Aniela Murphy – Page 2 – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Menswear Day Catwalk Review: J.W. Anderson

ACOFI Concrete Hermit
Pick Me Up Paul Blow
Tiger Feet by Paul Blow.

Yesterday 2011′s Pick Me Up once again kicked off in the Embankment Galleries at Somerset House. I went along to the opening night to check out this years talent.

Like last year, cialis 40mg the lower galleries are once again devoted to the young rising stars of graphic design and illustration. This is the section for which I was asked to nominate a selection of Up and Coming illustrators many months ago. None of my suggestions were picked, and on the basis of some artists who were chosen I would question the description. Tom Gauld – an old acquaintance of mine – has surely been at the top of the illustrative game for many years, as have some of the others. At 48 years old American artist Polly Becker is hardly young. Although it’s great to be feted at any time in your career it’s a bit of an oversight to champion well established artists as Ones to Watch. But nonetheless let’s continue with the review: there was much to enjoy in this gallery.

Pick Me Up 2011-Kate Moross
London based designer Kate Moross has quickly established a glowing reputation for her bold psychedelic style.

Pick Me Up NIght & Day by McBess

Matthieu Bessudo, aka McBess, favours a cartoonagraphic style with a surreal edge. Expect naked ladies with ninja faces. I liked the intricate stories in the large scale Night & Day artwork best.

Pick Me Up Seiko Kato
Seiko Kato was a real discovery – this Japanese artist lives in Brighton and produces amazingly detailed collages, filled with colourful flora and fauna. The Funeral is a beautifully surreal large scale work.

Pick Me Up 2011-Andy Rementer
I loved the bold colours and shapes of Andy Rementer.

Pick Me Up 2011-Jules Julien
Jules Julien makes macabre fine line work influenced by the surrealist drawing game Exquisite Corpse.

Pick Me Up 2011-Jessica Hische
Typography is Jessica Hische‘s speciality. Another American, she is a senior designer for Louise Fili Ltd. Beautifully rendered, if a little polished.

Pick Me Up 2011-Clara Terne
Swedish designer Clara Terne is inspired by the deep oceans and outer space, both equally other worldly. Kaleido did pretty much what it said on the tin. Nebuloso was a beautiful piece of digital art.

Pick Me Up 2011-MVM
MVM is a Norwegian and co founder of the Grandpeople design studio. He employs a fluid minimalist form and exhibits huge silk banners – almost Japanese in appearance.

Pick Me Up 2011-Eda Akaltun
Eda Akaltun is a founding member of Nobrow – evident in her distinctive colour palette – and favours a collagey painted approach that is instantly recognisable.

Pick Me Up 2011-Victo Ngai
From Hong Kong but working in London, Victo Ngai graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. I loved her Japanese influenced drawings, which recall the fine detailing of woodblocks combined with a whimsical touch.

Pick Me Up 2011-James Graham
James Graham favours a simple graphic aesthetic.

Pick Me Up 2011-Revenge is Sweet
Revenge is Sweet shows bold 80s art deco artwork that has obvious advertising applications.

Pick Me Up 2011-Sarah Arnett
Sarah Arnett shows some beautiful digitally created flower artwork, densely created in curious colourways. Her original training as a textile designer is evident in these botanically inspired pieces.

Pick Me Up 2011-Gwenola Carrere
From Belgium, Gwenola Carrere shows some fabulous screenprints. She has published three children’s books to date. I loved her bold playful style.

Nigel Peake, from Ireland, makes lovely delicate abstract work. He has exhibited globally and I’ve always considered him more of a fine artist.

Pick Me Up 2011-Takeru Toyokura
Another Japanese artist, Takeru Toyokura shows amazing felt collages that depict weird faceless figures in surreal situations. Blonde haired children float against grandiose architecture. Strangely wonderful.

Pick Me Up 2011-Otecki
Polish artist Otecki creates black block prints inspired by both traditional iconography and graffitti. Loved his owl.

Pick Me Up 2011-Yoh Nagao
Another Japanese artist: Yoh Nagao is another surrealist collagist (do you sense a bit of a theme yet?)

Annelie Carlstrom uses a propelling pencil to fashion detailed pictures of girls with huge faces and extravagant hair. Quite unsettling.

Pick Me Up 2011-Paul Blow
Paul Blow‘s work really caught my eye for it’s strong colours and amusing narratives.

Pick Me Up 2011-Tom Gauld
Tom Gauld creates a weekly cartoon for the Guardian newspaper and you will no doubt be familiar with his unique drawings and quirky ideas – he used to run an independent publishing house with my bessie mate, the super talented Simone Lia.

Pick Me Up 2011-Polly Becker
Polly Becker‘s surrealist illustrations are created through the assemblage of ephemera.

Pick Me Up 2011-Stefanie Posavec
My boyfriend was most taken with the work of Stefanie Posavec, a graduate of Colorado State University who has an MA in Communication Design from Central Saint Martins. Her data visualisation is almost autistic in it’s detail.

I would love to see more emphasis on really new talent in this section, or perhaps in another bespoke section. Not to mention more variety in style (surreal, collage…) and a real nod to all the amazing home bred talent that is so prevalent on the blogosphere, in the zine world and elsewhere in the UK. The work shown is of an undoubtedly high standard but I think it’s an opportunity missed.

Pick Me Up 2011-Print Club London
Print Club London.

Nobrow and Ditto Press showcase their innovative independent publishing work on this floor, then above and below this gallery are stationed the collectives who pitched to take part in Pick Me Up. Print Club London is once again holding live screen-printing workshops.

Pick Me Up 2011-Sister Arrow
I particularly liked the print (for sale) by Sister Arrow, who has created an imaginary pygmy super-race simply called Sumo Babies of which I presume Crystal String Dance is one.

Pick Me Up 2011-Margaux Carpentier
I also liked Margaux Carpentier‘s work. Her print is inspired by an Eskimo legend where the first woman meets the wolf-god Amarok.

Pick Me Up 2011-Jaguar Shoes
The JaguarShoes Collective is showing for the first time, with lots of work for sale from a wide variety of loosely associated artists. For Pick Me Up they have created a Campfire wall – featuring over sized marshmallows and flickering tissue flames.

Pick Me Up 2011-Nous Vous
Next door is the minimalist Nous Vous set up.

Pick Me Up 2011-Samuel Esquire
Puck Collective are hosting a busy room that resembles a working studio. I particularly liked the strong graphic work of Samuel Esquire.

Pick Me Up 2011-Evening Tweed
Evening Tweed‘s exhibition space looks like a trendy aspirational shop in Brick Lane, with artfully arranged mementos lined around the walls. I wish my studio space looked like this!

Pick Me Up 2011-Anthony Burrill
Anthony Burrill is hosting the big central space – he may be an interesting graphic artist but he’s no Rob Ryan when it come to production techniques: expect photocopied collage opportunities and DJ-ing.

Pick Me Up 2011-Anthony Burrill
Pick Me Up Anthony Burrill area.

Suddenly it was closing time so I missed the It’s Nice That section and what looked like an interesting 3D concept from Them Lot – make sure you drop in to be filmed as one of the characters in their cardboard city. Leaving, visitors pass through the Concrete Hermit bookstore, which is much better placed than it was last year. From tomorrow (a bit late in the day I will concede) the shop will stock copies of both my books. Make sure you take a moment to peruse through Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration and Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration – both of which are choc-a-bloc with *brand* new illustration talent.

Pick Me Up 2011-Nous Vous uke.

It’s exciting that an event like Pick Me Up exists, but disheartening that it isn’t more wide ranging and ambitious in the scope of its activities. What about the practical use of illustration and graphic art? Evening Tweed features some fabulous gilded Russian dolls, Nous Vous show a bespoke illustrated ukelele and the JaguarShoes Collective offers illustrated objects to buy, but there is very little consideration of how illustration can be applied to products within the exhibition as a whole or in the workshop schedule.

And what about the many different commercial aspects of working as an illustrator today? Where are the children’s book illustrators, the fashion illustrators, the illustrators who tackle sustainability within their work? Where is the discussion of the many many ways in which illustration is utilised within the online world, in animation and in editorial? Aspects of this will hopefully be brought up in workshops but I feel very strongly that there are only so many prints that people can buy for their walls, and an applied context is what differentiates illustration and graphic design from fine art so it really should be talked about in an exhibition such as this.

Pick Me Up 2011-Evening Tweed Russian Dolls
Evening Tweed Russian Dolls.

I also think it would be nice if different collectives and publishing houses were invited to take part in Pick Me Up every year, rather than many of the same ones returning again – I had a strong feeling of Deja Vu. And of course, lastly, I’d like to see more work from TRULY up and coming illustrators. There are so many very great ones out there….

You can read my full listing for Pick Me Up, including recommended events, right here. My review of last year’s Pick Me Up event can be read here. And in case you were wondering I feel it’s only right that I admit that I was actually asked to contribute this year. But we couldn’t agree on the best Amelia’s Magazine presence, which is a shame.

There’s always next year…

Just off Brick Lane, capsule past the curry houses and down a side street, here is where Hinshelwood de Borman have set up their newest pop-up shop. My only complaint after spending an hour leafing through the curiosities of ‘Field Work’ is that this isn’t a permanent shop – because it is absolutely lovely.

The selection by Caitlin de Hinshelwood and Rose de Borman offers steep competition when it comes to picking a favourite, more about but I think the printed textiles from Caitlin de Hinshelwood are the stars of the show. Stacks of cushions are adorned with animal prints – one with giraffes, lions and bears, the next with frogs and snakes, and so on. The patterns are repeated on post cards, purses and on dresses for sale at the back. Soft colours and gorgeous, subtle patterns make for unorthodox and brilliant little outfits – like the dress covered in prints of root vegetables.

Cushions by Caitlin de Hinshelwood

Kitty Farrow Press has created a special range of notebooks for Field Work, all marked with an antlers logo. Continuing the animal theme are spoons cut from antlers by Kirsten Hecktermann – if that sounds like too much the shop also has some carved wooden spoons on offer.

Other treats include some very cute medieval replica pewter brooches, papier-mâché masks, and lovely old-style screwdriver sets from Elementary Design. The taxidermy is the work of Jazmine Miles-Long, an ethical taxidermist who only uses animals that have died from natural causes. Shipping Forecast Knitwear has some fantastic wooly hats on display, made in the UK from Aran wool but bringing to mind windswept isles in Nordic waters.

Neal Jones

Down the stairs is the gallery, and the show is entitled ‘Weird Folk’ with art by Betsy Dadd, Neal Jones and Max Wade. The warm and playful paintings almost beg to be touched, especially the smeared brush-strokes and rough edges of some of the art – which makes me want to start painting again as the artists make it look like so much fun.

Betsy Dadd

Field Work runs between 15th and 20th March in Spitalfields, at 65 Hanbury Street, London E1 5JP. For more information see our listing. If you miss it there’s an online shop here.

Illustration by Natasha Thompson

This write has taken far, information pills far longer than it actually should have, buy more about which is no reflection on the beautiful collection I saw relatively on Wednesday morning several weeks ago. It’s completely down to inertia and mental blocks; utterly rubbish, but there you go. So whilst the womenswear editors and buyers had jetted off to Milan it was left to the rest of us and a Mr Hamish Bowles to enjoy the delights of J.W. Anderson‘s show. It is worth noting that by now the glamour of most fashion shows had dulled a little and I was fast developing the urge to move rows forward to the front. I was no longer just grateful to attend but damn it do they not know who I am? Obviously they did, or rather they knew who I wasn’t and quite rightly plonked me in the fourth row. I quickly moved forward. Shame and modesty is wasted at these shows.

Illustration by Aniela Murphy

As the lights dimmed the sound of an arctic gale blew through the show space, as if we weren’t chilly enough, before giving way to Nordic house. It was a great soundtrack and set the tone for a multi layered collection that showcased great talent and eye across both formal and casual wear. The palette was primarily navy and charcoal brilliantly punctuated with paisley prints, whites, and olive greens.

All photography by Matt Bramford

The fact I struggle to define which element of the collection was strongest tells of its strength. In a large collection it is often easy to pick and choose what you like, with only 28 looks each one needs to stand on its own but also within the line up. J.W. Anderson has definitely achieved this with this collection; be it the new and exciting knitwear, the floor length kilts, panelled overcoats or hooded tailoring.

Illustration by Gabriel Ayala

The knitwear was fresh, jumpers with missing front panels, Scandinavian-inspired detailing or webbed bands to hold in place. No longer just tied loosely round the waist the bands held the jumper tight in around the knee. Cardigans in a fine gauge knit or latex were layered over each other adding another exciting element.

A strong trend at fashion week this year has been panelled trenchcoats, both amongst the fashion elite and on the runway, and this was picked up on the Anderson catwalk. Anderson took it a step further creating fantastic midnight blue standalone jackets with printed quilted hoods.

Illustration by Natasha Thompson

Overall London menswear day is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with. No longer a nominal notion tacked on the end but championing both established and upcoming designers. It’s a shame it still clashes with Milan and as such most of the press have left already. But with British and Irish menswear being championed by the likes of Anderson we have much to look forward to.

See more from Aniela Murphy and Natasha Thompson in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration!

Written by Nick Bain on Monday March 21st, 2011 11:41 am

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Aniela Murphy, ,AW11, ,Cardigans, ,Gabriel Ayala, ,Hamish Bowles, ,illustration, ,J.W. Anderson, ,knitwear, ,London Fashion Week, ,Matt Bramford, ,menswear, ,Natasha Likes Tea, ,Natasha Thompson, ,Nick Bain, ,Nordic, ,Paisley, ,Scandinavian

Amelia’s Magazine | Junky Styling: an interview with self-taught fashion designers Annika Sanders and Kerry Seager

Tania Kowalski was a workshop manager at a well-known contemporary jewellery gallery in London when Synnove Saelthun arrived from New York to join the design team. They soon discovered that they had similar views on design and business ethics, more about cialis 40mg and became good friends. Several years later they started the Oria brand, prescription using Synnove’s design skills and Tania’s production expertise. Synnove is a technically brilliant goldsmith with a passion for design and an eye for detail. Tania is a trained jeweller, viagra with a wide range of experience in the jewellery industry, from design creation through to production. Her expertise includes sourcing ethical materials and ensuring fair business practice.

Tania’s passion for other cultures has led her to visit remote tribes in the Amazon of Brazil, hill tribes in Nepal and the Dogon people of Mali. It was during these travels that she became fascinated with the cultural importance and symbolic meaning of tribal adornment. When designing a new collection, the couple sit down together to discuss what the new collection will symbolise. They research and refine story boards, and after ensuring that the designs are technically feasible Synnove makes an initial prototype, the best of which will go into production.

The use of the phoenix is a symbol of honesty and justice in Chinese mythology, and is one of the inspirations for the Nina collection. The lotus symbolises purity and beauty in many different cultures, and it inspired their silver lotus collection.

Working in Nepal Tania discovered that the safe working conditions and fair living wages which we take for granted in the West are not necessarily the norm in other parts of the world. This early experience was important in persuading Tania to commit to fairtrade sourcing as a founding principle of Oria.

Vintage fashion, about it illustrated by Matilde Sazio

Kim Sklinar, viagra sale aka Preloved Reloved, cheap has set herself an interesting New Year’s challenge. For the duration of 2011, Kim isn’t going to buy any new clothes. No more high-street bargains, no more feeding corporate giants, no more fast-fashion waste, no siree. ‘Another one?’ I hear you cry – and you’d be right. But this one is a little different.

While Kim hopes to raise awareness about the amount of cheap clothing we purchase and what effects that has on the environment and people’s lives, there’s also a bigger reason closer to home. Kim’s father was diagnosed with cancer over 18 months ago, and she decided to set up the project to raise funds for Macmillan, the cancer care and support charity. Unfortunately, as of only last week, Kim’s dad won’t see the project through its fruition. But Kim will dedicate the project to his memory.

So, how do you do it? Well, Kim’s vowed to buy only vintage and from outlets like eBay, and she’ll spend more time in charity shops which also benefits all of the organisations that run them. I had a chat with her about the project and how she thinks she’ll manage it all…

Vintage shop, illustrated by Karolina Burdon

What gave you the idea for Preloved, Reloved in the first place?
Well I always like to dress a little differently. My style is mainstream with a retro edge, I suppose. I always seem to end up with a daft New Year’s resolution – last year I cycled from London to Paris for The Institute of Cancer Research. I like using my time to help others and spread awareness.

Were you a fan of vintage and upcycling before you started the project?
Yes! I always admire my friends’ outfits; well, those who wear vintage and second-hand fashion. Upcycling is something I have experimented with for ages at home and now is the time to make sure I actually finish some projects!

Where will you source your outfits?
Charity shops, vintage stores, eBay, my mum’s wardrobe…! I made a lined cape last night from linen and satin for balmy summer nights (booking a holiday soon!).

Charity shops, illustrated by Rukmunal Hakim

What does the project hope to achieve?
I want to raise awareness of numerous charities related to my Dad’s illnesses. I want my friends to know that too much of an unhealthy lifestyle is probably going to lead to an early demise. I also want to raise the profile of vintage and second-hand fashion; I remember as a kid we use to take the mick out of anyone who dressed from a charity shop. I myself as a student had a stigma against them. Now it’s become kitsch, cool and quirky. It’s good for the environment.

How much do you hope to raise and what are the funds likely to be used for?
£2500 is my Just Giving target – it goes directly to Macmillan. However, with my shopping at many different charity shops, my cash goes straight to them – win win all round! I have my thinking cap on about how to expand the project though.

eBay! Illustration by Avril Kelly

Why did you choose Macmillan?
My dad (and his dad) had cancer – he died last week unfortunately. And it wasn’t the cancer that killed him, it was his heart and his adult-onset diabetes. A poor lifestyle in his twenties and thirties caused it and he was only 57 when he passed. So as I said before, this project benefits other charities focussing on these causes too through me spending money at their outlets.

Not that far in, but have you come accross any problems so far? Has anything that happened that you weren’t expecting?
Avoiding shops is quite hard as I realised I can’t just pop into the Topshop sale and treat myself – which I suppose is good for my wallet and I’m going to do less impulse-buying on the way home from work.
With my Dad passing, I haven’t had as much time to go browsing shops as much as I’d like. This weekend, however, I’m going to the Girls of Guildford vintage fair and gig – for some serious retail therapy, cupcake-nomming and also to check out some great live music away from the bustle of London.

Vintage, illustrated by Jess Holt

What are you wearing today? Where’s it all from?
Dark blue skinny jeans, leather knee boots that I already owned with black and cream patterned blouse from River Island that I bought from Cancer Research UK. I’m also wearing red rose earrings from Magnolia Jewellery.

Do you plan to make or alter any of your clothes? If so, how?
Yes – I love sewing and making jewellery too – I made a cape last week and have upcycled a pair of old, torn jeans from my uni days into a denim mini. I have a small collection of retro patterns including a lovely dress with a pussy bow. I love being able to create something out of fabric I love: last year I went to a lovely Indian wedding and couldn’t find The Outfit – so I made a purple maxi-dress with a halterneck and glammed it up with ribbons dangling down my back. Saved myself a fortune too!

Illustration by Gilly Rochester

What else do you get up to?
I run Never Enough Notes – a music e-zine, and I’m cycling the London-Brighton this summer with my brother and friends to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

What would be your perfect Preloved, Reloved outfit?
For daytime it would easily be vintage jeans, brown boots that look a bit worn-out, a floaty shirt or cheeky tee, a tweed jacket and a battered satchel.
For evening, I love ball gowns and retro dresses so would be something glam that I could wear with a pair of 1970s heels! Oh there’s way too much choice, I love it!

Photographs by Kim Sklinar

You can follow Kim’s efforts at the Preloved, Reloved blog; donate online here.

Junky Styling S/S 2010 by Aniela Murphy.

Annika Sanders and Kerry Seager are self-taught fashion designers. They started up Junky Styling after they received lots of compliments for their deconstructed and restyled secondhand suits made to go out clubbing in during the 1990’s.

What prompted your approach to dressmaking?
Our approach was initially borne out of a lack of money but it soon became a necessity for individuality and quality. At first Annika’s mother did most of the sewing so our designs were heavily directed by her.

Have you seen many changes over the years?
Aside from all the wrinkles on our faces? We have seen the tangible development of a marketplace that never existed before. Education has enabled the sustainable movement to become more widely accepted and understood, approved and now many new brands think about sustainability before they even start designing.

Where did you go out in the past and do you still go clubbing?
We went to a wide mixture of venues that hosted a similar dressy scene. It was such a brilliant time, and we still enjoy socialising and a bit of a shuffle. But we always try to ensure that we are not the oldest at the bar…

Read the rest of this interview and see more illustrations of Junky Styling’s clothing in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, alongside interviews with 44 other ethical fashion designers and 30 fabulous fashion illustrators. You can buy the book here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday January 25th, 2011 5:54 pm

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Aniela Murphy, ,Annika Sanders, ,Eco fashion, ,Ethical Fashion, ,Junky Styling, ,Kerry Seager, ,The Apprentice

Amelia’s Magazine | Is the beauty industry moving towards a more earth friendly narrative?

ethicalbeauty_aniela murphy
ethical beauty by sandra contreras
Illustration by Sandra Contreras

The beauty industry changes as fast as the fashion industry, store constantly updating in line with the latest trends. Fashion has taken an organic and earth friendly approach for some time now, best epitomised in high profile clothing brands such as People Tree. Now earth-friendly beauty products are burgeoning too. Words such as Ethical, Natural and Organic have become common when it comes to the latest beauty products, but what do these actually mean, and is there a difference between them? If a product is ethical do we somehow think it is natural as well? If something is natural must it also be organic? I’ll now take you through an explanation of these expressions and what they can mean for your skin, and the planet.??

Ethical:
Ethical means being conscious of the efforts and conditions under which products are produced. It is often linked with Community Trade Programs such as Fair Trade. A good example of an ethical company is The Body Shop, which sources Fair Trade ingredients from countries such as Africa and South America. On the other end of the spectrum questions have been raised about the conditions of workers making Katie Price’s branded perfumes, which were withdrawn from the shelves of Superdrug earlier this year. Most ethical products are not tested on animals, but for this consumers must always check the packaging.

Dee-Andrews-Ethical-Beauty
Illustration by Dee Andrews

Natural:
?Natural is another confusing term when applied to beauty products. Brands which use this term include Lush, The Body Shop, Origins and many more. Natural can be applied to the state in which we are without intervention, i.e. no makeup or enhancements. However one may ‘naturally enhancing’ one’s natural features with minimal make up. ?Natural beauty, figuratively speaking, is made from nature, so if you go get some sugar and honey and mix them together for an exfoliating face mask, it would be natural, and the ingredients would be 100% natural. Lush aspires to make 100% natural products but they include this disclaimer: “we go for lovely natural ingredients and use as few synthetics as possible. In fact, we have an incredible range of natural products with no synthetics at all. Over 70% of our range is totally unpreserved and we will aim to improve on that.” (Lush, 2010) Which leads to the conclusion that up to 30% of lush’s products are not 100% natural, even though the entire range is marketed to consumers as natural skincare.

Organic:
Organic skincare means there is no chemicals, colourings, flavourings or additives in the production of ingredients or at the manufacturing stage. Brands which focus on organic skincare include Lush, Neal’s Yard, L’Occitane, Organic Surge and Liz Earle. Organic skincare naturally overlaps with natural skincare.

ethical_beauty3_by_jennifercostello
Illustration by Jennifer Costello

?It’s easy to get confused by these words, especially if you’re committed to being earth friendly, so which kind of products should you go for? The decision might be easier than you think… More often than not, ethical products are to some degree, natural and organic, for example, The Body Shop adheres to both ethical and Fair Trade policies and sources natural ingredients for the majority of their products. But not all organic products are particularly ethical. Take the newly released Bourjois Bio-Detox Organic Foundation which boasts 98% natural ingredients and 21% organic ingredients… how is it maunfactured?

ethicalbeauty_aniela murphy
Illustration by Aniela Murphy

Maybe it’s increasing awareness of how harmful chemicals can be to our skin or the ever increasing pressure to be kind to the environment; but the demand for more environmentally-friendly products has certainly inspired companies to seek profit from organic and natural products in growing numbers. As consumers, we are easily be lured into thinking that anything ‘natural’ is good for us and the environment, but it’s important to consider how these products are made as well, so it could be argued that ethical production is by far the most important aspect of any purchase. Ethical production ensures that workers get fair pay and conditions, but there is also the very serious risk of over dependence on the huge markets of the capitalist west: forcing yet another kind of colonialism onto impoverished parts of the world.

In the meantime maybe it’s best to buy from small brands that strive to make things locally from 100% natural and organic ingredients. Coming next…

Written by Sarah Critchley on Monday October 25th, 2010 11:00 am

Categories ,Aniela Murphy, ,Bourjois Bio-Detox Organic Foundation, ,capitalism, ,Dee Andrews, ,ethical, ,Ethical Beauty, ,fairtrade, ,Jennifer Costello, ,Katie Price, ,Liz Earle, ,lush, ,L’Occitane, ,Natural Products, ,Neal’s Yard, ,organic, ,Organic Surge, ,Origins, ,People Tree, ,Sandra Contreras, ,Superdrug, ,The Body Shop

Amelia’s Magazine | Is the beauty industry moving towards a more earth friendly narrative?

ethicalbeauty_aniela murphy
ethical beauty by sandra contreras
Illustration by Sandra Contreras

Dee-Andrews-Ethical-Beauty
Illustration by Dee Andrews

ethical_beauty3_by_jennifercostello
Illustration by Jennifer Costello

ethicalbeauty_aniela murphy
Illustration by Aniela Murphy

In the meantime maybe it’s best to buy from small brands that strive to make things locally from 100% natural and organic ingredients. Coming next…

Written by Sarah Critchley on Monday October 25th, 2010 11:00 am

Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week: Chapeau Claudette Hat Party

Now I know the term fashionable late was termed in fashion circles, more about here but I really didn’t think fashion could be this late. Fifty minutes late to be exact. Even best friends would not be excused an unapologetic wait like that. So while waiting, I played spot the style editor, Alexandra Schulman sat a few rows in front of me and opposite her on the other side of the catwalk sat Hilary Alexandra who was joined by Alexa Chung (I know not a style editor). Popping of flashes alerted me to Louise Roe of Vogue TV. It all felt so fashion, darhling!

Then the moment had arrived, the lights went out and the music started up. I felt a swirl of excitement as the models marched down the catwalk. This was designer Avsh Alom Gur’s first proper catwalk season as creative director for Ossie Clark and he gave us a taste of what we are all hoping for next summer, louche poolside cocktail drinking in a tropical paradise.

Silk flowed to form sleeveless jumpsuits and swirling floor length dresses. High waisted knee length shorts were paired with draped translucent blouses. Boldly printed dresses evocked exotic summer holidays which added a more youthful element to the grown up stylings. Colour-wise, every shade from nude to coral was shown, with flashes of fuchsia, emerald green and indigo to add a vibrant summer look. But, my favourite use of colour was coral teamed with lavender, such a fresh use of colour is always welcome.

exotic%20prints.jpg

coral%20and%20violet.jpg

But fashion lovers of the iconic Ossie Clark, would have been disappointed in the lack of Celia Birtwell style prints (only two looks borrowed from that strong heritage) and seventies glam, Clark was originally famed for. Sure the collection was glam, but it lack a real distinctive look, the draped flowing forms were not instantly recognisable as Ossie Clark or anything else for that matter. Re-inventing a former great brand is always a difficult task and this was only Gur’s second season at Ossie Clark. Whilst channelling sexy subtle feminine styling, the collection lacked an all important cohesive look.

celia%20birtwell.jpg

Nikki Shaill is the brains and baker behind the Great Cake Escape; a guerilla
art project ‘on a mission to liberate cakes from the confines of the
kitchen.’ She and Lorraine Williams have been baking cakes and leaving them
to be found on the streets of Shoreditch since November last year. Their aim is
to sweeten the days of those lucky enough to find the sugary treats, case which often
bear naughty messages provoking response from the public.

Combining her passions for cake and art, here Nikki Shaill curated and hosted the Great Cake Escape at Kemistry Gallery for The Shoreditch Shuffle. The festival wristband gained you entry to the exhibition as well as access to as much cake as you could fit in your face. Between mouthfuls, check I had a chance to look at some of the
contributors’ artwork.

Staying in tune with the teatime theme was work by Reiko Kaneko and Tina
Tsang. Reiko’s tableware winks its eye at elegance with a cheeky grin,
decorating plates with gold cracks and teacup rims with gilded lipstick stains.
Tina’s ‘Undergrowth Design’ project features the Blau Blume range
where tea cups have legs for handles and cake stands are adorned with dolls’
heads.

reiko%20kaneko.jpg

Ruby Assatourian examines femininity and all thats associated with it.
Materials she uses range from icing sugar to the less appetizing pages of porn
magazines. She steers clear of revealing any explicit imagery though, choosing
instead to create subtle pieces that provoke thought and conversation about
women in the sex-industry.

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On a lighter note, Tinsel Edwards‘s series,the ‘Graffiti Paintings’
consists of paintings Tinsel has found at fleamarkets and endorsed with her
trademark slogans, cheekily poking fun at the conventional art world. With
both Saatchi and Banksy amongst those buying her art, Tinsel is my bet for the next big thing; have a look at her work on website stelladore.com.

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Illustrator Zarina Liew shows ‘The Hunter Series’ in its entirety for the
first time. Inspired by vintage fashion, Japanese printmaking and conceptual
psychology, Zarina’s work follows a fairytale- like narrative, combined with
a deeper look at lust and self-ruin.

I was only at the gallery on Saturday, but on the Sunday shuffle, the gallery-turned-tea-room was scheduled to host burlesque bombshell Cherri Shakewell, who I’m sure shook her stuff for an audience, happy to put down their fondant fancies for a show from ‘The lady of the Cake‘!

look at all those yummy cakes!

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oh what a pretty dress!

Monday 15th September

Gig of the week

Born Ruffians – Dingwalls, viagra London

Born Ruffians return to the UK for a run of shows – and a very lucky few would have actually seen them twice in one day.

Bon Iver – Exeter University
Metallica – O2 Arena, healing London
O Children and Snax – Durr at The End, London
The Wave Pictures – Manchester Academy, Manchester
The Cocknbullkid and Dels – Elgar Room at The Royal Albert Hall, London
The Streets – HMV, Oxford Circus, London

Tuesday 16th September

Black Lips, King Khan and BBQ Show, London
Born Ruffians – Night and Day Cafe, Manchester
Echo And The Bunnymen – Royal Albert Hall, London
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster – Orange Box, Yeovil
Herman Dune and Lawrence Arabia – Old Blue Last, London
Peter Bjorn and John – Koko, London

Wednesday 17th September

Finley Quaye – Jazz Café, London
The Rascals – The Picket, Liverpool
Shearwater and The Constantines – Bush Hall, London
Shane Gilliver, Beans On Toast, Paul Mosley and James Edge – Edinburgh
Glasvegas – Academy, Manchester

Thursday 18th September

A Human and Flykkiller – Red Banana Club at Under The Westway, London
Black Affair and Proxy – Fabric, London
Slow Club – Barfly, Glasgow
Crystal Castles and Metronomy – Electric Ballroom, London
Morton Valence and Barth – The Enterprise, London
Naive New Beaters, No Picasso, Silhouette and Great Eskimo Hoax – Proud Galleries, London
Collapsing Cities – Orange Rooms, Southampton
Dead Kids and Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man – London Airwaves at Macbeth
Jeffrey Lewis and The Wave Pictures – The Scala, London

Friday 19th October

Digitalism, David E Sugar and Cazals – Astoria, London
London Airwaves Festival – Young Knives, The Whip, Florence and The Machine, These New Puritans, Wild Beasts and more – Several Shoreditch Venues, London
Pete and The Pirates and Alvarez Kings, London
Ipso Facto – Cockpit, Leeds
Unkle, Late Of The Pier and Iglu and Hartley – Matter, London
Little Man Tate – Roadmenders, Northampton
Man Like Me, Swanton Bombs, Nat Jenkins and Alice Grant and The Cool Dudes – Macbeth, London
Andrew WK – Madame Jo Jo’s, London
No Bra and My Tiger Timing – 333, London

Saturday 20th September

Afrikan Boy – Cargo, London
Crystal Fighters, Granville Sessions and Stoltz – Rhythm Factory, London
Graffiti Island, Miss Something and Marmaduke Dando
Andrew WK – Astoria 2, London
Heartsrevolution, The Ruling Class and ddd – The Monarch, London
Ipso Facto and Bearsuit – Proud Galleries, London
Ponytail, Gentle Friendly and Hands On Heads – Amersham Arms, London

Sunday 21st September

The Ghost Frequency, Ocelot, Kids Love Lies and Chew Lips – Proud Galleries, London
Thomas Tantrum – Bar Academy, Oxford
White Lies – Club Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Johnny Foreigner – Lamp, Hull

Monday 15th September

Gig of the week

Born Ruffians – Dingwalls, store London

Born Ruffians return to the UK for a run of shows – and a very lucky few would have actually seen them twice in one day.

Bon Iver – Exeter University
Metallica – O2 Arena, page London
O Children and Snax – Durr at The End, and London
The Wave Pictures – Manchester Academy, Manchester
The Cocknbullkid and Dels – Elgar Room at The Royal Albert Hall, London
The Streets – HMV, Oxford Circus, London

Tuesday 16th September

Black Lips, King Khan and BBQ Show, London
Born Ruffians – Night and Day Cafe, Manchester

Echo And The Bunnymen – Royal Albert Hall, London

I dont know whether they have reached legendary status yet, my guess is that they have. They’re certainly well worth seeing live.

The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster – Orange Box, Yeovil
Herman Dune and Lawrence Arabia – Old Blue Last, London
Peter Bjorn and John – Koko, London

Wednesday 17th September

Thursday 18th September

Friday 19th October

Digitalism, David E Sugar and Cazals – Astoria, London

London Airwaves Festival – Young Knives, The Whip, Florence and The Machine, These New Puritans, Wild Beasts and more – Several Shoreditch Venues, London

It’s the smaller version of Iceland’s Airwaves Festival, based in London. All with the bar crawl mentality of the Camden Crawl, which is set to fill the fanciest of venues around Shoreditch. In other words, it is going to be loads of fun.

Pete and The Pirates and Alvarez Kings, London
Ipso Facto – Cockpit, Leeds
Unkle, Late Of The Pier and Iglu and Hartley – Matter, London
Little Man Tate – Roadmenders, Northampton
Man Like Me, Swanton Bombs, Nat Jenkins and Alice Grant and The Cool Dudes – Macbeth, London
Andrew WK – Madame Jo Jo’s, London
No Bra and My Tiger Timing – 333, London

Saturday 20th September

Afrikan Boy – Cargo, London
Crystal Fighters, Granville Sessions and Stoltz – Rhythm Factory, London

Crystal Fighters are interesting and should not be viewed with the opinion that they will be like a mixture between Crystal Castles and Foo Fighter, because they’re not.

Graffiti Island, Miss Something and Marmaduke Dando
Andrew WK – Astoria 2, London
Heartsrevolution, The Ruling Class and ddd – The Monarch, London
Ipso Facto and Bearsuit – Proud Galleries, London
Ponytail, Gentle Friendly and Hands On Heads – Amersham Arms, London

Sunday 21st September

The Ghost Frequency, Ocelot, Kids Love Lies and Chew Lips – Proud Galleries, London
Thomas Tantrum – Bar Academy, Oxford
White Lies – Club Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Johnny Foreigner – Lamp, Hull

“There’s glitter everywhere, treatment it’s like an eleven year old girl’s party” says the opening artist – a dead ringer for a really bad Keane – to no one in particular. Well this is a Seabear show. What do you expect? Slam dancing and beer throwing? Cup cakes and cardigans abound. Prior the anticipated onslaught of twee we’re treated to Kopek. Shelsmusic’s finest exponents of pastoral un-rock eschew their usual Loop station aided live show for a stripped down acoustic offering. It works a treat. This bare bones set up shows Kopek to have that special quality that makes a band truly affecting. For while hushed/scuffed and flute-assisted acoustic laments are two a penny, Kopek’s are suffused with such melody, soul and charm you’re left weeping into your beer.

Morr Music’s Seabear, contrast starkly to such intimacy. They can’t help that of course because there’s about six of them precariously positioned around the stage, hitting various bits of kooky percussion. With this in mind, their fondness for granny clothes, their name and the fact that they hail from Reykjavik, one would be forgiven for dismissing Seabear as yet more twee twaddle. You’d be mistaken. Seabear specialise, rather disarmingly, in a kind of hipster approved, jaunty, country rock. Like if Sweet Heart of the Rodeo era Byrds had rocked American Apparel skinny fits instead of kaftans. Well sort of. It’s not quite as rich and as deep as that but it’s certainly not what one would expect and it renders the Seabear live experience even more enjoyable. Playing vast chunks of their delectably delicate Ghost That Carried Us Away album, singer, Sindri Már Sigfússon, stares through the audience with a bug eyed intensity as his band whip up a quiet storm of frazzled, fuzzy, folk-rock behind him. They play “I Sing I Swim” which does it for me mainly because it sounds like an exotica take on “Another Girl, Another Planet” The Only Ones.

Indeed, there’s nothing quite like having one’s smug preconceptions smashed on a drab Monday night. This Seabear do with aplomb.

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The sky really couldn’t have been greyer when we rolled up to the gates of Offset festival, medicine but I was defiant that this summer’s appalling weather wasn’t going to dampen my mood, even if it was to dampen my jacket, for another festival this year. As soon as we were in we headed straight for Slow Club, who’s set was to bring rays of hope to our day. They’re a duo that really couldn’t appear much happier on stage, and with a fantastic set like they unleashed that day; they really deserve to be there.

After that we decided to take a whirlwind tour of the festival sight, which all seemed to be very relaxed – which at the time I believed to be because of the picturesque settings. Afterwards I came to realise that this was probably due to the lack of a police presence. The taxi driver we had to get to the station just in time to catch the last tube home later informed us that the organisers had not informed the police, or the bus services about the event. I don’t know how true this is, but it did appear that if you missed the last tube, you were destined to spend a night at the festival – and there was not a police man in sight at the festival.

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So So Modern were probably my favourites of the day

So So Modern however far better at getting themselves organised. Their set was a mesmerising half hour of intertwining electronic pop fantastic-ness. We even endured a fairly heavy downpour to catch the whole of their set.

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Black Devil Disco

I was left quite chuffed in the aftermath of their set, and decided some time in the bar was needed. The amenities at Offset were top notch for such a small festival, apart from the staple festival drinks prices which always get me riled. I also couldn’t find the rare breeds farm that was apparently running alongside the festival, but perhaps Black Devil Disco are a rare breed spectacle in themselves. Seeing them was a real treat mainly because one of the guys just kept laughing at everything, and when he wasn’t doing this he was leaning back and making peace signs with his hands. The whole show was hilarious, but in the nicest possible way – it just helped to get everybody moving on what was in all fairness, a muggy Sunday afternoon.

Metronomy were next to don the stage, even though it took them an age to appear. I thought they may have dropped the whole lights on chests dance routine, due to the fact they are perceived as being quite successful now and no longer require such gimmicks. But the Ikea light t-shirts were out in force, and their whole set reminded me of the first time I saw them.

After a brief spell watching Blood Red Shoes (who I’ve just never really been able to get into), we headed into the Girlcore tent to enjoy the worldwide influenced Radioclit. When we arrived, the tent was empty, even though the music was fantastic. They seemed to realise this themselves though, and only really played tracks to entertain themselves. As soon as the tent began to fill though, the tunes began to become more and more energetic. The atmosphere in there was fantastic, with people of literally all ages dancing on tables and laughing at the Radioclit guys dressed up in drag. We literally had to tear ourselves away come the time for Gang Of Four on the main stage.

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Girlcore!

The chance to see such legends is perhaps quite an honor, but of the bands from that era Gang of Four are not fully to my taste. Saying that though a band revered as much as them are surely worth seeing, and I was a little more won round to the idea after spotting a microwave on stage. I don’t really know why, it just intrigued me. They were late on stage, which really wasn’t much of a shock, and they did put on a decent show. The lead singer jumping around acting like a gorilla was my favourite bit though, as the microwave wasn’t really put to much use in the end. It was a show purely for their biggest fans to enjoy though, and seeing as I would hardly class myself as one, there was a limit to how much it could delight me.

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Gang of Four’s epic, yet quite budget, light show

‘Expect the unexpected’. Photographic maestro David Bailey‘s quote is scrawled touchingly across one of Tim Walker‘s early sketchbooks, for sale prominently displayed at the start of this survey of the last decade of Walker’s work. And, indeed, the unexpected pops out at every corner as dyed animals, exquisite couture, crumbling country houses and oversized props collide.

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What you notice as you walk round is that Walker’s shoots and his vision gradually becomes more complicated and ambitious. We go from models lounging on giant versions of Vogue in a studio to a shoot in a crumbling maharajah’s palace. But his simpler works can hold their own against their showier relations; indeed some of the most powerful works in the whole show are the starkly absurd Ice cream Chandelier (2007) or subtle Gert (1998).

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Our age of digital smoke and mirrors, where mundane scenes are manipulated into extraordinariness, can tame the eye into being complacent to the kind of fantasia on display here. But seeing a huge white kid glove coupled with the photograph reinforces how much the pictures are indebted to Walker’s collaborators. The notebooks and Polaroids displayed alongside the main pictures highlight the continuity of Walker’s body of work, with a visual language that coalesces and grows.

Walker is a great fashion photographer and like other greats, such as Beaton or Bailey, his work is about more than just selling clothes. The England evoked in many of the photos such as Otis Ferry in full riding regalia coupled with his hounds or shambolically glamorous fading country houses- is described in the blurb as a ‘romantic vision of an England now lost’.

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He captures an England that never existed in any one place or time, an eccentric myth peddled around the world like a brand. (It is interesting that a big share of the work here is for Italian and Japanese Vogue, not just British Vogue). The loadedness of the idealised ‘England’ is exposed in the uncomfortable otherness of the shoot with tribesmen in Papua New Guinea and a neo-colonial vibe in Lily Cole’s India shoot.

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This show does not have the backward glancing feel of a retrospective because potential zings from so much of the work. The last room has some great recent portraits for Vanity Fair (including a wonderful compliant Bill Nighy in top hat, tails and bunny feet), a very Beaton-esque route for Walker. The least successful pictures in the show are those of cinema screens in unexpected places, on a lake at sunset, on a hillside- they land this side of mawkish. However, they seem to ask what Walker could do if he were unleashed onto a film or theatre set.

One photo, in the last room, tantalises that thought. A tableau vivant crossed with a momento mori, the backdrop is an old hunting lodge; prima ballerinas twitter and stretch beneath a ceiling jam-packed with deer skulls and antlers that have begun to rain down. It is poetic, full of promise and as good a reason as any to see this show before it disappear in a puff of glittery dust.

Get ready to see the Friendly Fires album on that little group of shelves you see every time you enter your local record shop, buy usually baring a title of ‘Highly Recommended’ (which translates to the actual meaning of, viagra “The people who work here are so damn cool they just have to make sure you purchase these albums so you can be cool like them, medical and also they really want to reach their sales targets this month, because all the employees want to win the regional shop of the year and go on that holiday to Disneyland Paris.” I suppose the length of this sign might however be quite a major health and safety hazard.

I can totally understand why it would be on such a shelf of the stated meaning though. By all means, it really is a great album. At first I coudn’t help but think the only tracks I really enjoyed were those I had heard before, and although I love these tracks – it’s always nice to buy an album and be delighted by something new from a band. As with many great albums though, the answer was persistence. There is something fantastic about albums where songs seem to grow on you, slowly becoming your favorites, rewarding you for coming back to them again and again.

Although it’s not necessarily an album that will surprise many, there is very little not to like about it. Also, when they make a great pop sing; they make an absolutely amazing pop song. The likes of ‘Jump In The Pool’ and ‘Paris’ are such instant delights I can’t quite get my head around it – never mind the fact that they have 3 or 4 other songs of such a similar caliber.

To sum up the album, it’s better than whatever is above, below, to the left or to the right of it on the ‘Highly Recommended’ shelf.

I mourn the loss of hats from women’s daily wardrobes. I mean, approved it’s great that we no longer have to fuss about matching gloves to hand bags or making sure the seams in our stockings are straight – but there no longer seems to even be occassions to wear hats. Hats are becoming thin on the ground too, dosage only ever popping into shops during wedding season. Thank god, pharm then, for Claudette Outland and her ‘Chapeau Claudette’ range. Thank god, also, for the Chapeau Claudette Fashion Week Hat Party at the Soho Review Bar.

We were greeted by Hat Hostesses who provided us with complimentary veils and little diamante versions of the Claudette Outland logo so that we might go on to customise hats of our own. Emma was quick to don her veil because, although she can be seen any day of the week sporting one of her many lovely hats, that day (of all days!) she had left home hatless!

Securing ourselves in a snug little red leather booth, we surveyed the scene. We had arrived a little early (fashion week dictates that half an hour late is actually half an hour too early, dahling!) which meant the bar was a little sparsely populated. Still, we soaked in the sounds of Grace Jones (the hat loving diva would adore Claudette’s creations, I’m sure) and wondered whether the bar’s fitted poles would play any role in our entertainment later.

Grace Jone’s lengthy disco rendition of La Vie En Rose was cut short as the Dusty Stars took to the stage.

The band immediately apologised that they were actually only 3/5ths present and hoped that we would enjoy the acoustic version of their usual set. Unfortunately, we didn’t. It didn’t help matters that the poor depleted loves kept telling us what the songs would usually sound like. To paraphrase the Dusty Stars; “We sometimes have a dancer with us and this is her song”, “This one is usually quite rocky” & “This is normally our big number where we all dance with top hats” were all lines that made us feel let down before they had even played a note of each song. The trio (and sometimes duo) jangled along quite un-eventfully, singing songs of an idealised England called ‘Everville’ (hmmm, now where has that concept cropped up before?).

Still, there was plenty more merriment to be had and, as Grace Jones filled our ears once more we were visited by the wonderful magician Lee Hathaway.

Charming Lee entertained us with a few card tricks – which are always pretty astounding when done so up close and personal. You expect to be able to catch the magician out, but alas… the sober magic man is always faster than the drunken party guests.

Songstress Lail Arad was next to play us some tunes…

Emma and I promptly fell for Lail and her theatrical delivery of her witty lyrics. She took to the piano and sang funny songs about how she wished she was more ‘Fashion’, and then strapped on a guitar to dedicate a song to an extrovert named Joe. With there being no Joe in the audience, she promptly christened one accordingly and sang to them. It was all very Regina Spektor, but this is no bad thing, and I’m sure Emma would agree that we’d happily don our best hats in the future and go and see her again.

With places to go and people to see (Fashion Week is a bit of a whirwind) we unfortunately had to miss headliners Sweet Tooth. Spat back out into neon lit Soho, we had a night of try-hard fashionistas wearing not-very-much ahead of us. I couldn’t help but feel sad to leave a world of well put together ladies, looking elegant from head to toe. I hope it’s not too long before I can don my chapeau again!

Written by Sarah Barnes on Monday September 15th, 2008 11:30 pm

Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week: English Eccentrics ‘Miss Magritte Met a Vampire’

In the words of Public Enemy – “Don’t believe the hype”. This is my mantra for all fashion shows following the Ann-Sofie Back show. My first warning was when they served tiny little portions of mushroom risotto out to the waiting audience. I hate mushrooms, order buy and they had no alternative. It was a bad omen, but I was prepared to excuse as the venue was pretty cool. The Topshop show space in the University of Westminster was a vast warehouse with as much potential as Andy Warhol‘s Factory. Then the lights dimmed, the music started and I knew we were all doomed for the next 20 minutes. First the music: it literally didn’t make any sense. It was a comedy sound-scape that could well have been the backing music to a Laurel and Hardy film. It had no rhythm, no progression and no point.
Then came the clothes. Ann-Sofie Back gave us a collection inspired by OK! and Heat. No, I’m not joking, these are the actual words that she uses in the press release. Any designer that references Britney Spears “pixelated crotch” as inspiration is one that needs sectioned.
All the clothes looked as if the hem had come down, got caught in a revolving door and then been chewed by a dog. Apparently this was homage to Kate Moss’s disintegrating Dior dress at the opening night of The Golden Age of Couture at the V&A. On one particular dress the unravelled hem attached to silver anklets around the models leg. Oh, and some of the models had garters around their thighs. It was all a bit wife-swapping-in-the-suburbs for my liking.
If Ann-Sofie Back is determined to use the C-list celebrities as her inspiration, then who does she hope to dress other than these fame hungry vultures that haunt the weekly gossip magazines? Just as Britney inspired Justin Timberlake‘s Cry Me A River, this collection made me want to weep. Ann-Sofie is definitely not bringing sexy Back.

Alexei of JoFo with a terribly inaccurate flier outside the Liverpool Barfly. (Ed’s Note: There is no one called John or Johnny Foreigner in the band.)

Johnny Foreigner have, approved like so much British Beef reared talent of late, had huge amounts of exposure and press without as of yet releasing an album. However on the back of this near- perfect little EP Arcs Across the City I would say all the digital chatter is fairly justified. JoFo essentially play noisy, cluttered and down right chaotic indie pop at its best, never allowing themselves to forget that it is imposing rhythmic vocals that are needed to win an audience over.

The opener Champagne Girls I Have Known hurtles into view in a way which epitomises the frenzied feel of the band, messy guitar and sporadic drumming opening up, and then getting into swing with a controlled form of chaos. What makes the song – and indeed the band – truly special, is the perfectly balanced duel vocals of Alexei and Junior which compliment each other beautifully. There are perhaps even elements of the ignoble Mark E. Smith in the haywire shouting, the words sounding occasionally uncontrolled and existing independently of their creators. Balancing this on the other hand are the wonderfully melodic lines and segments that arrive out of the clutter, on Suicide Pact, Yeah the vocals sound particularly fine, with a perfect little refrain appearing as girl and boy come together to sing “I’ve got nothing to lose“. The self cited influences of Dismemberment Plan and Q and Not U are glaringly present but JoFo are by no means simply an amalgamation of the two, creating as they have a genuinely unique sound, same but different if you will.

Johnny Foreigner sound as though they have somehow captured the musical zeitgeist at this present time, components from hand clapping to synthesisers to glockenspiel are all present however where lesser bands might use these tools in a derivative or tired way, JoFo integrate many elements together in a manner which is not at all forced. Almost in parallel to fellow new comers Los Campesinos! it feels as though they have been coming for a long time, an amalgamation of trends of the current time, drawing on so many influences yet somehow remaining fresh.

JOFO are TOURING EXTENSIVELY NOW

Photograph by Christel Escosa

Upon one very monotonous day in college, pharmacy I received a call from my partner in crime ranting some inaudible words, but my ears pricked up when I heard the words ‘Skins Premiere Party‘. Much to the envy of all my companions I discovered that yes, I indeed was going to the infamous Skin’s party in London town and you my friend, are not; cue smug face. My mindset was expecting a wild dancing orgy full of drugged delirious crazed ape faces due to excess consumption of everything wrong under the sun, courtesy of those captivating E4 TV ads which suck me in like some sort of turbo powered straw.

My comrade and I arrived at an old, beaten-down theatre with an exterior attacked by florescent chip-shop style skins banners. Armed with three drinks tokens, I spied with my little eye my first celebs, Michael Bailey (Sid) and April Pearson (Michelle). One to get star struck all too often, even by Paul O’Grady, I decided to opt out of the risk of much personal embarrassment and headed upstairs for the premiere screening of the first episode from series two. The derelict but grand pavilion with wooden steps for seats housed us skins devotees and after a tedious wait the exclusive screening started with screaming fans to my left and my right. The long-awaited episode captured everything a rebellious young’n could and would do, and was greeted with an enthusiastic response all round. But personally, I was more interested in working my dancing shoes – I did not put on my hooker heels to watch a giant TV screen, and was the first to scramble my way out to the main room when it’d finished in search for music and alcohol.

The Teenagers opened the live performances, but perhaps since it was so early on in the night the audience seemed to have unjustly fallen asleep in their drinks. The troopers still made the most of a bad situation and hammered away at their instruments with exuberance and by the end of their performance, I was beginning to wonder if all the publicity was one big scam.

Hats off to the fighting Teenagers for dealing with this crowd (see girl on far left)

Next to brave the merciless audience was MC/Beat boxer/Multi vocalist Kila Kella, and I’m not sure whether it was his high-pitched vocals, or perhaps his ‘give Justin a run for his money’ beatboxing talents, but he finally got a response from the audience! Hurrah! The hype-man he was, stirred the animals within and there was no turning back; the party had started at last and we all didn’t give a toss about our bleary eyed disco dancing. Mylo and Kissy Sell Out took over for the rest of the night and served up tunes that had zealous effects over my body as I proceeded to thrash my cheap wine-fuelled body around without any breaks, which left me feeling rather delicate come Sunday afternoon. Kaya Scodelario and Mitch Hewer aka Effy and Maxxie, left their celebrity status’ behind and joined in the fracas, living up to their controversial on-screen characters.

When all the other weaklings that couldn’t take the heat had left by midnight, my trustful crunker and I were still raving like the Skins kids we are at heart ‘til closing time. No I did not participate in an orgy, no I did not sniff any of the white stuff, and no I did not dry hump all the boys on the dance floor – but an evening, which started out rather placid, spiralled into an alcohol-induced mental rave like no other, topped off with a somnolent night bus journey home, cheese on toast and toilets filled with said cheese on toast.

In reference to Catherine’s (fashion ed) Public Enemy slip-in, when it comes to Skins parties – do believe the hype.

Apologies for the poor focus but this photo was the best depiction of the crazy monkeys of the nightime

Sur-re-al: (adj) suggesting or having qualities associated with surrealism, stuff for example, approved bizarre landscapes and distorted objects.

Surrealist, viagra indeed! For English Eccentrics‘ a/w 08 show, time almost stood still. In true Dali style, clocks warped, chandeliers shattered, and cogs exploded. ‘Miss Magritte’ was bitten.

Schoolgirl pleated skirts worn with hold-up stockings were far from childish. Top hats, bells, knives, clocks, revolvers, and birdcages emblazoned the buttoned up silk blouses in white and old rose. Borrowed, black bowler hats from Rene Magritte‘s masterpiece ‘Son Of A Man’ defined the crisp, white shirt collars, infested with ants. Large, black silk ties were knotted, like your grandfather would have, perfectly.

Hair was slick, gelled, and parted to the side, and occasionally, black spiders crawled through it. Metal cogs decorated the black patent, stiletto heels. Short, velvet dresses in deadly nightshade and slate grey were layered over white Edwardian shirts, and cropped, thick knits in grey/white layered over corseted waists and little shorts.

Chandelier prints made with crystals and beading adorned magenta mini dresses with long sleeves. Necks were decorated with jewels, an elegant touch to the cobwebbed lace and black, hooded coat, which gave a more gothic vibe. The moon shone bright on the cyanide blue silk dresses, whilst silhouettes of the night were pierced with white lightening bolts. The clock struck midnight and time became lost in a fantasy. A fantasy that drove innocence away, bringing tainted behavior to its audience.

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Written by Lauren Mortimer on Tuesday February 12th, 2008 10:49 am

Categories ,Fashion London Fashion Week English Eccentrics Surreal Style Tie Hair Dress Jewels

Amelia’s Magazine | Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration is OUT NOW!

Willow candle by daria hlazatova
Willow Organic Gold Frankincense and Myrrh candle by Daria Hlazatova.

I don’t know what it is about candles that gets me so excited. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I love beautiful smells. My house may be a mess but I quite often spritz my office with a sweetly scented room spray or light a candle to imbue a relaxing mood. I think that this is the nub of what is so brilliant about candles, generic link especially the really high quality ones that contain high quantities of essential oils – they are the simplest way to create a delightfully relaxing and cosy feeling within a space.

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And of course Christmas is all about candles. Since I lived in Sweden as a little girl my family has had a tradition of lighting advent candles during the month of December – and whilst I don’t spend much time at my parent’s home anymore, look I always look forward to candlelit dinners when I return for Christmas. Candles impart a certain cosiness which the Danish call “hygge” – and during these bitterly cold dark winter months is most sorely appreciated.

Gold Frankincense and Myrrh candle by Daria Hlazatova.

This year my favourite discovery is the Willow Organic Gold Frankincense and Myrrh candle. It comes beautifully presented in a beribboned fold out box and utilises the naturally healing and calming effects of precious oils that have been synonymous with Christmas since biblical times.

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From the wonderful scents to the gold leaf that floats glittering in the top of the wax, information pills it doesn’t get more christmassy than this. The Willow Organic shop in Kings Road, Chelsea is open until the 23rd December, so there’s still time to grab a fabulous Christmas candle before the big day.

Cire_Trudon_by_Megan_Piontkowski
Cire Trudon by Megan Piontkowski.

Earlier this year I discovered the French Cire Trudon brand, which has been in operation in various guises since 1643. Alongside very high quality candles presented in beautiful glass pots with heraldic shields, they also produce stunning room sprays in statement bottles and a boxed set containing a room spray, candle and illustrated fairy tale – the idea being to encourage children to enjoy evocative scents from a very young age. Not for the hard up these boxed sets don’t come cheap, but I love the idea and the illustrated booklets are a delight.

Sinbad the Sailor - Fairy Tale Box - Cire Trudon

Recently discovered: the Albam independent menswear clothing store in Spitalfields stocks three yummy varieties of candle, my favourite being the figgy one. When I went in they were also testing out a new scent called Library, which was suitably masculine. Unfortunately I don’t think you can buy these online but it’s definitely worth taking a trip down to this great little store.

Spitalfields Candle Co by ellie sutton
Spitalfields Candle Co and Tocca candles by Ellie Sutton.

There is also the Spitalfields Candle Co. which uses sustainably sourced soya wax in all candles. It was hard to choose my favourite from such a yummy range only briefly sniffed in the Inspitalfields gift store, but I think it has to be Lemon Verbena – I just love that clean bright scent.

Diptyque Candle - The Cloud Commission
Diptyque Candle by The Cloud Commission.

Tocca are a high end scent company that stock in Liberty – I particularly like the sound of the Bianca candle which contains Green Tea and Lemon. Each year the Parisian brand Diptyque creates a special Christmas range, in beautifully decorated coloured glass jars. The Orange Epicee sounds yummy, as does the Canelle.

Jo Malone by Gareth A Hopkins.

Lastly but no means least Jo Malone offers incredibly classy scents, all tastefully presented in cream boxes with crisp branding. The limited edition Pine & Eucalyptus Collection sounds glorious, and how about a giant candle with not one but four wicks to make a major statement?

Right, I’m off to get on with my present wrapping by the scent of my Willow Organic candle. Have a glorious Christmas everyone.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion-cover

So, pills the book is finally here! You can find it at Tate Modern, about it Magma, Design Museum, Serpentine Gallery, Tatty Devine, Cornerhouse, Arnolfini and many other good independent book stores across the UK and by early 2011 around the world.

Tatty Devine Amelia's Compendium
Harriet of Tatty Devine takes receipt of her copies of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration.

Amelia's Compendium Magma
On the shelves of Magma.

Or you can buy it online here for a reduced price and receive 12 unique Amelia’s Magazine postcards, plus a selection of bookmarks. This offer is EXCLUSIVE to my website. You can’t get these postcards anywhere else!

Amelia's Compendium postcards
Postcards come free with all orders of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration made through this website.

The following up and coming fashion illustrators feature in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration:
Abigail Daker, Abby Wright, Amy Martino, Andrea Peterson, Aniela Murphy, Antonia Parker, Bex Glover, Emma Block, Erica Sharp, Faye West, Gemma Milly, Jennifer Costello, Jenny Robins, Jo Cheung, Joana Faria, June Chanpoomidole, Katherine Tromans, Katie Harnett, Kellie Black, Krister Selin, Lesley Barnes, Lisa Stannard, Michelle Urvall Nyren, Naomi Law, Natasha Thompson, Natsuki Otani, Rachel de Ste Croix, Yelena Bryksenkova, Zarina Liew & Gareth A Hopkins.

And…. the book features interviews with the following ethical fashion designers:
123 Bethnal Green Road, Ada Zanditon, Andrea Crews, Anja Hynynen, Beautiful Soul, By Stamo, Camilla Norrback, Christopher Raeburn, Ciel, Dem Collective, Edun, Emesha, Emma Ware, Fifi Bijoux, From Somewhere, Goodone, Gossypium, Henrietta Ludgate, Hetty Rose, Howies, Ivana Basilotta, Izzy Lane, Joanna Cave, Junky Styling, Little Glass Clementine, Lu Flux, Martina Spetlova, Maxjenny, Michelle Lowe-Holder, Minna, Nancy Dee, Nina Dolcetti, Noir, Noki, Oria, Partimi, People Tree, Pia Anjou, Prophetik, Romina Karamanea, Sägen, Satoshi Date, Tara Starlet, Ute Decker & Wilfried Pletzinger

Below are some pages from inside the book – which is the usual riot of colour and pattern for which I have become known. You can also watch a flick video of the book on the website of my international distributor Idea Books here.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion-sm-From Somewhere
From Somewhere illustrated by Rachel de Ste Croix.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion-sm-By Stamo
By Stamo illustrated by Krister Selin.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion-sm-Christopher Raeburn
Christopher Raeburn illustrated by Gemma Milly.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion-sm-Edun
Edun illustrated by Katherine Tromans.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion-sm-Dem Collective
Dem Collective illustrated by Michelle Urvall Nyren.

Amelia's Compendium Aniela Murphy
Aniela Murphy’s pages in the content proofs.

Amelia's Compendium Antonia Parker
Antonia Parker’s pages in the content proofs.

Please note that I will not be posting any orders out until the 4th January 2011. Have a very merry Christmas!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday December 23rd, 2010 7:26 pm

Categories ,123, ,123 Bethnal Green Road, ,Abby Wright, ,Abigail Daker, ,Ada Zanditon, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Amy Martino, ,Andrea Crews, ,Andrea Peterson, ,Aniela Murphy, ,Anja Hynynen, ,Antonia Parker, ,arnolfini, ,Beautiful Soul, ,Bex Glover, ,book, ,Book shop, ,Bookstores, ,By Stamo, ,Camilla Norrback, ,Christopher Raeburn, ,ciel, ,Cornerhouse, ,Dem Collective, ,Design Museum, ,Eco fashion, ,Edun, ,Emesha, ,Emma Block, ,Emma Ware, ,Erica Sharp, ,Ethical Fashion Design, ,Fashion Illustration, ,Faye West, ,Fifi Bijoux, ,From Somewhere, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Gemma Milly, ,goodone, ,gossypium, ,Henrietta Ludgate, ,Hetty Rose, ,howies, ,Idea Books, ,illustration, ,Ivana Basilotta, ,Izzy Lane, ,Jennifer Costello, ,Jenny Robins, ,Jo Cheung, ,Joana Faria, ,Joanna Cave, ,June Chanpoomidole, ,Junky Styling, ,Katherine Tromans, ,Katie Harnett, ,Kellie Black, ,Krister Selin, ,Lesley Barnes, ,Lisa Stannard, ,Little Glass Clementine, ,Lu Flux, ,Magma, ,Martina Spetlova, ,Maxjenny, ,Michelle Lowe-Holder, ,Michelle Urvall Nyrén, ,Minna, ,Nancy Dee, ,Naomi Law, ,Natasha Thompson, ,Natsuki Otani, ,Nina Dolcetti, ,noir, ,Noki, ,Oria, ,Partimi, ,People Tree, ,Pia Anjou, ,Prophetik, ,Rachel De Ste. Croix, ,Romina Karamanea, ,Sägen, ,Satoshi Date, ,Serpentine Gallery, ,Tara Starlet, ,Tate Modern, ,Tatty Devine, ,Ute Decker, ,Wilfried Pletzinger, ,Yelena Bryksenkova, ,Zarina Liew