Two weeks of wow

The last two weeks have been flat strap so I do apologise for the disapreaing act, but I'm back. So much has happened in the past two weeks and I've had no time to breathe. Rather than natter on about what I've been doing I've decided to make this post mainly pictures of what I've been doing. I've had two photoshoots, a fashion evening about Womens Place in the World of Fashion, I went to the opening of Dreaming of Chanel, I've had two modelling jobs for two makeup companies and I started on my new collection. I also had a day at the zoo :)

Redcliffe Shoot

Just a few snap shots from the Redcliffe Shoot.

Photographer: Alexander Roe

Model: Tara Martin

Hair and Make-up, Styling, Clothing and Accessories by me.

It's a stylish life

Although I'm becoming more accustomed to sitting behind a sewing machine, last week I styled two shoots and I have to say, I still love being a stylist! The first, a studio shoot for a formal wear company in Moo Studios over at Wynnum West. I had no idea the studio even existed!It was quickly put together and I was only given a day to scout a suitable model, but despite the stress, everyone seemed happy by the end of the shoot. It was my first paid shoot of the year, and although I felt that some things weren't being handled the way I would have liked them, there are certainly moments when it's best to shut ones mouth and just go with the flow. The photographer had issues with my direction of the model, the dresses (all samples) varied from a 4 to a 10 which proved difficult as we had a size 6 and a size 8 model and the director felt he was a little out of his depth, as fashion isn't really his thing. We were also pressed for time and as I was doing the makeup and hair for both models and had to shoot 12 dresses, not to mention a dozen suits for the male model, it was a lot to squeeze in to four hours.

The second shoot was on Sunday for my own label, the location could only be described as paradise and although this too was put together hastily, the crew worked so well together that everyone felt relaxed, organised and extremely happy with the results. The weather held off for us and the tide was low enough for us to use the beautiful exposed ship wreck in Redcliffe. The models worked perfectly together, and as they laughed and posed and guided each other, the shots reflected their comfort and produced some amazing pictures. The photographer and I were able to work together to direct the shoot as needed and I even sold one of my dresses to one of the models. Although I was once again playing hair stylist and make-up artist, I had plenty of time to work with the girls and although they had no idea what look they wanted, the results spoke for themselves. I have found that being able to do make-up and hair for shoots, despite having no qualifications in either proves really useful, not to mention time and money saving and it helps that I love doing it.

The fact that in the space of two days I can have two completely different experiences doing exactly the same thing just goes to show how diverse this industry is and how important it is to have a team that works well together. A team that gels well together produces better quality images and all round a better experience for all involved. For anyone thinking about putting together a shoot, or even a show, make sure you have people you can depend on and people that you like collaborating with, it makes all the difference!

Life, life and more life

For those that read my blog on a regular basis, you will have noticed a major decrease in the recent amount of posts; this is all due to an incredibly busy schedule. As uni starts to wrap up (final four weeks) and my life turns into an incredible amalgamation of sleep, uni, work, flue, the little things begin to slip out of my hands and I just can’t keep up with everything I usually do. I always find the first thing to go is my sewing, it kills me that I haven’t picked up a needle and thread for almost 12 weeks now, and my design brain only ever seems to work at the oddest of hours when I'm trying to get some sleep, or trying to relax for five minutes. The other thing I find I don't get time for is to write my blog, after writing thousands of words for essays on topics that may have no interest to me, it’s hard to then ask my brain and fingers to come up with something people might actually want to read. Not only that but my creative brain isn’t working so coming up with anything engaging and topical seems to be a challenge. As always though I'll just fill you in on how life has been going on my side of the pin cushion. The past two weeks have been jam packed with several shoots, for several different projects. I've been collaborating on other student projects as I think it’s so important to help out other students (I know how hard it can be to get help when you’re studying). One of the projects was to design a marketing strategy for an upcoming label, of course I jumped at the opportunity as it meant I would get someone coming up with a new logo for me as well as doing a new shoot with my clothes which I always love doing. The shots were totally different to anything I'd done before and was very moody and cinematic, I provided my garments I styled the clothes and accessories and models and did their hair, so all in all a very busy day for me. The second project was for a student run fashion magazine launching next month called ProtoType, so again I got to take my garments along to a shoot and style them and have them shot by an amazingly talented photographer. The setting was really quaint and romantic as it was on a lazy afternoon with the sun softly filtering in; we had op shop furniture, wooden floorboards and feathers galore! The people working on it had really good direction and this always makes the shoot less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone involved. In some respects these projects are a lot of work for me as usually I have to organise the model, make-up, hair, bring along the garments and accessories and then style them (usually while showing the model how to pose) but in the middle of it all I really don't mind. Even though I end up doing much more work than would usually be expected, and even though I have to stay up late organising and stressing over who will be where and when; when it all comes together it’s the best feeling. Seeing the photos used by the photographer for their portfolio, or receiving a copy of the magazine, or just getting positive feedback from the people you’ve worked with, makes it all worthwhile in the end. I love this industry and I love my job. I’ve included a few shots from the two student project shoots, enjoy 

The shoot on Sunday