The theme for this shoot started out as ‘Pastels’…until I purchased this incredible bright pink dip dye wig by Annabelle’s Wigs. It was all downhill after that (in a good/slightly mental way of course!).  We worked with a lovely MUA, Tabitha Ellis, who gave me mint green lips, lilac eyes and bright purple eyebrows! It was just for fun but ended up being accidentally on trend, as there have been a lot of bleached/dyed/embellished eyebrows turning up on catwalks recently.

Although the idea of the dress was good, it was made in a bizarre, shiny finish which kind of lead to the whole alien vibe. Originally the dress was going to be the focus, but the hair and make-up definitely ended up being the main event, and I have absolutely no problem with that! 

Considering wearing that wig on a daily basis…

- A

Dress – River Island

We started out shooting this onto a plain white backdrop but then I figured, if you’re going to go wild you might as well go all-out-african-safari-wild as opposed to just-a-little-bit-chester-zoo-wild! 

It was such a good opportunity to be working with Tabitha again, she manages to translate things that I say like ‘errm, what if the eyebrows were dark purple at the edge and then get a bit lighter..or something’ into a make-up masterpiece! Go and check her out on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TabithaEllisMUA.

I loved the Leeloo/Milla Jovovich vibe I was getting from Lise too – Multipass! 

- S

This is another set that Sophie & I shot with the American flag set up. I was really milking the 1950s retro vibe that day as you can tell! Managed to rummage around in my prop drawer and find a bubble blower in the shape of an ice cream cone. Perfect. The only problem was we had to do so many takes because I got so excited by the bubbles that I kept making funny faces every time Soph snapped a shot. What can I say, it’s the small pleasures…

- A

Top – ASOS; Capris – ASOS

The lighting set up here is the same as with the previous images we shot that day with the polka dot dress. The bubbles were a fun addition to the shoot but as Annelise pointed out, excitement + bubble blowing = very interesting faces. As always, the styling was amazing and I’d love to shoot this kind of thing on a beach (until I remember that I live in England) and really get into the 50′s swing of things!

- S

There has been a debate in the fashion world for some time, about whether or not Couture is commercial enough, profitable enough, and modern enough for the 21st Century market. Society has evolved so much so that there are extremely few clients that can afford the extravagance of a Couture piece. There exist today only a handful of serious Couture collectors with phenomenally deep pockets!

However, recent Couture shows have shifted towards a more modern clientele, showing not only the traditional evening wear and ballgowns, but demonstrating an awareness of street fashion and other trends. For A/W ’12, said trends included veils; flowers; metal belts; and couture tracksuits (who knew!?). I have chosen my favourites from the recent A/W ’12 Couture shows in Paris…

1. Christian Dior

Without a doubt the first place is dedicated to Raf Simons’ outstanding debut for Christian Dior. The designer took the traditional pieces of the fashion house and, in a tour de force that wow-ed the fashion world, re-worked them with 21st Century twists. Iconic silhouettes were re-worked such as the full skirts and peplums of 1940s/1950s Dior being chopped off at the hips and paired with cigarette trousers. Simons also incorporated personal favourites of both himself and the great Christian Dior through the use of Simons pink in the collection  and Dior flowers lining the room floor to ceiling. I personally loved the exaggerated hip structure and the metal belts to emphasise the cinched-in waists.