As before: Mark Fast, Somerset House, London Fashion Week (September, for Spring/Summer 2012), and, as before, untouched.
Creatively, I'm inspired by the notion of not fussing with photography: by genuinely seeing 'streetstyle' and catwalk shooting as journalistic photography. Not posed. I was recently photographed by a proper, professional photographer, for a group piece in the Observer (coming out tomorrow, Sunday, if anyone's near a news stand: it's for the New Review and some of my friends will be in it, too) and I was struck at how difficult it was for her to shoot what I, and my colleagues, have come to think is easy. There was a lot of 'move your foot this way' 'no, that way' - I nearly fell over several times, not to mention, was freezing! My shooting is much quicker, breezy, off the cuff. I feel that's the whole point of this movement. And it is, a movement.
Alternatively, creatively, I'm also going back to my roots of photo collage, which is the total opposite: building layers, much as Degas did, in his later years, when he started working with coloured pastels, fixing the pieces and drawing over, layer upon layer. I'm working on images now, and, if you don't mind it not being strictly 'fashion', am hoping to share with you.
Thanks for stopping by. I might not always comment back on your blogs these days, but I do visit when I can - and I am always so grateful that you're out there, and for your kind, sweet comments.
Today, as almost all my days these days, was the most extraordinary, surreal day: I was at Comptoir in South Ken, met a dear friend in the late morning, ate a yummy bowl of soup, read my book, ate some baklava and drank mint tea, met a great photographer named Suki who was sent by the Observer to shoot me for a piece in the New Review.
She wanted to move a few feet up - 'there'. So we did. Once we got 'there' I saw someone I wanted to street shoot: shiny silver shoes in the sunlight, red plaid trousers. Suddenly it was all happening at once: Suki was greeting her friend Dvora, who has a blog called Fashionistable. We were introduced at fashion week in September, but we hadn't really had a chance to get to know each other. So on this cold day, after my shoot, we sat down at Paul with hot chocolate and coffee and discovered that when it comes to how we feel about streetstyle, photography, and life in general, we were essentially separated at birth.
She was also telling me that altho - like me - she loves to work on photos in Photoshop, that our mutual friend David Nyanzi doesn't TOUCH his photos! So I clicked on one shot - randomly - from last September's Mark Fast show. And decided not to even touch the colour balance. Just to set a challenge for myself, see if I can post a shot untouched.
Extremely touched by your kindness, your words of condolence: each one genuine, heartfelt. I am so lucky, so fortunate, to know you all. And tonight, my husband happened to flip the tv channels and start watching a show on the British Olympics in 1946. I heard a familiar voice. There was our Major Bobby: alive on television, laughing his delightful laugh, and talking about rowing for the Olympics, and how fortunate we all were.
So many photos I want to show you! So little time. Life goes by so fast, you know?
After Fast - the Mark Fast show - which I really want to show you photos of - it was wonderful. I saw a lovely post on my sweet, beautiful friend Ediot's blog, and realised she was shooting these girls while I was shooting them, so I want to get this one up. Fast. While cooking dinner. More to come.
Is it just me, or is life getting really interesting these days? How's your mood a the moment? Are you having one of those days where you feel that anything is possible? I hope so. Because, it is.
And if you're feeling blue, and need some perking up, turn up the volume, and sing this oldie but goodie out loud.
As per usual: please click on this great MTV video, for your viewing enjoyment.
At some point in my early 20s - after college, pre-meeting Mr. Dot - I was basically living a Carrie-esque existence in NYC. I didn't write a column (I was a freelance graphic designer & art director - I even worked on the early MTV animations) but I had this really fun, creative, and occasionally, glamorous life. My college friend, Dani, had a boyfriend - now husband - who was five years older, and their extended family of friends were just sooo cool. And amongst these friends was a really tall, skinny guy named Ed.
Now Ed - bless him - we were great friends. But he wasn't my type. I had a lot of boyfriends, but not Ed. He'd always say 'why not me?' and I'd say things like 'because you smoke' and he'd stomp out the cigarette, throw the pack away, do all these gestures.. no matter how many excuses I'd come up with, he'd always have an answer. He kept bring up that time, on the boat, when we were leaning on each others' backs the whole ride and he kept saying 'don't deny it, you KNOW there's a connection.' Finally, in desperation, I needed a reason that he could not change, so I told him he was too tall. Fair enough, but he never did stop trying. And then when I'd meet one of their friends, and we'd start liking each other, they'd invariably say 'I can't do this to Ed!'
Too Tall Ed used to sing this song out loud, but his version was 'What's legs got to do, got to do with it? Who needs a leg, when a leg can be broken?'
Which reminds me of something I read recently. They did one of those surveys. I forget the percentage, but a lot of women - a majority vote - wish their legs were longer. Apparently we women own, on average, something like 56 pair of shoes (which means - since I have far less - that somewhere across town, there is a woman with 287 pair, to balance me out). And, also apparently, most of our shoes are very high heels, because we think it makes our legs look longer.
As someone who is average height, or even small - 5'4" - I'm often told I have 'great legs'. I don't even know what this means! I think I have maybe a short torso, so my legs are proportionately longer? No one ever says, for example, that I have a great waist - altho this year it's looking flatter than last. My bum is nothing to write home about, unless you like pancakes. And no one raves about my breasts, which are somewhere between an A and a B - maybe an A+ - and which, for some reason, I've always been rather proud of. They're inoffensive, not very 'in your face'. And, while we're on the subject of perfection: if you scrutinise the photos of these catwalk models - these perfect beings - you'll find some little imperfections here and there. Proof that they're actually, you know, human, after all.
Maybe the thing about legs are, they're a part of our physicality that it's tricky to change, cosmetically. You can't- far as I know - get a leg job. Perhaps you can. Who knows. All I know is, I've been doodling those classic Court shoes - like the Louboutins shown here, at the Holly Fulton show last Feb - (other shots are David Koma, with the polka dots, and the knits are Mark Fast) - since I was a girl. I love the IDEA of wearing heels. In practice, I'm running round most of the time in flip flops, flats, and Converse. Maybe that's the secret to great legs: keep them moving, cupcakes!
And come to think of it: Tina Turner, bless her cotton socks, isn't all that tall, and her legs aren't very long. But they're certainly fabulous!
Must run: things to do, then Vogue's Fashion Night Out tonight. I get overwhelmed figuring out which invites to prioritise, so I'm going to just meet Sabine and we'll do a quick brisk run around for a short time - dressed for speed, not style. It's just a matter of choosing which Converse: the vintage blue or the less old, i.e. seven year old, cream ones.
It's a funny old world: I am not in Paris, I am in leafy Kensington, with the cat, on an unmade white bed, playing with colour balances (there must be a million shades of white), while listening to Poppy on BBC radio 5 talking about not sleeping because there's always too much to do online, and simultaneously following Cathy Horyn's live tweet descriptions inside the Dior tent ('Inside the Musee Rodin tent, mood feels same before any Dior show. Super long runway, as for Jan couture. Blue-lit background w/chandaliers': feels like I imagine it must have been during WWII, hovering in the dark listening to the wireless).
The thing is, the sun is shining outside and as soon as I post this, I am going out into it. I have been told this week some pretty ridiculous things, and I am not claiming to be anything that I am not. I am not a fashion insider: I'm just a housewife with a camera. It is a privilege to be part of this world, and I feel like I am bearing witness to things that are at times, extraordinarily beautiful. I can't speak about Mark Fast's A/W 2011 collection with any kind of professional authority, I just know that I love it more than the last one, and the one before that. And I can't wait to see what he'll do next.
I love the way Mark Fast mixed the shapes of the models, who were curvy and plump and regular model shaped and at times, really skinny. I love that there was more cream and tan this time, (and reds, but the creamy ones really caught my heart, they were just soooo like little lambs frolicking on hillsides, all bouncy and cosy and soft), and it wasn't just knits, I love the woven stuff, too, and those great Louboutin boots, but the knits were sooooo gorgeous. And I'm only showing you some now, and later, or another day, I shall show you some more. I feel privileged that I was allowed to sit on the floor of the aisle that I like to sit at, and a lot of that is because I am a pretty nice person who gets along with others and is respectful of other people's space (it's the same backstage: there is a courtesy and respect for each other - a humanity. At one point a photographer smiled at me when I apologised for maybe being in the way, and he said something like 'there's room for all of us.'
And there is. There is room for all of us. There is room for all of us to grow, and create, and I'm not in any hurry to get in there first, or be the best, or have the most followers, twitter or otherwise, or designated visitors. I don't even care if I"m talking to myself. In fact, once I've posted this post, I think I'm gonna take the rest of the day reaaaaallll slow.
It was such a fun game last time, so here goes: how many can you name in one row? Shot at the Mark Fast show: after all the hoo-hah last February about plus sized models, staff storming out, it was interesting to see this show (which I loved, btw) that he only had one 'curvy' girl, but she was gorgeous: very Mad Men with red hair in a turquoise dress.
Can you spot which yummy celebrity mum is in this shot, below? (hint: I've featured her daughter on my blog once already. Oh and she's got a really cool job).
But some, like this girl, I felt was too thin: that is not a good message to send out in terms of what is beautiful. Anyone recognise the style icon in the audience? Hint: initials KL.
There's a story behind Carine sitting on the end of this row (there's always a story!). That will be my next post.
Actually.. I'm really torn. I've got tons of model shots, catwalk shots, celebs, stylish civilians.. it's really hard to choose what to post. Some blog friends have said they're afraid to keep posting London Fashion Week shots after a few weeks - as if, like wearing white after Labour Day, it's a big fashion faux pas. But I don't want to cram a ton of posts into one day.. you tell me. What do you want? We aim to please here at Polka Dot Inc.
So.. your thoughts on Mark Fast's collection this season. Fingers on buzzers please.
Sometimes it seems my life is just one amazing coincidence after another. I will hear about something out of the blue and then just keep hearing it. Mark Fast, the knitwear designer, for example: the coincidences started rolling in about 24 hours BEFORE all the hoo-hah about his recent LFW week catwalk show. Even the Sunday Style section in the Times did a piece on him yesterday. (I truly applaud his courage, by the way, and feel the issue of the three 'plus sized', i.e., normally shaped models, is the least fascinating thing about him: if you look at the show as a whole, shown here, you'll see: his clothes are just gorgeous, and would look great women of any size, shape, colour, or, for that matter, age).
But I'm also just really into knitwear, now, more than ever. I could happily live purely in knitted items. If someone just put soles on socks, I'd be pleased as punch.
So: Veronika. I had just walked back from lunch at Jaks with Isabel (we're practically making it a Monday ritual), and we passed Joseph, and the one shot I took all day was another shot at Joseph of the Rodarte window (below). Then, a few minutes later, I saw this amazing girl, Veronika, kind of running down the street near the construction at South Ken tube station. Of course I just had to ask where she got that gorgeous grey open knit top.
Well, of course: she knitted it herself. It figures: I shoot one person today, and she's a future knitwear designer.
Veronika is currently a fashion student, from Hungary, and had just come back from a trip home two hours earlier. She's selling some of her work at the open markets, like Camden (where she got her fabulous belt, by the way. Her perfectly on trend Cuban heel boots are River Island. When you consider that her leggings are knitted, then the only non-knit items are her belt, boots, and ring). She doesn't have a website address but if you get in touch with me, I'll put you in touch with her.
Her name, Veronika, reminded me vaguely of an old Elvis Costello song. Then I thought, no, Jill, you silly cow, it's Alison. But he did songs for both names! Which I've sourced for your viewing pleasure, below. And on that note, I'll shut up.
As I might have mentioned, I noticed a lot of redheads @ LFW: bright, bold shades from orange orange to really deep, ruby reds. Bottle redheads as blatantly bottled as the classic 'bottle blonde' platinum Marilyn Monroe type blonde. It's a striking contrast to all the black clothing, and quite an interesting trick: if your body is all in black, and you have very very tall, attention seeking shoes (usually in black, often peep-toe platform booties) and your hair is red... well, it visually stretches you out, doesn't it? It's like: look at my head. Look at my feet. Ignore what's between, it's slim fitting & black. It's a fabulous look, frankly.
But Filippa, from Stockholm, is a natural redhead, and as someone pointed out recently, that's rare these days. I don't know why that is. Perhaps as we all continue to interbreed, the redhead gene becomes recessive.. anyway, I think she looks fabulous. I love the way she tucked her sweatshirt top into her jeans in a way that echoes the shape of the shorts detailing, and accentuates her tiny waist. I took only three shots, and each one was great. She's done a bit of modeling, but told me she can't full time, because she's too short.
Which makes me crazy!
Come the revolution, this won't happen. I feel so passionately about what designers like Mark Fast are doing. It's courageous to have three of his catwalk models with 'curves'. But that's just a start: we need some models who aren't teenagers - wouldn't a silver haired model or two look wonderful? - and we need small but perfectly formed young women like Filippa. Alice, aka LIttle Miss London, did a brilliant post on this recently ('catwalk controversy'), and I left a long rant comment. There's a brilliant movement recently started called all walks beyond the catwalk (also on my nice things list) with some of the biggest (no pun intended) players in the industry involved.
Come the revolution, Filippa, I want to see you walking down that catwalk, with your head held high. As Shakespeare wrote of Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream, 'though she be but little, she is fierce.'
RoadTrip23 is the natural evolution from StreetStyle London, which is still here, and has been since 2009. Because there's more to the world than fashion, and there's more to the world than London. Lovely as London is.
I'll still be posting street style, if something really grabs me, but have expanded into other areas of interest, primarily travel, the arts, culture. Whatever I feel is beautiful or interesting: either man made, or a natural wonder.
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