Jilted

As its Halloween I thought I would share a little side project I shot recently.

PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILL TAYLOR
STYLING: HANNAH ALMASSI
HAIR/MAKE-UP: SALLY O'NEILL
MODEL: ADEELE @ MODELS1
STYLING ASSISTANCE: CAITLIN HICKEY

Nerdy chic or Rock Chick?

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Pie and Mash

This is 19 yr old Alina Asmus who stood out in her scarlet short-sleeved vintage coat whilst down in the East End recently. Alina also wears a leopard print blouse and leather trousers from topshop and shoes and bag from Zara. Check out the more intelligent write up at Grazia Stylehunter

They all float down here!

I have been obsessing over Freja Beha Erichsen of late and have to say she is one of my favourite models for a long time. I don't think you can define a beautiful structered face more than you can with this goddess. Here Freja is on the escape to the next one after walking for the Chloe SS11 show at the Tuileries.

Yasmin Sewell outside Michael Van Der Ham

Girls for Peter

I'm not sure who these two girls are, but I had to get a photograph of the them both after the Peter Pilotto Show as they just looked so glamorous.

Clotilde Courau outside Giambattista Valli

Anna Dello Russo outside Giambattista Valli

Anna at the Giambattista Valli show in Balmain's A/W 10 leopard print dress.

On the streets of London - Yu Lee

This is 26yr old Yu Lee with a 2-in-1 printed dress/skirt from Korea and Zara clogs and tights. See the full write up at Grazia Stylehunter

Flower Power - Alana for Ungaro

Joan Smalls

On the streets of London - Avigail Claire

We stumbled across stylist Avigail Claire wearing shoes from Red by Wolves, Topshop cropped shirt and high-waisted skirt she bought in Thailand. Her Christopher Kane yellow tube skirt peeks out from underneath and finally the outfit is finished with that beautiful tan leather Alexa bag. See the full write up at GraziaDaily Stylehunter

Palais de Tokyo

I just felt like this scene looked interesting to me.

From the Archive - Woman in stockings

I stumbled across an old photo I took today, which hasn't really seen the light of day before, but I thought I would give it some life and share its dark ideas with the world.

Daiane Conterato after Akris

Escape from Galliano

The fountains

I'm not sure who this beauty is exactly, but I thought her hazel eyes were hypnotic!

Lou Lesage arrives for Chloe

Biba Bracelet

Them blue eyes

Frida Frizz

Astrid Muñoz at Giambattista Valli

Ulyana Sergeenko and the little Leica

Russian fashion photographer Ulyana is always a huge attraction at the shows with her many outfit changes delighting the street photographers. Here she plays up to the crowd posing with her 'limited edition orange Hermes Leica'!. The camera is apparently one of only 100 made and is a whopping £8,500 and I guess to put it into context from a photographer's point of view is quite like having a limited edition Lanvin dress, or perhaps more simply - I am sick with jealousy!!!

Dorothea Barth Jørgensen

This is the very cute and adorable Swedish model Dorothea Barth Jørgensen whom I bumped into on the way for some lunch in Paris. Dorothea also has her own blog called displacedbones which is definitely worth a visit.

Leigh Lezark

Karolina Kurkova for Emanuel Ungaro

Karolina looks every bit like a classic Helmut Newton girl in Emanuel Ungaro's presentation at Paris fashion week. I know you can't really see a lot of the clothes here, but she just looked fantastic. The presentation required the girls to almost play a character, which from watching Karolina walk around, I think she had fully taken on.

Yasmin Sewell arrives for Christopher Kane

Yasmin is always a treat to photograph. She has a very chic personal style which is usually quite boyish with buttoned up shirts and trousers, but somehow each time I see her she looks completely different. Yasmin is a freelance fashion retail consultant and made a huge name for herself as a buyer with a gifted eye at Browns and later Liberty's. She is one of those faces everybody will chase after at the fashion shows and you'll usually be greeted with an obliging smile.

Outside MAN

This is my good friend Lewis Smith from David Coffin photography agency who I bumped into at the MAN meanswear show.

Shingai Shoniwa at Stella McCartney

For some reason this picture reminds me of something like an Eve Arnold picture I'd seen before of perhaps Billie Holliday or Ella Fitzgerald? I just know when I was taking it I had another picture I'd seen in my mind.

Lady in Red - Charlotte Dellal

Anne-Catherine Frey

Fashion student Anne-Catherine can often be found around and about at the shows in Paris looking absolutely amazing with her creative dressing.

Road Trip

Sonia's Girls

Swaying in the 70s

The Cat Eye Shades - Taylor Tomasi-Hill

The Street Photographer

I thought I would give a little insight into what its like as a street photographer at fashion week for those who have not witnessed the chaos that it is.

Streetstyle photography is becoming ever more popular, so much so that fashion week in any of the four cities is overrun by those trying to get photographs of the hottest style icons in fashion. Its a crazy mix of the commissioned photographers, the bloggers, the paparazzi, the students, the perverts and the tourists...not to add the catwalk and front row photographers too. Some of them are absolutely crazy, some are a bit aggressive, some creepy, some are the friendliest people you could meet, some are the most irritating too and some just blend in and do what they do. I'm not quite sure which boxes I tick....I'll leave that to those who have to endure my company or harassment.

It seems now though that with all this photographic attention, the fashionistas have a lot more pressure thrust upon them. They are expected to dress exceptional, to change their outfits as much as possible and to allow enough time to walk the 500yards through the photographers to get to a show, which isn't easy when you're on a schedule. If you play the game, you can become celebrated as a fashion icon all over the world. If you don't, its going to take a lot of parties and breakfast meetings for everybody to know your face.

It can be an expensive game to play too. The outfits are not cheap and although those at the top of the ladder get loaned and given items for the fashion shows, if you're at the bottom and trying to work your way up, you better hope Daddy ain't a rolling stone! I love fashion week. I love the theatrical atmosphere and I love seeing the amazing people in amazing clothes. But is it really an accurate reflection of 'street' style? Most of these items are hidden away until the next fashion season (if they're still on trend of course) and are not really what makes it onto the street corners of your average home town.

It can be a very judgmental popularity contest too. I have witnessed some people arrive and look fantastic, but be completely ignored as there is somebody perhaps more popular near by. These ladies and gentlemen who are ignored are usually the ones who keep their heads down and do the hard graft behind the scenes of the magazines and fashion houses, the buyers, the writers and the assistants. Yet at the same time you can witness a student or blogger arrive in head to toe super brand designs and be surrounded by 40 photographers who instantly turn them into a celebrity across the blogosphere and online mag world. As for individuality in the photographs, that's for you the viewers to decide if any of the street photographers can really create something any different to the next person who is stood right next to them with the same camera and the same lens, shooting the same person you've just stopped and arranged a pose with. (I calculate you're lucky if you get 7 secs to photograph somebody by yourself).

I just want to finish by saying that I really do love fashion week and the fashion world. You just have to remember that it's just a form of escapism and to never take it too seriously. We all need something to escape to and why not make it beautiful clothes and crazy people? Anyway ramble over, here's some pictures!

Sunrise after Akris