All Walks Hosts UK Screening of Miss Representation at Parliament
Guests at the All Walks screening of Miss Representation in the House of Commons photographer Annabel Staff“With the lack of female role models reflected in our general media, women often look to fashion for a narrative on femininity. The work of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk to promote a broader range of beauty and body ideals in age, size and skin tone is, therefore, essential”
Colleen Harris speaks at the Miss Representation debate photographer Annabel Staff
Minister for Equalities Lynne Featherstone MP (center) on the debate panel photographer Annabel StaffCatch up on Lynne Featherstone’s Huffington Post blog: Charmaine Ayden is a Fashion Communication graduate from Northumbria University. An avid admirer of all things ‘glossy’, she set her heart on a career in Fashion Journalism from a young age. Undertaking work placements with Vogue, WSGN, Asos, Drapers and Glamour Magazine, Charmaine is currently working as Copy and Features Writer for Brownsfashion.com. Check out Charmaine’s blog The Good is the Beautiful and find her on Twitter @CharmaineAyden
Our London Fashion Week Highlights
This season, for the first time since our launch in September 2009, we decided not to produce a high-profile industry campaign during fashion week. The reason for this is that we have been focusing all of our attention on the educational side of our work, helping to shape the mindset of future industry players - designers, writers, image makers - towards emotionally considerate practice. To this end, All Walk's founders Caryn and Debra will continue to tour the country, speaking to students at university level about the All Walks way.However, the spirit of All Walks has continued to have a presence on the catwalks during fashion month, and I would like to share these highlights with you. At All Walks, we love to see the people we work with doing really well, and this London Fashion Week has certainly made us proud.
You may have read in a prevous post, written by our Editor Charlotte Gush, about one of the original All Walks pairings, of designer Alexandra Groover and model Lucy Freeman, reuniting this season to make a film together for London Fashion Week.
I was also pleasantly surprised when I received an email containing the images below, of William Tempest's All Walks model Laura Catterall walking in the Elena Miro show in Milan, where she is channelling the perfect Mad Men silhouette with her femme fatal curves:
Coming back to the UK from Milan, spreading the spirit of our campaign at London Fashion Week was All Walks model Valerie Pain, who walked for Fyodor Golan, this year's winner of Fashion Fringe. Pain, the amazingly stunning 70-year-old model, told me that when she attended the casting, she walked in and, on sight of the samples, announced to the casting agent, "I'm not going to waste your time, they won't fit me."
However, the designers were so impressed by her that they redesigned an outfit and fitted it to Valerie's own body shape so that they could have her walk in their show. And just look how confidently she walks and how beautiful she looks in her show-stopping outfit in the short film, below:
To watch more, visit the Fashion Fringe section of the LFW website.
Until next time, I would like to leave you with this thought:
Whatever shape you are, whatever age you are, the women in this post show that being unique is the most beautiful trend to have emerged from fashion week, and I hope you can use this inspiration to embrace your individuality with pride.
Images courtesy of 12+ UK Model Management
***
Post by Michael Williamson
Michael is a designer, stylist, blogger and an integral member of the All Walks team, having been with us from the very beginning. Check out his blog, Safety-Pin Charm, to keep your finger on the pulse of all things fashion - especially london based. Follow Michael on You Tube and on Twitter @mwfrost
***
Editor Charlotte Gush, on Twitter @CavaCharlotte
Designer Alexandra Groover teams up with All Walks model for fashion film
ALEXANDRA GROOVER 'LIFE' SS12 TRAILER from au matt on Vimeo.
Californian-born designer, and friend of All Walks, Alexandra Groover has created a short film to be shown alongside her Spring / Summer 2012 collection during London Fashion Week. The film, entitled 'LIFE', sees Groover team up with plus size model Lucy Freeman for a second time. They have previously worked together on All Walk's 'Size Me Up' campaign, where Alexandra created a bespoke dress for Lucy to wear in the campaign imagery, shot by Kayt Jones.
'LIFE' is the second film in a trilogy that started with 'BIRTH', a film which accompanied Alexandra's Autumn / Winter 2011 collection. The second film continues to explore the concepts of origin and separation, as well as dealing with the topics of growth and indepedence from the family-unit.
In LIFE a large black rosebud slowly begins to blossom on the shoreline of Southern California, only to reveal the intense fuchsia faces of five performers who uncoil themselves into a meandering line of one, long interconnected dress. As they twist and turn across the screen, the slashes of fabric joining them together billow in the wind, and their snake-like procession exits into the bright sunlight of San Diego and re-emerges against the awe-inspiring backdrop of London’s Hampstead Heath where it all ends in an explosive finale.
Alexandra Groover created the dress worn by Lucy (below) for All Walks' "Size Me Up" campaign. The campaign saw eight models selected by All Walks, of a diverse range of shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities, pair up with eight up-and-coming British designers; Mark Fast, David Koma, Avsh Alom Gur, Hannah Marshall, William Tempest, Georgia Hardinge, Cooperative Designs and Alexandra Groover. The designers each created a bespoke outfit for their model and photographer Kayt Jones shot the images for i-D Magazine.
***
Post by Charlotte Gush
Charlotte is a freelance fashion writer, blogger and editor based in Manchester, as well as the Online Commissioning Editor for All Walks. She has previously spent 6 months working for All Walks at the London office as a social media, marketing and production intern. Charlotte writes a fashion, street style and personal style blog, 'CAVACOMA.com', with a dedicated Facebook fanpage here, and a Twitter account @CavaCharlotte
ADVANCED STYLE
Advanced Style: Age and Beauty on Nowness.com.
Here at All Walks we have been loving photographer Ari Seth Cohen’s blog Advanced Style for a little while now. Showcasing women who have honed their style credentials for generations, it is a wonderful resource of creativity and inspiration. The style of Cohen's subjects is often high-maintainance but it seems effortless at the same time. As several of the fashionistas in the video point out, they don't care what other people think of their style; they dress for themselves and to make themselves happy. Perhaps it is this confidence, and the drive to always be themselves, which makes them such style icons. In this respect, they too are icons of self-belief, wellbeing and happiness, and we can all learn something from them.
The short film, above, is by Lithuanian-born video maker Lina Plioplyte, who often shoots catwalk films for Nylon TV. This particular film, exclusive to Nowness, allows the viewer an insight into the stylish lives of the women featured on the Advanced Style blog.
***
Post by Charlotte Gush
Charlotte is the Online Commissioning Editor for All Walks, based away from the London office in Manchester. She has previously spent 6 months working for All Walks at the London office as a social media, marketing and production intern. Charlotte writes a fashion, street style and personal style blog, 'CAVACOMA.com', with a dedicated Facebook fanpage here, and a Twitter account @CavaCharlotte