Inspiration season

It’s that time of year again; a new season, new ideas, new inspirations. I am knee-deep in research so I thought I would share some nice pictures with you. Thats all. 

Just Kids

I am currently reading Patti Smith’s Just Kids and dreaming of living in the Chelsea Hotel in the late 1960’s so the new Balenciaga campaign, apparently inspired by this time, really caught my eye. Hanging out in the Chelsea in Balenciaga seems a pretty cool thing to do, even if it is 2012 and not 1969. I wonder if Steve took inspiration from the description of Sandy Daley’s all white room….

Balenciaga SS12. Photographer Steven Meisel. 

Tighten your belts

Now I am not usually a massive Mert & Marcus fan but this new story for Interview really caught my eye. I think I LOVE everything about it - the super sexy styling (thanks to Karl Templer), the girls, the locations, the lighting and contrast - its totally hot basically. All that’s missing are some naked boys and whips if you ask me…..

Margaret

I love it when a plan comes together. My latest story for Exit magazine with the brilliant Greta Ilieva was one of those shoots where somehow, against the odds (3 days prep, mid-fashion week, budget constraints etc etc) everything just comes together and an amazing fashion story is born. Featuring the incredible Beegee at Premier (so so hot) and Margaret Howell’s spring summer collection as you have never seen it before this is probably my favourite story of the season. Feeling a lot of love for it, hope you like it too!

The Zig and Zag show

It’s so nice to shoot a summer story in the warm sun  - a rarity in London - but I have been lucky enough to squeeze a few shoots out where the weather actually matches the clothes this season! I shot this latest story for Contributing Editor with the fab Mark Kean on a lovely sunny Sunday just before Easter in a fun-park in North London. A lovely day was had by all and I am super pleased with the result. Check www.thecontributingeditor.com for the full story.

Colour wow

It’s a sunny Tuesday morning in June and for some reason I am still prepping a couple of Spring Summer stories. The weather-season doesn’t seem to have got into full swing yet but the fashion-season just doesn’t want to end. I’m not always a massive fan of Dazed & Confused but this story set me bolt upright with a big WOW. Beautiful in every way, different, visually arresting and exciting, I wish there were more stories like this coming out of London’s magazines right now.

Spring crazy

Its been an age since I last blogged due to various things occurring, namely intense busyness and then running off on holiday to calm down from said busyness. I’m back in work mode now so expect more regular posting. Hopefully. I will try. In the meantime here are a few random images that capture the last six weeks.

Seeing red

Another day, another film inspired shoot. For the Spring issue of Sleek magazine I worked with photographer Thomas Lohr to create a red-tastic story based on Wim Wenders’ classic Paris Texas. If you have seen the film you will get the references. If you haven’t then hopefully you can still appreciate it! It was my first time working with a child model which I expected to be a nightmare but it was the total opposite - Ziggy was the cutest model ever and no tantrums were had. Model Laura Blokhina at Viva was also a pleasure. You can view the full story at www.katylassen.com and soon at www.sleek-mag.com but for now here are some behind-the-scenes shots from the day. Go RED!

She Came To Stay

Another shameless plug showing off my new work, this time featuring the lovely Elinor Weedon from TESS, shot by Jonathan Hallam, interiors by Louisa Gray and lots of lovely pale coloured clothes. For the very nice Dossier Journal. 

Simplicity

Its not often that I advocate the ‘less is more’ mantra but today I will. The sun is shining, spring is on its way and that is all it takes sometimes to feel good. And the same goes for a great shoot; a hot girl + a simple look + a nice crop = the perfect fashion portrait. Here are three pictures that have made me smile today.

Peppe Tortora for Grey magazine

Alex Cayley for Numero Tokyo

Alasdair McLellan for V magazine

She’s a tiger

This season has been all about the film reference it seems, for me anyhow. After the Blow-up story for Naag, the second Antonioni-inspired shoot I was involved in was this Monica Vitti story I shot with photographer Jonathan Hallam for issue two of the lovely Spanish magazine Tiger. With a large format, tactile thick paper and a more text-heavy pull out section, Tiger is a welcome addition to the line up of quality style magazines. We shot the Monica inspired beauty story in my local pub believe it or not, with the fabulous Dioni Tabbers (as quoted on fashionspot.com she has the best tits in fashion!). As you can imagine, a fun day was had. The shoot isn’t half bad either.

Happy Hour

Most people are sentimental about something, whether it is a place, a person, an object. I get nostalgic about most things and clothes are no exception. For most of my life the wardrobes of the women in my family have been a source of inspiration and were instrumental in developing my keen interest in fashion and clothes from a young age. I am quite fascinated by the relationship we have to our clothing and how a piece of fabric can embody so much. I am more often than not wearing or using something inherited. Today I sit here wearing an old denim shirt of my mothers and my grandmother’s deco silver cuff. It may sound silly to some but it is these little things that make me happy.

Last month I was invited to write an article about an object that I loved for Qvest magazine. It could be anything - a new gadget or a piece from a current collection, a place, or something old and meaningful to me. Obviously I opted for the latter. Below I have posted the article I wrote about my Grandmother’s cocktail rings that I inherited 2 years ago when she passed away. It is a bit weird writing publicly about something so personal but at the same time I really enjoyed the process. For me clothes and jewellery are about so much more than fashion; they are about history, memory, culture, family, beauty and more than anything about enjoyment.

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My grandmother’s cocktail rings

Usually, when a girl inherits jewellery from the Grande Dames of her family they come in the form of silver, gold, jewels and diamonds. I am lucky enough to have acquired some of these from my grandmother’s collection but the pieces that hold the most value for me sentimentally, are her 1970s plastic cocktail rings. My grandmother had an inimitable style; she was always the chicest woman in the room, even when she was the oldest. With cropped silver hair, silk shirts and tunics in vibrant colours and bold accessories, she turned heads wherever she went. She was a true creative, in her work as a painter, in her hobby of designing clothes and in the way she led her life – always to the fullest with the most positive outlook. She was an inspiration to me with her vivacity and generosity but also significantly with her style.

For me her cocktail rings embody all the things I loved about my grandmother. As a young child in the 80s I remember playing with the contents of her jewellery box and what captivated me the most was these little cubist rings. Smooth to the touch, and super light, they seemed more like toys than jewels. One had various hues of purple running through it, different colours and shapes appearing like a kaleidoscope when you held it up to the light. The other a rich blue and bright orange; a combination that shouldn’t work, but in a plastic ring somehow does. The rings were pretty and fun and I loved them, but thanks to the gentle white lies of my grandmother they also signified something magical.

If I was sick, bumped my knee or any of the common ailments of little tykes, my grandmother would use her ‘magic rings’ to make me better. If my head hurt then she would gently rub my forehead with one of the rings and magically, it would make the pain disappear. Cuts and bruises, scrapes and aches, all got the magic ring treatment. It was the most stylish of placebos and of course it worked every time.

My grandmother passed away two years ago and I inherited many of her clothes, accessories and jewellery. I wear a lot of them and am often complimented on her pieces. I always say they were hers and people are astonished that my eighty year old granny was so chic. In my work as a stylist I always take a large kit bag of accessories on shoots; scarves, hats, belts and jewellery, many of which were hers. As well as using many of these objects I have used her magic rings in several of my shoots. I love the combination of working with designer clothes, vintage pieces and then objects which have meaning to me personally. I only use things when they will enhance the picture, never out of pure sentiment. But when they do fit perfectly, it not only completes the look, but it feels very special. Being a stylist is very much about having a unique point of view, a personal style to your work and a recognisable aesthetic. These are all things I work hard to achieve and I feel it is the small things, like my magic rings, that help me along the way.

Better Late Than Never - LFW highlights

Yes, yes it was weeks ago and now everyone is talking about Paris and wedding dresses and scandal and job losses etc but London Fashion Week was pretty good too! My personal highlights include Ashish, Betty Jackson, J W Anderson, Anne-Sofie Back, Mary Katrantzou, Erdem, Jonathan Saunders…OK there are quite a few things I liked it seems. Luckily for you I only took pictures of some of these, which I have pasted below. Some are a bit blurry but I think this adds to their arty quality, ahem. Fashion month is nearly over, just a few hours left….bring on A/W 11!

A more refined, a very beautiful Craig Lawrence

Red red red at Betty Jackson

Scarves in Somerset House

My new favourite jewellery designer Cabinet

Sharp, minimal and pretty lovely at J.JS Lee

Stark as always Anne-Sofie Back Atelje

It’s a bit of a blur but I liked it. Paul Smith.

Holly Fulton details. HOT!

Michael Van der Ham

Louise Gray

J W Anderson

Giles. I preferred the venue to the clothes.

Dominic Jones. And me!

Red or dead

I am very excited about my ‘red’ shoot tomorrow, and with a rail like this who could blame a girl for getting all worked up. With Chloe, Sonia, Hermes, Jil, Prada, Christopher, Vuitton et al all hanging around together in a tomato heaven, its going to be hot!

Blow-Up

It seems I have mostly been referencing Antonioni movies of late…watch out for a killer Monica Vitti inspired story coming out soon. For now though its all about Blow-Up. Hot girls, fashion shoots, a 60’s vibe, a sense of fun, but also one of unease. Here is a story I shot with photographer Nicole Maria Winkler for Naag magazine that covers all of these things. Lovely.