Tag Archives: Models

NEW YEAR…NEW YOU??

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Happy New Year my dear followers! It’s been a while but I’m back in the blogosphere once again to bring you more ramblings about fashion, London and all the fun in between.

Every year in January we seem to hear ‘New Year, New You’ and other catchy power phrases all over the place, to encourage us into some type of personal life cleanse. Whether it’s eating better, getting fit, drinking less, this time of year it’s all people can talk about. I know you’re probably sick of it too, but I have to say that I’m one of those unfortunate souls that can’t help but get caught up in it all. I have just made plans with a close friend to start going running, my fridge is stocked with healthy meals and I’m determined to go to the gym at least 3 times a week (we’ll see about that one!) When it comes to getting fit, I find the magazines and adverts are great for that first initial boost and to get you dreaming about that Victoria’s Secret model body that you WILL achieve by the summer; but then there is nothing there to convince you that stepping into that cold London park in your old grey tatty joggers is actually a good idea, and in the past I have quite often ended up back on my sofa with a cup of tea!! SO what can you do to solve this dilema?  blog2Sweaty Betty. No that is not the unfortunate nickname of some scary muscular personal trainer, I’m talking about the clothes store. Since I have discovered the gorgeous sports wear from Sweaty Betty I just want to wear the clothes all the time and show them off, and what better way to do that then running round a park or showing off in a gym.

ImageLet’s face it, men love gyms so they can flex their pecks and look at themselves in the mirror a lot without their girlfriends complaining, but why should they have all the fun? Move over gents, we need some mirror space please to admire our new floral printed capris while we work out! (Yes I did just say FLORAL Capri’s – they are AMAZING and in the SALE! Grab some now before they go!)

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Whatever shape or size you are, feeling good in what you’re wearing will naturally increase your confidence and help you perform better. So if like me you have all these amazing ideas about getting fit etc and you’re not quite sure how to put them into practice, try spicing up your work out wardrobe and getting some bits that you really love. I know floral capris may be a bit too much spice for some but what about a new hot pink sports bra that can peek out behind your classic black tank top to just add a bit of personality to your look.Image

(Other colours available)

So give it a go and I’m sure you will feel inspired to take that first step into that park simply to show off your new gear…and suddenly, voila you’re achieving your goal! x

#TOPCHICRET…THE LEGEND THAT IS CHARLOTTE FREE

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Hey everyone (and a MASSIVE welcome to all my new followers!! Hope you enjoy my blog!!) Just seen this on twitter and HAD to share with you all!!

So back in September last year I was casting models for London Fashion Week and there was only one name on everyone’s lips…Charlotte Free. Everyone wanted her in their show and every designer I worked for found themselves mesmerised by her as soon as she walked in the room. Firstly there’s of course the iconic pink hair, and her unique punk meets girly pose but what everyone loves when they meet her is her cool-kid attitude and ability to make EVERY outfit she wears effortlessly edgy and cool. Of course she was one of the main stars of the Vivienne Westwood show, and was famously carried off by one of the other models in the finale as she blew kisses to the crowd. (See my previous post here about the Westwood show including my video of the finale.) I was not surprised when the reviews of that season all contained mentions of Charlotte Free, and now I have just come across this…

So it would seem little Miss Free has done pretty well for herself…as this little PR stunt reveals she is now the new face of Maybelline New York, watch this space…this girl is going to take over the world!!! x

ARE THOSE PYJAMAS?!

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So this post is dedicated to the lovely gentleman yesterday who came up to me on Oxford Street to compliment me on my outfit. However he pointed out that the one thing that may be wrong is that I looked like I was wearing pyjamas. To which I answered, ‘yes, that’s kinda the point…’ to which he asked ‘what…are pyjamas bang on trend right now??’…YES MR. YES THEY ARE.

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He obviously isn’t an avid reader of vikkilondon.wordpress.com…as you shall recall I mentioned the pyjama trend in my trend summary a few months ago. I have to say that the pyjama suit trend is now one of my favourite trends this season simply because IT’S SO COSY! You get to be super stylish and super comfortable…what more could you ask for!?

So I thought I’d do a quick post to revisit some of the best of this trend we have seen on and off the catwalk this season…enjoy x

…sleep well! x

WFW IS BACK!!

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IT’S OFFICIAL!!

WINCHESTER FASHION WEEK IS BACK!! and it’s going to be BIGGER and BETTER than ever before!

The date is set. It is now official that the second ever Winchester Fashion Week will run from the 9th to the 16th June 2012. Following last year’s resounding success, an amazing new team of students and volunteers are busily working away on the south coast to make this year’s Fashion Week one to remember.

With this year’s theme being ‘Best of British’, Winchester Fashion Week will be working harder than ever to promote and celebrate the amazing local homegrown talent.

According to the OFFICIAL press release out this week:

“2012 can expect to see even more fashion revelry than 2011 with a timetable full of events for all ages. Exhibitions, creative workshops, addresses from fashion industry insiders, catwalk shows, a vintage day and a frock swap all culminating in the much anticipated return of Cirque Du Fashion Shows at the Winchester Guildhall as well as much, much more!”

I will try to get you sneak peeks into the inner workings of WFW as the event gets nearer, but I must say it all does sound jolly exciting!! So book that week off work NOW and write it all over your diaries/calendars/iphones etc 9th to the 16th June 2012 is a week NOT to be missed!! 

In the mean time, follow the OFFICIAL WFW2012 blog here and check out my interview about the history of WFW and how it all started.

Have a great Sunday evening all, and I shall leave you with a few of my highlights from last year to tingle your taste buds…enjoy x

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Team, Models and Dressers of the Brooks shows 2011

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Glimpse of the WFW Exhibition at Theatre Royal, Winchester

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Our WFW HQ in the Brooks Shopping Centre

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One of my highlights of WFW 2011, interviewing Vogue's Fashion Director Lucinda Chambers

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One of the photo shoots I styled for WFW 2011

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Last minute prep as the models take to the runway at the Brooks Shopping Centre catwalk shows

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Last year we had a fantastic lecture series with some wonderful guest speakers, more to come this year!

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The Pop Up Shop was a fantastic success for WFW 2011!

As WFW 2011 took over the city posters and flyers appeared everywhere!!

CANNOT WAIT for #WFW2012

MODEL CRUSH: KARLIE KLOSS

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I love when you wake up on a lazy Friday morning to find a super thick Vogue magazine in your post box; and this month’s edition was bumper packed with some amazing shoots! One in particular caught my eye.

‘Lady Luxe’ shot by Mario Testino and styled by Lucinda Chambers was full of colour, glamour, texture/print and frankly it was just plain amazing. It also reminded me of how much I love Karlie Kloss. She is so versatile as a model, but I think she really suits this glam/retro, lady like look. She has been a muse to many, opened and closed so many catwalk shows, she’s become a Victoria’s Secret Model and she’s only 19!! (Well to be fair, that is like approaching middle-aged I suppose for ‘model life’ isn’t it?)

Anyway I love her style off the catwalk too, and often find myself being influenced by her simple, yet effortlessly chic look.

Let me know if you love ‘The Kloss’ too! I think she’s one of THE models at the moment, and I’m sure she’s going to continue to grow as a model, and we will be seeing a lot more of her in the near future!!

V&A FASHION IN MOTION: PETER JENSEN

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Friday 18th November, 3pm.

Surrounded by some of the greatest paintings from the High Renaissance covering the walls, and the arched ceilings towering above, we took our seats in the Raphael Gallery at the V&A for the V&A’s Fashion in Motion catwalk show. The Fashion In Motion series makes the live catwalk experience accessible to the masses and this season the show was to celebrate Peter Jensen’s 10th anniversary of his label. So I was excited to see what the show would hold!
From the moment the lights went down and the music started I knew I was going to love the show. The music was fun and child-like and as the first model came out in a messy badly cut blond wig on her brunette hair there were some awkward looks amongst my friends as they questioned, “did they just throw her out onto the catwalk and forget to do the hair?” However it soon became clear there was a definite ‘little girl dress up’ type aesthetic, with lots of clashing prints, beautiful tea dresses, bunny rabbit motifs and big clog-like shoes. The use of bright, illuminating make up made the girls seem almost doll like. The garments that featured were a mixture from his most recent collections to collaborative set pieces, accessories and items that have adorned his past shows.The hand drawn back drop by Charlotte Mann along with the Sissy Sign by Andy Hillman were pieces brought back to life from the Peter Jensen archive.
As you can see from my photo the finale was spectacular with all of the girls walking the run way in a group, similar to as was seen at the Vivienne Westwood show at LFW in September. Unfortunately Peter Jensen was quite shy in comparison to Westwood, so literally popped his head around the side of the back drop for a quick applause at the end.

I was gutted to miss the Erdem show at the last Fashion In Motion event, and now I have experienced one I will be looking out for the next!! The tickets are all free, (limited to 4 per person), and your seat allocations are just on first come, first served basis; however to be honest it’s a quite intimate event and I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the house!

MARILYN MONROE…NOT SO LARGE?

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So I decided to do a bit of research into what size Marilyn actually was, as I wasn’t sure during the radio interview. As you would have heard if you tuned in, I guessed a 12 just down to the photos I had seen of her, however everyone around me, including the co-presenter believed she was a size 14-16!!! So I was going to look into how her size would be perceived today by the public eye (especially alongside the like of Cheryl Cole etc).

However I stumbled across several blogs/articles that argued that she wasn’t in fact what we today call a size 16, and that although she may have been a size 14/16 when she was alive, if she was alive today we would see her perhaps an 8 or a 10, which would make sense when you look at photos of her, her waist is tiny!!

One viewpoint I found and loved was from a fellow LCF blogger, verymodel.wordpress.com. Her post that you can read here…(http://verymodel.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/marilyn-monroe-not-a-size-16/comment-page-1/#comment-17) …argues this well. She shows that actually…

“The sizes were different to they are today – with all the attempts to flatter women with more generous sizing – the 8′s and 10′s aren’t what they used to be.”

So there’s no doubt that if Marilyn was around today she would get criticised for her weight, like every celebrity or public figure seems to these days, but she would no way be seen as overweight.

However one thing to consider is that if Marilyn some how could time travel forward to today (going a bit sci-fi now) she would think that a lot of the women in our country are overweight!! Clothes sizes have definitely changed and so have the actual human forms due to our diets, and our modern way of life. I have personally experienced this as when I was about 13 I tried on my Nana’s 1950′s wedding dress and it fitted me perfectly, now I’m 20 (the age my Nana got married) and there is no way I can fit into the dress now and I’m still only a size 8/10!

Here’s a chart constructed by the BBC exploring changing body shape, click through the image to view their article…

Anyway this is a topic that could be discussed forever, and it would take some serious research to really find out the differences in shape over time, but I hope this post has made you think…it certainly has for me!

SIZE ZERO??

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So on Monday I was called by the BBC to discuss size zero models in the fashion industry. It was completely out of the blue, and the size zero debate is such a delicate subject, I was slightly nervous. However having worked with professional models at London Fashion Week and aspiring models at Winchester Fashion Week, I felt like I had quite a bit of background info to use for my discussion. Meanwhile I could use this opportunity to do a bit of promo for Winchester Fashion Week 2012, as this year they are promoting their use of all sizes, shapes and forms, and will have Gok-Wan-esque stylists on hand to style up the people of Winchester according to their shape!!

So here is the link to the interview below, the interview starts 1 hr 06mins into the show. I will post again later to go into the subject further and discuss some of the points raised. I really want to look into the idea raised that what if Marilyn Monroe was around today, and how would her size be received by the public eye? (Especially as there is that new film coming out called My Week With Marilyn! See http://myweekwithmarilynmovie.com/ for more details!!)
So anyway, have a good listen, and let me know what you think….

Discussing size zero models in the fashion industry, with Alex Dyke and Vikki Weston on BBC Radio Solent…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00lgw7b

LFW…LET THE SHOW COMMENCE…

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Friday 16th September – the first day of LFW 2011.

I started off my day bright and early at Simone Rocha. Even though the atmosphere at Simone Rocha is super chilled and they aren’t majorly panicking as the show is not until Sunday, I could sense that fashion week had begun. Suddenly my inbox was filled with emails to sort, and as I was responsible for the FelderFelder show today I had lots of things to sort out for them; from models call times to last minute fittings that morning. I loved the buzz and pressure though, I seem to weirdly work well under pressure.

Castings at Simone Rocha

Anyway once again with a phone in one hand, multiple models portfolios in the other and with my eyes watching different girls walk, the morning passed in a flash. The Simone Rocha casting seemed really successful this morning as her collection is so beautiful and the girls we received today were all stunning and just what Simone and the team were after. Having worked in casting now for a couple of days I am beginning to have favourites (model-wise). I know you’re probably not meant to but some of them just suit every casting we see them at. Such as Cora Keegan (below), she has such an intriguing face and beautiful figure, she has really shone at all the castings so far.

After a spot of lunch, where we still had a constant stream of girls coming in, I had to dash to the FelderFelder show. With a call time at 3pm and a couple of models coming early at 2.30 for a fitting I knew I needed to be there ASAP – however typically our laptop decided to mess around for a few minutes meaning I had to literally run to Somerset House.

On arrival I was amazed by all the people just ‘hanging’ around. I’m sure there will be an endless amount of bloggers online tonight posting their findings and their opinions of best dressed. I finally found myself backstage at the BFC tents and met Annette and Dani Felder (the designers) to give me my pass. I couldn’t believe my luck when they told me 4 girls (out of 14) had arrived already!!

Backstage in the BFC tents for FelderFelder

So as soon as 3pm hit I went about my job of constantly ringing agencies to chase up on girls. It’s really quite hard work especially as some girls just get fed up with their agents and ignore their phone calls!! As models gradually dribbled into the tent I got to meet a couple of the girls I had missed at the castings such as Amber Le Bon and Charlotte Wiggins. Obviously as soon as Amber arrived she had a lot of attention from people wanting to take her photo, as well as press asking for interviews etc. She was a really sweet girl and more shy than I thought she would be. As 4pm approached and I still had a couple of girls missing I must admit I did start to panic, especially when they were telling their agents they had arrived and yet they were no where to be seen. It finally came down to only one girl missing who had been at a 2pm show, so I expected her to be late…however not THIS late. Speaking to her agent I learnt that she had done this at a show yesterday and suddenly I was distracted with the production team saying out loud that if she didn’t arrive soon they would look into cutting her from the show and finding a replacement – of course I think this would be down to me, and with this being my first show I was DESPERATE for this girl to turn up. She eventually did with an angry agent shouting at her down the phone. I cannot describe my relief that they all were there and I had DONE IT!! phew!! Now all that was left for me to do, was to enjoy the show and so I really did.

Rehearsal for FF

I couldn’t take it all in as this was a dream come true being in the BFC tents at Somerset House. I have worked at LFW shows before but never in the BFC tents and for me the BFC tents kind of “are” LFW, so it was pretty exciting!!

Rehearsal for FF

With Peaches Geldof on the front row, a line up of stunning models and a beautiful collection the show was a mighty success.

Amber Le Bon on the catwalk for FF

Once the show had finished I went backstage to congratulate Dani and Annette Felder and their stylist Jo, and we somehow all ended up in a group hug (!!!!) with Dani shouting ‘Dream Team!’ It was so nice to feel part of this amazing show and such an honour to represent the casting agency on my own, at my first show of my first proper season! I left Somerset House with a massive smile on my face, and cannot wait to return!!

LFW…TOMORROW IS SHOWTIME…

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Ok so once again I’m blogging a day late, and since today was actually the first day of LFW my mind is boggling with all the exciting stuff that has gone on and I can’t remember yesterday!!!!!!! So – think – think – think…

Thursday 15th September. So today I spent the whole day casting for FelderFelder. It was a much slower start than yesterday as obviously we were waiting for a lot of big girls to fly in from New York. It was also a slow day as the design team were keen to hold on and not make all confirmations until the final girls arrived…the final girl arrived at around 11pm. Luckily I didn’t have to stay and wait for her as it felt silly two casting girls sat around for 3 hours waiting for one model. This model was Charlotte Wiggins. Flying in from New York and landing at 9.40pm the poor girl was being picked up from the airport and being brought start to the casting – a model’s life definitely isn’t glam. However we all knew that she would be worth the wait. Charlotte is also another face of Burberry alongside Nina Porter (see yesterdays post) and even from her online portfolio we could almost confirm that FelderFelder would love her.Charlotte seen here, third in next to the gorgeous Rosie Huntington-Whitely.

As ever, the day wizzed past and before I knew it we were ordering pizza for dinner. As I left around 9pm my heart went out to the poor interns who were working for the design team. I’ve been there, I’ve done that however I haven’t ever done the night before a show and that looked tough!!! Who knows what time they got out, but all I know is when I left they had A LOT of work left to do. So anyway, overall another good day of casting. Feeling more and more comfortable now talking to agents, discussing the girls with designers etc. Can’t wait to tell you all about LFW Day 1!!!!! You know what…I’m pretty awake…I’m going to blog now and get everything up to date!!