Saturday 31 August 2013

Behind the Scenes: Oyeth Pitterson Test Shoot: In the gym and Newell Bespoke Suits

Amanda and Oyeth at Bristol Boxing Gym
 Part of Oyeth's shoot was going to make the most of his impeccable physical form. It was quite an eye opener to hear about his strange and erratic diet to achieve the Men's Health Cover Shot look.



Amanda sizing up the competition

'THAT was a fight' the proprietor told me

No matter how hard you are, you need to look the part
 We were lucky enough to have two incredible suits, made to measure from Newell Bespoke; beautifully tailored but fresh and exciting in choice of fabrics and cut. 


Pretty well dressed for the changing room

Many thanks to Cafe Kino for accommodating our invasion

Look out for the next post to see the finished result!


Wednesday 28 August 2013

Fashion Fix: How to turn a jumper into a cardigan


Before...

...After!


I've been trying to think up some projects to take us through these funny muggy autumnal days and this is one of my personal favourites.  If it's too warm for winter woollies cut a cardigan from a tired bit of knitwear

You will need:
  • woolly jumper
  • 30cm of cotton fabric
  • 20 cm lining fabric
  • 40cm trim
  • sewing machine
How to do it:
  1. Find the centre front of your jumper and cut from top to bottom.
  2. Cut 2 x 5cm strips from the cotton fabric, the length of the cardigan front.
  3. Pin and sew the right side of the fabric strip to the inside of cardigan front. Repeat on the other side.  Press both strips of fabric flat
  4. Next fold the fabric around the raw edge of the cardigan front and press.
  5. Tuck under the raw edge, pin and sew.
  6. Finish the top and bottom edges by tucking in and hand sewing.
  7. Use our pocket template to cut out 2 cotton fabric pockets and 2 lining pockets
  8. Pin one cotton and one lining pocket right sides together and machine stitch together, leaving the top open.
  9. Turn inside out and press. Repeat with the second pocket.
  10. Fold the top raw edges in, press and sew. Pin in place on the cardigan. Machine sew around the 3 edges leaving the top open.




Annoyingly the fabric was from an amazing fabric warehouse I visited in Senegal, West Africa, but when I'm in the UK, my first post of call for gorgeous printed cottons has to be Cloth House

Monday 26 August 2013

Behind the Scenes: Test Shoot with Oyeth Pitterson, Preppy look

Amanda and Oyeth talk poses

This week has been busy with Photoshoots. I styled new face Oyeth Pitterson on Thursday for a shoot with Amanda Thomas and Hair and Makeup by Jo Williams. Unbelievably, we powered through 9 looks in a day - there is a lot to be said for short haired male models: minimal hair and makeup time allows for plenty of styling and shooting! 

Because of the sheer scale of looks I am going to stretch these behind the scenes shots over a few posts... there are some crackers coming up!


Fully focussed on the job!

Oyeth nailing the brief.



Saturday 24 August 2013

Fashion Fix: an alternative sunglasses fashion fix


With the last summer bank holiday, we hope for some sunshine. But if you, like me, have got through numerous pairs of sunglasses over the summer season, another £1 pair from you-know-where could do with a makeover. 

With all sunnies adorned with pineapples, flowers and diamante peace signs this summer, I decided I'd still like to see out of my lenses so looked elsewhere to get some individuality and flew my crafting muscle. A little less in your face, this sunglasses personalisation will stay in fashion for more than the festival season.



To adorn the sides of your sunglasses in a chic, sleek way, choose a patterned paper or stickers. Stickers work well as you don't have to get messy with glue and you can trim off the edges with a scalpel. I got a wicked vintage travel sticker set from Father Christmas this year but I've been wondering how best to use them. I think I've cracked it: damn cool and well travelled in one!

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Fashion Fix: How to add Liberty Print Lining to a trench coat collar





The Trench Coat has been a home land staple for many, many years. It's success has been down to it's brilliant design and resilience, taking our soldiers through the wars and now adorning the likes of Moss and co. What better way to update a classic than with another stalwart of British design and manufacturing, Liberty.  The lovely people at www.sewbox.co.uk provided me with some luscious liberty print silk to line the underside of my collar.


You will need:
  • coat with a collar
  • 1/2 metre silk
  • pattern paper
  • dressmaking pins
  • iron
  • sewing machine

How to do it:
  1. Iron the collar of your coat and lay the coat out on a flat surface. Find the centre point of the coat collar and trace of one half of the collar onto the calico.  This can be slightly fiddly but pin the calico onto the collar and trim the calico down to size until it matches the shape of the collar.
  2. Once you have calico pattern piece for the collar, fold your silk in half (right sides facing). Pin and trace the calico collar onto the silk leaving a 2.5cm seam allowance all the way round. Cut out.
  3. Working from the centre of the collar out, pin the silk collar to the underside of the coat collar. Fold the seam allowance in on itself so that it’s tucked neatly in-between the silk and coat collar.
  4. Machine a running stitch 2mm from the edge of the collar all the way around in a cotton thread that matched the coat fabric.





Liberty Print Silk from www.sewbox.co.uk/‎

Sunday 18 August 2013

Nature in Design, A Set Designer's Perspective



photo Anthony Jolliffe



image from www.playdead.tv/news/unbuilt-britain
Dreaming the Impossible: Unbuilt Britain on BBC Four charted the life and work of visionary architect Jospeh Paxton in its first episode. In the 19th century he proposed a series of ambitious plans for the first glass houses, allowing the British to cultivate foreign and exotic plants.  His structural inspiration came straight from nature: the giant water lilies had such an impressive structure that he sat his daugher on one to prove its strength. (source http://www.playdead.tv/news/unbuilt-britain/)


The power of Nature's architecture was all around us whilst on holiday in Dorset this year. (Photos courtesy of the official holiday photographer...Ant.)

In the multi storey towering pillars of flowers....
....in larger than life swathes...
...In canopies...
...in colour and repetition...
...even in accommodation....
A few years back, I paid a visit to Kew Gardens to those very glass houses for inspiration for a set design. Joseph Paxton's most famous work, The Crystal Palace, is long gone, burnt to the ground at the turn of the century, but the botanical gardens at Kew gave me an insight into the majestic sweep of the glass and wrought iron, mixing strength and utter delicacy in one. 


I found this image of the Crystal Palace, post-fire, and based my entire design for Benjamin Britten's opera, The Turn of the Screw. In this picture alone there are countless patterns and structures inspire by nature: the spiral staircase, the repetitive rungs of the adder, the ornate petals of the railings and so on...


This then led to sketches and finally a finished model box, setting the piece in an anachronistic burnt out Crystal Palace structure, not only inspired by nature but now overrun with unruly nature creeping in the choking the man made palace.


I thoroughly recommend you catch the next few episodes of Unbuilt Britain, BBC 4.

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Fashion Fix: Envelope Doily Clutch Bag


The first doily handbag was so popular that I decided to give you another Fashion Fix using these ingenious yet erroneous items.

My sister had a clutch bag made out of the lace from her husband's mother's wedding dress. This could be a lovely wedding craft project to get the bride 'something new' from 'something old' or something borrowed'!


choose a bright contrasting lining fabric.


You will need:
  • Square Linen hanky
  • Lining fabric
  • Cotton thread
  • Button
How to do it:
  1. Cut a square from the lining fabric the same size as the linen hanky. Turn under and press all four sides so the lining is slightly smaller that the hanky
  2. Pin in place and hand sew using an invisible stitch along each side. 
  3. Fold the square into an envelope shape and sew the sides closed.
  4. Add a button and rouleau loop to finish. 
To make a rouleau loop, have a look back at the other doily clutch bag Fashion Fix for the illustrations that go with these steps:

  1. Cut a strip of your chosen fabric on the bias. It needs to be 4 x the width of your cord 
  2. Sew a length of cord at one end of the strip.
  3. Fold the strip in half, encasing the cord and, using a zipper foot, sew a running stitch all the way along the strip.
  4. Pull the end of the cord and ease the fabric in on its self. This will be slightly fiddly and you may need to use a knitting needle at one end to start it off. 
  5. Once the fabric has been pulled all the way through, cut off the cord. You now have your Rouleau loop. 

Monday 12 August 2013

Fashion Fix: Epaulettes

Photo Farrows Creative

You will need
  • 2 x shoulder pads
  • Jersey material
  • Gems
  • All purpose glue
  • Beaded fringing
  • Scissors
  • Thin card
  • Needle and thread
  • Dress making pins
  • Scissors and dressmaking scissors

How to make
    1. cut and pin the template on to each of the shoulder pads with its flat edge at the thin end of the pad. Cut out an epaulette for each shoulder.
    2. fold your fabric right sides together. Pin the template to the fabric and draw round. Cut out 1cm larger than the template. Repeat - leaving you with four shapes.
    3. pin two pieces right sides together. 
    4. machine stitch along the drawn line leaving the flat end open.
    5. trim the raw edges and turn inside out.
    6. stuff the shoulder pad epaulette inside and poke out the corners until you are happy with the shape.
    7. fold under the open end and do an oversew stitch.
    8. now to decorate: hand sew lines of fringing along the curved edge.
    9. pile up the epaulette with gems. Glue in place with all-purpose glue. pin and stitch into place on your shoulders.










Thursday 8 August 2013

Eva Lazarus Shoot 3



Add caption
 This look fell somewhere between the Masai Mara and Grace Jones...


Photos Amanda Thomas, Hair and Makeup Jo Williams, Styling Harriet de Winton