The True Cost?

Every monday evening I sit down with 136 other likeminded individuals and watch a fashion film. It is part of my course which we lovingly call 'Film club' It gives us a wider perspective of what the world of fashion entails and is quite often very entertaining. We watch a range of things from documentaries to once a horror film, they are all unique and helpful in their own special way.

 I have been meaning to write this blog post for a long time now but I wasn't ever quite sure how to go about the topic with the right amount of respect. Awhile ago we watched a documentary called 'The true cost' which was about the impact that the fast fashion industry is making on our wonderful planet . This documentary looked at the things that have been in the news such as the sweatshop conditions in bangladesh with the factories that collapsed killing thousands of people but it also addressed other issues that are not so widely talked about in the main stream media such as the fact that generations of cotton farmers in America are dying prematurely from brain tumours bought on by the pesticides used on their fields or the fact that sweatshops are displacing children from their families because their parents cannot afford to look after them. The environmental impacts that companies such as H&M are having are also disgusting they are polluting water supplies with the waste products from tanneries and denim manufacturing. This is affecting the local farmers produce and is infact a lead contributor to the massively high suicide rates within these communities. It is sad and sickening that we have come to this, to happily uproot and destroy our planet for something as frivolous as fashion, an unnecessary evil that in which it appears, we are all willing to partake.

Well as I left the lecture theatre after watching this documentary, I had a sick feeling in my stomach and an anger in my heart. I have been contributing to this industry on a regular basis, just for a bargain on this jumper or that pair of jeans. None of which I really needed. As I walked home I decided then and there that even though I was just one person that I could not morally have  stand point on this unless I was actively doing my own part. I vowed to NEVER shop at H&M  again because they seem to be the biggest contributors to the corner cutting horrors and no sale or bargain is worth the pain it causes to make the garments. I promised myself that I would only buy from a fast fashion shop if it was a necessity like I desperately needed a pair of black shoes for a interview etc. I would instead shop in vintage shops, Charity shops, boutiques or bootsales. This would stop me from being a direct factor within the fast fashion industry and would also mean that I have a much more unique and environmentally sound wardrobe without the bloodstained price tag.

Hopefully this will let me rest a bit more easy at night than if i was to just continue as I was before without a thought as to what cost on a global as well as an individual level my shopping habits were totting up each time I went to town.

Makes you think doesn't it?

Much love K xxx

NYC Best Photos

Brooklyn Bridge 

Queens Bridge 

Staten Island Ferry 

Brooklyn street art/ graffiti 

The New York Skyline 

Central Park 

Wall Street 

Flat Iron Building 

The Walcott Hotel 

World Trade Centre 

Brooklyn 

Through the Lens: Fairytale's and Storytelling

My photography is heavily influenced by the wonderful work of other artists that I admire and inspire me. Over the winter break I was lucky enough to get some time to myself in which I could get all dressed up and take some pictures. These pictures are inspired by the winter moths but also the wonderful work of Bella Kotak:

Bella Kotak is an Incredible artist based in London England who puts a huge amount of thought and effort into every single one of her pictures the costume, location and post production of her images is second to none. She conveys idillic scenes that are as though they leap straight from the pages of a fairytale. She has a huge following on social media which is hardly surprising as flocking through her pictures you are transported to a beautiful place inside her mind where nymphs and princesses wander through misty gardens. It truly is infectious. Though I could never truly replicate one of her images as the quality of her work is just so high I am great inspired by the mood and the process that she takes with each image and I felt I could translate it into my own work.

My Work 

What do you think? 

Much love K xx

In my bag I packed...

The Main Outfits

cute culottes in browns which compliment my hair and skin tones. Polo necked jumpers to brave the -4 degree temperatures that New York promises! 

High wasted jeans and thick long sleeve tops with a vintage patterned neck tie. A pop of colour against the cold grey of the Concrete jungle. 

This is probably my warmest outfit: thick black leggings with an oversized vintage jumper matched with these beautiful Kurt Geiger boots to keep my feet warm!! 

In the Hand-luggage 

Okay so here I have my essentials: Passport, Shopping money! My makeup, Hairbrush (standard). I am also bringing my small compact camera instead of my big DSLR as the sub zero temperatures outside and the super hot retail spaces could make the lens corrupt and that would make me incredibly sad. Vaseline, because nobody wants chapped lips do they?! Most Importantly though I have packed a notebook so I can make a note of all the incredible things I see and do. 

Much love K xx

Modern Lipstick Adverts

The adverts have changed greatly since the previous examples I had given, Furthering my research for my report I looked at a great range of the product stores displayed by numerous advertising campaigns but there are particular stories that return again and again.  It isn't difficult to guess what these stories are as we are subjected to them on a daily basis. Did you know we are, on average subjected to over 2000 images per day? That is a lot and that is why quite often we don't realise exactly what we are looking at until we stop and REALLY look at something.

The first trope is the 'Glamorous heiress' that we all make futile attempts to emulate, these are often incredibly stunning well dressed women with lots of gold packaging and rich coloured pigments. This is often the campaign design recipe chosen by high end designer brands as it mirrors their brand ideologies. 

The second trope is the 'Natural Beauty' the close up shot of a beautiful woman gazing directly into the camera often bringing her hands into shot to empathises an element of vulnerability or shyness suggesting that the consumer would end up being as captivating if they were to wear the product. This is another campaign recipe that is often used by the high end brands because it suggest that they don't have to 'try' to persuade their audience. 

The often used by more edgy brands is the 'Sex sells' trope with women in seductive poses with smokey 'come to bed eyes'  or being overly objectified with phallic symbolism. This unfortunately is completely in keeping with the status quo within advertising for women to be portrayed in this way constantly...resulting in it no longer being shocking or compelling just very expected. 

Last but not least I thought I would share with you one of the campaigns that I found that I really liked because it was so different to what I have seen before, this campaign made me stop and look at it and really appreciate it. It is by Tom Ford who is renowned for his shocking and provocative advertising campaigns. This unlike his previous women objectifying campaigns is actually pushing boundaries where men are concerned. 

These adverts showing men applying lipstick are shocking now but I hope that they are helming with the genger neutralising of the cosmetic industry that i feel is bound to start happening over the next decade. With trans issues starting to be openly talked about in public forums I feel that seeing men applying makeup is going to become commonplace and Ford is once again infant of the curve. And I LOVE IT!!

Much love  K xx

Vintage Lipstick Adverts

I have to say that the brief I have at the moment is pushing me to look at things that I haven't looked at for ages. I have re- found my love for vintage adverts. I love looking at these pieces of artwork that come from a much more gentle era. It is truly fascinating looking at the way in which the depiction of women has changed so much in the last 50 or 60 years. The push for 'femininity' was so much more audible and sold as a concise thing before the emancipation of women in the 70's and 80's. 

I am so gutted that I am not able to include a vintage advert in my report but I thought I wouldn't waste such beautiful things and would share some of my favourites with you. I love vintage adverts as it gives us such an insight into the zeitgeist of the years that we were never there to experience first hand.... 

I love these adverts and the playful girly quality that they have to them. The pinks and blush colours seemed to be targeted at a much younger demographic resulting in quirky light hearted adverts such as these. 

However I much prefer the more artisan minimalistic adverts that went with the higher end branded makeup.  These were aimed at the more wealthy upper class women with money to splash around. 

This however is my favourite vintage lipstick add that I found from 1965, I love the explicit yet classy phallic symbolism and the use of empty space to draw the viewers attention to the product story. I think this is a fantastic example of the beginning of the sexual revolution that was to follow in the next few years and how women started to come out of their meek and mild shells to become the modern woman we know and love today. 

Much love K xx

Top 5 Boutiques

I have compiled a list of the top five independent boutiques in each of the districts I am hoping to visit in New York. I understand there are thousands of incredible shops and I will most likely get distracted by alternative places but if i get to visit at least one out of each district I will be so happy!!

Much Love K xx