Where have all the flowers gone??

Splitting the Atom is out now... Go!

^ Horace and Angelo ^

Toy like people make me boy like...

MASSIVE ATTACK 2009.

You've all heard "Angel" and you've all fallen in love with "Teardrop" but YOU HAVE NOT LIVED until you see these guys live. No amount of LPs, CDs or youtubing can gain you an smidge of what seeing this guys live is like.

So i book my tickets in April to see these audiable gods on the 2nd of October. Mid September, youtube and london papers tease me with tales of Martina Toply-Bird wearing Vivienne Westwood and my 90's crush Damon Albarn making a guest appearence at their Brixton gig. I was ready, let me at them.... Would Albarn appear again? Please? I even saw pictures of Grace Jones partying with the crew backstage!!

The day finaly comes,

I actually cried when "Risingson" played!! Actual tears flew involuntary down my cheeks and left me entranced for the rest of the show. I was still buzzing and swaying on the way home, and i only had one Martini!

Seeing these beautiful people play in my home area of Leicester was one thing; but seeing and hearing Horace Andy and Angelo Bruschini play "Angel" was another. I have never been so hypnotised, it seemed my blood flow even slowed to follow the tension building riffs of Bruschini, that guy really needs to play Knebworth or something man, he was better than awesome!

These guys are mind blowing, no radio play or album track portrays anywhere near the real sense of power and movement that comes from 3D, Daddy G and the team. Those sounds were curling my eyelashes!

I knew these guys would be good, but whilst recovering from freshers flu and immediatly after the 3hour train commute home; my body and mind were completley taken over by them.

Hearing Deborah Miller sing "Unfinished Sympathy" alongside my man Angelo, was something chronic, almost biblical! That voice and sound flooding every square inch of the atmostphere in De Montford Hall was, well... Wow i'm not even going to try and describe. Just get tickets immediatley and gooooooooo NOW- seetickets.com.... go!

I LOVE MASSIVE ATTACK <3

Photoshop... Best thing since sliced bread!

Life in Technicolour.

As an FPI student, i'm throwing caution to the wind and trying my hand at everything that goes.

Since my college days i have always loved Jason Brookes' illustrations, his HedKandi stuff is brilliant, but how on earth does he take a sketch and make them into a glossy, 3d, animation??? I'm sure there is an amazingly easier way to do this, but this is my way.

Pencil (hb)

A3 Sketchbook

*put pencil to paper*

get 2megapixel sony erricson walkman mobile phone

(you could also scan straight into photoshop, if you have such luxury)

*take picture of sketch*

upload pic to pc as you would say a facebook pic.

save the file and open it in photoshop.

Once in photoshop the hours of fun begin...

So i basically made a new layer and drew over the lines from the original pencil sketch. What felt like cat n mouse play with me and the paint brush tool went out for hours... this whole thing became a "practise project" throughout the summer! Then i played with other layers and went over certain lines and fillers again because i thought certain curves needed changing, hence the different coloured lines. Then everntually i deleted the original template and was left with the pshop drawing ontop of the blank, checkerd background HUURAAH! Now i am left with a clean, electronic version of my drawing... and now to Hedkandi it up a bit... any suggestions? xx

You do it to yourself, you do, and that's what really hurts!

"We are the Champions, my friends..."

Congrats Lovely Jenson! The cocky, orange, super model dating, bugatti veron driving, Monaco living son of F1 will soon recieve his World champion trophy at next weekends final race in Abu Dhabi. Proving "slow and steady" really does win the race!?

Although it would be lots of fun for me to write about the fast cars and pretty boys of motor sport; i'm going to take this in another direction.

The highlife that F1 and Jenson "be mine" Button enjoy all come with blood, sweat and tears. Just like fashion and other creative industries they all turn to gold in the sunlight but at what price?

Money and Passion- is Success about both or one or the other?

Giving up because something is hard simply isn't an option these days, although if someone offered you an opportunity far more accessable with the help of a few pennies, would you take it and sacrifice yourself and your social assets?

The high-fashion industry is a billion dollar industry based on the creativity and passion of a very small, selective few. This elite club of deigners, editors and personalities all lead us into this false sense of luxury and power, but is it really that glamorous. How much is pure success and how much is someone elses failure?

As the world "recovers" from the recent credit crunch we see fashion rear its ugly face of dimise and hipocrasy once again, this time at the price of fashion's top houses.

I read somewhere recently that the house of Lacroix , my mate Christian, has been bought from financial ruin by... get this.... A SHAIKE.. Yeah a Saudi Prince with a whole lotta gold and no links to the fashion sector what so ever, now owns and can do what ever the shizzle he likes with the french fashion house Lacroix. Christian has been quoted to say- "what hurts the most, is that it's my dads name, my grandads name, the surname of men who taught me to be true to oneself and be dignified" or something along those lines (dont sue me)... but it begs to differ, would you suffer for your art or sell your soul??

Lights, Camera, Action

Lighty, Light, Lights...

Painting, Photographing and Playing with lights is tres fun. My very generous housemate shoved an SLR in my hands explained a little jargon about shutter speeds and sent myself and the other housemateys to the end of the road to play :D

I had to experiment with photography and photoshop so i took this opportunity to play in the dark capturing lights n shizzles.

Despite it looking like a scene from the Spice Girls 2become1 video it's actually tres fun. It's a little tricky to get used to but i'd recommend grabbing a few mates n going n having a laugh. Practise makes perfect and you get some really good effects!

My New Best Friend is...

Can we all just stop for a minute and have a look at Zoe Kravitz?

Ok.. don't take too long... just a quick glance...

Ok you can leave now.. i don't want her being spoilt :D

As much as i love this outfit i wouldn't wear it to an Alexander Wang show, but nice work anyway Zo! I'm not really a fan of funny looking children of random stars from the 80's, growing up and randomly becoming famous and given a pass to fashion's hall of fame, but i quite like this crazy chic, i'd keep an eye on her!

hey smokey joe

Faggy Fagg Fag.

After the Recent Death of Irving Penn and my "health altering" decision to stop smoking, i find myself being pleasently amused by his "new york, street findings" photograph from the Penn Miester himself.

I ponder the different fag ends and imagine the various owners of each nicotine nestled treat. The "Average Joe" marlboroughs tainted in lipstick must belong to the hard faced Mary-Janes of the NewYork world, faggin' and gossiping their lunchbreaks away before returning to the cut throat Wall Street world. Then there's the cute, uber thin butts; in my mind romantically belonging to the foreign "off duty" model or cheery, cafe owner trying to catch a quick break.

Maybe i'm bored, sad and looking into this too much but this simple shot has i'm sure been painstakingly laid together to create this great "stop and stare" effect. The addition of that random intertwined structure of string is such an intriging peice of the puzzle, because without it, you would see that it is actually quite nessesary to the "Street feel" of the pic. Why did he choose to put it there i wonder??

My conclusion is-

New York as a city is a dirty, concrete mess holding the lives of a million different people and this one simple image (with its pandantically placed subjects, although made to look effortless im sure) captures and replicates this feeling perfectly, leaving the me the viewer dreaming and satisfied but still wanting a little more.

R.I.P Irving Penn.

Bloggy Blogg Blog! Blurgh!

So.. it's that time of year again, the sky turns grey, we subconciously start wearing cardigans that don't actually work well with our outfits and wake up automatically wandering what scarf would go well with todays colouring... Then before you know it, its October; Halloween and Bonfire night are on their way and YOU NEED TO FIND A WINTER COAT AAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!!!!!

For the past 3 years i have been unsuccessful, broken hearted and blue with cold.. Traumatised with the disapointment of unsuccessful fabrics, colours and shapes. Lost in a sea of tweed, polyester and Navy Blues, but no not this year oh no nooo!

Its like shopping for jeans which is also an "awkward like having a period" style burden which comes around 3 or 4 times a year for me. It's ok though, Mothers and Best friends can be brought into this occasion. They are handy for shattering those "does my ass look huge", "are these long enough to wear with heels" queries and can help banish all insecurities with minimal casualties.

Jeans day can also be encorporated with lunch or cocktails with the girls and possibly a spout of shoe or belt shopping.

However, NOWAY can winter coat shopping be linked or "fitted in" with such pleasures. Severe concentration, deep thinking and solitude is the recipe for this type of credible decision making.

The past 3 years have led me to fall in the "leather/PU" jacket and Rain Mac pitfalls.. but not this year.. oh no!! I'm much more savvy this year. Armed with ideas of long lengths, hoods, bright colours and bishop sleeves; i was ready for the high street. This years pick of the crop would not lead me into temptation of 3/4 sleeves (that can be worn with elbow length gloves, oh shut up!), tie at the waist belts or cocoon shapes!!

I browse tiredlessly at ASOS, Topshop, River Island and even peak at Bunnyhug.com.. Still no luck :( i fear my faithful H&M black, short length, polyester double button, placket fronted war-horse of a coat from 3years ago would have to be dusted off and subjected to another year of "seasonal protection", a title it has never been able to live up to.

Visions of me wearing that coat with my hands falling off and my frozen hair slashin my frost-bitten face tease me as i give up internet shopping and take the great british high street. Every year i justify saving a substantial amount of money to spend on my "life saving", stylish investment. However this years student loan has left me yelping occasionly as i coyly turn over the price tickets in Warehouse and Oasis. After checking the lining and clinching the thickness of what felt like a thousand coats i almost tearfully retreat back to my home and summer wardrobe with the feeling of disapointment filling my ankle boots.

THEN i am drawn... moth to a flame, bat out of hell.. BOLT FROM THE BLUE.... i see it, its mine... please be warm, please feel nice, please fit my godforsaken pearshaped curves!!! i run in, signs promising "student discounts and 20% off" fly past me. Eyes locked. Like a mother staring at her newborn, my eyes roll over the black plastic tooth shaped buttons, studying the stitching around the PU toggles, my heart races and my soul relaxes in a state of relief as i caress the softness of the woollen shell and warm of the cotton lining... This is it, it really is. My new best friend. I stand eagerly awaiting the walk to the cashier where the possibility of me taking this beauty home would be a reality.. The smile on my mums face as i show her something that's not grey and will cover my midriff.

I'm standing in New Look a place left unexplored since i was 15, holding a 21st century, highstreet version of a Red, Long Length, hooded duffle coat reminicent of my Mothers adored, "dynasty style", also red, 80's duffle with real wooden beads and leather trim, only acceptable for wear in Paris or to a Joan Collins tea party.

Relieved, warm and cute i return home excited for those long 4 hour train commute home and the newly adjusted to wintery conditions of Epsom town.