28/01/15 - DETAIL PROJ. (Research into Givenchy lookbook)

Givenchy Lookbook SS14 Pre-Collection 

I began researching Givenchy's previous lookbooks to see what style and aesthetic is usually portrayed. As lookbooks are used as promotional material, I thought it would be useful to see how shoots were styled as this would help gage how customers would react to the collection. The photos are typically shot in such a way that makes the models appear to have been photoshopped into the image and whilst I'm not particularly keen on following through with the element of fake-ness the lookbooks have, I am interested in this 'copy and paste' feature of image manipulation (despite the fact that the photographs shot for previous lookbooks have not actually been composed during editing).

27/01/15 - DETAIL PROJ. (Givenchy AW15 & Research)

Givenchy AW15 - Lea Colombo

For this project, my chosen AW15 menswear collection is Givenchy. This isn't because I particularly like the collection- in fact, it's probably the opposite. However, given the industry, I want to be able to work to a brief I am less excited about and still produce a final outcome that reflects my personality and aesthetic. Furthermore, the detailing and historic/cultural references displayed in this collection are very interesting as they appear to reflect Aztec culture drawing influences from Haiti and Mexico.

My initial research was to look into a number of books and read up about Mexican art in general as well as the culture that surrounds death. In the show notes for the collection, Tisci mentioned his 'darkest obsessions', a step away from the usual Catholicism based designs that have become so coveted now among consumers. The collection itself was very macabre with the props and show set-up looking like something out of 'Little Shop of Horrors'.

Looking into this research and seeing where possible influences in culture came from has been very helpful in helping to plan a shoot for the lookbook I am going to create. As I am able to see direct links in my research to the collection, I've been given an exceptional help in making the transition and embodying the collection in a promotional lookbook.

22/01/15 - POLITICS PROJ. (Final Film)

20/01/15 - POLITICS PROJ. (Film Editing)

In order to create my fashion film which I wanted to use to highlight the recovery process that goes into 'becoming beautiful'. My first initial version made however was too long and after looking at a video clip from the 2004 film 'Wild Side' by Sebastien Lifshitz, I decided it would be better to not only cut the length but also splice the film to reflect the screenplay from the movie which focuses on individual body parts. This also helped to arouse interest and keep my film from becoming too tedious and boring despite it's slow and comforting soundtrack.

18/01/15 - POLITICS PROJ. (Final Editorial)

16/01/15 - POLITICS PROJ. (Experimenting with Image Manipulation)

Original Image from 'Blanc' editorial - Caroline Wong

During the process of creating my final images for my editorial, I had to think about how to ensure my images related to my concept. I realised that whilst I liked my photography, I hadn't quite managed to make a statement about my feelings towards plastic surgery.

To make a start, I looked into Chris Scarborough, an artist who manipulates his images so that his subjects appear anime-like. As anime characters generally portray an extreme version of Asian beauty standards, I used a Chinese photo editing app on my phone to enlarge my model's eyes. The resulting images were creepy to say the least and had negative reviews when I asked around about whether or not the original or the new version was preferred.

To take it even further, I referenced back to my finalised concept board and decided I would pixelate out the face of my model. This was done in a bid to remove the beauty of the model so that it could no longer be the focus of the photo. Again when I asked around, the reactions were negative only this time I didn't mind this. I thought about why I had also originally preferred the first images and I realised that it was because of the beauty standards subconsciously engrained into my mind. I've always liked the idea of having power over what others can see and by pixelating my model's face, I was able to control what was being shown in my editorial.

I'm very glad to have been pushed to explore my concept further as I am much happier with my results. By being asked to really think about the message I'm trying to portray, I believe I will now be able to style shoots better in a way that tells stories or speaks for me and my opinions more effectively.

14/01/15 - POLITICS PROJ. (Final Concept Board & Make-Up)

For my final concept board, I have narrowed down my images and chosen those that fit both my aesthetic and correspond well with my theme. As my idea has changed a few times in lieu with my research, the original concept board contained a few images that were not as relevant anymore and by picking and choosing select images, I was able to create a more cohesive mood board. This proved extremely useful when briefing and explaining the shoot's context to my model so I think that doing this was a good move.

For the film part of this project, I have decided to look into the aspect of plastic surgery that is often overlooked and that is the recovery process. For my research, I found numerous before and after images used as advertising by plastic surgery clinics in South Korea. This gave me an eery indication of how similar the women all looked afterwards. On top of this, the women were all wearing similar make-up in their photographs which I know to be the trend in Asia. Because of this, the make-up for the shoot will be inspired by the typical make-up trend in the Far East of enlarging the eyes and filling in the brows softly to create a 'youthful look'.

During my research, I also looked at the artist Ji Yeo who documents and photographs South Korean women in what is rightly named 'Beauty Recovery Room'. After looking at her images, I was able to visualise how others photograph somewhat violent subjects in a poignant manner. I was also able think about the colours and positioning of bruising that occurs in order to create a realistic canvas for the bandages to be wrapped around. 

13/01/15 - POLITICS PROJ. (Research into Plastic Surgery & Body Image)

Shot by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia 2005

With my concept now in check, I have moved on to looking at the way plastic surgery is regarded in the fashion industry. A spread shot by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia in 2005 (shown above) along with another editorial by Tom Ford both depicted plastic surgery in a somewhat glamorous manor- not by the images themselves but through the styling of the hair and make-up. The images were dark and what I can only really describe as "vampy" and not quite what I was after aesthetic-wise. However, this research was still helpful in that it allowed me to gage what it was that I definitely didn't want to produce.

As part of further research with the intention to fuel my concept and desire to work towards a final outcome, I then looked into an old survey I conducted a little while ago. The aim of the survey was to find out if and how beauty standards affect girls aged 13-25 and unsurprisingly, an alarming number of young girls were unhappy with their features and cited unrealistic images of models and celebrities as a source for their disappointment in themselves. With these results in hand along with my research into previous editorials, I now feel comfortable enough to proceed with creating a final concept board to narrow down and solidify my ideas into a small number of comprehensive images. 

10/01/15 - LC:M (London Collections: Men AW15)

Alan Crocetti

Grace Wales Bonner

Edward Crutchley

08/01/15 - POLITICS PROJ. (Concept Change)

A friend from school bringing up societies standards of beauty on Facebook

After looking into the feminist debate further, I have wound up more confused than ever. Feminism is such a wide issue that is constantly being talked about. Emma Watson's #HeforShe speech at the UN hit the headlines. Celebrities are now labelling themselves as feminists. 2014 was a great year in terms of change and I'm sure 2015 will only bring more supporters and change more minds and issues in society. During my research, I looked in an old post from Susie Bubble. Having followed her blog for a few years now, I've always liked how she delivers an intelligent review of shows and it's always interesting to see her opinion having seen collections in the flesh. The post I returned to was her reaction to Chanel's SS15 show at Paris Fashion Week last year. As I follow her on Instagram, I was able to watch the comments unfold when she opened up the floor to debate over Chanel's feminist rally for a finale.

Truthfully, I was a little taken aback at Lagerfeld's decision to stage a mock protest. My opinions nearly match Susie Bubble's and she was able document and summarise my thoughts towards the show extremely well. One sentence however stood out to me.

 "Whatever Lagerfeld’s true stance on feminism is, it is difficult to believe the conviction of a uniform cast of women, held up to an unrealistic standard of beauty, waving such banners, whilst wearing clothes that are prohibitively expensive."

Standards of beauty have always been thrown at young girls and there is always pressure on being the perfect ideal in both the West and the Far East. This session of research has changed the flow of my project and I have now decided to look into a different concept that I perhaps feel more strongly about.

Whilst appearances and beauty was never really that big of a concern at my school (greasy hair was the norm, unfinished homework was not), I remember going on yearly swimming camps to Spain and being surrounded by my teammates who were obsessed with getting a golden glow. I thought they were silly but that wasn't because I knew they were conforming to beauty ideals thrown upon them. I thought they were silly because I was conforming to my own standard- the Asian one. There is so much to talk about when considering the standard of beauty in Asia but it revolves around a few main points: 'white, translucent skin', 'a tall nose', 'double eye-lids' and 'a v-line'. To put it into perspective, here's a collection of all the Miss Korea 2013 participants who eerily look alike due to the growing trend of getting plastic surgery which is considered the norm for young girls.

Miss Korea 2013 participants - image from Google

As someone who is without the idealistic standard of beauty for my race (and is also not considered beautiful by Western standards either), I would really like to focus on how beauty ideals are pushed onto women. As of yet, I am not sure what route I'll take but I want to create a film and corresponding book (rather than an article) to fully portray my own personal opinion on the ideals being imposed on me. For the shoot, I am still planning on basing my shoot on my research into the #freethenipple campaign but I wish for the final images to be tasteful and somewhat romantic and calm. As of yet, I'm not sure exactly what it is about #freethenipple campaign that I will be drawing out to use as inspiration for the photoshoot but the common underlying theme for this project will be about praising the female body (and face) for what it is, refusing to change the appearance of oneself for the gratification of others just because society tells you to do so.

06/01/15 - POLITICS PROJ. (Initial Concept)

Friends post-protest outside school (2010)

Thinking about politics and issues that I care about is difficult. In today's society, I feel like there are too many issues to even begin to think about and given the environment I've grown up and matured in, there's a constant voice in the back of my mind questioning everything. That being said, whenever it came to political debates in school, I never really raised any matters myself. I didn't tend to contribute to conversations and preferred to sit and listen as closest friends talked for hours over matters such as education fees, child benefit and feminism. Perhaps it was my somewhat introverted nature that caused me to keep quiet since I've always preferred to voice opinions in a subtle manner. The school I grew up in was a nurturing ground for girls to constantly question problems in society. Everyone was intelligent and capable from a young age and so it made sense that when I was Year 9 and at the tender age of 13, it was the norm to participate in annual 'debating days' with the top all-boys state school in North London. My topic to talk about and debate over on one such occasion was something to do with the government and although I can't recall exactly what it was, I know the words 'cabinet', 'minister' and 'exchequer' were in the brief. I was thirteen years old and didn't have a clue on what was being asked of me. Simply put, whilst I've always been surrounded by talks of political and social issues, I've never voiced my own opinions- partially through the realisation that I will probably never be able to deliver my thoughts as eloquently as my secondary school classmates and peers. I've only taken in information given to me and made my own opinions, never really solidifying them by arguing and speaking out.

A friend protesting for No More Page Three campaign (2014)

When deciding what to do for this project, I figured I wanted to do something on feminism but the issues and problems surrounding misogyny and gender inequality is too great to even think about tackling in just one 3 week project. To me, it doesn't feel like I'll have enough time to really find out what it is that I want to say. The feminist debate is such a vast topic (as are almost all social issues) and the list of things wrong with gender inequality range from belittling women in the workplace, unreasonable beauty ideals etc. The list goes on. On top of this, opinions constantly change and every piece of information that I read and digest contributes to the ever-growing answer to 'what are your thoughts on so and so?' and thus to not confuse myself in an internal argument over what is right and what is wrong, I decided to start small. Really small, in fact. I'm talking about nipples.

The hashtag #freethenipple has been cropping up on social media and it's one version of the public's outcry to Instagram. On the social media app, you are not allowed to post photos (even if they aren't sexually explicit) of your nipples. That's for females, that is. If you're posting male nipples, feel free to clog up the feed with photos of your topless chest. Whilst some people agree with Instagram's ruling to ban photos of female nipples through the reasoning that everything must be 'appropriate for teens and also for adults', there are some thoughts to be considered. Children and teenagers can play violent video games that see characters massacred and hacked to death. They can see videos of public beheadings on Facebook. And yet we don't allow them to see something that is completely natural and harmless? We're censoring a nipple, something that (if we're really going to go into this) provides milk to babies and therefore provides life rather than taking it away. We're essentially shaming women's bodies for being the way they are. Kids should get to see gruesome and bloody murders but not a nipple? Apparently so- because nipples are far too explicit. 

#12 - 12 Days of Christmas

Posted 01/01/15

#11 - 12 Days of Christmas

Posted 31/12/14

#10 - 12 Days of Christmas

Posted 28/12/14