Ballet fashion & rambling

Last Friday I collaborated on a shoot with photographer Sophie Ellen (www.sophieellen.com) at Adrian Pini studios in North London (www.adrianpinistudios.com). It was my first ever shoot in an actual studio, and the comfort and ease whilst shooting was great, though I will never lose my fondness of scampering around on location, even in extreme weather conditions. The theme of this shoot was ballet fashion, and Sophie had been planning it for months, so as the beautiful Spring collections began flowing into stores in the form of pleats and bright florals, I started gathering the wardrobe early and picked up more pieces along the way, until I had accumulated eighteen outfits. I lost count of the amount of outfits we actually got through (collection pictured above), but it was over half, and we definitely used the best ones. I was lucky enough to get dresses from two fantastic designers: Omar Mansoor (www.omarmansoor.com) and Fabryan (www.fabryan.com), whose show I will be attending next week during London Fashion Week - I'm extremely excited as she's not only a lovely person, but an extremely talented designer.

The ballet shoot was a huge success, as the model Katy is a trained ballerina as well as being absolutely stunning. There were a few wardrobe malfunctions during the shoot, including the re-pinning of a size 14 dress after every single shot (the pin escaped after every movement), but even seeing the unedited pictures on the LCD screen of Sophie's camera was enough to send me into a frenzy, so I'm very excited to see the final outcome of the shoot.

I've come to the conclusion that I need to do more test shoots and build a website: how I will do this in between university, work and my very exclusive (but not often) free time is yet to be decided, but it's something that I'd definitely like to get up and running before the end of summer. I ordered a set of a hundred business cards a few days ago, and am looking to distribute them like crazy, especially during any shows I attend at London Fashion Week.

On a lighter and less professional note, I have spent almost £90 on make-up this month, so my next post will be all about that. I may also drop in all the clothes I've purchased too. The fashion world is a tough place to be, but I think I've passed the Spending More Than I Earn test.

Fashion business

My updates have become rather fragmented lately; it seems that as soon as I flop down on my bed after a long day of university or work and open up my MacBook, I either have something to do on inDesign for a project, or some sort of mass order to make on ASOS. I'm pretty sure they are on to me now, as I've made roughly ten orders this month, but I've started putting in some orders for myself now as well as for shoots (the NARS collection has tickled my fancy), so hopefully I won't get arrested by the ASOS police any time soon.

Anyway, I have a shoot on Friday with a fantastic photographer called Sophie Ellen, it's my first time working with her and I'm very excited. It'll be my first shoot in an actual hired studio, and whilst it will be lovely to be in a hopefully warm and comfortable environment, it will feel unusual to not be scavenging about in the cold with my suitcase, as I've been doing over the past few months. However, I do have seventeen (SEVENTEEN!) outfits for the shoot, all which will need serious steaming, so the shoot will be anything but relaxing. I have high hopes for the day though, and will definitely update once it's over.

Next week is London Fashion Week, and I have one definite invite to the show of the lovelyFabryan London. I am currently in the process of creating my first ever business card, and intend to go on a networking frenzy. I generally suffer from shyness in social events, especially as I'm only just starting out as a stylist, but I've come to realise that in certain situations, it's all about doing a 180 personality flip, putting on a pair of sexy wedges, locking down the hair and make-up and really releasing your confidence to be noticed. And with a convenient shopping trip planned with my favourite make-up artist on Monday, NARS Orgasm Illuminator in the post to me, and the wedges below on my shopping list, I think I'm ready to venture out there with my fresh business cards and make things happen. A fringe trim is also on the agenda, because I need to be able to see to do all this.

Topshop, £70

Shoots & reflections

I haven't updated in what feels like weeks! I've been extremely busy with going back to university and planning photo shoots, and feel like I have absolutely no time to look after myself. However, Monday is pay day, and after suffering from January blues and unsuccessfully attempting to crawl out of my overdraft, I plan to treat myself to some goodies this month, including new clothes and make-up (expect a picture post of my indulgence).

Last week I had a beauty shoot with the lovely ladies from We Love, a shoot we had been planning and postponing since the end of 2009. The wardrobe was kept very simple, which made my job easy, and watching the experts at work on three gorgeous models was a great experience. The photographer was David Shih, a photographer I've collaborated with before and thoroughly enjoy working with. It's a very valuable experience to work with people who are down to Earth, despite having buckets of talent. This industry is saturated with "professionals" who alter their attitude based on who they've worked with and how that measures that against your record. The fashion industry is a cruel world, but I'm treasuring the opportunities I get with the people who's heads aren't in the clouds, and constantly pray that I don't turn out to be somebody I hate if I ever do succeed in the industry (which I will...determination is my new thing).

On another note, I had an amazing shoot with Faye Sampson today, my favourite photographer and such an enjoyable person to work with. We had an amazing team and shot through the cold weather in Holland Park, and I consider it to be my most important shoot to date; the planning and hard work that went into this shoot really did pay off, and again, I consider myself very lucky to be able to work with such humble yet immensely talented people. I'm definitely looking forward to doing more shoots with Faye in the near future, even if my bank account does dissolve temporarily every time we have a shoot planned. I just spent the evening packing up roughly £850 worth of things to return, but it's all worth it to get that ecstatic feeling when a shoot has gone pretty damn well.

Teacup candle

Apothecary @ HoF, Teacup candle, £50

As a lover of tea and all things quaint and afternoon tea with cake and all the usual that can be seen on any 18-25 year old's blog, I do believe this Apothecary candle is destined to be mine. I cannot believe I have only just discovered the Apothecary range in House of Fraser, it is made of dreams and smells like marshmellows. As soon as I get paid, I'm treating myself to some sweet-smelling goodness.

But in the mean-and-penniless-time, I have three shoots coming up in the next three weeks, and plenty of work at uni, so my updates won't be frequent. I am however attending an event at London College of Fashion tomorrow, which I'm very excited about.

I hope it inspires me, and I will post my ramblings here shortly after, as this is the real purpose of this blog: my journey into the fashion industry. Whilst I love fashion and make-up and beauty products as much as every other girl, I want to dedicate the free time I have to blog to document my paths. So please stay tuned, as I'm doing a lot of prospective things in the next few weeks, which I hope will take me a step further into this terrifying industry.


♥Aliya♥

Bag of dreams

New bag of my dreams. Any bag that I could potentially fit myself inside is an automatic winner, and this one happens to be gorgeous! It does also happen to be £399, a men's bag, and will draw a lot of attention to me. Which will be risky when I have my gorgeous new MacBook Pro inside it. But fashion is all about risk, and if worse comes to worst, I can probably use it to kill and dump the bodies of anybody who attempts to mug me.

Let's ignore that last part now shall we.

♥Aliya♥

Oh gold

I did promise that my next update would be about my shoots, but unfortunately I am in the middle of an extremely busy week! My agenda consists of

1) writing a 2,000 word report on the advertising sales of Company magazine,
2) shooting the jewellery collection of http://www.admireme.co.uk as part of the website redesign,
3) sending CVs to magazines to beg for internships,
4) preparing a presentation for my editorial class,
5) finally, planning all of my upcoming shoots!

I have three shoots coming up and am very excited for them. On that note, images from my last shoot with the lovely and talented Faye Sampson are up on her website, so do check them out under her location shoots - http://www.fayesampson.com. I'm shooting with her again very soon and am looking forward to another brilliant outcome.

Just to give this post a little sparkle, here is a recent purchase that is driving me wild.

Gold nail varnish. IT'S GOLD. If you know me, you'll know I love everything gold. Gold earrings, gold watch, gold buttons on everything, gold hardware on my handbags, gold wallpaper. A touch of gold makes me feel instantly glamorous, which is why I drown myself in it on a daily basis. I promise to make a gold post one day, which will feature my dream of owning a pure gold car.

♥Aliya♥

New Year's Non-Resolutions

My first blog post of 2011 has come after a slight gap, as I've had a rather rough and tiring week of working full-time whilst battling a persistent cold. I am however looking forward to seeing the result of last week on pay day in a few weeks' time, and am dedicating this week to: 1) getting better, 2) catching up on my university assignments before going back next Monday, and 3) making lists of what I'd like to do this year.

I try not to call them New Year's resolutions, because that term alone has become a running joke for promises that are made but never fulfilled. How many times do we hear "oh I never stick to my New Year's resolutions" from our peers, and from our own mouths? I know that if I make a resolution, I will have forgotten about it by next week. But what I am very good at doing is making lists: to-do lists, shopping lists, assignment lists, lists of what I need to stop spending money on. I tend to find that the only time I listen to myself is when I make a list, as it really is a method of not being able to escape from your own thoughts.

So I present to you my grand to-do list of 2011. These aren't things that I'd like to do, they are things I have to do.

♥ Learn how to wear make up
Despite claiming to be a lover of makeup, my technique only goes as far as the base, eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss. I have always been a very decorative person and would love to be more extravagant and glamorous with my face, but am just a little scared to experiment. I have enormous eyelids, which may be a make up artist's dream, but unfortunately I am not a make up artist. Every little mistake I make is fully visible even when my eyes are open, hence why I'm eyeshadow-less most of the time. However, this is something that has to change, and can be easily remedied. I'm planning on attending Bobbi Brown workshops, dragging my good friend and talented make up artist Gulnit around MAC counters with me, and purchasing some damn good make up brushes. I don't ever see myself becoming a beauty blogger, but I'd like everyone to think I look super glamorous whilst typing up my posts.

♥ Expand into the industry as a stylist
Since starting out as a stylist in September, I've collaborated with some pretty amazing people, had my name published in CRACK Magazine as assistant stylist, and learnt a lot. I want to do even more this year, and really break into the industry. It's a tough place to be, and I have a lot of competition, but I've learnt to ignore the negative side this, as I have as much of a chance as others to become successful. So far I have done a minimum of one shoot per month, and whilst this seems like a standard amount considering that I'm a student, I'd really love to push myself into doing more. My aim is to become published again at least once by the end of the year...let's see if I can do this ♥

♥ Get a placement at a magazine for summer
This may be the toughest out of all of them, but I am absolutely determined to do this. My dream placement would be at Stylist Magazine, as it is my favourite magazine to read and I even fantasize about working there someday ♥ but back to reality, I know a million other people want to work there as much as me. As I mentioned above, I'm learning to ignore the negativity of competition, and trying to showcase myself instead, which will hopefully bring me good luck this year.

♥ Control my finances
This is a tough one. As a self confessed shopaholic, whose taste is become more expensive each year, I will not stop spending money on clothes or make up. As somebody enjoys her lifestyle, I will not stop spending money in restaurants, cinemas or entertainment. So what conclusion does that draw me to? Tesco £2 meal deals on the days I have uni and work all day.

Others:
♥ Look after my body
♥ Get good grades at university
♥ Grow my hair long
♥ Grow out my eyebrows
♥ Do some exercise and stop panting when running up stairs
♥ Get rid of my eyebags  Never going to happen.

My next few posts will be dedicated to the shoots I've done, which will hopefully be joined by more this year.

Enjoy your year everybody!

♥Aliya♥