Step inside my showroom...

As promised darlings, I can now reveal my newly re-styled showroom which excites me enormously! 

A few weeks ago, my chums at Proportion London and I got together and threw a fabulous breakfast soiree for the launch of MADEMOISELLE (Proportion's latest female mannequin range). Clients and friends came and admired the re-style and all of the product so perfectly presented in the art gallery like space. As we nibbled on French toast and drank champagne, it dawned on me that my stunning home should be shared with my friends across the world! So I hereby give you an exclusive tour (and also a cheeky selfie or two)!

Mademoiselle - the lady herself!

The MADEMOISELLE range exudes an incredible freshness with refined elegance. She embodies contemporary romance whilst hinting at a cool nonchalance - in short, she is my kinda gal! Adding to her prettiness, she is styled in crisp white with accents of luscious violets, cool blues and tranquil greens. The full range consists of ten dynamic figures, each position created with defined yet understated movement and delicately expressive hands, which capture eloquent mid gesture poses - enhancing her characteristics further. An abstract head with ghosted back features, plus a semi-realistic version are available on all figures, whilst sculpted hair pieces and a headless upholstered option complete the range.

headless mademoiselle in repeat

sculpt hair and realistic mademoiselle

a candid shot of me!

Mademoiselle's delicate and expressive hands   



Mademoiselle with wooden articulated arms - ideal for handbag presentation 

the Mademoiselle girls, en masse

another candid shot of moi

Mademoiselle, featuring sculpted hair and semi-realistic face

THEORY male and female mannequins stand tall on mirror boxed plinths - adding drama and contrast to the space. Finished in monochrome matt and gloss graphics, this range provides ultimate impact. The versatility of the collection can be mind blowing - for instance, by adding wig and makeup or having a headless version, the same range of figures can have endless looks. Genius! 

Theory male and female mannequins

Making a special appearance for a limited time only, is the thought provoking artwork and photography by Roger Miles and Fraser Carr Miles. Their work documents the decommissioning of my old factory home through a series of images and objects which capture the beauty and craft of mannequin production. The pieces are on sale, so if you have your eye on something make sure you enquire quickly!

Vintage style bustforms and harlequins showcased alongside Roger Miles artwork and photography

Roger Miles' cyanotype bust forms 

Capsule bust form range

Of course some of the all time favourite collections are on show, such as COMPONENTS, RAW, VINTAGE and BESPOKE, but what I would really like to show you is the revamped BOUDOIR range. This irresistible collection of bodies and accoutrements is designed specifically for the presentation of lingerie and hosiery type merchandise. And I think it looks especially stunning in its new sophisticated palette of rose gold, and muted berry colours. Simply divine!

Foot forms from the Boudoir range

upholstered bra forms with rose gold metalwork - from Boudoir

the loft has been transformed into a stunning boudoir space  - every girl's dream!   

Darlings, my door is always open, so do feel free to visit me and see the new showroom with your very own eyes. Just let me know when you plan to come over, so I can put the kettle on!  Tel: 0207 749 1300 Showroom address: 65 Leonard Street, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 4QS

Roger Miles - artist in residence at Mannequin Towers

Cast your mind back, my darling readers, to my January post on my good chum and accountant – turned – artist, Roger Miles.  For four weeks recently, Roger took up residency at Mannequin Towers, delving his way through our bits and bobs, in search of things that inspire him to create.

Intrigued by Mr Miles artwork and his new found career, I managed to slip away from my busy window-gazing schedule to ask him a few questions….

Has the transition from being an accountant to an artist felt peculiar to you? Working in an environment of routine and structure, but now having the freedom to do whatever you like, must feel rewarding. Tell me what is a typical day for you?  

I don’t really have a typical day these days, there is much less routine, but I feel just as busy.

The biggest challenge from accountant to artist was changing from getting it right to there being no such thing as right.

I still use many of the skills I acquired as an accountant, especially project management and logistics - art is 30% creativity and 70% project management and admin.

You stopped being an accountant in 2009 and completed a BA in fine art at Chelsea Art College. Is this something you have always wanted to do? What stopped you before?

I knew I wanted to have a second career when I got to 40 but I didn't know it would be art.  I used a life coach to help me work out what to do next and I had found out by the time I was 50 (it takes some time to make this type of change).

Doing a degree a second time around was invigorating and rewarding - this time I could really focus on the course and not be distracted.

You have taken up residency in several places, what exactly is involved in being an artist in residence? How do you select the places you wish to work in?

Choosing an unusual location helps to challenge you as an artist and hopefully leads you to make work that you wouldn't have done just based in the studio - it also gives you some structure to your day.

I chose the residency location to be places where you wouldn't expect to find an artist i.e. the local dump!

What are you making at the moment? Can you explain some of the processes?

Cyanotype prints from photos taken at the factory and experimenting with cyanotype on paper mache forms. I am also collecting odd items from the ‘ to be disposed of’ area and will make sculptures / collages from them.

What inspires you?

Live music, contemporary art and my family.

Who are some of your favourite artists?

The boyle family, Jeremy Deller and Elisabeth Price.

You recently created a window for Selfridges and have now taken up residency at Proportion's factory. Is visual merchandising something that interests you, do you think you would explore more in this area?

There seems to be an increasing merging of the two art forms i.e Damien Hirst for Lalique and Yayoi Kusama for Louis Vuitton and Roger  Miles for Selfridges ...

Do you have any other projects in the pipeline, if so what are they?

My degree piece ‘resonate/generate’ was a 1970s record store in a mobile library,  I am recreating the record store at a show at Gallery Different in Percy St off Tottenham Court Rd from 23rd April to 28th May, as part of Keith Haynes art pop show - he makes art from vinyl records and I will playing visitors choices of music from rock and punk from the 70s.

 

If like me you are fascinated by Roger's artwork, do stay tuned as Proportion plan to showcase his pieces at an upcoming event. In the mean time you can checkout his website by clicking here

Ciao for now
x

siren suits - the second world war onesie ?

Fashion trends…I love ‘em. Ra-ra skirts, puffballs, shell suits, darlings I’ve worn them all. That is with the exception of one trend that has so far eluded me – the onesie!. I have never been able to get my fibre-glass brain around this most peculiar item of attire, as hard as I try. Perhaps it’s the hijacking of what could be seen as a pure comfort garment by the fancy dress and stag party industry – retailers out there – you know who I’m talking about! I shudder at the prospect of sliding my cellulose sprayed limbs into a “Kermit the frog” all in one (with hood) – or similar fashion travesty!

Imagine my surprise then, when I noticed an order for a bustform going through the workshop recently, commissioned by the Science Museum to wear a siren suit at the newly opened Churchill’s Scientists Exhibition. Craning my neck to read the brief I discovered that this was infact a prototype onesie style suit dating back to World War 2!   

Taking its name from the omnipresent air raid siren, the garment in question was made by Turnbull and Asser; a fetching one-piece teal green velvet boiler suit that Churchill could literally slip on over his pyjamas to be ready for action in a trice! Apparently he became quite addicted to wearing this "comfort in a crisis" piece of clothing and had them made in all sorts of fabrics; pinstripe, velvet, with military embellishments! Roomy, comfortable and smart, Winston wore his at all hours and even for formal meetings. His example became so famous that the look was taken up by adults and children everywhere – pulling the suits on as they dashed to the air raid shelter in the middle of the night. So convenient, some versions even had a panel at the back to allow the wearer to use the facilities without stripping off! Imagine…no don’t!

Anyhow, I think Winnie could be dubbed a fashion icon – who knows, perhaps the next round of onesie designs will emulate the Science Museum exhibit and stitch a cigar into the breast pocket!  

See the Science Museum's revealing exhibition until March next year details here

Bond Street beauty's

Designers, diamonds and delightful windows. Bond St Christmas display at their absolute best.

Sorry Darlings, must dash, more windows to check out around town...

Bond St lights - beautiful peacock feathers and sparkling diamond

Alexander McQueen - using Fashionista collection by proportion london

Tiffany

Smythson - using BESPOKE collection by proportion london

Smythson - using BESPOKE collection bustforms by proportion london

Louis Vuitton

Fortnum and Mason - stunning as always - London simply wouldn't have Christmas without them!

Next stop.... Regent Street and Oxford Street, where the retail round up continues. Ciao for now xx

Inside the amazing multicoloured world of Paul Smith

Darlings ... I've only just recovered from a momentous week - flitting between press shows and launches in a fabulous fashion frenzy. Jaeger, Karen Millen and Joules all launched forthcoming Spring Summer 14 collections this week, Hacketts newly fitted store opened on London's Regent St and the busy week culminated in a Thursday evening launch of the Design Museum's fashion exhibition; Hello - My name is Paul Smith. 

A discreet and pin sharp crowd of design intelligentsia gathered to hear Mr. Smith open the exhibition with his usual cool yet understated approach.

Inside the head of the inspirational Mr Paul Smith

Arranged in a series of tall white rooms - the exhibit was anything but  colourless. Entering through the tiny space that replicated Paul Smith's first shop in Nottingham, we were led into an amazing hall which was tall by contrast. The walls were covered in inspiration images that have likely also papered the inside of Mr. Smiths head for over 25 years. Jam-packed with tearsheets, paintings, drawings and artwork - every inch of space was covered. My eyes darted from frame to frame not knowing where to rest - it was plain simple sensory overload, Dear Readers! Intensely overwhelming and mesmerising, Miss Mannequin is rarely transfixed: the keen crowd around me obviously felt the same. More was to follow.....

who needs wallpaper with walls this inspiring?

A recreation of both Paul's personal office and his design team's studio had desks, shelves and walls literally spilling out their cornucopia of random creative objects everywhere. Stunned by the sheer abundance of it all we were rooted to the spot by the sudden youthful appearance of Mr. Smith himself. Bounding in, he launched into an unexpected and impassioned explanation of some the workings of the studio. Humble and earnest in his approach, he showed us how the brand developed the famous striped designs (not as you would imagine on a computer) and how they took old reference images and transformed them into the famous contemporary prints that his clients worldwide love. It was obvious that he is not a remote head of his empire - but an enthusiastic and essential part of the team's creativity.

Sir Paul explains his design ethos

 

On and on the show went - cars, shoes, cycling accoutrements, radios - all swirling and vying for attention in a kaleidoscopic explosion of colour: a gallery of his eponymous clothing designs (shown on bustforms donated by my mates over at proportion london) and a video explaining how one of Sir Paul's fashion shows is put together - we were reeling at the overall richness of the event. 

Amongst the glitterati I spotted Sir Terence Conran, Ron Arad, Alice Rawsthorne and Neville Brody. I shook hands with the man himself and we chortled at how empty and stark his office must look at present; what with the contents being despatched away for the show. 

Somehow with Sir Paul's magpie instinct I doubt his office will be empty for long; filling up again fairly quickly and refuelling his imagination for some time to come....I do hope so.

Miss Mannequin left the show a happy and tipsy dolly - from the champagne you ask?......no, from the feelgood factor all that colour and inspiration imparts. 

The turbo-charged Paul Smith mini - go faster stripes never looked so good!

Mad-cap design hoarder Paul Smith rifles through his eclectic treasure trove

Paul Smith's crowded office

The exhibition: Hello my name is Paul Smith runs until March 9th 2014
for more details click on this link

For more information on proportion london bust forms visit: proportionlondon.com

SHOWcabinet - what Daphne did next

As you know, I am never one to shy away from a fabulous party Dear Reader, hence why on Wednesday 21^st of February I attended a (not to be missed) launch by the award winning fashion website; SHOWstudio. Held in London’s prestigious Belgravia area in the iconic Pantechnicon Building; I mingled amongst the fashion elite, sipping lusciously refreshing cocktails and brushing bejeweled elbows with the fantastic Daphne Guinness, Gareth Pugh, Nick Knight and Philip Tracey plus many more – but hey who’s counting!

The launch, which celebrated the first installation of SHOWstudio’s latest gallery venture; 'SHOWcabinet'. The first in a series, it's a sort of moderne cabinet of curiosities, which was kick started by Daphne herself, giving us an insight into her own contemporary, romantic vision of the world. Items such as a black leather cage jacket designed by Gareth Pugh, bling-tastic crystal heel-less shoes by Norikata Tatehana, and an 18 carat gold and diamond armour glove made in collaboration with Shaune Leane - this item in particular is the central piece of the installation.

Also on show is a silver sequin Chanel dress and over jacket – of course this instantly caught my eye (there really is nothing else other than a touch of sparkle to make me weak at my fibreglass knees). In complete owe of this stunning number I took a closer look and was delighted to notice that the garment was displayed on a beautiful signature vintage type bust form from my old chums at proportion london (goodness they get everywhere)! Daphers is a darling and the launch was a pleasure to attend, however if unlike moi your name was not on the guest list do not fret my darlings as Daphne’s installation is open until the 20th March and most of the items on view are for sale.

Throughout the year there will be further installations during the SHOWcabinet series including displays from Una Burke and Iris Van Herpen, so do stay tuned for my forthcoming post's since I know i'm going to be on the invite list for all of them! Chin, chin darlings x

SHOWcabinet. Image supplied by SHOWstudio



Daphne Guinness. Image supplied by SHOWstudio.

Gareth Pugh, Nick Knight, Carson McColl. Image supplied by SHOWstudio

Shaun Leane. Image supplied by SHOWstudio

Bella Freud. Image supplied by SHOWstudio

Shoes designed by Norikata Tatehana

Leather cage jacket designed by Gareth Pugh



proportion london bust form showcasing silver sequin Chanel dress

For more information on the SHOWcabinet installation please visit the SHOWstudio blog 

http://showstudio.com/blog/post/daphne_guinness_showcabinet_launches 

For proportion london bust forms and mannequins please visit their website

http://proportionlondon.com/