Candid Article 7

Jessie J, the new face of Pretty Polly

Oct 17th saw the launch of the new House of Holland collaboration with hosiery manufacturer Pretty Polly. The ‘Christmas Party’ collection continues the working relationship between the two companies, whose trademark suspender tights featuring the House of Holland logo of a house have been a major wardrobe staple since last year. It includes adapted versions of two of their previous designs – the Alphabet Tights, where this time the letters are in gold lurex, and the Suspender Tights, which are now available as fishnets. There is also a nude pair that say ‘I’m Laddered’ in black down the back seam, and have chunky black tops.

In the past, starlets such as Jamelia and Rachel Stevens have been the ambassadors for Pretty Polly products, but this time feisty 4 times MOBO award winner Jessie J has been chosen as the face of the latest collection. The 23 year old is well known for her outlandish style and statement haircut, and has sported some of the brand’s tights on stage before, as well as being snapped roaming the streets of London in them on her days off.

David Hinchcliffe, the brand director, was very happy with the decision, declaring, ‘She’s got awesome style, but her attitude and her persona make a terrific choice for our collection.’ This attitude is played upon in the advertisements, which are made to look like comic strips, and depict Jessie modelling a pair of the tights with a gloomy skyline as her background, and the word ‘WHAM!’ emblazoned across the bottom, complete with cartoon flames. There is also video advertising content on Youtube, and a campaign tailored specifically for Facebook.

In an interview, Jessie claimed that she has a box of unworn tights under her bed, as she receives so many pairs from designers, so it appears that her latest venture may have been a long time coming. After being stuck on crutches for the majority of summer, I daresay she’s been dying to show off those killer pins of hers. She says, ‘When you put on a pair of tights, you feel sexy and powerful’, and judging by the outcome of the ad campaign, that is exactly what they have done.

House of Holland for Pretty Polly tights are available online and in selected stores, and there is a pop-up store in London’s Covent Garden from now until January 31^st to endorse the products. Starting at just £15, they are the perfect Christmas ‘stocking’ filler!

Weekly Update!

New York Plans, Skirts & Pint-pulling!

This week didn't involve a great deal yet again, except for something very exciting - I booked flights to New York! I can't wait until April now. I'm going with two of my friends to visit my friend Abi who is living there for this year, so we should get a proper insider's view of the city, as she knows lots of cool places to go.

On my day off on Thursday I went for a coffee and some gorgeous chocolate cake with my friend Charlotte, and we mooched around Altrincham for a while. I stumbled across an amazing crinoline in a charity shop for just £4 so snapped that up! On Friday I worked in the morning and evening so had a very rushed meeting in the middle with Lydia, who was back from York for a few days.

On Saturday I did my first mini-shift at the new pub that I work at - The Greyhound in Ashley. It was fairly quiet, which was good for me to practise pulling pints and getting accustomed to a different till. After I had finished at 2pm, I rushed home and went to Stockport with my mum for a little wander. I have never been before and was pleasantly surprised at the range of shops, especially as there was a Primark! I bought a nice pleated silk skirt from Topshop's sale using a voucher that I got for my birthday in June. I love using old vouchers, it feels like free clothes!

We drove home, and shortly afterwards I headed to Millington to babysit. Charlotte came with me, and we had a fun night making candyfloss with the kids, before watching The Other Boleyn Girl once they were asleep. We were home by 1am so it wasn't too bad, and with the clocks going back, even getting up at 9am felt like a lie-in.

I went to the gym for a much needed workout, and then worked my last ever shift at Spar in the evening. It was bizarre to think I'll never have to work there again, but though I'll miss a few of the customers, I am well and truly glad I'll never break another nail stacking shelves, or have to deal with smelly stale beer!

Autumn Reads...

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini- 4 stars ****

This is a brilliant, if at times harrowing story, that was made into a film in 2007. It tells the tale of Amir, a wealthy Pashtun boy in Kabul, Afghanistan, who is best friends with his Hazara servant, Hassan. They have a very close relationship despite their immensely different places in society, which is often tested by the views of other children that they encounter, in particular the school and local bully Assef.

Following a local kite running tournament (in which tradition states that the greatest honour is given to the person who returns with the last kite remaining in the sky) Hassan bumps into Assef whilst trying to claim the kite for Amir, and is subjected to a brutal physical and sexual assault. Amir sees it all from a distance, but is so desperate for his father Baba's approval that he is more interested in claiming the kite, than helping his friend.

Racked with guilt at ignoring his friend in his most desperate hour, Amir resorts to cutting contact with Hassan believing it is the only way he can live with himself. He plants some valuables in the servant's hut so that they are forced to leave the house, and watches as Hassan remains loyal to him until the end, lying to Baba about stealing in order to protect Amir from the consequences of his plot.

Following the invasion of the Soviet Union, Amir and Baba escape to America, where their riches are lost and they live in relative poverty. He goes to college and becomes a successful writer, marrying a girl he meets at a market, but they fail to have any children. His father dies, and years later he receives a letter, asking him to return to Afghanistan. It is there that he learns that Hassan is dead, and has left his son an orphan, amongst other shocking revelations, and the past that he has tried so hard to cover up, threatens to break the surface.

Considering that the novel deals with such dark subject matter, the language that Hosseini uses is exquisite at times, and he has a true talent for capturing things in a way unlike any other I have encountered in books before:

'I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.'

He uses metaphors so that there is no denying what is being discussed, yet it remains fresh and innovative. The following passage shows this to a certain degree, addressing Amir's feelings upon returning to Kabul for the first time since living in America.

'I stepped outside. Stood in the silver tarnish of a half-moon and glanced up to a sky riddled with stars. Crickets chirped in the shuttered darkness and a wind wafted through the trees. The ground was cool under my bare feet and suddenly, for the first time since we had crossed the border, I felt like I was back.'

One of the main themes throughout the book is the feeling of guilt and self-loathing that Amir faces after his decision to do nothing about the ordeal that Hassan suffered. The writer uses an interesting technique to tell the reader about these feelings without making it too obvious. In places, he seems to be explaining how another character must feel, but one can't help but see that it is due to Amir himself having had the same feelings that he can understand them so clearly. A good example of this occurs towards the end, when Amir takes Hassan's son Sohrab back to America with him:

'What he yearned for was his old life. What he got was me and America. Not that it was such a bad fate, everything considered, but I couldn't tell him that. Perspective was a luxury when your head was constantly buzzing with a swarm of demons.'

I would highly recommend this book. It is a unique and complex story that manages to be both immensely delightful and sickeningly grim, showing the joys of childhood, but also the haunting effect that secrets can have upon life. A pensive read.

Candid Article 6

Phoebe English- One To Watch

Fashion is a crazy thing, this we all know. But weird and wonderful has been taken to a whole new level, by up-and-coming clothes designer Phoebe English. For her section in the Central St Martin’s Autumn/ Winter 2011 MA show, the flaxen haired twenty five year old sent models down the catwalk wearing creations made from leather and… hair. But rather than producing shocked looks of horror from the audience, as may be expected at the prospect of a skirt made from dark tresses, English’s designs were very well received. Her work has been described as ‘complex, disciplined and detailed’ and she considers the female form and movement of the body in her garments.

After very nearly pursuing a career in acting, the designer claims that ‘there is an art to wearing clothes’ and mentions Florence Welch, Tilda Swinton and Catherine BaBa as some of her favourite dressers.

She came away from the event as joint recipient of the highly coveted L’Oreal Professionnel Creative award, which is given to ‘recognise and help design talent further their careers’. Her collection was predominantly black, and featured lattice PVC work as well as her signature usage of raven hair. She states that her choice of colour is the ‘best way to get [the fabrics] to match and black is a colour you can usually always find things in’. She took her inspiration for this collection from her walk to work in her studio in East London, crediting light, gravity and motion as factors in her decision making processes. Despite the initial severity of the clothes, the contrasting surfaces of the different materials form a unique aspect that is ornamental and dynamic.

The other award winner, Viktor Smedinge, showcased tailored black and cream dresses made from parchment.

The judge for the award was Elle Magazine’s Fashion Features Director Rebecca Lowthorpe, and style icons such as Daphne Guinness and Maria Diamandis of Marina and the Diamonds fame had prime seats for the show.

This is not the young talent’s first success, as previously she has won the Chloe award, and the Ungaro bursary, and worked for the likes of John Galliano, Diane Von Furstenburg, and world renowned corsetier Mr Pearl. She appeared in October’s edition of Vogue magazine, and some of her creations were put on display in ‘British-ish’, an exhibition in London’s Victoria and Albert museum during Fashion Week, curated by Giles Deacon. Her designs in the past have heavily featured knitwork and other handmade crafts to add decorative detail.

Past graduates of Central St Martins include many staple names in the industry such as Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Zac Posen and Christopher Kane. With the favourable reaction Phoebe English has received thus far, it appears that she may well follow in their highly fashionable footsteps.