Fashionista Group Blog

So as everyone knows I have a sweet spot for the crazier designer being a photographer wearability isnt quite as important.  But for just making a woman look sexy no matter what her body type. You’d have a hard time finding anyone that does that better than Donna Karan.  Seems everyone agrees that she had a really strong collection today and I’d be one of them. Lots of great separates heavy emphasis on black of course. I particularly liked the jackets in this collection especially the one Anya Kazakova wore down the runway.

Everything as usually was amazingly wearable nothing would have been out of place in any major city on the planet. But everyone would notice you for all the right reasons, that’s what Donna Karan does so well. Anna Wintour,  Grace Coddington (from Vogue),  Alexis Bryan Morgan (Vantiy Fair), Patrick McCarthy (W),  so was  Milla Jovovich, Molly Sims, and Rachel Zoe.

So the images from Phoenix look great, sent out everyone proofs. Get an email from B Love, the owner of the location we shot at, and she wants to use a couple of the images in a piece of art. I’ve heard of TFP/CD before but never Trade for Art. So of course I cant wait to see what she does with it. I’ll post an image once she’s down.

So this month I wanted to shine my spotlight on Agyness Deyn a 25 year old British model she got her break when she was signed by Models 1 in London, and has since been on the cover of US, British, Italian and even Korean Vogue and worked with a huge list of designers Anna Sui, Blugirl by Blumarine, Burberry, Cacharel, Gianfranco Ferré, Moussy, Maison Gilfy, Shiseido, Giorgio Armani, Mulberry, Paul Smith, Reebok and Vivienne Westwood. The face of Burburry’s “The Beat” fragrance. She been often referenced as the next version of one of my other favourite models Kate Moss. Could be the because she’s British, the love of musicians who knows but shes an amazing model in her own right.

Here is a profile vogue did on her, let me know your opinions.

Went to do a test shoot in Phoenix to try out some ideas that wanted out. I worked Jodi Carey (Makeup), Shannon Campbell (Wardrobe) and Daniela Lazar (Model from Ford). We shoot at a great location in Glendale called An Art Affair which was designed by Will Bruder, its one of those locations that for some strange reason hasnt been discovered and shot to death. Many thanks to B Love for letting up use the location all day.

So I just finished watching a BBC show called “Seven Photographs that Changed Fashion”. The show takes us through British fashion photography Rankin recreation of seven of his favourite fashion images. He first does it with the technology of the day and then with the equipment he is currently using when he shoots. Everything from Cecil Beaton’s 1934 “Hat Box” with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, as the model, I’m so in love with Sophie, to more modern images such as Herb Ritt’s “Fred with Tires”.

The behind the scenes stuff is very funny especially he’s banter with David Bailey, Rankin is a fantastic photography but without a doubt you can tell he was just a tad intimidated by David Bailey as we all would be I think. You can see the individual recreations here at the Daily Telegraphs site. If you have access to it I’d highly recommend catching the show, its a nice break from all the fashion reality shows that I deny I watch. Really I dont watch any of them.

So this month I’m spotlighting fashion photographer along with Francis Hills, Gray have been the most amazing photographers I have meet in the industry. Gray is work is unbelievable, he is a true groundbreaking. He’ll hate me for saying that but the mannequin look at you see other photographers shooting now days, that’s Gray’s creation. He brought that to us and everyone else has just blatantly ripped it off. He’s work is so distinct that you don’t even need to see the byline you know who’s work it is. Gray would describe himself as an artist and he truly is. Which you’ll see from the film shorts he’s directed.
He is one of the few photographers that has inspired me more than any other. Dont get me wrong I love the work of Cecil Beaton, David Bailey, Herb Ritz, David LaChapelle etc but Gray was one of the first photographers that I found accessible. That wasn’t too important to answer probably some really lame questions I shot him in an email and I’d always appreciate that. I traded back a forth fifteen or so emails and he always replied prompted and answer any question I had of him.

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So without a doubt Hussein Chalayan is one of my favourite designers, Hussein Chalayan marks 15 years in fashion with a solo exhibition at London’s Design Museum. Here, the avant-garde designer reflects on his most memorable moments. Which they of course open four days after I left to come back to the states.

Well Kate hardly need any introduction, she got a lot of stick about being the model that brought us heroin chic but I think that’s really unfair. She’s an amazingly versatile model and absolutely beautiful. Kate was born in London she was discovered by Sarah Doukas, the founder of Storm Model Management at JFK Airport after coming back from a holiday. Probably the best non-stop flight Kate has ever taken I’d dare to say. She became known as the anti-model, probably did a lot to help put the skids under the supermodels of the time. Her first big campain was for Calvin Klein of course. She’s gone on to work with Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Calvin Klein, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Missoni, Longchamp, David Yurman, Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, Burberry,Stella McCartney and countless others. Had a setback with the cocaine scandal but that appears to be nothing but a slight speed bump. I don’t think anyone wanted to drop her but felt they had to to appear to be doing the right thing. She was part of the Kate Mosh line that appeared at Top Shop, as with a most of Kate’s career this also was surrounded with controversy but all press seems to be good press for her.

So this months spotlight in on fashion/celebrity photography Francis Hills, He is probably what a lot of people would call of the new breed of fashion photographers. He only started shooting in 2002 but has blazed a trail ever since.  Way too many credits to list and regular appearances on the Scandinavian versions of Next Top Model. Not only is he extremely talent but amazingly well grounded. I have to relive a story about my first contact with Francis, just to demonstrate this.

So we finished up a set we didnt managed to get done last time for 944. 944 also brought us two Nikon D3’s to play with. Which was a lot of fun especially as Mo is a Nikon nut. So it was interesting to pit to the flagship camera’s up against each other. Who won? We’ll that would depend who you ask the Nikon nut or the Canon fan.