Guest post from stylist Linda Conway.
Trends for this S/S12 are varied and many. Catwalks from London to New York and even Paris were filled with colour pattern and texture, paving the way for some serious fashion fun this year. Whether you are one to jump straight on the trend train or even if you are one to shy away, this season there really is something for everyone! From punk to vivid colour, soft neutrals to flowing florals or even luxurious laces and monochrome magnificence, prepare yourself for a fashion phenomenon!
Lace:
Lace is a big trend for this season. Designers have added lace to everyday wear such as blouses, skirts, and dresses and also to accessories and shoes. It has been introduced in a variety of styles, whether it is head colour pop lace as seen at Miu Miu and Valentino or the more paired back versions at Louis Vuitton and Erdem. The lace on this dress reminds me of a beautiful French lace collar on a blouse my grandmother used to have. My favourite feature is the lengthened sleeve and gathered waistline, plus the fact that it has no lining leaves room to wear it a tonne of different ways!
Orange:
The future is bright and the future is orange. That’s right, if there is one colour almost every designer gave a nod to this season it was orange. In many different hues and tones this is the shade of the season. My favourites included Derek Lam and Alberta Ferretti, from fiery tangerines to burnt oranges. This dress is going to be a summer staple of mine. Plus the dipped hemline means another trend box is ticked. From a BBQ to a wedding I think this is the kind of dress that will take me from one occasion to the next!
Irish Design:
I’m an avid follower of Irish Design and this S/S12 Irish Designers have created some incredibly beautiful collections. I hope to purchase a lot more pieces from designers such as Emma Manley, Sinead Doyle and Natalie B Coleman to name but a few. This is by far my favourite item in my closet. It’s a Manley by Emma Manley. It’s called “The Sue” dress and it is the most luxurious piece of clothing I have ever had the pleasure of wearing. I’m looking forward to adding more pieces like this bad boy to my wardrobe this season.
Athletic:
Sporty chic has sprinted to the forefront of many designers collections this season. From loose tailoring to the more obvious pieces this is the trend that will put a spring in your fashion step. Look to Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney for some serious sporty inspiration. I nabbed these trousers a while back and I adore them. Ok, to be fair without a pair of heels it may appear that I am ready for the gym but I think the zip details at the ankle take it a step away from boring sweat pants and give them a leap into catwalk inspired trousers. I’m a sucker from studs, and a bit of dip-dye never hurt anyone so this jumper will be my go to to add edge to outfits this season.
Peplum:
Giorgio Armani, Zac Posen, Jason Wu and Celine all celebrated the female silhouette this S/S12 with the form of the Peplum. Soft fresh and feminine, the peplum introduces curves and hides a multitude of sins. From soft to sharp forms it embraces the female figure. I’m teaming this ice white peplum dress with a boucle jacket this season. The trend is splashed across the highstreet so avoid meeting bumping into a replica as you stroll down the street add some personality with accessories. I love this jacket because the zips and texture add a different dimension to the look.
Happy S/S12 shopping everyone!
Linda x
Linda has recently launched her new website and you can also find her on Twitter!
Guest Post by Conor Healy
1) Recognise that not everyone knows the lingo.
Ensure those attending know what a photocall is, what is expected of them, what time to allow (we recommend 30 – 45 minutes) and of course, that they will be photographed. You may be surprised to know that often the glaringly obvious is not so obvious after all.
2) Choose your location wisely.
Check that the location is not surrounded by ‘under construction’ signs or that the circus is coming on the day of the photocall. If the photocall is to be on a beach, check that the tide will be out at the time of the photocall. Ensure the location is not surrounded by unwanted advertising. Ideally the location should be outdoors and somewhere there is access to shade. Colourful backdrops like walls, trees, buildings are all elements that Picture Editors like and they are growing tired of seeing St. Stephen’s Green, so get creative in choosing your locations.
3) Choose props that are appropriate and realistic but not ‘cheesy’.
Try to have something other than a banner advertisement for a prop. There are literally thousands of visual images that we can all relate to so explore all possibilities to get the right idea. I remember doing a photocall where the client had a large white sheet of cardboard with black lines running across it, with the words ‘Not the usual suspects’ ( to mirror the poster of the film ‘The Usual Suspects’). We got fantastic coverage from a really simple idea.
4) Make your client aware that a photocall does not translate as free advertising in the National Press.
Too often, though it has subdued recently, PR will insist on branding being in every image taken at a photocall and will not countenance any other creative imagery. I have taken some great photographs which due to overt branding, have not been published – The best way to get around this is to shoot both images with and without branding, so client can use branded shots on social media, etc while national papers can use the non branded images if they prefer.
5) Have a really great caption and a really great title.
No branding in the image? – counter that by having a really great caption and title that grabs the attention and compliments the image. Sometimes images are bogged down by the weight of a dreary caption – so keep it short and concise – and have different captions for broadsheets and tabloids.
6) Agree a number of pre – arranged images with your photographer
You have ideas and your photographer will also have ideas so the best thing is to discuss the event a few days before and then again within 48 hours leading up to the photocall. The creative process is one that begins well before the photocall. I will often think about a photocall days before it is scheduled to happen and present my ideas to the PR agency, some are accepted and others rejected, but through that process, we will come up with a better concept, ideas for quirky props/ or a better location for the photocall. On the day, photocalls, themselves can take on a life of their own form, so allow the creativity freedom. However having a few set ideas to run through gets people in to the flow of the photocall and can be great to jump back to, if things get a bit awry.
7) Keep an eye on your photographer and make sure all your required shots are taken.
All too often the PR person will be chatting away to the clients and oblivious that the photographer is on a creative drive of their own looking at composition, backdrops, facial expressions or just spiraling out of control! So make sure you get all the shots you want on the day. Bring the list with you, have all the right people been photographed with all the right people? Have you both the branded and unbranded shots you require? Have both Broadsheets and tabloids been covered?
8) You cannot serve two masters with one set of images.
The tabloids and the broadsheets require very different sets of photographs so make sure that you have ideas to cover both. It is getting more difficult to get in to the tabloids with out showing some skin – and that is just a fact! Likewise you will not get in to the broadsheets showing too much skin, but you can change a models clothes or have different props for different set – ups. – There is always choices.
9) Trust your photographer.
The photographer is on your side, working for you. They are taking a huge selection of different images to satisfy your needs and those of the different papers. They should be friendly and helpful to your clients, being able to communicate to men and women from 3 yrs to 93 yrs. They should be in control but not dominant, able to adapt to client requests. Afterwards the photographer will suggest images to release to different papers, and issue them separately to all the papers, giving each paper 6- 10 images to choose from. The photographer will be ringing all the desks and talking to them, making sure they have the images. If your photographer is not doing all this, then your photocall is flawed and you may need to consider changing photographer.
10) Be honest with yourself and have realistic expectations.
A well planned out, well executed, not too branded photocall will 9 out of 10 times get coverage in the national papers. If you really believe that your story is a national story and not just a local story and that your ideas are well thought out, (and you have a bit of luck that no world-wide breaking news story comes out on the day of release) then, there is no reason why your story won’t land in the papers!
Written By Conor Healy.
Conor Healy is a PR Photographer, specialising in photocalls, conferences and portraits. For more information log on to www.chphotography.ie
