Originating from Mexico, now in Amsterdam; meet Andy Torres. Over the last 2 years, Andy T has been taking over the fashion blog scene. She has emerged as one of the brightest fashion spotters in Europe, showcasing her looks on the self run website Style Scrapbook. I was first attracted to her blog by the quality of her photos a year or so ago. Street style was on the up but Andy T made it into an art. Her looks have become more and more refined and her hard work rewarded by invites to fashion shows throught Europe.

Check out the website here >> STYLE SCRAPBOOK
Andy T is also on twitter. Follow! >> @stylescrapbook

Jack Lawrence took part in his first shoot for Lookbook.Nu. Along with a couple of sneeky shots, check out the final Lookbook composition.

If you have a Lookbook or Facebook account, dont forget to add Hype at the link below!

Monday Morning’s Jack Lawrence brings us up to date with a unique look into his recent hair seminar schedule:

” Hi Guys,

I have been really busy, both inside and outside of the salon. I have been asked to educate fellow hairdressers across Europe in the past few months. I have been to Milan, Rome and Stuttgart doing both hair shows and educational seminar events. Milan and Rome were for 3 days and Stuttgart was for 2 days. Here is a rough outline of what I do on a 3 day trip….

Day 1

The flight is always extra early and normally always from London Heathrow. The first day is a killer because of the travelling and all the prep work. I am lucky if the flight leaves after 7am. So if its a 7am flight I am up at 4am, at the airport for 5am and in the air by 7am. I pray the luggage arrives as it has my scissors, electrical equipment and products etc.

A car is always waiting for me at the airport. This then takes me to either the academy of the company I am working for or the venue of the show. The first part of the day is to cast and pick my models. Normally 6 to 8 models. I pick my models and then they are taken for a clothes fitting with the stylist. I tell the stylist what look I want and they hopefully deliver. The next part is the longest part and this is colouring all of the models hair. I normally want bright, sexy but classy colours that are enhanced under the spotlights when I am on stage. Next stage is rehearsals. I have a theme for all of my shows and music chosen. This is the most frustrating part of the day as the girls keep forgetting what to do. Everytime it takes the girls 100s of attempts to get it right. Once happy with rehearsals I go back to finishing the colours. At this point it is normally about 9 or 10pm and its straight to dinner with the company. Then bed time. A pretty long day!

Day 2

All night I would have been thinking of what to do with my stage models and what I would be saying on stage. Normally up at 7am and straight to the venue. All models are washed and pre cut and styled where necessary. Then its showtime. As a team we normally do 2 finished models who are presented first. I then do 2 haircuts and styles live on stage, working alongside a team member who is doing the same. We have to make it quick, funny, interesting and all with the help of a translator. A show will normally last about 45 minutes to an hour. Show over!! Hopefully its a success!! You then sort your equipment out backstage and head for dinner. The next day is a day of personal teaching.

Day 3

Again up at 7am and straight to the venue. The people who were at the show the day before are the people I will then teach. They are split into groups and work on a head block each (a dummy head). We choose what haircuts to teach and run them through these haircuts step by step. Its quite a fun way to finish and let’s us get to know our audience, mingle and have some banter. At the end of this day we pose for photos and wait for the facebook friend requests to come flooding in! Then its a flight home, normally landing back to London late at night. Back into the salon first thing in the morning to do a day of clients. Its pretty intense and exhausting but I get a buzz out of teaching people and them being interested in what I am doing as a hairdresser.

So there you go, there is a lot of work that goes into a hair show or seminar. Its not just about rocking up and doing your thing on the day. I wish it was like that!

I am currently working on a TV project and have London Fashion Week fast approaching. I will keep you updated with how those go

Thanks everyone xx ”

See Jack Lawrence’s featured interview here: JACK LAWRENCE INTERVIEW

Constance Phillips is a freelance photographer & stylist, a fashion & photography blogger. I first found Constance on Lookbook.nu and have had her blog in my bookmarks for a good few months now. Her styling & looks are noted with where each piece comes from and is always presented with the prefect shot to show it off. Head turning looks that make you stop & study each photo. The blog is updated regulary with new looks & copious amounts of other bits that show the inspiration behind it all.

“Fashion is about having fun and feeling confident rather than religiously following trends, which explains why my style can change so sporadically!”

Check out the blog here >> CONSTANCE VICTORIA BLOG

Also check out the website here >> CONSTANCE PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHY

Jonny Clash real name Jonathan Vazquez, is a freelance photographer based in Orlando, Florida. Specialising in commercial & lifestyle photography, Jonny focuses on adding an intriguing twist to the cobwebbed pre-set photos that appear in our fashion cut outs every day. Everyone knows I’m a sucker for a great fashion shot, Jonny keeps your eyes stuck to the page everytime.

Check out the website here >> JONNY CLASH PHOTOGRAPHY
Jonny Clash is also on twitter. follow him @Jonnyclash

“A photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being captured in the deepest sense, and is a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety. I want to capture your hearts and passions, amplified. just to show you how perfect you are.
this is my life.”

Miss Bliss is a 20 year old full time photographer based in Chicago, United States. I stumbled across her website while blog jumping last night. Bliss’ work is amazing. For someone to be just 20 and creating such work on a proffesional level really is inspiring.

Check out the website here >> MISS BLISS PHOTOGRAPHY
Miss Bliss is also on twitter. Follow! – @blisskatherine

Victoria Tornegren is based in Sweden and is currently posting copious amounts of style post on her blog that are turning heads. Her simple, effective fashion choices show how everyday fashion can be made to look sheek, sexy and confortable at the same time.

Check out the blog here >> VICTORIA TORNEGREN STYLE BLOG

Charlottes Spring Summer 2011 collection has been selected to represent Vauxhall Fashion Scout in it’s Ones to Watch show this September.

CHARLOTTE TAYLOR is a womenswear label that was successfully launched at London Fashion Week in February 2010 in association with Vauxhall Fashion Scout.

Charlottes eponymous label has received accredited acclaim from the press and fashionistas alike, having been featured on Vogue.com and Stylebubble to name a few.

Her debut collection inspired by Trashy Grannies, Penguins and English Eccentrics has been snapped up by Coggles and Young British Designers and selected pieces will go on sale from September.

Charlottes documentary style blog, detailing the behind the scenes world of a fashion designer also continues to thrive, whilst helping other budding designers on its way.

For Spring/ Summer 2011 CHARLOTTE TAYLOR will be showing at London Fashion week in association with Vauxhall Fashion scout as part of its “Ones To Watch” show!

Vogue.com announced it today. Congratulations Charlotte!

“Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s Ones To Watch is more than just a showcase of the best new design talent. We support and nurture our designers guiding them through the challenges of their catwalk show as well as helping them build sustainable businesses,” says Martyn Roberts, director of Vauxhall Fashion Scout.

Charlotte has also opened a website to run alongside the brand. Check it out here!

Nina Warmerdam is a Fashion graduate from the Netherlands currently based in London. Nina is an amazing illustrator and simply oozes class in her designs. By talking to Nina for just a minute or so, you can tell how tuned in she is about what she does and what she wants to do. The world is yours Nina!

Monday Morning
Hi Nina. You graduated last year from Fashion Institute Arnhem. Tell us a bit about your graduate womenswear collection..

Nina Warmerdam
Well, what started the research for this collection, was an old photograph by Helmut Newton of a woman hanging on a trapeze naked. I was immediately fascinated by the shapes and lines that appeared on her body caused by the tension from hanging on the trapeze, and the contrast between the soft / feminine side and the raw tension stayed in my mind.

While I started draping, I kept experimenting with shapes and cut-outs around the armpit, because it is a part of the women’s body that is usually ignored and hidden, and the shape research gave me new, interesting ideas.

Besides that, I was also inspired by African mask-looking pieces created by Canadian artist Brian Jungen, made entirely out of Nike Air Jordan sneakers. I loved the primitive feeling it had, and was interested by the classical sportswear detailing.
I integrated a sportswear influence into the final pieces, translated both in fabric and colour.

For example, I created new fabrics by melting together high-end fabrics with classical sportswear fabrics, such as a crêpe wool and a rubber jersey.
The finishings are also very raw, and the use of bold colours contributed to the primitive side of the collection.

Altogether, the collection is about strong, feminine shapes and primitive rawness, while focussing on sides of the body that are unusual and fresh.

Monday Morning
Your influences resulted in a collection which is strong, bold and graphic yet doesn’t deny the wearer of her femininity. How have you moved on from the climax of making a graduate collection to continuing your independent fashion work?

Nina Warmerdam
The process of developing the graduation collection has been a great learning experience for me. It was the first time I executed a cohesive, full collection, so along the way the ups and downs have taught me alot about myself and the way I work best.

After graduation I took some time to update my portfolio and figure out what was next for me. I wanted to increase my (technical) skills and gain more experience, so I did an internship in London. Yet, I always kept working on personal work, whether it was fashion or illustrations.

I am currently in the process of designing a new collection, which I find very exciting and thrilling.
Still, there’s always more to learn, so right now I think I would like to either do an MA next year, or get back into the industry!

Monday Morning
Sounds exciting, can you tell us a bit about the collection your are working on now?

Nina Warmerdam
Yes, it’s called “PREY”, and for this collection I did lots of research on hunting: the clothes, the atmosphere, the old and the new. I found these amazing old pictures with people wearing the most interesting jackets with special cuts, and websites filled with the latest modern technological huntingwear. There are so many amazing things they create nowadays, it really blew my mind.

After that I took certain aspects of the research and evolved these by draping, experimenting with them, so new shapes were created. It was important to me to combine the “hunting” side of the collection with a more feminine, classical touch. However, the accessories I designed do have a very litteral reference to huntingwear.

You have graduated as part of a new generation of designers who are having an especially hard time funding their work during these hard economic times. Has this hindered or helped your attitude towards your work in any way?

I think it is never particularly easy in this industry to fund, however I think you have to approach it with a lot of positivity. The best thing about these economic times is that it is forcing everyone to be creative, and look for new ways to get something done. I guess in my case, it only made me want to try harder and do the best I can.
What I find very nice to see, is that because of the current situation, a lot of collectives of designers are rising: people come together and take on the industry as a group, so they have a better shot to showcase their work, it’s fun and good to see!

Monday Morning
Best of luck for the new collection Nina, lastly, where can we see your work?

Nina Warmerdam
You can see it on http://ninawarmerdam.blogspot.com, and some of it is up on http://www.notjustalabel.com/ninawarmerdam!

Interview by Elena Picone.

Here are Natasha Kiddle’s final pieces for her Fine Art Degree. Natasha graduated receiving a 1st!

 
Middlesex University Degree Show 2010

“Yaya”

“Alias”

Check out Natasha Kiddle’s featured order on Monday Morning here >> NATASHA KIDDLE INTERVIEW

Back in April I showed you about Vintage Vandalizm. Jasmine has been busy cooking up more and more vintage & pin up looks over the last couple of months and has just finished a full website design make over.

Well done Miss Rodriguez! We like!!

Check out the new site here >> VINTAGE VANDALIZM

‘Filippo Fiora Fashionista’ is ‘The Three F’.

There isn’t much men self styling online so Filippo really has an open field to play with. Based in Milan, his looks show what the rest of Europe is missing. If only the UK had some decent weather!

Check out the website here >> THE THREE F
Follow ‘The Three F’ on twitter here >> @filippofiora