Category Archives: dark

Shooting for Sanctus

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I met designer Lucinda Sinclair at clothes show a couple of winters ago and admired her rather cool top. She has since gone on to launch a cult inspired street-wear label called Sanctus.

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A few weeks ago I had the privilege of doing a shoot in some items from the Illuminex collection. Most of them aren’t available any more but feel free to check out the SS13 line, Adramelech.

I also got a change to try out the 5 strand braid I was obsessed with at the time.

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I shot with photographer Nina pang and styled with a variety of interested items I already had, including some pieces from my own label, Eustratia, Richard Ayres and Carly petitt Taylor.

Nina also brought a polaroid camera with her, I think they take great shots.

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Here are the final images:

IMG_3058IMG_3051IMG_3132IMG_3140IMG_3194IMG_3200IMG_3218IMG_3225IMG_3230IMG_3261IMG_3269I really enjoyed wearing these and ended up buying the Cuculatus dress in the end of line sale. It is very comfortable and flattering.

IMG_0182I prefer shopping from independent designers where I can get a unique, quality item, made ethically and with love. I think it would add freshness and challenge the industry if everyone didn’t rely on the same 5 stores for their wardrobe.

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Dark unicorn

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For a while now I’ve wanted to step away from the classic theme of the white unicorn, with its purity and rainbows and give it a bit of attitude. I thought that this was quite an obvious thought process for someone creative with a dark edge and unicorns seem to be everywhere at the moment so I was surprised by the lack of relevant images online when I decided to do some research.

This was ultimately good news as it meant there wasn’t much I had to tick off the list due to someone else having done it before. I still wanted it to be quite an abstract interpretation of the unicorn as opposed to a full on pony costume with a horn and as always I couldn’t decide on just one way to style it so I portrayed it in 3 facets. Pretty unicorn, warrior unicorn and queen unicorn.

I thought these were all likely characters for the dark unicorn to take on and Jamie Mahon did a great job bringing them to life and create the right atmosphere. I also borrowed some beautiful taxidermy accessories from Sophie Adamson to complete the looks. The wardrobe/styling was provided by Eustratia and the chainmail by Richard Ayres, as usual.

We also took the opportunity to shoot some other bits on the same day but I’ve decided to include them in a different post.

I wore a revised version of this outfit to Torture garden for Halloween and added ears to the headband which I thought looked much better.

For those of you who are unicorn fans, the selection of unicorn themed items on my site is growing! Grad yourself something at http://www.eustratia.co.uk

Auxiliary calender images

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In October last year I shot a couple of looks for a submission to Auxiliary magazine’s 2012 calender. I posted some details regarding the inspiration here.

In the end there weren’t able to produce the whole calender so they chose a few of the best images (6) to make into phone and desktop backgrounds, they are all stunning and can be viewed/downloaded on their site, here.

Amongst the selections was my image, by Jennifer Byron photography. I’m glad they picked this one as it was probably my favourite from this set.

My favourite from the other set we shot that day is the one below, the rest can be seen on my facebook page, Biomechanina.

Chimera: Behind the scenes

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I recently found some behind the scenes shots from the chimera shoot and decided to share them as I think they show off some aspects of the garments that weren’t that evident from the final images. The majority of these were taken by Phil Nicholls and a couple by myself.

The garments featured in the shoot are available to purchase at http://www.eustratia.co.uk. Sale on till 22.1.12 so hurry!

I also took this opportunity to better showcase some of the accessories from the shoot with some still life images as I feel most of them didn’t stand out enough in the final images. These will be added to the online store as soon as I have some more suitable images back

Certain items from this range are already available at Birds yard in Leeds and all will be available very soon at http://www.eustratia.co.uk .

The will be priced as follows and can also be ordered via email to enquiries@eustratia.co.uk.

Perspex inverted cross necklace: £12.50 on black chain or £16 on thick gunmetal chain (pictured).

Latex, studded inverted cross necklace £20

Latex, studded cross hair clip £18

Latex, studded shield necklace £20

Nutmail choker £50

Nutmail cuff £38

The nutmail chocker and cuff are available in two styles, one solid and one with holes through the middle. All aspects of this item, down to the smallest links are hand-shaped! A truly beautiful item, worth every penny.

Deer Series

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Hope everyone had a good Christmas and is looking forward to the new year (hopefully with some exciting parties)!

We recently shot the last part of my accessories project with Jennifer Byron photography and the outcome of one of the sets were these (quite festive) deer characters.

All the accessory shoot sets were planned out at the same time (September) so it was quite a lucky coincidence that the deer ones happened to fall in december. This gave me an excuse to include some of the new winter accessories that weren’t originally going to be part of the shoot.

Cold deer

I had this glitter tears idea ages ago and tried it for a different shoot but it didn’t really work so I’m glad it came out well in these.

Blood deer

I actually used a glitter glue pen for the tears on this one, it was the best looking red glitter I could find but was quite stingy so I wouldn’t recommend wearing it for too long.

Dark deer

I have a few dark images that are kind of similar so I tried to pic something different for this one with a softer and more animated pose.

Notice the Aesthetic contradiction logo necklace? I’m planning a little giveaway for these soon. All other accessories (excluding the body jewellery :p) can be purchased at http://www.eustratia.co.uk!

Antlers are made to order, please email enquiries@eustratia.co.uk for details.

Best wishes for the new year,

“Chimera” collection, Winter 2011

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I recently launched the new Eustratia latex/chainmail fusion collection, Chimera. The collection was produced in collaboration with chainmail and metal jewellery designer, Richard Ayres. The name was chosen to reflect the combination of two, very different materials.

The theme of the collection revolves around medieval military and knights while still adhering to aspects of current silhouettes and trends.

“Chimera” Lookbook

Credits:

Images and retouching: David Richardson

models: Victoria B, Biomechanina and Elle Beth

MUA: Mercedes and Sarah Jane Ellis

We also did a bit of a concept shoot before we got kicked off our chosen location!

Items from this collection are now available to purchase on the online store!

All chainmail components were hand made down to each individual link by my partner, Richard Ayres. He is also happy to take on orders for custom and bespoke items so feel free to email enquiries@eustratia.co.uk with any ideas or questions. His collection of metal jewellery and accessories will also be added to the online store very soon.

It was a bit of a rush to get the whole collection made and shot before I left for clothes show live and I ended up waiting to launch till I got back and was able to add items to the shop. I’m quite happy with the way everything turned out given the circumstance, special thanks to David for all his help and support!

Close up shots of the accessories coming soon, along with some more perspex.

For updates, please check the facebook page.

Bird’s yard and Alt fashion shoot preview

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On Sunday we shot the editorial for the “Eustratia” feature in Alt fashion magazine. The weather turned out to be more rainy than initially anticipated, (not really a surprise in this part of the country) so we ended up in a bit of a predicament regarding the most appropriate shoot location. Toria was promoting an event at Bird’s yard later in the day and the owner was nice enough to let us shoot in the courtyard at the back of the shop as it had a covered section to minimise the rain-damage. With its old Chesterfield sofa, fake grass carpet and multiple degenerated urban backdrops it proved to be the perfect location! So far I am really pleased with what I’ve seen of the images, the magazine has to be published before we release any of them but here are some behind the scenes shots taken with my camera to give you an idea of the styling.

Lovely models and non-acknowledging photographer Left to right: Beth, Victoria, Amber, myself and Toria

I especially love the chainmail components pf these outfits which are made by Richard Ayres.

Portfolio links: http://www.modelmayhem.com/1025602, http://www.modelmayhem.com/170631, http://www.modelmayhem.com/726821, http://www.modelmayhem.com/1592461

I would also like to say a huge thanks to Beth for getting up and being part of the shoot at such short notice!

After the shoot we headed back to Toria’s to pack up and then back to Bird’s yard for the party. I first heard about the shop at a charity fashion show that was also organised by Toria a few weeks ago in Chester. We paired their vintage clothes with my latex accessories for the show.

image 1,3and 5 by Fluke photography 2 and 4 by fireball photography

I also had a stall…

stall

…and Amber wore a pink dress that would have made any fairy tale princess green with envy.

Amber, her pink dress and I

Anyway, non of this had suggested anything more than that Bird’s yard was a vintage shop in Leeds. When we got there I realised that it was actually an amazing concept store/indoor market hybrid with all kinds of treasure dotted around several different shops. They also feature independent designers who can choose between renting a shelf or a booth to display a selection of their products. This sounds like a really interesting opportunity to me, particularly as each designer spends one day a month working in the shop. I would hate to have a job as a shop-assistant but having a “meet the designer” day at a shop where my products are stocked and getting a change to interact with and get feedback from customers actually appeals on so many levels. More news about this when I have time to sort it out properly.

The rest of the party involved free food and drink, discovering new designers and silliness.

If you’d like to know more about Bird’s yard, check out their site! http://www.birdsyard.co.uk/

Amber and pretty things

custom upholstry

Independent designer booths

stair art

slut and slag

what I wore

Buying inspiration

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Since the beginning of the month I have been thinking that I probably need an Autumn wardrobe update. This is a particularly exciting concept because the trends on the highstreet may actually have changed! The Summer ’11 trends weren’t my thing at all (70s floral patterns *shudder*) so I resulted to shopping predominantly online for a whole season and am now subsequently feeling out of touch with the shops. I’m hoping that I will find some items that can be a valuable addition to my wardrobe on my next visit to town but I don’t actually know what I’m looking for or have any mental image of the new style I would like to take on for Winter.

I decided it would help if I made a list of items or features I have felt strongly about over the last couple of years and see where it takes me.

1. The ruff

After studying the ruff as part of my FMP for university I acquired a variety of beautiful images and started making my own to wear.

Inspiration ruffs:

credits left to right: Ashley Smith, Marko Mitanovski, unknown from stylecunt, Bibian blue, unknown, Ashley smith.

My ruffs:

photographer credits left to right: Julian M Kilsby, Neal Lewis, Jennifer Byron, Jason harry

2. Bib/ruffle/bow front blouse

Cute blouses

I’ve had quite a few variations of such items over the past few years but it seems they are still in and while looking for pictures I can across some new season items that might do.

3. Longline bras (preferably worn as outerwear)

topshop longline bras

Most of these are from topshop and I actually bought quite a few of them last year. There don’t seem to be many nice ones out for the new season though so I’ve decided to look out for bustiers instead.

4. Leather jackets

I bought two last winter but since English summers aren’t the warmest I ended up wearing them all through the summer as well so am probably due a replacement.

Jackets left to right: Todd Lynn, Rick Owens, some Balmain rip off, Monsoon, all saints, Burberry Prorsum, Balmain

I found loads of beautiful leather jackets, however most of them were not even slightly within my budget. The winner is the monsoon one in the middle as it has a nice shape and is affordable but if I could choose any I would go for the Balmain one at the end.

5. Patterned tights

Having modeled for tigthsfashion.co.uk (probably the most committed tights comparison site in the uk) a couple of times last year, its been a while since I’ve had to buy tights. Having a dog however, means that I go through them quite quickly no matter how many I get given or how good the quality is (Maybe I should start my own reviews on which ones withstood Scamper’s claws the longest). If I had to recommend a particular brand for quality and interesting designs it would definitely be trasparenze, otherwise you can get quite a good variety on ebay at the moment.

Patterned and fishnet tights

6. Platforms

Since I stopped wearing alternative platforms a few years ago I have been searching for something equally as comfortable that coincides with my current style. Though I have a great collection of heels, boots, wedges and flats I still haven’t found something slightly higher off the ground that is suitable for both every day wear and going out.

variety of shoes from office, polygrove and iron fistkg

I have bought the first one on here, purely because it was ridiculously cheap in the office sale and will probably get an other pair of iron fist shoes soon but generally, I don’t think any of these fit the requirements better than the irregular choice flashing light boots I bought last year.

7. Blazers

Having never been a fan of the preppy look I didn’t really wear blazers until recently but with so many new lace, cropped and stylized variations emerging they are bound to become a new favourite.

blazers left to right: H&M, miss selfridge, forever 21, ebay, monsoon, H&M, ebay

I have a lace one and a short sleeved black one so I will probably go for the monsoon one with the pleated sleeve and the grey one next, something stripey is also a possibility.

8. Leggings

My love of panelled and studded leggings has been growing over the past couple of years as more have become available. At the moment I wear leggings nearly every day as they are comfortable to move around and work in and all my favourite pairs are pretty much ruined. I wish I had the machinery to make some myself as I have a few ideas I’d like to try out and I feel adding some more casual items to my range would be beneficial.

Leggings left to right: minkpink sidekick panel leggings, wolford starlet leggings, club L studded leggings, Eleonora carisi panel leggings, rachel Freire suspender leggings, republic clubL lace trim, Rachel Freire Lynch leggings,Johnatha Ashton panel leggings, alexa slash leggings, Maison Martin Margiela panel leggings

I would actually love all of these!

9. Harnesses.

Harnesses are without a doubt my current favourite body accessory and have been for some years now. I bought my first one from NO:WEAR in Camden 3 years ago and have been constantly buying and making more since then.

Here are a few different styles I found online. I hpe to be able to post images from my own range of harnesses soon as well!

Harnesses

10. Shoulder accessories.

Shoulder accessories are a great way to add interest and detail to any outfit and I definitely need more of them. I currently own shoulder pads and shoulder chains of the large and heavy variety but non of these small, light epaulette type things that can easily be worn day to day. I found a few around, mostly on etsy but non that were perfect for me so I’ll probably have a go at making some. I will try and post a tutorial on here when I do.

Shoulder pads and epaulettes

Making this list has definitely reminded me what the key items in my wardrobe are and has actually led me to purchase a few things already. From the images I have selected to post, I can tell that my new wardrobe will look fresh, even though I already had these types of items in mind. I haven’t included dresses and skirts in this post because I feel they are very shape/size/style specific but I will touch on that subject some other time.