I've moved on...
...to a different domain. Why, what were you thinking? The truth is, I just woke up one day and decided it's time for a change—a metamorphosis, if you will; or, in layman's terms, if Britney can shave her head, then maybe so can I? Nevertheless, it's been a rather handsome 10 years of talking to you, and thank you for putting up with all my moodswings and terrible dad jokes. Fear not! The hormonal imbalance and jokes are more terrible on CUBICLE, see you there.
Coat – Boden. Sweater – Eileen Fisher. Necklace – Louis Vuitton. Bag – Coach. Trousers – Filippa K

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Passport holder – Louis Vuitton. Bag – Coach. Heels – Kurt Geiger.

And just like that, the fashion month circuit is closed. The lions are cajoled back into their cages and the tents packed down into wagons; one by one, the throng dissipate into a Euro tunnel or Charles de Gaulle terminal after another, and all that’s left of the festival is a dusty, patchy field and a village-worth of Airbnb’s that need a-cleaning. The days are a touch cooler, and shorter, than when it all started. I had joined the last leg in Paris on the final three days for the two shows that I always catch, and finished the season adequately rested, sufficiently surprised and inspiration fully fueled. I can’t wait to start sharing everything I’ve worked on soon with you all. For now, the Boden coat in siren-red (a bit of Benjamin Button with the content, as usual), on my way home from Paris… attracting all manners of attention including three separate accounts of ‘you want taxi?’ men, two ‘petition for the deaf’ scammers who seemed incredibly not-deaf, and of course, the good old-fashioned drunk men demanding beer (or wine?) change.

Note to self, do not dress like gullible tourist lady with Robin Hood disposition to Gare du Nord.

Coat – Boden ICONS. Belt – Stella McCartney. Watch – Larsson & Jennings. Neacklace – Louis Vuitton. Boots – Kurt Geiger.

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NYFW was to me, like Ocean’s Eleven was to Brad Pitt: If you look closely, he is chomping on something nearly every scene he’s in, be it tacos or a shrimp cocktail. At one point Simon yelled WOMAN WOULD YOU TAKE YOUR HANDS OUT OF THE PRINGLES TUBE from across the street, and a whole gaggle of tourists got incredibly confused as to why a German man was supposedly screaming at them (some did yank their hands out of their pockets in shock). Trouble is, I can’t seem to control my excitement for the big AMERICA, simply due to having grown up in a watered-down Eastern European version (90’s Poland) of it all, dreaming of Tootsie Rolls and Pepsi floats. The irony is that I packed a lot of pieces from the Boden ICONS collection, for instance this coat and skirt below, which both have a very distinct British heritage look to it that I absolutely adore, but now that I think of it, I may have walked around New York looking like a crazy Asian lady/Royal Horseguard scraping chocolate off Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups with my front teeth on the street corner. Super attractive.

In Partnership with Boden

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…is that a Pringles tube in my pocket or am I just happy to see you?
Shirt – Boden. Skirt – Boden ICONS. Jeans – Marques’Almedia. Shoes – Coach. Bag – Louis Vuitton. Bracelet – X Jewellery. Watch – Larsson & Jennings.

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Retracing the past,
shaping the future

A closer look into the
Louis Vuitton Series 3 exhibition in london

Forget that this exhibition has anything to do with a high-profile luxury brand, or in fact, anything to do with the nitty-gritty details of exchanging hard-earned anything for something pretty. The Louis Vuitton Series 3 exhibition is a communication tool, a portal, or uplink/downlink to the depths of a dreaming designer, a reminiscing historian, and into the hearts of those that create with their hands. Think Minority Report, TRON…or even Being John Malkovich, and imagine the odd yet enticing notion of seeing the inner workings of someone’s head, the strong electrical current of emotion, and a digital realm that seems so fickle yet real at the same time. Most importantly, Series 3 is not about the destination, but the journey. And this is where we make the connection with Louis Vuitton as a brand, with a ‘malle’ (trunk) at the core of it all.

The day my team and I arrived to shoot the exhibition, 180 Strand was still a construction site – the air was thick with dust, cables strewn across the concrete floors that still bore the footprints of the workers. In the four hours that took to shoot this story, the exhibition came to life around us: the screens fizzed with activity, lasers re-calibrated and spotlights trained on the artisans. I must say it was hugely humbling to have experienced that part of its journey, the intimate, fragmented moments before it becomes one entity, so I’d like to thank the LV team for the invitation to shoot this story. Finally, here it is, my little tour of #LVSeries3, with hopes that you will be able to taste a bit of the experience before deciding to pay a visit, which I strongly recommend – admission is free, just book online for a slot. The exhibition will run until October 18.

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The Entrance
Abstract

This optical illusion greets me at the foyer, first of many – the classic LV signet evolves into the modern twist lock in an animation that peeks through only through the layered blades of polarized glass…

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Cerebrial Journey
Atrium

A vast atrium where a geodesic dome is suspended mid-air swallows me into Nicholas Ghesquere’s brain. It’s a journey towards creative enlightenment: I lose myself in the moments of tranquility, meditation and sweeping illumination.

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Birth of concept
Magic Malle

A dizzying experience inside what seems to be a LV designer’s mind: muses, memories and new shapes form around, with the heritage trunk at the core of it all. Beware, the ground may feel unstable after a while.

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travel with
Artisan Desks

A tale of an artisan – be the hands behind a Petit Malle and see space and time whizz past you.

The buzz
Infinite Show

This room takes me straight back to Paris, to the AW15 show in March. I re-live the excitement of a new collection and buzz of the spectacle.

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Power of Digital
Laser room

The lights are off, all but a single blade of laser that animates pattern-cutting of some of the familiar designs from AW15. The room alone explains the importance of the brand’s intimate relationship between man and machine.

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The hands
Savoir Faire Lab

One of my favourite rooms – watch live, the craftsman from Paris, bringing a thousand meticulous movements to create one special piece.

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Invisible Avatar
Accessories Gallery

Experience an overwhelming blow to your ocular and vestibular senses as you step into what seems like a new dimension, and let your eyes settle on familiar colours and shapes of accessories from both the archives and the AW15 collection.

a dream
Walk-in Wardrobe

Press your nose against the jewel casing and count the stitchings – this glass structure (that looks like a figment of imagination) is in reference to elements from the Palm Springs Resort ’16 set-design.

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Stickers at the
The Lounge

A rest-stop, but also where I ease back to real life, after an experience that almost feels like an intrinsic dream. At the far wall I re-connect with my 9-year old self and picking out all the stickers I can fit in my pocket. Stickers of bags, shoes and the alphabet.

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New Faces…
Poster Room

Like a teenager’s poster-clad room, new faces of the campaign blanket the walls in the last chamber. Pick up a poster for yourself. Move aside Leo Di’Caprio, we’ve got ourselves a new obsession…

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art direction, photography, cinemagraphs PARK & CUBE in collaboration with LOUIS VUITTON

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Sunnies – Celine via SmartBuyGlasses. Watch – Larsson & Jennings. Envelope clutch – Sezane. Wallet – Prada. Serum – Innisfree. Necklace – Louis Vuitton. Scarf – MiH.

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Top – Paule Ka. Culotes – Charlie May. Bag – Marni. Sunnies – Celine via SmartBuyGlasses.

Current location: Seoul, South Korea. Time-zone: Galaxy far far away, corner of Asgard and one stop before Uranus. My body does not comprehend the blue tint of dusk creeping through the blinds at the wee hours of the morning and sends out confusing bodily signals including but not limited to: hunger, a need-to-pee, PMS, utter exhaustion and insomnia (at the same time), and demands that I do something about it. In return, I do what I usually do when faced with jetlag: eat something questionable out of my Airbnb host’s fridge, entangle self within a duvet and find a TV shopping channel sufficiently entertaining enough to sap the last of energy. The effect is sublime – I arrived on Thursday and woke up on Monday morning ,feeling brand spankin’ new.

Problem is, I still don’t know what time it is. Imma go pee.

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Double,
triple life
Versatility, apparently, is a superpower

Every six months my parents ask me via Whatsapp, “so… what exactly is it that you do now?” And every six months, I struggle to explain what exactly it is that I do now. If they asked this morning, I would add ‘5-minute spaghetti chef’ to the list, alongside photographer, web designer and blogger, and my mother would show me the true spelling of ‘tsk tsk’. (It’s true, I am this close to a Michelin star tyre) There is no doubt that I do lead a bit of a double life, if not triple – just like any ambitious (read: charged with the crazies) individual today. Plus, it comes with the territory when working in the visual industry.

For this reason I don’t have a uniform, there is no one cape that I can wear to all three jobs, unless stained Pyjamas count (thank the heavens for Skype conference calls). Truth is, I rely heavily on versatile, multi-purpose pieces that can minimize the stress of having to face an important client in the morning and then go on a physically demanding photoshoot in the afternoon. On this collaboration with Fay, I thought I’d show you exactly how I live this double, triple life quite comfortably with just one coat called Virginia.*

Don’t forget to check the Double Life feature over at Fay.com with the full scope of the campaign and rest of the Double Life babez.

In collaboration with Fay. Photography – Krisatomic;

Coat – Fay ‘Virginia’.

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I start the morning with a meeting with a client over coffee and breakfast pastries to discuss her branding and a new website. I’ve done up the clasps of the Fay coat up to my neck and belted it at the waist for a more formal look, although by the third pain au chocolat I regret this decision. I do love that it gives an overall military (think cavalry…) vibe, but with a slight feminine twist with the stilettos and red lips.

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I work from a home studio/office so it’s always a big deal when I’m out in town, so I always try to make the most of it by scheduling in at least one visit to an exhibition or gallery. Today I’m gatecrashing at the Dorothy Mead exhibit at Waterhouse & Dodd.
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Back to the office where I swap my 5-inch-heel horse and into more comfortable gear. We’re shooting in the studio today so I’ve slipped on a skirt and a pair of yoga shorts underneath. (No one is seeing my uterus today…) The Fay coat is perfect to throw on for the coffee run, finished off with an oversized scarf.

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Coat – Fay ‘Virginia’. Top – ASOS. Skirt – Carven (via Harvey Nichols). Bag – Saint Laurent. Boots – Stuart Weitzman. Scarf – ZARA

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Is it just me, or late lunch always tastes better? Oh wait, that’s the hunger speaking. Despite the three pain au chocolats and a plate of eggs from this morning of course. Aubaine’s Poulet Paillard is my go-to hunger buster.
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Coat – Fay ‘Virginia’. Top – ASOS. Bag – Hipsters for Sisters. Skirt – Alexandra Grecco. Sneakers – Isabel Marant.
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Given how dark it gets these days, my happy hour is winding down somewhere bright and cheery, so I ask a friend out to meet at the Wallace Collection – one of my favourite places in London – before heading to dinner. It’s been a long day so I pull out something fun and comfortable to wear under the Fay coat, like this puffy tulle skirt and white sneakers. AND A FANNYPACK. I swear it sounded better in my mind…

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* I don’t really change three times a day (unless I spill curry twice a day, which has happened in the past, mind.), this is simply to illustrate the multiple scenarios of styling a coat.
** Apologies if my third-grader handwriting offended anyone’s eyeballs this morning. I blame the rise of the machines…