fashion – Page 3

My week at Harrods

Published on August 31, 2013 by Alicja Jasnikowska1 Comment

So this week (and for the next two weeks) I am working at Harrods magazine, where I am covering someone who is heading off to get married. I thought her position was Fashion Editor. Turns out I was wrong. The cover is for a prop stylist/production job and has resulted in one of the most random weeks of my life. Today’s post is a tribute to my crazy first week at Harrods Publishing.

Day 1 – Hoovering fake snow from a giant toy lion. You have to see it to believe it…

Day 2 – I had to oversee a shoot for The Ultimate page in the mag. This meant watching as 2 grown men created a model of Harrods. Out of tiny magnetic ball bearings. Seriously! They’re called Nanadots – http://www.thenanodots.uk.com/ – and they’re the next big thing in tiny construction. Think Lego, but with ball bearings. They have a cult following apparently. I made a cute little necklace as they built a mini Harrods.

The magnetic field in the balls is super strong

2 grown men + 2 hours + 52,000 tiny magnetic balls = £58k sculpture of Harrods

Day 3 – based in the office. Today I had to find a disused airfield to use as a location for a photoshoot. Within the M25. No mean feat especially with a limited editorial budget. Whilst researching online I stumbled across this amazing old airbase in Germany. I want to do a fashion shoot here one day. The colours are awesome.

Wittstock Airbase in Germany

(taken from http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2010/11/abandoned-aircraft-airfields-airbases-airport-terminals/)

Day 4 – a day of prop sourcing, which varied from searching for 20 orange traffic cones and a chequerboard flag for a car shoot, to sourcing vintage theatre lights and old lanterns for a Home Theatre backdrop for a kids shoot. Where to start? Prop houses (companies that lend props for a fee) are the answer. There are plenty of these, but on Friday I used www.themetraders.com for the car shoot props and www.stockyard.tv & www.farley.co.uk for the lanterns and lighting. Take a look. You can find almost anything.

Images taken from www.stockyard.tv

This has literally been the most random week ever. On Monday I have an induction in the store – all staff have this, even if you are not employed on the shop floor. I have been informed that this day is a tour of Harrods that includes grooming guides (I kid you not, there is a grooming area near the staff entrance complete with mirrors and strong lighting) and a history of the store. I will let you know what next week brings…

Main holding image courtesy of Harrods Publishing http://www.harrodsmagazine.com featuring the cover of the current/September 2013 issue.

Magical mending

Published on August 16, 2013 by Alicja JasnikowskaLeave a comment

This week I was on a shoot and the lovely Assistant Editor Ellie mentioned an amazing company that (I am embarrassed to admit) I had never heard of. As a stylist I am often asked about my top fashion tips and tricks and I have to say this one rates very highly.

The painstaking process

The company is called British Invisible Mending Service Ltd http://www.invisiblemending.co.uk. I know it’s not the sexiest title or the trendiest name, but it does explain exactly what it does ie. invisible mending. What this means is that if you have a jacket, trousers, coat or a cashmere jumper (in fact any woven or knitted garment) that has been torn, tarnished by a cigarette burn or eaten by moths this amazing company will fix it. As new! I kid you not. The pictures on the site are astounding. With nearly a century’s experience this business employs clever and highly skilled technicians who remove threads from the inside hidden seams, and hand-weave these back into the damaged garment to fill any holes or tears.

Before

After

It comes highly recommended by Ellie who once used it to fix a huge tear in a vintage velvet maxidress, and from looking at the website most of the fashion, TV and film industries are also huge fans. Even Sir Alan Sugar has paid a visit (or one of his assistants has on his behalf). They also offer alterations and a made-to-measure suit service in their London store, or you can send your repairs to their head office in Wales should you not live in London. The repairs aren’t cheap, but they do look fantastic and are well worth the money if you have a favourite designer piece that has been damaged. Thanks for the recommendation Ellie.

For the London store call 0207 4874292.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m. Saturday 10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.

For Head Office contact 01443 433344

Further information at http://www.invisiblemending.co.uk

All pictures are copyrighted to British Invisible Mending Service Ltd

Urban florals

Published on August 15, 2013 by Alicja JasnikowskaLeave a comment

This week I have been very busy with two big jobs. One is a street style international online campaign for Gap, and the other is styling for the final episode of series 3 of Ashley Banjo’s Secret Street Crew (Sky 1). We started filming this series as far back as March, but had to have a 2 month break whilst Ashley and the Diversity boys filmed another show.

One of the options for our final group (which consists of 6 lovely ladies) is a floral bomber jacket. Unfortunately, I can’t divulge whether we are going with this look but it has inspired a street style blog about said jackets. I hope you like them…

If you like the look and are after something similar then Dorothy Perkins has some fab options in the sale. Buy a size too big and team with shorts for summer and trousers for winter. A black and white tee also looks good (as seen in the above images) whether it be linear or graffiti text. Heels or high tops are my preferred footwear for this look.

All the above jackets are from www.dorothyperkins.com and are in the sale so you better be quick…

On another floral note, I also found this rather cute floral baseball cap by a brand called T.W.O Face – an independent urban clothing label from London. Check out their other styles here http://theworldsoriginalface.bigcartel.com/

Baseball cap by T.W.O Face London

Street style snap

Published on July 17, 2013 by Alicja JasnikowskaLeave a comment

I have just discovered that last month I appeared on www.ElleUK.com in the street style section (yay!). Above is the featured image and a couple of the pieces I was wearing. I love a print and here have opted to clash bright florals and monochrome zebra. The Urban Classics baseball jacket is a recent wardrobe addition, influenced by my styling work for Ashley Banjo’s Secret Street Crew (Sky 1). I am a fan of the lack of branding on this jacket and it also comes in a huge range of colours for those that prefer a bolder option. The sunnies are by Jeepers Peepers and always attract attention. These are a few years old, but the label is currently selling its vintage-inspired designs on www.ASOS.com and www.jeeperspeepers.co.uk (as spotted on Fearne Cotton and Denise van Outen). At £16 a pair they’re a real statement bargain.

Jacket, Urban Classics; Floral top, Dorothy Perkins; Zebra print trousers, H&M; Sunglasses, Jeepers Peepers; Yellow bag, NW3.

Glam squad

Published on July 15, 2013August 5, 2013 by Alicja JasnikowskaLeave a comment

A month ago I styled the cover and main fashion shoot for Velvet magazine’s July/August issue. Whilst it may be scorching outside fashion mags are already focusing on the forthcoming winter season and this story features looks from the AW13 collections at Chanel, Burberry Prorsum, Gucci and Stella McCartney. Above is the cover (photography by Jenny Brough) and below are some behind-the-scenes snaps of the shoot. I hope you like…

The rail featuring (from left to right): Dress by Gucci, Dress by Bottega Veneta, Skirt and top by Burberry Prorsum, Dress by Prada.

The talented hair stylist Craig Marsden works on model Lisa.

Black and gold foil nails by Megumi Mizuno add metallic glamour.

Photographer Jenny Brough & Fashion Director Natascha Hawke viewing the images.

Amazing Burberry Prorsum AW13 skirt!

Lisa looks striking in high-shine quilted Chanel.

Photographer Jenny Brough shooting the final look.

Cover and main shoot credits

Photographer : Jenny Brough
Fashion Director: Natascha Hawke
Stylist: Alicja Jasnikowska
Make up : Caroline Barnes @ Frank Agency
… Nail artist : Megumi Mizuno
Model : Lisa Akesson @ Union Models
Hair styling : Craig Marsden @ Carol Hayes
Retouching: Monica Chamorro
Photographers Assistant: Ruben Hart