My Thoughts On: Tommy x Gigi Spring 2017

Welcome back everyone!

 Long time no see, I do apologise for my longer than expected break but I promise I'm now back!

In a recent seminar we discussed the significance of fashion week in the various locations it takes place and why certain designers choose to showcase their work in certain cities over others. Interestingly, Victoria Beckham decided to display her A/W17 collection in New York earlier this month even though she's a Brit at heart - a clear indication that she feels her designs will appeal more to the American market or that she wishes to really push her brand internationally.

The main topic of conversation however, surrounded the Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi Spring 2017 show, the second collaboration the pair have released in a relatively small space of time. Instead of showcasing at NYFW like most other designers, Tommy decided to take his spectacle to the Los Angeles hot spot, Venice Beach. In my eyes, he is trying to slowly but surely get his collaboration with Gigi on the same level as the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show's that are known for their extreme extravagance. Hilfiger mirrored them to the point where he even arranged for all of the models to be flown out on private plane named 'Tommy Air'. They were all kitted out in Tommy x Gigi bomber jackets ready for the awaiting paparazzi after departing the flight. The similarity to VS is ridiculous in this respect.

Logo's were a dominant theme within the see-now-buy-now collection, playing heavily on the American theme. This was contrasted with a variety of floaty bohemian dresses that were phased in towards the end of the show. I'm not particularly a fan of the clothing on offer from this collection due to how heavily branded it is, but what I do love is the experiences Tommy is consistently creating throughout his time working with Gigi. He isn't just settling for a standard show space in the middle of Manhattan. Instead he is choosing to push the boat out, giving people a reason to socialise post-show instead of rushing off as soon as it ends. 

What do you think of the collection? Let me know in the comments below!

Love, Lana Skye x 

Photo Credit: Google Images. 

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My Thoughts On: The Neon Demon

Welcome back!

After months of never getting around to it I finally watched a film I have been dying to see for ages. 

The Neon Demon.

"When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has."

What put me off watching this film for so long was the impression that the above description gave. I never have been and never will be a fan of horror films, but I am so pleased I eventually bit the bullet and gave it my attention. If I was to describe 'The Neon Demon' using only one word it would be a tease. It starts off relatively low-key and boring, but before you know it, it rapidly transforms into something very different. Beauty is most definitely a beast. 

Jesse (Elle Fanning) starts off as "fresh meat" within the modelling industry in Los Angeles. She is described as a "deer in the headlights" which is apparently exactly the look the bosses want. Due to her striking characteristics, girls who have been at the top of the game for a long time, such as Gigi (Bella Heathcote) and Sarah (Abbey Lee Kershaw) are chucked to the bottom of the pile and disregarded, describing themselves as "sour milk". 

All eyes are on Jesse. 

This of course results in multitudes of envy and hate being thrown at Jesse which initially she struggles to cope with. This doesn't last for long though, as she learns how to take it all as a compliment. She swaps her innocent, floral dresses for skin tight leather pants and extreme v-neck tops, flaunting what she has to the highest and most obvious degree. 

Jesse: "I don't wanna be them, they wanna be me." 

I won't say anymore because I don't want to ruin it for those of you that are interested! If you're a fan of the horror/thriller genre's then definitely give 'The Neon Demon' a watch, but be prepared for a lot of weird and disturbing occurrences throughout. 

It will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.

Watch the trailer by clicking here.

Love, Lana Skye x 

Photo Credit: Google Images.  

Retro Americana | Coach's 75th Anniversary

Hello, hello, hello!

Wednesday of last week was without a doubt one of the most surreal and exciting experiences I have had during my time here in the big city. A couple of days before, I received an email from the Fashion Institute of Technology asking for volunteers for the Coach Men's Fall & Women's Pre-Fall 2017 Rehearsal. As soon as I saw the name of the multi-national luxury fashion company I jumped on the opportunity. I was lucky enough to volunteer across two days during New York Fashion Week, but that was way back in September so it was amazing to get yet another insight into the industry from a completely different perspective.

I was required to arrive promptly at Pier 94 for 7pm. I had absolutely no idea what I would be asked to do which secretly excited me a little bit more than it probably should have. I was warmly greeted by Production Associate Grace Yoon who proceeded to tell what resulted in being about fifty of us that we would be standing in as the models for the rehearsal run through. I'm pretty sure the excitement beamed out of my face the moment those words left Grace's lips - it's not everyday that something as random as that happens is it!?

As we were all walked backstage to be briefed, we passed the set which I can only describe as completely and utterly breathtaking. There were huge neon signs hanging from the ceiling reading 'drive in' and 'motel' as well as a few featuring the newly iconic Rexy the Coach dinosaur that has been becoming increasingly more apparent throughout their visual merchandising and overall branding. The overall theme of the set was vintage carpark, completed with cars, trees, lampposts, log cabins and even sprinkles of fake snow! We were explicitly told not to take any photographs as nobody other than us and the crew knew what the set looked like so it would have effectively ruined the surprise for all of the guests. This killed me a little bit inside, the urge to SnapChat was so real! 

The run-throughs were so much fun, I think we walked the runway a total of four times. That doesn't seem like much considering we were all so busy from 7pm until gone 11pm but the space was absolutely huge meaning it took a while for everyone to make their way around. I have never modelled professionally before so it was amazing to gain such an in depth insight into what they get up to on a daily basis.

Everyone was pretty chilled for our final run through up until the point where Grace came through and told us that the entire Coach team as well as the Creative Director Stuart Vevers would be watching our every move, so everything had to be 100% perfect. This sent everyone completely nuts as you can probably imagine but we nailed it first time which felt amazing! I became all warm and fuzzy the next day when keeping track of what was happening before the show took place - Emma Roberts' Vogue SnapChat coverage was particularly entertaining. To say thank you, Coach gifted us all a leather card holder which is usually retailed at $75 in their stores - the icing on the cake to an amazing evening in New York City. 

Love, Lana Skye x 

Photo Credit: Vogue, Coach Instagram.

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Varsity Dropout | The Shoot

Welcome back!

One of my Styling For Visual Presentation briefs required us to complete an on-location photo shoot. For my 19th birthday my dad bought me a vintage cheerleading jumper (at least I think thats what it is). Me and my group were inspired by this and as a result decided to somehow incorporate the cheerleader vibe into our shoot but not as everybody knows it at present. While we were doing our research pre-shoot, we were bombarded by cringe pictures of beautiful girls with perfect hair and makeup smiling so much to the point where their jaws must have ached terribly. We flipped this on its head and instead have constructed a cheerleader with a careless attitude towards the sport she is supposed to obsess over. We wanted her makeup to be minimal and smudged, her hair carelessly tied up and loose and her poses to emulate exactly how she feels. 

We completed the shoot on Friday morning at the Heckscher Ballfields in Central Park with a 7am call time in below zero temperatures which wasn't the easiest but we are all so happy with the outcome - take a look at some of our final shots as well as some behind-the-scenes pictures below!

Our model Andrea was absolutely incredible, she could have well within her rights become a huge diva deciding not to wear the small amount of layers that we had available due to the cold, but instead she rolled with it so perfectly and professionally, resulting in us coming out with some killer shots. This of course all wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for our genius photographer Ellen Marszalkowski - her skills, art direction and overall lovely personality made the shoot so successful and enjoyable. 

Thank you Ellen! 

I hope you enjoyed this post! 

It's now officially my last week in the big apple *cries uncontrollably*.

I'm so happy to have been able to share my journey with you all, there is still a lot more to come so please do keep coming back for more!

Love, Lana Skye x 

Photo Credit: Ellen Marszalkowski. 

Styling For Visual Presentation | The Runway Shoot

Welcome back!

I can't believe that as I'm typing this, I only have just over three weeks left studying and living in

  New York City. Finals are creeping up on me, but thankfully a couple of my classes are a lot more hands on and creative giving me a bit of a break from all of the assignments and revision! 

Last week I completed the third phase of my Styling For Visual Presentation class.

 The Runway Shoot. 

Each group was responsible for researching and selecting a dominant trend that is apparent on the high street at the present time. We then had to put together three complete looks showcasing said trend. As a group, we decided to go for 'Oversized Knitwear' as it seems to be taking over in stores like H&M and Zara. Although we had one key trend as the main focus for the shoot, we also decided to incorporate others that we were aware of. 

Each of our three outfits incorporated layering to some extent, mainly through tying a chunky knit sweater around the waist of a completed outfit to give it a bit more edge. In terms of makeup, everything was kept minimal apart from our extreme use of highlight on the models cheek bones, brow bones, bridge of the nose, upper lip and the inner corners of her eyes. This is in keeping with the trend 'strobing' that I'm sure most if not all of you will be aware of. She had beautifully thick and defined eyebrows already but I used an eyebrow mascara to fan them out so that they became a stronger and more prominent feature on her face. For each look we decided to have her hair relatively straight in the middle parting, tucked in to the neckline of our garments as it kept it out of her face accentuating the highlight on her skin while also drawing more attention to the outfits themselves. As you'll see in the pictures below, we wanted their to be continuity in terms of the tones throughout the outfits. Everything is kept very neutral which worked out amazingly. I'm done talking for now - take a peek at the mixture of behind the scenes and final images below!

I'm sure you'll all agree that our model Andrea is absolutely stunning and knows exactly how to walk the runway. The night of the shoot was the first time I met her and she was unbelievably sweet - thank  you so much if you're reading this! Next week we'll be completing an on-location shoot with her as our model again, I already can't wait to share the final pictures with you all!

Love, Lana Skye x 

Photo Credit: Melissa Mehrtens.