features

Four year old Seb White who has Down's syndrome to model for M&S Christmas collection

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 20:45:41 +0100

Four year old Seb White has chubby rosy cheeks, bright soft blue eyes and a mischievous smile. He will be the Marks and Spencer’s campaign model for their Christmas kid’s collection; coincidentally he also has Down’s syndrome.

Caroline White, Seb’s mother, grew tired of being bombarded with images of happy smiling families and children in advertising campaigns which did not represent children and people like her beautiful young son. She said: ‘When Seb was born, I vividly remember seeing lots of ads with hundreds of beautifully perfect kids in them and it just added to my sense of isolation and difference.’

Following a post by Caroline on M&S’s Facebook wall the company seized on the idea after a wealth of support from fellow Facebook users. What could be regarded as fortuitous timing on the part of Marks and Spencer’s following the success of the Paralympics and the extensive promotion on Channel 4 coverage, the high street retailer can be viewed by pessimists as jumping on a currently popular band wagon. Regardless of motivations, I am more than in favour of this move.

Growing up with an elder sister with Down’s syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality caused by a third copy of chromosome 21, one of the most upsetting experiences has been witnessing the rude stares and quizzical looks from others whilst walking down the street or out in a public place, who I would prefer to optimistically believe do so as a result of unfamiliarity with the condition. Down’s syndrome can cause a varying spectrum of cognitive and learning disabilities as well as physical and medical complications.

The condition also results in a distinct set of facial characteristics, my sister is six years older than me, she has perfectly fine arching eyebrows which have never been plucked, poker straight hair which never requires product and the same hazel eyes and long eye lashes as me and my mum. Whilst she shares the same facial characteristics as many with Down’s, this does not cover all, not all people with Down’s syndrome look the same, they look like their families.

A Christmas children’s wear collection modelled by an adorable young boy, one who has a disability which in past times would have him kept out of public sight, will help promote an understanding and a familiarity of the physical characteristics of people with Down’s syndrome. I for one cannot wait to see the cheeky grin of four year old Seb in the windows and printed ads of Marks and Spencer’s.

Follow @AnnaMolly2012

The Last 50 Years of Film

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 20:08:12 +0100

Old before her time, Alyson Claffey takes a nostalgic look back at the last 50 years of film.

I’m very well known for watching films about ten years after they were cool (it took me ten years to watch Titanic); so it comes as no surprise that I only recently watched Back to the Future. Yet, despite this, it’s not as bad as people imagine, instead it just made me realise just how brilliant they really were. Without the surrounding hype clouding people’s judgement (such as with the Twilight Saga, who will think they were a good idea in about ten years!), it made me realise, in a very cliché manner, how brilliant the last ten years of films have been, even without the surrounding hype. Sure they can’t be classed as timeless, because, let’s face it, the outfits and styles date it a tad, in the fact whoever decided how people should dress between 1970 and 1999 probably began drinking heavily in 1970 and carried on way into the 80s and only began to sober up in the late 90s. Despite this though, the films themselves are still brilliant.

I can’t help beating the drum for the last 50 years of film, so prepare for some cringing time as I gush some more, because I can’t help feeling how lucky I was to have grown up in the 90s. For example, the wealth of film produced as my teeth were falling out, such Home Alone, Aladdin and 10 Things I Hate About You were brilliant in humour, storyline, and well, soundtrack. Over the last 50 years of films we’ve been given features such as The Graduate, with a soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel and of course Back to the Future with songs such as ‘The Power of Love’ by Huey Lewis and the News. We’ve even had films such as Labyrinth where they actually managed to bag David Bowie as both the musician and actor for the film. These films are just the best, I know that the technology was not that advanced (see Labyrinth), but in a sense because things aren’t blowing up in your face, it doesn’t detract from the story. I know that now films have gotten more technologically advanced, more complex in plot and character stereotyping (there’s far too many too cool guys in cinema, no one is that sleek all the time), but in my opinion I quite like the dressed down quality of the films, and to just add to the nostalgia, I think they’re just so much happier! Call me old before my time, because I certainly sound like a nostalgic old woman, but I do prefer the older films, so here’s my list of some of my favourites from the last 50 years.

60s

1. The Graduate (1967) – So here’s to you Mrs Robinson... and Dustin Hoffman, with a soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel a splash of infidelity, what more could you need?

2. Psycho (1960) – What more could you need than horror and a man dressed up as an old lady....

3. Paris When it Sizzles (1964) – A conglomerate of genres, in Paris, in the 60s with Audrey Hepburn...

4. A Hard Day’s Night (1964) – A brilliantly British comedy with the Beatles and one half of Steptoe and Son.

5. The Pink Panther (1964) – The first one in the series of three films, a clumsy French detective and oh course some Peter Sellars genius makes one damn good film.

6. Mary Poppins (1964) – I don’t think this needs any other explanation, only homage to Dick Van Dyke’s truly terrible Cockney accent.

7. The Italian Job (1969) – Amazing driving in some Mini Coopers, Michael Caine, and of course the best cliff hanger of an ending... quite literally.

8. Alfie (1966) – Yet another Michael Caine film to have been remade worse than the original, the original is still the best.

9. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) – it’s worth it just for scene the intense eye contact. Plus, it’s pretty good.

10. The Jungle Book (1967) – It gave us tunes like ‘The Bear Necessities’ and ‘I Wanna Be Like You’.

70s

1. Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) – Nothing beats the original orange Oompa Loompas, plus it has the song ‘Pure Imagination.’

2. American Graffiti (1973) – Set in the 1950s, it’s a very interesting portrayal of the culture, plus it has that kid from Happy Days.

3. Quadrophenia ( 1979) – Even though it was a decade late, the depiction of Mods and Rockers to a soundtrack by The Who is brilliant. It notably stars Phil Daniels (he also starred in Blur’s ‘Parklife’ Video) and Sting.

4. The Man With the Golden Gun (1974) – Not necessarily the best, but there needed to be a vintage Bond film in there somewhere.

5. Carry On At Your Convenience (1971) – Carrying on brilliantly poking fun at the national unrest during the 70s and the continual strikes.

6. On Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) – Distressing, yet absorbing it’s a must see.

7. The Way We Were (1973) – It’s an interesting one, certainly worth it to watch Barbra Streisand become creepily obsessed with Robert Redgrave.

80s

1. Back to the Future (1985) – Boy goes back in time, yada yada, I’m sure you know the story, but it’s still brilliant.

2. The Breakfast Club (1985) – Earmarking the beginning of the ‘teen film stereotype.’

3. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) – A genius amalgamation of cartoon characters and real human actors.

4. When Harry Met Sally (1989) – Everyone knows the story, but it’s still a pretty good watch.

5. E.T. (1982) – It’s so heart warming, plus it’s about an alien who is not trying to destroy the Earth.

6. The Elephant Man (1980) – Beautiful, but absolutely heartbreaking.

7. Raiders of the Lost Arc (1981) – Iconic.

8. Labyrinth (1986) – A coming of age tale, with David Bowie in a magical fantasy land. What more could you need?

9. Dirty Dancing (1987) – This needs a mention, because the 80s was when the dancing film really sparked.

10. Splash (1984) – A mermaid saves a man from drowning... basically the Little Mermaid with real actors.

11. The Goonies (1985) – a group of kids embark on an adventure for buried pirate treasure. It’s like someone made a damn good film of your childhood games.

12. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – Another iconic high school 80s movie.

90s

1. Home Alone (1990) – It doesn’t need an explanation.

2. Schindler’s List (1993) – One of the most touching and unique films about WW2.

3. American Beauty (1999) – Not just another teen movie, it’s thought provoking and a little creepy.

4. Titanic (1997) - The list would be incomplete without it.

5. The Truman Show (1998) – The trippiest concept, but such a brilliantly unique idea.

6. Run Lola Run (1998) – A German film, examining three possible outcomes of the same situation.

7. Toy Story (1995) – Pixar’s landmark animated film.

8. Forrest Gump (1994) – A genuinely touching film.

9. Ghost (1990) – Following the course of a woman trying to make contact with her dead husband.

10. Cruel Intentions (1999) – A savage teen film, following relationships, money and manipulation.

Follow @AlysonClaffey

Once more down the rabbit hole

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:52:00 +0100

Olivia Marsh interviews Amie Bell, final year degree student at the University of Lincoln working on an Alice in Wonderland collection for her final year project.

Tell me about your final year project? What’s the central task and what have you selected to do?

In fashion, but much like many other subjects, we get to choose what we want to do for our final year project. We have to think of something that will keep us inspired and motivated for the whole year.

Over the Summer, we have to investigate potential themes using imagery, drawing, design ideas, colour, written notes, fabrics, yarns, pattern ideas etc, and record them into a sketchbook which will then lead us to develop a clear understanding of which idea offers the most potential for further 2D/3D development.

We then have to demonstrate that we have fully engaged with the idea and that it is a feasible one in terms of creative potential, garment development, innovation, and market availability. When we start 3rd year in September we have to present our final collection concept via a range of well presented research, market research ie. Current fashion/designers, websites, exhibitions, fashion shows, trade fairs, etc, initial design ideas, colour palettes, mood boards, fabric/yarn/knit stories, and finally full part toiles exploring key shapes, details, construction and pattern cutting methods.

It’s a lot to do over the Summer but we will definitely need the time for pattern cutting and manufacturing!

Why did you pick Alice in Wonderland and what is it about Lewis Carroll’s story that you think captures people’s imaginations?

I chose Alice In Wonderland because I find it interesting and meaningful. There are lots of elements that have significant symbols/characters that would be useful to inspire shape and/or print for my designs, such as the mushroom the caterpillar sits on, the flowers in the garden, the queen of hearts, croquet with the flamingos, etc. I have done a lot of research on Carroll himself and found out a lot of interesting facts about him, which explains a lot of the uniqueness within the story. Alice In Wonderland is a wildly imaginative story, which is brilliant for children, but it is still written in an adult yet amusing way, and I think this is what captivates the audience.

What’s your favourite version of Alice in Wonderland (any means or media)?

I came across a wonderful silent film on youtube when researching the films. It’s the first ever film version of Lewis Carroll’s tale, directed by Cecil Hepworth and Percy stow in 1903, and it is wonderfully enchanting! It’s simple props, scenery, and bouncy piano music makes it captivating to the audience. Although it is only 9 minutes 33 seconds it covers all the elements within the story. It is by far one of my favourite adaptations.

How do you go about researching this kind of project, which resources do you use?

We have to cover as much research as we can. I have looked at the different key elements within the story and done some research on each.
I mainly use the Internet for research as I can access many journals and newspaper articles this way. I also use a variation of books and magazines to collate imagery and inspirational illustrative work to aid me with my designs. I go to exhibitions and galleries, such as the V&A, which is a good way to gather primary evidence. I have also visited Kew Gardens, as there is quite a lot of floral imagery in my mood board and other research.

What do you listen to when you’re designing and creating to keep you focused/ inspired?

I like to listen to an array of music when designing it just depends on my mood. My favorite artists at the moment are Amy Winehouse, City & Colour, Ben Howard, Elbow, Dry The River, Florence And The Machine, and Active Child. I guess that’s a fair few!

What other factors have inspired your work?
There was an interesting article I came across while researching about the Printemps shopping centre in France. Printemps had collaborated with a few of the biggest fashion designers, allowing them to create a window display reflecting their interpretation of Alice In Wonderland for the release of the Time Burton film released in 2010. The designers who contributed to the beautiful display were: Chloé, Alexander McQueen, Haider Ackermann, Maison Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester, Charles Anastase, Manish Arora, and Bernard Wilhelm. All very different garments, yet beautiful.

Which designers inspire your work?

I have looked at John Tenniel’s illustrations for the Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland book and hope to take most of the key features in my designs from his drawings.
Bob Crowley is a highly respected costume/set designer for theatre. His wonderful perspective on the tale brings the tale into a new light with a slight twist to story, making the knave of hearts Alice’s love interest. His bold use of shapes to represent the cards, beautiful and delicate fabric for Alice, amazing use of set design to portray the trickery of perspective within the story, is all too amazing and highly inspirational.
Colleen Atwood has been a keen idol of mine ever since I got into designing. She actually designed for Tim Burton’s adaptation of Alice In Wonderland, her costumes are unique and different to John Tenniel’s illustrations yet they capture the Victorian period very well!

What other dramas/ stories would you like to design costumes for?
I have always loved the costumes in the fantasy style stories/films/dramas, such as Harry Potter, Snow White and The Huntsman, The Lord of the Rings, Stardust, I could go on. I feel that the fantasy style stories/films allow the designer to be freer with their designs, as if anything is possible.

Follow Amie on Twitter and follow her website for Alice in Wonderland and design based inspiration.

Follow @amierosebell

http://pinterest.com/amierosebell/wonderland-apparel/

http://amirosebell.wordpress.com/

It's the Blitz! Take a ride back in time...

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:04:44 +0100

The Blitz Party in Shoreditch London is the closet you can come to a time machine.

In a small corner of North East London, there lies the doorway back to Narnia, closeted away in an anonymous back alley of Shoreditch. When you step through that door you come out into a magical land you couldn’t have thought it existed, or indeed that down this small side alley there exists, because while it’s not literal magic, it may as well be.

The Blitz Party London, brought to you by The Village Underground, is one of those events so intricately and spectacularly well done, that you feel like Lucy did the first time she walked into Narnia, utterly in awe. The irony is in this respect it’s almost the reverse, because instead of leaving war torn 1940s Britain, you’re entering it.

Tucked away in an old underground railway storeroom, it is the perfect location to replicate those covert underground London parties during The Blitz. Stepping over the threshold and into the main room is the closest you will ever currently get to a time machine. There is not a modern application in sight and not a single person makes a half hearted attempt to replicate the style and feel of the 1940s. Everyone, women and men alike go all out with everything from seamed stockings, red lipstick and faux fur to full suits, fedoras and replica army and naval uniforms. Everyone pretends, it’s like playing make believe as a grown up, but with none of the shame. The event is classy, well done and although not exactly cheap, as can be expected in Greater London, still so enthralling. There is so much to look at, from the intricate costumes to the big Union Jack, there is no skimping on details; even the toilets are vintage (yes they’re those ones with the hanging lever) and if that wasn’t enough to make you forget there exists a world with Ipods and mobile phones there’s even a sandwich stall with a man making cheese or ham sandwiches for the hungry evacuees from the modern age. Not only this, but it was proper fluffy handmade bread, not cheap Tesco’s own. Now you don’t get that in a modern day club!

In fact the nature of the event means that it is nothing going out in the modern day, people are courteous, there’s no one puking on the side of the road and random strangers Swinging together; it’s as if the wartime spirit had never left us. The event includes a jazz band playing some old and new favourites, mixing new songs into some vintage jazz and a DJ set, (ok so I guess there still needs to be some modernisation to really set the mood). The music was brilliant playing tunes such as the original ‘We No Speak Americano,’ and some obviously some Glenn Miller. I feel I should probably add a small warning here, most people like the classic Disney song, ‘I Wanna Be Like You’ this is fine, but if you like it, be prepared: they play it. A lot. Sometimes it might be worth a trip to the toilet to escape and salvage the song for yourself.

This is not the only strange anomaly of The Blitz Party... Despite all my ravings of how truly authentic it was, the end was... well the only way I can describe it was trippy. You know I compared it to discovering a magical land earlier... well this was more equivalent to being Alice as she went through the looking glass, as opposed to being Lucy. Towards the end of the night the jazz DJ set slowly transformed into the Yolanda Be Cool and D Cup remix of ‘We Speak No Americano,’ perfectly fine as people had almost been waiting for it all night, but then they started to Dubstep everything. Now Dubstep is fine and to be expected in a place like Shoreditch, just perhaps not when you are all inhabiting romantic visions of war torn Britain and playing dress up, (it got more trippy when they wacked out a Dubstep remix of James Bond, it was pretty entertaining). None of this sounds that complimentary, but in all honesty it worked, it was just trippy. By the end of the night there is only so much 1940s entertainment they can give you, and as the early hours roll around and the alcohol takes hold, the underground cavern transforms into something a little trippy, but certainly a night you will never forget; it is just one of the many things that makes the entire night feel like some fantastic dream. Perhaps it’s just Bourne and Hollingsworth’s way of showing you how diverse they can be; either way it worked marvellously. Overall, a jolly good show and a spiffing night.

If you’re interested to find out more, you can take a closer look on their website here: http://www.theblitzparty.com/

Their next event is on the 1^st of September 2012

If the 1920s is more your cup of tea, then they also do a Prohibition Party see here for more details: http://www.prohibition1920s.com/

Follow @AlysonClaffey

Aly x

Truck Festival (Not a festival for trucks)...

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:55:07 +0100

Truck Festival (not a festival trucks, don’t be mislead), is one of the many small festivals which lie closeted away in relative anonymity. The brilliant thing about this is that because it is so small, the campsite is in close proximity. This means frequent trips back to the tent for necessary provisions such as alcohol isn’t too much hassle. Everything is reasonably priced because it is heavily supported by local charities and the bands come out and mingle which means you can just randomly run into them while putting mustard on your burger.

Truck festival spreads a very small amount of space, giving it the unique feel of being part of a small, almost secret festival society. It is set against the gorgeous background of the Oxfordshire countryside, it’s a real plus and unlike Reading there isn’t an industrial estate in sight. Just on the edge of the small village of Steventon in Oxfordshire, the village itself is the picture of British beauty, cricket games on the green, small ivy coloured buildings and a family of ducks trying to cross the road. The festival is just a short walk from the centre of the village at the back of a cluster of farm buildings, lending the festival its quaint ‘Old McDonald’ feel, including a selection of hay bales as seats and a barn for a stage.

The Barn Stage is an intense venue. Set in a large stone building which doubles the rest of the year as an actual barn, the stage is dark and has at times the almost eerie feel of a large underground meat cellar. But the acoustics are brilliant and the slightly sinister edge just lends a more unique mood to the venue, setting it apart from the other of the site’s stages, which are more apt for lazing in the sunshine and more resemble a circus big top than a festival tent. In fact, the second stage, (the yellow and red striped marquis) is positioned at the entrance to the site, right next to a tepee where in the evenings there are examples of fire twisting and various other circus schoolings, not unlike the circus. In fact this little section is almost a miniature festival in itself boasting a beach in a miniature marquis, which looks like the daughter of its’ neighbour and a bar with real sofas and cocktails (a luxury after sleeping on a hard tent canvas). If anything this mini-prefestival is actually more intense than the main arena.

Once you’ve passed over the little bridge, you come out into the main arena, or field adorned with little white tents. The stalls are pretty much standard festival stalls, vintage clothes, Middle Eastern jewellery, doughnuts, (which were pretty damn good), and a merchandise tent selling vinyl’s and other goodies from the acts. The main stage, although not overly large, and without big television screens, is pretty much never packed out because everyone is too busy picnicking, or sunbathing. It’s perfect; it means you can actually see who you’re listening to fairly close to for once without the fear of getting crushed to death in a spontaneous mosh pit. In fact you don’t have to worry about any of the troublesome ‘big festival worries.’ The food is reasonably priced, there is no excess of fourteen year olds trying to get their first taste of liberty, in fact there are quite a number of families in attendance and this makes the atmosphere oh so much more ‘casual beer in the sunshine’, as opposed to ‘is someone puking in that Portaloo?’

The main pro-Truck point is the bands. Although they have the necessary known headliners, such as this year’s, which was The Temper Trap, Mystery Jets and Tim Minchin, they also have the collection of smaller hidden gems. Although every festival has their small still unknown artists, Truck really caters a specific sound of music, tucking rising stars modestly into the bill for your own personal discovery. Particular acts which stuck out were Guillemots, who played a lively set, headlining the second stage, despite the Fyfe Dangerfield having a husky throat and 65daysofstatic, a band who faithfully have played Truck for the last few years.

This year saw the band headlining the main stage, as opposed to their usual digs in The Barn and boy did they rock it. Jumping writhing, screaming, interacting with the audience. He was even kind enough to pull some brilliant poses for my camera. As music genres go, they were not my kind of music, playing what I would describe as electro-rock, but either way they pulled it off perfectly as did so many different acts, all collaborating under one festival at various different times, to create what I can safely say is one of the most special little festivals I’ve been to in a long time.

Aly x

Follow @AlysonClaffey