Alice in Wonderland shoot DIY makes: Bow

There seem to be bows a plenty in Alice in Wonderland. It may have something to do with it's edwardian origins; ruffles and bows on everything possible. 

For this shoot, I am styling four characters with a playful nod to the images and icons from the stories, but not going too literal or 'costumey'.

Timing is everything, and this Christmas I managed to obtain not one, not two, but THREE miniature packs of playing card from the inside of numerous pulled crackers.

They are a fantastic resource as their diminuitive scale allows you to do some really delicate work. This fan of cards is the beginnings of a hair accessory for the Queen of Hearts.


Bow Tie

You will need:

• miniature playing cards
• all purpose glue
• scissors
• sellotape
• 3/4 m black ribbon 1 cm width.

I took four cards, two for each side of the bow tie and concertina folded them. I overlapped the inner edges on each side to give it a bit of structure.

 

I fixed it with glue and some tape on the back edge. I then took one more card and concertina folded it to match the central folds and placed it on top of the centre of the bow tie and glued in place.

 

I wrapped black ribbon around the middle and strung another piece of black ribbon inside this loop to make a neck tie for the bow tie. This one ties at the back and is hidden under the collar. I am sure if you wanted a more permanent playing card bow tie you could fix a proper bow tie fastening, but this works perfectly for this shoot!

Style File for The Bristol Magazine, behind the scenes

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes on a photoshoot? My blog takes you into the unseen world of the hard working people you don't see in front of the camera. For the Bristol Magazine Style File it was a different kettle of fish as I became the model.  Thankfully, years of watching models at work gave me an ounce of hope. 

We had a great time shooting the looks for the style file at The Strawberry Thief, an elegant beer bar on Small Street in Bristol

photo Anthony Jolliffe

photo Anthony Jolliffe

Here I am with Shari Knowles, our incredible makeup artist, getting ready for the January look. You can read all about Shari's techniques and chosen products in the magazine, but just in case you aren't local, here's how she achieved this look

"I wanted to define the features without trying too hard to make a statement with makeup. 

I prepped the skin with Oilatum natural repair face cream. I used Bobbi brown foundation stick in porcelain to give a satin finish to the skin. To reduce under eye darkness I used a Bobbi brown tinted eye brightener in bisque and a Bobbi brown concealer in porcelain. To keep skin fresh, I only powdered the T zone. 

I mixed a mid brown and an ash coloured eyeshadow and ran this through the brows with an angled brush. Using an eyeshadow is much softer than a pencil. 

On the eyes, I used a neutral eyeshadow from mac with a satin finish. I used a soft brown eyeshadow in the socket to define the eye shape. I lined the eyes with Bobbi brown gel liner on a fine brush in the colour caviar ink. It's slightly softer than black. Always end with black mascara, it will make the whites of the eyes look brighter! 

To keep the skin fresh, I used a cream blush in the colour something special from mac. It works so well over a creamy foundation. 

Finally the lips have a hint of coral and a clear gloss on top."

Shari Knowles

photo Anthony Jolliffe

 Amanda Thomas was shooting and Ella Hawkey of Atelier Clifton did wonders with my hair!

'With Harriets's hair we first worked a soft set,  pin curled the nape to accentuate the A- line shape, then blasted the curls out with Label M's Sea Salt spray. This creates maximum texture and a contemporary take on vintage waves.'

Ella Hawke

photo Anthony Jolliffe

What I'm wearing for this January shot 

• Snood Amber Hards knitwear leather fringe from recycled leather jacket 
• Vero Moda Banita cable knit jumper £25 Amulet Boutique 
• Ingenue CeCe Trousers in Chocolate Snake Print - £54.00 Amulet Boutique 
• Boots stylist’s own

photo Anthony Jolliffe

l-r Harriet, Shari, Ella, Amanda

leaning in to getting a look at the shot

It took a fair amount of makeup to get me looking good!

photo Anthony Jolliffe

Posing up a storm in the Strawberry Thief bar

Here is the finished look, complete with liberty print covered heels, which you can find out how to make here

photo Amanda Thomas

Fix Up Look Chic The Bristol Magazine Collaboration

photo beauty dart

Over here at FULC towers we have an exciting announcement to make!

I am coming on board with The Bristol Magazine as their Style Advisor. I am going to have a two page spread each month. I will be answering wardrobe woes and fashion queries whilst test driving new styles hot off the catwalks. If you have a question you would like me to answer: a tricky dress code, a new event, a first date and you just don't know what to wear? 

email me at fixuplookchic@gmail.com with your question and you could end up in glossy print! The first feature will appear in the January edition

Taylor Swift's couture trolley dash through 'Blank Space'

I watched Taylor Swift's blank space music video, accompanied by the Guardian's brilliant critique something along the lines that Swift redefines music, politics and everything else ever

1989 sees Taylor's first country-free album, and it seems like that's not the only change. She is now commanding the attention of the top designers and it looks like she's been on a veritable trolly dash through Paris Couture Week for this one. 

The wonderful etonline have trawled through the video and picked out every outfit she wears...I am still trying to find out the designers. But here are some of my favourites.

“Blank Space", has its tongue firmly placed in its cheek, (at least I really hope so, for the sake of the future Mr Swift) flanking her bed with unicorns, in a grandiose palace with scene after scene of decadent, ultimate first dates for the WASP jetset crowd. 

Her lyric  “a nightmare dressed like a daydream,” sums up the shift from honeymoon romance into horror inducing bunny boiling antics. 

this dress was taken from a winning Project Runway Collection

They insist that no people, animals or automobiles were harmed in the making of that film, but who didn't wince when she went at that Aston Martin with a golf club.

Designer Profile, Rodology

I am currently working on a new monthly fashion feature to launch in The Bristol Magazine in the New Year. More on that soon, however; deep into planning the first few looks for The Bristol Magazine Style File, I was thrilled to get a late night email from Designer Roderick Barker-Benfield who provided a missing link to a certain look for the feature. 

It is also a wonderful way to buck the Black Friday trend and look to the independents. Rodology is offering a Black Friday Deal. Have a read all about his work and then go and get a fantastic deal on a piece of true craftsmanship.

Roderick 'is' Rodology: freelance artist, photographer and designer-maker. From jewellery making and sculpture to photographic portraiture, Roderick's life long passion for pulling things apart and putting them back together again has resulted in a rather beautiful collection of jewellery. 

'Lewis Carroll' Brooch

I'll be honest, the hand-made market has been saturated with reconditioned and upcycled trinkets, from rubix cubes, lego blocks and scrabble pieces years back, to taxidermy fascinators, car seatbelt tote bags and bike inner-tube bangles. I have seen a lot. But never before have I seen pieces that transcend any notion of the home made, and instead Rodology produces such high end handmade pieces I'm wondering how he hasn't gone blind in the process. 

'Lady Charlotte' Rose Gold Omega Watch Pendant

Roderick's big break came when the Royal Academy of Arts came calling, closely followed by the National Trust and numerous high end boutiques.

My favourite has to be his rose gold pieces, like the Lady Charlotte pendant above. There is something endlessly fascinating about the cogs and inner workings of a clock, combine this with ultra tiny gems and beautifully finished pieces and you have a sure fire winner in a piece of jewellery. What I really love about Rodology is the genuine interest my boyfriend took in his work. It's going to have something to do with that inner 'Just William' engineer in every boy. The precision of Rodology's work is very pleasing indeed.

If you are interested in obtaining a unique piece for a rather impressive christmas present, then visit Roderick's website. The best thing of all girls, he does cuff links too!

'Mr Darcy' Rectangular  Cuff Links RRP £36

'Mr Darcy' Rectangular  Cuff Links RRP £36

For any budding jewelry designers I asked Rod a few questions:

how did you get started and it is important to have any formal training?

I think the best way to get started is to just pick up some tools and get cracking.  I'm not formally trained , but I have a huge passion for crafting and repurposing stuff out of other things.  If I see something that I think would look or function better as something else I'll give it a go.  A lot of the stuff I make ends up at the bottom of a drawer for a couple of years until I learn a new technique to perfect it.  I also have a LOT of boxes full of stuff that didn't work out at all, but I can't bring myself to throw them away.  I'm not a hoarder by nature, but you never know if that lump of molten plastic you ended up with after trying to create a new piece of jewellery could end up being the next big thing.  They're also a great reminder to never settle for the first thing you make - always ask yourself how you can improve on what you've created.

Do you have any plans to branch out from clocks? Do you suspect there is beauty to be found in other domestic objects?

Using clocks and watches in my work came about as a happy accident whilst looking for some extra bits for a piece of sculpture I'd been commissioned to make.  In finding a complete watch movement and attaching it to a silver chain, my first ever 'Lady Charlotte' was born and I haven't really looked back since.  I've just launched the 'Miss Hyde' flip clock pendant in time for Christmas and have plans to create a range of rings using vintage pocket watch winders early next year, but those aside I think it's really important to develop new products and collections all the time so there are plenty of plans to branch out.

I tend not to sketch out my designs too much, but rather let them come as a result of playing with the materials I have to hand and seeing what works best.  Recently I've been demolishing and upcycling everything from vintage buttons to old board game pieces to see what I can come up with and there are a few healthy ideas kicking around.  There's definitely some life left in the watchwork jewellery, but I'm also very much looking forward to the new range of Rodology creations hitting shops early next year.  Watch this space!

For Black Friday Rodology has an exclusive offer on the site for all customers today; The Miss Hyde Pendant. 

fairy tale tower shoot: behind the scenes.

Another lovely, whimsical test shoot I recently worked on used up all of my granny's 1950's ball dresses. I've been trying to get them into a shoot for a while and they seemed to lend themselves to a shoot set up by photographer, friend and collaborator, Carly Wong.

Carly and Ali making a plan

Here are a few behind the scenes images, showing how we used multiple belts to cinch in Ali's already tiny wait to accentuate the voluminous skirt and broad shoulders of the coat, creating a fairytale hourglass figure. We shot at Cabot Tower on a blisteringly hot day in August.

assistand Jacob Boodrie holding the reflector/fan to prevent Ali from passing out in the heat of a winter coat in august

Mia Stronach created fantastic floating tresses, whilst I ransacked Carly's house and nicked some balloon ornaments that ended up as awesome handbags.

The red dress has more fabric that you can imagine, knowing the modern day cost of silk brocade...i may be able to use it as a deposit to buy a house. 

The hand painted taffeta gown was also one of granny's and I just about managed to squeeze into it for my 6th form ball all those years ago. I don't think vintage was even particularly cool back then, but you can't deny it's unique..I certainly didn't have the issue of picking a dress from Monsoon and considering it a result if less than 5 people had the same thing.

 Hold tight for the finished snaps...coming soon.

Fashion Fix: 'Terry de Havilland for Liberty' inspired print covered wedges

photo from aurelia skincare

How many of you have been watching the fly-on-the-wall doc, Liberty of London?

I've got to say, when the first series cam out, I was dubious about seeing a warts and all reveal of one of my favourite escapist spots. However, I didn't need to fear this series, when the wonderful shoe designer and maker Terry de Havilland was featured in a collaboration with the store and their 49,000 prints!

It was a thrill to get a tweet favourited by the legendary store in the meantime!

Terry's trademark wedge sandal was given a Liberty makeover and here are some of my favourites, available now in store.

Purple Totem Elephant Print Wedge Sandals. The colours are perfect for Autumn Winter and would work perfectly with heavy denier black tights and the season's favourite fabrics; leather and velvet.

Red is my favourite colour at the moment and the Red Daisy Mitsi Peep Toe Sandals are one to purchase now and wear them long into next year.

The beautiful, bold teal and turquoise of this pair perfectly sum up the collaboration of 70's trend king de Havilland and the eccentric, timeless beauty all Liberty prints embody, regardless of the year of their birth. Teal Totem Marky Wedge Sandals

But this would not be Fixuplookchic without an alternative suggestion whilst you are waiting, saving up to be able to afford such luxuries. A year back, I took my own favourite Liberty Print fabric and adorned a pair of navy suede heeled boots. You can do the same with my tutorial below.

I've been looking forward to getting my toes into these autumn stunners. The embellished heel was all over the place last year but there weren't too many autumnal day alternatives. That is all about to change.

You will need: 

• A pair of shoes with block heels 
• Lightweight fabric, enough to cover each heel. We used Silk. 
• Pattern paper 
• Fabric scissors 
• Paper scissors 
• All purpose glue 

How to do it: 

1. Make a pattern for your heel using pattern paper, allow for a small seam allowance to be folded under. 
2. Trace around the pattern onto your fabric and cut out. Make one for each heel 
3. Dab allpurpose glue onto a small section of the heel (starting at the base and working upwards) and glue the fabric in place, turning under any raw edges, and tugging it taut so there are no crinkles.   

TOP TIP- You will find this works best on block heels.

Shoes from: New Look
Fabric from sewbox