London Street Style...Spanish Eyes

The gorgeous Spanish Lucia (she was born in Malaga) who now lives in London. You can check out her blog Sietezapatos here.

p.s. loving everyone's entries for the Eurostar tickets competition! I had tears in my eyes when I was reading some of them (I am a sook, I know :)) and I am discovering more and more "secret squirell" things I would like to do in Paris on my next visit. Keep 'em rolling in!

London Street Style...The Boy About Town

The Boy About Town: it's all about the hair....and the glasses!

London Street Style...The Teen Factor

Sam (above- why did I not notice that he was being attacked by a stray strand of vine when I was taking the photo?!) and Louis (below).


Both have just finished their A levels and Louis is hoping to study photography at uni :)

p.s. it was Louis's hat- I just thought it looked kinda cute on Sam too!

Eurostar "Little Break to Paris" Competition!

Okily, it's time to give something back to my lovely blog readers/stalkers who follow me through my ups and downs!

You may recall that I was lucky enough to be taken by Eurostar and We Are Social communications agency to Paris for the day in late July, along with a number of other fashion bloggers from London. Well, now it is your turn to experience your own little break to Paris!

Eurostar and We Are Social have given me a PAIR of Eurostar tickets to give away to one of my blog readers....and they are LEISURE SELECT tickets so that means you get the comfy seats, a yummy meal, free glossy magazines and, the best bit, CHAMPAGNE* on your journey! And because they are a PAIR of tickets, it means you can take your mum, your man, your nana, your girl, your bestie, your doggie or your pet rabbit (actually, probably you can't take your dog or your rabbit but you get the general idea :)) to share in your adventure!

So how do you enter the competition?

All you have to do is write in the comments section of this post what you would do on your little break to Paris. It might be lunch at a three-Michelin-star restaurant, shopping for vintage at Didier Ludot, Bastien de Almeida (BDA) or Puces de Vanves, a wander around the windy, hilly streets of Monmartre and Pigalle (you might even bump into fellow style photographer Fred from Easy Fashion in Paris!), brunch at the Rose bakery in the Marais or Coco&Co in Saint Germain, a night out to the Lido cabaret show, a visit to the La Maison Européenne de la Photographie, a dash up the Eiffel Tower, a day spent strolling in the Tuilleries or the Jardin du Luxembourg, or a journey down into the bowels of the city to visit the Catacombes de Paris.

We Are Social will shortlist the best 5 answers and I get to pick the winner**- yay!

Any Conditions?

Apart from being 18 or over, you must be able to get to St Pancras station (as the journey is from St Pancras to Paris and back again) and travel before the end of October this year.

The competition is open until 6pm on Monday 31 August 2009.

So, get busy with your keyboard and tell us what you would do on your little break if you won the tickets. I would love to hear about the crazy, fun, interesting, fabulous things you would do (although do keep anything x-rated for your own imagination only please :). If nobody enters, I may be forced to enter and win those tickets myself (So PLEASSSSE ENTER!!).

Love this couple (above)- they were from Russia and I photographed them back during the men's collections...

This is Edie from Ireland (below) and I photographed her when I was on my Eurostar/We Are Social "little break". I adored her Ed Hardy t-shirt, little biker boots and frou- frou skirt...not to mention her brother giggling at the "crazy lady with the camera" in the background!



Chasing shadows in Paris:


*Unfortunately this means you have to be 18 or over to enter the competition- sorry guys :(

** Yes, I mean NOOOOOO, I can't be bribed with a Erdem Globe Trotter vanity case! ;-)

Brighton and Hove Street Style...Fun, Fun, Fun in the Sun!

Yesterday I headed down to Brighton for the day and have to say that I enjoyed it immensely. The sun was shining, the water was clear and blue, the locals were extremely friendly and the coffee was good (try Taylor Street Baristas on the way down from the train station for a great flat white). It almost reminded me of St Kilda in Melbourne, and as I strolled back along the promenade from Hove (where the colourful beach huts are situated), I felt quite homesick. Of course, nothing that banging off a few rounds with the Nikon couldn't cure ;-).

I was lucky to meet this adorable couple (he was from Portugal and she was from Poland) as I was photographing the decaying remains of the Brighton West Pier. I love the way they have accessorised their swimwear: His Speedo's with that little black cap and her fabulous orange headwrap with cute striped bikini. Summer lovin' in Britain indeed :)



p.s. tomorrow I am launching a competition ! Check back then for details :)

Brighton and Hove Street Style...New Kid on the Block

Sophie, who I spotted playing Crazy Golf (is this the same as putt-putt???) with her friends.

Love her bowler hat and slouchy denim vest and unzipped boots!

Brighton and Hove Street Style....Green Jeans

I love this girl's use of va-va-voom colour: the emerald green jeans, the poppy-red sunglasses and bag slung casually across her plain black tank. Perfect for a day in the sun at Brighton beach. Note also the classic Hi-Top Chucks: shoes, or at least thongs, are a must for negotiating the pebbles on the beach...and the hot pavement during the middle of the day.

I didn't catch her name but she was a university student from Florence, Italy, and is on holidays in the UK for 2 months during her university break.

London Street Style...Get On Your Boots*

A Canadian in London

Adore her simple white tank, the tiny pleats on her black skirt (note the kilt/safety pin on the side of her skirt) and those boots!

*Get on Your Boots, U2, No Line On the Horizon, 2009

Edit: Lucky magazine have featured some of my photos on their website in "Summer street style, Europe. You can check out the link here: www.luckymag.com/blogs/luckyrightnow/2009/08/summer-street-style-europe.html

London Street Style...Beautiful Day*

Black. Fringed ankle boots and dress.
Accessorised with a Diet Coke and a Butterfly pendant.



*Beautiful Day, U2, All That You Can't Leave Behind, 2000

London Street Fashion...She's a Mystery to Me

Patricia, model, from Brazil.
Her dress? From a Brazilian designer (whose name I can't remember).

We went to the U2 concert last night at Wembley- my friend Ewah got us free tickets (yay!)- and it was BRILLIANT. So, in celebration of U2's amazing performance, most of my photos this week are going to have U2 song titles....

London Street Style...Lemon

"Lemon, she through in the sunlight

She wore lemon but never in the daylight..."

"Lemon" (Zooropa, U2, 1993)*

Hyang Sim Lee, graduate from Central Saint Martins.

I adore her yellow dress which she said a friend had given her. Hyang is returning to Osaka in 2 weeks to start her career in fashion. Good luck Hyang!

*Okay, so I know it is more yellow than lemon but I need to work in those U2 song titles :)

London Street Style....Stories for Boys*

Johannes

Fashion student at London College of Fashion

United Colours of Benetton white shirt

Vintage Shorts

Fred Perry bag

U2, Three, 1979

London Street Style...Mad About The Girl

And mad about this impossibly elegant summer dress from Pringle of Scotland.

I adore the little ribbon-tie detailing on the arms, waist and around the hem and the graphic green and yellow print. You can't really see it in the photo but film producer/director Lindsay was also wearing a beautiful gold pendant around her neck- it almost reminded me of the "hand" pendant that Matthew Williamson did a few seasons ago. Or perhaps a Julie Sandlau piece...

Perfect, understated Grace Kelly-ish elegance.

London Street Style....The Girl and The Wolf

Love the high-waisted skinny jeans (from Urban Outfitters) and the cropped vintage t-shirt: one way to wear a cropped tee without exposing any tummy :)

I also like the way Isabel has slipped her fringed sandals over her skinnies....

London Street Style..."Romance was Born"

Okay, so I am schlepping around with the Nikon on Tuesday, thinking about heading home, when suddenly I spotted THE SHARK PANTS. If you read The Sartorialist (and of course you do!) then you will know about THE SHARK PANTS. The Sart photographed them when he was in Australia earlier this year for RAFW, and I remember thinking at the time how brilliantly quirky they were and how well they would sell in London.

So, as you can imagine, I lobbed across the road faster than you can say "Flash as a Shark with a Gold Tooth", and said "Hey, I saw some pants like that on The Sartorialist earlier this year, I love them, where did you get them?"

And he goes "That was ME!!! I just flew in from Australia at 6am this morning!!!"

What a spin-out! I guess I shouldn't be at all surprised given the people I keep bumping into (you might recall my post from last week) but, damn, it really was kinda weird! It is a small world after all :)

Anyway, Sydney-sider Jason is mates with Aussies Anna and Luke, the designers behind the Romance was Born label, and he bought with him a few more of their fabulous pieces so you might see him pop up again on the blog. Anna and Luke got glowing reviews in the press for their SS 2009 collection, and the model Myf Shepherd wore pieces from their "doilies and pearls, oysters and shells" collection on the July cover of Australian Vogue. I don't think the label is available in the UK/Europe at the moment but a little birdy tells me that Luke was over here recently meeting with buyers..... so watch this space :)

London Street Style...Long-Jump

I absolutely adore her long-sleeved jumpsuit- it is playful yet grown-up all at once.

It is also trans-seasonal: perfect for now, and add tights for Autumn/Winter.

She is a designer for Topshop....and the jumpsuit is from Topshop, of course! Mr Green would be proud :)

London Street Style...Blushing

This is Sam who was down from Nottingham with her friend to celebrate his 18th birthday. Her very sweet blush top and shoes caught my eye....closely followed by her Herve Leger inspired black skirt.
Sam has just finished school and intends to study PR and marketing/communications at uni.

London Street Style...Anchors Aweigh!

Ahoy thar, me hearties!

It's the nautical trend on a t-shirt! Lydia's is from All Saints.

If you are after a less obvious take on all things nautical, check out the teeny little anchor pendant she has around her neck.

London Street Style...The Icelandic Brunette

The last couple of weeks I have had two of my A-listers* from Australia staying with me so I haven't had the chance to get out on the street to take photos (bad) but it has forced me to learn more about the history of London (nothing worse than not knowing anything about the city in which you live when visitors arrive except the easiest way to get to Liberty and Browns!) and to spend time doing "touristy activities" (good). In the past two weeks I've been to the Tate Britain (twice), the Tate Modern (once), Westminster Abbey (once), St Paul's Cathedral (once), The Dorchester for High Tea (once), The Horse Guards Parade (once), a London Walk around the Inns of Court (highly recommended), National Gallery (once) and the Photographers Gallery (once).

On Saturday, however, I took the Nikon out for a spin and took my first "street style" photos in 2 weeks- and it felt fab! I've really missed not prowling the streets for stylish peeps but, more than that, I've missed the conversations, the laughs, the interactions I have with the people I photograph. Despite still getting the nervous jitters when approaching people, I really adore meeting people, finding out about what they do, talking about what they are wearing and, of course, taking their photo....I guess that is why I rarely take "candid" street photographs: the interaction with people is part of the pleasure for me.

And of course, London being London, I get to meet people from all over the world: on Saturday I shot a guy from Germany, a girl from Norway, a girl from London and this girl from Iceland. Fabulous!

*You know, those super-amazing girlfriends that will stick with you like a limpet through anything life throws at you :)

Edit: A slightly different, more vintagey processing of the same photo:

London Street Style...The Norwegian Blonde

Arnhild:

From Norway

Playsuit:

From Urban Outfitters

Sunglasses:

From Beyond Retro

London Street Style...The Brit Blonde

What I loved about this politics student, apart from her blonde bombshell looks, of course, was that she didn't look like every other P.Y.T out shopping on a Saturday afternoon. Something about those serious heels (most people, me included, adopt the weekend uniform of trainers or flats), the folksy embroidered dress, the white tights and that perfectly tousled mane made me want to photograph her as soon as I spotted her.

Running with the Fash Pack...Paris Men's Collections 2010

The Boy:
Wears Calvin's
And Giles Deacon/Terry Richardson-esque glasses
And Suspenders
And a Plunging Tank
And some very cool tats (there was a smattering of little stars on his right shoulder)

He is a makeup artist from London and I took this while we were waiting to go into the Wooyoungmi show at the Palais de Tokyo.

Running with the Fash Pack...Paris Men's Collections SS 2010

Same girl (same belt?)
Two different days

WOUND magazine: The Models

These girls, both models, at the WOUND digital launch, had the longest legs. I felt like a hobbit beside them!

Paris Street Style....Audrey Does Frassy!

Audrey Leighton Rogers (love that name!) was one of the lovely bloggers I had the pleasure of meeting on my short break to Paris. Audrey was featured on Teen Vogue's "Blogger of the Moment", you can read the interview here, she writes for a host of fashion publications including Amelia's magazine, has a fab blog called Frassy, interns and does short courses* on her holiday breaks (she is still a student) all while managing to be be wonderfully funny, smart and gorgeous. Oh yeah, and she is only 20 years old- arghhhh- I feel ancient!

After a long day trooping around Paris, I have to say that it was delightful listening to Audrey and Carl from Inspire the Starling chatting and giggling away on the Eurostar journey home (okay, so champagne may have been involved!).

*one of which was a photoshop course! hellllloooo despite (or maybe because of?) using it everyday I hate using photoshop so much that I would need to be paid to do the course!