goods.

This subculture had a profound influence upon music, even the Beatles used the word 'beat' in their name as a reference. Jim Morrison was also heavily influenced by Jack Kerouac, a pioneer of the beat generation, and even admitted with the rest of his band members that they wanted to be beatniks.

I have a great interest in subcultures, and I hope you've enjoyed reading post as much as I have enjoyed learning about this generation.

- A

FILM | FUNNY FACE

What a film!

 

Funny Face is a 1950's comedy/musical starring a memorable cast of Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire and Kay Thompson.

 

The film begins by following Kay Thompson, an editor of a major fashion magazine, and fashion photographer Dick Avery, on the hunt for an intellectual backdrop for a not so intelligent model. This is when they stumble across Jo Stockton (Hepburn). Both Avery  and Thompson are stunned by her unique appearance and offer her a modelling contract, and this is where the film truly begins...

 

The film is visually pretty amazing, filled with bright vibrant colours and beautiful scenic backdrops.

 

The opening scene of the film particularly stands out to me. Mrs Prescott announces that she could not possibly dream of publishing their latest issue as she would be letting down the American woman. Prescott's pessimistic tone soon turns to a fever of inspiration when she glimpses a pink matchbook. This begins the 'Think Pink' number, part dance, part fashion shoot.

 

A sly dig at the feminine and frivolous assumptions of the fashion world?

 

 

Another aspect that really stood out for me in this musical was the costume design, in particular what Hepburn is dressed in throughout the sequence of the film.

 

Here are a few fashion moments that stood out for me:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, Funny Face was the first film in which Hepburn and Givenchy began making fashion film history. As Audrey said of Givenchy, "His are the only clothes in which I feel myself. He is far more than a couturier, he is a creator of personality".

 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the light hearted playful theme running through this film, along with each musical number.

It's most definitely worth a watch!

 

Watch a preview of the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6VLdVrVQGQ

 

Thankyou for reading,

 

- A

SIMON STARLING EXHIBITION

This Spring the Nottingham Contemporary presents the largest ever exhibition documenting the work of Simon Starling.

 

 The key theme running throughout the exhibition is industry, with much of the works pointing to various different eras of manufacturing, such as the Industrial Revolution and China's high tech industry of today.

 

Here is a preview of the exhibition in photos:

 

 

 

As a whole, I found this exhibition to be thoroughly captivating. I suppose this is partly because of the scale, size and interactive element of his works, which really incites you to find out more  about what the meaning his artwork truly holds.

 

 Thank you for reading,

- A

PRETTY GREEN - LONDON MOD COLLECTION

Pretty Green, established in 2009, is the clothing brand associated with Oasis frontman, Liam Gallagher. The brand offers casual (Green Label) and a classic British tailored style of clothing, influenced the Mod movement of the 1960's.

 

This spring/summer Pretty Green have created a special collection inspired by famous rock band, The Who.

 

This range puts 'a fresh twist on the traditional perception of a the Mod, with a range of specific garments developed for those who follow the mod principles of dressing'.

 

 

Here are a few of my favourite pieces from the collection:

 

 

Khaki Wren Paisley Jacket - £145.00

 

 

 Red Sefton Paisley Shirt - £65.00

 

Navy Relay Badge - £4.00

 

Although this collection is not distinctly different from Pretty Green's past and current collections, it's still pretty cool.

 

Check it out here: https://www.prettygreen.com/discover/ss16/london-mod

 

 - A

SHOOTING FOR VOGUEWONDERS #1

You most probably have already heard of the blog VogueWonders, by Arooj Aftab.

 

Just this weekend I was kindly asked to take a few photos of her to post on her blog as part of a collaboration with two brands.

 

Here are a few of my favourite shots from the shoot.

 

 

Check out the full blog posts on Arooj's site here: http://www.voguewonders.com/

 

- A



SUMMATIVE PROJECT #2 | THE BRAND LAUNCH

The past few weeks have been extremely busy preparing for our brand launch presentation.

 

Our final presentation for this academic year demonstrated how we had developed our 'Big Idea', initial launch platforms, advertisement and video for our fragrance brief.

As a group, we decided to go forward with our idea of a fragrance range focused upon pregnancy, targeting women aged 25-34 specifically.

We named this brand Elise Fragrance. You may ask why we chose this specific name, and this is because we knew that our name had to instantly embody our values as a brand. This is why we have chosen a woman's name, as we believe that it personifies our company, instilling confidence and trust within our consumers.

This brand, Elise, strives to provide the modern woman with a safe beauty range to use both during and after her pregnancy. Each product is formulated without phthalates and VOC's, chemicals which can be extremely harmful to both mother and child.

Elise Fragrance has classic visuals, however our approach to consumer choice could be considered 'edgy', niche or unique, as we value the woman as an individual, rather than just simply a 'pregnant woman', like other products currently on the market.

We have chosen our brand to sit on the 'masstige' market level. This is because after conducting various research, it is shown that women are willing to spend a vast amount of money during their pregnancy, with one in twenty new mums spending over £3,000 pounds on baby essentials in the first year.

After refining the concept it was time to shoot both the print advertisement and the video.

FINAL DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD ADVERTISEMENT

As a team, we felt that the shoot did not go as great as we would have hoped. However, we decided to stick it out and use the images taken for our final advertisement and video.

BEHIND THE SCENES

The feedback we received in response to our presentation I felt was valid, correct and greatly useful for the next stage of our brief.

If you would like to have a further look into the visual aspect of our brand Elise, check out our Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/elisefragrance/



I hope you have enjoyed reading about Elise Fragrance, gaining a further insight to the life of an FCP student!

- A