Monday 14 April 2014

The LBJ

Another piece for my new magazine!.. 

Here at elleven we simply cant live without our best friend; the little black jean (LBJ); she comes in the long, tight, black, denim variety. You can go for high waist, skinny, straight or cropped and she will still make your bum look pert and your legs look fierce.
Teamed with a classic white tee for a casual day off, just shove on your favorite pair of kicks and your good to go. Feeling a bit spicy for a night out with the girls? You could even go for the newer version... the coated LBJ - think leather meets denim. Simply add a skinny heel, a chunky sparkly necklace and voila, Sandy from Grease, maybe without the hair though.
Next step is the DIY LBJ; slashing, yes all our own doing, make them this seasons on trend accessory by simply shredding them with a pair of scissors or a cheese grater. Just grab the knee and tear. These babies are any weather attire, as long as you don’t make the rips too big, there’s nothing cuter than little black jeans creeping out from underneath an oversized cocoon coat.
Kate Moss is always seen rocking a pair with her dusty leather jacket, and our fave lady new on the music scene, Ella Eyre is always seen sporting the black skinnies with her cracking pair of pins.

Ridiculously understated with never enough credit, make the LBJ your dirty little secret.

Interview with Sophie De Barata - The Alternative Limb Project

For my new magazine 'elleven magazine,' I interviewed founder and creator of the Alternative Limb Project Sophie De Barata!

Here you go...!

After studying special effects and prosthetics, graduate of London University of the Arts Sophie De Barata decided to make a very beautiful change to the lives of the many people affected with missing limbs today. Giving them the new lease of life, and control that they deserve.

Sophie started out her career interning for a small prosthetics company, ending up staying with the small team for eight years and on the side playing around with her skills in silicone. “I was making all these kind of costume pieces, I don’t know why. I think I was going out quite a lot at the time, and it was just like ah, I think ill make something that I can kind of see being worn and interact with. So I made all of these kind of random costume pieces, and I built up quite a collection and I was like why have I got all of these like, what am I doing with it?” This then sparked an idea, along with a little girl asking for a Peppa Pig prosthetic leg; why not combine Sophie’s love for anything creative, with making these life changing prosthetics for people. “I could see the rehabilitation and thought actually it makes complete sense. It’s really valuable having this service of getting a realistic leg, its amazing, and it does a lot self esteem wise for a lot of people who are at a really vulnerable time in their lives. At the same time, why do you feel necessarily that you just have to stick to what you’ve had before, just to blend in if you can use that space in a completely different way? And be playful with it and see it for what it is as well?”
The whole process is actually quite a learning curve for Sophie and for the client, Sophie asks for around 50 images of anything that inspires or visually excites them, it could be a rusty old car to simply a flower. “It’s nice to have people that sometime don’t know what they want, and you can kind of uncap their imagination, but its also nice to have someone that turns up and knows exactly what they want.” After this is all thoroughly gone over and both parties are happy with the design, Sophie can start the process of making them a completely bespoke leg.
Starting the Alternative Limb Project in the summer of 2012, one of the most exciting opportunities was approaching; the London 2012 Paralympics. Already in contact with snow queen Viktoria Modesta, Sophie and Viktoria started to create this majestic one off piece for Viktoria’s opening ceremony. The ice Queen leg, “they were just going to have her with her regular foam shaped leg, no one would know she’s an amputee. Once she was doing rehearsals she approached the director and said, ‘you know I know someone that could do some amazing stuff with my leg, why don’t we turn it into a feature, it’s the Paralympics, why don’t we make a point of the fact that I’m an amputee and I’m being spun round on one leg in these massive heels.’” For the ceremony, Viktoria’s costume was sponsored by Swarovski, so it was Sophie’s job to crystalize the snow queens leg. “They gave me basically what they had left which was an entire table full of crystals, which was amazing.” Sophie sneaks in that she actually still has some of the crystals left, I can just imagine them dotted around Sophie’s workshop glamming up the odd silicone hand or foot. “I started experimenting with the crystals having got a drawing of the outfit she was wearing. I had to keep it really lightweight though, that was always a factor because all the jewels were getting really heavy. So I used parts of plastic bottles and lined it, they probably hate the idea that I used plastic bottles alongside their crystals but I had to think of other ways to keep it light.”
Viktoria Modesta is an amputee model with a cracking pair of leg’s, no one can deny that, another design Sophie created for the model was her stereo leg. A speaker actually fitted, and working into her prosthetic. Amputees are not seen enough in mainstream media, and this is the important change that Sophie hopes to have an impact with, “Prosthetics within mainstream media is definitely changing, with the Paralympics anyway. I don’t know whether its just because I’m in it, I see it all the time. I get so many emails from amputees and full bodied people contacting me and saying ‘oh this is amazing, I’m really inspired by this,’ so its great to have a conversation and open it up to the general public as well.”
Next on the agenda, the chandelier leg, yes, chandelier. Sophie’s recent project for Paralympian Steph Reid, Steph was also the face of Debenhams diversity campaign. “Steph gave me one of her old running blades and asked me to do something fun with it as she’s gone into modeling for a bit. I’ve done some laser cut Perspex mirror shards that are all contoured around her socket, they are going to reflect everything that is around her, and it will look like a chandelier on the bottom of her leg.” Sophie’s really into changing and playing around with the diversity of the prosthetic, with others focusing on how to make prosthetics as real to life as possible, “I’m not really interested in that, its more a case of using the space in a different way and almost like treating it as an accessory I guess, so like the speakers or secret compartments, even a sat nav!”
With a very one on one focus, it’s hard for Sophie to branch further afield than the UK, but with recent contact from people across the globe, the idea of doing things overseas really excites Sophie. “I got an enquiry from Papa New Guanine” Sophie laughs, “but that didn’t really come to anything. A clinic in Dubai got in touch and I thought that would be really cool! There’s certainly scope to go global, I just don’t have anyone over the globe that can touch base with clients for me, so that limits me somewhat. It’s just about working out how to do it.”

After taking the most minimal amount of time off for her recent arrival of a little baby, Sophie is already back to work creating her next piece, an alien vs predator leg, something else for the world to marvel at.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

"Dream and Dream Come True" - Jimmy Appudural-Chai

Delve is a magazine created by myself and four of my friends in our second year of uni, its about the real people of London and their stories. For Delve I interviewed a guy called Jimmy Appudural-Chai, one of the most interesting and inspirational guys I've ever met. Photographer and musician Jimmy lived in Notting Hill in the 60's and 70's, Jimmy used to own his own Kodak printing shop and has quite a few stories to tell. Originally born in Singapore, and in many a band over there, Jimmy moved to the UK when everything got a bit strict in Singapore with the banning of rock music. He still loves his country of birth and visits often, but now calls the UK his home. A main topic of conversation when interviewing Jimmy was music, talking about his bands, 'The Straydogs' who he released two singles with, 'The Meltones', 'The Motif' and 'The Bee Jays'. To talk about music with Jimmy was nothing more than an inspiration, his stories of jamming with his idol Eric Clapton and his best friend Jim McCarty. Hanging out at parties with his good friend Micheal Kamen, and the likes of Kate Bush. If I could step back in time to any era I would do it in a heartbeat - even if for only a few minutes, but being able to talk to Jimmy for as long as I did was pretty much doing just that. The world is a very big place, and there are many people that pass you by every day that you hardly even notice, let alone give them a second thought. Thats exactly what Delve was all about, listening to the stories that changed peoples lives, and may in fact change your own. Go team Delve.

Jimmy now lives in Cornwall, spending his time rocking out in local pubs and bars for his fans! Here are some pictures of Jimmy's spread in Delve...




And a few more from Delve...







(All pictures are my own)


                                                                       Lovelovelove x

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Summer recap

Ive just realised that I didn't blog at all over summer! So quick re-cap.. Im not going to bore you with every little thing that I did, as I didn't really do anything, apart from Glastonbury! - which was totally the best thing every addicted now and need to go every year! But ill save that for its own blog.

Heres a few pictures from my slightly boring, slightly amazing summer...





We had a Pixar themed party for the girls birthdays! I was Bruce from 'Finding Nemo.' The hilarious looking pink thing is actually Sophie dressed up as Pearl, the squid from Finding Nemo, 'aww you made me iiinkk.'


We went to Thorpe Park as a surprise day from Charlie and Dom! I obviously bought a bucket of sweets.


I cut my own hair. Not too bad I thought, but yes one side was longer.


Sophia came back from six weeks in Canada and brought me back a Vancouver moose. His name is Vinnie.


My beautiful friend Rachel came over to London from Australia and came too see me! We went to The Diner on Ganton Street. I miss her lots and cant wait to get back to Australia with her.



We partied a little..






Went to the Sea Life centre on Southbank. That was awesome. I love aquariums.







And hilarious Snap Chat's took over my life, I only learnt to screenshot a few weeks ago too. However  I think screen shotting is naughty, but heres a sneaky few for your enjoyment.

Hope you had a beautiful summer too..


Lovelovelove x



Tuesday 22 October 2013

MTFBWY

Im thinking about becoming a Jedi.
No, im not really.
Well I might.

Im trying to write a piece for uni about Jediism, yes its a real religion! I actually think its kinda cool, there beliefs are all about treating others with respect and just generally being good citizens. So what if you've got a cape on too. I really need to actually meet some Jedi's first though, before I can start it. This is proving difficult. Know of any Jedi's that I can talk to?

Well im going to watch Star Wars now, I think I may be slightly addicted and have to watch all six. I watched the first made (fourth episode) yesterday for research and now I need to see them all!

MTFBWY



Lovelovelove x

Monday 21 October 2013

Velvet

So you'll all probably know that velvet is the texture of this winter. I can get on this along with Topshop and ASOS. Cigarette pants, a basic top, perhaps even a pair of Dr Martens! Yep, thats what I did, got these absolute beauties as an early birthday present from my mama. Ohhh they are so pretty, hurting my poor little feet like hell at the moment but my housemates reasurre me it will be worth it. "After wearing every day for about three months one day they just wont hurt again. And they will be the comfiest shoes you own." Blisters aside, this will be a great day.
Slightly scared that this evil rainy weather may hurt my new best friends, however ive invested in some water and stain protecter spray and using it with vigilance..every time I leave the house really.
Who Whoa wait till those tight little badboys have loosened up and my feet dont feel like they are about to drop off and me and my velvet booties are guna be living it up badass winter style!

http://uk.drmartens.com/uk/Womens/Womens-Boots/Dr-Martens-Evan-Boot/p/14645001...free next day delivery ;)



                                    
                                                                    Lovelovelove x

Saturday 25 May 2013

Honey im home

Hey Guuysss,

I know im utterly shit, im sorry. I havent blogged in ages...

Its purely because im rather lazy. But my second year of uni has just come to an end and I now have no excuse not to blog.
I dont really have much to catch you up on, however I recently did an internship at MatchesFashion.com. That was fun! It was in the photo studio which was perfect for me, of course i didn't actually get to go near a camera, however learning about everything that goes behind a shopping website was pretty cool. Im slightly ashamed of myself as I only did two weeks there, but I do intend of going back for a longer period of time, if not somewhere else! Im not too sure where yet, personally im not too sure about anything at the moment. Third year is fast approaching and deciding what to do with the rest of my life is pretty petrifying! But what can ya do ey! Not a lot so lets just see where I end up. Id quite like to do an internship somewhere like LOOK magazine or COMPANY maybe. Or ASOS would be pretty sweet, actually if anyone knows of internships going at WWF that would be an absolute dream.
Anyhoo less of my quarter life meltdown heres some sneaky pictures I took whilst at MatchesFashion.com. Enjoy!







Lovelovelove x