The National Wedding Show

Hey guys, sorry i have been a while for soo long it has been very hectic. last week i did the National wedding show at the Kensington Olympia. This week i have had two uni deadlines that i have been working like crazy for.

The National Wedding show was really fun, although at times annoying and very very tiring. I started at about 9.30 every morning through to about 6.30, and one night 8 o'clock. they are some long hours for me to be doing 5 days in a row!! but still at least i got paid.

For this event i had 2 days of fitting and rehearsals, with 3 days of shows....... 13 SHOWS IN TOTAL!!!!!! much more than anything i have previously done. Of course i am just a student i had a really low role in the working hierarchy. Even though i have organised two of my own shows, which i must compliment myself as they were GOOD! But for this i was a mere dresser, which obviously comes with its perks being a boy in a predominant female industry!!

A dresser is pretty much what it says on the tin, i dress my model, easy as. OK not that easy in a wedding show due to large and heavy dressers, varying shoes, shawls, tiara and even gloves, and the most ridiculous miniature hats that were impossible to attach. There were 8 scenes, all of which my model was in and therefore 8 outfit changes, some of which were not great, like crazy small buttons and tough zips.


p.s. This pic is gross ha

I have dressed only once before which was very last minute, but this experience was very exhilarating, the quick and dramatic changes, the moments were something went wrong and you had to quickly rectify the problem, those moments create such a buzz, you just love being there. I can only liken it to some sort of extreme sport, ridiculous as it sounds, but it really feels like that, obviously not for everyone as some just don't cares.

The thing that made my experience more enjoyable was my model. Shaila Gonzaga, she has a truly beautiful personality, apparently i never stopped talking about her, claiming i was in love! but i assure you it wasn't like that, just that my model broke down all social stereotypes that are placed upon them, and from what you hear. My model is only in the UK for a few months, and therefore does not have many friends, and i felt for her here, London can be an extremely lonely place, i would know recently moving. But at the end of our last day she said to me i was like her best friend here, and that was just after 5 days. I think you will agree that is something special for her to say so i was very grateful!So i may have got her a little parting treat :)
(plus one of the best things is that she had modelled for Victoria Beckham's collection last year..... booyah)




Shaila is getting married this year, so if she ever reads this (which i highly doubt) than i wish her the best of luck in her marriage.

Peace Out Guys
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A Beautifully Directed Film......

Hey Guys,

so last night i went to the cinema and watched 'a single man' with some friends. I was sad enough to be taking notes just for this blog, and just for my precious little readers.



So before getting into the finer details, i just have to say i loved the film, as did my friends. For those of you who have seen the trailer i would say that it doesn't truly convey the story line, as the story was different to how i had expected, and for those fans of Nicholas Hoult he is not in the film a great deal, well not as much as you would think from the trailer.

The film shows some great performances from all of the central characters. It is clear to see why Colin Firth has been nominated for best actor at the Oscars this year, his acting capability was sensational in this film, he conveyed convincingly real emotions. As if he wasn't a character, but living the film, a viewer could see the actor had truly embedded himself in the story, and dug deep into the script and himself. In one of the early scenes you see Colin, or George as he is in the film, discover about his partners death, within the blink of an eye his whole manner had changed. Not just the facial expressions, or tone in his voice but everything about his de mina had flipped. Of course, the film also starred Julianne Moore. Admittedly an actress i was not to familiar with, nevertheless a incredible performance. She played some middle aged divorcee, that was still in love with George from their teens, who loved to drink, smoke and have dramatic mood swings, most definitely like a character from absolutely fabulous.



A Single Man is most certainly an 'arty' film, and one i am not normally drawn to, and even this case i feel i was only attracted to the name behind the film and not the story itself, it would of been more likely a DVD watch than cinema under a different director. For Fords first film it is a great credit that showed real creative genius. Visually it was incredibly stylish, all suits by Tom Ford, and various other clothing items, great hair styles, cars, sensational architecture (i.e. George's house) and even went as far as the gun George had. An incredibly black Revolver, with silver finishing ...... not just any old gun. Colin constantly looked impeccable, even as a fashion student i did not think there could be huge difference in a white shirt, but George's white shirt was so much more, it perfectly fitted, button down colour and great sleeve detail, 3 buttons not just one. I guess that show's the difference between high street and luxury. However one peculiarity that kept coming to the forefront was characters telling George he didn't look to good, the man was wearing a Tom Ford suit who wouldn't look good? his skin was flawless, hair, even his expression, i felt nothing made him look 'unwell,' he was perhaps a lil too perfect, even his windsor knot and tie pin were perfect. Kenny (Nicholas Hoult's) tan was a little too perfect, well a bit orange, but yet their was subtle enhancements in the contrast, in turn enhancing his skin tone, and i can't give you my view why because i just don't know.

From an audio aspect a beautiful soundtrack was used. There was many overtures, heavily violin and string based, but exquisite, soft and silky, yet finely highlighted those dramatic moments. Even the sound of pouring rain was used just after the opening of the film, no dialog could be heard just rain, George run's through the rain to his best friend Charlotte's (Julianne Moore's) House. They both depict some true, from the heart acting, of course this is just after George discovers his partner has died. During one scene even the dialog discretely slips from English to Spanish, the words come from George as if he has been talking Spanish the whole time (possibly my favourite scene of the whole film). Here we see George meet a Spanish Man in a liquor store car park, here we see for the first time George isn't afraid to pay a compliment to man, since Jim's death, although it is possible to argue by doing it in spanish it is sort of a barrier or comfort blanket, as if it makes it ok.

The Film has constant flashback's to time's with Jim, which need no explanation as you'll understand when you watch, but there was also flashes to a naked body in the water, from start to finish, it is not until the end that we see it is George. He slowly gets closer and closer to the surface, as if he can finally gasp for air, just reaching the surface before he dies. I think symbolising how trapped and suffocated George was, he has been stuck in the same place since Jim died, unable to move on, but it's when he dies himself he sets himself free.



The film displays beautiful symmetry, that i think is unusual to most film. It starts when we see Jim's dead body, George approaches, lies next to him, and kisses his lips, yet it is not until the a few scenes later we realise he never was truly there, it is just a figment of his imagination as he is called to be informed off the death. And at the end of the film as George suffers a heart attack he falls to the floor, and in come's Jim, through George's blurred vision we see him, he leans down and presses his lips against George's, and his eyes close.

This film truly is great, my favourite thing about it is it is not overtly sexual, it isn't thrusted up in your face that this film is based on a gay couple, there is no sex scenes like a typical contemporary film like broke back mountain. This film truly is for everyone, not just arty people or those going for Tom Ford. I could write so much more, and ive have only spoke about half of my notes but it's just getting too long now ..... sorry for those who many want more.


A Single Man


A Film by Tom Ford


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Writer's Block ..... Well to start with

So after very few blogs i am already stuck for a topic....... i could do the predictable and comment on the death of Lee McQueen, but that would be an injustice to him and a lie to all my readers. I have never really followed his work fully, nor been a huge fan, although i am not afraid to admit he was a great designer, just not to my taste, so that is why i am not going to blog it regardless it is a sad time for many, and a tragic loss to the fashion industry.

However, having ruled that out, i feel i have nothing left to write about, i feel uninspired, thoughtless and am currently lacking the ability to focus on any one topic. There is a lot going on at the moment with two uni assignments, as well as a fair fews hours at work the last 7 days.

Nevertheless a fashion student would have something to write about if the something happening in the fashion industry, its very slow at the moment, no ground breaking news or innovation, one boring piece of news from today is that New Look have dropped their IPO and will no longer be floating on the London Stock Exchange, leaving them in a sticky situation and £1bn worth of debt. (Great news for one of my uni projects).

Probably one of the most interesting thing i have done this week is attend a lecture from Ibrahim Ibrahim from Portland. He gave a fascinating insight into the future, development sin technology, architecture, retail and the way we shop. According to him our stores may not even be stocking products, or more that they are manufactured in store, because apparently the consumer wants customisation these days? As well as this Nintendo has engineered technology that is heavily bedded in the ability to follow a person's movements, you can shop online and with use of the webcam you can see how the clothes look on you. But for me this isn't shopping, this is like dressing your avatar on xbox 360 dashboard or second life. Do consumers not want to feel the weight of clothes, quality, material etc etc To move away from our traditional methods of retail and shopping is a good move, but to the extremes that were outlined to me. The Prada store in NYC has had made several advances, a changing room is no longer a box with a mirror, its almost a computer style capsule, as you walk in the codes from the garments are registered, immediately put on to the screen, here the consumer can see it on the runway show, as well as testing it in different light. OK, so this is great for luxury brands, but is it right for retail? Do we really care what these jeans look like at night? Probably not, unles sits a special garment, perhaps a dress for a wedding or something alike.

So Ibrahim predicts a slightly scary future, for example your avatar from second life calling your real life mobile, which just crosses so many weird cyber boundaries that are not meant to crossed, as well as technology involving a projector and camera, that when you see friends etc their Facebook page is projected out? This is not social networking, it's becoming a internet stalker. However how much we can read into this i am not sure, as he claimed Westfield is the last shopping centre we will see of its kind, but yet the sister complex is currently being built in East London.

But who knows, all we can do is wait and see. And it seems apparently i did have something to write about.
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Tom Ford - A Man Who Can Do No Wrong?

Tom Ford ...... who really knows where to start with him, he is a man with a number or talents and achievements all under his very stylish belt. As a young man aspiring to be the Fashion industry i found myself looking for a man to look up to, to influence me, someone i could be inspired by, pretty quickly Tom ford filled that slot. (No Pun Intended.)

It all started when i apply for London college of Fashion, i needed to very quickly brush up on my fashion knowledge and therefore i went to amazon and bought a tonne of books that i aimed to read before my interview. My first to read, and to this day my favourite book is 'Fashion Brands: From Armani to Zara' by Mark Tungate. The book covers a vast range of industry topics, companies and designers. Here Tom Ford and i were introduced, i read all about his resurrection of Gucci like a phoenix rom the ashes. Since then he has gone on to design for other's such as Yves Saint Lauren, create his own brand 'Tom Ford,' and most recently direct a film, 'A Single Man' starring Colin Firth and Nicholas Hoult.

After leaving Gucci and YSL in 2004 he started his own brand which has gone on to be a great success. Starting with his well respected eyewear, something i will most definitely be investing in this summer, and now it also includes beauty, menswear and accessories for both genders. The advertisements for his brand really pushed the sexuality boundaries, see my previous blog for more information. They represented many naked figures of both sexes including same sex shoots. In December 08 we saw GQ celebrate their 20 year anniversary, with a sensational issue. Here we saw David Beckham grace the cover for the second time since 2002, and which featured a 12 page spread of fabulous photography and interview. Beckham was dressed in Tom Ford throughout the issue, and it looked great. David was a great guy who is a visionary form of what the brand is about, sophisticated, classic, stylish and current. This brand is going from strength to strength and is only destined to get better.

So i think its easy to see why is a great male in fashion to aspire to, ok so i don't want to be a designer, but he held the role of creative director, so much more was under his control than just the collection itself, he holds a great business head as well as holding the creative skills to make him a success. Eventually if i achieve i fraction of what he has i will be satisfied with my career accomplishments. Would i like to be the straight Tom Ford........ too right? who wouldn't, there is only two men i have love for and he is one of them. (Ha i am not telling who the other is, although i may of mentioned him above :/ )

If you are not familiar with Tom Ford i suggest you check out www.tomford.com its a great website, check it out for a trailer of a single man too. It's out on the 12th of Feb in the uk, i will be going to watch it a couple of days after so i'll let u guys know what i think, but after being nominated for several awards i doubt it will fail to deliver.

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The Great Male Renunciation

Hey guys sorry it has been so long, i've been extremely busy lately but i'm back finally.

Lately at uni, in historical and cultural studies we have been looking at the 'Great Male Renunciation,' and i have to say it is my favourite topic we have looked at, its so fascinating to see how men's fashion has changed over time. I studied History at A-level so it's interesting seeing pictures of historical figures i am already familiar with, but instead of focusing on them, you focus on the clothes and its amazing how much they tell you about that time period.

However this week we focused on the latter years of the 20th century, focusing on designers advertising campaigns how it really came to the fore front of sexuality, gender and how sex really sells.

Brands such as Calvin Klein, D&G and Tom Ford (which i am going to blog on in a few days as im so obsessed and touch upon his new film) really push the boundaries, we see strong nudity and the reversal of natural gender roles. As well as the models and in turn suggesting the consumers, sexual orientation is evidentially thrusted up on the viewers eye, and not just heterosexual images but homosexual. This is 'The homospectatorial look' ...... in other words women can attract the 'gaze' from men but also women, and vice versa. We no longer live in a one sexuality world, and why can't woman appreciate the female form? and men appreciate the male form? We all have our own ideals of beauty, and by looking at others of the same sex we can define ours, and possibly what we aspire to, e.g. a man starting the gym to get a 6 pack.

Of course for men to be able to feel comfortable and confident with this new of looking at beauty, there had to be a starter point, or a catalyst, arguably sports. Men have always been free to partake in contact sports such as rugby, but of course this slightly takes the argument out of context, but nevertheless still valid. We have seen the birth of 'The New Man' and it's extreme, the 'Metrosexual' man, merely men with attributes and traits of a homosexual man, but heterosexual. Men have established a new, and acceptable attitude to fashion, i for one hope it remains this way. The question i pose to all the ladies reading ..... would you like a man that doesn't take pride in himself? Gets up, sprays some deodrant, throws on the nearest trackie and is set for the day?

In our modern day society men are catching up with the consumer rates of women, we almost equally need the skin products, hair cut's, treatments and right clothing to survive in the cut throat society, especially that of London. With constant growth in men's fashion's i think its about time the high street and various other brands and companies need to open their eyes and deliver to male consumers in the way they want, as something is serious lacking.

Ive Really enjoyed this one guys so i hope you have too, keep your eyes peeled for Tom Ford Special.

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In Short went shopping today spent too much money than i should of, regardless on the list a very nice new check shirt, jumper and scarf from zara...... none of which i can show due to the crappy website that will be shop-able online by the end of this year for all of you who didn't know, a very nice leather look jacket from pull and bear's new collection...... and some very cool 3/4 jogger;s from River Island, i'm a big fan but material could be better.

Drapers Etailer awards 2010

YAAAAAAAAAY i was actual at a real fashion show/ awards ceremony after organising two myself it was about time i saw the real deal haha :)

So Drapers Etailer awards...... all you readers should know what drapers is, and how vital it is to us fashion students so no need to explain, and ofcourse it was awards for the years greatest online retailers.

So, strolling down oxford street with the flat mate and a friend, and out of the blue she gets a call and is asked to be a dresser at the awards, and it just so happens 3 people had dropped out....... amazing coincidence :) so off we went almost running to the venue like 25 minutes away at the very grand bloomsbury ballroom, near holborn.

The show featured clothes and shoes from a vast range of outlets and designers including newlook man, river island, diesel and Vivienne Westwood. Backstage we had a wicked stylist and her assistant, 4 male models and 5 female......and us 10 dressers. Paul (the event manager from RAH productions) kept popping in and out.

I was assigned my model ramon, who had 4 outfits in the 7 scene show. He wore clothes from linear, suit, junk de luxe and baracuta. He was a really down to earth guy, but obviously we didn't have much time to chat as i had to sort his clothes out, prep, steam, hang etc etc

So we did the usual thing that you can imagine happens before these events, met our models, dressed them in their outfits, then a dress run-through, steam the clothes then went for dinner and finally the real thing. The models came back from hair and make - up and into their opening outfits.
Claudia Winkleman was presenting, she arrived, wondered around while we dressed, and guests came in to their complimentary champagne. (We may have had a cheeky glass).

And finally the show began, and before you knew it, it was over. Time flew by, outfits went on and off and everything was a success. There was no major problems or set backs, and everyone looked great. The only thing left to do was pack up......... and slyly get a goody bag as we left :).

For my first real experience in fashion and as a dresser, it was truly awesome. Everyone was really nice, no bitchiness like you would think, and our effort generally was greatly appreciated, hopefully i will work with them again soon.

Next blog is already in my head, so you will see it up soon.

Take Care

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p.s. anyone who is on twitter or has their own blogspot please follow.

S/S 2010 ....... HURRY UP.

I am just bursting at the seams to shrug off my chunky knitwear, winter accessories and layer after layer. I am beginning the summer to just come on by quickly, i need to wear flip-flops, deck shoes, shorts and most importantly my SUNNIES. (The fashion piece that should be worn all year round)

So what is in-store for all you guys and gals in the teenies, what's on trend and what should you be buying?

Girls you are up first..... for you everything is getting nude, and shorter as we saw more flesh than any trend in the past decade, i think Miuccia Prada's chandelier dresses confirm that, they are a pure work of genius, and something you never think could be commercial. However i know the majority of you females reading this prefer high-street to high end. As touched upon skirts are getting shorter, revealing more thigh,(unfortunately the maxi dress won't be back this year :( ) as well heels getting smaller, kitten heels and even clogs are going to be bang on trend for the coming months......thank GOD i am not a girl, clogs? i think not.
Colour wise, nudes, ice creams, so far from last years eye popping and block colours. As well as this we see the usual white, always a key player for summer, so look out for your bleached washes. However for those of you who do want to add colour, try a check and make it subtle....... NO bold blocks.
Finally lady friends key pieces......party dresses, for day and night, jumpsuits (YAY) and loose trousers tapering to teh ankle in light weight soft fabrics.

Now that all sounds pretty fine to mine, are you looking forward to your new wardrobes??

Alreet Geezas your next.

Ok, one simple rule i think to start with.... tailoring is out, CASUAL is in. (For those who must do tailoring keep it soft.) For you non fashion following men, stop reading, that rule will see you through just fine, all others....... feel free to carry on.
A strong theme from the shows envisaged a travel theme, with roomy bags and sports shoes, creating a feel that comfort is key. Again similarly to the female trends men are also showing more flesh, with revealing vests and open tops. Also the feeling of an urban attire came across using neutral colours, greys, cream, white and black. Although you guys could turn to pastel shades if your yearn for some colour. Accessories wise plastic sunglasses are back, as well bags of all shapes and sizes and high top trainers.
However my research says big labels went for slim line trousers, but recent trend reports are showing skinny jeans are out for summer, and loose denim is in.....so if you need some new jeans i suggest either, carrot, relaxed, bootcut or even loose fit jeans, my personal pick would be carrot or relaxed as it tapers at the bottom still leaving a nice silhoutte.

Hope that helps you guys out.

Right two new purchases this week both from Asos.com.

So a L/S waffle top witha grandad neck and charcoal in colour. It has elasticated cuffs..... great for us men with long arms wooo hooo (also i am mad about the grandad neck atm, and you should be too)
Secondly a charcoal (again..... im an addict to the palette of monochrome) .... hooded vest with a scoop neck. The lower neck is great, and not choking like other vests, but although i have always been a hater of people wearing vests on their own, however this one looks good, and if i hit the gym before summer may just pull off the look in Torquay's finest beaches this summer HA.





Will be back soon with more loving for all you readers.
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