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

Why I Study Fashion

The recent news regarding national cuts to creative courses has encouraged me to write about why I chose to study fashion. This isn't going to be another one of those posts that talks about how different the world would be without creative people (I think that's kind of an obvious one), but more an explantation of why I have decided to dedicate my life to a career which many people deem as shallow.

I'm aware that fashion isn't the most important thing in the world. It isn't a matter life and death like the role of a surgeon or scientist may be, and I may not change peoples lives in the same way a solicitor or teacher might, but there's plenty of other jobs out there that hold a similar level of significance as fashion but don't seem to have the same bad reputation. But that's okay. Not every job is going to change the world. And that's not to say that I don't want to have an impact on the world or that I don't care about making a difference, but making a difference within the world of fashion is big enough for me. Fashion is something that has massively inspired and influenced me, and pursuing a career I am passionate about is the most important thing to me.

At the end of the day, I just want to enjoy my job. I want to wake up every day and not have to dread going to work. I couldn't imagine dedicating the rest of my life to something I wasn't passionate about. If I have the right job then it shouldn't feel like a chore. 

Fashion allows people to express their personalties through the way they look. The way we present ourselves allows for an immediate first impression to be made. In some cases, the way you dress is crucial; going for job interviews, meetings and even first dates. Fashion helps achieve the portrayal of characters in film and television, the persona of many musicians on stage and the presentation of significant leading figures. You get it, fashion has influence. 

I've always cared about the way I dress and present myself, and filled my time reading magazines, watching fashion shows and going to fashion events. It's clear to me that fashion is something I care about enough to call it my career. With age, my interests have changed. I no longer want to be the next winner of Project Runway like I may have done when I was 12 (because taking A Level Textiles proved me to that sewing was not my strong point). I began falling in love with the layouts of magazines and the fashion editorials in them, so took Graphic Design at sixth form to try my hand at the more digital side of the industry. This is where I realised the route I wanted to take.

I'm sure we all know a brand that really resonates with our values, or remember a great advert that made us want to buy something. The stuff that sticks with you is the work of amazing creatives who know how to target their audiences. I won't bore you with talk about consumer marketing, but being able to create something that effective and memorable is what I hope to achieve. And I don't see how creating something that successful can ever be considered insignificant.

I'm tired of the stereotype that studying fashion is just for people who love to shop. Most of the people I know who are studying fashion are intelligent, ambitious and socially engaged women who want to have an influence on the world. Fashion can be used as a platform to open up discussion about greater issues. Starting these types of conversations is so important because if no one is aware of such matters then what can be done about them? 

As insignificant as my little blog may be in the grand scheme of things, one the reasons I chose to start it was to provide myself with a platform to discuss things that matter to me, in the hope that others will see it and do the same. I've spoke about things on this page that aren't necessarily the kind of things you would share on a day-to-day basis, but I like having a space that is all my own to share my thoughts and encourage discussion around certain topics, whether you may agree or disagree. And while this may be alongside posts about what I wore last weekend and what I'm loving in Zara at the moment, it doesn't take away from what I'm trying to achieve. 

So if you want to study fashion (or any other creative subject that apparently isn't important), know that while that friend of your mums may not think it's worthwhile, yes it is - and it's none of their business!

Aderyn x

Late Night with Seth Meyers

On Wednesday afternoon, myself and two of the girls attended a taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers at NBC studios in Rockefeller Centre. Watching a show being recorded was one of the things I was dying to do while in New York, in particular Late Night, The Tonight Show or Saturday Night Live, so I was thrilled to get tickets. These shows don't cost anything to go and watch! You just have to apply for tickets through websites like 1iota, and if you're lucky enough you'll get given some. It's definitely worth looking in to if you're ever in New York. They tend to go up at the beginning of each month for the following month.

Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any pictures once we were actually in the studio. It was crazy to see how much smaller the sets look in real life compared to on television. Another thing that shocked me was how fast they managed to film the show. I expected there to be a few slips ups and lots of takes, but you could tell it was very well rehearsed, and Seth Meyers is such a pro! He was super friendly the entire time of the filming, but as soon as he got on camera he just switched it on. He suddenly became fast and witty, reeling of lines and lines of script from the cue cards without batting an eyelid. It was so entertaining to watch! One particular bit from the show that amazed me was a segment about the election. He compared the reasons why people didn't like either of the candidates, suggesting just one reason for Hilary, but then going on a hilarious two minute rampage of the multiple reasons why people may not like Trump. He was spurting out the lines so fast, cue cards were flying, and he didn't stumble once! I have a new found admiration for TV show hosts. 

If anyone fancies keeping an eye out for my face in the audience then you can watch the 2nd November episode on nbc.com. I'm yet to check it out myself so fingers crossed I make a quick appearance. Our seats were right near the front so we may have been just out of the frame of the camera which was right next to us. 

Aderyn x

My Styling Classes

I take quite a range of classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology - everything from advertising to computing and styling - all of which come together to build the perfect curriculum to teach me everything I want to know. Two of the classes I am enrolled on involve styling; Photographic Styling focuses on small-scale, tabletop styling, and Styling for Visual Presentation involves photographing fashion and furniture. I wanted to share an insight in to the kind of work I do in these classes for anyone considering studying here themselves, or those of you who may just be curious as to what goes on in the classes.

These two images were taken in the Styling for Visual Presentation class. The brief for this project was to select a large scale object, then taking inspiration from its characteristics, create a set to place and photograph the object in. We came across this pink chair and thought it felt a little bit sixties. The pink screamed romance/lust, so we responded to this by creating a scene from a motel where a 'hookup' may have taken place.

We designed and printed our own paper for the walls, and found some old linoleum for the flooring. The bed was fashioned from a blanket thrown over a table. We decided to add in a few props such as the makeup and lingerie to suggest a story behind the object. It was really difficult working so large scale and having to create a set so large with minimal resources, but I always like a challenge!

This photoshoot was done in my Photographic Styling class. I find this class a little easier due to the set being much smaller in scale, which I prefer to work with. These images were part of our food styling brief. My group were given the subject of cocktails to photograph, so we all brought in props and food items and set this up on a table in order to create something that looked like it could have been taken in a bar.

The surface and backdrop tend to be the hardest thing to master, as it can be tricky to recreate a realistic looking environment for the subject. Working with food was much harder than our previous still-life shoots, as food is always changing. As soon as we poured the ice in to the glass it began to melt, so we had to work fast. The same occurred with the mint leaves. Shortly after we had chopped them up and placed them on set, they started wilting. This shoot definitely taught me to come prepared and organised, as you don't always have very long to get the perfect frame.

While I'm not sure if styling is something I will definitely pursue, it has been really helpful to gain an insight in to all the different aspects that go in to capturing a shot. I have learnt to consider how differently a set comes across on camera rather than to the eye, and lots of different tricks to help create a more visually pleasing shot.

Aderyn x

Smorgasburg Markets: Williamsburg

One of the best things about New York is definitely the food! All of our plans seem to revolve around where we want to eat that day. Yesterday we decided to try the Smorgasburg food market in Williamsburg. I had already been to the one in Prospect Park so fancied checking this one out to see how it compared.

Smorgasburg is on every Saturday and Sunday. It takes place outdoors during the summer, then moves to an indoor location in the winter months, which means you can visit any time of the year. It would definitely be one of the things I'd recommend to someone if they were only here for a week. And with so much to choose from, it's perfect even if you've got a few fussy eaters in your group. I treated myself to a beef brisket sandwich and gooey butter cake. Both were amazing! 

I personally preferred the Williamsburg location because of the amazing Manhattan views by the waterfront. Despite it being a bit chilly, we couldn't resist sitting on the rocks and tucking in to our food with the view of the skyline behind us. I'm amazed I didn't spill any food on my white trousers!

While you're in the area it's also worth checking out the Artist & Fleas market just up the road which stocks loads of amazing, independent creations like handmade jewellery, phone cases and candles. Another one of our favourite food places, Vinnie's, is just around the corner. This pizza take out place has fast become one of our favourites because of the huge selection of flavours and also the option for vegan cheese (one of the girls is lactose intolerant). If only there were more meals in a day! 

Aderyn x

Photo credit: smorgasburg.com & myself

OOTD: Lunch In Brooklyn

I recently got this amazing jumpsuit as a birthday gift from my sister. I love how baggy it is and it's perfect for layering! The weather was surprisingly nice this weekend so I opted just for a t-shirt and Converse, but with winter round the corner I know this will look just as fabulous with a turtleneck jumper and a pair of boots.

What was meant to be brunch, turned in to lunch (we're never on time for things). We headed to a bar/restaurant in Greenpoint that we stumbled across in our first couple of weeks of being in NYC but were yet to try called Northern Territory. Having been blessed with a bit of sunshine we headed upstairs to enjoy the amazing views from the rooftop area, along with some catchy old school tunes blasting out of the speakers. You wouldn't have thought we were in the depths of October. The french toast was definitely tempting, but I couldn't turn down a juicy steak with PROPER chips!

After our lovely lunch we headed back in to Manhattan for a Sprinkles cupcake and a spot of shopping. I decided it was time for me to invest in some proper underwear so went to get fitted at Victoria Secrets with the intention of treating myself. After spending about two hours in the store I still walked out empty handed, however, I do intend to go back this weekend and finally make my purchase. I just needed some time to think about spending $100 on two bras, although I've been convinced that it'll be totally worth it! My opinion of Victoria Secrets has definitely changed; I originally had it pinned it down as a tad 'basic'. I am not the kind of girl to walk around wearing a hot pink push up bra and that's all I thought Victoria Secret's had to offer, but I was wrong! I had such a lovely experience with the amazing staff and actually found a bunch of more subtle, sophisticated underwear that I can certainly see myself in. I can't wait to go and spend my birthday money!

Jumpsuit - ASOS
T-shirt - Urban Outfitters
Shoes - Converse
Sunglasses - Primark

Aderyn x