London's Roses

Rose season... Amazing that there are over 150 species of rose. Wish they hung around a little longer!

Joy

Taken many months ago between shots on set.

Thinking today about upcoming shoots: being creative, working out logistics, socially distancing, travelling... Lots to piece together! It's the little things that bring joy in life sometimes, like this camo bag - a present from my ever stylish Mum - and luminous red and pink stripes from Molly Goddard.

Lockdown Polaroid 5

19/4/2020

Carnations at Home

Bow, London

Bank Holiday Cheers

More embroidery recently finished - perfect for a sunny bank holiday Monday (Lockdown or not).

Lockdown Polaroid 4

21/4/2020

Olympic Park, Stratford

DLR

Taken on the DLR at Stratford, way before public transport triggered a world of anxiety. It's one of the best places for people watching... I love these ladies' saris, and their big bags and coats thrown on for the commute.

Parisian Footsteps

I'm reading a novel set in 1940s Paris at the moment. At the same time I've rediscovered these pictures from last year, when I was working in Paris for 10 days and also carrying out a very important daily pain au chocolat taste test. I recognise some of the bars, streets and hotels from the book - Paris is so beautiful (so intimidating)! I wonder when it will be possible to travel and walk the streets of foreign cities again? Paris is magical in the way it is possible to arrive in the city two hours after leaving London, stepping off the train at the forever busy Gare du Nord.

Lockdown Polaroid 3

21/4/2020

Olympic Park, Stratford

Arnold Newman

I came across Arnold Newman's work in an usual way... I was working at a big photography studios in London and the Creatives working upstairs decided that the communal toilet would be the place to store their tomes of photography books and magazines while building work was carried out to their offices.

 Two Men on Front Porch, West Palm Beach, Florida, 1941

Boy with Dog, Arden, Delaware, 1947

Both these images are photographs taken from a book found in the toilet... as I couldn't find better reproductions online. They're so atmospheric, capturing the emotion of the men and boy. I love the porches - the chair and geraniums, climbing ivy and wooden shutters... And naturally, the clothes. Both photographs are part of Newman's early work, before he got famous and took some of the portraits that are now very well known. 

Georgia O'Keeffe, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, 1968

Pablo Picasso, Vallauris, France, 1954

Lockdown Polaroid 2

12/5/2020

Bow, London

Polaroid 1 here

Tie-Dye Mania

There is no shortage of tie-dye clothing available at the moment: both the high street and designers are furiously peddling their take on the trend. I got quite heavily in to tie-dye last summer. My first attempt since childhood took place in Camberwell, see here. Min and I were hooked. Here we are a few months later in Portugal and up to our elbows in buckets of salt and dye.

Pictures by Allegra Pilkington

It's a very fun, inexpensive project. If like me your white t-shirts don't stay that way for long, or your other half is chucking theirs out - save them up for a Dylon sink session. I get dye from eBay (or your local art shop, when it reopens), but the Dylon website is helpful to see the full range of colours.

Lockdown Wardrobe

What have you been wearing during Lockdown? Or rather, what have you missed wearing? I've pretty permanently worn a pair of leopard print leggings originally bought for a shoot: after returning them unworn, I went back to re-buy because I liked them so much. Weird on many levels - mostly because most people don't look great in leggings, myself included. And yet here I am day in, day out wearing my trusty pair of now rather knackered leggings.

Slippers courtesy of Tesco

I do miss getting dressed for work. I'm a fashion stylist so this requires a balance of looking stylish (or at least, not a mess) and practicality. These days at home it's more a balance of comfort and stuff I don't mind spilling my breakfast/lunch/dinner on. I've realised how many clothes I actually have... Most mornings recently I've told myself that today is the day of the wardrobe sort out /season changeover, etc. I know I will find some gems to get excited about wearing again when I do. But it hasn't happened yet... I'll let you know how it goes. 

Local Remembrance Windows

Lockdown VE Day celebrations last weekend - touching to see the photographs some houses put in windows of loved ones that were affected by the war. We didn't have a party, or a cream tea - but we did manage a homemade swiss roll. Which is a celebration of sorts in my book.

Lockdown Polaroid 1

9/5/2020

Bow, London

Inspired by Patti Smith, I asked for a polaroid camera for Christmas a few years ago. I've loved using it - harder than it looks! - and have been taking pictures on walks and at home during the Lockdown period. I'm not sure exactly to what purpose - I'm sure we are all keen to forget this 

weird, muddling time ASAP - but there is something in capturing what is beautiful in the world, Corona or not.

Carrots & Artichokes

I've been sporadically embroidering - I finished this carrot tea towel last week, finally! And the artichokes below, too. Thinking of sewing a set of 4...