Music videos have long been looked down upon as an inferior medium for artistic expression and high-fashion clothing. Whilst I would agree that there are countless artists whose videos are nothing interesting, exciting or new there are those like Lady Gaga (as a mainstream pop example) who seek to do something different, and groups like 30 Seconds to Mars who create cinematic masterpieces which could better their full length feature counterparts.

This Beyonce video may not be pushing the boundaries of the norm in terms of the concept or execution but the styling is definitely a visual feast of epic proportions. My favourite look has to be the Gareth Pugh gold metallic mini dress. I have on several occasions looked at the pieces from this collection at the showrooms of Karla Otto and longed for the day when I'd get to shoot something. I don't know who the designer is of the jewellery which accompanies this look but the pieces are modern, bold and perfect accompaniments to the fierce dress.

'We were as Hansel and Gretel and we ventured out into the black forest of the world. There were temptations and witches and demons we never dreamed of, and there was splendour we only partially imagined.'

Of all types of literature, autobiography has until now been my least favoured. I don't profess to have read enough of this genre to make a particularly well informed judgement, but autobiographies have always seemed to me to be self-pitying, self-congratulating, courting fame and sympathy and just generally being written with mercenary intentions. I read Russell Brand's two autobiographies and found them highly entertaining. There may have been certain memories or events recounted which were affecting and/or enlightening, but on the whole it was just a light-hearted, comic, quick-read which wouldn't be classed as a literary success- more of a written documentation of his fantastical verbal effusions. 

Whilst I was in Miami in February I stopped by Books & Books on Lincoln for a browse. With an afternoon to fill there's nothing better than coffee, people watching, flicking through art books and reading the blurbs of countless paperbacks on the shelves. On a mid-shelf down one of the narrow through-rooms of the cosy little store I saw an unassuming black book cover with a small black and white double portrait and simple white text. 'New York Bestseller. Just Kids. Patti Smith.' The paper is quite thick, like parchment, with rough edges which gives the book a love-worn feel. The text throughout is interspersed with black and white photos, sketches and excerpts from poems like a scrapbook.

I didn't know much about Patti Smith before I started reading. I remembered seeing her in the Annie Leibovitz documentary 'Life through a lens' where she was photographed infront of a flaming trashcan- a photo which became a cover for Rolling Stone. So I knew she was a 'rockstar', that she had a famed androgynous look and that she had a relationship with the enigmatic Robert Mapplethorpe. I was not prepared for the astounding poetic beauty of the writing.

I can honestly say that it one of the most intensely moving, profoundly affecting books I've ever read. It was so real, truthful and honest-it was like reading a close friend's diary. You feel the pain and elation of every high and low. You sympathise on every level with the conflicting sense of both love between Smith and Mapplethorpe and the need for self-expression and one's own identity. It is a record of artistic struggle, a love letter to a lost soul-mate and a sweet ballad to New York City. It is partly what you may expect from a rock and roll musician but it is mostly so very much more.

'Wild leaves are falling

Falling to the ground.

Every leaf a moment,

A light upon the crown

That we'll all be wearing

In a time unbound;

And wild leaves are falling, 

Falling to the ground.'

Boho-glam, androgynous chic. 

Messy ombre beach hair, masculine hats, oversize tailoring, stripes, prints and sequins come evening. 

Kate Bosworth, Ashley Olsen, Whitney Port, Sienna Miller, Gillian Zinser, Drew Barrymore.

'It's not where you go. It's how you get there.'

Such is the tagline of Gus Van Sant's 1991 film starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. The storyline is a very loose adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry IV: a young man (Reeves) forsakes the privilege and pomp of his wealthy family to run wild on the streets under the tutelage of the charismatic but corrupt drunkard Bob Pigeon. Reeves' character, Scott, knows that his time amongst the raucous group of street dwellers is only temporary, as once he comes of age he will make the transformation from self confessed 'fuck up' to suave businessman to earn his father's respect and love. River Phoenix is a friend and fellow hustler on the street who ropes Reeves into a road trip of self discovery and adventure on a mission to find his mother.

I must admit that watching this old (ish) film I was prejudiced by my conception of what is a stereotypical 'road-trip' film. You know the type: mindless humour, gratuitous nudity and awkward sexual experiences. With possibly the exception of Thelma and Louise, which in my opinion is a poignant and sentimental portrayal of female friendship, most road-trip films are male centred but only shown from the take of the journey being about 'bromance'.

My own private Idaho is completely different. The relationship between Scott and Mike is shown with such beautiful realism. It's touching and sentimental but not over-done. It's not idealised and there's no 'happy ending' as far as the friendship goes but you know that there was, for a time, genuine feelings of camaraderie and (on different levels) love between the two men. 

Keanu Reeves may not have honed his skills as a multi-dimensional actor- he is just as monotone as Neo in the Matrix- but it sort of works in this context. He is a young man on the brink of adulthood-conflicted but also remarkably self assured. His slow development is quite sweet. River Phoenix is spectacular as a love-torn, emotionally fragile, innocent yet socially astute young man. His facial expressions, body language and tone of voice is so subtle and gentle that over the course of the film you see how much of a total, fully-psychologized character Phoenix has created. This man is having such a range of sexual and social experiences which he believes he has control over but he is so obviously damaged and affected by the loss of his mother. He is haunted by this idea of himself as a young child with his mother outside the family home. The pastel hued, hazy flashbacks which spring in a sporadic manner through the narrative whenever Mike feels threatened, are rose-tinted reminders of the domesticity and stable relationship which Mike lacks and so obviously craves. Although he has become part of this dysfunctional sort of family of hustlers, thieves and drug-addicts he yearns for something more enduring which he believes he may recapture upon finding his mother, or perhaps with Scott. Yet upon the double disappointment of Scott's italian romance and the realisation of his mother's eternal absence from his life he becomes more settled than he ever has been. The double funeral of 'fathers' at the climax of the film makes you question the disparity between the family you are born with and the family you choose for yourself. Which is more real? Which more understanding? Which more capable of supporting and loving you?

"It is not what you are that holds you back, it is what you think you are not."

Denis Waitley

"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We are all born originals-why is it so many of us die copies?"

Edward Young

"If it were now to die; 'twere now to be most happy." 

Othello, Act 2, Scene 1

New York style may be classic; Parisian style may be chic; Italian style may be glamorous, but London style will always be unique.

There has always been an undercurrent theme of subversion and rebellion to British designs- a yearning for something beyond the conventional and a demand for the fresh and the new. London as a city has always been an invaluable source of inspiration due to it's culture, architecture, history and its diverse regions which each have a characteristic style and feel. Many blogs capture the street style of worldwide cities but I find nothing as interesting or influencing than simply strolling through the streets of London and people watching.

The renowned art and design colleges of London have fostered some of the greatest fashion talents the world has yet seen; the roll-call of alumni is astounding: from Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Phoebe Philo and Stella McCartney to relative newcomers Christopher Kane, David Koma and Mary Katrantzou.

I am always intrigued by the graduates of each year and watch the MA shows with a keen eye to spot potential new talent. On a recent styling project I began to research some 2010 and 2011 graduates to see if they had any innovative designs which would fit the brief of our shoot. Whilst looking through the University of the Arts online profiles on their Showtime website I came across two footwear designers whose work really caught my eye.

Jonathan Leslie James Charlesworth produces amazing, conceptual pieces of art as footwear which are architectural and industrial. The shapes and lines are graphic, the materials (metal and rubber/PVC segments) are unusual but the overall effect is very striking and dramatic:

The Tribute

BI-ON-IC

There is a toughness in the rigid shapes and materials of these pieces with an obvious darkly sexual undertone, but I think they are beautiful and would look incredible on a fashion shoot for a daring publication.

More details are available on Jonathan's profile here.

Chan Jung Kim also creates stunning footwear with subversive sexual undertones but with a bionic and also prehistoric influence. Kim's pieces appear to be a conceptual vision of the future but with shapes that  seemingly refer to the exoskeleton of some prehistoric creature.

You can find more details on Kim's profile here.