Four Things I Learnt In 2014

As another year draws to a close, the prospect of a new year with new experiences, new encounters, new beginnings awaits around the corner. While it's important to focus on resolutions and goals for the year ahead, it's almost impossible to do this realistically without first reflecting on what we can learn from the days that have passed. I'd like to think that I've learnt a fair bit more than four things in 2014 but hey there's only so much time I have to write before my concentration flounders!

Natasha on Westbourne Grove

On a last minute jaunt down to London last week, I finally got to meet with and shoot the oh-so-lovely and oh-so-stunning model and blogger Natasha Ndlovu, otherwise known as Bisous Natasha. It was also my first time visiting Notting Hill - scandalous, I know! - and despite it being a moody grey day I was rather in awe of how pretty it is. Aye indeed, I realise this is old news but honestly, even 232 000 posts worth of #nottinghill on Instagram couldn't prepare me for how elegant the rows upon rows of Victorian townhouses look en réalité. Anyway, I digress, here's a couple of photographs from my shoot with Natasha. Head on over to her blog to check out the full shoot!

Waiting On You

ASOS ovoid dress (similar here) / John Smedley polo neck (similar here) / Caterpillar boots (here)

Photographs: Josephine Cheng
Editing: Myself

Looking particularly Lorde-ish (apparently) in these shots that Josephine took of me back at the end of November in Leeds' Hyde Park. Longstanding followers of my blog might remember this dress from way back in September '13 - if you do, I salute you! Here the dress takes on a rather more winter-friendly form with the addition of the ubiquitous polo neck that appears to be the ordre du jour. 

Lone Belle

Model: Myself
Photographer: Tom Martin
Styling: Georgia Thursting
Hair: Heather Morris of Northern Roots Hair Design

A couple of snaps from my first proper bit of modelling back in November. It was a strange experience for me: to be in front of the camera without the full creative control that I am accustomed to having. But at the same time, it was an experience that was a whole lot of fun and I thoroughly enjoyed watching another photographer at work; not to mention having my hair all gussied up for me and being styled by the wonderfully talented Georgia! My favourite photographs were those in Tom's amazing 70s kitchen, with the morning light streaming in through the blinds. If you want a nosey at the rest of the shoot, you can find it here.

Backroom

Backroom sweater* (here) / M&S shirt (similar here) / Nike shorts (similar here) / Caterpillar boots (here)

Photographs: Josephine Cheng for Backroom
Editing: Myself

It was way back in September that I last did an outfit post - oh university, what a busy busy being you have made me! - so I am super excited to be back on the outfit blogging bandwagon with this post *in collaboration with Backroom. 

The boyish shorts + oversized sweater combination is my standard outside-of-university-hours attire, smartened up here with the addition of my old school shirt. The boots I bought for practicality reasons after the daily walk to uni had me fork out a small fortune to get the soles of these boots repaired. And also they looked so damn fine on Megan when I photographed her at LFW that I couldn't help but follow suit.

And with that, I return back to the grind of revising for my last exam of the term whilst my dear flatmates are all cosied up watching Christmas movies. More photographs after the jump! 

George @ J'Adore

Model: George @ J'Adore

So my first term at university is drawing to a close, and there's a palpable buzz of excitement in the air about the return home to family, friends, food and lots and lots of Christmas cheer. Oh, and sleep. How I long to cosy up in my own bed and catch up on more than my fair share of forty winks! Anyway, this Friday I was out testing with fellow Leeds student George and had a reet good time wandering around Hyde Park getting some snaps. Even the rain held out for us!

Backstage at Meadham Kirchhoff SS15

Meadham Kirchhoff SS15

The last of my London Fashion Week posts - or at least for the coming season anyway. Backstage at Meadham Kirchhoff was a riot of colour infused with the sweet scent of Tralala. I spent much of my time assisting photographer Philip Banks with flash lighting but I also had the good fortune of a little time to spare to get my own snaps. Click on through for more!

Meadham Kirchhoff SS15

Meadham Kirchhoff SS15

Back again with another instalment of London Fashion Week blogging, this time in the form of my first ever experience of front of house photography - and where better to commence than with the fabulously wacky world of Meadham Kirchhoff? 

Backstage at Thomas Tait SS15

Thomas Tait SS15

Call me outmoded, but I wasn't really aware of the buzz around CSM's youngest MA graduate until I set foot in The Vinyl Factory back in September of this year. But one glimpse of this scarlet leather dress and I knew we were onto a winner. Though I wasn't allowed to photograph first looks, I got more than my fair share of fun capturing the work of MAC and Vidal Sassoon artists as the beauty looks took shape.

Gee @ J'Adore

Model: Gee @ J'Adore

I'm ashamed to say that this post has sat unpublished since before I went to London Fashion Week - quelle honte! Somehow, in the frenzied blur that is fashion week editing and scurrying off to university, I forgot to click 'Publish'. To Gee and y'all at J'Adore, I hope you'll forgive me! Anyway, this shoot was a last minute affair with Gee coming straight from work with no time to freshen up. Add this to the fact that this was only her second time shooting, I think she did pretty darn well!

Backstage at Michael van der Ham SS15

Michael van der Ham SS15

Oh-so-very-belated but better late than never, eh? This was my first experience of photographing backstage at a show and what a gorgeous show to start with! The embroidery work on the pieces was stunning - especially all the lace flowers. And can we just take a minute - or ten! - to appreciate the incredible sunglasses collaboration with Berlin-based Lunettes Kollektion. If anyone fancies splashing out on a pair for me then I'd be much obliged!

See the complete collection of photographs on Fashionising.com

After Vivienne Westwood

A quick sneak backstage in the aftermath of Vivienne Westwood's Red Label SS15 show. 

LFW Street Style

So in the second instalment of my London Fashion Week style photography, I bring you style from the streets themselves. On the whole these are more candid in nature and thus I much prefer this sort of style documentation - less preening and forced smiles/pouts/insert appropriate facial expression here. Click through for the rest of the set!

Street Style at Somerset House

So here we have the first of two collections of street style photography from my time at London Fashion Week SS15; this set having been snapped about Somerset House, the adopted home of many a remarkably attired individual for the duration of the week. It was my first proper attempt at documenting the style of complete strangers but I figured if I was going to start anywhere, fashion week would be my best bet - and it certainly was! A few of my shots ended up on the Facebook page of GQ Thailand too, which I was rather chuffed about. (They're shot under the name of Philip Banks if you take a look).

N.B. I write this from my new home in Leeds, hastily penned in a few moments snatched from the raucous commotion that is Freshers' Week. As such, please forgive me for the inevitably sporadic blog posts to follow.

Somerset House

Topshop dress (similar here) / M&S shirt (similar here) / Office boots (similar here) / Cambridge Satchel Company bag (here)

Photographs: Megan Ellaby

Editing: Myself

Apologies for my radio silence blogging-wise - Instagram is another story - but for the past week I have been having the time of my life attending London Fashion Week for the first time. It turned out more incredible than I could ever have imagined. A chance meeting with the marvellous Philip Banks turned my planned 'schedule' of shooting street style and catching up with my blogger pals into a whirlwind of backstage shooting, assisting and the chance to see my first ever catwalk show.

Emma @ J'Adore

Model: Emma @ J'Adore 

With illness striking and leaving us a (wo)man down on the makeup front, and all attempts at finding a last minute replacement made to no avail, our only option left was to do a little beauty DIY. So here we have it: base makeup by Emma and pink hair and brows by myself. Emma was an absolute dream to work with and I can only cross my fingers that she'll end up in front of my camera again soon.

Ruby @ Nemesis

Model: Ruby @ Nemesis

For those of you not already in the know via sneak previews of the Instagram and Facebook variety, this little beauty goes by the name of Ruby and she's a new face at Nemesis. This was her first ever shoot and I think you'll agree that she pretty much nailed it. Extra kudos to her for braving it out in the dingy backstreets of Chinatown, complete with sticky rubbish, sticky smoke and sticky sweet aromas wafting through the air. This girl is one to watch!

Cow Vintage X Northern Quarter

Earlier this week, I got the chance to check out the new COW store in the Northern Quarter, Manchester. If you haven't heard of COW, why haven't you?! No seriously, COW is the raddest vintage store that Manchester has to offer, and they have stores in Birmingham, Nottingham and Sheffield too so you Midlanders have no excuse not to visit.

Time-Travelling Diamond

Vintage bomber jacket (similar here) / DIY batik dress (similar here) / ASOS round sunglasses (similar here) / Office brogue boots (similar here)

Anyone who knows me vaguely well will be aware of my love of vintage clothing. Not only is buying vintage more friendly on the environmental front - always a positive if we can reduce our carbon footprints etc. - but I love the patina acquired by a well-loved vintage piece. Coupled with a hint of mustiness, it evokes the feeling that one is wearing a piece of history, albeit a rather little one.  And try as they might, none of your everyday clothing shops can truly replicate this. No, not even you, Urban Outfitters.

A Week at CSM

A good month or so overdue but what's a fashion blog without being a little behind schedule, ey? In that gorgeously sweltering month of July - can you feel those mournful undertones of longing now that autumn is just around the corner? - I spent a week at the fashion education temple that is Central Saint Martins. 

Howay

Rokit Vintage basketball vest (similar here) / Topshop jeans (here) / Office brogue boots (similar here) / Zip bracelet (similar here)

So it's been nigh on five months since I last did an outfit post but here I am back on the fashion blogger bandwagon once more. This was my attire for picking up that dreaded buff envelope, stamped with my name and containing the four letters to determine home for the next five years of my life - in other words, A Level results (and five years because that's how med school rolls). Luckily all was good and so I be off to Leeds come mid-September, and with a taster of good old Yorkshire-ness in the form of Leeds Festival this last week gone, it's fair to say I'm rather looking forward to it all. #UWotUWotLeeds (included for the benefit of said festival goers). And for those pondering at the presence of howay, it's a greeting to outfit posting once more and a throwback to festival banter with a bunch of marvellous Geordie folk et al. Here's to the rest of summer and life beyond school!

Lisbon Visual Diary + Travel Guide

Three weeks back in the homeland and my visual diary + travel guide from a wonderful week in Portugal's capital city with the 'rents is finally ready to go live. Lisbon won me over with its monochrome cobbled streets, painstakingly tiled buildings, and lots and lots of delicious cuisine. Of course, it helped too that the sun beamed down upon us for the duration of the trip, enabling me to return home with a rather more bronzed complexion. Read on for my rookie guide to Lisbon and apologies in advance for the photograph overload - I couldn't help myself!

Hannah at Dusk

Model: Hannah Colligan
Photographer / Hair Styling: Myself

A continuation from this post as daylight began to fade away. We wandered up a darkening driveway, with the last of the sunlight flickering through a break in the trees. 

I am slowly getting up to date with my photographs from the past couple of weeks, so expect a visual diary of both my week in Lisbon and my week in London coming soon. You can also find the first set of photographs from my catch-up in London with Megan Ellaby live on her blog now.

Artichokes Et Al.

Model: Liza Vul
Photography / Makeup / Styling: Myself

Whilst taking photographs amongst the flowers at the front of a nearby house, said house's owner appeared and told me that I was welcome to use his garden as a shoot location, should I so wish. I took him up on the offer and that evening, I returned with Liza to shoot. The garden was one of the most spectacular gardens that I have ever come across, brimming with hundreds of different plant species, each variety positioned in perfect harmony with the next. I hope to go back one day soon to photograph just the flora, for so many have been blurred into bokeh or escaped these portraits altogether. But for now, please click through to view the rest of the shoot.

Checking In

Model: Hannah Colligan
Photography / Hair styling: Myself

I started summer with all good intentions to get straight back on the blogging bandwagon but alas, I have been super busy for the past two weeks and so blogging had to take the back seat once more. But hey, busy is good, right? Also, being busy includes doing three shoots with more planned soon so when I get a spare minute (or ten) this blog shall be brimming with new work once more. For now, I leave you with this photograph I took in collaboration with Hannah Colligan. We collected pretty flowers for me to style her hair with and I set up a makeshift studio in my garden to get this shot. 

Head over to my Facebook for sneak peeks of what's to come on the blog!

Long Time No Speak

Why hello there, y'all. Clocking in for the first time in almost two months, you've probably forgotten I even exist! Yesterday marked the last day of my A Level exams (after a week of having one a day, plus more before that) and so my time has been consumed with discussing French literature, rearranging trigonometric equations, and just about a million other things that, alas, couldn't include the oh-so-distracting world of blogging. Anyway, now that I have three months of freedom I shall be donning my camera once more and capturing this summer one click at a time.

Gwen + Marcus

Models: Marcus @ A-Models & Gwen Harris

Clothes: Gwen Harris

I speculated that my previous blog post might be the last for a while but when Gwen asked me if I could photograph the results of her Textiles project, I couldn't resist. I adore the mesh and leatherette combinations alongside chunky zips and flashes of appliquéd colour - Central Saint Martins are you taking note? This girl is one to watch! 

And with that, I bring you my two beautiful best friends..

Like Pulling Teeth

Mango Shirt (similar here) / Zara Dress (similar here and here) / Office Lace-Ups (similar here)

I attempted to do a milkmaid braid for the first time yesterday. Is it still called a milkmaid braid when it's this messy? I don't know but Cameron Mackintosh won't be inviting me on stage for a rendition of 'Who Will Buy' that's for sure. Or maybe that's just my voice..

This is probably the last blog post that I shall do until I've finished my A2 exams in June. Blogging does wonders for procrastination but I'd also rather like to be able to take up my place at university so priorities, y'know. If you miss me too much, or even if you don't but you're just nosey, you can follow me over on Instagram.

Megan Ellaby (Outtakes)

As is so often the case in sunny (ha!) England, the rain threatened to thwart my plans of photographing Megan Ellaby for her blog last weekend. However, a defiant two fingers at the weather and we went ahead with the shoot anyway - granted I looked like a drowned rat by the end of it but hey, that's why I'm behind the camera!

Click on through to see the final images here and here.

London Day Trippin'

Central Saint Martins street style

A tad belated seeing as I went down to London over two weeks ago but such is life when one gets buried under mountains of schoolwork. I travelled down for a university open day but I also took the opportunity to have a good old nosey around Islington and Brick Lane too. This weekend I shall be shooting with the lovely Megan Ellaby so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Coves + Band of Skulls

So there I was, sat in my bedroom, finishing off some French translations and a message comes through on Facebook from Coves - You're ON! With a photo pass! Suddenly it's all stations go, checking my batteries, packing my camera bag and slinging a vintage Levi's jacket over my shoulders to fend off the cold. And then I'm sat on the next train into Manchester, nerves starting to set in as this is my first ever pass into the photographers' pit and I'd really rather I didn't mess it up.

Luckily my limited experience of photographing local gigs paid off and I'm pretty chuffed with how the photographs turned out (especially given that the Ritz likes to use a hell of a lot of backlighting!). A massive thank you to the fantastic Coves for sorting out the pass for me, and for being such a brilliant support to Band of Skulls, who of course were amazing too.

Zephyr

Vintage Blazer / Gap Shirt / Cambridge Satchel Company Satchel / Elle Leather Look Skinny Jeans / Jones Loafers

So this is the blazer I was talking about the other day. Carrying my satchel as a blutch because that's what all the cool kids do these days (ask Garance, okay!). Also I'm slowly learning how to wear lipstick and remember that I'm wearing it so that it doesn't end up smeared across my chin / forehead / basically anywhere but my lips. So yeah, a hint of berry on my lips it is. Berry? But spring's just arriving? Yeah yeah, you try telling the weather Up North that.

Stevenson Square

Dad's Bow Tie (similar here) / Whistles Patti Leather Biker Jacket (similar here) / Mango Chiffon Shirt (similar here) / Topshop Leigh Skinny Jeans (here) / Deena & Ozzy Heeled Chelsea Boots (similar here)

On Thursday I went on a gander around town with my friend Harrison and managed to snap up some black spray paint (for use in my quest to a monochrome bedroom) and a £2 vintage blazer. We also came across this most marvellous painted bit of wall, which was a must for shooting a Lookbook post in front of.

Topshop Does Monochrome

Topshop has done pretty damn good on the monochrome front this season. Here are my favourites:

Let's All Meet Up In The Year 2000

Vintage M&S Leather Trench (similar here) / Asos Textured Shirt (similar here) / River Island Leather Look Shorts (similar here) / Office Lace Ups (similar here)

Given that I am rather lacking in height, I tend to avoid trench coats. However, when my dad found this beauty of my mum's in the loft, I had to give it a go. After all, 'vintage' and 'leather' are probably my favourite words when it comes to clothes.

Cela Ferme La Bouche

A Tale of Bow Ties and Braces

Model: Liza Vul
MUA: Emily Brown 
Photographer / Stylist: Myself

Kick-starting my first post of the year with photographs from my shoot with the amazing Liza Vul. Despite being new to modelling and it being absolutely freezing cold outside, Liza was such a pleasure to work with and it was the perfect shoot to start off the year with. Styling-wise I had so much fun with the tomboy theme of bow ties and bowler hats and the like. My only disappointment is that the braces are not mine to keep!