NYC - Killer Heels Exhibition

Whilst in New York, we visited the Brooklyn Museum where a new exhibition called 'Killer Heels' was being shown. It explored fashion's most provocative accessory. As a fashion statement, fetish object, instrument of power and as an outlet of artistic expression, this exhibition looked at the shoes' rich history and its place amongst popular imagination.

I saw some of the most ridiculous, unbearably painful heels that could only be thought of as shock value than any desired accessory, yet the history of high heels is so varied and it's astonishing the timeline of how they have developed and were they are today.

The exhibition also saw many creative fashion films, some extraordinarily bizarre that made it very 'fashion'. This one in particular ('Spike') was by Zach Gold, it was the first thing you saw when beginning the exhibition, and it immediately grabs your attention with the vibrant colours and photography. Clearly an amazing talent, I plan to do more research on this artists work to see more of his portfolio. 

More NYC

The last post were mainly my photos off of my camera, yet I thought some of my phone pictures couldn't go a miss. I mean, we went to Madison Square Garden and watched the basketball!! College basketball at that but needless to say, it was amazing, my fifteen year old brother was rather jealous of me. We ate hot dogs and pretzels and felt very American, I'd recommend it to anyone, it was probably my highlight of the week!

Grand Central Station, of course (it felt just like the movies).

SHAKE SHACK, most wonderful burgers and 'fries' ever

So when we arrived in Brooklyn we found this really cute carrousel which overlooked the skyline, it was really cute. 

FCP takes NYC

We went to New York!! And it was beyond amazing. We were able to basically plan our own week and what we wanted to spend our time doing. As this was my first time not only in New York, but in America as well, I wanted to spend my time wisely and see as much as possible!
Our hotel was the Wolcott Hotel, situated in central Manhattan (i think) really close to Times Square, and had the most beautiful and intricate decor and architecture (i'm talking lobby mainly). Yet because of it's superb location it meant it was really easy for us to walk and travel to all the places we wanted to see.

Times Square at night, now I know why it's called the city that never sleeps and the city of lights; simply magical place to be! (minus the ridiculously freezing cold temperatures brrr). 

We ice skated here!!

Soho babyyy.

Glorious Christmas tree moments before they took it down outside the Rockefella centre

apologies for the poor quality, it was about -12 degrees and windows everywhere... but this is the amazing view from the top of the rock!!

 Walking the Manhattan high line in the early morning

View of Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn

It felt colder than this even looks

Henri Bendel on 5th Avenue

Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue

Snowy central park

Fashion Bloggers

After returning home to Liverpool for Christmas, I gained back the luxury of having a proper television with more than about ten channels (woo). After quickly scanning through the guide, I noticed that 'E!' (an American entertainment channel) had recently scheduled some new fashion related shows. I was more than satisfied and prepared for hours of procrastination, yet as they were fashion related it still counts and sort of work (right?).
One of the shows I found was Fashion Bloggers. It showcased five super successful Australian bloggers and a sneak peak into their fast paced lives and work schedules. First up: Kate Waterhouse. A fashion and lifestyle blogger, who had already grown up in the spotlight so has great access to all the coolest celebrities around.>> http://katewaterhouse.com

Next, Margaret Zhang, a uni student by day and high-end fashion blogger by trade, who has also been recently named brand ambassador for Westfield nationwide! Check her out >> http://shinebythree.com (definitely one of my favourites!)

Sarah Donaldson, creator of blog 'Harper & Harley' is the ultimate cool girl-next-door who captures signature street style images to inspire her readers to create a wardrobe on essential pieces, while eliminating colour in the process. >>http://harperandharley.com

Next up is Amanda Shadforth, formally known as 'Oracle Fox', of course. Already an award winning creative visionary and artist, this fashionista is one of the world's most respected trend forecasters. Take note! >> http://oraclefox.com

Lastly, Zanitta Whittington, a former model, now photographer who enjoys capturing her travel and journey through the eye of her lens. >> http://zanita.com.au

The Imitation Game

So last week I got the chance to see the world war thriller, The Imitation Game, starring the oh-so-handsome Benedict Cumberbatch. The film told the magnificent true story of Alan Turing (Cumberbatch) who quite literally epitomises the human calculator. The film is anchored by the hypnotically complex performance of Cumberbatch, who does little to disappoint. Yet despite the slightly gloomy and melancholic ending to Turing's life, the film attempts to reach a traditional hollywood 'happy ending', quite unnecessarily. However, it does do greatness in crediting Turing's immense work through the war; which is not particularly as commonly known as it should be, and it allows for the characters enigma to survive intact. A immensely entertaining watch; informative and creative, I recommend!!

Moreover, the costume design for this film was also superb. The muted tones, reflecting the surrounding event of World War II, however plenty of pattern and colour was also present, in comparison to the usual sepia tones used to portray war times. Many of the outfits worn, would almost not look out of place today, such as many of Keira Knightley's characters costumes and cardigans. Not only does the costumes depict and portray the individual characters personality, but it was also used to reflect upon the mood of a situation. For example during the process of trying to crack the enigma, the men in Turing's team (Cumberbatch) all wore crumpled, pleated shirts, with lacks of ties; portraying how terrible the situation was going and the endless nights sleep of hard work. Joan, (Keira Knightley) is usually shown in patterned shirts and dresses with a flirtatious, frivolous edge. Something worth noting is that whenever Joan and Alan share scenes together, Joan is tends to appear wearing blue; perhaps as an indication of their relationship; deep and emotional. 

Own Your Look

Today, instead of our usual Monday morning lectures, we were welcomed by a guest lecturer - an ex-Front Cover cosmetics executive - who gave us an thoroughly insightful and interesting approach into the different sides of the fashion industry. 'Fashion - Are You in or out?'
During this lecture, Rachel touched upon many aspects of the industry that are preferred to be kept under wraps. From environmental issues and exploitation, to ethnicity and body image. Something that caught my attention (there were many but this is perhaps the most unusual) was an article embracing self beauty; titled 'Own Your Look'. The campaign features nine different women who are not conventional fashion models, they are subjective to the stereotypical 'beauty', yet each have embraced their 'flaws', proving that confidence is more important than opinion. These models include: Brunette Moffy, the cross-eyed model, Melanie Gaydos, the 'ugly' model, Diandra Forrest, the albino model, and Andreja Pejic, the transgender model.
Personally, I think this is so important. It's important for young girls, especially, to understand that one can accept their insecurities and like these women, turning them into your biggest virtue can make you more special and individual than ever.
It's rare to ever see such a campaign embracing unconventional beauty; it's usually an aim to look a certain way, be a certain size, have a certain skin tone, no matter of the impossibilities. I hope this inspires other women, and men, to feel more comfortable in their own skin and realise the importance of loving oneself before anything else.

Andreja Pejic, the transgender model.

Brunette Moffy, the cross-eyed model.

Melanie Gaydos, the 'ugly' model

You can read more about this here: http://aplus.com/a/unconventional-beauty-models

Who Are You?

Recently on Channel 4, artist Grayson Perry has created a documentary series called 'Who Are You?', which delves around the aspect of looking deeper into certain individuals, and their true identity.
Perry would create portraits of each of his subjects, whom he believed, were at crossroads with their identity.
For example, Perry studied people with different associated labels, such as: fame, religion, gender and power. For power he chose Chris Huhne, formerly Liberal democrat politician, who was facing prosecution for perverting the court of justice.
In creating Huhne's portrait, Grayson came to the idea of producing a pot. The pot was smashed and then put back together, but artistically using gold strips to show the cracks, which was a metaphor to show Huhne's vulnerability and how he went from everything, to quite simply, nothing. The creation of the pot also saw references from Andy Warhol were images perhaps easily associated with Huhne, were repeated numerously in an Andy-Warhol-like style.
If you haven't watched any of these episodes yet, I truly recommend that you do! They're really interesting and through Grayson's ethnographic research, you really get an insight into the different people's lives and feelings through their struggles and at their crossroads.

here's a link to watch the series on 4od: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/grayson-perry-who-are-you/4od

streetstyle

Photographer Ari Versluis and profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek worked together documenting numerous identities and style tribes, inspired by a shared interest in the striking dress codes of various social groups. 
They call their series Exactitudes: a contraction of exact and attitude. 

Shawn Huckins

New upcoming artist Shawn Huckins has recently caught my attention with these eye-catchingly juxtaposed paintings of the technological revolution against America's Founding Fathers. His fascination of our total engagement-overload into technology highlights the amelioration of our laziness, which, has henceforth affected a degree of literacy which has become the new social norm.  The idea is that we evidently live in a very different time and world to the founding fathers, and as such place our priorities in a very different way. If George was alive today, what would he post?

Blogger reviews

Street Peeper<www.streetpeeper.com>

This is a global street fashion online blog that offers style and inspiration to people everywhere from all the major fashion capitals (e.g: New York and London). It includes images from not only trendy people on the street but street style surrounding a specific theme like suede fringe, with also seasonal fashion shows and candid backstage photos.
I like the originality and spontaneity of the high quality images and the style inspiration they can offer, yet I particularly like how the website offers links to their preferred fashion blogs and magazines. 

   

Natalie Hartley wears...<www.nataliehartleywears.blogspot.co.uk>

This Glamour magazine fashion editor offers style inspiration through sharing trendy images of herself and engaging and constantly referring to her seemingly motto: 'it's not what you wear, it's how you wear it!'. Implying the idea that one doesn't need to have and wear designer clothes in order to look good and be 'fashionable'.
I like the way this blog has an original creative border upon each photo, and it also offers an interesting insight into the fashion world and her intimate experience during fashion week. However, the majority is solely pictures and perhaps does lack a bit of wording, although the wording she does include is usually useful such as giving her tip on how to wear for a particular season for example. 

                                           

StyleSalvage.blogspot.com

<www.stylesalvage.blogspot.co.uk>

This is a fashion blog aimed towards a male demographic in order to perhaps show how they should or could dress. The blog features style diaries, interviews with designers, with the occasional personal style shot. I like how the blog features and reviews new and upcoming designers, for example Craig Green, and considering perhaps the lack of fashion blogs directed towards a male audience, this certainly does everything to prove why more should exist.