Out and about....enjoying the summer

From Fashionistable

Juby (on the left) and Steph (on the right) are both students. Juby is studying Fashion and Painting in the USA at SCAD and Steph is studying Chemical Engineering at UCL here in the UK. They were on their way to meet more friends for lunch when I met them. Juby is in the UK visiting friends at the moment and will be heading off to the South of France next for the rest of the summer to study. Her favourite painter is Mark Rothko. She is still figuring out how to combine her love of Fashion and Art. Steph plans to get to a couple of festivals this summer. Her style icon is Sienna Miller. Juby is wearing a grey top from Urban Outfitters, the braces are her step dads, cut off Levis are her mums, her shoes are by Blowfish and the sunnies are Ray Ban. Steph is wearing a cardy and T from Urban Outfitters. Her shorts are from Topshop and her hat is from Portobello market. They both like the snow, however Steph is a skier while Juby is a snowboarder.

Out and about....a tale of 3 cities

From Fashionistable

I was just thinking I havent photographer a redhead in a while and amazingly along came Hayley. She was in a rush but kindly gave me some of her time. When I met her she was looking for a taxi. When we had finished shooting and I had done a quick interview she was lucky as one pulled up just opposite us. One good deed was rewarded by serendipity. Hayley is Australian and like all good Australians is always on the move. She spends her time in 3 different countries Australia, England and Monaco. She said she is always having wardrobe problems as her clothes are all split up and never in the right place when she needs them. Hayley is a jewelery designer, her and her partner are still working on their website but they are called Lyon ans Sharpe. Inspiration for her work comes from everywhere. The most recent pieces though have been influenced by the sea, lion fish and seahorses. Her own style inspiration is eclectic. For our shot the dress is Australian, belt I love but was writing too quickly and cant read what I wrote. I really have to slow the writing down. Other accessories are, glasses by Boucheron, Louis Vuitton bag and Top End shoes.

Out and about...simple clean lines

From Fashionistable

Anna has just graduated from Central St Martins. She studied graphic design. You can check out her work here. I really like the simplicity of Anna's look, incorporating nice cool colours. Her look reflects her graphic thinking. Anna is a city girl at heart, her next move is back home to South Korea, then Japan, then work. Her top is from Urban Outfitters, shorts....sorry cant read my scribble! Shoes and bag are Margiela and her coat which is draped over her arm is from Cheap Monday.

Saturday Surprises and Welcome

From Fashionistable

It has been a lovely day today on many levels. Starting off by my lovely surprise in the post (by post in this instance I mean Royal Mail). The lovely OC over at worship at the house of blues, made this beautiful purse by her own fair hand and then ran a giveaway. Today I am a very lucky and happy girl as I received my very own Alice purse. Also there was the unexpected added extra of the sachet of what I think are bath salts (OC am I right?) If so I am looking froward to a lovely relaxing soak. Big, big thank you OC. I will treasure this.
Then when I opened the blog I was greeted by lots of new followers. Welcome to you all. It is brilliant to have you all with me.
And the 3rd great thing well it was blue skies, warmth and what Mr Fashionistable calls a UFO.
UFO = the sun.
Have a great rest of the weekend. Xxxx

Out and about....Spanish style

From Fashionistable

Sarai is originally from Barcelona but now lives in London and is a full-time mum. During our conversation she told me she loved skiing. When I said she is from the beach and is now living in the city, she rightly pointed out than when she is in Barcelona that it is only 2 hours to the mountains to ski. Actually, how cool is that? Beach and mountains so close. Nice. Style wise Sarai likes to be comfortable but also sexy at the same time. Good balance to strike. She bought her dress in Barcelona, but couldn't remember where. Her belt is vintage, bag is Mango and shoes are from Selfridges.

Out and about....splash of colour

From Fashionistable

Kirsty is in financial PR but the first thing she told me was that she loved photography and is a bit of a keen amateur. She is mastering sports photography at the moment. It can be tricky catching movement. She is is inspired by other photographers and photographs. Kirsty gets her style inspiration from Vogue and vintage, she likes classic looks, not edgy these days. Also her mum's opinion is important for her. Her coat today is vintage Harrods kids - Alexon youngset. Skirt is from H&M, shoes LK Bennett and finally her bag is Longchamp.

Out and about....setting sun

From Fashionistable

Kim is Korean and is in the UK studying English. She told me she is enjoying her time in London. In Korea she is a product designer and designs chairs and wall stickers. I thought maybe by wall stickers she meant wallpaper but no, it is wallstickers. I am intrigued to see what they look like. On the style front she likes to be comfortable and looks to herself for her own style.
Whe we met the sun was setting so the light was amazing. I love the way the nearby trees are casting their shadows on the wall behind her. Kim bought her shirt in Brick Lane, her T is from American Apparel, she bought her jeans in Korea and her shoes are Vans which she has customised with the word hey on the left toe. I love all her quirky accessories but sadly didnt ask were they were all from. I do know that her sunglasses are RayBan and her bag is from Beyond Retro.

Out and about....sunny but chilly

From Fashionistable

Philippa had just arrived in the London the night before, from Sydney when I met her. The sun was shining but she was chilly. The word summer had lulled her into a false sense of security. It was more like an Australian spring day for her. She had just bought the scarf from Topshop to help warm herself up. It is however just a short stay in London and then off to the south of France for 6 weeks where it really is warm. Lucky her. I could do with a trip somewhere warm for 6 weeks. Philippa used to be in advertising where she worked on some beauty accounts. Then when she had the opportunity she decided to move into the beauty market herself and now owns her own cosmetic and lazer clinic's called Skin Exquisite. Her style inspiration today is warmth, smart casual. I asked her to tell me something surprising about herself and she said she had always wanted to be an astronaut. Also she likes violent films, she doesn't know why.
The rest of Philippa's look today is put together with Tiffany sunglasses, Lee denim jacket, DK dress, Italian shoes and Balenciaga bag.

Out and about....the broken hearts

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

Amber and Nisha are DJ's and call themselves The Broken Hearts. They were on their way to an interview so we walked along while we did ours. It is fun walking and writing mmmm. Well it isn't the 1st time and I am sure it wont be the last. Now let me see what I can make out from my scribble. Amber and Nisha first met while performing with different acts but in the same venue. They are both Londoners and saw a gap in the market at the clubs they were going to for the female touch to DJing with a view to balancing out all the male testosterone on the scene. They started out working at friends club nights and it grew from there. As you see they both do vintage extremely well and have in the past also worked at Beyond Retro. So it is in their blood. Amber said her inspiration for her look today was either Bam Bam or cannibals. Usually they like to take style from different era's and update them. Often when they are DJing they will dress as clowns. So they also have a real sense of theatre. Finally they have a capsule collection at Beyond the Valley which you can check out here. Two very interesting women.
Have a good weekend everyone Xxxx

Out and about....blue and green

From Fashionistable

I was lucky to catch Amy just as she was leaving work for the day and amazingly, what she was wearing beautifully complimented the colours of the building opposite. When I asked Amy what or who her style influence was she told me Annie Lennox. Good strong choice I say. Annie is brilliant.
Today Amy's look is made up of jacket from Reiss, green short top from Topshop, black top and trousers from All Saints, Her belt is from a vintage in 7 Dials near Covent Garden. Amy picked up her bag while she was on a trip to NYC and finally her shoes are Adidas. I love the way the colour and trim of the shoes tie in with the blue of the jacket.
Initially when I asked Amy to tell me something surprising about herself she told me once sold organic chocolate in a store in Devon. She is now an account exec in an Ad agency. However she then later went on to tell me she used to be the deputy editor of fashion and sports magazine Anglomania. It was doing really well locally but when it decided to go global it hit a wall and then the financial crisis unfortunately hit too. So sadly the magazine folded. She then decided this was probably a more surprising fact about her than the chocolate shop.

Out and about....summer sheer

From Fashionistable

Laura is a producer for the digital advertising agency AKQA. She is originally from St Petersberg and has been in the UK for 3 years now. Her style influence is Rick Owens. Today she is wearing a top from Marios Schwab, vintage shorts and shoes from a market.

Out and about....out on the blue

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

When I met Freddie he was with all his friends and was embarrassed that I had singled him out. When he finally relaxed he had an interesting story to tell. Firstly the bike. It is beautiful isn't it. I love the colour. Freddie's friend Dean Settle aka Deno Bravo Tino custom made the bike for him. He said he likes bright things as they are a reflection of his personality. He is an actuary during the day to pay the rent but is also a designer, mostly of T's in his spare time - his site is almost ready here. The influence for his T designs is abstract African art mixed with Japanese prints/watercolours, I am looking forward to seeing them. When I asked his style influence he told me he loved Japan, so his style influence is Ghana meets Japanese which he has his own term for and calls it "Blackanese".
For these shots his hat is Supreme, the T is by Getting rich is no dream. His trousers are from another friends store which is No. 6 Brick Lane.
Finally his shoes are from Japan, he was so happy with them he asked me to photograph them, but would not tell me what make they were as he doesn't want us all rushing over there to buy a pair.

Out and about....GFW part 3 Fashion Film

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

Rosie and Lizi - have just graduated from Middlesex and together they shoot fashion film. They are working on their website but eventually you will be able to see it here.
Rosie is wearing a Balenciaga jacket, skirt from Topshop, belt from Zara and amazing shoes from one of the designers in GFW but she couldn't remember who - shame they are amazing.
Lizi is wearing dress and shoes from Topshop Botique. Her clutch is vintage and she is also holding a Viktor & Rolf scarf. They both love the visual artist Jan De Cock. And in the fashion world they love Margiela, Stella and Burberry.

Out and about....GFW part 2 the press, PR and the model

From Fashionistable

Akiko Takamura - The Press
I love Akiko's look. Brilliant haircut and what about those shoes WOW. Akiko works for online magazine YSH London. A friend cut her hair -good friend to have and of course we all know the shoes are Louboutin (well I did). I would love a pair of these for running around in. Akiko is originally from Japan but has been living in the UK for the last 6 years. She likes her style to be easy to wear. Smart yet relaxed with a little bit of punk. I would say that sums her up nicely. When I asked her to tell me something surprising about herself she told me she grew up in the countryside and loves to be there. She loves the quality of life. Today the rest of her outfit is made up of jacket from Margiela, top from Cos, trousers from a charity shop and bag from Ebay. She told me she was a bargain hunter.

From Fashionistable

Larissa Meat -  is a 2nd year student at Croyden Higher Ed College studying pattern cutting and design. This year however she is working the show on the PR and marketing side and generally soaking up the atmosphere. The T she is wearing is a River Island (the main sponsor of the shows) charity T. Her scarf which colour wise matches beautifully with her T was a present. Larissa's skirt is TK Maxx, her coat is H&M and she bought her shoes online. Originally from the Ivory Coast, Larissa finds inspiration for her own style by picking a bit of everything and experimenting. Her favourite designer is Pierre Cardin and favourite era is the 60's.

From Fashionistable

Diego Rodriguez - The Model
Diego was only actually at the show's because he was meeting a friend who was working the catwalk. He is however a student and is from Spain. He is in the UK for 1 month to do some modelling. And was heading from the shows to his 1st UK casting. He said he doesnt have an exact style but loves wearing dark colours and black. For his 1st casting he was wearing a jacket. jeans and boots from River Island. The hat is from Topman and the bag is his mum's.

Out and about....GFW part 1 the graduates

Here come the girls. All are graduating designers.

From Fashionistable

Danielle Ingemann - has just graduated from Ravensbourne and was shortlisted in the Zandra Rhodes Catwalk Textiles Award. You can check out some of the images from her collection here.  She says her design inspiration is eclectic and colourful. Her favourite designer is Marc Jacobs. On GFW - It has been an exciting week for her. On her own style - she likes clothes with history every piece she is wearing has a history for her. Today her polkadot jumpsuit is vintage and was picked up on Ebay. Her belt is from a vintage shop in London. Her jacket is River Island and shoes...sorry I can read my writing!

From Fashionistable

Rose Willis - thewayyouwearit has just graduated from Arts University College - Bournemouth.
The top she is wearing is one of her own designs. The print is based on butterfly wings. She is interested in colour and the movement of fabric. She loves cut on the bias drapery.  On GFW - she is loving it. What next? Job hunting.
Other than her own design top, Rose is wearing a jacket and trousers from H&M,  shoes from Topshop
and her bag is Rit2K.

From Fashionistable

Tezel Ziya has enjoyed GFW. "It has been really busy, good." She takes her design inspiration from life, people, the world, animals, images, everything.
Originally from Turkey her jacket and top are from there. Her skirt is from River Island and shoes are from Office.

From Fashionistable

Eve McDonald - see her collection here. Also see a review of her work by Susie Bubble here, her's is the 4th review (Susie's comment on the lighting inside Earls court is spot on - I took 2 pictures inside and had to head outside). Eve has just graduated from Epsom. Her inspiration for her final Uni collection was retro matchboxes. She told me she usually takes inspiration from 1 item and expands this throughout the collection she is currently working on. Her favourite era's are the 40's, 50's and 60's.
Eve's scarf is her grandma's, her top is from Topshop, shorts are vintage, belt is a friends and boots are DM's.

From Fashionistable

Eimear Bradley - is originally from Omah (Co. Tyrone) and has just graduated from Salford Uni, see her collection here. The inspiration for her final Uni collection was Ghostbusters. She told me she likes the manipulation of fabric's and gives adventure a feminine twist. For her own look she likes to stand out and likes to be girly or rocky. She is wearing a jacket from Miss Selfridge, a Rolling Stones T, vintage Levis cut into shorts. Next tights, DM  boots and vintage bag.

Out and about...matchmaker

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

When I met Marites she was waiting for her date to turn up. It was a 1st date so she was a bit nervous but happy. However it was not the 1st time they had met. During our conversation I asked her to tell me something surprising about herself and she told me she worked for a personal introductory company called Elect Club as a matchmaker. She had met her date for the evening at one of her own events and they just clicked. Sweet. Style wise Marites told me she has no specific style influence. She mainly likes to be comfortable. Mini skirts and shorts are not for her. Otherwise she is a horder and keeps everything.
For her date Marites is wearing a waistcoat by the jeans company. An all in one from TFNC Topshop, belt from Warehouse. ANd for the second day in a row shoes from Matalan. Accessories, her bag is vintage. The gold jewellery is from Accessorize and Warehouse. Her coloured jewellery is from a stall in Covent Garden. Hope the date went well Marites.

Out and about....right side of the tracks

From Fashionistable

Vanessa was on her way to meet a friend to watch 'Sex in the City'. Although she is not a great fan she was happy to go with her friend and is looking pretty sharp for her evening out. Vanessa is an agency secretary and works near Liverpool St. This is allowing her to pay back her student loan and have some luxuries in life. Her love in life is property and architecture, she studied interior design at Uni. The next step for her will be into this world. Vanessa told me that she takes her style inspiration from Zara and Topshop. She will go there at the start of the season and then head off elsewhere to put her favourite looks together to suit her budget. Her look today is put together with amazing shoes from Matalan, trousers from New Look, and vest top from Select. Her bag is from Primark. Jewellery wise her ultra long necklace is from Topshop and her bracelets are from various different shops. Looking pretty cool on her budget I'd say.

Out and about....five star

From Fashionistable

Anita was having a well deserved 2 day rest all to herself. She said it was like having a 5 star holiday. She is a public health doctor and mother of 3 (aged 3, 4 and 5) so now you can understand where she is coming from. Her mum had the kids for the 2 days. She is in amazing shape to have 3 children so young. She told me that after the youngest was born she made a conscious decision to get into shape. Running is her fitness passion. She loves to run half marathons and has put in of next years London marathon, for the challenge.
I love her jumpsuit, it is from Karen Millen. She says it is very easy to wear. The rest of Anita's outfit is put together with shoes from Episode, glasses from M&S and bag from River Island. When I met Anita she had just been shopping for new make-up at Becca.

Out and about....Gucci boy

From Fashionistable

I met Andre on the sunny side of the street. But the light was too harsh so we popped into the shade, where the light was still lovely. Andre is a psycology student. He is originally from Indo China but has been in the UK for 9 years now. He loves fashion and called himself Gucci boy, his accessories are both by Gucci. His top is from Unconditional, the vest is Calvin Klein, trousers are River Island and his shoes are from Poste.
Andre takes his style inspiration from Bryan Boy. I asked him to tell me something surprising about himself and he told me that 2 weeks ago he had long very curly hair. This is such a sharp look I can't even imagine him with long curly hair.

Out and about....walking on sunshine

From Fashionistable

It feels like just a moment ago when I spotted my 1st summer dress. It is wonderful that now it is occasionally warm enough for us to wear shorts. And it is great to celebrate the days we get, in relaxed summer wear, with a smile and a slightly slower pace. For now Baiba is a manager in Harrods, she has modeled in the past and sees drama and the theatre in the future. When I asked her what inspires her she said love. What a great inspiration. Her motto for life and which she share's with her friends is "Love all, trust few and do wrong to no-one." For style she looks to herself. If she likes something she buys it straight away. Someone once told her if you really like something always buy 2 of it. How many times have you found you wished you had followed this advice? I am sure I could name a few.
Today Baiba is wearing a hat from Accessorize, glasses from Marc Jacobs. Her cardy and shorts are Benetton. T is Uniqlo, shoes are French Sole and finally her bag is from Pinko.

Out and about....belted

From Fashionistable

I love the way Kristina has buttoned and belted her Burberry mac. She is an account manager at a web design agency called Propeller. Kristina is originally from Russia, then New Zealand and has been in the UK for 2 years now. The rest of her outfit is made up of Gap T, H&M trousers. Nine West shoes and Mimco bag. When I asked her to tell me more about herself she said she loves good food, good wine and good coffee.

Out and about....the blushing bride

From Fashionistable

Seung is getting married on Saturday. Looks like the weather is going to be good to her. When we met she was out shopping for the wedding. For her honeymoon she will go to Jeju island which is called the honeymoon island in Korea - she hasn't set a date for this yet, but when she does she will also have a second ceremony out there for the family who couldn't make it to the one in the UK. Seung is a sculptor, you can have a look at her work here. She graduated from Slade in 2008 and for the past 2-3 years has been working professionally, her inspiration comes from everyday things and animals.
Seung describes her style as simple, comfortable and colourful. Today she is wearing a dress from Phase 8. Shoes from LK Bennett, hat from Liberty and bag from Anya Hindmarch. Forgot to ask about the tights, I love the colour though.

Out and about....A tale of 2 tailors - part 2

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

So here is Dominic the 2nd of my tailors. He is Italian, originally from Calabria and has been a tailor for 50 years. Dominic trained in Italy then moved and worked in Switzerland and Paris before moving to London. Over the years he has worked for Lanvin, Nina Ricci and Dior. He has been working at Haywards for the past 8 years. He said London is the world. His favourite time in London was the 60's. Dominic's inspiration for his tailoring is to be the best, to make the best suit. In life his inspirations are the arts, traveling, good food and a bit of Scotch now and again. He made the suit he is wearing. The red sweater is from Haywards, his shoes are Italian and his tie was bought in shop called Lords in Burlington Arcade in the 60's.

Out and about....A tale of two tailors - part 1

From Fashionistable

From Fashionistable

Campbell is a Tailor. I guess you are wondering why two different pictures of him....well, when I met him the 1st time he was with Dom who is another tailor he works with. Dom wasn't happy to have his picture taken but said if I gave him notice I could come over to the shop and photograph him when he was smart. So when I went to photograph Dom I also quickly took a few more frames of Campbell and I thought I would show you both looks. Campbell is originally from Glasgow, when he moved to London he trained with Kilgour and worked with them for 11 years. Now he works for Hayward. In the 1st image everything he is wearing except his shoe's is from Hayward. In the 2nd again everything is Hayward except his tie which is Ralph Lauren.