The Polka Dots

Remember my previous post on the costumes i designed for The Polka Dots music promo-

http://amyellecartwright.blogspot.com/2011/09/back-to-1940s-with-polka-dots.html

Well 2 of the videos are online now and here they are!

Watch this space to see the rest of the videos!

I Fell In Love With Paris

At the weekend i filmed the music video for group 'Sheila Mcqueen' and their song called Paris. You can find the song on their Myspace page.

I was the Art Director. It's not often, but sometimes it's so refreshing to have to worry about props and not the costumes and clothing. This video had to look like vintage Paris and i had so much fun tracking down the props. I managed to find most of it on ebay!

This has definiely been one of my favourite shoots to date. I got to work with so many amazing and talented people, including director Robert Jury who i have worked with many times before. We all gelled perfectly together and i really feel this working harmony will result with a fantastic video!

I think the release date is late January but i will of course let you know once it's out. In the meantime here are a few sneaky photos of the shoot. Let me know what you think!

Astrid Kirchherr and The Beatles: Living in a Material World

After watching Martin Scorsese's compelling documentary "George Harrison: Living in a Material World", i found myself feeling extremely inspired. I am a huge Beatles fan, but i found myself most affected by the fantastic photography of Astrid Kirchherr. 

Astrid is a photographer and artist who is mainly known for her association with The Beatles during their time in Germany. We are so lucky to have had this wonderfully talented photographer to record these early years. Her photos are so rich with emotion. I feel that before The Beatles seemed almost 'super-human' to me, but this set of photos show us the real men.

I particularly love her unusual, one side heavy, compositions that she features in a lot of her work.

I find her creativity and innovation so inspiring. Even her personal style is edgy, yet timeless. She is credited with introducing the band to their iconic 'moptop' haircut and early style, although she denies this. Stuart Sutcliffe was even known to sometimes borrow her clothing. 

Sadly, i have heard that she gave up her photography in 1967 after feeling that she would only be known for her photos of the 'Fantastic Four'. I really wish there was a wider collection of Kirchherr, but i guess that's what makes her so wonderful. The photos perfectly capture icons within a brief period of time; popular culture; and ground breaking fashions and artistic forethought. 

During these early years it seems that she really was a muse to The Beatles and helped to shape the band they became.         

Here are some examples of Kirchherr's Beatles portfolio. I could actually study these pictures for days.

Audrey Hepburn's Dress Under The Hammer. Swoon!

Right- if anyone out there has a spare £60,000 can you please, please PLEASE give it to me. I actually need this dress.

THE iconic dress that Audrey Hepburn wore to collect her Academy Award in 1954 is going up for Auction. This dress was originally a costume designed by Edith Head for 'Roman Holiday' but Hepburn had it altered/ Givenchy-fied, to dazzling effect, to wear to the Oscars. After winning her best Actress award she called this her 'lucky dress'. It has since been stored at the bottom of a family friend's wardrobe.

Time has come though for the world to see this work of art. Kerry Taylor Auctions are expecting the dress to reach between £40,000 and £60,000; I got to say if i had the money i would definitely buy it.

This dress also won Edith Head an Oscar for Best Costume Design. There is no doubt that this dress is a gorgeous piece of film history.

Vintage Style Wedding Dress Patterns

My friend Vicky got married at the weekend in Scotland. It was absolutely beautiful. I was so thrilled to be a bridesmaid. The dresses were all made by my very talented friend Emma. They were stunning. They had the perfect hint of vintage style, i spent the whole day feeling so glamorous like Audrey Hepburn. :-)

Costumes in 'Water for Elephants'

I saw 'Water for Elephants' the other day. Although, it doesn't rank as one of my favourite films, i found it enjoyable and easy to watch. Reese Witherspoon became her character, the star attraction Marlena, perfectly, although i found Robert Pattinson a bit stale. (He was ok though!)

I loved Rosie the elephant, and i loved the scene where the circus workers erected the Big Top.

I thought the costumes were very nice. although i wasn't blown away by them. However, i just stumbled across the costume sketches by designer Jacqueline West. They are so beautiful, so for all the okayishness of the final film, i thought i would share these with you.

I really don't mean to sound like i hated this film, as i actually enjoyed it. It looked absolutely stunning! There was just something missing for me, although i can't quite put my finger on it.

Here are some stills shots for you to have a look at-