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J.W. Anderson Spring/Summer 2009 - An Eye For an Eye..
The Clothes..
Out of all the fashion capitals, London has always had a reputation as being the go-to destination for scouting the hottest design talent. With rising stars such as menswear designer J.W. Anderson - it's easy to see why. His Spring/Summer 2009 collection, entitled An Eye For An Eye, was truly a breath of fresh air. His keen eye for colour, texture and form was realised in a truly accomplished (and shock horror) WEARABLE collection. With rich, painterly colours straight out of a Renaissance masterpiece, he cited the work of Diego Velasquez, Raphael and Guido Reni as inspirations. Drawing heavily on mythical characters and iconic representations of religion, Anderson accessorised his models with perspex cross pendants, alongside acorns - historically believed to give the wearer eternal life. Manufactured exclusively in the UK, the garments themselves were as strong individually as they were when combined in outfits. Key pieces included delightfully naive unfitted, short-cut shirts, cropped jackets and Oxford bag trousers - all a subtle nod to Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. Racer-back vests and tailored shorts added a city-cool, sportif feel to the collection, tempering the Folk elements. His intricately embroidered "Lion Head" trousers, red fringed "Ambulance Scarf" and "Eye For An Eye" webbing belt are bound to become collector's items. With modern menswear dominated by tailoring, it's Anderson's knits that truly set him apart from his peers. Loose and luxurious short-sleeved Arran knit cardigans and chunky knit shawls softened the clean, structured lines of the tailored pieces to beautiful effect.
www.j-w-anderson.com
The Hair..
Tracey Cahoon created the hair looks for the show, which she described as "preppy, outdoorsy and slightly messy". To get the look, she suggests using label.m Dry Shampoo and Sea Salt Spray followed by a quick blast with a hairdryer to build up texture.
label.m Dry Shampoo £9.50
label.m Sea Salt Spray £10.95
www.labelm.co.uk
The Make-up..
Andrew Gallimore was responsible for the make-up looks, which continued the "outdoorsy" theme. He described the look as "appearing as if you've spent the day outside on a Summer's day". He suggests applying MAC Studio Tech Foundation lightly to the parts of the face the sun would naturally tan - such as the forehead and cheeks. He recommends going two shades darker than your natural skin tone - he used MAC Studio Tech Foundation in NC45 (a tan shade) on the models. MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl was blended in a "C" shape from temples to cheekbones to highlight and create a sculpted effect. It was also applied to the cupid's bow to create the illusion of fuller lips. The strong "Boy Brow" reigned supreme. To get the look he suggests grooming brows with MAC Fibre Rich Lash Mascara in Chocolate Brown and fixing with a light application of MAC Lip Glass in Clear.
MAC Studio Tech Foundation in NC45 £21.53
MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl £11.74
MAC Fibre Rich Lash Mascara in Chocolate Brown £10.77
MAC Lip Glass in Clear £9.30
www.maccosmetics.co.uk
Top Rank..
There are certain moments in life that are a true milestone - be it personally or professionally. It could be said that I've just had one of those moments. On Thursday this week I was photographed by the world-renowned photographer Rankin for his Rankin Live exhibition in August. He selected individuals who he felt represented 21st Century Britain. This is a man who has photographed icons including the Queen, Kate Moss, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson, Dame Helen Mirren, Jude Law and Daniel Craig. Jefferson Hack's girlfriend, Belgian supermodel Anouck Lepere walked past me as I arrived at the studio. Located in the heart of the Dazed&Confused offices in Old Street, it was a beehive of activity. The man himself was charm personified - he called me a "handsome boy" and said he loved my outfit so much he wanted to shoot me full length. We nailed the shot in about eight minutes and agreed it was "the one". His team said my photo was "really dynamic". They placed my shot up on a wall beside his other subjects - and said it really stood out! I can't wait for the exhibition in August - Rankin Live - www.rankin.co.uk
Prime of My Life..
There are certain things in life that men and women can't survive without. These include oxygen, water, sleep and Daniel Sandler's new Retexturising Face Primer SPF20. With a client list that includes Jade Jagger, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Yasmin Le Bon, Daniel is quite literally a makeup artist to the stars. One of Britain's most sought after makeup artists, he's passionate about his home land. Luxury British brand Burberry recently caused controversy by shifting production to Asia in an effort to reduce their overheads (axing countless British workers in the process). Daniel however, has done the reverse, shifting his production from Asia to Britain. This brave move not only creates more job opportunities for British workers but also cements Daniel Sandler Cosmetics' status as a British brand. Like Daniel's award-winning Watercolour Blusher, this is a stroke of sheer genius - especially when one considers the immense popularity of truly British brands in America and the Far East. But back to his Retexturising Face Primer SPF20. I'm actually wearing it in my headshot at the top of my blog. Apply a pea-sized amount to finger tips and smooth over the face and neck after moisturising to minimise fine lines, combat shine and protect skin from the damaging effects of the sun. This multi-purpose miracle not only leaves skin feeling silky smooth but creates the perfect base for make-up, ensuring you'll look picture perfect well into the evening. Daniel Sandler Retexturising Face Primer SPF20 - £20 - available exclusively from Urban Retreat at Harrods - +44(0) 20 7730 1234 - and online at www.beautique.com
if the Shoe Fits..
What do Daisy Lowe, Dannii Minogue, Elizabeth Hurley, Fergie, Kylie Minogue, Lindsay Lohan, Madonna and Mary Portas all have in common? Well apart from being independently wealthy and successful career women, they all happen to be clients of Gil Carvalho. For those of you who've been living on Mars, Mr Carvalho is London's hottest shoe designer and was formerly the accessories designer at Vivienne Westwood. When a woman wears vertiginous Gil Carvalho shoes, she places herself on a pedestal and becomes a goddess. My pet name for Gil is Cinderella Man - simply because he makes women feel like a princess. The image above is from an Imelda Marcos themed cover shoot I styled for Spain's WOW Magazine. The model wears Gil Carvalho glitter platform shoes whilst sliding down a patent Versace mule. This image turned out to be rather ironic, as unbeknown to me, Gil had encountered at least two pairs of Versace shoes that bore more than a passing resemblance to his own designs from the previous season. There's no doubt that Donatella's shoe designers deserve a good spanking for their lack of originality. However, they do say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Valentine's day is just around the corner and for anyone looking to spice things up in or out of the bedroom, your first port of call should be Gil's website: www.gilcarvalho.com
Badly Drawn Boy..
Stumbling across my old mood boards inspired me to do this sketch the other night. I was never the best draughtsman in the class but that never stopped me from being passionate about art. As a child growing up in Newcastle, my grandmother always used to encourage my artistic bent. I've always thought of her as my guardian angel, god rest her soul. She'd always buy me heaps of colouring books. My absolute favourites had outlines of images on blank pages. You'd wet a brush and apply it to the page and as if by magic, parts of the image would burst into colour. My grandmother once told me a funny story. I'd been left to my own devices upstairs. It seems the artist in me was no longer satisfied with the confines of a mere sketch pad. So what did I do when I ran out of paper? I glanced up at her vast, pristine white walls and decided that they would be my canvas. She came upstairs to find a charmingly naive mural in wax crayon all over her white walls.
