Ciao Bella! Sarah Clark visits Rome for Glamour

Sarah worked on this story for Glamour Magazine for the August edition. After having recently visiting Rome myself, and being a  bit obsessed with it, I asked her about the shoot and thought we could put a few tips together of places to stay and go to…

Here’s what Sarah had to say:

“It was a 'Pre-Season' story, which basically means the collections that go into the stores after the Spring/Summer collections and before the Winter collections (sounds obvious now!).

Also known as the 'Fall' collections. They are often a taster of what you can expect from the designers for their main Winter collections. I noticed that there were a lot of great prints around, so that was my starting point for the story. I was particularly inspired by the Marni collection, and loved the way the prints were all mismatched and clashing. I wanted it to have a fun feel, but also still be ladylike (a slightly eccentric lady perhaps??). I also loved the hats and the socks and clompy wooden soled shoes. I loved it all!

My rail in the Glamour fashion cupboard looked a bit like a charity shop, but I knew (well, hoped anyway) that once the outfits were on the model and in situ in Rome, the clothes would really come to life. I loved the idea of shooting in Rome (the locations, the light, the mood...), but also liked the idea of shooting something more unexpected (i.e. not a 'Roman Holiday' story). I wanted it to feel like the model was a tourist on a quick tour of Rome, cramming in all the sights. 

It was the best trip ever! We had so much fun. Amazing team, amazing weather, amazing food!! One of my most memorable trips for Glamour and also my last, so great to end on a high. I will miss working with Pamela. She's incredible.”

See the full story here.

Rome Tips:

Stay: The Il Palazetto Hotel on the Spanish Steps. Owned by the Hassler – benefit from the Old School glamour of the Hassler yet staying in a boutique hotel. Perfect. 

See: As well as the many sights in Rome, if you are there before the 23^rd November, it’s worth checking out the Mario Testino Todo O Nada Exhibition – 54 amazing images beautifully presented. Great merchandise of posters, postcards, cards and books available. 

Drink: Bar Del Fico in Piazza Del Fico is a lovely little bar with good snacks. It was recommended by two separate and very different people. Perfect afternoon stop and quite lively at night with a cool crowd of young and old (playing chess outside), mismatched chairs and tables and kitsch bits and pieces. We found ourselves accidentally there a few times! Oops.

Eat: The Filippo La Mantia restaurant at the Hotel Majestic has fantastic food using no garlic, butter or onions. Gorgeous Art Deco setting and delicious. A real treat. 

By Sarah Clark – Winter White Story Red Magazine December 2011

Sarah Clark was asked to do a Winter White story by Red magazine for their December issue and this is what she had to say about it.

"I knew they wanted some kind of Christmas theme, but I didn't want it to be too literal.

 

The clothes have no theme/story except the colour palette, because I thought it would great just to shoot gorgeous clothes that you might wear over the festive period (that happened to be white, cream etc).

I did a mix of gorgeous dresses, knits, a suit etc. All styled in different ways.

They are clothes that I would (or would love to) wear. I particularly loved all the head pieces - so pretty. We shot it in LA because that's where Coliena (Rentmeester), the photographer is based. I liked that it was definitely not an obvious location for a Christmas shoot! It was such a fun story to shoot, but quite hectic with kids, props, bunnies etc!

Next time I'll just be sticking to one model!!"

Beautiful!

Movember spawned a Moustache - Grooming tips for Men

You may have noticed a few more moustaches than usual sprouting up recently. This is not a new fashion statement (though for some it might be) but mainly because of ‘Movember’.

On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face and then for the rest of the month these men, known as Mo Bros, “groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery” and seek sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.” (read more here)

In 2010, over 112,000 UK Mo Bros got on board, raising £11.7 million.

The artists at Emma Davies thought it was perfect time to look at male grooming to help these selfless and generous men through the month.

Moustache Tips:

• When trimming your moustache there are two things to consider, the silhouette or outline shape and the overall thickness and length. Shave just around the outside of the moustache and then tidy up properly with scissors and a comb (Kent Brushes have developed one especially for Movember). Use your lip as a template and trim one side first and then the other side. Take your time and try and get the shape as symmetrical as possible, a magnifying mirror would really help with this. Electric trimmers are also good to use but beware as one slip and your mo' could go for a burton! Scissors are safer!

•  Use Moustache Wax from Murdock's or Oregon Wild Hair to add volume and definition to your 'tache. For extra control apply the wax firstly to your moustache then use a hairdryer to warm the wax which makes it more malleable and allows greater control! 

• Choose a style most flattering for your face shape. The size of your philtrum (area between nose and top lip!) will obviously have a bearing on this. i.e. the larger the philtrum the wider the moustache should be.

Anna Cofone however, suggests having fun and men should be experimenting with different shapes, lengths and thicknesses! Anna pointed out how good they can look giving the example of “Johnny Depp at the UK premier of ‘The Rum Diary’ wearing his trademark Tom Ford suit, an open necked shirt and his ever groomed moustache.”

For ‘a very gentlemanly look to match your Movember moustache’ Philippe Tholimet suggests using a bit of any conditioner in your hand to give the hair a feel that it has brillantine in it without using brillantine… He says to comb through the hair then make a side parting with your fingers and let it dry naturally. Philippe says “The hair should look that it has been groomed at some point in time and then this is about a few hours later.”

Eli Wakamatsu’s favourite mens pre-to-post shaving products are from Kiehls as there is a lot of variety for different skin types. She says, “Men’s skin needs to have cleansed well into pores and regular gentle scrubbing at least once a week”. 

Maria Comparetto agrees “Make sure you exfoliate your skin at least once a week”, she suggests using “a ‘sloughing brush’ these are available from most high street stores including Boots, Muji and The Body Shop.”

“This little wooden brush is used to lather up your usual facial wash in the palm of your hand, then with small circular motions massage all over your face and neck for a few minutes (avoiding delicate eye area). Wash the product off using warm water and apply a moisturiser (such as Clinique lotion)”

For a flawless look for the Movember party at the end of the month, Maria says, “Grab your girlfriend’s YSL ‘Touche Eclat’ (or get your own) and dot just under the eyes where you may have dark circles then gently pat with your ring finger until the product disappears, this will reflect the natural light and give you a fresh & rested appearance.” She adds “Just be careful to use the shade that suits you. There are 7 available. You’ll look smokin! and noone will know how/why....”

By Maria Comparetto - The Christopher Raeburn Show LFW Spring/Summer '12

Christopher Raeburn has made his mark on the fashion industry for his outerwear, this season he surpassed our expectations and surprised us by venturing into jersey dresses, trousers and adding much more to his signature pieces.

It is truly British and he prides himself on being ethically aware producing all his garments in the UK. He uses dead stock fabrics, such as parachute and military blankets & recycles them to make cool, wearable clothes for all ages.

The setting for his presentation was The London Museum, a first for the museum but a perfect choice for this designer.

The makeup room was bright and airy (Thank you!) and the presentation was sectioned in to 3 parts; a film showing a journey through his garments, an installation where sensors where placed inside the clothes and the collection hung on tent frames, beautifully lit. Touching the clothes would set off the sensor & would then play a sound. When the room was full of people experiencing/touching the fabrics etc. the room filled with abstract music...

My inspiration for the show came from the primary colours used in the collection.

I thought I would steer away from skin highlights and contouring this season as it’s so easily done for Spring/Summer.

The hair was very "real" so fresh clean skin without sheen was easily achieved with Mac Invisible powder.

Wherever possible the brows were erased using Mac concealer and brushed upwards for a fresh "outdoor" feeling.

A light grey opaque shadow was used to naturally contour the socket but no mascara was needed as I wanted to draw attention away from the eyes.

The face would now become a blank canvas but the edge would be the lip.

Using a new MAC spring summer colour called ‘Watch me Shimmer’ (I LOVE it!) I filled in the mouth using a brush then pressed in a pigment making the lips look  like they were covered in fabric.

The stylist Jane Townsend was amazing teaming cool socks and perfect shoes and just adding her touch of magic to the overall look.

Louise from MAC kindly showed me through the SS12 colours and worked very hard along with Naomi, Helen and Rebecca, all troopers!

The show received great reviews and was covered by style.com, Vogue and Dazed to name a few.

Giannie Couji goes West for VELOUR Magazine

Giannie Couji styled two stories for the latest edition of Velour Magazine with the photographer Marco Piana.

The two stories were shot in Tucson, near the Mexican border in Arizona.

Giannie said of the shoot: "'The planes' graveyard' as I called it was the most surreal location, especially coming from cold NY and then arriving in to boiling hot Tucson was a thermal shock. We were basically boiling under the sun."  The second location was a movie set and museum called Gammons Gulch, the place is run by a lovely couple, Jay and Joanne Gammons. It felt like stepping back in time, in a old western town, just waiting for the cow boys and Indians to come down the hills, at one point the atmosphere became quite dusty and we have a bit of stormy weather, which made the set very dramatic.

See the full 'Desert Planes' story here and 'Way Out West Story' here.

Eli Wakamatsu talks Wedding Make-up

BY ELI WAKAMATSU 

A couple of close friends are getting marry soon so I have been thinking about wedding make-up. This morning I saw this photo of the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, and thought how truly beautiful she looks. 

To be honest, I felt her make up on the wedding day was little harsh as I watched on the tv screen in Paris. (I was shooting in Paris that weekend!) and I prefer her look in the photo below than the look for the wedding.

I love how her beautiful skin is glowing elegantly, the coal under the eyes is much less pronounced, so you will see her eyes (and not the lines).

I have thing about the brides skin to be glowing with joy and happiness, and not too Matt with foundation and powder.

If you have a dark eyebrow, leave it natural and just brush it up with some clear mascara or Bobbi Brown Natural Brow Shaper. If you have light colour or uneven eye brow, fill the gap with natural colour powder like the Givenchy Eye & Brow Prisme. Do not go darker than  your hair colour. Remember, a dark eye brow can make your face looking harder, lighter eye  

brow makes softer.

For foundation ; use a sheer foundation such as Givenchy's Photo Perfexion Light or Chanel's Vita Lumiere Aqua in conjunction with desired concealers.

   

Then use Dior Christal Nude pressed over the face, instead of powder to fix and mattify a little but still retain a glow. This product keeps skin looking totally sheer as if you are not wearing any foundation, yet keeps it shine free.

Anna Cofone - The Guardian 6 August

Anna Cofone did the hair on this shoot in the Guardian (Saturday 6th August) with the photographer Andre Wolff and stylist Priscilla Kwateng.

Anna said "The feel of the shoot was all about a chic but cool character..think Jane Birkin..fresh natural makeup and hair and all about the 60's influenced clothes". Lovely - see the full story here.