A Little Project...

For one of our recent briefs, we were set the task of researching and designing a fragrance trend booklet, predicting the trends we thought would most dominate the fragrance market in 2015. The snag was having to design and produce the whole thing in indesign. Indesign is as alien to me as well, aliens. And being a total technophobe anyway the prospect of having to somehow learn more software skills was pretty daunting. But I gave it my best shot, and while it wasn't the most inspiring thing ever, I thought it was alright for a first attempt.

From a list of categories I chose to go with trend relating to Model & Casting, Location & Place, Historical Reference & Era and Bottle Silhouette & Shape. 

The introduction to my booklet was centred around discussing the macro trends that were having an influence on on the trends within the perfume industry. 

A list to Z list, the exploration of Hollywood A listers being used to endorse fragrance ads and the evolution we are likely to see towards more everyday, girl next door, unphotoshopped models considering the publics disdain and disenchantment with the beauty/fashion industry's attitude towards normal women, i.e. theirs no such thing in their eyes, they must all be images of perfection. The response to this is a reaction to the wider trend of female empowerment and a new wave of feminism trying to repair the damage to the word 'feminist'.

Moving forward from the predictable and frankly quite tacky world of the clear blue sea, French Riviera location, we're coming to the far more mysterious and darker water based locations. Black lagoons and Amazonian adventures are the centre of the future of fragrance ads, taking inspiration from the nomadic, hence 'No man's land'. It's time to dip a toe into much more exotic and cloudy waters. 

Technology is where society is at, plain and simple. While the trends I featured in my booklet were all about looking back and taking inspiration from goddesses and myths & legends, the trends we are looking forward to are going to be all about leaving the past behind and focusing on the future and the new era. It's time to get a little space agey and delve into the cyber sphere.

Androgynous fashion is something that has been around for a few years now, and something that has filtered down into the fragrance industry. The shape and silhouette of the bottles are reflective of that, being very geometrical, simple and almost quite masculine in their brick like design. However as the rising trends in healthy lifestyles grows and the introduction of the EU's regulations on allergens, people are becoming more concerned with the actual chemical content of their products. This has reflected the designs of fragrance bottles, seeing them now referencing those that you would find in victorian apothecary or health store. This gives the appearance that the ingredients in the bottle are all naturally sourced and almost give the impression of the perfumes being home made and therefore likely to be very natural.

Doing this little project allowed me to understand and see first hand how wider macro trends can impact into so many different industry sectors, including fragrance. I think hopefully it will encourage me to stop taking for granted activities in the wider social, cultural, economic and political worlds, and realise that their knock on affects could have consequences on much smaller aspects of my own life.

Categorising Fragrance Ads

One of our seminars back this week comprised of compiling magazine tear outs of fragrance adds and categorising them, starting with the most obvious, colour palettes. 

Pink, probably the most present of them all. All the colours reflect the tone of voice of the advert, and in this case the pink is representative of the girly, extreme feminine nature of the advert. The excessive cutesyness of it almost makes it all seem a bit kitsch and slightly surreal.





 Gold = glamour (apparently). By using it as a focal colour brands are trying to scream, exclusive and expensive, but frankly it comes off as a little desperate. The most successful advert in this category in my opinion is the Dior, J'adore ad featuring Charlize Theron. Taking something so heavily embellished and stripping it right back was a clever move; there's no glamour in excess




Purple, it's all about rarity and royalty. Plush, sumptuous and seductive, that's the tone brands are aiming for. The deep, rich tones 
represent the indulgence and sensuality that the brands are trying to 
describe their fragrances as being. 

This is less of a colour, more a general theme and tone, one of purity and spirituality which evokes the feeling of trust from the consumer, and honesty from the brand. The natural elements make are an attempt at convey something authentic and real. 

Monochrome is much more about the classics, the tradition and the nostalgia. As well as being simplistic, allowing for the brands reputation to speak for itself, the refinement gives the impression of sophistication and class, the kind of brand you would want to be associated with.









By analysing and categorising a selection of advertisements with consideration of key communication codes, it has given me an insight into the thought process that will need to be applied when we create our own advertising communication campaign in our fragrance groups for our own brand and product.

Hegarty On Creativity, There Are No Rules

As much as I enjoy reading, seeing my  reading list last module and then the one for this module didn't exactly make me jump for joy, but nevertheless I went ahead and ordered my first required book, and was pleasantly surprised when it arrived in a teeny brown envelope, not exactly what I was expecting, and turned out to be the size of a penguin children's story book, result!
The stand out element of Hegarty's book is it's simplistic approach, both in design and in concept. The no nonsense, straight to the point way in it delivers simple truths makes you think how did I not think of that.
It's essentially a handy hints and tips book, which is exactly what it offers. By offering it in bite size, digestible chunks it makes it an ideal turn to when looking for a little inspiration or motivation without getting too bogged down in the ins and outs.
For me, the witty and humorous way in which the book was written reminded me that creativity is supposed to be fun. I could have done with this insight in the weeks of stress that lead up to my last deadline. Someone to have just snapped me out of the panicked state I was in, told me to chill and try and appreciate the fun in what I was doing. That's one thing I really want to avoid, getting to end end of uni and realising I was so preoccupied with trying to do work in order to get the best grade and a high degree, instead of just doing work because it't what I want to do. It's all very well getting the grades, but if I'm not proud of what I've achieved in the process then there's not really a lot of point is there.
Sometimes I can struggle with trying to come up with the most creative ideas, but for me the book has encouraged me to tell myself: do your thing, do it the best you can and no one can tell you it's wrong.

Stop, Start, Continue: Look back and reflect

It's crazy to think I've finished my first semester of uni already, it's gone so quick! As much as I would like to say that I enjoyed every last second, it unfortunately wasn't the case. For a good couple of months since starting uni I really struggled to adjust, and even sometimes questioning whether this was the right decision for me. The main thing that forced me to persevere however was knowing that I had the opportunity to study and immerse myself in what is more my hobby and passion than work. Also knowing that I had worked so hard to get to uni in the first place, I didn't want to throw it all away. 

But like I said, a semester has passed, and I have learnt so much in that time, not just about the course, but about myself and my own abilities. 

For me I think one of my biggest accomplishments, which may seem small to other people, has been my ability to 'master' (I use the term lightly) Photoshop. Coming from someone who didn't even know what the Adobe suite was, I am now the proud owner of the whole thing, and this is quite a big deal to me. I want to keep developing my skills in Photoshop whilst also moving on to InDesign and eventually even Illustrator. I like that there is a physical representation of things I'm learning, and whats even better is I can utilise these skills in employment. 

But looking forward into a new semester, there are certain things I aim to stop, start and continue to do. 

My biggest one for me that I need to stop is procrastinating! Netflix is my best friend but also my worst enemy when it comes to getting any work done. After the many alnighters I had to pull to get my last module done and handed in on time, I'm promising to myself that I will not leave it to the last minute again but keep on top of it the whole way through (even if that means saying goodbye to Gossip Girl for a bit).

Something I want to start doing is establishing myself with a professional and FCP orientated online presence. That means having all my social media linking back to my blog, and having an instagram account exclusively dedicated to regularly uploading trend and fashion reflective images, and not the pictures of cocktails and cakes that is currently my personal instagram. 

And as for continuing, I started well with this blog, but sadly lost enthusiasm for it, seeing it more as a chore than something I wanted to do on a regular basis. But now that I'm starting to get back into it, I want to set myself the challenge of uploading at least 3 posts a week, and in doing so, I'm hoping I'll find my rhythm and motivation to continue it happily. I also want to spend more time regularly adding to my work book, including all my lecture and seminar notes, and using it as a place to store all my ideas and not just magazine cut outs, though I will definitely still be using it for that. The aim is to be more creative and hands on in my approach to the course.

I think the goals I've set myself are both realistic and achievable, and I hope to be able to look back at the end of the next semester and almost use this post as a check list of what I have and haven't done or kept up with. Wish me luck!

The Return of Galliano

After his controversial departure from the fashion industry for years ago following his anti semitic and racist comments, it looks like John Galliano has officially returned. Choosing to show case his new collection during London Collections Mens, his first collection as the creative director of Maison Martin Margiela and first collection since he was fired from Dior back in 2011. Kate Moss, Christopher Bailey and Manolo Blahnik were all there on the front row, proving he’s still respected as a designer amongst his peers. 

The collection itself was in true Galliano style: surreal and flamboyant, an ‘elaborate fusion of fine drapery and war paint, of sci-fi shoes and the kind of frontline evening dresses that could be used to go into battle.’
Many of the clothes were embellished with junk metal jewellery, while a leopard print leotard was decorated with shells and beads, and a tunic dress adorned with black plastic toy cars. 
In the past, Galliano was all about fantasy, his Dior days about whimsical, unattainable and extraordinary couture. And he has very much returned with the same aesthetic. 

While I’m not a fan of his personally, (actually to be quite frank he repulses me a little) I can’t deny that as a designer he is something rather special. His innovation and experimentation is admirable and his designs memorable. There is no doubt that John Galliano is back to stay, and back with a bang. 

The entire collection was based on black, red and white.

The creative genius that is… Nick Knight

Nick Knight is without a doubt one of the most successful photographers of all time. You may think it a bold statement, but with a career spanning over 30 years and countless achievements under his belt, it is one I am happy to stick to.
He is one of the worlds most influential and visionary photographers, with a reputation for pushing boundaries both technically and creatively. I love that despite predominantly being a fashion photographer, he still challenges the conventional idea of beauty.
His first book 'Skinhead' gives an insight into the 80s culture, the origins and the progression. A subculture that don't necessarily fit into the conventional beauty bracket, Knight presents the Skinhead worldview in all its ambiguity.

Photography is about having an impact on whoever views your photos, and that's exactly what Knight achieves.

This is taken from the shoot Knight did of Lady Gaga for her Born This Way album. It looks like she's covered in a combination of entrails, slime and a squid in there somewhere too. It's fairly disgusting, but isn't that the point, if a photo doesn't stir a reaction, then really is it any good?

This is one of my all time favourite photos ever. I love how in one still image, Knight has been able to capture so much movement and energy. It looks more like a still frame from a video than a photograph. As well as being visually abstract, it is also abstract in meaning, playing on Knight's surrealist background. It's a busy image that flows effortlessly, as if the models themselves are suspended in water. 

An image is worth a thousand words, and these are just a few of my favourites. 

Stylists get over it… Animal masks

If one more stylist sticks a rabbit head on a model and calls it fashion I swear I'm going to scream! Is it just me that is completely sick to death of every editorial shoot looking like scene from Watership Down (rabbits seem to be the masks of choice). The bit that annoys me about their repetitive use is that they just seem to be completely unrelated to the shoot in question, and have just been thrown in a the last minute because the stylist realised their look was boring. Well news flash, the head of a farm animal doesn't make it that much more interesting. Can we all just agree to leave the heads right where they belong, on the body of an animal, not some Shoreditch model. 

Fashion in Hollywood

A little while ago we had a lecture on iconic film stars from the 19 hundreds. I was familiar with a quite a few of them, mainly the obvious ones like Audrey Hepburn, James Dean and Frank Sinatra, though I did manage some of the more obscure lesser known ones too!

This for me was a really enjoyable, interesting lecture, one that gave a huge insight into an area that influences fashion so much. 

Ever since silent pictures, Hollywood has been paving the way for fashion trends for decades. From the wide collars, flared trousers and vivid colour dresses of Saturday Night Fever which reflected the disco scene at the time, to Breakfast at Tiffany's with the perfect little black dress.

And it's not just looking at  how specific films influence trends, but also how these iconic film stars and models, and their signature looks have inspired fashion shoots and editorials of today. 

Keira Knightly as Twiggy with her iconic eyes and lashes.

Michelle Pfeiffer as Louise Brooks for Vogue 1991
Deco, angular beauty

Giselle recreates the famous Brigitte Bardot pose

Amber Heard as Marilyn Monroe for Guess

Fashion is constantly borrowing from the past, and Hollywood is one of the biggest contributors to that. The influence films have on trends is one that may have wained with more modern films, but the classics and the icons of the day still continue to have major impact on fashion image of the 21st century. I hope it is something we never stop being influenced by, because seeing these types of editorials is a reminder of a whole different era and lifestyle, one I wish I could have seen. 

Stylists get over it...

To go along side the collections of boards I have on Pinterest, I thought I would create a little series of blog posts discussing trends we are so bored of seeing in fashion image, and that have just been worked to death. 

First I want to start with frames. Circa 2007 they were still vaguely original, with Tim Walker still shooting with them for Vogue, so they must have had some appeal. But the more they diffused to be used in non high fashion editorials, the less acceptable they have become, being regarded more now as an amateur prop. 

Worse still they have become the newly weds cliche, the Pinterest pose of choice. No self respecting stylist would now even dream of using them for fear of the ridicule they would face from their peers, or you know, just thinking they're a bit stupid ;)

The only way I can see them working now is for the mockery and irony opportunities. Though unless the stylist realises it's ironic, then really it's just tragic.  

Looks like frames have had their day (well had it a while ago), time to chuck them on the fire, the wood makes good kindling!

Here's my Pinterest board on frames, plenty more pictures on there. 

Draw Me David Downton

I think sometimes fashion illustrations are overlooked as just being a tool in the process of creating a final outcome. But to me I think they can be acknowledged as art in their own right. David Downton for me is one of the most talented fashion illustrators of today. His illustrations are so simple, yet come across as being much more detailed and creating these beautifully delicate images.

What I enjoy about his work is that it's so loose and so free, with the quick brush strokes really identifying with that sense of spontaneity that can sometimes be forgotten amongst the regimented production of fashion garments.

Love all the colours, textures and transparencies. Every image has so much dynamism yet still retain the look of simplicity.

Commercial clients include Tiffany's New York, SAKS 5th Avenue, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Burberry and the British Fashion Council, so his prestige is one that is regarded by almost everyone in the industry.

I just love how in these digitally driven times, David Downton's hand drawn images capture the femininity and glamour of fashion that I love so much. 

Photography essay: a little experiment

Finally have internet back, and finally can upload the little examples of my photography essay that I've been playing around with. The theme for me is how as couples, how their style evolves to match each other, and whether that statement is actually true. However there is a twist, and the pictures here will show you what I mean…

I've taken it a step further, and used a stylised approach to exaggerate the trend of couples 'merging' into one another. This particular example is my face on my boyfriend's head and I do find it rather hilarious. This is just one of the methods I'm going to use on photoshop. 

This is just a very small preview for now, don't want to give it all away too soon, but I will more than likely upload the entire finished photo essay.  

The Object Of Desire

As a sort of nice easy task before Christmas, we were set the brief The Object of Desire; to create a photo that somehow was  linked to this theme. For me when I think of desire I think of what is it that we desire the most. For a lot of us it's the desire of beauty, to be perfect in our appearance. The theme also brought to mind the idea of sexual desire. I think a red lip epitomises these two reflections perfectly, with the red lip being considered quite a sexual and provocative image as well as the seductive way in which the lips are parted. I think it also demonstrates how we use makeup to beautify ourselves, showing how we are never happy with our bodies natural appearance (something I explored in much more depth in a previous blog post on body image.) I also used the mirrored affect as a way of reflecting the vanity that this desire causes. The repetitive nature of it I think comments on the 'selfie society' that we live in, that this photo reflects that moment before a hundred selfies. 

As well as trying to create a photo that really screams desire, I also found it a good opportunity to have a play around on Photoshop, using skills such as blur and brightness enhancing, as well as discovering some new ones. I'm really trying to get in as much practice with using Photoshop as possible, as it's going to be something I'm going to rely on for my street style photo essay brief (of which I will post the finished product here), as well as countless other assignments in the future I'm sure. 

Finished product: my 'object of desire'

Fashion On Film: Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf's

We all need fantasy, and it can be found at Bergdorf's on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Scatter My Ashes delves into the dream and desire that fashion evokes in all its lovers, and follows to objects and people that have led to making Bergdorf Goodmans the success story it is today.

While the film itself is slightly lacking in depth and detail, it doesn't prevent you from becoming utterly enchanted with dream like world of Bergdorf's. It's a place to escape from reality and step into this fantasy land where anything is possible. At one point in the film, Robert Verdi states: 'Being able to shop at Bergdorf's is an aphrodisiac', it's a place for pleasure and nothing more high brow than that. And I think that's what Bergdorf's prides itself on so much, that escapism, a safe haven of all things fashion and luxury. And what could be more luxurious than the shoe salon! Just the name itself makes you envisage a setting so lavish and sumptuous designed for the most pampering of experiences, and this is all within a shop! Though I should really be disciplined for referring to it just as a shop. It's an elite destination for designers and discerning clientele alike. 

Designers & Fashion Elitists

From the very start of the film we are introduced to countless designers, celebrities and some of the most influential people in fashion, all of whom gush at how amazing and iconic it is. Much of that success has been from discovering and nurturing new talent. No one else could have done what Bergdorf did for their careers, and they know that. It's a benchmark for designers, that is where their aspirations lie, having their designs showcased in Bergdorf's is the making of a designer. In the words of one of the interviewees, 'If your clothes are not at that place, then your clothes have no future.' That seems to be the general consensus amongst most of the cast of the film. Everyone one of them when they spoke was both radiant and animated, showing the utmost adoration for Manhattan's most magical emporium. 

One of the most emblematic characteristics of Bergdorf's is the huge window displays that every year capture the eyes and hearts of thousands. The status of the windows means that the clothes are designed to fit the windows instead of the other way around, with designers sometimes being commissioned to make dresses especially for the window, that's how prestigious they are. They're so full of action that often they look like stills from movies, not installations ultimately designed for selling clothes. It's a huge attraction for tourists, and I myself have every intention of visiting when I go to New York in January! 

Just the most incredible visual merchandising ever, these windows are stunning!

While the documentary itself wasn't exactly academy award winning, more like one very long and ostentatious commercial, it has opened my eyes to the fascinating inner workings and remarkable untold tales of the history of the iconic Bergdorf's Goodman's. 

It's luxury, It's glamour, It's so Sex In The City