First blog post

My name is Troy Lyndon, as a career in the future I’d like to be working in Fashion/Photography such as maybe being a stylist. I have set up this blog page for my BTEC projects to build up my portfolio for SWAW and Plymouth Art College.  My blogs will be fulled with personal interests and mixtures of different types of fashion and photography genres.

Digital Manipulation

Upcycled Trends

This blog post is about Upcycled Trends, these are my final images that I really like the outcome from my flat lay photoshoot.  Upcycling is a way of processing an item to make it better than the original. In the example of clothing, this is often taking something that doesn’t fit or is stained/torn or just old and refashioning a wearable product from it. “As we move into the ’90s revival, grunge will be back, and upcycling will fit that look perfectly. I predict modern upcycling will actually look “upcycled,” but with a much edgier feel.”

“Gold Checkerd”

“French Chic”

“Crazy Tropical” (accessories)

“Festival Grunge”

“Dark Gothic”

“crazy Tropcal” 

The Art of the Flatlay

Screenshot Editorial 

This is a walk through of how I edited my photographs of my flat lays. I used Photoshop to edit the contrast to lighten or even darker these images, also cropping out unnecessary space or lines to even out the image.  Also used clone stamp to get rid of any paper joints that was ruining the images. I edited these images to make them more professional quality, similar to those seen on retailers websites.

 

 

Before and after

Image 1 – “Festival Grunge”

With this image on Photoshop as you can tell I cropped the size to make it evenly proportioned, also changing the levels of contrast to make the t-shirt look more darker and the colour red to pop out more. Next time I would review the colour in the original image to review when taking the image, also maybe to add more products like (shoes etc..) to make a complete look for marketing for social media or a website.

Image 2 – “French Chic”

This outfit style is a very smart look with the age range of 20 – 50 year olds. On the original image on Photoshop I only used clone stamp to get rid of of any paper joint on the image. Next time I would edit to get rid of the shadow at the bottom also get rid of the reflection on the make-up compact to show detail. The last thing I’d change would review the position on the products, especially the choker.

Image 3 – “Crazy Tropical”

On this outfit it is a very crazy out there style, with a lot of colourful vibrant colours. Age range for this could possibly be around 15 – 35 year olds. What I used to edit this image is clone stamp to of course get rid of again the paper joints, and also toned the lighting down. Next time I would absolutely get rid of the shadows that appear all around the image so all the background is the same shade this would defiantly make it look more professional.

Image 4 – “Dark Gothic”

This outfit I styled it has a very dark gothic themed to it, age range may be between 15 – 35 year olds. The process I used for this is that I cropped it to a suitable frame and of course again I used clone stamp to get rid of the paper joints. Next time I would do differently is laying out the clothing so you won’t be able to see the label and maybe also change the levels to make it a bit more bright so the colours can pop out more.

 

Contact Sheet

This is my Contact Sheet that I made, I printed all the photographs I’ve taken and reviewed each one what I could do to improve these next time or even what I could do differently while taking the picture even down to styling and the layout. The reason I have done this is to improve on myself when taking a photo shoot and on Photoshop aswell. After I’ve done all that I picked the main ones I really personally liked that looked more professional than the rest of the flat lays.

 

How I Style Myself

This photo was taken in Orlando when the weather was very hot and humid. I bought this t-shirt on Asos before i went away but I didn’t try it on. It was a size small which I normally buy, however as you can see in this picture it is way too long for my body type.

If i was styling a short client then I’d have to make sure the clothes didn’t overwhelm their frame like I have in this picture. Anna Kendrick, at 5’0″, is styled by Christina Ehlich who always chooses outfits to make her body appear longer. For example, in this picture below Anna Kendrick wears a dress that has a sheer neckline in the same colour as the dress which gives the optical illusion of a longer body. Also the dress has a long line slit to give the impression that her legs are longer.

This outfit is what I choose to wear at the MTV Crashes in Plymouth. I bought a hoodie from Nicce London size small in grey, and paired it with blue ripped jeans and a New York Cap in grey. I styled my friend with a top that she previously bought online which is white with black raglan sleeves, black skinny jeans and a black baseball cap worn backwards.

On this picture I am wearing a blue bomber jacket, with a black t-shirt which were both from Asos. I am also wearing my gold retro-style Casio watch, which is available at H. Samuel.

On this outfit, i am wearing a plain white Ralph Lauren t-shirt pairing with light denim jeans, to match the t-shirt I am wearing white and black Adidas superstar trainers with a grey New York cap. Accessories i have on are my gold Casio watch and a Lumee Iphone 6 case that can light up. You can get them at https://lumee.com/.

Make-Up Flat Lay

This is my first ever flat lay photo shoot with different angles to view different perspectives of the make-up will be doing a fashion flat lay soon so I wanted to practice on make up first to get a whole idea on the lay out and the lightening everything that is important to do a flat lay photo shoot.

Make-up flat lay (Customer Profile)

This first pic is one of my favourites from the pictures I’ve taken, I like the angle that it was taken seeing the nail varnish drip out onto the page. The only thing I don’t like is you can see the tape underneath the nail varnish bottle. I used the sticky take so the bottle would stay still so it makes things a lot easier for me to take a picture.

Here on the second picture i have taken,  I like the way i have crushed the eye shadow and made a sort of pile and scattered it on the page. The other thing I have done which you can’t tell that I’ve rolled up a little sticky tape under the eye shadow lid to make things more interesting. what I should of done is taken a picture of which you can defiantly tell the lid has been positioned in a certain angle.

On this picture I did a similar thing to the other one by crushing the eye shadow and scattering it on the page. you can see I’ve put three lines of different colours onto the page a brown and a orange, burgundy like shades. I think it’s effective with the powder scattering through these shades.

 

On these two pictures I have taken, you can defiantly see the lighting reflection, the angle of the picture I think is decent itself, it’s just the reflection that ruins it almost. So for my first flat lay Photo shoot I’ve learned on what tricks i can use and what to avoid.

My final piece on what the whole page looks like from above a proper flat lay angle.

Fashion Shows

When pictures surfaced on social media a fortnight ago suggesting that a collaboration between luxury French fashion brand Louis Vuitton and NY skate brand Supreme was in the pipeline, the internet went into overdrive. This morning, ahead of the Louis Vuitton AW17 menswear show in Paris, it has been confirmed that the collab is happening, and will be debuted on the catwalk this afternoon.

The collection, stamped with both brands’ iconic logos, includes denim, scarves, camo jackets and three styles of bag – a rucksack, a holdall and a bum bag. Get ready to see these pieces all over Instagram and worn by every girl and guy you know who’s into street wear.

 

www.louisvuitton.com

West’s Season 5 just premiered during NYFW, and unlike many previous Yeezy shows, the setup was low-key. Models stood under a spotlight, one at a time, in mostly functional outfits. Another big change? Kanye, who usually joins the models onstage, was a no-show. Models were projected onto a screen during the presentation, with the show opening to an empty runway. The women’s pieces had a strong Kim K vibe. Also notable, as Vogue reported, is the introduction of denim and the arrival of the Calabasas track pants in the vermilion and orange colour way.

At Venice beach in Los Angeles there was a huge lit sign saying Tommyland, to point the way to a whole different style of fashion show. It’s one of the first times that Tommy Hilfiger has done a show of this kind outside of New York Fashion Week, and his latest project comes around six months after the brand’s first collaboration with Gigi Hadid at South Street Seaport in Manhattan. There were amusement park rides, food vendors, uni-cyclists, flame throwers and drummers. In fact the audience was young and were wearing cutoff jeans, fedoras, and ankle boots and  looked like they’d just driven in from a weekend at Coachella.

http://uk.tommy.com

 Rick Owens has continued to shock the public with his runway shows, but his Spring 2016 show last week pushed viewers past anything they’ve seen before. In between models dressed in Owens’s darkly unusual streetwear, women carried one another down the catwalk. The idea was to show a  “graceful yet brave performance that spoke to ideas about strength and femininity”. While some of the models were thrown casually over the shoulders, others dangled from the chest, attached by a harness. Some particularly flexible models positioned themselves into folded poses, which I can’t imagine was very comfortable.

https://www.rickowens.eu/en/GB

Chanel airport terminal Karl Lagerfeld installed in the Grand Palais. It provided a funny enhanced-reality replica of a situation we all know only too well: the one where we watch everyone else milling around, busy on their ways with their rolling suitcases, their tracksuits, and contra-freeze in-flight comfort sweaters, their practical flats for walking the endless corridors to baggage claim, and the crucial sunglasses for the jet-lagged arrival. Only, of course, all this is considerably upgraded: “It’s the idea of how it should look!” quipped Lagerfeld.

www.chanel.com/Official-Site

From trash to treasure! Jeremy Scott turned fashion waste into fashion gold this season by spinning cardboard boxes, dry cleaning hangers and bags, garbage bags, duct tape, and magazine tears into clothing. Why not wear every bit of the fashion process? Scott, of course, is a master at transforming everyday products into fashion fixations. Everything from McDonald’s to Colgate to Barbie has been incorporated into his collections. This season was DIY fashion. Attention Scarlett O’Hara’s in training! If times are tough, don’t just look to drapes, darlings. Try Scott’s shower curtain as eveningwear (but good luck making it look as good as Scott does). Old gold watches adorned a very cool micro mini on Bella Hadid—this type of discarded bling is the kind of thing we can imagine Fergie, perched front row, rocking onstage.

Donna Karan staged her latest buy-now-wear-now collection for Urban Zen — a fall showing titled “The Alchemist” — inside her chic store and studio space on Manhattan’s Greenwich Street. The presentation set featured live music, live artists and even a live falcon all of which underscored the collection’s nomadic, almost tribal feel.  shades of black, brown and burgundy, Karan’s collection offered luxe outerwear styles that included padded suede jackets, reversible shearling gilets and kimonos and an elegant tufted-silk coat with a bit of sheen. Knits, which were layered with abandon. The models certainly weren’t wanting for warmth included a textured cashmere wrap that sells online for $6,195, worn with suede jodhpur pants and thick leather toggle belts. Layered, leather-beaded necklaces lent the collection an earthy, regal vibe that’s distinctively Donna.

Walking into the Urban Zen store in New York’s West Village sort of feels like wandering into another world. And that’s exactly how Donna Karan wants you to feel: “Urban Zen is a whole lifestyle,” she said. “It’s not just about clothes. It’s about a journey.” The new Spring ’17 collection just hit the racks Karan is a believer in the see-now-buy-now model For Spring, the hero item was the “transformer top,” a silky draped blouse with hidden buttons. You can button or un-button it into a tunic, an open vest, or an asymmetric evening blouse, similarly, a kimono gown can be styled as a sleeveless or cold-shoulder silhouette, depending on which armholes you use. “It’s sort of like a modern Seven Easy Pieces,”

Vivienne Westwood

The Evolution Of Press Releases

Traditional Press Releases –

A traditional PR is offline visibility, involving the production of press releases (usually for print media). The organisation of press conferences and events usually plays a part too. Traditional PR agencies carry information to a wide audience, without much feedback and the communication is very one-way.

A traditional PR pitch would involve selling in the press release over the phone and lunch, mostly in an email. A press release needs to be well written of course, in order to stand out from the hundreds of other releases journalists get each day, but there is not much focus for creativity or opportunity for engagement with the intended audience with this type of content.

 

Digital Press Releases –

A digital PR focus is online visibility. This means working with Google and other search engines such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. To ensure that a client’s website ranks highly in online searches this involves generating high quality links back to a client’s website from each piece of digital content, aswell as optimising the website itself. Done in tandem, this activity will increase a brand’s visibility online.

One thing that sets digital agencies apart from traditional agencies is the opportunity for creativity. A digital piece of content does not have to be limited to 4-5 paragraphs of text, like a traditional press release. Digital content can be in the form of a video, poster anything you’d like, the opportunities are endless.

Here is a proper example of a Digital Press Release –

 Here’s a link to Beyoncés clothing line “Ivy Park” Press Release Video – https://youtu.be/k6yJjjZci_Y

 

Fashion Magazines

PAPER –

Paper is a New York City-based independent magazine focusing on fashion, pop culture, nightlife, music, art and film. Past cover models include Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Prince, Jeremy Scott, CL, and Jennifer Lopez.

Paper was founded and launched in 1984 by editors Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovits (with Lucy Sisman and Richard Weigand) as a black and white 16-page fold-out. Production was done in the offices of The New York Times. The magazine has since evolved into a monthly print and digital magazine.

This magazine has an online presence at http://www.papermag.com/fashion/. It has a white background with plain black font giving a clean look. Each article has one image with a title linking to the full text. they are also active on Facebook, Twitter and  Instagram.

 

VICE – 

Vice is a print magazine and website focused on arts, culture, and news topics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal the magazine later expanded into Vice Media, which consists of divisions including the magazine and website, a film production company, a record label, and a publishing imprint. As of February 2015, the magazine’s Chief Creative Officer is Eddy Moretti, Andrew Creighton is President, the editor-in-chief is Ellis Jones and Alex Miller is the global head of content. As of October 2014, 29 Vice offices exist, being on every continent except Africa and Antarctica.

This magazine has very unusual photos for their covers but it’s different and unique in it’s own way not like other casual fashion magazines where maybe a celebrity is featuring in a photo-shoot. I think Vice is well known and recognised with their logo.  you can visit their website at https://www.vice.com/en_uk

 

I-D –

i-D has built its reputation on being a consistent source of inspiration in fashion culture. It began as a fanzine dedicated to the street style of punk-era London in 1980, and quickly earned its position at the vanguard of fashion and style, abiding by the premise of originate. I-D has come a long way since its pre-digital, cut-and-paste days and has developed into a glossy magazine that documents fashion and contemporary culture, and has broken ground defining it too. Constantly reinventing itself, I-D continues to encourage creativity, which is why after more than 30 years it’s editorial content still manages to surprise and inspire.

I-D’s website is very easy to find what you want to read about, fashion of course down to music, culture and even the news with featuring videos you can watch on what your reading about that can be very useful.  with a professional look to the website having of course links to your favourite social media of your choice. what I personally like about I-D is on their covers every model is hiding one eye to even closing an eye or even having crops or hands covering an eye with featuring celebrities as you can see such as Adele, Justin Bieber and Rihanna heres a link to the website http://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/about.

 

VOIR –

Stylishly packaged within a boutique contemporary publication, Voir is produced online on a quarterly basis to run in line with the main seasons of the fashion calendar. Content is targeted primarily at fashion-savvy females in today’s fast-paced digital age, who align to it’s visually-alluring format to receive their captivating yet digestible dose of fashion, beauty and lifestyle on the go. Furthermore, it has become a platform for the showcase of exceptional creativity where we unashamedly publish the work of leading-edge creatives from around the world.

This online website is completely different to the other fashion magazines that I’ve came across,  its visually very busy and condensed with scrolling images and fonts are different styles and colours. It is an reflection of the style of the magazine cover that they use. heres a link to their website http://www.voirfashion.co.uk/

DAZED –

In 1991, Jefferson Hack and Rankin launched Dazed & Confused as an alternative style and culture magazine. The title became a lightning rod for cultural provocation and the magazine became a movement, growing into the agenda-setting publishing powerhouse Dazed Media.Today, Dazed magazine continues to champion radical fashion and youth culture, defining the times with next generation writers, stylists and image makers.

The Dazed website is a very basic simple website, with a very bold title to clearly to stand out and links of course to what you’d like to read about links such as Fashion, News, Art & Culture, Music, Video and photography so it pretty much covers everything that a magazine website normally has. Here’s a link to the website http://www.dazeddigital.com/.

Fashion Flat Lays

First: It’s all about proportion: Balance out larger items with extremely small ones to create some scale in your flat lay.

Second: Create a full look: A fun way to share my #ootd is to create a whole flat lay. Feature your fave pieces of your look and include statement pieces like a great shoe or a pair of shades.

Third: Use a step stool: If I am getting larger items in my phone shot and I want to include everything, I pull out my step stool I usually use to grab things in my closet to take the perfect shot from above.