Jo Malone Rocks the Ages

Jo Malone is a famously British perfume, so it was no surprise when back in 2015 they released a collection inspired by different era's of British history entitled 'rock the ages'. Personally I think it's rather fitting and adds a touch of glam rock to what is a very simple, sweet & pure fragrance line. 



Inspired by the proud history and eccentricity of Great Britain, the Jo Malone Rock The Ages range captures the atmosphere of some of the UK’s most defining eras. Each of the five colognes is a unique modern interpretation of the character and ambience of English society.

Everything about this collection is understandably British, it's about a celebration of the past which has made the country what it is today. 

Tudor Rose & Amber-
The dark grandeur of the Tudor rose is still used today as a royal symbol of England. This rich, sumptuous scent blends opulent rose absolute with clove and ginger, to reinforce the spiced elements, while golden amber gives it a warm sensuality.

Lily of the Valley & Ivy-
Evoking the softness of Georgian London, sparkling cassis and green ivy opens the ethereal fragrance while dewy lily of the valley and decadent narcissus gives it a lavish heart.

Pomegranate Noir-
Representative of the Victorian era, a golden age of English drama, this intense scent has juicy pomegranate layered with heady Casablanca lily – spiked with cool pink pepper.

Geranium & Verbena-
This captures the cool elegance of Edwardian summers. Think aromatic verbena and basil, blended with refined geranium and enveloped with coumarin and vetiver.

Birch & Black Pepper-
A scent of contrasts, this shows Britain’s rebellious punk roots. Black pepper and cardamom give a cool spiciness, while smoky birch and magnetic ink accord gives it individuality.

I like how even thought has gone into the bottle, I love Jo Malone scents- they are totally worth the money but I'm always slightly disappointed with the packaging. For me it's just too simple and plain, like if you put it on your dresser it wouldn't stand out as a pretty bottle. For this collection though I do think the caps really suit the scent notes, looking at the bottles I would say Tudor Rose is my favourite, it just instantly stands out- maybe it's because of the colour red. 

The poster campaigns for this are so very British, in the army uniform even though it doesn't say the word British anywhere on it you just instantly know that that's what it's going to be about. The model to me also looks quite a bit like Kate Moss who is a massively famous British model around the world, I am glad they didn't choose to use Kate as the model though because then I feel the campaign would have been more about Kate and less about the collection. 

I love the rock chick glam vibes you get from this collection, it makes the brand so much cooler and more edgy, not that Jo Malone is something to be embarrassed about but if your style is very edgy and urban then this wouldn't be the first scent I'd choose for you. The rock chick vibes give the collection a younger target audience, because it has this rebellious feeling about it- many perfume's tend to focus on the rebellion element within campaigns because it sells well- it's perceived as being sexy to be a rebel.

Would you buy into a brand if it was more rebellious then sweet? 

Take care & I'll see you all very soon.

X

All images are from Google. 

Collaboration: Estee Edit

Kendall is an icon to so many young girls, so when Estee Lauder teamed up with her to create her own line of the famous makeup brand they knew exactly what they were doing. Estee Lauder is a beautiful makeup range but it's more targeted at the older women than a young teenage audience- let's face it your first piece of makeup probably wouldn't be from Estee Lauder.

With the Estée Edit by Estée Lauder, when the brand revealed social media sensation Kendall Jenner as its newest face. Since then, Lauder has also signed cool-girl beauty blogger Irene Kim and increased its digital presence on its own Web site and multiple platforms. Using social media stars target specifically a younger audience as they are predominantly the main ones following them.

“Estée Lauder approached Sephora with this concept…to partner to launch a brand created with a whole new approach to the younger, modern consumer,” said Artemis Patrick, senior vice president of merchandising at Sephora. “We worked closely with the Lauder team on all aspects. This is a great brand to target today’s Sephora client and great way for Estée Lauder to introduce a brand to the younger consumer.”

Lauder is hardly alone in its desire to win over 18- to 34-year-olds. The numbers tell the story. Pew Research Center reported that the Millennial age group was projected to grow to 75.3 million in 2015, surpassing the projected 74.9 million Baby Boomers (defined as ages 51 to 69).

“It is a necessary move for Lauder,” said Karen Grant, vice president and global industry analyst for The NPD Group.

“With the way the market is going, all brands have to appeal to a younger consumer — it’s not an option,” Grant continued. “Sephora has a winning formula in that market — they know their Millennial customers very well, and they’ll be keeping an extremely close eye on this. And Lauder is very much behind it, and they rarely fail. It’s a smart partnership.”

“We are going after a Millennial audience, and they are all about authenticity,” said Jane Hertzmark Hudis, group president for The Estée Lauder Cos. “We looked within our own DNA and to Estée Lauder herself, and asked ourselves, ‘If Estée were creating a collection for Sephora today, what would that be?’”

The answer is a broad collection of mostly makeup and some skin care, created with the social media generation in mind and inspired by Jenner and Kim. “They are guest editors of the collection and the idea is that the clients are inspired by their attitude, their style, their point of view,” Hudis said. The name The Estée Edit derives from the brand’s blog.

I think it's good that brands are opening their eyes to the fact that they need to adapt to a younger audience after all if they don't grab their attention when they're young then chances are Estee Lauder won't be the products they use when they're older. I do think they've overlooked the possibility of mother- daughter influence because I've used Estee Lauder products in the past but not because of this collaboration, I used them because my Mum uses them. I do think brands need to look more into the impact & relationship between mother & daughter when marketing because you are more likely to trust your Mum then someone you don't know or a celebrity. 

Kendall & the Kardashian clan are hugely influential on social media but is Kendall the right face for a beauty collaboration. I mean I know she's a supermodel is massively well known but surely there are other influential young stars such as Emma Watson or Zoe Sugg (Zoella) both of these stars support charities whom they are ambassadors for.
Surely that's a better promotion of an idol for young girls? 

What do you think of the Estee Edit?

Take care & I'll see you all very soon.

X

Images taken from Google.

This Girl Can Campaign

I'm all for a bit of girl power so when the 'This Girl Can' campaign was released I was so happy even if it did involve doing sport... because hey girls can do it right?

This Girl Can is a celebration of active women who are doing their thing no matter how well they do it, how they look or even how red their face gets. Funded by The National Lottery and developed by Sport England, we want to help women overcome the fear of judgement that is stopping too many women and girls from joining in.

Research carried out by Sport England reveals that by every measure, fewer women than men play sport regularly. Two million fewer 14- to 40-year-old women take part in sport when compared with men, despite the fact that 75%  say they want to be more active. The "This girl can" campaign is based on a powerful insight: that the fear of judgement by others is the primary barrier holding women back from participating in sport. This fear covers concerns over their appearance, ability, or the simple fact they are choosing to spend time on themselves, rather than on their families. 

Tackling this fear was seen as key to tackling the gender gap.

Sport England’s research reveals that, from an early age, appearance is a concern for women when it comes to exercise; 36% of the least-active schoolgirls agree that they feel like their body is on show in PE lessons and that makes them like PE less. Furthermore, one woman in every four says they "hate the way I look when I exercise or play sport", and women are more likely than men to say they aren’t confident about their body when doing sport.

According to Price, across the board, women identify with the fear of not being "good enough" in some way; whether not being skilled enough, fit enough, or the right size. Sport England’s insight team also identified that women feel alone in this fear, instead of viewing it as the universal truth that it is.

Mothers were identified as a core audience for the campaign; the research reveals that while many mums would like to exercise, the fear of being judged for putting themselves first is a barrier. A massive 81% of mothers with children under 15 prioritise spending time with their families over getting fit, while 44% of mums feel guilty if they spend time on themselves. In some cases men have ‘hobbies’ which are to be encouraged, while some women instead engage in ‘me time’, which can easily be dismissed as something of an ‘indulgence’.

The 'This Girl Can' campaign got women talking & more importantly moving no matter what their shape, size or appearance. Personally I can relate a lot to this campaign because back when I was in school PE was the worst lesson of the week purely because I wasn't sporty and I didn't like the way I looked in gym wear.  A campaign like this probably still wouldn't turn me into a sporty person but it would me realise that it doesn't matter who you are, if you want to do a sport you can, skills or no skills. 

I love the posters for this campaign because each one has a different statement on it. The statement gets people talking it makes them stop and think, a campaign that starts a conversation is a winner with me. I also like the fact that it's not obviously pushing the campaign in your face it's saying do it for you no one else because let's face it no one else is going to do it for you. 

This poster above is quite possibly one of my favourites from the entire campaign, I just love how it looks almost 3D if you stare at the centre, like the swimmer is going to swim right through the words 'This Girl Can'. She is doing it for all the girls, the advert is almost saying if she's doing it then you can too. Noticeable through-out the entire campaign they didn't just use your normal average skinny model, they look like they've used real women whom we can actually relate to. Personally I think a lot more brands need to open up to the fact that real life models are going to sell a product better than someone who is completely unachievable. Supermodels are great but we don't all look like them and that's okay!

When it comes to our brand's campaigns, I want to do something that helps people in someway and gets people talking about a serious topic. Campaigns like this are so much more memorable.

Hope you've enjoyed this post, what did you think to the 'This Girl Can' campaign? Did it get you moving? 

Take care & I'll see you all very soon.

X

Pictures are all taken from Google. 

CB I Hate perfume

As part of my fragrance project we are expected to research into competition perfume brands for our fragrance. As far as competition goes for our brand, personally I felt we were quite original anyway so it was a hard task to find brands similar, but one brand that stood out for having similar values to us was 'CB I Hate Perfume'.

I WAS ONCE ASKED TO SUM UP MY WORK IN THREE WORDS OR LESS. IT TOOK ME ABOUT TWO SECONDS TO ARRIVE AT: “SCENT IS LIFE.” Christopher Brosius. 

CB perfume prides itself on the fact that scent is always individual. Your sense of smell is one of the most unique things about you – more individual than your fingerprints, than the shape of your ear, than the pattern of your retina. Your sense of smell is one of the most important factors that defines you as YOU. The way you respond to any scent is unlike anyone else’s – no one remembers what you do, no one feels what you feel. There is a reason you remember certain scents so fondly – it’s the way nature designed you.

CB's manifesto is:

"I HATE PERFUME.

PERFUME IS TOO OFTEN AN ETHEREAL CORSET TRAPPING EVERYONE IN THE SAME UNNATURAL SHAPE

A LAZY AND INELEGANT CONCESSION TO FASHIONABLE EGO

TOO OFTEN A SUBSTITUTE FOR TRUE ALLURE AND STYLE

AN OPAQUE SHELL CONCEALING EVERYTHING – REVEALING NOTHING

A CHILDISH MASQUE HIDING THE TIMID AND UNIMAGINATIVE

AN ARROGANT SLAP IN THE FACE FROM ACROSS THE ROOM

PEOPLE WHO SMELL LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DISGUST ME

PERFUME IS A VEIL THAT REVEALS THE SOUL

PERFUME IS THE FANFARE OF OUR INDIVIDUALITY SOUNDING DIFFERENTLY TO EVERYONE WHO LISTENS

PERFUME IS A SIGNPOST TO OUR TRUE SELVES – A DIFFERENT JOURNEY FOR THE BRAVE TO TRAVEL

PERFUME IS THE WEATHER OF OUR INNER WORLD BRINGING LIFE TO A PERSONAL LANDSCAPE

PERFUME IS AN ART THAT SHOWS US WHO WE CAN BE IF WE DARE – AN INVISIBLE PORTRAIT OF WHO WE ARE

PERFUME IS DISCOVERED FULLY ONLY BY OUR LOVERS WHEN WE ARE TOGETHER - NAKED

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE YOURSELF, EXPAND YOURSELF AND PLEASE YOURSELF

ALLOW YOURSELF THE LUXURY OF YOUR OWN VISION

PERFUME IS AN ADVENTURE

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPLORE

I LOVE MAKING PERFUME

I LOVE BEING A PERFUMER"

christopher brosius

“LIKE THE ODOR OF BRINE FROM THE OCEANS COMES THE THOUGHT OF OTHER YEARS.” – LONGFELLOW

"When I was a child, I wanted to be an artist or perhaps a scientist. Instead I am a perfumer – this is perhaps a bit of both. I’ve been described as one of the most innovative perfumers of the 21st Century. I’ve won awards, my work is in museums and countless people in all civilized parts of the globe enjoy the unique scents I create. Much to my surprise, at least in a small way I have changed how people think of perfume: what it is & how it’s used."

In July 2004 CB I Hate Perfume Gallery first opened to the public. CB decided to begin exploring perfume as Art. Since launched in 2004, he has refined his collection of accords & expanded it to include many new scents and a great many more natural materials. Part of his mission is still to capture every possible pleasant scent.

 Returning to my original love of making actual perfume – those that tell stories and capture exact experiences. CB began his own collection of CB perfumes and adds to it each season. 

Personally for me I have never actually smelt this perfume brand but I know that if I ever do get the chance to come across it in store then I will definitely give it the sniff test. I'm hoping to do a research trip to London this Summer anyway so hopefully I'll get the chance to then.
I love what this brand stands for though because when it comes to me buying clothes or something I like to stand out of the crowd and be a bit different because being the same is so overrated anyway. So why would I be any different when it came to fragrance, if this fragrance project has taught me anything then it would probably be that when it comes to scent or just anything in life it's better to think outside the box then to never look over those 4 walls- think about what you could be missing out on!

I'm glad I came across this brand whilst researching, before this project I didn't even know it existed so I'm glad I know it does now. Somehow I'm not quite sure my student budget will stretch towards buying one of these fragrances just yet- maybe in a few years from now....
I love how I've discovered so many new exciting brands just because of my course.

What do you guys think of CB I Hate Perfume?
Any recommendations for scents? 

Let me know in the comments below. 
Take care & I'll see you guys very soon

X

Images taken from Google. 

Alexandra Shulman Lecture

I guess for anyone who loves fashion, they will know of Alexandra Shulman, editor-in-chief of Vogue for the past 25 years. Personally for me, Vogue was that one magazine that I didn't really read I just brought it to look at the pretty editorials & stick them around my room. 

Unbelievably Shulman was guest lecturer a few weeks back at my Uni which I still can't actually believe and I finally got round to blogging about it. Okay this post should have gone up a while ago but I only just sat down to write it today- as you can probably already tell, organisation is something I lack. 

The second I heard Shulman was giving a lecture at NTU I couldn't wait to sign my name up, I won't talk about it too much as I know I say this a lot but working for a magazine is 'the dream', so I was really interested to hear what she had to say about the industry. 

Alexandra Shulman has been editor of British Vogue for the past 25 years which is crazy to think I wan't even born when she took over Vogue UK, so when she announced she decided she was leaving back in November I was a little shocked. Still Shulman said she'd achieved everything that she'd wanted to with Vogue and felt it was time for a new challenge so is ready to leave June 24th.

Interestingly Shulman revealed she won't be missing the following:

- how relentless it is.

- the feeling of never achieving anything because you're always 3 months ahead in production.

- negotiations when the don't go your own way.

Running Vogue is a tough job, what with 12 issues a year it's a tiring but wonderful job to have. Still Shulman was use to the pressure after having been the editor of GQ magazine before she moved to Vogue. But the digital age we live in nowadays makes it so much more demanding, we all want the latest story yesterday which is an impossible task. 

What I was surprised to hear Alexandra say was that she feels the fashion industry has changed and she's noticed this since she's been in charge of Vogue. "The industry wasn't as democratic as it is nowadays and interest in fashion has grown so much!", back when Vogue started around the 60's  if you wanted to read a fashion magazine then Vogue was the answer but now we have hundreds of fashion magazines to choose from each appealing to different audiences. Fashion has always been about the celebrity culture but how many celebrities that includes has changed drastically over the last 25 years- celebrities are style icons for fashion. 

"People have a relationship with the physical object. Says a lot about you as a person" Shulman 2017.

Vogue is privileged, it's about telling the story that hasn't already been covered- every single newspaper and magazine wanted Duchess of Cambridge in their print but Vogue was the one who got her for their centenary issue, Vogue has a long standing history of having Royals in their magazine. Shulman said that the Duchess was very collaborative to work with, she gave her own opinions and liked the close to informal images shot by Mario Testino (a favourite photographer of Vogue and the Royals). Not all photographers are good to work with though- David Bailey has this "you need me more than I need you type of attitude" yet managing personalities is part of your role as editor. 

One question that everyone wanted to ask Shulman was what's next for her? 
"Journalism" is amongst the many things that she'd quite like to get her teeth into, a lot of newspapers have written to her about writing a weekly column yet it's not something that she's ever wanted to do. TV is another possible avenue that Shulman would quite like to explore- however she'd only do TV opportunities if they were not on Vogue. The 'Inside Vogue' documentary that they did was great for the magazine as it opened up a whole new audience, they had been asked before if they wanted to do it but they didn't because programmes weren't really something that they wanted. It was filmed over a big chunk of the year, Richard came in for 9 moths of filming between September - June.

Vogue has had some very memorable covers over the years but Shulman said that the Bowie cover is one of her favourites, she was very unprepared to hear that he had died. His gender fluid appearance made him the icon that he was, we all wanted to look like him. He had a massive influence to fashion.

Journalism is such a wonderful thing, we need that ability to be able to share stories and information with people even Airbnb have signed a deal with Hearst publishing to do a print magazine, that just shows that massive impact magazines have on all our lives. I for sure would be lost without them!

Shulman herself said she has no fashion inspiration however Prada has wonderful style, her own style is schizophrenic, practical style to fit in with her hectic life. Devil wears Prada is a fictional portrayal of fashion.

The millennium consumer is bothered by shared economy and lack of ownership because clothes massively define us as who we are. Two principles that keeps Shulman motivated are "If a things worth doing then you can do it anyhow" and "don't strive for perfection".

How important is the DNA of Vogue? 
There are 23 different Vogue's in the world and there is very little crossover between them all. Edward Enninful has worked on American Vogue so some of that may translate into British Vogue when he takes over as Editor but who knows.

One question that popped up in the interview was about ethical fashion... now for me this is something I've grown to value a lot over the past year since starting Uni, which is bad timing considering my clothes budget can only just about afford Primark. Shulman is sure things will change though, "people vote with their wallets. Everybody should if possible be able to afford as the issues are too huge for people to avoid." Quite true... now I not saying I'm going to stop shopping in Primark but I am going to start being more selective about where I buy from.

One final thing... 

What do you think Edward will bring to Vogue?
"Obviously you want to see the magazine still succeed but you do hope as well that the person who takes over from you doesn't do any better than you. I don't know Edward very well but I do know he has a brilliant sense of style and a good eye for visuals, he's also very collaborative so I'm sure he'll bring a lot to the magazine" 

This sounds very cliche but I found this lecture probably one of the most inspiring ones I've ever had, personally it gave me the boast I needed to work as hard as I can to get to where I want to be in life- which is good timing considering my deadline is on Thursday. Wish me luck!

Take care & I'll see you all very soon.

X

Pictures are not my own, taken from Google.

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Miley Malibu Makeunder

Growing up Miley Cyrus was and still is one of my idols, I love her style, her voice, just everything about her. I never really idolised many people when I was younger because well I was happy just being me but Miley definitely stood out from the rest. 

May 11th, Miley Cyrus released her single “Malibu,” along with a surprising music video that revealed the pop star having had a good makeunder. Replacing the peroxide pixie, red lip, and strategically positioned pasties that have defined her devil-may-care style in recent years, Cyrus’s new look centre's on a literal return to her roots, with a few visible inches of brunette hair framing her forehead before fading into a grown-out shade of platinum.

Personally I'm loving her new makeunder, she looks way better than she did when she went through her 'wild' stage. It would be nice for young girls nowadays to realise that they don't have to cake their faces in makeup- it's okay to be natural & fresh faced. Fair enough I totally understand that you have days where you don't want to leave the house but hey everyone has days like that! I am a strong believer that beauty starts from within. I mean I'm currently sat writing this in the library with zero makeup on and trampy clothes having had 4/5 hours sleep- this is something I never thought I'd be doing before I came to Uni. But the truth is people really don't care, they probably don't even notice and if they do then it's their problem, not yours. 

The opening scene of 'Malibu' begins with Miley standing in front of a waterfall, her two-toned waves bound in a pair of subtly cheeky pigtails that wink at the quirky beauty, but they soon give way to a relaxed beachy ponytail or textured lengths left loose to blow in the breeze. For just under four minutes, Cyrus walks & dances along California’s beaches and coastal cliffs, smiling through eyes dusted in a subtle metallic shadow, fingers adorned with small wildflowers. 

“I never would have believed you if three years ago you told me I’d be here writing this song. But here I am,” the pop star sings. With a serene new sound and a confident, come-as-you-are aesthetic, the evolution feels like a natural one: Miley is growing up.

As much as I admire Miley, I did not like it when she cut her short and dyed it bleach blonde, I get that she wanted a change and to break away from her 'Disney' image but personally i felt it just wasn't a good look on her at all. I guess I've got use to the blonde now but still at the time it was a shocker. I love how people experiment with their looks as they grow up, without experimenting you won't find new things that you love and want to try out. 

I had major hair envy when Miley's hair was this long, growing up I actually kept growing my hair in a bid to make it look like this. The result: it didn't work, my hair was horrible long but that's a story for another time. If you haven't already listened to Miley's latest single it's totally worth checking out, it's very different to Wrecking Ball & Adore Me, it's more country inspired which I like but I feel you have to be in the mood for that sort of music. I guess it's not for everyone.  

There are rumours that Miley's new look is due to her getting back with Liam Hemsworth, who knows maybe she's calming down now after having her wild years. I do totally rate these guys being back together though- I just think they're a really great couple together. 

What do you think to Miley's makeunder? 

Yay or Nay?

Take care & I'll see you all very soon.

X

Pictures aren't my own, taken from Google. 

Mert & Marcus

Despite the fact I wear black pretty much 24/7 you might be surprised out that I do actually love colour! I know real shocker right. 

Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott are two of the most inventive photographers working in fashion today. Their aesthetic is highly polished, colour-saturated and hyperreal. Seen as colourist photographers as they focus highly on their colour aesthetic. Mert & Marcus, as they are known in the industry, have worked for W, American Vogue, Pop, Numero and Arena Homme, among many other titles. Their commercial clients include Louis Vuitton , Gucci, Pucci, Versace, Missoni, Giorgio Armani , Roberto Cavalli, Fendi, Kenzo, MAC and Miu Miu .

Alas told The New Yorker: “Branding and making something where it’s an identity for a brand at the end becomes very joyful. On the other hand, in editorial you kind of can do whatever you want. I couldn’t do without one or the other.”

Mert & Marcus have lent their skills to many fragrance campaigns for brands including Gucci, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent and Lancôme. “Obviously, we are here to sell a product — you can’t disguise that fact — but the trick is to say that message in an unconventional way, where it doesn’t become just about that sale,” Alas told Time in 2003.

The photographers were both born in 1971, Alas in Turkey and Piggott in Wales. The pair met in 1994 in England. At the time Piggott was a photographer’s assistant and Alas was a fashion model, and the two quickly built a rapport and decided to work together. Their joint abilities were clear from the beginning. The first photos the duo submitted to Dazed & Confused made the cover which is a really rare thing to do. 

A few years ago I would have said that this style of photography would have hands down been some of my favourite. Because it's bold, bright, and in your face which is was I like. As I've grown up though and as my style has changed I've become much more into more understated pieces, images where you have to look beyond the initial picture into the bigger picture. 

They are known for their portraits of sophisticated, powerful women: "The difference between us and other photographers is that we care a lot about appearance," says Alaş. "We spend most of the time in the make-up and hairstyling rooms"

This image is one of my favourites by Mert & Marcus, I think because it's not really like anything else I have ever seen before in fashion photography. I really like the mirror reflection effect- I think it's really effective and is something that I would definitely try on future projects. It's a simple idea that executes well. It also enables you to show both the front and back view in one photograph, even though it's not 3D it adds more definition to the shot. Making it look less 2D and flat. 

I LOVE this photograph, I just think it's so beautiful with the block of red across the eyes, even though it's not in the centre of the image it still draws your eyes straight to that red stripe. As you most probably know if you've been reading my blog for a while now, I love black & white photography but sometimes it is nice to have colour there too. As much as I want to print out all my photos in black & white, I do appreciate colour too. 

What do you prefer black & white or colour?

Comment below.

Take care & I'll see you soon.

X

Pictures are taken from Google. 

Martin Parr

Another day, another post, another photographer I have fallen in love with...

Martin Parr is a realist photographer who's photography captures people in their urban natural environment. 

I am surprised I even like his work because it isn't what I usually go for when it comes to fashion photography. But I love the the natural, almost unedited style to his work it looks so cool and edgy! Personally I would go as far as to say it looks vintage, as the set up and clothing reminds me of the 80's or early 90's. Which is never a bad thing- retro fashion is always a winner in my eyes.
It has a bit of an East End vibe to it.

Martin Parr is a British documentary photographer,photojournalist and photobook collector. He is best known for his photography images that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in particular documenting the social classes of England, and more broadly the wealth of the Western world. His major projects have been rural communities (1975–82), The Last Resort (1983–85), The Cost of Living (1987–89), Small World (1987–94) and Common Sense (1995–99).

Since 1994, Parr has been a member of Magnum Photos. He has had around 40 solo photobooks published, and has featured in around 80 exhibitions worldwide – including the international touring exhibition ParrWorld, and a retrospective at the Barbican Arts Centre, London, in 2002. 

"The fundamental thing I'm exploring constantly is the difference between the mythology of the place and the reality of it. Remember I make serious photographs disguised as entertainment. That's part of my mantra. I make the pictures acceptable in order to find the audience but deep down there is actually a lot going on that's not sharply written in your face. If you want to read it you can read it."

Parr's aesthetic is close-up, through use of a macro lens, and employing saturated colour, a result of either the type of film and/or use of a ring flash. This allows him to put his subjects "under the microscope" in their own environment, giving them space to expose their lives and values in ways that often involve inadvertent humour. His technique, as seen in his book Signs of the Times: A Portrait of the Nation's Tastes (1992), has been said to leave viewers with ambiguous emotional reactions, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"Parr's signature is his ability not only to isolate the most evocative of human details, but to elevate such visual fragments to that of the wider societal signpost or glyph."

This is one of my favourite images from his work, again I'm not sure what it is about it. I just love the simplicity of it, maybe it's because he's eating- a rare occurrence in photography. I like how it's not just him in the picture as well- the people in the background make it so much more natural and less forced. His style reminds me of like someone who's just taken their friend's photo whilst out. I don't know if it was intended but I love the contrast between old and youth in this image too, the elderly ladies in the background compliment the main model at the front, even though they are in the background your eyes are still drawn to them as well. It helps you to focus on the whole image rather than just one small part of it.

I love the colour contrast in this, it balances out the whole image. Even though this is just a body shot no head it still works really well- I could see this as being used as part of an editorial or as a series of photographs each focusing on different areas of the model.

What do you think of realist photographer's? 
Is Martin Parr your cup of tea photography wise?

Hope you all enjoyed this post, let me know what you thought in the comments below.

Take care & I'll see very soon.

X

Images are not my own, taken from Google. 

Mario Testino

A few weeks ago I was sat in a my 9am Monday morning lecture expecting to not take anything in, when it was about fashion photography. For me fashion photography is my passion, it's something I really love & am leaning more and more towards career wise.

Surprisingly though I didn't actually know that many variations of fashion photographers before this lecture- I mean I have my few favourites but nothing major. 

Mario Testino really stood out to me, so much so I manage to stay wide awake for the entire lecture!

Mario Testino is widely regarded as one of the most influential fashion and portrait photographers of our times. His photographs have been published internationally in magazines such as Vogue, V Magazine and Vanity Fair. He has contributed to the success of leading fashion and beauty houses, creating emblematic images for brands from Gucci, Burberry, Versace and Michael Kors to Chanel, Estée Lauder and Lancôme.

Alongside his 40-year practice as a photographer, Testino has realised a body of work as a creative director, guest editor, museum founder, art collector/collaborator and entrepreneur.

Testino transgresses genders, mixes masculinity and femininity and suggests sensuality rather than sexuality. Suzy Menkes, Vogue’s International Editor explains, “Testino’s skill is first and foremost to catch the moment and to bring out the humanity in his subjects.” Testino’s subjects appear confidently alive; he captures their energy by creating an openness and intimacy with them. Known for the extraordinary way in which he can capture the most private of moments, Testino’s spontaneous, intimate portraits offer the viewer new perspectives on famous faces, often establishing new fashion icons. He has documented subjects from A-list stars, muses, supermodels and artists, to subjects that he has encountered throughout his travels, from magnificent cities by night to mysterious landscapes.

One of Testino’s most memorable pieces to this day is his series with Diana, Princess of Wales. Commissioned for Vanity Fair in 1997, he said: “One of my greatest experiences in life was photographing Princess Diana. It’s not only that the experience itself was amazing, but she opened a door for me because I then started photographing the royal families of Europe extensively…this brings out my love for tradition, for a way of showing family and the longevity of people”. He has photographed many royals including The Prince of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the King and Queen of Jordan and King and Queen of the Netherlands, among others.

Testino’s work has been exhibited at museums around the world, among them the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (In Your Face, 2012), the Metropolitan Museum in Tokyo (Portraits, 2004) and Foam in Amsterdam (Portraits, 2003). 

His growing personal collection of artworks ranging from painting to sculpture and photography has also been the subject of numerous shows. Testino’s relationship with fine art developed after frequent visits to galleries and artist’s studios. He said: “Just as photography is a vehicle for me to live a new moment, to go to a new place, meet a new person and so on, art is a process of encounter and discovery. The display of art for me is not just about seeing the work isolated in a white cube. It’s also about engaging with the art – and sometimes the artist – to make something new.”

This picture of Cara Delevingne is one of my favourites out of all Mario Testino's work, I just think it's truly stunning! I don't know why I like it, it just makes me stop and stare at it. Maybe it's the contrast between the blue and the beige I don't know, but Testino got this picture perfect! Cara looks almost doll like especially as the paint makes her look like she's made out of plastic. I like how very natural and untouched it looks, makes me think 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' kinda thing. 

Alongside the picture of Cara, this is another favourite of mine. I just think it's a very haunting picture that makes you not want to look at it but and the same time you can't help yourself from looking at it. I also love the fact it's in tonal, black, white & grey- it adds more to the haunting effect. The angle of the model works really well too, like it's as if she's looking back at you. Testino definitely captured something beautiful here, it's all in the eyes. 

If you haven't seen Mario Testino's work before then it's totally worth a look at, he's a very storytelling photographer. It's not just about the image alone but the story behind it. 

What do you think of his work?

Take care & I'll see you all very soon.

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All images are taken from Google.