Monday 25 June 2012

Dungarees


I injected a hit of nostalgia into my wardrobe when I purchased a new pair of dungarees last week. I have always lusted after the perfect pair of dungarees. Playful and childlike, they remind me of the good old days, when  I was able to run around getting grass stained knees in the summer. However, unlike my childhood, I wont be using my dunga's as overalls to protect myself from the dangers of my back garden. 
The hunt for the perfect pair began early this year. London's cool kids nabbed vintage one's from the likes of Beyond Retro and Rokit. But alas, my tiny 5'3 self found it hard to track down a pair that would fit me without looking like I drowning under a sea of denim. 
So I turned to the high street. Trusty Topshop let me down and Urban Outfitters only had dungaree skirts and I was after shorts. 
I finally found the perfect pair in American Apparel. I ended up paying £76 - a little on the pricey side I agree - but I know I will where these babies constantly throughout summer. The baggy fit adds a tomboy charm and my new dungaree's are both pretty and practical! All I need now is my jelly shoes, vintage ray bans and Hawaiian shirt and I'm ready for summer.

Friday 22 June 2012

Friday 8 June 2012

Spoiling myself..

I decided it was time to treat myself for two reasons. 1. My hard work for Nicole Freeman needed to be rewarded and 2. I haven't treated myself in far too long.


I bought a Mink Pink knitted jumper with 3/4 length sleeves. I love the holey detail on the jumper and for this reason, I also bought a lace crop top to wear underneath it. The crop top also works well as a comfy alternative to a bra. Both pieces are from Urban Outfitters.


 I also treated myself to a ditsy floral print playsuit, also from Urban Outfitters. Not something I'd usually be drawn to, but thought I would try something more feminine for once. The cut out detail breaks up the print nicely and I look forward to wearing this little number with converse and a denim jacket when the sun comes out. My final (and favourite) purchase is a pair of dungarees from American Apparel. Due to their expense, I decided to order these online to save myself 15% so I'm looking forward to having these babies delivered in the next few days. 

Assisting Nicole Freeman - The Dreaded Returns

The dreaded returns weren't actually that dreadful. Arriving promptly at Nicole's flat in Hackney at 11 to collect the heavy suitcase of clothes, I headed off round London handing back borrowed clothes to designer offices and PR companies. Despite the rain and the painfully heavy case, I was quick with returning and was back at Nicole's flat for round 2 of returns by 2pm, the target time I had set myself earlier on. Round 2 wasn't bad either, except this time round I was worn out from round 1 and my feet were absolutely killing me. Despite the pain, I soldiered on and had returned every item on my list my 4.45pm. Not bad. 
Nicole thanked me genuinely for my 'hard work' at the end of the day. Working with Nicole Freeman had been hard work but enjoyable at the same time and has made me long for the days when I have my own assistant to run around London for me... 

Monday 4 June 2012

Assisting Nicole Freeman- Day 2

My favourite item from the shoot by Ashish
Day 2 meant the day of the photo shoot for Surface magazine. My alarm went off bright and early at 7am, the earliest I had woken up in a long time. I managed to nab a lift to Chance Street in East London off my Dad who's a black cab driver. Once I arrived at Chance Street Studio, I unloaded Nicole's suitcases from her taxi up to the dressing room and started unpacking and hanging up the clothes. 
An array of clothes fit for the sport luxe theme of the photo shoot filled the rails. Mary Katrantzou, Meadham Kirchhoff, Prada, and Ashish to name a few, were amongst the designer labels. Shortly after, two tall leggy models arrived at the studios, one blonde one brunette, who I had the privilege of dressing all day - because of course they can't dress themselves. My short 5'3 self, meant my eyes were at the models nipple level I had to stand on tip toes in order to zip up dresses to the top. 
Apart from dressing the models, my day was spent on the set of the shoot, watching the photographer at work, steaming clothes, packing the clothes back up and generally assisting Nicole on the styling decisions. At lunch time delicious take away pizza's were delivered to the studio, one of the days perks.
10 outfit changes later and the shoot was over. The atmosphere was much more laid back than I imagined and I got a real taste of what being a stylist was like. Nicole was lovely to assist for and I loved the whole experience of being on a fashion shoot. My week's work of assisting Nicole Freeman is nearly over, all that's left is the dreaded returns...

Saturday 2 June 2012

Assisting Nicole Freeman- Day 1

The first week into my summer holidays and I managed to bag myself some work experience for the fashion stylist Nicole Freeman. I will be assisting Nicole on a fashion shoot for Surface magazine.

Day 1: The Pick Ups

I arrived at Nicole's flat in Hackney at 11am to pick up a suitcase which I'd be filling with clothes ready for the shoot tomorrow. I head off on my travels around London - West, Central and East. I only had five places to pick up from but was warned there will be more when returning. I was told I had to pick up an Erdem sample from Relative PR, which meant I got to the biscuit building where they're located. I love the biscuit building, mostly for it's name but it's interior is lovely, so I was happy about that one. My first day of collections wasn't too bad concerning I spent hours walking round London, but the weather was kind and I had my ipod to keep me going.