Varsity Inspired Photoshoot

Last weekend, my amazing team and I embarked on a trip to Central Park at the crack of dawn in below freezing temperatures to capture the final shots for our Styling for Visual Presentation class. We'd finally made it to the last group project of the semester and were given the opportunity to shoot on location, something I was so excited to do. You can't beat natural light!

The aim of this project was to take a garment, in our case the cheerleader jumper (or 'sweater') featured below, and choose a location inspired by the outfit. Immediately we knew we wanted to capture the typical American varsity feel, and where better to do it than on the chain fences and bleachers of a ball park. These particular fields we found in Central Park. We were initially reluctant to use this famous location as we didn't want our shoot to look at all touristy or too 'green'; we wanted to achieve a moodier shot and I think we managed it!

We used the same model from our previous project and also collaborated with a photographer for the first time ever. We could not have achieved shots like these without both of them! This shoot was a great insight in to styling and location scouting for fashion editorials, and we are so happy with the outcome. 

We met at 7am which meant when we were leaving our rooms the sun hadn't even risen and the temperatures were literally freezing cold. Personally, my toes felt like they were about to drop off, so I can't even imagine how Andrea managed to rock some of the skimpy outfits. She was absolutely amazing; you wouldn't even know we were in the depths of winter in New York from the outcome. We celebrated the wrap of our photoshoot with a trip to Levain bakery on the Upper West Side to try their famous cookies - delicious!

Check out the rest of the shots below.

Aderyn x 

Photo Credit: Ellen Marszalkowski 

Maman Tribeca

This little cafe came to the rescue today after my weeks long hunt for granola. After visiting multiple places that claimed to stock my favourite breakfast meal, and being told they were out of stock on a countless number of occasions, the fact that I couldn't find any granola anywhere in New York City became a bit of a running joke. I'd often wake up early specifically to get to places before they switched between their breakfast and lunch menus in the hope that I'd get some, but of course that didn't happen.

Today, I was about to hit an (overly-dramataic) breaking point. We sat down in a cafe that claimed to serve breakfast until 4pm, but were then told by the waiter that they weren't serving anything off the breakfast menu at all. Aside from an $18 burger that I really didn't fancy, I didn't like anything on the menu, and in my frustrated granola-deprived state, I opted to leave the cafe as I couldn't face watching my friends eat with an empty stomach. I quickly paced to another one of the same cafe's locations, sure that they would be offering breakfast, but approached the building the find a sign on the door saying they were closed for the day. I could not believe my luck.

After a quick Google search of the best granola in NYC, I decided to head to a small cafe chain called Maman. I had been to their Soho location before for a quick coffee stop with my friends, but the menu at Soho was very limited so I didn't hold my hopes too high for the Tribeca location I was heading to. 

As soon as I walked in I cut right to the chase. I wasn't about to sit down and be told they weren't serving breakfast again, so before the poor waiter even had a chance to seat me, I asked if they still had the granola. The waiter must have thought I was so weird with the way I reacted to him telling me they did have it, or maybe he found it strangely endearing. Let's hope for the latter.

You'll all be glad to know that within 10 minutes I was sat down, granola and yoghurt in front of me and a glass of grapefruit juice in my hand. If you wanted to read about this cute little cafe spot then this is the bit you probably wish you could've cut to...

The interior of this place is absolutely delightful and the staff are so friendly! The menu was pretty extensive, offering lots of gluten-free and vegetarian friendly options within their all-day brunch. At the front was a seating area for those coming in for a quick coffee and slice of cake, and at the back was a quieter room offering full table service if you fancy sitting around and taking in the beautiful interior a little more. I was a little nervous having never dined on my own before (unless you count fast food restaurants) but it was lovely to have a bit of peace and quiet when New York can be so hectic. Had I known I'd be dining on my own that day I would've brought a book as it's not often I get the chance to read completely undistracted. Maybe this will become a regular occurrence for me - we'll see!

This is definitely one of the prettiest coffee shops/cafes you'll ever visit, so it's definitely worth popping in to one of their locations if you're ever in the downtown area. You can find a Maman in Soho, Tribeca and Greenpoint in Brooklyn. 

Aderyn x

Runway of Dreams

On Monday I attended my usual Faces and Places class, where every week a guest speaker comes in to talk to us about what role they play in the fashion industry and how they got there. I've listened to a lot of great stories from these people over my time at FIT, but none more inspiring than Mindy Scheier, founder of Runway of Dreams.

Runway of Dreams started out as a non-profit organisation in 2013, educating fashion brands on the importance of creating adaptive clothing that allows less abled people to get in and out of what they wear much more easily. Fashion designer and founder of Runway of Dreams, Meg Scheier, first noticed the need for this type of clothing when her son, Oliver, who was born with Rigid Spine Muscular Dystrophy came home from school saying that all his friends would be wearing jeans to school the next day and he wanted to join in. Scheier, who couldn't face telling her son that he wouldn't be able to wear them, instead decided to adapt a pair that he already owned, making them easier for him to get in and out of himself. 

This gave Scheier the idea to look in to the types of adaptations that could be made to clothes in order to help those who struggle to dress themselves. Adaptations such as opening up the ankle on tight jeans to make them easier to get on, replacing buttons with magnets for those that might struggle with tough buttons, and adding an additional openings on the back of tops to make it easier for carers to dress children were all incorporated in to her plan.

Scheier spent a whole year just researching the issue before approaching brands. She spoke to disabled children and their families to find out what the main issues were that they were facing and how best to resolve them. Scheier didn't want to create her own line as giving these people just one brand to shop from only further enhanced the exclusions they face. Instead, she went to the big names in the fashion industry to get them to collaborate with her to create a line of stylish and adaptive clothing that these kids would actually want to wear. Runway of Dreams has already collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger to create a range of children's clothing and are currently working on an adults range.

One of the things that touched me the most was when Meg was discussing the issues with patenting her idea. Explaining that it was difficult and expensive to do, she went on to say that she didn't particularly care if people did copy her idea because all she wanted was to make adaptive clothing the norm. It really showed Megs passion for the cause. For some it may be a business move, but Megs end goal is to get every brand to create an adaptive range (just like most brands these days have a plus size or petite range) and if that meant people stealing her idea then so be it. 

I definitely didn't expect going in to the talk that I'd come out so inspired. Not only was Runway of Dreams such an amazing cause, but Meg herself was an amazing speaker who really caught the attention of the entire room. It just goes to show that fashion can actually make a real impact on people's lives. 

Aderyn x

Photo Credit: Tommy Hilfiger 

Party Season Wishlist

Green fur coat, ZARA; blue sequin dress, ZARA; sequin pants, H&M; shaggy fur coat, ASOS; Velvet trousers, ZARA; sheer sequin dress, ZARA; velvet jumpsuit, Urban Outfitters.

With December right around the corner, I can't help but think ahead to the biggest fashion night of the year - New Years Eve! Picking the fanciest frock to see the arrival of the new year is always one of the hardest fashion decisions to make, and this year I'm in love with all things VELVET, FUR and SEQUINS! Here is a round up of what you can expect to see me wearing as I count down to 2017.

I rocked a sequin mini dress for NYE a couple of years ago - is it too soon to go all out sparkles again? Some might call it tacky, but who will be laughing when I'm lighting up that dance floor! I love the backless details on both of these Zara dresses, but the H&M trousers steal the show for me. The little flare paired with a platform ankle boot and the slinkiest of strappy tops will bring the 70's trend right up to date for party season.

Keeping up with the wide leg theme are these two velvet outfits from Zara and Urban Outfitters. The loose fit on the bottom calls for a little skin to be shown up top, which is why I love this rusty orange jumpsuit with the peephole on the chest. You can bet this outfit was made for long legged girls in mind, so if anyone finds anything similar in a petite range for my 5'4 frame then I would be eternally grateful!

Now while us Northerners never give in to the temptation of wearing a jacket on a night out, I could perhaps make an exception for these two fur coats from Zara and ASOS. I can't decide between keeping it neutral or opting for the emerald green to make a statement. Either way, the shaggy fur will earn me extra rock star points! Now I can finally wear a coat without compromising the stylish-ness of my outfit. Win win!

PS. Apologies for missing Sunday's post! With such little time left in New York City my schedule has been crammed with ticking everything off my New York to-do list while also prepping for my finals. Be sure to keep up to date with everything I'm seeing, eating and buying on my Instagram!

Aderyn x

Runway Styling

I spoke about my Styling for Visual Presentation class in a previous post which you can view here. My team and I just finished another project in which we had to style for a runway shoot. I thought I'd share with you some of the pictures from the day as we were really proud of the outcome!

We opted to show the oversized knitwear trend which we have seen all over the place and was even mentioned as an upcoming trend on the fashion forecasting website WGSN. We kept the hair and make-up natural to reflect the natural materials used in the outfits, but went big on the strobing trend. The hair was tucked in to the turtlenecks as seen on autumn/winter fashion shows these past couple of years to emphasise the silhouettes of the knitwear. 

If you want to shop any of these looks then they are all currently available at Zara and H&M. The pink body con dress and super soft camel jumper in the first outfit are both from H&M, the white jumper which is featured on my Instagram here and knitted trousers are from Zara, and the final outfit incorporates the same Zara jumper tied around a green jumper dress from H&M. 

I just wanted to add a huge thanks to our beautiful model Andrea and our amazing photographer Mel!

Aderyn x

Photo credit: Melissa Mehrtens 

(check out her website here)

Film Review: Nocturnal Animals

Unusually for the United States, our release date for Tom Ford's second screenplay has come a little later than in the UK. While my friends back home were talking about watching this film weeks ago, we were only graced with the opportunity this week. After a failed attempt at attending a screening on Friday evening, we managed to bag ourselves some of the last seats for a showing yesterday afternoon. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be so popular, but after seeing it I can understand why.

Nocturnal Animals is unlike any other film I have seen. I found it to be much more of an artistic statement than an entertainment piece. The plot was emotional and gripping, but the film certainly acted as a creative outlet to play around with fashion, art, and interesting cinematography. Nocturnal Animals features a story within a story, creating endless opportunities to portray the parallel between characters, which Ford certainly achieved. The constant flicking between characters mirroring positions and the overwhelming heartbeat between Tony and Susan created visual and auditory parallels to help make sense of an otherwise intricate plot. 

The beginning scenes were very uncomfortable to watch but immediately had me invested in the characters. Ford even incorporated humorous moments that made light of the perceptions around the fashion industry, which offered a welcomed break from an otherwise dark film. One moment in the film that still doesn't make sense to me (mild spoiler alert) was the frightening appearance of Jake Gyllenhaal's character on the baby monitor. To me, this moment seemed more fitting as a jump tactic in a Paranormal Activity sequel and seemed out of place in a thoughtful and artistic Tom Ford film. 

Another element of the film I didn't quite understand was the casting of Isla Fisher as the female in the novel. While she gave an outstanding performance and her physical similarities to Amy Adams created a link between the characters, their appearances are too similar, leaving me questioning why they didn't just cast Adams twice like they did with Gyllenhaal, or select another redheaded actress whose likeliness wasn't as obvious. 

The film overall was very dark and intriguing. I'm usually the type of person to take a film as it comes and not bother trying to guess what is going to happen. This time I thought I'd give it a go but it was a hopeless attempt. The plot is very ambiguous and seems to develop another meaning every time I go over it. It's definitely one to discuss over dinner afterwards. Even if you're not big on fashion or art, I'd highly recommend watching Nocturnal Animals as I can't compare it to anything else. I wasn't sure what to expect from a fashion designer turned film director, but his artistic vision created a truly thought provoking cinema experience. 

Aderyn x

Photo credit: laineygossip.com

Whitney Museum of American Art

The Met or the MoMA probably come to mind when you think of galleries in New York, but the Whitney Museum of American Art is definitely one of my favourites! The space which features five floors of modern art work is situated right next to the waterfront, providing beautiful views from the rooftop area. We were lucky enough to time our visit in the evening so we caught a glimpse of the amazing skyline lit up at night. 

We were advised to start from the very top floor and work our way down. The top floor is home to the work of Carmen Herrera, a minimal, abstract painter and sculptor. It was interesting the see the change in her work as she moved from living in Paris to New York. My favourite floor was definitely the Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art exhibition. The floor was separated in to many small rooms which featured different film experiences. One area had floor to ceiling black walls with cobalt blue strips of neon light running across the room to form a giant grid, while another was scattered with piles of film which crunched as you walked across them. It was way more exciting than your typical gallery! 

The Whitney offers a pay what you wish night every Friday from 7-10pm if you don't fancy paying the full admission price. The line is very long but it goes down really quickly. I'd recommend getting there for 7pm because there's so much to see, you'll want the whole time to get around!

Aderyn x

New Women Print & Zine Festival

New Women Space opened up in Brooklyn around two months ago, creating a hub for women to come together and share their knowledge, creativity and support. This weekend I attended their Print & Zine Festival to hear from some of these amazing women.

They had a variety of talks and workshops on throughout the day. One in particular that caught my eye was a talk from social media expert Jess Schreibstein about how you can use your social platforms to grow your business. As a blogger trying to grow my personal brand, and someone interested in online marketing, this talk was really useful and gave me a great insight in to the responsibilities involved in managing social media accounts. Jess was super friendly and her Instagram is a dream! Check her out here.

Once the talk was over I walked around the venue to look at all the amazing work. I got talking to a few of the women behind the zines and artwork being sold and it was so inspiring to see them putting their ideas out there for everyone else to read. I'd definitely recommend checking out a collective called The Bettys who were selling a small publication with a collection of short submissions about girls 'first times', and Tom Tom magazine which is dedicated to celebrating female drummers. 

I picked up a copy of Math magazine which is essentially a porno, but unlike the ones you might pick up at your local newsagents, this publication seriously pushes the boundaries; it celebrates women and diversity, and has loads of great content about sexuality and body image. 

I hope I get to go to a few more events at the New Women Space before I leave New York for good! It was crazy to look around a see a venue jam-packed with opinionated and passionate women who were speaking out about what they believed in. I'll definitely be back there soon! If anyone is in New York, it's definitely worth checking out their Facebook page to see what events they have on if you're in the mood to feel empowered - who isn't!? 

Aderyn x