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