Paris Fashion Week AW 2011...Louise

I was saving these photos of Louise Ebel for today.....the eve of the Royal Wedding. I love her dress, her oh-so-pretty headband (yes, fit for a princess)...and that red hair. So very lovely.

I know the royal wedding isn't everybody's cup of tea but it is rather nice to have something positive and good to celebrate. Here in London it feels very festive and spirits are high. I took a wander up around Westminster Abbey and along The Mall today and there was a hum of excitement (and a little craziness!) in the air. Lots of people from all over the world have come to join in the celebrations. Is anybody doing anything special tomorrow? Any parties planned?

Paris Fashion Week AW 2011

Not sure of this model's name but I think she said her hat was from DKNY.

Paris Fashion Week AW 2011...Jane

Jane Keltner de Valle, Fashion News Director, Teen Vogue.

Paris Fashion Week AW 2011....Jourdan

Jourdan Dunn.

Like the sheer skirt

Love her happy smile!

Paris Fashion Week AW 2011...Shu Pei

Model Shu Pei Qin after Akris. Love those Prada shoes :)

Julia Saner || Sunday Times Style

Elite Girls & Damon Baker || Backstage

Last week we went behind the scenes on a shoot with Elite favourite Damon Baker and of course a posse of our beautiful girls. Damon is well known for creating shoots that little bit different and going that extra mile to realise his vision, so we can't say we were shocked when he unveiled his latest concept.  Nyasha, Therese, Maddie, Jessica and Tasha emerged from hair & make-up like distressed damsels escaping from a raging fire...exactly the look Mr Baker wanted to achieve. The styling was industrial to say the least and suited the mood perfectly, keep your eyes peeled for the final edit of the shoot, Elite has had an exclusive peek and we think you'll all be very excited to see it!

Peony

Miss Peony Lim.

These are some photographs I took of Peony for a feature for Grazia.IT which you can find here. Head on over for a wee interview with Peony (although you will need to use a little google translate action if you can't read Italian like me!). Find out why she started her blog, what she never leaves home without, Peony's must-wear accessory and the inspiration behind her style.

Those of you who have been following my blog for awhile (thank you!) will recognise Peony from previous fashion week posts. I realised, however, that I haven't ever really done a proper style profile on Peony- we have just kind of never got around to doing it. So Grazia was the perfect excuse for me to head on over to Peony's house with camera in hand to pull apart her wardrobe and take some portraits. And eat cupcakes. And chat ;)

I first met Peony at LFW in February last year when she was still studying History of Art at the Courtauld Institute in London (which coincidentally has its campus right on the doorstep of Somerset House- very handy for fashion week). But walking into Peony's bedroom it is clear that a career as a stylist was almost a certainty. A beautiful mood board that covers almost her entire door, stacks of neatly folded jeans (not cast aside on a chair like I am want to do!) next to a vintage Louis Vuitton case, long, floaty dresses hanging prettily near a window, a little area is set aside for hair products, make-up and a little DIY*, costume jewellery and belts are tucked away in vintage leather hat boxes.....and I am not even going to mention the gorgeous shoes and handbags. They have their own space in another room :)

Her wardrobe is basically a glorious kaleidoscope of vintage her mama has passed on to her, high street buys, eBay bargains and designer items (Bicester Village and TK Maxx are favourite places for picking up designer pieces on a budget. A recent purchase from Bicester was an Alexander McQueen dress from his SS 2010 collection).

Whenever I visit Peony's home I am like a kid in a candy store- it smells so delicious (she burns Diptyque and Penhaligon's candles), there are always bunches of fresh flowers everywhere and some form of naughty treat she has whipped up (see the bottom collage for the tiny pink cupcakes she baked on the day of our shoot). I also make her show me any new purchases...I obviously live vicariously through my friends!


Now, because I am terribly remiss at getting details of what people are wearing during fashion weeks (which I know is so frustrating for many of you ;), I am going to be giving you details of what each girl I photograph is wearing.

So, top photos: vintage military shirt, shorts (Patricia Field), hat (vintage from Antwerp), studded boots (Russell&Bromley), cross necklace (gift from Peony's boyfriend from Camden market), belt (from India).

Black dress (above) Patricia Field, heels (Christian Louboutin).

Leopard print dress (H&M). I loved that dress....it would be perfect for a holiday cocktail hour.

Grey t-shirt (H&M), denim shorts (vintage levi's), Hello Kitty headphones (I made her put them on!) were a gift from her boyfriend.

White shirt (Thomas Pink), jeans (J Brand), turquoise ring (bought in Morocco while on a job), large link bracelet (gift from Peony's mama). The beautiful teapot in the background is a Hermès limited edition with peony flowers on the side. It was a special present from Peony's parents. I stayed WELL away from said teapot for obvious reasons!

*Check the shoes she customised with spikes (inspired by a Christian Louboutin pair) with a little help from her boyfriend!

p.s. think you can click on the collages to make them bigger. I know they are a bit small...

Paris Fashion Week AW 2011

Paris Fashion Week AW 2011...Giovanna

Giovanna Battaglia. Stylish. Always.

Paris Fashion Week AW 2011

The first photo was actually taken after the second one! I was trying to be stealthy and take a photograph as she was walking (I loved the way her skirt was flowing) but my camera shutter was obviously a little louder than I anticipated ;)

Hi Sushi Camden

Working all day on a shoot can be super tiring, so everyone involved has to keep their energy up all day...what better for this than some delish sushi? We were lucky enough to munch our way through some amazing treats from Hi Sushi in Camden, to get us through the day at today's shoot with Damon Baker. As you can see by the looks on their faces our Elite girls were more than happy with the surprise treats. Massive thank-you to Hi Sushi!

Paris Fashion Week AW 2011...Bonnie

One of my absolute favourite outfits from PFW: I love everything from Bonnie's makeup and hair to her little flats (I am thinking it is all Chloé??). She looked utterly ethereal especially in the late afternoon light after the show. Bonnie has a blog which you can find here.

p.s. Hope everyone has a lovely and very safe Easter break.