I have always had a love for anything Vintage and rifling through old dressmakers patterns with their fashion illustrations iconic to the era feels to me like exploring an antique treasure chest.
Here are some favorite images of my vintage pattern collection…
You can buy these vintage patterns & more on my Etsy site MandysMuses
I love modern art museums and among my top 3 (alongside London’s Tate Modern, and Manhattan’s Guggenheim) is the MoMA.
I visited it last month whilst I was in NYC and I got very snap happy with my favorite works….here are a few photos I took….
Last night I watched this movie Picture Me: A Models Diary which is a documentary of Sara Ziff’s rise from a fresh face, girl next door teen to an international model.
Over the course of five years, Sara Ziff snuck her then-boyfriend & filmmaker – Ole Schell into castings, shoots, catwalks and parties so that he could film “without other people realizing it.” Along the way, chronicling her modeling journey and collecting hundreds of hours of footage, which they edited down to produce the film that reveals the unseen side of modeling.
Ziff, who started modeling at 14, surpassed her father’s income by the time she was 20, by adorning billboards & catwalks for some of the biggest campaigns in fashion: Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.
‘Picture Me’ features interviews with fellow models Sena Cech, Caitriona Balfe, Cameron Russel (who also presents an honest Ted Talk on the industry), Irina Lazareanu, photographer Gilles Bensimon and fashion designer Nicole Miller. The most shocking truth to come to light were the stories of sexual assault that would happen on the job to many teenage models.
I love Sara’s rawness in the film – you see her at some very intimate moments that she has the courage to expose internationally.
Ziff has been quoted as saying ’I’m quite private, so I had mixed feelings about putting so much of my life on display. I even had fears that I wouldn’t work again once it came out. Models’ careers are so carefully managed, and Ole and I really did this on our own without telling anyone…. This industry is totally unregulated and the models – particularly the young girls – need protection. There are so many smart, powerful women in fashion, yet the business has turned a blind eye to its own for way too long. We can do better’
A trip to New York City just isn’t complete without a visit to the Met (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)…..and it’s the perfect thing to do on a rainy day and you can have your Gossip Girl moment there too by taking an iconic photo on the steps.
Hot tip – Despite the admission price which claims to be $25 for 1 adult entry – you can actually donate whatever amount you like to enter the museum.
These are a few of my favorite things I found at the Met…
I’ve been back home from New York for a few days now and I can’t help but look back over my pics and wish I was still there….
These photos were taken when we walked over the Manhattan bridge…such a different vibe, grittier & much less touristy than it’s sister Brooklyn Bridge. I loved all the graffiti and the amazing views over the streets of Chinatown and apartment rooftops.
It’s a wrap! Eco Fashion Week for the season officially ended on Wednesday night with shows on the catwalk by designers/stylists….. Hey Jude, My Sisters Closet, Mama Rawa, Awaj Warmi, Aywira, World Hippie Originals, Qispi Kay, Isla Found, Adhesif, Vanessa Cunnigham, Sans Soucie & Fiveleft.
Highlight:- in the final show – bag designer Lincoln Heller from Fiveleft – pushed a 400 year old sewing machine down the catwalk, sewing leather goods to hand out to audience members along the way.
Here are some shots I took backstage…
….at Eco Fashion Week.
Yesterday marked Day 2 of this event and 9 Designers ranges were shown on the catwalk.
These designers were Bhana, Couture Therapy, Warpaint, Sally Omeme, Svensk, Evan Ducharme, Merely Me, Rise & Elroy.
These are some snapshots I took backstage….
